Reference Guide

Pro Tools® 8.0

Legal Notices
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003, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 888|24 I/O,
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Guide Part Number 9106-59126-00 REV A 11/08

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Contents
Part I Introduction

Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The Pro Tools Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
System Requirements and Compatibility Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
About www.digidesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 2. Pro Tools Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Hard Disk Audio Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Pro Tools Nonlinear Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Digidesign Audio Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
MIDI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Pro Tools Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Tick-Based and Sample-Based Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
System Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
DigiBase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 3. Keyboard and Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Global Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Keyboard Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Numeric Keypad Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Part II System Configuration

Chapter 4. Pro Tools Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Pro Tools|HD Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Pro Tools LE Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Pro Tools M-Powered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Toolkit Software Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Checking For Software Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Contents iii
 Chapter 5. System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Checking an HD System with DigiTest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Configuring Pro Tools System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Configuring MIDI Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Configuring Pro Tools Hardware Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
System Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Chapter 6. I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Pro Tools Signal Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
I/O Setup Dialog Tabs and Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Creating New Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Editing Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Channel Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Valid Paths and Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Working with I/O Settings Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
I/O Setup Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Mic Preamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
H/W Insert Delay Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Chapter 7. Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Global and Local Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Display Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Operation Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Editing Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Mixing Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Processing Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
MIDI Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Synchronization Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Chapter 8. Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Machine Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
MIDI Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Ethernet Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Mic Preamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

iv Pro Tools Reference Guide

Part III Sessions & Tracks

Chapter 9. Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Quick Start Session Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Creating a New Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Session Files and Folders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Opening a Session. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Opening Recent Sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Opening Session with Plug-ins Deactivated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Saving a Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Session Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Closing a Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Exiting or Quitting Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Chapter 10. Pro Tools Main Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Mix Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Edit Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Transport Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
MIDI Editor Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Score Editor Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
DigiBase Browsers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Managing Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Tool Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Chapter 11. Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Track Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Track Channel Strips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Track Controls and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Edit Window Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Track Level Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Adjusting Track Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Creating Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Track Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Track Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
The Track List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Track Name Right-Click Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Assigning Audio Inputs and Outputs to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Track Priority and Voice Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Assigning MIDI Inputs and Outputs to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Soloing and Muting Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Making Tracks Inactive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Color Coding for Tracks, Regions, Markers, and Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Contents v
 Chapter 12. Grouping Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Grouping Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Group Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Working with Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Setting Group Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Enabling Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Grouped Control Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Chapter 13. The Region List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Region List Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Sorting and Searching in the Region List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Selecting Regions in the Region List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Previewing Regions in the Region List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Stereo and Multichannel Regions in the Region List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Naming and Displaying Regions in the Region List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Managing Regions in the Region List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Region Name Right-Click Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Chapter 14. DigiBase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

DigiBase Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Performance and Transfer Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Digidesign Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Browser Windows and Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Indexing DigiBase Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
The Browser Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Browser Panes and Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Column Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Selecting Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Moving, Copying, Duplicating, and Deleting Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Searching Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Elastic Audio Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Previewing Audio in DigiBase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Linking and Relinking Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Relink Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Workspace Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Project Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
DigiBase Pro Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Task Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

vi Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 15. Importing and Exporting Session Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Importing and Exporting to and from a Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Audio Conversion on Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Import Options and Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Importing Files with Drag and Drop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Importing Audio Files and Regions Using the Import Audio Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Importing Audio from Audio CDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Importing ACID and REX Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Importing Multichannel Audio Files from a Field Recorder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Exporting Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Importing Session Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Importing AAF and OMF Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Exporting Pro Tools Tracks as AAF or OMFI Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Exporting Sessions as Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Send via DigiDelivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Importing MIDI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Exporting MIDI Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Exporting Sibelius Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Importing and Exporting Region Group Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

Chapter 16. File and Session Management and Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Audio File Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
WAV File Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Sharing Sessions Created on Different Computer Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Software Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Language Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Contents vii
 Part IV Playback and Recording

Chapter 17. Playing Back Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

Playing Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Playback Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Setting the Playback Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Scrolling Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Playing Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Playing Timeline and Edit Selections with the Playhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Playback Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
MIDI Beat Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342

Chapter 18. Record Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

Record Setup Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Configuring Pro Tools Hardware I/O for Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Connecting a Sound Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Allocating Hard Drive Space for Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Recording with a Click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Setting the Session Meter and Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Record Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Configuring Default Names for Audio Files and Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Assigning Hardware I/O on a Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Record Enabling Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Recording with Multiple Hard Drives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Selecting a Record Input Monitoring Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
Setting Monitor Levels for Record and Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Reducing Monitoring Latency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Chapter 19. Audio Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

Recording an Audio Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Recording Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Prime for Record Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Setting Punch and Loop Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Audio Punch Recording Over a Specified Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Recording Additional Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Loop Recording Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
Alternate Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Recording from a Digital Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Half-Speed Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388

viii Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 20. MIDI Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Recording from MIDI Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Enabling Input Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
MIDI Thru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
MIDI Input Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Input Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Wait for Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
MIDI Merge/Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Configuring MIDI or Instrument Tracks for Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Recording MIDI and Instrument Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
MIDI Punch Recording Over a Specified Range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Loop Recording MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
MIDI Step Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Recording System Exclusive Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Recording Audio from a MIDI Instrument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Chapter 21. Punch Recording Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
System, Session, and Track Guidelines for Punch Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
QuickPunch Audio Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
TrackPunch Audio Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
DestructivePunch Audio Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416
Example TrackPunch and DestructivePunch Workflows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

Part V Editing

Chapter 22. Editing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

Pro Tools Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Track Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
Audio Regions and Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
MIDI Regions and MIDI Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
Naming Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
Displaying Region Names, Region Times, and Other Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Multiple Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
Basic Editing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
Editing Across Multiple Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443

Contents ix
 Chapter 23. Edit Modes and Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Edit Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Edit Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
Using the Zoomer Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Using the Trimmer Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
Using the Selector Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
Using the Grabber Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
Using the Smart Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
Using the Scrubber Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
Numeric Keypad Set to Shuttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
Using the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471

Chapter 24. Making Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473

Linking or Unlinking Timeline and Edit Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
Linking or Unlinking Track and Edit Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
Selecting Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
Timeline Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
Auto-Scrolling Tracks in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
Universe View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
Navigating Your Pro Tools Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492

Chapter 25. Editing Regions and Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

Creating New Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Healing Separated Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Trimming Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Nudging Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Quantizing Regions to Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
Editing Stereo and Multichannel Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
Consolidate Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
Compacting an Audio File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
Processing Audio with AudioSuite Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
TCE (Time Compression and Expansion) Edit To Timeline Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508
Rating Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

Chapter 26. Fades and Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511

Using Fades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
Fades Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
Creating Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Creating a Crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521
Using AutoFades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
Creating Fades and Crossfades in Batches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
Moving and Nudging Fades and Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524
Separating Regions That Include Fades or Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527
Trimming Regions That Include Fades or Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528
Fade Boundaries and Shapes in Displayed Automation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528

x Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 27. Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
Working with Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
Track Compositing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532
Playlists View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535
Matching Alternate Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540
Selecting Alternate Takes on Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542
Automatically Create New Playlists when Loop Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543
Expanding Alternate Takes to New Playlists or Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543
Expanding Alternate Channels to New Playlists or Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545

Chapter 28. Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549

Beat Detective Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550
The Beat Detective Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551
Beat Detective Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551
Defining a Beat Detective Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552
Beat Detective Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 553
Calculating Tempo with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554
Generating Beat Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554
Generating Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560
DigiGroove Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561
Separating Regions with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563
Conforming Regions with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565
Edit Smoothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567
Detection (Normal) and Collection Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569

Part VI MIDI

Chapter 29. MIDI Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575

MIDI Editing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 575
Setting the Grid Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577
The Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578
Inserting MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580
Manually Editing MIDI Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 582
Using the Grabber Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584
Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer Tool Functionality on MIDI Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591
Continuous Controller Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592
Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
System Exclusive Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600
Note and Controller Chasing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601
Offsetting MIDI Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 602
Stuck Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
Remove Duplicate Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 603
MIDI Real-Time Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604

Contents xi
 Chapter 30. MIDI Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611
MIDI Editor Window Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
MIDI Editor Zoom Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
Track List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
Group List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
Timebase and Conductor Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
Superimposed Notes View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
Notation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626
Velocity, Controller, and Automation Lanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628

Chapter 31. Score Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631

Notation Display Track Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641
Score Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643
Editing Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644
Score Editor Right-Click Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647
Key Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648
Meter Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649
Chord Symbols and Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649
Exporting Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651
Printing Scores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651

Chapter 32. MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653

Inserting Events in the MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656
Editing Events in the MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658
MIDI Event List Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660

Part VII Arranging

Chapter 33. Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663

Timebase Rulers and Conductor Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663
Main Time Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666
Tick-Based Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667
Song Start Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670
Tempo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671
Graphic Tempo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 676
Changing the Linearity Display Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 682
Tempo Operations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683
Identify Beat Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689
Meter Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 692
Time Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 694
Renumbering Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700
Key Signatures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700
Chord Symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703

xii Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 34. Memory Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705
Memory Locations and Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705
Memory Locations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712

Chapter 35. Arranging Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715

Placing Regions in Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715
Replacing Audio Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726
Sync Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728
Shift Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730
Locking Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730
Muting/Unmuting Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 732
Stripping Silence from Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 732
Inserting Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735
Duplicating Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 736
Repeating Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737

Chapter 36. Region Loops and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 739

Region Looping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 739
Region Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 743

Part VIII Processing

Chapter 37. AudioSuite Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753

The AudioSuite Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753
The AudioSuite Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754
Using AudioSuite Plug-ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760

Chapter 38. Elastic Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763

Example Elastic Audio Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764
Elastic Audio Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 769
Elastic Audio Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 772
Real-Time and Rendered Elastic Audio Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773
Elastic Audio Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 774
Editing in Warp View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 778
Editing in Analysis View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 785
Elastic Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Elastic Audio Region-Based Pitch Shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790
AudioSuite Processing and Elastic Audio Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 792
Moving Elastic Audio Between Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Fades and MicroFades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 794
Elastic Audio Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795

Contents xiii
 Chapter 39. Event Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 797
Event Operations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 797
Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 798
Restore Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810
Flatten Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 812
Change Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 812
Change Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 814
Transpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816
Select/Split Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818
Input Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820
Step Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 821

Part IX Mixing

Chapter 40. Basic Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 827

Mixing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 827
Metering and Calibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 827
Signal Flow by Track Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 828
Inserts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 835
Views in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 836
Audio Input and Output Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 839
Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 842
Output Windows for Tracks and Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
Signal Routing for Monitoring and Submixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853
Delay Compensation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 860
Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866
Using an Ethernet Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868
Using a MIDI Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868

Chapter 41. Plug-in and Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 871

Inserting Plug-ins on Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 876
Plug-in Menu Organization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877
Moving and Duplicating Plug-in and Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 880
The Plug-in Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 880
Editing Plug-in Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 884
Plug-in Automation and Safe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 885
Side-Chain Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 885
Plug-in Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 886
Plug-in Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 891
Bypassing Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897
Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-Mono Plug-ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897
Using Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 898

xiv Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 42. Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 901
Automation QuickStart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 901
Automation Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 902
Automation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 904
Automation Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 908
Viewing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 910
Writing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 913
Enabling and Suspending Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 922
Deleting Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925
Thinning Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925
Drawing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 926
Editing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 927
Trimming Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 936
Writing Automation to the Start, End, or All of a Track or Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 938
Writing Automation to the Next Breakpoint or to the Punch Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 940
Guidelines for “Write To” Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 943
Overwriting or Extending Mute Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 944
Creating Snapshot Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 947
Previewing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 950
Capturing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 952
VCA Master Track Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 955

Chapter 43. Mixdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 959

Bus Recording to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 961
Bounce to Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 962
Bounce Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 963
Recording a Submix (with Bounce to Disk). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 969
Final Mixdown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 970
Mastering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 971

Contents xv
 Part X Surround

Chapter 44. Pro Tools Setup for Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 975

Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 975
Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 976
Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 980
5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 981

Chapter 45. Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 983

Multichannel Audio Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 983
Multichannel Signal Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 986
Paths in Surround Mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 988
Example Paths and Signal Routing for a Surround Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 990

Chapter 46. Surround Panning and Mixing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995

Introduction to Pro Tools Surround Panning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995
Output Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 996
Standard Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 997
Surround Panner Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 998
Panning Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1001
Divergence and Center Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1004
LFE Faders in Multichannel Panners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1005
Pan Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006
Surround Scope Plug-in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006

xvi Pro Tools Reference Guide

Part XI Sync and Video

Chapter 47. Working with Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1009

Pro Tools Synchronization Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1009
Session Setup Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1010
Preparing to Work with SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1016
Configuring Pro Tools for SMPTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1016
Pull Up and Pull Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1018
Putting Pro Tools Online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1021
Generating Time Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1022
Using MIDI Machine Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1024
Setting Minimum Sync Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1027
Remote Track Arming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1028
Spotting Regions to SMPTE Frame Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1028
Time Stamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1031
Identifying a Synchronization Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1032
Troubleshooting SMPTE Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1032

Chapter 48. Working with Video in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1035

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1035
QuickTime Movies Support in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1036
Windows Media Video (VC-1 AP Codec) Support in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1037
Before Starting Your Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1037
Video Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1038
Main Video Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1039
Video Track Controls and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1040
Locking Video Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1041
Video Engine Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1042
Importing Video into Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1043
Extracting Audio from QuickTime and Windows Media Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1046
Video Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1047
General Video Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1048
Renaming Video Disk Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1050
Video Region Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1050
Using the Video Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1051
Browsing Video in the Video Universe Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1053
Playback of High-Definition QuickTime and Windows Media Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1055
Playing QuickTime DV Video to an External Monitor Over FireWire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1055
Playing Video to an External Monitor Using a Video Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1057
Bouncing the Video Track to a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1059
Bouncing a Video Track with Windows Media Video to a WIndows Media Movie . . . . . . . . . 1060
Using Pro Tools LE to Import Video from Other Versions of Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1061

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1063

Contents xvii
xviii Pro Tools Reference Guide
Part I: Introduction

1
2
Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools

Welcome to Pro Tools® by Digidesign®. Getting Started with Pro Tools Guide
Pro Tools integrates powerful multitrack digital
For Pro Tools LE® and M-Powered™, see the
audio and MIDI sequencing features, giving you
Getting Started with Pro Tools Guide for your
everything you need to record, arrange, com-
interface.
pose, edit, mix, and master professional quality
audio and MIDI for music, video, film, and mul- This guide has tutorials on using Pro Tools (such
timedia. as recording in a Pro Tools session, importing
audio from a CD, and creating an audio CD
from a Pro Tools session).
The Pro Tools Guides
Guides Accessible in Pro Tools
In addition to any printed guides or documenta-
tion included with your system, PDF versions of The main Pro Tools guides are accessible from
the printed guides and many additional the Pro Tools Help menu. These include:
Pro Tools guides and Read Mes are installed au- • Shortcuts, which lists keyboard and Right-click
tomatically during Pro Tools installation to the shortcuts for Pro Tools including those shown
Digidesign/Documentation folder. To view or in Pro Tools menus.
print PDF guides, you can use Adobe Reader or • DigiRack Plug-ins Guide, which describes the
Apple Preview (Mac only). DigiRack plug-ins included with Pro Tools
for both real-time and file-based audio
Printed copies of the Pro Tools Reference
processing.
Guide and some guides in the Pro Tools
guide set can be purchased separately from • Pro Tools Menus Guide, which covers all the
the DigiStore (www.digidesign.com). Pro Tools on-screen menus.
• Pro Tools Reference Guide, which explains
Setup Guide
Pro Tools software in detail.
The printed Setup Guide for your system includes
instructions for installing Pro Tools and con-
necting your studio.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools 3

 Additional Plug-in Guides Conventions Used in These Guides
For information on additional free plug-ins that The Pro Tools guides use the following conven-
can be installed with Pro Tools, and for informa- tions to indicate menu choices, keyboard com-
tion on additional plug-ins that you can pur- mands, and mouse commands:
chase separately, see the following PDF guides: :

• Bomb Factory Plug-ins Guide, which describes Convention Action

the Bomb Factory plug-ins. File > Save Choose Save from the
• Creative Collection Plug-ins Guide, which File menu
describes the Digidesign Creative Collection Control+N Hold down the Control
instrument and effects plug-ins that can be key and press the N key
installed with Pro Tools.
Control-click Hold down the Control
• Digidesign Plug-ins Guide, which describes the key and click the mouse
Digidesign® plug-ins. button

• TL Labs Plug-ins Guide, which describes the Right-click Click with the right
TL Labs plug-ins. mouse button

These guides are installed with Pro Tools and The names of Commands, Options, and Settings
can be found in the following locations: that appear on-screen are in a different font.

Windows C:\Program Files\Digidesign\ The following symbols are used to highlight

Documentation\Plug-ins important information:

Mac Applications/Digidesign/Documentation/ User Tips are helpful hints for getting the
Plug-ins most from your Pro Tools system.

Expanded Systems Guide

Important Notices include information that
(Pro Tools|HD Systems Only) could affect your Pro Tools session data or
This PDF guide provides instructions for the performance of your Pro Tools system.
expanding a Pro Tools|HD® system with addi-
tional Digidesign cards and audio interfaces, Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or
with or without an expansion chassis. mouse shortcuts.

Additional Digidesign Printed Guides

Cross References point to related sections in
Digidesign also provides guides with Pro Tools this guide and other Digidesign guides.
audio interfaces, dedicated worksurfaces (such
as D-Control™) and control surfaces (such as Pro Tools M-Powered
Command|8®), and other Digidesign options
(such as MIDI I/O™, PRE, and SYNC HD™). References to Pro Tools LE™ in this guide
Refer to the separate guide provided with each are usually interchangeable with Pro Tools
Digidesign product. M-Powered™, except as noted in the
Pro Tools M-Powered Setup Guide.

4 Pro Tools Reference Guide

System Requirements and About www.digidesign.com
Compatibility Information The Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com) is
Digidesign can only assure compatibility and your best online source for information to help
provide support for hardware and software it has you get the most out of your Pro Tools system.
tested and approved. The following are just a few of the services and
features available.
For complete system requirements and a list of
Digidesign-qualified computers, operating Product Registration Register your purchase
systems, hard drives, and third-party devices, online.
refer to the latest information on the Digidesign
Support and Downloads Contact Digidesign
website:
Technical Support or Customer Service; down-
www.digidesign.com/compatibility load software updates and the latest online
manuals; browse the Compatibility documents
for system requirements; search the online An-
swerbase; or join the worldwide Pro Tools com-
munity on the Digidesign User Conference.

Training and Education Study on your own using

courses available online or find out how you can
learn in a classroom setting at a certified
Pro Tools training center.

Products and Developers Learn about Digidesign

products; download demo software or learn
about our Development Partners and their plug-
ins, applications, and hardware.

News and Events Get the latest news from

Digidesign or sign up for a Pro Tools demo.

Pro Tools Accelerated Videos Watch the series of

free tutorial videos. Accelerated Videos are de-
signed to help you get up and running with
Pro Tools and its plug-ins.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools 5

6 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts

This chapter explains some of the principles and

concepts that form the foundation of Pro Tools Pro Tools Nonlinear Editing
operation and functionality.
Pro Tools is a nonlinear recording editing sys-
tem that lets you rearrange and mix recorded
material nondestructively. Nonlinear editing
Hard Disk Audio Recording simply means that you can cut, copy, paste,
move, delete, trim, and otherwise rearrange any
Hard disk recording is a nonlinear (or random ac- audio, MIDI, or video in the Pro Tools Edit win-
cess) medium—you can go immediately to any dow.
spot in a recording without having to rewind or
fast forward. Nonlinear editing provides significant advan-
tages over dubbing (re-recording), and cutting
This differs from tape-based recording, which is and splicing magnetic tape. It gives you the
a linear medium—where you need to rewind or greatest possible flexibility for editing and ar-
fast forward to hear a particular spot in a record- ranging, and it is all nondestructive and “undo-
ing. To rearrange or repeat material in a linear able.” Additionally, with nonlinear editing in
system, you need to re-record it, or cut and Pro Tools, you will never introduce any degrada-
splice it. tion of audio fidelity as you would with tape.
Nonlinear systems have several advantages. You
can easily rearrange or repeat parts of a record-
ing by making the hard disk read parts of the re-
cording in a different order and/or multiple
times. In addition, this re-arrangement is nonde-
structive, meaning that the original recorded ma-
terial is not altered.

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 7

 Pro Tools LE uses host (CPU) processing to pro-
The Digidesign Audio Engine vide audio track recording, playback, mixing,
and effects processing. Both Pro Tools LE and
The Digidesign Audio Engine (DAE) is Digide-
Pro Tools HD use host processing to run RTAS®
sign’s real-time operating system for digital au-
(Real-Time AudioSuite) plug-ins for effects pro-
dio recording, playback, and processing. When
cessing. Performance is determined by your sys-
you install Pro Tools, DAE is automatically in-
tem and its Playback Engine settings.
stalled on your system.
The Playback Engine dialog lets you set a hard-
In the same way that a computer’s operating sys-
ware buffer size and allocate a percentage of
tem provides the foundation for programs that
CPU resources for these tasks.
run on the computer, DAE provides the founda-
tion for much of the hard disk recording, digital
signal processing, and mix automation required
by Pro Tools and other products from Digide-
sign and its Development Partners.

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the

amount of memory DAE allocates to manage
disk buffers. The DAE Playback Buffer Size can
be changed in the Playback Engine dialog.

For information on configuring the DAE

Playback Buffer Size, see “DAE Playback
Buffer Size” on page 48.

Playback Engine Dialog

Pro Tools lets you adjust the performance of
your system by changing system settings that
affect its capacity for processing, playback, and Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools|HD system
recording. These system settings are available
On Pro Tools|HD systems, you can select the
in the Playback Engine dialog (Setup > Playback
number of voices and voiceable tracks for your
Engine).
system and its sessions. Voice count choices are
Pro Tools takes advantage of your computer’s based on how much DSP processing you want to
host processor for certain tasks and optional allocate for voicing.
host-based DSP processing.
On Pro Tools|HD systems, the Playback Engine
dialog is also where you assign dedicated DSP re-
sources for Delay Compensation.

For more information, see “Configuring

Pro Tools System Settings” on page 42. See
also “System Resources” on page 19.

8 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 strument sound. For example, bass on
MIDI channel 1, piano on channel 2, and drums on
channel 10. Similar to a multitrack tape re-
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a
corder, a MIDI sequencer can record complex ar-
communication protocol for musical instru-
rangements—even using only a single multitim-
ments. This industry standard enables connec-
bral keyboard.
tions between a variety of devices from different
manufacturers. Examples of MIDI-compatible
equipment include synthesizers, sound mod- MIDI Terms
ules, drum machines, MIDI patch bays, effects
The following are some basic MIDI terms:
processors, MIDI interfaces, MIDI control sur-
faces, and MIDI sequencers. MIDI Instrument A hardware MIDI device or
software instrument (such as an instrument
MIDI devices are equipped with 5-pin DIN con-
plug-in).
nectors, labeled as either IN, OUT, or THRU. The
MIDI OUT port transmits messages. The MIDI MIDI Interface Hardware that lets computers
IN port receives messages. The MIDI THRU out- connect to and communicate with MIDI devices
puts whatever is received from the IN port. MIDI (such as the M-Audio MIDISPORT).
devices are connected with MIDI cables that are
available at most music stores. MIDI Device Any physical MIDI keyboard, sound
module, effects device, or other
USB and FireWire-compatible MIDI devices send equipment that can send or receive MIDI
and receive MIDI messages to and from the information.
computer over USB or FireWire.
MIDI Controller Any MIDI device that transmits
MIDI performance data. These include MIDI
passes input keyboards, MIDI guitar controllers, MIDI wind
controllers, and others. Controllers transmit
MIDI from their MIDI OUT ports.

MIDI Control Surface Any device (such as the

Digidesign Command|8), which uses a MIDI
connection to send control messages to a soft-
MIDI signal flow ware program, but is not generally used to
record MIDI information.
Not all devices will have all three MIDI
Multitimbral The ability of one MIDI device to
ports (IN, OUT, and THRU).
play several different instrument sounds (such
The MIDI protocol provides 16 channels of as piano, bass, and drums) simultaneously on
MIDI per port. A single MIDI cable can transmit separate MIDI channels. This makes it possible
a separate set of messages for each of the 16 for a single multitimbral MIDI instrument to
channels. These 16 channels can correspond to play back entire arrangements.
separate MIDI devices or to multiple channels
within a single device (if the device is multitim-
bral). Each channel can control a different in-

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 9

 MIDI Port A physical MIDI port on a MIDI inter- Virtual MIDI Nodes When using MIDI with in-
face or a virtual MIDI port created in software. strument plug-ins in Pro Tools, virtual MIDI
There are separate ports for MIDI In and Out. nodes are created. These nodes act like MIDI
Physical MIDI ports connect to external MIDI ports and provide software MIDI connections
devices using MIDI cables. Virtual MIDI ports between Pro Tools and other MIDI software,
connect software plug-ins and applications (see such as instrument plug-ins. For example, when
also “Virtual MIDI Nodes”). you insert Propellerhead’s Reason as a ReWire
client on a track, the various MIDI inputs to
MIDI Channel Up to 16 channels of MIDI perfor- Reason become available to Pro Tools MIDI and
mance data can be transmitted on a single MIDI Instrument track MIDI outputs.
cable. The channel number separates the differ-
ent messages so your sound sources can receive
the correct messages. Common MIDI Misconceptions
Program Change Event A MIDI command that MIDI is not audio, and by itself makes no sound.
tells a sound source which of its sounds (or MIDI is control information only. It is like the
sound patches) to use. The MIDI protocol lets piano roll for a player piano; it provides control
you choose from a range of 128 patches. information for what note to play when, for
how long, at what volume, and with what
Bank Select Message Many devices have more sound (instrument). For example, when you
than 128 patches, which are arranged in banks. strike a key on a MIDI keyboard, it sends a mes-
The Bank Select Message is a MIDI command sage to a MIDI instrument to play that particular
that specifies the bank of patches from which to note at that particular velocity using the se-
choose. lected sound (instrument). This could be its in-
ternal tone generator (like a synthesizer or sam-
Local Control A controller setting found on most
pler), another external MIDI instrument, or an
MIDI keyboards that lets them play their own
instrument plug-in within Pro Tools. In order to
sound source. Disabling “local control” ensures
play and hear a MIDI recording, you must have
that a device’s internal sound source is only
a MIDI instrument. Audio from an external
played by external MIDI messages (such as those
MIDI instrument can be sent to an external
sent from Pro Tools when MIDI in Pro Tools is
mixer or monitored through your Pro Tools au-
routed to the MIDI keyboard). When using
dio interface (using either an Instrument track
Pro Tools, “local control” should usually be dis-
or Auxiliary track).
abled (for example, when using MIDI Thru).
When “local control” is off, your keyboard still If you are using an external MIDI instrument, it
transmits data to its MIDI OUT port. must be connected to MIDI ports that are recog-
nized by your computer. These ports can be on a
Continuous Controller Events MIDI instructions
Pro Tools interface that has MIDI ports (such as
that allow real-time changes to notes that are
an Mbox® 2) or some other MIDI interface (such
currently sounding. These include pitch bend,
as a Digidesign MIDI I/O).
modulation, volume, pan, and many others.

System Exclusive Data MIDI data commonly

used for sending and retrieving patch parameter
information for storage purposes.

10 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Synchronization
When you are working with multiple time-
based systems, such as Pro Tools and an external
deck, you want both systems to be synchro-
nized. Synchronization is where one system out-
puts time code or MIDI Beat Clock and another
device synchronizes to or follows that time code
Signal paths for external MIDI instruments
or MIDI Beat Clock so that they work together
To actually hear an external MIDI instrument, according to the same clock source. Pro Tools
you need to connect its audio outputs to a mix- can be synchronized to other devices (or other
ing console or connect it to one of the audio in- devices can be synchronized to Pro Tools) using
puts of your Pro Tools audio interface. SMPTE/EBU time code or MIDI Time Code.

Just as each Pro Tools system has unique hard- For more information on different
ware features, each MIDI device has its own fea- SMPTE/EBU formats, and other concepts
tures (and limitations) as to the number of related to time code, refer to the Pro Tools
voices and instruments it can play at one time. Sync & Surround Concepts Guide.
Refer to the device’s documentation for infor-
mation on its capabilities.
Surround
MIDI In Pro Tools Surround sound simply means having one or
Pro Tools provides powerful MIDI sequencing more speakers with discrete audio signals (chan-
capabilities. You can record, enter, edit, and nels) placed behind the listener in addition to
play back MIDI data on Pro Tools Instrument the typical stereo pair.
and MIDI tracks. These actions can be done in
There are multiple types of surround formats in
the Edit window, the MIDI Editor window, the
use (from three-channel LCR to 7.1, which has 8
Score Editor window, and the MIDI Event List.
channels).
MIDI data in Pro Tools can be anything from
The most common surround format is 5.1,
MIDI note data (note number, on/off, velocity)
which refers to having 5 speakers and a sub-
to System Exclusive (Sysex) messages. MIDI data
woofer (the “.1”). 5.1 is used in movie theaters
can be recorded or played back from both exter-
and home entertainment systems. Additionally,
nal MIDI devices with a MIDI interface (like the
most DVDs are mixed to 5.1. The standard
Digidesign MIDI I/O or Mbox 2) and other MIDI
speaker placement for 5.1 for surround monitor-
software (such as instrument plug-ins and
ing is stereo left and right speakers, and an addi-
ReWire client applications).
tional center speaker in front, two more stereo
left and right speakers in the rear, and the sub-
woofer on the side.

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 11

 Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with the Com- There are different session file icons for each
plete Production Toolkit option support mixing type of Pro Tools system software.
in surround formats. In Pro Tools, each sur-
round format is considered to be a Pro Tools
greater-than-stereo multichannel format.

For information on fundamental surround

concepts, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround
Concepts Guide.
Pro Tools HD Pro Tools LE Pro Tools M-Powered

Session file icons

Pro Tools Sessions Although there are different session file icons,
session files may be opened by the other types of
When you start a project in Pro Tools, you create
Pro Tools system software (with certain restric-
a session. Some basic elements of sessions are ex-
tions). See “Opening a Session” on page 116.
plained in this section.
When a session is transferred to a different
Pro Tools system, its session file icon
Session File
changes to the icon type of the destination
A session file is the document that Pro Tools cre- system.
ates when you choose File > New Session and
configure a new session. Pro Tools can open Tracks
only one session file at a time. The session file is
named with a .ptf (Pro Tools file) extension. Ses- Pro Tools tracks are where audio, MIDI, video,
sion files contain maps of all elements associ- and automation data are recorded and edited.
ated with a project, including audio files, MIDI Pro Tools tracks also provide audio channels for
data, and all your edit and mix information. It is routing internal busses, and physical inputs and
important to realize that a Pro Tools session file outputs for audio and MIDI.
does not contain any media files (audio or
video). Instead, it references audio, video, MIDI,
and other files. You can make changes to a ses-
sion and save those changes in a new session
file. This lets you create multiple versions of a
session or back up your editing and mixing
work.

12 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Pro Tools provides multiple types of tracks: Video tracks support QuickTime movies (all
audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Mas- Pro Tools systems) and VC-1 video files (Win-
ter, MIDI, Instrument, and video. dows Vista only). Additionally, Avid video is
supported on Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with
DV Toolkit 2 software with an Avid video pe-
ripheral. An individual video track can play back
only one type of video at a time.

Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and In-

Audio track in the Edit window (stereo track shown) strument tracks can be mono, stereo, or multi-
channel (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with
the Complete Production Toolkit option only).
When creating a new track, select from the list
of channel formats supported by your system.

MIDI track in the Edit window Media Files

Pro Tools sessions create, import, export, and
reference media files. Media files are audio,
MIDI, and video files. Audio and video media
files are stored separately from the Pro Tools ses-
sion file. MIDI data is stored in the session file.
Video track in Frames view

Audio, MIDI, Instrument, and video track data

Audio Files
can be edited into regions or repeated in differ- When you record audio into a Pro Tools session,
ent locations to create loops, re-arrange sections audio files are created.
or entire songs, or to assemble tracks using ma-
terial from multiple takes.

Auxiliary Input tracks can route internal audio

busses or physical inputs to internal busses or
physical outputs. Auxiliary Inputs are typically Audio file icons
used for audio effects busses, audio throughput
Audio files for each session are stored in a folder
(monitoring), and submixing.
named “Audio Files.” Audio files are listed in the
Master Fader tracks provide controls for physical Pro Tools Region List and can appear in an au-
audio output channels, including the volume dio track. A section of an audio file can be de-
level of your mix, panning, and plug-in inserts. fined as a region. See “Regions” on page 14.

VCA Master tracks (Pro Tools HD only) provide

control of tracks in a Mix Group that has been
assigned to the VCA Master.

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 13

 MIDI Files
When you record or enter MIDI into a Pro Tools
session, all MIDI data is stored in the Pro Tools
session file. You can import and export MIDI
files to and from Pro Tools sessions, but MIDI
recorded or otherwise created in a Pro Tools ses-
sion does not automatically create new MIDI
files.

Video Files
When you record or import video into a
Pro Tools session, all video data is stored as the
corresponding video file type (such as Quick- Region group (Mixed audio and MIDI multitrack region
Time). Video files can be created in (or copied group)
to) the Video Files folder in the session folder.
A region is a segment of audio, MIDI, or video
However, in most cases, Pro Tools references
data. A region could be a drum loop, a guitar riff,
video files that have been captured by another
a verse of a song, a recording take, a sound ef-
application, such as Avid Media Composer.
fect, some dialog, or an entire sound file. Re-
gions are especially useful for arranging audio
Regions and MIDI. A region can also have associated au-
tomation data. In Pro Tools, regions are created
from audio files or MIDI data, and can be ar-
ranged in audio and MIDI track playlists. Re-
gions can also be grouped (a region of regions)
and looped (repeated).

Audio region

MIDI region

Video region (Frames view)

14 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Playlist Each audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, Master
Fader, and VCA track also has a single set of au-
tomation playlists. Automation playlists can in-
clude volume, pan, mute, and each automation-
enabled control for the insert and send assign-
ments on that track.

MIDI controller data on Instrument and MIDI

tracks is always included as part of the track
playlist.
Playlist selector pop-up menu

A playlist is a sequence of regions arranged on an Channel

audio, MIDI, or video track. Tracks have edit The term channel is used to describe several re-
playlists and automation playlists. lated components of a Pro Tools system. The
On audio tracks, an edit playlist tells the hard first example of channel refers to a physical in-
disk which audio regions to play in what order. put or output of your Pro Tools system. For ex-
For example, you can have separate audio re- ample, a 96 I/O audio interface provides up to
gions for a song introduction, the first verse, the 16 channels of audio input and output to a
first chorus, and so on. You can also use the Pro Tools|HD system, while an Mbox 2 audio in-
same audio region to access the same piece of terface provides up to four inputs and two out-
audio multiple times at different locations and puts.
not use additional disk space. Different versions The second use of the term channel refers to a
of the same original audio can be used in differ- channel strip in the Pro Tools Mix window.
ent places and have different effects applied. On Each track in a Pro Tools session has a corre-
MIDI and Instrument tracks, edit playlists can sponding channel strip in the Mix window.
store multiple MIDI sequences (or perfor-
mances) on a track. Audio and MIDI channel strips have similar
controls, but those controls have slightly differ-
A playlist can be made up of a single region or ent effects. For example, audio, Auxiliary Input,
many separate regions. It can be made up of sim- and Instrument track channel strip faders con-
ilar elements, such as regions from several differ- trol the output gain to the mix bus for that
ent takes of a solo, or dissimilar elements, such channel, while MIDI channel strip faders send
as several sound effects. MIDI volume data (MIDI controller 7) to the se-
You can create any number of alternate edit lected MIDI instrument.
playlists for a track. This lets you assemble differ-
The term ‘MIDI channel’ also describes a
ent versions of performances or edits on a single
separate aspect of MIDI operation. See
track and choose between them from the Playl-
“MIDI” on page 9.
ists menu on the track.

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 15

 Signal Routing
Pro Tools provides software-based mixing and
signal routing controls for audio and MIDI.
These controls are located in the Mix window.
Some of these controls can also be accessed from
the Edit window.

A common audio signal routing task is to sub-

mix multiple tracks to a single channel strip
(such as an Auxiliary Input) for shared process-
ing and level control. The following example
shows two audio tracks submixed to a stereo
Auxiliary Input.

Inserts

Sends

Input from
Outputs to stereo bus
stereo bus path
path

Channel strip in the Mix window (audio track)

Audio tracks Auxiliary

Input
Track

Submixing to an Auxiliary Input

16 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Signal Routing Options Plug-in and Hardware Inserts Plug-in processing
occurs completely within the Pro Tools system.
Signal routing options include the following: Hardware inserts use audio interface inputs and
Track Input and Output (I/O) Controls The most outputs for traditional insert routing to and
basic type of signal routing is track input and from external effects and other devices. MIDI
output. A track needs to have an assigned input and VCA Master tracks do not have inserts.
path to record audio, and an assigned output Instrument Plug-ins Instrument plug-ins are dif-
path in order to be audible through a hardware ferent from processing plug-ins in that they gen-
output. Signals can also be routed to or from erate audio rather than process the audio signal
other tracks in Pro Tools (or hardware inputs from a track’s audio input or from hard disk.
and outputs) using internal busses. Instrument plug-ins are typically played by
Auxiliary Input and Master Fader Tracks Auxil- MIDI.
iary Inputs can be used as returns, submixers, Paths Paths are any routing option in Pro Tools,
and bus masters. Master Fader tracks are used as including internal or external inputs, outputs,
bus and output master level controls. Both Aux- busses, and inserts. Pro Tools lets you name
iliary Input and Master Fader tracks can have these paths, and these path names appear in the
plug-in and hardware inserts. Audio Input and Output Path selectors and
MIDI Tracks MIDI tracks are generally used for other menus. For more information, see
routing MIDI from internal or external sources Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”
to external MIDI devices. MIDI data can also be Mixing Formats Sessions can include combina-
routed to plug-ins on Auxiliary Inputs or Instru- tions of mono, stereo, and greater-than-stereo
ment tracks. multichannel format tracks, busses, inputs, out-
Instrument Tracks Instrument tracks are the pri- puts, and inserts. Greater-than-stereo multi-
mary way to route MIDI to an instrument plug- channel formats are supported with
in and then route the plug-in’s sound to out- Pro Tools HD, and Pro Tools LE with the Com-
puts, sends and busses, or other inserts. Instru- plete Production Toolkit option only.
ment tracks can also be used to send MIDI to Grouping and VCA Tracks Tracks can be grouped
and monitor audio from external MIDI devices. together for mixing so that their relative mix
Sends Sends route audio from tracks to hard- settings are maintained when changing a mix
ware outputs, or to internal busses that are in setting for any track in the group (for example,
turn routed to other tracks within Pro Tools. changing the volume of one track affects the
MIDI, Master Fader, and VCA Master tracks do volume of all the other tracks in the group).
not have sends. VCA Master tracks (Pro Tools HD only) control
the relative mix settings for all tracks within the
selected group.

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 17

 Tick-Based Audio and MIDI
Tick-Based and Sample-Based
Tick-based audio is fixed to a Bars|Beat location,
Time
and moves relative to the sample Timeline when
Pro Tools lets you set any track timebase to tempo and meter changes occur. However, MIDI
either sample-based or tick-based. You can also events and tick-based audio respond differently
set the Timeline to be viewed as tick-based or to tempo changes with respect to duration.
sample-based. MIDI note events change length when tempo or
meter is adjusted, while audio regions do not
Audio in Pro Tools is sample-based by default. (unless Elastic Audio is enabled). When Elastic
This means that if an audio region is located at a Audio is not enabled on an audio track, meter
particular sample location, it will not move and tempo changes affect only the start point
from that location if the tempo changes in the (or sync point) for each audio region in a tick-
session—though its Bar|Beat location will based track. If Elastic Audio is enabled on an au-
change. dio track, tempo changes apply Elastic Audio
MIDI data in Pro Tools is tick-based by default. processing, which changes the duration of the
This means that if a MIDI region is located at a audio region.
particular Bar|Beat location, it will not move
Elastic Audio
from that Bar|Beat location if the tempo changes
in the session—though its sample location will Elastic Audio provides real-time and non-real-
change. time (rendered) Time Compression and Expan-
sion (TCE) of audio. Tick-based Elastic Audio
You can select whether a track is sample-based
tracks actually change the location of samples
or tick-based when it is created, or change time-
according to changes in tempo. The audio
bases later.
stretches or compresses to match changes in
tempo. Elastic Audio also provides high-quality
Sample-Based Audio and MIDI
non-real-time region-based pitch shifting.
With a sample-based audio track, all regions in
the track have an absolute location on the Time- Pro Tools Elastic Audio uses exceptionally high-
line. Regions stay fixed to the sample time, re- quality transient detection algorithms, beat and
gardless of where tempo or meter changes occur tempo analysis, and real-time or rendered TCE
in a session. processing algorithms. Elastic Audio lets you
quickly and easily tempo conform and beat
If you make a MIDI track sample-based, all MIDI match audio to the session’s Tempo ruler. It also
events in the track have an absolute location on provides an unprecedented degree of control
the Timeline. MIDI events stay fixed to sample over transient detection and TCE processing on
time, regardless of any tempo or meter changes an event-by-event basis.
in a session.

18 Pro Tools Reference Guide

With Elastic Audio, Pro Tools analyzes entire au- ‹ In order to free up needed DSP resources,
dio files for transient “events.” For example, an Pro Tools allows for certain items (such as tracks
event can be a drum hit, a sung note, or chord and inserts) to be manually made inactive. Inac-
played by a guitar. These detected events can tive elements are viewable, editable, and re-
then serve as control points for “warping” the tained within the session. See “Active and
audio. Pro Tools can warp (TCE) audio events Inactive Items” on page 19.
automatically, such as when automatically con- ‹ All Pro Tools systems provide flexible voice
forming audio to the session tempo or quantiz- options for audio tracks, to help maximize use
ing audio events, or you can warp audio manu- of available voices in your system. For more in-
ally using the standard editing tools with the formation on voice management and options,
audio track set to Warp view. see “Voice Borrowing” on page 186.
Elastic Audio is useful in several common work-
flows: working with loops, correcting perfor- Active and Inactive Items
mances, remixing, beat and pitch matching,
and sound design and special effects. Pro Tools lets you make certain items (such as
tracks and inserts) inactive, in order to free up
DSP resources and mixer connections.

System Resources Items in Pro Tools that can be made inactive

include the following:
Track count, plug-in processing, signal path and
• Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader,
routing options, and voice availability are ulti-
VCA Master, and Instrument tracks
mately limited by the combined resources avail-
• Track Inputs and Outputs
able from the host computer and from your
Pro Tools hardware. • Sends
• Side-chain inputs
Pro Tools provides several ways to manage and
• Plug-ins
conserve resources to maximize the perfor-
• Hardware inserts
mance of your system. As you begin working
with Pro Tools sessions and tracks, you can take • Paths (session-wide)
advantage of the following features to extend
MIDI tracks cannot be made inactive.
the effectiveness of your available DSP and other
resources:
‹ Pro Tools lets you adjust the performance of Side-chain inputs support direct active and
your system by changing system settings that af- inactive switching, but do not follow
fect its capacity for processing, playback, and re- switching all or all selected side-chain
cording. See “Configuring Pro Tools System inputs.
Settings” on page 42.

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 19

 In addition to manually setting Active and Inac- Display of Inactive Items
tive modes, Pro Tools automatically makes
items inactive if there are insufficient or un- When items are inactive, their names appear in
available resources. italics, and their background becomes dark gray.
When a track is inactive, the entire channel strip
When active, items are fully engaged and opera- is grayed out.
tional.
Active Inactive plug-in
When inactive, items are silent and off, although
most associated controls can still be adjusted.
Different inactive items affect available system
resources in specific ways, as follows:

Plug-ins When a plug-in is inactive on a track, its

DSP is made available for other plug-ins and pro-
cessing. Plug-in assignments can be made inac-
tive manually or automatically (see “Automatic
and Manual Inactive Mode” on page 21).

Paths and Path Assignments When a path or

path assignment is inactive, its mixer resources Inactive track
are made available for other signal routing pur-
poses in the session. Paths and assignments can
be made inactive manually or automatically (see
“Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on
page 21).

Tracks When a track is made inactive, its voices

become available for another track. Inactive
mono tracks free up one voice; inactive stereo
and multichannel tracks free up one voice per
channel. Additionally, when an audio, Auxiliary
Input, Instrument, or Master Fader track is made
inactive, its plug-ins, inserts, sends, and I/O
assignments become inactive, and the associ- Active and inactive plug-ins, sends, and tracks
ated DSP used is freed up for use elsewhere in the
session.

20 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode
DigiBase
Active and Inactive modes are powerful options
for session transfer and system resource manage- DigiBase is a database management tool for
ment. Pro Tools provides automatic and manual Pro Tools. DigiBase expands upon basic
Inactive mode switching. You can manually Pro Tools search and import capabilities by pro-
make items inactive (or active) to selectively viding powerful tools to manage your data both
manage system resources while editing and mix- inside and outside of your sessions, on any hard
ing. drive connected to the system.

A database is a way of organizing data such that

Automatically Inactive Items
it can easily be searched, sorted, managed, and
When opening a session, it is possible that not utilized. Your checkbook is an example of a da-
all signal paths, plug-ins, or audio interfaces tabase file. For every check you write, you enter
used in the session will be available as defined a new record. That record contains information
on the current system. When opening a session, about the check, such as when you wrote it, to
sufficient voices may also be unavailable if the whom you wrote it, and for what amount. This
session was created on a different Pro Tools sys- information is written in specific columns, or
tem type (for example, opening a session created fields. Everything you need to know (the check’s
on a Pro Tools HD system on a Pro Tools LE sys- metadata) is there, even though the check itself
tem). is not.

Whenever this occurs, the session will open as it DigiBase browsers let you search, sort, and
was last saved. All items that are unavailable, or mange these databases by volume or catalog
cannot be loaded due to insufficient resources, (DigiBase Pro only). You can use DigiBase
are made inactive. browsers not only to organize your Pro Tools
sessions and media files (audio, MIDI, and
Manual Inactive Switching video), but also to audition and import by drag
and drop.
You can manually apply Active or Inactive
modes to manage system resources. By making For more information about DigiBase, see
an item inactive, its associated resources are “DigiBase” on page 223.
made available elsewhere in the session.

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 21

22 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 3: Keyboard and Right-Click
Mouse Shortcuts

This chapter provides an overview of Pro Tools Track Functions

mouse and keyboard shortcuts.
Pro Tools provides keyboard shortcuts for the
A PDF listing of all shortcuts is available in following track functions:
Pro Tools. Choose Help > Shortcuts. • Changing Automation mode
• Enabling playlists
• Adding plug-ins
Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts • Record enabling, soloing, and muting
Pro Tools provides Right-click shortcuts for tracks
choosing various Pro Tools commands and • Record safing and solo safing tracks
menus with any Right-click capable mouse. • Assigning inputs, outputs, and sends
• Toggling volume/peak/delay display
For a complete list of Right-click shortcuts,
see the Shortcuts Guide. • Clearing meters
• Changing track heights

Global Key Commands Command Windows Mac

This section covers keyboard shortcuts that Apply action to all Alt+ Option+
apply to many functions in Pro Tools. channel strips/tracks action action

For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, Apply action to Alt+ Option+

see the Shortcuts Guide. selected channel Shift+ Shift+
strips/tracks action action

Chapter 3: Keyboard and Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts 23

 List and Parameter Selection There are three types of Keyboard Focus:

Pro Tools provides keyboard shortcuts for the Commands Keyboard Focus When selected in
following items: the Tracks pane in the Edit window or in the
• Selection of tracks in Track List Notes pane of any MIDI Editor window, this
• Enabling of groups in Group List provides a wide range of single key shortcuts
from the computer keyboard for editing and
• Automation Enable window parameters
playing. The frontmost Edit or MIDI Editor win-
• Setting Memory Location parameters dow always receives Commands Keyboard Focus
when it is enabled.
Command Windows Mac
With Commands Keyboard Focus disabled, you
Toggle item and set Alt-click item Option-click
all others to same item can still access any of its key shortcuts by press-
new state ing the Start key (Windows) or Control (Mac)
along with the key.
Toggle item and set Control-click Command-
all others to oppo- item click item
For a complete list of Commands Keyboard
site state
Focus shortcuts, see the Shortcuts Guide.

Controls and Editing Tools Region List Keyboard Focus When selected, au-
dio regions, MIDI regions, and region groups
Pro Tools provides keyboard shortcuts for mov-
can be located and selected in the Region List by
ing plug-in controls, faders and sliders, the
typing the first few letters of the region’s name.
Scrubber, and automation data.
Group List Keyboard Focus When selected, Mix
Command Windows Mac
and Edit Groups can be enabled or disabled by
Fine adjustment Hold Control Hold Command typing the Group ID letter (in either the Mix or
of sliders, while click- while clicking Edit window).
knobs, and ing the item the item
breakpoints
Commands Keyboard Focus Region List
(Edit window) Keyboard Focus

Keyboard Focus
The Keyboard Focus in Pro Tools determines
how the alpha keys function. Depending on
which Keyboard Focus is enabled, you can use
the keys on your computer (alpha) keyboard to
select regions in the Region List, enable or dis-
able groups, or perform an edit or play com- Group List
Keyboard Focus
mand.

You can only enable one of the three Keyboard

Focus modes at a time. Enabling a Keyboard Fo-
cus will disable the one previously enabled. Keyboard Focus buttons

24 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To set the Keyboard Focus, do one of the following: Shuttle Lock Modes
„ Click the a–z button for the focus you want to With either Shuttle Lock mode (Classic or Trans-
enable. port) you can use the numeric keypad to shuttle
– or – forward or backwards at specific speeds.

„ While pressing Control+Alt (Windows) or • 5 is normal speed.

Command+Option (Mac), press one of the fol- • 6–9 provide increasingly faster fast-forward
lowing keys: 1 (Commands), 2 (Region List), or speeds.
3 (Group List). • 1–4 provide progressively faster rewind
speeds (4 is the slowest rewind Shuttle Lock
Although multiple plug-in windows can have speed, 1 is the fastest).
a keyboard focus enabled, only the front-
• Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the
most window receives any keyboard input.
number to resume Shuttle Lock speed.
• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle
Lock mode.
Numeric Keypad Modes
The Operation preference for Numeric Keypad Custom Shuttle Lock Speed
mode determines how the numeric keypad (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
functions for Transport. Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)

There are two Shuttle Lock modes (Classic and The highest fast-forward Shuttle Lock speed
Transport), and one Shuttle mode. (key 9) can be customized.

No matter which Numeric Keypad mode is se- For information, see “Custom Shuttle Lock
lected, you can always use the numeric keypad Speed” on page 470.
to select and enter values in the Event Edit Area,
Edit Selection indicators, Main and Sub Classic Mode
Counters, and Transport fields.
This mode emulates the way Pro Tools worked
in versions lower than 5.0. With the Numeric
To set the Numeric Keypad Mode:
Keypad mode set to Classic, you can:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Oper-
• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle
ation tab. Lock mode. Press the Start key (Windows)
2 In the Transport section, select a Numeric Key- or Control (Mac), followed by 1–9 for dif-
pad mode (Classic, Transport, or Shuttle). ferent play speeds.
• Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.
3 Click OK.
• Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the
For more information on each mode, see number to resume Shuttle Lock speed.
“Numeric Keypad Mode” on page 84. • Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle
Lock mode.
• Recall Memory Locations by typing the
Memory Location, followed by a Period (.).

Chapter 3: Keyboard and Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts 25

 Transport Mode Shuttle Mode
This mode allows you to set a number of record (Pro Tools HD Only)
and play functions, and also operate the Trans-
Pro Tools offers another form of shuttling, dif-
port from the numeric keypad.
:
ferent from that of the two Shuttle Lock modes.
With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Shuttle,
Function Key
playback of the current Edit selection is trig-
Click on/off 7 gered by pressing and holding the keys on the
numeric keypad—playback stops once the keys
Countoff on/off 8
are released. Various playback speeds are avail-
MIDI Merge/Replace mode 9 able in both forward and reverse. In this mode,
pre- and post-roll are ignored.
Loop Playback mode on/off 4 :

Loop Record mode on/off 5 Playback Speeds Key

QuickPunch mode on/off 6 1x Forward 6

Rewind 1 1x Rewind 4

Fast Forward 2 4x Forward 9

Record enable 3 4x Rewind 7

Play/Stop 0 1/4x Forward 3

1/4x Rewind 1
With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport,
you can also: 1/2x Forward 5+6
• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle 1/2x Rewind 5+4
Lock mode. Press the Start key (Windows)
or Control (Mac), followed by 1–9 for dif- 2x Forward 8+9
ferent play speeds. 2x Rewind 8+7
• Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.
1/16x Forward 2+3
• Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the
number to resume Shuttle Lock speed. 1/16x Rewind 2+1
• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle Loop Selection (1x) 0
Lock mode.
• Recall Memory Locations by typing Period With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Shuttle,
(.), the Memory Location number, and Pe- you can also:
riod (.) again.
• Recall Memory Locations by typing Period (.),
the Memory Location number, and Period (.)
again.

Shuttle Lock modes are not available when

the Numeric Keypad mode is set to Shuttle.

26 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Part II: System Configuration

27
28
Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems

There are three types of Pro Tools systems:

Pro Tools|HD Systems
Pro Tools|HD These systems include
Pro Tools HD software for Pro Tools|HD system Pro Tools|HD systems are available in the con-
hardware. figurations shown on page 30. Each system re-
quires at least one Digidesign audio interface
Pro Tools LE These systems include Pro Tools LE (sold separately). Pro Tools|HD systems can be
software for 003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, expanded by adding Pro Tools|HD system cards
Digi 002®, Digi 002 Rack™, Mbox 2, to increase track count, add to the amount of
Mbox 2 Pro, Mbox 2 Mini, Mbox 2 Micro, or possible plug-in and mixer processing, and con-
Mbox hardware. nect additional audio interfaces.

Pro Tools M-Powered These systems include Pro Tools system performance depends on
Pro Tools M-Powered software for Digidesign- factors such as computer processor speed,
qualified M-Audio® interfaces. amount of system memory, and hard drive
performance. Contact your Digidesign dealer
References to Pro Tools LE in this guide are
or visit the Digidesign website
usually interchangeable with Pro Tools
(www.digidesign.com) for the latest system
M-Powered, except as noted in the
requirements and compatibility information.
Pro Tools M-Powered Setup Guide.

Optional Systems
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production
Toolkit Pro Tools LE systems that have been
upgraded with the Complete Production Toolkit
software option.

Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 Pro Tools LE sys-

tems that have been upgraded with the
DV Toolkit™ 2 software option.

Pro Tools LE or M-Powered with Music Production

Toolkit 2 Pro Tools LE or M-Powered systems
that have been upgraded with the Music
Production Toolkit 2 software option.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 29

 Pro Tools|HD Systems Expanded Pro Tools|HD Systems
Any Pro Tools|HD system can be expanded by
Pro Tools|HD 1
adding additional HD Process or HD Accel cards.
Includes: For more information, see the Expanded Systems
• Accel Core (for PCIe) card or Guide.
HD Core (for PCI) card
HD Accel and HD Process cards can be used
• Pro Tools HD software in the same system. For more information,
refer to the Pro Tools|HD Setup Guide.
Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel
Includes: Supported Audio Interfaces
• Accel Core (for PCIe) card or (Pro Tools|HD Systems Only)
HD Core (for PCI) card
The following audio interfaces are compatible
• HD Accel card with Pro Tools|HD systems:
• Pro Tools HD software • 192 I/O™
• 192 Digital I/O™
Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel
• 96 I/O™
Includes: • 96i I/O™
• Accel Core (for PCIe) card or
HD Core (for PCI) card Pro Tools|HD systems require the use of at
least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O,
• Two HD Accel cards
or 96i I/O.
• Pro Tools HD software
The following “Legacy” Digidesign audio inter-
Pro Tools|HD 2 faces are supported with Pro Tools|HD systems:
• 888|24 I/O™ and 882|20 I/O™
Includes:
• 1622 I/O™
• HD Core card
• 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O™
• HD Process card
• Pro Tools HD software “Legacy” I/Os (such as 888|24 I/O) require
the use of at least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital
Pro Tools|HD 3 I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O.

Includes:
• HD Core card
• Two HD Process cards
• Pro Tools HD software

30 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Pro Tools|HD System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits
The following table lists the audio playback, recording, and voiceable track limits of each type of
Pro Tools|HD system. Playback and recording voices refer to the number of unique simultaneous
playback and record tracks on your system. Total voiceable tracks refers to the maximum number of
audio tracks that can share the available voices on your system. (Mono tracks take up one voice. Ste-
reo and multichannel tracks take up one voice per channel.) Voice limits are dependent on the ses-
sion sample rate and the number of DSP chips dedicated to the system’s Playback Engine.
Pro Tools|HD systems can open sessions with up to 256 audio tracks, but any audio tracks beyond that
system’s voiceable track limit will be automatically set to Voice Off.

Table 5. Pro Tools|HD system audio playback, recording and voice limits

Playback Recording
Sample Voices Voices Total
Core System Type Rate (Mono Tracks of (Mono Tracks of Voiceable
(kHz) Simultaneous Simultaneous Tracks
Playback) Recording)

Pro Tools|HD 1 44.1/48 96 96 112

88.2/96 48 48 48

176.4/192 18 (for PCIe) 18 (for PCIe) 18

12 (for PCI) 12 (for PCI) (for PCIe)

12
(for PCI)

Pro Tools|HD Accel 2, 44.1/48 192 192 224

Pro Tools|HD Accel 3
88.2/96 96 96 120

176.4/192 36 36 36

Pro Tools|HD 2, 44.1/48 128 128 224

Pro Tools|HD 3,
or any expanded Pro Tools|HD system 88.2/96 64 64 80

176.4/192 24 24 24

Pro Tools|HD systems provide up to 160 Auxiliary Input tracks and a total of 128 internal mix busses.
These systems also provide up to 10 inserts and 10 sends per track (depending on the DSP capacity of
your system). Pro Tools|HD systems also support up to 128 Instrument tracks, 256 MIDI tracks,
128 VCA Master tracks, and multiple video tracks.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 31

 Audio Interfaces for Pro Tools|HD Systems
Table 6 lists the input and output capabilities of the various audio interfaces for Pro Tools|HD sys-
tems.

Table 6. Pro Tools|HD system audio interface channel capabilities

Number of I/O Sample Rates A/D D/A

Interface Type Digital I/O
Channels (kHz) Conversion Conversion

192 I/O 16 in/16 out 44.1, 48, 88.2, 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit
96, 176.4, 192

192 Digital I/O 16 in/16 out 44.1, 48, 88.2, None None 24-bit
96, 176.4, 192

96 I/O 16 in/16 out 44.1, 48, 88.2, 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

96

96i I/O 16 in/2 out 44.1, 48, 88.2, 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit
96

888|24 I/O 8 in/8 out 44.1, 48 24-bit 24-bit (or 24-bit

20-bit, on
older I/O)

882|20 I/O 8 in/8 out 44.1, 48 20-bit 20-bit 24-bit

1622 I/O 16 in/2 out 44.1, 48 20-bit 24-bit 24-bit

24-bit ADAT 16 in/16 out 44.1, 48 None 24-bit 24-bit

Bridge I/O

You can expand your Pro Tools|HD system by adding Pro Tools|HD cards to your computer, either di-
rectly in the computer or using an expansion chassis. Expanding your Pro Tools system will provide
an increased track count, add to the amount of possible plug-in and mixer processing, and let you
connect additional audio interfaces. For more information, see the Expanded Systems Guide.

“Legacy” I/Os (such as 888|24 I/O) require the use of at least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O,
or 96i I/O.

32 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Mbox 2 Pro
Pro Tools LE Systems
An Mbox 2 Pro system includes:
Pro Tools LE-based systems are available in the
• Pro Tools LE software
following configurations:
• Mbox 2 Pro audio and MIDI interface

003
Mbox 2
A 003 system includes:
An Mbox 2 system includes:
• Pro Tools LE software
• Pro Tools LE software
• 003 audio and MIDI interface (with
• Mbox 2 audio and MIDI interface
control surface)

Mbox 2 Mini
003 Rack+
An Mbox 2 Mini system includes:
A 003 Rack+ system includes:
• Pro Tools LE software
• Pro Tools LE software
• Mbox 2 Mini audio interface
• 003 Rack+ audio and MIDI interface

Mbox 2 Micro
003 Rack
An Mbox 2 Micro system includes:
A 003 Rack system includes:
• Pro Tools LE software
• Pro Tools LE software
• Mbox 2 Micro audio interface
• 003 Rack audio and MIDI interface

Mbox
Digi 002
An Mbox system includes:
A Digi 002 system includes:
• Pro Tools LE software
• Pro Tools LE software
• Mbox audio interface
• Digi 002 audio and MIDI interface (with
control surface)
Processing Capacity
Digi 002 Rack
The total processing capacity of a
A Digi 002 Rack system includes: Pro Tools LE system depends on the pro-
• Pro Tools LE software cessing power of your computer. Contact
• Digi 002 Rack audio and MIDI interface your Digidesign dealer or visit Digidesign’s
website (www.digidesign.com) for the latest
system requirements and compatibility
information.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 33

 Pro Tools LE System Capabilities
Table 7 lists the playback, recording, and input and output capabilities of each Pro Tools LE system.
Mono tracks of simultaneous playback refers to the number of unique simultaneous playback and
record tracks on your system. Total voiceable tracks refers to the maximum number of audio tracks
that can share the available voices on your system. (Mono tracks take up a single audio track, while
stereo tracks take up two tracks.) If you open a Pro Tools session created on a Pro Tools|HD system
containing more than the number of tracks supported on the LE-based system, audio tracks beyond
the LE system’s voiceable track limit will be automatically set to inactive.

Table 7. Pro Tools LE system audio playback, recording, and channel capabilities

Mono or Stereo
Total
Tracks of Number of I/O A/D D/A Digital
System Type Voiceable
Simultaneous Channels Conversion Conversion I/O
Tracks
Playback

003, 003 Rack, 48 at 48 kHz 128 up to 18 in/18 out 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit
003 Rack+, (48 kHz or lower)
Digi 002, 32 at 96 kHz
or Digi 002 Rack up to 10 in/10 out
(88.2 or 96 kHz)

Mbox 2 Pro 48 at 48 kHz 128 up to 6 in/8 out 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

(48 kHz or lower)
32 at 96 kHz
up to 4 in/6 out
(88.2 or 96 kHz)

Mbox 2 or Mbox 48 128 up to 2 in/2 out 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

Mbox 2 Mini 48 128 up to 2 in/2 out 24-bit 24-bit N/A

Mbox 2 Micro 48 128 stereo out only N/A 24-bit N/A

Pro Tools LE systems provide up to 128 Auxiliary Input tracks, a total of 32 internal mix busses, and
up to 5 inserts and 10 sends per track (depending on your computer’s processing capacity). In addi-
tion, Pro Tools LE systems support up to 32 Instrument tracks and 256 MIDI tracks. Pro Tools LE also
supports a single QuickTime video track.

For details on transferring session material between Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools LE systems, see
“Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Systems” on page 316.

34 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Complete Production Toolkit
Pro Tools M-Powered Capabilities
A Pro Tools M-Powered system includes: (Pro Tools LE Only)
• Pro Tools M-Powered software
Pro Tools Features
• Digidesign-qualified M-Audio interface (not
supplied with M-Powered software) Complete Production Toolkit enables the fol-
lowing features in Pro Tools LE:
References to Pro Tools LE in this guide are
• Session and track features:
usually interchangeable with Pro Tools
M-Powered, except as noted in the • Up to 128 mono or 64 stereo audio tracks of
Pro Tools M-Powered Setup Guide. simultaneous playback or recording
• Ability to use QuickPunch on up to 64
tracks
For the most current list of Digidesign-qual-
ified M-Audio interfaces, visit the Digi- • Up to 64 Instrument tracks
design website (www.digidesign.com). • 128 internal busses
• Display of up to 256 tracks
• Multiple video tracks, with multiple video
Toolkit Software Options playlists and multiple QuickTime movies
per track.
In addition to all the regular capabilities pro-
• Import Session Data options (Destination
vided with Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Pow-
Track Names, Time Code Mapping, Find
ered, Pro Tools LE systems equipped with Com-
Matching Tracks, Session Data to Import,
plete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 and
Track Playlist)
Pro Tools LE and M-Powered systems equipped
with Music Production Toolkit 2 provide ex- • MP3 export option (for bounce recording
panded capabilities. or exporting a region as an MP3 file)
• DigiBase Pro (including support for Catalog
The Complete Production Toolkit option in- browsers and the ability to search on mul-
cludes all of the of the features and addi- tiple criteria simultaneously in DigiBase
tional software that is included with the DV browsers)
Toolkit 2 option and the Music Production
• Beat Detective features:
Toolkit 2 option.
• Ability to apply Beat Detective across mul-
tiple tracks
• Collection Mode

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 35

 • Editing features: Additional Software
• Video Universe window
Complete Production Toolkit includes addi-
• Continuous Scroll tional software for working with Pro Tools:
• Scrub Trim tool
• Replace Region command DINR™ (Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction™)
LE Plug-in For reducing noise in audio.
• TCE Edit to Timeline Selection command
• Selection of alternate field recorder audio DigiTranslator™ 2.0 Software Option For ex-
channels in the Pro Tools Timeline changing audio and video files, and sequences
• Expanding alternate field recorder audio with other AAF and OMFI-compatible applica-
channels to new tracks tions.

• Mixing and Automation features: Eleven LE Plug-in For use as a guitar amp and
• Surround mixing up to 7.1 (003, 003 Rack, speaker emulation.
Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, and Mbox 2 Pro
Hybrid Synthesizer Plug-in For use as a virtual in-
only)
strument in your Pro Tools sessions.
• Snapshot automation for writing or trim-
ming automation data Neyrinck SoundCode Stereo™ Down Mixer
• Glide Automation commands Plug-in For monitoring 5.1 surround sessions
(down mixed to stereo) with all LE interfaces in-
• Time code and synchronization features:
cluding 2 channel interfaces (such as the Mbox
• Timebase rulers (Time Code and 2 Micro). This plug-in also lets you quickly and
Feet+Frames) easily create stereo mixes from 5.1 surround
• Time Code Rate selector sessions.
• Feet+Frame Rate selector
Smack!™ LE Compressor Plug-in For applying
• Current Time Code Position command
compression to your audio.
• Current Feet+Frames Position command
• Use Subframes option Structure® LE Plug-in For use as a virtual instru-
ment in your Pro Tools sessions.
• Audio Rate Pull Up and Pull Down
• Video Rate Pull Up and Pull Down TL Space Native™ Convolution Reverb Plug-in For
• Session interchange between Pro Tools HD applying convolution reverb to your audio.
and Pro Tools LE
X-Form Plug-in For high-quality time compres-
sion and expansion, and formant corrected
pitch-shifting (based on the Radius® algorithm
from iZotope).

36 Pro Tools Reference Guide

DV Toolkit 2 Capabilitites • Mixing and Automation features:
(Pro Tools LE Only) • Snapshot automation for writing or trim-
ming automation data
Pro Tools Features • Glide Automation commands
• Time code and synchronization features:
DV Toolkit 2 enables the following features for
working with audio, film, video, or digital video • Timebase rulers (Time Code and
in Pro Tools LE: Feet+Frames)
• Time Code Rate selector
• Session and track features:
• Feet+Frame Rate selector
• Up to 64 audio tracks of simultaneous play-
back or recording, mono or stereo • Current Time Code Position command

• Ability to use QuickPunch simultaneously • Current Feet+Frames Position command

on up to 32 tracks at 48 kHz and up to 24 • Use Subframes option
tracks at 96 kHz • Audio Rate Pull Up and Pull Down
• Multiple video tracks, with multiple video • Video Rate Pull Up and Pull Down
playlists and multiple QuickTime movies
per track. Additional Software
• Import Session Data options (Destination
DV Toolkit 2 includes additional software for
Track Names, Time Code Mapping, Find
working with audio or digital video in Pro Tools:
Matching Tracks, Session Data to Import,
Track Playlist) DINR (Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction™)
• MP3 export option (for bounce recording LE Plug-in For reducing noise in audio.
or exporting a region as an MP3 file)
DigiTranslator 2.0 Software Option For exchang-
• DigiBase Pro (including support for Catalog
ing audio and video files, and sequences with
browsers and the ability to search on mul-
other AAF and OMFI-compatible applications.
tiple criteria simultaneously in DigiBase
browsers) TL Space Native Convolution Reverb Plug-in For
• Editing features: applying convolution reverb to your audio.
• Video Universe window X-Form Plug-in For high-quality time compres-
• Continuous Scroll sion and expansion, and formant corrected
• Scrub Trim tool pitch-shifting (based on the Radius® algorithm
• Replace Region command from iZotope).
• TCE Edit to Timeline Selection command
• Selection of alternate field recorder audio
channels in the Pro Tools Timeline
• Expanding alternate field recorder audio
channels to new tracks

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 37

 Music Production Toolkit 2
Checking For Software
(Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered Only)
Updates
Pro Tools Features Pro Tools can check for Pro Tools application
and Digidesign plug-in updates, either automat-
Music Production Toolkit 2 enables the follow-
ically or manually. An internet connection is re-
ing features in Pro Tools LE and M-Powered:
quired to be able to check for updates. Approxi-
• Session and track features: mately every two weeks, Pro Tools checks online
• Up to 64 audio tracks of simultaneous play- for any available application and plug-in up-
back or recording, mono or stereo dates.
• Ability to use QuickPunch simultaneously
If updates are available for Pro Tools or any
on up to 32 tracks at 48 kHz and up to 24
plug-ins, Pro Tools reports what updates (if any)
tracks at 96 kHz
are available and how important the updates are
• MP3 export option (for bounce recording for your system. You can visit the Digidesign
or exporting a region as an MP3 file) website to locate, download, and install the
• Beat Detective features: appropriate updates for your Pro Tools system.
• Ability to apply Beat Detective across mul-
tiple tracks To manually check for updates:
• Collection Mode 1 Ensure that your internet connection is func-
tioning properly.
Additional Software 2 Launch Pro Tools.
Music Production Toolkit 2 includes additional 3 Choose Help > Check For Updates, and a
software for working with Pro Tools: progress dialog appears.
Eleven LE Plug-in For use as a guitar amp and 4 Depending on whether or not any updates are
speaker emulation. available, do one of the following:

Hybrid Synthesizer Plug-in For use as a virtual in- • If no updates are available, click OK.
strument in your Pro Tools sessions. – or –

Smack! LE Compressor Plug-in For applying • If updates are available, do one of the follow-
compression to your audio. ing:
• Click Details to launch your web browser
Structure LE Plug-in For use as a virtual instru- and see what updates are available for
ment in your Pro Tools sessions. download.
TL Space Native Convolution Reverb Plug-in For • Click Not Now if you do not want to review
applying convolution reverb to your audio. or download updates until later.

38 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To disable checking for software updates
automatically:
„ In the Software Update dialog, select the

Do Not Check For Updates Automatically option.

To enable checking for software updates

automatically:
1 Check for updates manually (Help > Check For
Updates).

2 In the Software Update dialog, deselect the

Do Not Check For Updates Automatically option.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 39

40 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 5: System Setup

7 Do one of the following, depending on your

Starting Up or Shutting Down Pro Tools system:
Your System • For Pro Tools|HD systems, with the volume
of all output devices lowered, turn on your
To ensure that the components of your
Pro Tools Legacy I/O (such as an 888|24 I/O
Pro Tools system communicate properly with
or 882|20 I/O) first, then your Pro Tools|HD
each other, you need to start them in a particu-
audio interfaces (such as 96 I/O). Wait at
lar order.
least fifteen seconds for your system hard-
ware to initialize.
Start up your Pro Tools system in this order:
– or –
1 Make sure all your equipment (including your
computer) is off. • For Pro Tools LE and M-Powered systems
that use hardware requiring external power
2 Lower the volume of all output devices in your (such as 003), turn on the hardware.
system.
8 Turn on your computer.
3 For Pro Tools|HD systems with an expansion
9 Launch Pro Tools or any third-party audio or
chassis, turn on the chassis.
MIDI applications.
4 Turn on any external hard drives. Wait ap-
proximately ten seconds for them to spin up to Shut down your Pro Tools system in this order:
speed.
1 Quit Pro Tools and any other running applica-
5 Turn on any worksurfaces (such as tions.
D-Command) or control surfaces (such as
Command|8). To quit Pro Tools, choose File > Exit (Win-
dows) or Pro Tools > Quit (Mac).
6 Turn on any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or
synchronization peripherals. 2 Turn off or lower the volume of all output de-
vices in your system.

3 Turn off your computer.

Chapter 5: System Setup 41

 4 Do one of the following depending on your In most cases, the default settings for your sys-
Pro Tools system: tem provide optimum performance, but you
• For Pro Tools|HD systems, turn off your may want to adjust them to accommodate large
Pro Tools audio interfaces. or processing-intensive Pro Tools sessions.

– or –
Hardware Buffer Size
• For Pro Tools LE and M-Powered systems
that use hardware requiring external power The Hardware Buffer Size (H/W Buffer Size) con-
(such as 003), turn off the hardware. trols the size of the buffer used to handle host
processing tasks such as Real-Time AudioSuite™
5 For Pro Tools|HD systems with an expansion
(RTAS) plug-ins.
chassis, turn off the chassis.
• Lower Hardware Buffer Size settings are useful
6 Turn off any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or
for improving latency issues in certain record-
synchronization peripherals.
ing situations or for improving certain system
7 Turn off any worksurfaces (such as performance problems.
D-Command) or control surfaces (such as • On all Pro Tools systems, lower settings re-
Command|8). duce RTAS MIDI-to-audio latency (such as
when playing an RTAS virtual instrument
8 Turn off any external hard drives.
live and monitoring the instrument’s out-
put). Lower settings can also improve
screen response or the accuracy of plug-in
Checking an HD System with and mute automation data.
DigiTest • On Pro Tools LE systems, lower settings re-
duce all input-to-output monitoring la-
Before you use Pro Tools, you may want to run
tency on any record-armed tracks or
the DigiTest diagnostic application to ensure
Auxiliary Input tracks with live inputs.
that all Pro Tools|HD cards in the system are rec-
ognized, installed in the proper order, and have • On Pro Tools HD systems, lower settings re-
valid TDM FlexCable connections. See the HD duce monitoring latency that occurs on
Setup Guide for more information. tracks that have one or more RTAS plug-ins.
Lower settings can also improve the accu-
racy of MIDI track timing on systems with-
out a MIDI interface that supports time
Configuring Pro Tools System stamping . Lower settings also improve
Settings MIDI track timing on tracks using MIDI
virtual instruments that do not support
Pro Tools lets you adjust the performance of
time stamping .
your system by changing system settings that
affect its capacity for processing, playback, and • Higher Hardware Buffer Size settings are use-
recording. These system settings are available in ful for sessions that are using more RTAS plug-
the Playback Engine dialog (Setup > Playback ins for playback. These settings allow for more
Engine). audio processing. They can also be useful to
reduce errors on machines that require a
higher buffer size.

42 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To change the Hardware Buffer Size: For example:
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. • For sessions with large numbers of RTAS plug-
ins, you can allocate 2 or more processors to
2 From the H/W Buffer Size pop-up menu, select
RTAS processing and set a high CPU Usage
the audio buffer size, in samples.
Limit.
• For sessions with few RTAS plug-ins, you can
allocate fewer processors to RTAS processing
and set a low CPU Usage Limit to leave more
CPU resources available for automation accu-
racy, screen response, and video.
• Increase these settings to accommodate TDM
to RTAS plug-in conversion. Conversely, de-
crease these settings if you are only using
TDM plug-ins or are converting RTAS plug-ins
to TDM. TDM/RTAS conversion can be desir-
able during recording, depending on latency,
voicing needs, and record-monitoring capa-
bilities of the specific TDM and RTAS plug-ins.
• Depending on the importance of video and
overall screen response, and on the density of
automation being employed, try different
combinations of RTAS Processors and CPU Us-
Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools|HD system
age Limit settings to achieve the best results.
3 Click OK. For example, to improve screen response in a
medium-sized session using a moderate num-
RTAS Processors ber of RTAS plug-ins, try reducing the number
of RTAS plug-ins, but keep the CPU Usage Limit
The RTAS Processors setting determines the
set to the maximum (up to 99% on a single
number of processors in your computer allo-
processor system).
cated for RTAS (Real-Time AudioSuite) plug-in
processing.

With computers that have multiple processors,

or that feature multi-core processing or hyper-
threading, this setting lets you enable multipro-
cessor support for RTAS plug-ins. Used in combi-
nation with the CPU Usage Limit setting, the
RTAS Processors setting lets you control the way
RTAS processing and other Pro Tools tasks are
handled by the system.

Chapter 5: System Setup 43

 To set the number of RTAS Processors: • Higher CPU Usage Limit settings allocate more
processing power to Pro Tools, and are useful
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
for playing back large sessions or using more
2 From the RTAS Processing pop-up menu, select RTAS plug-ins.
the number of available processors you want to
allocate. The number of processors available var- The maximum available CPU Usage Limit de-
ies depending on how many processors are pends on the number of processors in your com-
available on your computer: puter and on the number of processors you spec-
ify for RTAS processing. This value can range
• Select 1 Processor to limit RTAS processing
from 85% for single-processor computers (ex-
to one CPU in the system.
cept for 003, 003 Rack+, 003 Rack, Digi 002, and
• Choose 2 Processors to enable load balanc-
Digi 002 Rack, which have a limit of 99%), and
ing across two available processors.
99% for multiprocessor computers (which dedi-
• On systems running four or more proces- cate one entire processor to Pro Tools).
sors, choose the number of processors for
RTAS processing. On multiprocessor computers, the maximum
CPU Usage Limit is reduced when you use all your
3 Click OK.
processors (as selected in the RTAS Processing
pop-up menu). For example, on dual-processors,
System Usage Window and RTAS Processing
the limit is 90%. On four-processor computers,
The System Usage window displays the com- the limit is 95%.
bined amount of RTAS processing occurring on
all enabled processors with a single indicator, re- Increasing the CPU Usage Limit may slow
gardless of how many processors are available in down screen responses on slower computers.
the system. If the System Usage Window shows
To change the CPU Usage Limit:
that you are at the limit of available resources,
increase the number of RTAS processors and ad- 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
just the CPU Usage Limit setting. (For more infor- 2 From the CPU Usage Limit pop-up menu, select
mation, see “System Usage” on page 56.) the percentage of CPU processing you want to
allocate to Pro Tools.
CPU Usage Limit
3 Click OK.
The CPU Usage Limit setting controls the per-
centage of CPU resources allocated to Pro Tools RTAS Engine (RTAS Error Suppression)
host processing tasks. Used in combination with
the RTAS Processors setting, the CPU Usage Limit The RTAS Engine options determine RTAS error
setting lets you control the way Pro Tools tasks reporting during playback and recording. This is
are carried out by the system. especially useful when working with instrument
plug-ins.
• Lower CPU Usage Limit settings limit the effect
of Pro Tools processing on other CPU-inten- On Pro Tools|HD systems, there is a single RTAS
sive tasks, such as screen redraws, and are use- Engine option. On Pro Tools LE systems, there
ful when you are experiencing slow system are two options.
response, or when running other applications
at the same time as Pro Tools.

44 Pro Tools Reference Guide

• Enable RTAS error suppression only if you are RTAS Error Suppression Options
experiencing frequent RTAS errors that are in-
Ignore Errors During Playback/Record When en-
terrupting your creative workflow. When
abled, Pro Tools continues to play and record
RTAS error suppression is enabled, you can ex-
even if the RTAS processing requirements ex-
perience a degradation of audio quality. How-
ceed the selected CPU Usage Limit. This can result
ever, this may be acceptable in order to avoid
in pops and clicks in the audio, but does not
interrupting playback and recording when
stop the transport.
working with instrument plug-ins.
• Disable RTAS error suppression when you Minimize Additional I/O Latency (Pro Tools LE and
need to ensure the highest possible audio M-Powered Only) When enabled, any additional
quality, such as for a final mix. latency due to suppressing RTAS errors during
playback and record is minimized to 128 sam-
To enable RTAS error suppression: ples. Suppressing RTAS errors requires at least
128 samples of additional buffering on some
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
systems. If this option is disabled, the buffer is
half the H/W Buffer Size, or at least 128 samples
(whichever is greater). If you are on an older,
slower computer, you may want to disable this
option to avoid adverse performance.

This option is only available if the Ignore Errors

During Playback/Record option is enabled and
the Pro Tools system you are using requires ad-
ditional buffering for RTAS error suppression, as
follows:
• Windows:
• Mbox 2 Pro
• All Pro Tools M-Powered systems
• Mac:
• 003, 003 Rack+, and 003 Rack
• Mbox

Playback Engine dialog, Mbox 2 • Mbox 2

• Mbox 2 Pro
2 Select Ignore Errors During Playback/Record.
• Mbox 2 Mini
3 If available, you can also select Minimize Addi- • Mbox 2 Micro
tional I/O Latency.
• Digi 002 and 002 Rack
4 Click OK. • All Pro Tools M-Powered systems

Chapter 5: System Setup 45

 Number of Voices • Select medium voice numbers when your
Digidesign cards are in an expansion chas-
(Pro Tools HD Only)
sis, or when you are using other PCI or PCIe
On Pro Tools|HD systems, the Number of Voices cards along with Digidesign cards. These
setting lets you control the number of available settings generally provide an optimum bal-
voices and how those voices are allocated to ance between number of chips needed for
DSPs in your system. For example, the default voicing, and the processing load placed on
number of voices on a Pro Tools|HD 1 system is each.
48 voices, using one DSP (at sample rates of • Select higher voice numbers when your
44.1 kHz or 48 kHz). Pro Tools|HD cards are the only PCI or PCIe
cards in your computer, or when you are
Changing the number of voices affects
using an expansion chassis to run higher
DSP usage, the total number of voiceable tracks,
track counts (such as 64 tracks at 96 kHz)
and overall system performance.
and you want more voices per DSP (such as
Depending on the session sample rate and the 16 voices per DSP at 96 kHz). These settings
number of Pro Tools|HD cards in your system, use fewer DSP chips for mixing (leaving
there are different choices for voice count. For more available for plug-ins) but place the
voice limits on different Pro Tools|HD systems, highest processing load on each.
see “Pro Tools|HD System Playback, Recording
and Voice Limits” on page 31.

To change the Number of Voices and DSP to

allocate for voicing:
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 Select the number of voices and DSPs to allo-

cate for voicing by selecting a value from the
Number of Voices pop-up menu as follows:
• Select minimum voice numbers if you are
using high-bandwidth PCI or PCIe cards
(such as video capture cards) along with
your Digidesign cards. These settings place
the lightest processing load on each allo-
Number of Voices menu (HD Accel-equipped system)
cated DSP chip, but generally require more
DSP chips be dedicated to voicing and mix- 3 Click OK.
ing (leaving fewer available for plug-ins).

46 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Default Sample Rate (Playback Engine Delay Compensation Engine
Dialog) (Pro Tools HD Only)
(Pro Tools HD Only)
The Delay Compensation Engine setting deter-
The Sample Rate setting in the Playback Engine mines how much DSP resources are dedicated to
dialog determines the default sample rate when Pro Tools Delay Compensation, which manages
you create a new session. This setting is available DSP delays in the Pro Tools mixer.
only when there is no session open. Otherwise,
the current session sample rate is displayed, but Within a session, you can choose to enable or
cannot be changed. disable Delay Compensation (Options > Delay
Compensation).
The Sample Rate setting can affect the
number of available voices. For more information, see “Delay Compen-
sation” on page 860.

You can change the sample rate when To configure the Delay Compensation Engine:
creating a new Pro Tools session by selecting 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
a different sample rate in the New Session
dialog. (See “Creating a New Session” on 2 From the Delay Compensation Engine pop-up
page 114.) You can also change the default menu, select Short, Long, or None.
Sample Rate in the Hardware dialog, as long 3 Click OK.
as no session is open.
Delay Compensation Settings
To make a copy of a session with a new
sample rate, use Save Copy In. There are three settings in the Playback Engine
dialog to dedicate DSP resources for Delay Com-
To change the default Sample Rate in the
pensation:
Playback Engine:
1 With no session open, choose Setup > Playback None Allocates no DSP resources for Delay Com-
Engine. pensation.

2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate Short Allocates minimum DSP resources of De-
pop-up menu. lay Compensation for each channel. This is the
most efficient setting. For sessions with only a
3 Click OK.
few plug-ins that do not induce too much DSP-
based delay, this setting should be sufficient.

Long Allocates maximum DSP resources for De-

lay Compensation for each mixer channel. For
sessions with a lot of plug-ins resulting in a large
amount of DSP-induced delay, select this
setting.

Chapter 5: System Setup 47

 DAE Playback Buffer Size To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size:

The DAE Playback Buffer Size setting determines 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

the amount of memory DAE allocates for disk 2 From the DAE Playback Buffer pop-up menu, se-
buffers. In addition to levels, the DAE Playback lect a buffer size. Memory requirements for each
Buffer Size shows values in milliseconds, which setting are shown at the bottom of the Playback
indicate the amount of audio buffered when the Engine dialog.
system reads from disk.

The optimum DAE Playback Buffer Size for most

disk operations is 1500 msec; Level 2 (Default).
• DAE Playback Buffer Size settings lower than
1500 msec; Level 2 (Default) may improve
playback and recording initiation speed, as
well as preview in context in DigiBase brows-
ers. However, a lower setting may make it dif-
ficult to play or record tracks reliably with
sessions containing a large number of tracks
or a high density of edits, or with systems that
have slower or heavily-fragmented hard
drives.
• DAE Playback Buffer Size settings higher than
1500 msec; Level 2 (Default) allow higher track
count, higher density of edits in a session, or Playback Buffer Size menu in the Playback Engine
dialog
the use of slower hard drives. However, a
higher setting may increase the time lag when 3 Click OK.
starting playback or recording, starting pre-
4 If Pro Tools needs more system memory for
view in context from DigiBase browsers, or
the DAE Playback Buffer, it will prompt you to
cause a longer audible time lag while editing
restart your computer.
during playback.

Using a larger DAE Playback Buffer Size Cache Size

leaves less system memory for other tasks.
The Cache Size setting determines the amount
The default setting of 1500 msec (Level 2) is
of memory DAE allocates to pre-buffer audio for
recommended unless you are encountering
playback and looping when using Elastic Audio.
–9073 (“Disk too slow or fragmented”)
errors. Minimum Reduces the amount of system mem-
ory used for disk operations and frees up mem-
ory for other system tasks. However, perfor-
mance when using Elastic Audio features may
decrease.

Normal Is the optimum Cache Size for most ses-

sions.

48 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Large Improves performance when using Elastic You can set Pro Tools to reserve only the mini-
Audio features, but it also decreases the amount mum amount of required memory, so that more
of memory available for other system tasks, such system memory is available to other applica-
as RTAS processing. tions.

Using a larger Cache Size leaves less system To minimize system memory allocation:
memory for other tasks. The default setting
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
of Normal is recommended unless you are
encountering -9500 (“Cache too small”) 2 Select the Minimize System Memory Allocation
errors. option.

To change the Cache Size: 3 Click OK.

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 4 Do one of the following:

2 From the Cache Size pop-up menu, select a • On Windows systems, restart your com-
disk cache size. puter.
– or –
• On Mac systems, if prompted, enter your
password, then restart your computer.

Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size

(Structure Plug-in Only)

This setting appears in the Playback Engine dia-

log only if the Structure Professional Sampling
Workstation plug-in is installed on your system.
The Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size setting deter-
mines the amount of memory DAE allocates for
streaming playback from disk with the Structure
plug-in. This setting only affects playback if disk
streaming is activated in Structure’s plug-in con-
Cache Size menu in the Playback Engine dialog trols (see the Structure Plug-in Guide for more in-
formation).
3 Click OK.
The optimum Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size for
System Memory Allocation most sessions is 250 ms; Level 2 (Default).

(Pro Tools HD Only) • Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size settings lower

than 250 ms; Level 2 (Default) reduce the
When you start your computer, Pro Tools auto- amount of system memory used for sample
matically reserves a portion of system memory playback and frees up memory for other sys-
for the DAE Playback Buffer. This reserved mem- tem tasks. However, reliability of sample play-
ory is unavailable to other applications, even if back may decrease.
Pro Tools is not running.

Chapter 5: System Setup 49

 • Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size settings higher ples from the same drive that contains audio for
than 250 ms; Level 2 (Default) improve the re- the current session. When this option is se-
liability of sample playback, but they also de- lected, Pro Tools automatically optimizes the
crease the amount of memory available for size of the Plug-in Streaming Buffer to facilitate
other system tasks, such as RTAS processing. disk access from both Pro Tools and Structure.
The Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size pop-up menu is
Using a larger Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size unavailable when this option is selected.
leaves less system memory for other tasks.
The default setting of 250 ms (Level 2) is To set Pro Tools to automatically optimize the
recommended unless you are experiencing Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size:
problems with the reliability of streaming
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
playback from disk.
2 Select the Optimize for Streaming Content on
To change the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size: Audio Drives option.
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
3 Click OK.
2 From the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size pop-up
menu, select a buffer size.

Configuring MIDI Setup

If you plan to use any MIDI devices with
Pro Tools, you need to configure your MIDI
setup using MIDI Studio Setup (Windows) or
Audio MIDI Setup (Mac).

For information on configuring MIDI, see the

Setup Guide that came with your system.

Configuring Pro Tools

Hardware Settings
Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size menu in the Playback Pro Tools lets you configure the signal routing,
Engine dialog digital I/O format, default sample rate, clock
3 Click OK. source, and other hardware-based settings de-
pending on your system configuration.

Optimizing the Plug-in Streaming Buffer These system settings are available in the Hard-
Size ware Setup dialog (Setup > Hardware).
(Structure Plug-in Only)

This option appears in the Playback Engine dia-

log only if the Structure Professional Sampling
Workstation plug-in is installed on your system.
This option is useful when you are playing sam-

50 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Configuring Default Sample Rate External If you are transferring material into
Setting in Hardware Setup Dialog Pro Tools from an external digital device, or if
you utilize a common house clock signal, you
The Sample Rate setting determines the default will synchronize Pro Tools to that digital device
sample rate when you create a new session. This or common signal.
setting is available only when there is no session
open. Otherwise, the current session sample rate Depending on your audio interface, external op-
is displayed, but cannot be changed. tions can include AES/EBU [Encl], S/PDIF, Optical
[Encl], AES/EBU 1–8, TDIF, ADAT, and Word Clock.
On Pro Tools LE, you can only change the de- For details, refer to the guide for your audio in-
fault sample rate in the Hardware Setup dialog terface.
On Pro Tools HD, you can change the default
Sample Rate in the Hardware Setup dialog, or in To select the Clock Source:
the Playback Engine dialog. 1 Choose Setup > Hardware.

On Pro Tools HD, the Sample Rate setting 2 Choose the clock source from the Clock Source
can affect the number of available voices. pop-up menu.

3 Click OK.
You can change the sample rate when
Your digital input device must be connected
creating a new Pro Tools session by selecting
and powered on for Pro Tools to synchro-
a different sample rate in the New Session
nize to it. If your input device is not powered
dialog.
on, leave the Clock Source set to Internal.
To change the default Sample Rate in the
Hardware Setup dialog: Configuring Digital Format and
Hardware Routing
1 Choose Setup > Hardware Setup.
The Hardware Setup dialog includes additional
2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate
settings for configuring the digital format and
pop-up menu.
hardware routing for your system’s audio
3 Click OK. interfaces.

The following section outlines the configura-

Configuring Clock Source
tion of a Pro Tools|HD system with one or more
The Pro Tools Hardware Setup dialog lets you se- Pro Tools|HD interfaces (with one or more Leg-
lect the Clock Source for the system. acy interfaces attached).

Changes made to Clock Source in the Session To configure a Pro Tools LE or M-Powered
Setup window will be reflected in the Hard- system, refer to the Setup Guide that came
ware Setup window and vice versa. with your system.

Internal If you are recording an analog signal di-

rectly into Pro Tools, you will usually use the
Pro Tools Internal clock source.

Chapter 5: System Setup 51

 Example: Configuring Additional pages are available to configure other
Pro Tools|HD Hardware Settings controls for each audio interface (such as setting
operating levels). For details, refer to the Setup
On Pro Tools|HD systems, you configure Hard- Guide for your system, or to the guide for your
ware settings for each audio interface connected audio interface.
to your system. For example, Pro Tools|HD sys-
tems can have 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, Identify audio interface connections at any
or 96i I/O audio interfaces connected to time by selecting the interface name in the
Accel Core or HD Core and HD Accel or HD Pro- Peripherals list, then clicking Identify. All
cess cards in the system. The 192 I/O, LEDs on the corresponding interface front
192 Digital I/O, and 96 I/O can have additional panel illuminate.
interfaces attached (including older Digidesign
audio interfaces—Legacy I/Os—such as the To configure Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces:
888|24 I/O, 882|20 I/O or 1622 I/O). For more 1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
information, see Chapter 4, “Pro Tools Sys-
2 From the Peripherals list, select the Digidesign
tems.”
audio interface connected to the first card in
your system. This will be the interface at the top
Configuring Audio Interfaces
of the list.
The Main page of the Hardware Setup dialog is
3 Click the Main tab.
where you define which physical inputs and
outputs on your audio interface are routed to 4 From the Clock Source pop-up menu, select
available inputs and outputs in Pro Tools. You the appropriate clock source for the system.
can think of this window as a patchbay that al-
In many cases, you will use Internal. The other
lows you to route any of the inputs or outputs
choices are for resolving Pro Tools to external
on your Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces to chan-
clock sources. Depending on your audio inter-
nel assignments in the Pro Tools mixer.
face, 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 when operating at
higher sample rates).

5 If you want to send clock output to other de-

vices attached to the audio interface, select the
appropriate output from the Ext. Clock Output
pop-up menu.

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O, Main page If the Legacy I/O option is enabled and Legacy
Peripheral is defined, the Ext. Clock Output set-
The Main page also provides controls for defin-
ting is automatically set to Slave Clock (256x
ing whether Expansion Port or Legacy Port pe-
sample rate). To reset the Ext. Clock Output set-
ripherals are active.
ting to Word Clock, select the Expansion I/O op-

52 Pro Tools Reference Guide

tion, then select the Legacy I/O (such as an Card, the additional AES/EBU I/O ports on the
882|20 I/O), in the Peripherals list, and select No optional card are listed as AES/EBU 9–10,
Interface in the Interface pop-up menu. (The AES/EBU 11–12, AES/EBU 13–14, and AES/EBU
96i I/O does not support Legacy I/O.) 15–16.

6 Select which digital I/O port on your audio in- Refer to your peripheral’s guide for configu-
terface enclosure is active under Digital Format. ration details and restrictions. For example,
Choices include: AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and Optical the Optical 1–8 channels (on the 192 I/O
(S/PDIF). Selecting Optical (S/PDIF) resets the enclosure) will not be available at session
Optical I/O port (which is, by default, eight sample rates of 88.2 kHz or higher, while
channels of ADAT I/O) to two channels of the ports on the 192 I/O Digital I/O card
S/PDIF Optical I/O. (The 96i I/O supports stereo will still be available.
S/PDIF RCA digital input and output only.)
10 Click other tabs (such as Analog In and Ana-
For more information about Pro Tools|HD log Out) for additional configuration options
enclosure and card ports, refer to the guide specific to the audio interface. These include:
for your audio interface.
• On the 96 I/O, configuring the operating
7 For S/PDIF compatibility with Tascam DA-30
levels of analog inputs and outputs (+4 dBu
DAT recorders select the Tascam option under or –10 dBV).
S/PDIF Format. • On the 96i I/O, configuring the operating
levels of analog inputs and outputs (+4 dBu
8 For the 96 I/O and 96i I/O, click the Meters
or –10 dBV).
pop-up menu and select whether to meter the
• On the 192 I/O analog input, setting the in-
input or output signal.
put connector and Soft Limit
9 From the Input and Output pop-up menus, se- • On the 192 I/O, configuring the two sets of
lect the physical ports (such as Analog 1–2 or trims for analog inputs and outputs.
Optical 1–2), that will be routed to the corre- • On the 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O, config-
sponding Pro Tools input and output channels uring real-time Sample Rate Conversion for
(such as Ch 1–2 or Ch 3–4), listed on the left side digital inputs.
of the Main page. (This feature is not available
• On the 192 I/O and 192 I/O Digital I/O,
with the 96i I/O.)
configuring inputs and outputs on any op-
Inputs and outputs of similar format are differ- tional A/D card, D/A card, or Digital I/O
entiated in the input and output channel pop- cards installed in the unit.
up menus. For example, the AES/EBU inputs and
For more information on Hardware Setup
outputs in the 192 I/O enclosure are listed as
controls for each Pro Tools|HD audio inter-
AES/EBU [Encl], while the AES/EBU inputs and
face, refer to the Pro Tools|HD Setup Guide or
outputs on the factory-installed Digital I/O card
the guide for that audio interface.
are listed (in pairs) as AES/EBU 1–2, AES/EBU
3–4, AES/EBU 5–6, and AES/EBU 7–8. For
192 I/Os equipped with the optional Digital I/O

Chapter 5: System Setup 53

 11 Repeat the above steps for each additional After you select the type of Legacy I/O, the Main
Pro Tools|HD audio interface. page updates with controls that can be config-
ured. If your Legacy interface does not appear,
Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to scroll check connections and repeat from step 1,
though peripherals in the Peripherals list. above. See also “Offline Peripherals” on page 54.

12 Repeat the above steps for any Legacy I/Os 6 Repeat the above steps for each additional
connected to the Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces Legacy I/O.
in your system. Before you can configure a Leg-
acy I/O, it must first be initialized in Hardware For information on Hardware Setup controls
Setup (see “Initializing MIX-Series Legacy I/Os” for each Legacy I/O, refer to the guide for that
on page 54). interface.

13 Click OK. To remove a Legacy I/O:

1 Lower the volume of your output devices.
Initializing MIX-Series Legacy I/Os
2 Turn off your Legacy I/O.
Before you can configure a Legacy I/O on a
3 Choose Setup > Hardware in Pro Tools.
Pro Tools|HD system, it must first be initialized
in Hardware Setup. 4 In the Main Page of the Hardware Setup dia-
log, select the Expansion I/O option under Port
Before turning on your Legacy I/O, make
Settings.
sure to lower the volume of your output de-
vices. Very loud digital noise may be emit- 5 In the Peripherals list, select the name of a
ted before the Legacy I/O is initialized. Legacy interface.

6 From the Interface pop-up menu, choose No In-

To initialize a Legacy I/O on a Pro Tools|HD
system: terface.

1 Choose Setup > Hardware. 7 Repeat the above steps for each additional
Legacy I/O.
2 From the Peripherals list, choose the primary
audio interface (the Pro Tools|HD interface to Offline Peripherals
which your Legacy I/O is connected).
When a Legacy I/O and Pro Tools|HD peripheral
3 In the Main page of the Hardware Setup dia- are connected to your primary Pro Tools|HD pe-
log, select the Legacy I/O option under Port Set- ripheral, only one can be online at a time. An of-
tings. fline peripheral is indicated by brackets in the
Peripherals list of the Hardware Setup dialog. For
4 In the Peripherals list, “No Interface” is listed
example, if you have a 96 I/O and an 882|20
twice, directly below the primary audio inter-
connected to a 192 I/O, and the 96 I/O is offline,
face. Click the first No Interface. An Interface
it will appear in the Peripherals list as [96 I/O].
pop-up menu appears in the Hardware Setup di-
alog, listing supported I/O choices. Peripherals will also go offline if the audio inter-
5 From the Interface pop-up menu, select the face or card to which they are attached is made
type of Legacy I/O connected to your inactive.
Pro Tools|HD audio interface.

54 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Configuring I/O Setup To route a Pro Tools output channel pair to
multiple audio interface output ports:
The I/O Setup dialog provides a graphical repre-
1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
sentation of the signal routing for each con-
nected audio interface, with controls to route 2 From the Peripherals list, select an interface.
physical ports on the audio interface to
3 Click the Main tab.
Pro Tools inputs and outputs. These controls
mirror the routing controls found in the Hard- 4 Select an output port pair from an Output pop-
ware Setup dialog—changes made to physical up menu.
routing in one dialog are always reflected in the
5 Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac)
other.
the same pop-up menu a second time to choose
The I/O Setup dialog lets you label and map another available Output Port pair.
Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus signal
paths. The I/O Setup dialog also provides impor- Only currently unassigned Output Port pairs
tant audition, meter, and surround settings. For are available.
more information, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”
The output name updates with a plus sign (“+”)
before it to indicate that multiple output ports
Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to are selected. In the pop-up menu, each physical
Multiple Destinations port pair assigned to that Pro Tools output pair
is indicated by a check mark.
Pro Tools channel pairs can be routed to multi-
ple outputs on an audio interface through the
Hardware Setup dialog.

For example, if you assign Channels 1–2 to both

outputs Analog 1–2 and Analog 3–4, when you
send a signal to Pro Tools Channels 1–2, that
signal will be routed simultaneously to both
pairs of output ports on your audio interface.

This lets you send the same signal (such as a ste-

reo pair, a stem mix, or a multichannel mix) to Hardware Setup dialog for 96 I/O (Main page)
multiple destinations (such as multiple master-
6 Repeat the above steps to select additional
ing devices).
output destinations. The only limit to output
choices is the number of outputs available in
your system.

Pro Tools output pairs can also be routed to mul-

tiple audio interface outputs in the I/O Setup di-
alog. For more information, see “Routing Hard-
ware I/O to Pro Tools I/O” on page 64.

Chapter 5: System Setup 55

 With Pro Tools HD, there are additional meters:
System Usage
TDM Voices Allocated Displays the total number
Processing Bandwidth of TDM voices that can be allocated and the
number of voices currently allocated. This in-
Meters in the System Usage window indicate cludes all voices whether they are allocated ex-
how much of your system’s processing power is plicitly or dynamically, as well as any voices
being used in processing audio, and when writ- used for routing RTAS processing.
ing and playing back automation.
TDM Time Slots Used Displays the total number
Pro Tools HD, LE, and M-Powered have four of TDM Time Slots available and the number of
common system activity meters: TDM Time Slots currently used.

PCI Displays the amount of PCI bus activity. DSP Usage (Accel Core, HD Core, HD Accel, and
HD Process) Displays (in percent) how much of
CPU (RTAS) Displays the amount of CPU pro-
each DSP chip on each Pro Tools|HD card is cur-
cessing activity for RTAS processing.
rently being used for mixer configurations and
CPU (Elastic) Displays the amount of processing TDM plug-ins.
activity for Real-Time Elastic Audio processing.

Disk Displays the amount of hard disk process- System

ing activity. Activity
TDM Voices
Allocated
TDM Time
Slots Used

System Usage window (Pro Tools LE shown)

DSP
As these meters approach their limits, native Usage
processing and recording or playback of auto-
mation data can be affected. If CPU or PCI Activ-
ity are high, a system error may occur. If Disk
Activity is high, Pro Tools may miss playback of
some automation data during particularly dense System Usage window (Pro Tools HD 2 Accel shown)
periods of activity, such as while using the
Bounce to Disk command.

56 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To monitor the usage of resources during a To enable (or disable) DSP Caching:
Pro Tools session:
1 Open the System Usage window (Windows >
„ Choose Window > System Usage. System Usage).

2 Click the DSP Cache pop-up menu and select

To reduce processing load, do one of the following:
(or deselect) Use DSP Cache.
„ Reduce the density of automation in places

where it shows the most activity. For details, see

“Thinning Automation” on page 925.
– or –

„ Turn off meters in Sends view, if enabled (by

deselecting Show Meters in Sends View in the Dis-

play Preferences page). For details, see “Individ-
ual Send Views and Meters” on page 846.

DSP Caching
(Pro Tools HD Only)

Pro Tools HD maintains a Plug-in and Mixer

cache for allocated DSP when closing and open-
ing sessions. While this has no effect on the System Usage window, DSP Cache pop-up menu
time it takes to open the first session after you
launch Pro Tools, it does result in being able to To purge the DSP cache:
open and close all subsequent Pro Tools sessions 1 Open the System Usage window (Windows >
much more quickly, especially when using the System Usage).
Revert To Saved command or when opening sim-
ilarly configured sessions. 2 Click the DSP Cache pop-up menu and select
(or deselect) Purge Cache. This refreshes the Sys-
However, when using DSP caching, the System tem Usage display.
Usage window may not always accurately show
the DSP resources your session is currently us-
ing. For an accurate display of current DSP us-
age, you can either disable DSP caching or purge
the DSP cache.

Chapter 5: System Setup 57

58 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 6: I/O Setup

The I/O Setup dialog (or I/O Setup) provides The I/O Setup dialog includes a graphical repre-
tools to label, format, and map Pro Tools input, sentation of the signal routing for internal bus-
output, insert, or bus signal paths for each ses- sing, and for each connected audio interface.
sion. I/O Setup controls let you route physical ports
on the audio interface to Pro Tools inputs and
With Pro Tools HD, Digidesign PRE (Mic outputs. These controls mirror the routing con-
Preamp) signal paths are supported, and you can trols found in the Hardware Setup dialog—
also configure Delay Compensation for hard- changes made to physical routing in one dialog
ware inserts. are always reflected in the other.

Path Name column Path Type tabs Path Format selector Interface Name label

Input and Output

selectors
Expand/collapse paths

Channel Grid

Active/Inactive
Status

Path tools
Options

Figure 1. I/O Setup dialog on a Pro Tools|HD system with a 192 I/O and a 96 I/O

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 59

 Opening the I/O Setup Dialog Navigating in the I/O Setup Dialog

The I/O Setup dialog can be opened from the ap-

To scroll left or right in the I/O Setup dialog:
plication window (with a session closed), or
„ Press Alt+Page Up/Down (Windows) or Op-
from within a session (when a session is open).
tion+Page Up/Down (Mac).
To open the I/O Setup dialog:
1 Make sure your audio interfaces are enabled
and configured properly in the Hardware Setup Pro Tools Signal Paths
dialog. See “Configuring Pro Tools Hardware
A signal path is a logical grouping of multiple in-
Settings” on page 50.
puts, outputs or busses that has a single name
2 Choose Setup > I/O. and (channel) format. The I/O Setup dialog lets
you define and name paths according to the
Closing the I/O Setup Dialog needs of each project.

To close the I/O Setup dialog and save changes: Main Paths and Sub-Paths
„ Click OK. Paths in Pro Tools tracks and I/O Setup include
main paths and sub-paths.
When you click OK, Pro Tools checks several set-
tings for routing validity (to prevent feedback Main Paths Main paths are logical groupings of
loops). If there are any overlapping or invalid inputs, inserts, busses, or outputs. For example,
settings, you will be required to correct them be- a master stereo output path will include both its
fore the I/O Setup dialog will close. For more in- left and right channels.
formation, see “Valid Paths and Requirements”
on page 71. Sub-Paths A sub-path represents a signal path
within a main path. For example, a default ste-
To close the I/O Setup dialog without saving reo output path consists of two mono sub-paths,
changes: left and right. Mono tracks and sends can be
routed to either mono sub-path of the stereo
„ Click Cancel.
output path.
Resizing the I/O Setup Dialog It is especially useful to define and name
sub-paths for complex mixing setups, such
To resize the I/O Setup dialog, do one of the
as a 5.1 Surround mix.
following:
„ On Windows, drag any corner of the window.
– or –

„ On Mac, drag the lower-right corner of the

window.

60 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Paths in Session Tracks Path Configurations and I/O
Settings
In sessions, audio is routed using the track In-
put, Output, Insert, Plug-in, and Send selectors. Each Pro Tools session retains its path configu-
These selectors let you assign tracks to hardware rations as I/O Settings.
inputs and outputs, internal busses, and other
Pro Tools signal paths. Paths comprise the lists Each Pro Tools system can have a different path
of available signal routing choices in track In- configuration, determined by:
put, Output, Insert and Send selectors (see “As- • Whether it is a Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE,
signing Audio Inputs and Outputs to Tracks” on or Pro Tools M-Powered system
page 179). • On Pro Tools|HD systems, the number and
types of audio interfaces

Paths in the I/O Setup Dialog • On Pro Tools|HD systems and Pro Tools LE
with Complete Production Toolkit, the in-
The signal routing path choices available in a stalled Mixer plug-in (Stereo or Surround)
session are defined in the I/O Setup dialog. For
more information, see “I/O Setup Dialog Tabs The I/O Settings saved with the session are
and Controls” on page 62. loaded automatically when the session is
opened. Unavailable items (including hardware,
paths, or required resources) remain in the ses-
sion as inactive items (see “Making Paths Active
Stereo main path or Inactive” on page 69).

Mono sub-paths
When you create a new session, you can specify
which I/O Settings to use (for example, the “Last
Used” settings, or one of any custom I/O Set-
tings files).

You can save and import I/O Settings files

in the I/O Setup dialog (see “Importing and
Exporting I/O Settings Files” on page 72).
Main and sub-paths in I/O Setup
Default I/O Settings
A default I/O Settings file is installed automati-
cally by Pro Tools, so you have a set of default
paths that will get you started, without the need
to configure the I/O Setup dialog. These paths
are available in session tracks and are reflected
in the I/O Setup dialog. You can customize your
I/O Setup configuration at any time, according
to the needs of each project (see “I/O Setup Dia-
log Tabs and Controls” on page 62).

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 61

 Default Settings Files Bus Configure bus signal path names and
formats.
The default Stereo settings file is available on all
Pro Tools systems, and provides stereo main Mic Preamps (Pro Tools HD Only) Map Digide-
paths, each with its own mono sub-paths. sign PRE™ outputs to an audio interface’s inputs
to establish communication between Pro Tools
Multichannel settings files are available on
and PRE.
Pro Tools|HD systems. These settings provide
specialized path definitions for surround mix- H/W Insert Delay (Pro Tools HD Only) Set the
ing. See “Configuring Pro Tools for Multichan- amount of Delay Compensation (in millisec-
nel Sessions” on page 976. onds) for each external device. These times will
be used by the Delay Compensation Engine to
Default Path Names time align input paths when the hardware insert
is in use and Delay Compensation is enabled.
Default names for input, output, and insert
paths are based on the type of system (such as
To open an I/O Setup page:
specific Pro Tools LE systems) or type and num-
ber of interfaces (Pro Tools|HD systems) you are „ Click the corresponding tab at the top of the

using. I/O Setup dialog.

To ensure optimal compatibility when

exchanging sessions between different I/O Setup Dialog Signal Path
Pro Tools systems, be sure to use the default Controls
I/O Settings whenever possible. Depending on the I/O Setup page, the I/O Setup
dialog can provide the following controls in its
graphical section for configuring signal routing
I/O Setup Dialog Tabs and paths:
Controls
Input and Output Selectors Let you select the
physical ports on your audio interface to route
Path Type Tabs to Pro Tools inputs and outputs. Ports are select-
able in channel pairs. Available ports for each
The I/O Setup dialog provides tabs to open pages
displayed interface are based on Hardware Setup
for configuring the following I/O Settings:
settings; for example, if the AES/EBU inputs and
Input Configure input signal path names, outputs of an interface are enabled in Hardware
formats, and source channel (analog or digital Setup, they are available for routing in I/O
audio interface). Setup. The functionality provided with the In-
put and Output selector is the same as that pro-
Output Configure output signal path names, vided on the Main page of the Hardware Setup
formats, and destination (audio interface chan- dialog.
nel or internal send bus).

Insert Configure insert signal path names,

formats, and destination (audio interface chan-
nels).

62 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Path Name Column Shows paths that are avail- Import Settings Button Lets you import an I/O
able for selection, including the name of each settings file to reconfigure I/O Setup.
defined path. Path names can be renamed.
Export Settings Button Lets you save I/O settings
Expand/Collapse Triangle Shows or hides the as a file that can be imported into other sessions.
sub-paths associated with a main path.
Default Button Resets a path type to its default
Active/Inactive Status Box Shows and changes path configuration, depending on which inter-
the active/inactive status of each path. face you are using and how your Hardware
Setup window is configured.
Path Format Selector Shows and selects the
type/format (such as Mono, Stereo, Quad, or Compensation for Input Delays After Record Pass
5.1) of each defined path (greater-than-stereo (Input Page, Pro Tools HD Only) Provides auto-
multichannel formats are supported with matic compensation for any analog or digital in-
Pro Tools|HD systems only). put delay with Digidesign audio interfaces. En-
able this option for all recording situations.
Channel Grid Maps paths to specific interfaces When recording from a digital source, both the
and channels. Compensation for Input Delays After Record Pass
and the Compensation for Output Delays After
I/O Setup Dialog Buttons, Menus, Record Pass options must be enabled.
and Selectors Compensation for Output Delays After Record
Depending on the I/O Setup page, the I/O Setup Pass (Output Page, Pro Tools HD Only) Provides
dialog can provide the following buttons, automatic compensation for any analog or digi-
menus, and selectors for configuring signal rout- tal output delay with Digidesign audio inter-
ing: fances. Enable this option when you are syn-
chronized to an external clock source. When
New Path Button Lets you create a new path on recording from a digital source, both the Com-
signal path pages for Input, Output, Insert, Bus, pensation for Input Delays After Record Pass and
or Mic Preamp (Pro Tools HD only). the Compensation for Output Delays After Record
Pass options must be enabled.
New Sub-Path Button Lets you create a new sub-
path on signal path pages for Input, Output, In- Show Last Saved Setup Appears in the I/O Setup
sert, Bus, or Mic Preamp (Pro Tools HD only). dialog in certain session transfer situations. For
details on this feature, see “Show Last Saved
Delete Path Button Lets you delete any selected Setup and Show Current Setup” on page 74.
path or sub-path on signal path pages for Input,
Output, Insert, Bus, or Mic Preamp (Pro Tools Pop-Up Menu Selectors I/O Options Provide se-
HD only). lectors with pop-up menus to set paths or or-
ders. The Output and Bus pages provide a Con-
5.1 Default Path Order Selector (Pro Tools HD and troller Meter Path selector. The Output page also
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit
provides selectors for Audition Paths (Region
Only) Lets you select the default track layout you
List and DigiBase previewing), New Track De-
want Pro Tools to follow when creating and
mapping 5.1-format main or sub-paths in the
I/O Setup dialog.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 63

 fault Output, Default Path Order, AFL/PFL Path To configure I/O routing in I/O Setup:
(Pro Tools HD only), and AFL/PFL Mutes
1 Choose Setup > I/O.
(Pro Tools HD only). See “I/O Setup Options” on
page 75. 2 Click the Input or Output tab to display the
corresponding path type.
Cancel Button Closes the I/O Setup dialog with-
out saving changes. 3 Click the Input or Output selector for the first
interface channel pair, located below the first
OK Button Closes the I/O Setup dialog and save audio interface icon.
changes.
4 From the pop-up menu, select a physical port
pair (such as Analog 1–2), to route to a Pro Tools
channel pair (such as A 1–2) in the Path Name
Routing Hardware I/O to column on the left.
Pro Tools I/O 5 Repeat the above step for additional channel
The I/O Setup dialog lets you define which pairs.
physical ports on your I/O peripheral are routed 6 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
to available inputs and outputs in Pro Tools. Use Setup dialog.
the Input and Output selectors in the I/O Setup
dialog to serve as a patchbay to route any of the
Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to
physical inputs or outputs to your Pro Tools
Multiple Destinations
mixer.
Pro Tools channel pairs can be routed to multi-
ple outputs on an audio interface through the
I/O Setup dialog. For example, if you assign both
Analog 1–2 and Analog 3–4 interface outputs to
Pro Tools Output pair 1–2, when you send a sig-
nal to Pro Tools Outputs 1–2, that signal will be
routed simultaneously to both pairs of output
ports on your audio interface.

This lets you send the same signal (such as a ste-

reo pair, a stem mix, or a multichannel mix) to
multiple destinations (such as multiple master-
ing devices).

The only limit to output choices is the number

of outputs available in your system.

0utput path assignments cannot overlap.

I/O Channel selector pop-up menu See “Valid Paths and Requirements” on
page 71 for details.

64 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Pro Tools outputs pairs can also be routed to
multiple audio interface outputs in the Hard- Creating New Paths
ware Setup dialog. For information, see “Rout-
The I/O Setup dialog lets you create new main
ing a Pro Tools Output Pair to Multiple Destina-
path and sub-paths with custom names, format,
tions” on page 55.
and mapping. Custom path names appear in a
session’s track Input, Output, Insert, and Bus se-
To route a Pro Tools output channel pair to
lectors.
multiple audio interface output ports:
1 Choose Setup > I/O. To create a new path:
2 Click the Output tab. 1 Choose Setup > I/O.

3 Click the Output selector for an interface 2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, or Bus tab to
channel pair, just below an audio interface icon. display the corresponding path type.

4 From the pop-up menu, select a physical port 3 Do one of the following:
pair (such as Analog 1–2) to route to the corre- • Click New Path, or press Control+N (Win-
sponding Pro Tools channel pair (such as A 1–2) dows) or Command+N (Mac).
in the Path Name column on the left.
– or –
5 Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) • Select a main path and click New Sub-Path.
the same Output selector and select an addi-
tional output pair from the same pop-up menu. 4 Double-click in the Name field and type a
name for the path.
The output name updates with a plus sign (“+”)
5 Press Tab to set the new path name and move
before it to indicate that multiple output ports
to the next path’s Name Field, or press Enter
are selected. In the pop-up menu, each physical
(Windows) or Return (Mac) to set the new path
port pair assigned to that Pro Tools output pair
name.
is indicated by a check mark.
6 Choose a format from the Path Format selec-
6 Repeat the above steps to select additional
tor (mono, stereo, or multichannel).
output destinations.

7 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O

Setup dialog.

Path Format selector (Pro Tools HD shown)

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 65

 7 Map the path to a specific audio interface, or The following table lists the available path at-
bus channel in the Grid column. See “Channel tributes for each path type.
Mapping” on page 70
Path options by type
8 Repeat the previous steps to configure all path Path Type Path Options (Attributes)
types (Input, Output, Insert, or Bus).
Input Names, formats, and source
9 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O channel (analog or digital audio
Setup dialog. If there are any overlapping or interface)
identically named paths, you will be instructed
Output Names, formats, and destination
to correct them before the I/O Setup dialog will (audio interface output channel or
close. For more information, see “Valid Paths internal send bus)
and Requirements” on page 71.
Insert Names, formats and destination
(audio interface channels)
Multichannel paths and mixing are ex-
plained in Chapter 44, “Pro Tools Setup for Bus Names and formats
Surround.”
Path interface names can also be renamed and
configured as defaults, which can be restored.
Editing Paths
The I/O Setup dialog lets you edit or customize Restoring Default Paths and Path
signal path definitions. Names
You can set an I/O Setup path type to its default
Paths can be:
path configuration at any time. When restoring
• Restored to default configurations
the default path, Pro Tools does the following:
• Renamed, for easier identification after
• Creates new default paths up to the capacity
changing or renaming audio interfaces
of your system’s available audio interfaces and
• Selected and reordered to change menu or-
resources.
der in track selectors
• Resets selected path names to matching or
• Selected and deleted
corresponding paths in the current I/O Setup
• Remapped to or from different sources or
configuration. For example, if you replace an
destinations
audio interface on a Pro Tools|HD system, you
• Deactivated (or reactivated) to manage un- can click the Default button to update your
available or unnecessary I/O resources I/O Setup definitions with the new hardware
configuration.
In addition, you can import and export your
I/O Setup configurations as I/O Settings files, as If there are matching paths available with the
well as set default path parameters. See “Work- new system configuration, existing paths will be
ing with I/O Settings Files” on page 71. updated to include new audio interfaces
(Pro Tools|HD systems).

66 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To restore default paths and path names: of busses supported on the original system are
initially available. You can reset the number of
1 Choose Setup > I/O.
available busses to match your system’s full ca-
2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, or Bus tab to pabilities.
display the corresponding path type.

3 Click Default.
To make all of your busses available in sessions
that support a lower number of mix busses:
Pro Tools creates all possible stereo main paths. 1 Open the I/O Setup dialog.
Mono sub-paths are also auto-created for every
stereo main path. These default path names ap- 2 Click the Bus tab in the upper left.
pear in a session’s track Audio Input and Output 3 Click Default.
Path selectors.
Setting busses to the default setting will re-
name all busses to their default name.

4 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O

Setup dialog.

Renaming Paths
Default stereo output paths Path names can be customized in the I/O Setup
dialog.
With Pro Tools|HD systems, to optimize
DSP resources, it is best to create mono sub- I/O paths can also be renamed directly from
paths for Outputs and Busses, rather than the Edit or Mix window by Right-clicking
mono main paths. the Input or Output selector and choosing
Rename.
4 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
Setup dialog. To rename a path in the I/O Setup dialog:
1 Double-click the path name.
Resetting Mix Busses
2 Type a new path name.
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
3 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
Production Toolkit Only)
Setup dialog.
Pro Tools supports up to 128 mix busses. How-
ever, versions lower than Pro Tools HD 7.x and
Renaming Interfaces
Pro Tools TDM 6.9 provide only up to 64 or 32
mix busses respectively. When you open a ses- Audio interface names can be customized in the
sion that was created with Pro Tools LE or a I/O Setup dialog. With Pro Tools HD only, the
lower version of Pro Tools TDM on a current I/O Setup dialog then bases default Input and
version of Pro Tools HD (or Pro Tools LE with Output path names on the custom names.
Complete Production Toolkit), only the number

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 67

 To rename an audio interface in the I/O Setup To select a range of paths:
dialog:
1 Click the path name.
1 Double-click the label above an interface.
2 Shift-click an additional path name.
Interface Name label
All paths between the first selected path name
and the additional path name will also be
selected.

To select or deselect noncontiguous paths, do one

of the following:
„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
Interface Names (Mac) path names that are unhighlighted to se-
2 Type a new interface name. lect them.

3 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O – or –

Setup dialog. „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) path names that are highlighted to dese-

Selecting Paths lect them.

Individual and multiple paths can be selected in To select all paths and sub-paths:
the I/O Setup dialog Path Name column. Se-
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any
lected paths and sub-paths can be reordered
path name that is unhighlighted.
higher or lower in the Path Name column to
change their menu order in track Input, Output,
To deselect all paths and sub-paths:
Insert, and Bus selectors. Paths can also be de-
leted. Sub-paths follow their main paths when „ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any

they are moved in the I/O Setup dialog. path name that is highlighted.

To select a main path or sub-path:

Reordering Paths
„ Click the path name.
Selected paths and sub-paths can be reordered
higher or lower in the Path Name column to
change their menu order in track Input, Output,
Insert, and Bus selectors.

To reorder paths in the I/O Setup dialog and Track

Selectors:
1 Drag one or more selected path names up or
Selecting paths in the I/O Setup dialog down.

2 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O

Setup dialog.

68 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Deleting Paths Tracks can also be made active or inactive. For
information, see “Making Track Inputs and Out-
Path definitions can be deleted from the current puts Inactive from the Edit or Mix Window” on
session to reflect changes to your hardware page 181.
setup, or to clean up track selector menus by re-
moving unwanted or unnecessary path defini- To globally activate or deactivate a path:
tions. After deleting a path, any tracks or send
assignments to that path are reset to No Output. 1 Choose Setup > I/O.

2 Select a path type using the tabs at the top of

To delete a main path or sub-path: the window.
1 In the I/O Setup dialog, select the path you 3 Set the Active/Inactive control for the path.
want to delete.

2 Click Delete Path. Active

3 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O

Setup dialog. Inactive

To delete all paths: Active and inactive path settings in I/O Setup

1 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any Inactive tracks that were assigned to the path
path name. display in italics in the track path selectors.

2 Click Delete Path. 4 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
Setup dialog.
3 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
Setup dialog. Display of Active and Inactive Paths in I/O
Setup
Making Paths Active or Inactive Unhighlighted (Italics) Indicates the path is
Pro Tools paths can be Active (on) or Inactive inactive.
(off, or unavailable). Paths can be globally acti-
Highlighted (Non-Italics) Indicates the path is
vated or deactivated in the I/O Setup dialog.
active.
Making a signal path inactive will turn off the
signal path on any and all tracks currently as- Highlighted (Italics) Indicates the path is active,
signed to it. but there are not enough system resources avail-
able.
Pro Tools also sets unavailable paths to inactive.
Paths can be unavailable when hardware or
other system resources are unavailable, such as
when opening a session saved on a different
system.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 69

 Channel Mapping and Surround Mixer
Channel Mapping (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Paths must be mapped to a specific audio inter- Production Toolkit Only)
face, or to bus channels in the Grid. Paths can be
When mapping multichannel paths, the left
mapped when they are created, and remapped
channel (L) is mapped first to the clicked Grid
at any time.
box, and remaining channels fill immediately to
the right according to the default path order. Be-
To map channels:
cause some multichannel mixing formats use
1 Select a main path or sub-path. unique track layouts, Pro Tools lets you set the
2 In the row for the selected path, click in the
default format in the I/O Setup dialog (see “I/O
Grid column under an audio interface and chan- Setup Options” on page 75).
nel.

Mapping channels

Other channels for the path type, if any, fill to

the right. For example, when mapping a new
stereo path, clicking in the path row under out-
Customized Output paths for a 5.1 mix
put channel 1 fills both channel 1 and 2 (left to
1, right to 2).
Remapping Channels
To remap channels in a path, see “Remap-
You can move the individual assignments to dif-
ping Channels” on page 70.
ferent channels, to reorder the path’s definition
3 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O (for example, changing a multichannel map to
Setup dialog. L-R-C-LF-LS-RS).

If there are any overlapping or invalid settings, To remap channels in a path:

you will be required to correct them before the
„ Drag the channel to the new location in the
I/O Setup dialog will close. For more informa-
Grid. Other channel assignments move (shuffle)
tion, see “Valid Paths and Requirements” on
to accommodate dragged channels.
page 71.

70 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Channel Shuffling Overlapping Channels and Valid Paths Channel
mapping follows certain rules regarding overlap-
Moving a signal from right to left results in a ping paths.
shuffle of other signals after the new destination
• There can be no partial or complete over-
channel. Moving a signal from left to right shuf-
laps between any two main Output paths,
fles any and all signals after the new destination
any two Insert paths, or any two main Bus
channel and leaves the previous channel empty.
paths.
Changing a path’s format erases any cur- • A newly-created Output or Bus path must
rent channel mapping. either be completely independent of other
maps (not mapped to any other available
Sub-Paths Follow Main Paths I/O interface/channels), or it must be a sub-
path completely contained within a larger
When a main path is remapped, its sub-paths (if
path (for example, an LCR sub-path within
any) will remap automatically to maintain con-
a larger 5.1 path).
sistent routing. For example, remapping a stereo
• Output and Insert paths can overlap in I/O
path to different hardware outputs results in any
Setup, but only one or the other can be
of its sub-paths moving with it.
used at any given time in a session. (Inputs,
however, can be routed to multiple tracks.)

Valid Paths and Requirements

While configuring the I/O Setup dialog, certain Working with I/O Settings
rules apply for path definition and channel Files
mapping. All paths must be valid before the
I/O Setup configuration can be applied. I/O Settings can be managed when transferring
sessions, and when developing I/O Setup con-
Though it is possible to set up invalid mappings figurations over the course of multiple sessions
in the Channel Grid, Pro Tools will not accept and projects.
an I/O Setup configuration unless all paths meet
the path definition and channel mapping re-
quirements, as follows:
I/O Settings Files
When creating a new session, you can set the
Minimum Path Definitions All paths must have a
session’s I/O Setup configuration by selecting an
name, be of a specific format, and have a valid
available I/O Settings file. I/O Settings can also
I/O mapping.
be imported before or after you open a session.
The following types of I/O Settings are available:

Last Used The most recent (or last used)

I/O Setup configuration is saved as a Last Used
settings file. See “Last Used I/O Settings” on
page 73 for more information.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 71

 Factory I/O Settings The Pro Tools Installer pro- Importing I/O Settings
vides settings files for factory I/O setups for ste-
I/O Settings can be imported before or after you
reo and surround (Pro Tools HD only). See “Au-
open a session.
dio Interfaces and Session Transfer” on page 73
for more information. When you import I/O Settings, you can choose
to delete any unused path definitions before im-
Custom I/O Settings The current I/O Setup con-
porting the new paths, or leave unused path def-
figuration can be edited and saved as a custom
initions intact and add the new paths to the cur-
I/O Setting using the Export command in the
rent I/O Setup configuration.
I/O Setup dialog. See “Importing and Exporting
I/O Settings Files” on page 72. You can also import I/O path and assign-
ment names, as well as other session data,
Default I/O Settings at First Launch from a different session by using the Import
Session Data command (see “Import Ses-
The first time you launch Pro Tools and create a
sion Data Dialog” on page 291).
session, you can choose default Stereo Mix or
Surround Mix settings, depending on your sys- To import I/O Settings:
tem and installation choices. See “Audio Inter-
faces and Session Transfer” on page 73. 1 Click Import Settings in the I/O Setup dialog.

2 Select an I/O settings file in the Import Set-

Importing and Exporting I/O tings dialog and click Import.

Settings Files 3 A dialog appears asking whether you want to
delete existing paths. Do one of the following:
You can export and import I/O Setup configura-
tions as I/O Settings files. This lets you save set- • Click Yes to remove any unused paths and
tings for different projects, import settings for add the imported paths to the current I/O
reconfiguring I/O Setup, and manage path defi- Setup configuration. Any I/O assignments
nitions and signal routing setups. and automation data associated with the
unused paths are also deleted.
Exporting I/O Settings – or –
• Click No to add the imported paths to the
To export and save an I/O Setup configuration as
current I/O Setup configuration.
a custom I/O Settings file:
1 Update I/O Setup settings (see “I/O Setup Dia- If the import results in overlapping paths, the
log Tabs and Controls” on page 62). new paths will appear in the I/O Setup dialog as
Inactive. See “Making Paths Active or Inactive”
2 Click Export Settings.
on page 69.
3 Name and save the settings file.
After importing I/O Settings, you can then reas-
To start sessions with a blank or empty sign path routing definitions in the I/O Setup di-
I/O Setup dialog, you can create and export alog by remapping, renaming, and deleting
an I/O Settings file in which all definitions paths. See “Creating New Paths” on page 65.
have been deleted.

72 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Last Used I/O Settings Surround Mix Settings File

If any changes are made to the I/O Setup dialog, (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
these changes are saved to the Last Used settings Production Toolkit Only)
file when the I/O Setup dialog is closed (by click- The Surround Mix provides additional, sur-
ing OK). round-specific Output and Bus settings files. See
Changes to I/O Setup are saved along with the “Surround Mix Settings Files” on page 977 for
current session (if one is open). Custom I/O Set- more information.
tings files will not contain recent changes unless
you export an updated settings file. Custom I/O Settings

The Last Used setting is available as a choice Custom I/O Settings files can be created by
when creating a session or when importing I/O changing I/O Setup controls and then exporting
Settings in the I/O Setup dialog. the I/O Setup configuration (see “Exporting I/O
Settings” on page 72). Custom I/O settings are
available as a choice when creating a session or
Factory I/O Settings
when importing I/O Settings in the I/O Setup
Pro Tools provides I/O Settings files for Stereo dialog.
and Surround mixing. These files provide ge-
neric main and sub-path definitions for either
Audio Interfaces and Session
mixing format.
Transfer
Factory I/O Settings are available as a choice
Pro Tools sessions store the type and order of au-
when creating a session or when importing I/O
dio interfaces connected and active when the
Settings in the I/O Setup dialog.
session was last saved. When opening a session
on a system with different audio interfaces, the
Stereo Mix Settings File
I/O Setup may need to be updated.
The Stereo Mix settings file consists of all possi-
ble stereo and mono paths for your session. Unavailable I/O

Using the “Stereo Mix” settings file has the When opening a session, Pro Tools checks to see
same effect as clicking Default for every in- if the hardware configuration has changed since
dividual tab in I/O Settings. See “Creating the session was last saved. If the current hard-
New Paths” on page 65 for details. ware configuration differs from that saved in the
session, paths associated with the unavailable
Specifically, the Stereo Mix settings file creates I/O are made inactive.
the maximum number paths of each type, as de-
termined by the available system’s I/O Setup Remapping
and hardware configuration.
Remapping occurs when a session’s original
I/O Setup does not match that of the current
system and session paths are remapped to cur-
rent hardware.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 73

 Systems of equivalent I/O capability are Opening Older Sessions Saved in
remapped directly. For example, a session Direct Outputs Mode
tracked to a Pro Tools|HD system through two
192 I/O audio interfaces would include 32 input Direct Outputs mode, as found in older versions
paths spread across the two 16-channel inter- of Pro Tools, has been replaced by the default
faces. The session is taken to a second Pro Tools mono sub-paths available through all valid I/O
system that has a 96 I/O audio interface (a 16- in the I/O Setup dialog.
channel I/O unit) and a 1622 I/O (with its 16 an-
Clicking the Default button creates main Output
alog inputs) connected to its Legacy Port. When
paths with appropriate mono sub-paths. These
the session is first opened on the second system,
sub-paths provide discrete monophonic rout-
Pro Tools will map the 32 input paths to the in-
ing.
puts of the two interfaces.
When a session is opened that was saved in Di-
When hardware is unavailable to a session being
rect Outputs mode, Pro Tools maps all the out-
opened, assignments can either be replaced us-
put assignments to equivalent mono sub-paths
ing the remap option, or opened as Inactive.
(as available).
Any tracks left assigned to an unavailable path
will not be audible. This can be beneficial, how- To convert a session so that it emulates Direct
ever, when you want to reassign tracks into your Outputs mode, use the Auto Assign Ascending
system’s mix one at a time. Outputs feature, as follows:

See “Making Paths Active or Inactive” on

To auto assign track outputs for Direct Outputs:
page 69 for more information.
1 Make sure that all tracks you want to assign
Show Last Saved Setup and Show Current are visible (hidden tracks will not be affected).
Setup
2 Select the tracks you want to assign.
When a session is opened that contains path
3 Control-Alt-click (Windows) or Command-
definitions for unavailable I/O interfaces, the
Option-click (Mac) the Output selector of the
I/O Setup dialog lists those paths in italics.
left-most track and assign it to the sub-path for
Clicking the Show Last Saved Setup button dis- Output #1. All visible tracks will be auto-as-
plays the audio interfaces used in the original signed to unique mono sub-path outputs in as-
session. This temporary display lets you check cending order.
the last saved I/O configuration for reference
You can identify audio interface connec-
while configuring the session for your system.
tions at any time by selecting the interface
Once a session has been opened with unavail- name in the Peripherals list of the Hardware
able I/O retained, you can then reassign tracks Setup dialog, then clicking Identify. All
to available I/O paths. LEDs on the corresponding interface front
panel illuminate.
To redefine the paths, see “Editing Paths”
on page 66.

74 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 assigns a default Audition Path to the first avail-
I/O Setup Options able main Output path of the corresponding for-
mat. You can also select a different Audition
Pro Tools systems have additional I/O Setup fea-
Path in the I/O Setup dialog.
tures. These include default signal routing for
metering and auditioning, and default track lay-
Configuring Audition Paths
out for multichannel mix formats.
You can specify the monitoring outputs for au-
ditioning audio in the Region List and DigiBase
Controller Meter Path
browsers, or for previewing AudioSuite process-
(D-Control, D-Command, and ProControl Only) ing, using the Audition Paths pop-up menu.
The Controller Meter Path selector determines
Audition Paths Main Menu The main menu con-
the path displayed across the Output meters of
sists of all path format choices available on the
D-Control, D-Command®, or ProControl con-
current system (Mono and Stereo on all systems,
trol surfaces. For more details, refer to your con-
and LCR and greater on Pro Tools|HD systems).
trol surface documentation.
Audition Paths Submenus Each path format
This selector is available in the Output and Bus
choice has a submenu listing Output paths of
pages of I/O Setup.
that given format. (The mono submenu lists
Output paths of any format.)
Audition Paths
To configure an Audition Path:
You can specify the output path through which
„ Select a path from the Audition Paths pop-up
files and regions are previewed (auditioned) in
the Region List or in DigiBase browsers, and menu or submenus.
when previewing AudioSuite processing.
New Track Default Output Path
For information on previewing audio in the
Region List, see “Previewing Regions in the You can specify the default output path assign-
Region List” on page 217. ment for new tracks, in each available format.

The New Track Default Output can be set to

For information on previewing audio in bus paths, as well as output paths.
DigiBase browsers, see “Previewing Audio
in DigiBase” on page 248. The New Track Default Output pop-up menu is
available in the Output page of I/O Setup dialog
Using the Default Audition Path only.

When you preview a file or region in the Region

To specify a default output for new tracks in the
List in a DigiBase browser, or when AudioSuite
I/O Setup dialog:
processing, Pro Tools routes the audio output
through the specified Audition Path. Pro Tools „ Click the New Track Default Output pop-up

menu and select a format and Output path.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 75

 AFL/PFL Path To set the AFL/PFL Path level for AFL or PFL solos:
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete 1 Choose Options > Solo Mode, and select a Solo
Production Toolkit Only) mode, as follows:
• If you want to set the level for AFL solos,
Tracks soloed in AFL (After Fader Listen) or PFL
select AFL.
(Pre Fader Listen) Solo mode are routed to the
current AFL/PFL Path, as set with the AFL/PFL – or –
Path pop-up menu. • If you want to set the level for PFL solos,
select PFL.
This pop-up menu is available in the Output
page of the I/O Setup dialog only. 2 In the Mix or Edit window, Control-click
(Windows) or Command-click (Mac) a Solo but-
See “Solo Modes” on page 189 for more in- ton on any track.
formation on using AFL or PFL Solo modes.
3 Adjust the AFL/PFL Path fader.
To select the AFL/PFL Path output: 4 Click on the new fader position (or press Esc)
„Select a path from the AFL/PFL Path pop-up to close the fader display.
menu.
To set the AFL/PFL Path level to 0 dB, Con-
Selecting None as the AFL/PFL Path disables trol-Start-click (Windows) or Command-
AFL and PFL Solo modes. When None is se- Control-click (Mac) any Solo button.
lected, AFL and PFL cannot be used.
AFL/PFL Mutes (Output Path) Selector
If you do not see the AFL/PFL Path selector, (Systems without a D-Control or D-Command
confirm that you have installed the Sur- Control Surface)
round Mixer in the Plug-ins (Used) folder. If you are not using a D-Control or D-Command
For information on switching Mixer plug- worksurface, your regular Pro Tools output path
ins, see the Pro Tools|HD Setup Guide. can be muted when you send a signal to the
AFL/PFL Path. The muted path is set with the
Setting AFL or PFL Path Levels
AFL/PFL Mutes (Output Path) selector.
You can set a separate master AFL/PFL Path level
for all AFL solos and all PFL solos. See “Solo Modes” on page 189 for more
information on selecting and using AFL or
Tracks do not need to be soloed to have the PFL Solo modes.
master AFL/PFL Path level adjusted.

76 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To set which output path is muted when tracks are
soloed in AFL or PFL Solo mode: Mic Preamps
1 Choose Setup > I/O. (Digidesign PRE with Pro Tools HD Only)
2 Click the Output tab to display the Output On the Mic Preamps page of the I/O Setup dia-
page. log, signal paths for one or more Digidesign PRE
3 Select a path from the AFL/PFL Mutes (Output
multi-purpose microphone preamplifiers can be
Path) pop-up menu. mapped to Pro Tools HD audio interfaces. For
more information, see the PRE Guide.
4 Click OK to save your changes to the I/O Setup
and close the I/O Setup dialog.

Default Path Order

(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit Only)
Insert offset delay field
The Default Path Order pop-up menu lets you se-
lect the default track layout you want Pro Tools
to follow when creating and mapping 5.1-for- H/W Insert Delay
mat main or sub-paths in the I/O Setup dialog. Compensation
This selector is only available in the Output page (Pro Tools HD Only)
of I/O Setup dialog.
To compensate for the delay (latency) of any ex-
This setting does not affect existing path defini- ternal hardware devices (such as an effects unit)
tions or metering—it only specifies channel used in your session, you can set the amount of
mapping in new 5.1-format paths. Delay Compensation (in milliseconds) for each
external device. These times will be used by the
To choose a Default Path Order: Delay Compensation Engine to time-align input
paths when the hardware insert is in use and De-
„ Select the channel mapping from the Default
lay Compensation is enabled.
Path Order pop-up menu.

Default Path Order selector

For more information about multichannel

mixing, see Chapter 44, “Pro Tools Setup Insert offset delay field
for Surround.”

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 77

 To set an insert delay offset:
„ Type a value, in milliseconds, in the field cor-

responding with the input where the hardware

insert is connected.

If you do not know your hardware’s insert delay,

see “Determining Your Hardware’s Insert Delay”
on page 78.

Insert delay offsets only have an effect when

the I/O is used for hardware inserts.

Determining Your Hardware’s Insert

Delay
Check the documentation for your external
hardware to see if it identifies the hardware la-
tency, or use the following procedure in
Pro Tools to determine the latency for hardware
inserts.

To determine your hardware’s insert delay:

1 Ensure that Automatic Delay Compensation is
enabled (Options > Delay Compensation).

2 Change your session’s Main Time Scale to

Min:Sec.

3 Create two tracks.

4 Route the tracks as follows: Route the output

of track 1 to the device’s inputs, then route the
input of track 2 to the device’s outputs.

5 Place a short tone (or other sound with a de-

finitive beginning) on track 1.

6 Record enable track 2 and press Record Enable

and Play in the Transport window to play back
the audio in track 1 and record it to track 2.

7 After recording, zoom in and measure the

difference between where the audio starts in
track 1 and track 2. The difference is the value
you would enter as your hardware’s insert delay
offset.

78 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 7: Preferences

The settings in the Preferences dialog define To change Pro Tools preferences:
how Pro Tools features work by default. The
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
Preferences dialog has several tabbed pages in
which you can specify your preferred settings 2 Click the tab for the page that has preferences
for various types of session parameters. Each you want to change.
Preferences page is covered in detail in this
3 Change preferences.
chapter.
4 Click OK to save your changes and close the
Preferences dialog.

Figure 2. Pro Tools Preferences dialog on a Pro Tools|HD system (Display Preferences page shown)

Chapter 7: Preferences 79
 • Operation Preferences
Global and Local Preferences • Custom Shuttle Lock Speed
Pro Tools preferences are either global (system- • Back/Forward Amount (Pro Tools HD only)
wide) or local (for the current session only). • QuickTime Playback Priority options
• PEC/Direct Style Input Monitoring
Global (System-Wide) Preferences (Pro Tools HD only)
Global preferences are applied to all sessions. • DestructivePunch File Length (Pro Tools
These preferences become the default prefer- HD only)
ences for any existing sessions that you subse- • Editing Preferences
quently open or any new sessions that are cre-
• None
ated.
• Mixing Preferences
Local (Current Session) Preferences • Coalesce Trim Automation Options
(Pro Tools HD only)
Local preferences are applied to the current ses-
sion (if one is open). Local preferences are not • Processing Preferences
applied to older sessions that are subsequently • Convert Imported “WAV” Files To
opened. AES31/BroadcastWave
• MIDI Preferences
Preferences and New Sessions • Play MIDI Notes When Editing
New sessions use global preference settings, plus • Display Events as Modified by Real-Time
the most recent local preference settings. The Properties
most recent local settings refer to the last open • Automatically Create Click Track in New
session (unless subsequent changes were made Sessions
in the Preference dialog from the application • Default Thru Instrument
window). • Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing
Controller Data
Local (Current Session) • Delay for External Devices Options
Preferences List (Pro Tools HD only)

All Preferences are global, except for the follow- • Synchronization Preferences
ing, which are local: • None

• Display Preferences
• Edit Window Default Length
• Always Display Marker Colors
• Default Track Color Coding options
• Default Region Color Coding options

80 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Edit Window Default Length
Display Preferences
This preference sets a default length for the Edit
window in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames
(Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 only). This is
useful if you want to assemble a session of a par-
ticular length or leave extra room to expand the
Edit window’s work area in your session. The
maximum length is 12 hours and 25 seconds at
48 kHz, and proportionally less at higher sam-
pling rates. For best scrollbar sensitivity, set the
length to slightly longer (a minute or more)
than the total session or song length.

“Organize Plug-in Menus By” Options

These option customize how plug-in menus are

Basics Section organized in the Insert selector or Plug-in selec-
tor.
Track Position Numbers Stay with Hidden
Tracks When selected, tracks keep their track Flat List Organizes plug-ins in a single list, in al-
numbers even when hidden. When not se- phabetical order.
lected, numbers are only assigned to tracks that
are shown. In this case, shown tracks are then Category Organizes plug-ins by process category
numbered sequentially, and hidden tracks are (such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with indi-
not numbered. vidual plug-ins listed in the category submenus.
Plug-ins that do not fit into a standard category
Tool Tips Display Options (such as the DigiRack Signal Generator), or
third-party plug-ins that have not had a cate-
Function Configures Tool Tips to show the basic gory designated by their developers, appear in
function of the item. the Other category. Plug-ins can appear in more
than one category.
Details Configures Tool Tips to show the com-
plete name of an abbreviated name or item Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins by their manu-
(such as a track name). Details view can also facturer (such as Bomb Factory, Digidesign, Fo-
show the hidden or abbreviated value of param- cusrite, or TL Labs), with individual plug-ins
eters, as well as input and output assignments. listed in the manufacturer submenus. Plug-ins
that do not have a Manufacturer defined will ap-
pear in the “Other” manufacturer folder.

Most Digidesign-distributed third-party plug-ins

will be grouped under Digidesign when Manu-
facturer view is enabled.

Chapter 7: Preferences 81
 Category and Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins 3 Second Clip Hold When selected, meters dis-
in two levels of menus. The top menus display play the last clip indication for three seconds.
plug-ins by process category (such as EQ, Dy-
namics, and Delay), with individual plug-ins Infinite Clip Hold When selected, meters display
listed in the category submenus. The bottom the last clip indications until you click them to
menus display plug-ins by manufacturer (such clear them.
as Bomb Factory, Digidesign, Focusrite, or TL No Clip Hold When selected, meters do not hold
Labs), with individual plug-ins listed in the the clip indication.
manufacturer submenus.
Show Meters in Sends View
Language Options (Windows Only)
When the Sends view is displaying individual
Language Sets the language to use in the send controls, you can select this option to show
Pro Tools application, independently of what send level meters. Deselecting this option can
language version of Windows is used. help speed up screen redraws and processing.
Default Automatic Naming to English Causes au-
tomatically named session elements in a session Color Coding
to be named in English even when working with
Always Display Marker Colors Lets you choose to
the Pro Tools application set to another lan-
view Marker colors in the Markers ruler, regard-
guage.
less of the settings you choose for Default Region
Color Coding.
Meters Section
MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity When enabled,
Peak Hold Options MIDI notes display varying shades of the as-
signed track color in MIDI notes view in the Edit
These options determine how long the peak in-
window and in MIDI Editor windows. Notes
dicators on track meters stay lit after a peak is de-
with high velocities are darker and notes with
tected.
lower velocities are lighter.
3 Seconds When selected, track meters display
the last peak level for three seconds. Default Track Color Coding Options

Infinite When selected, track meters display the These color coding options determine the de-
last peak level until you click them to clear fault color coding assignment for tracks in the
them. Edit and Mix windows. The options are:

None When selected, track meters do not hold None Turns off color assignment for tracks.
the peak level. Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to
each track in the Mix or Edit window according
Clip Indication Options
to its voice or MIDI channel assignment.
These options determine how long the clip indi-
Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each
cators on plug-in, send, and track meters stay lit
track in the Mix or Edit window according to its
after a clip is detected.
voice assignment or MIDI device assignment.

82 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Groups Assigns a color to each track according to
its Group ID. If groups are suspended using the Operation Preferences
Suspend Groups command, the tracks color bars
are not shown.

Track Type Assigns a color to each track accord-

ing to its type (audio, Auxiliary Input, Master
Fader, VCA Master, MIDI, Instrument, or
Video).

Default Region Color Coding Options

These color coding options determine the de-

fault color coding assignment for tracks, Marker
Locations, and regions residing in the track
playlist and Region List. The options are:

None Turns off color assignment for regions. Re-

gions are drawn with black waveform or MIDI
Transport Section
notes on a light gray background.
Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker Follows
Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to Playback When selected, the Timeline Insertion
each region in the Edit window according to its and the Play Start Marker both move to the
voice or MIDI channel assignment. point in the Timeline where playback stops.
When deselected, the Timeline Insertion and
Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each
Play Start Marker do not follow playback, but re-
region in the Edit window according to its voice
turn to the point in time where playback began.
assignment or MIDI device assignment.
Press Start+N (Windows) or Control+N
Groups Assigns a color to each region according
(Mac) to toggle the Timeline Insertion/Play
to the Group ID of its track. If groups are sus-
Start Marker Follows Playback preference
pended using the Suspend Groups command, all
on and off.
regions display black waveforms or MIDI notes
on a light gray background. Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle When se-
Track Color Assigns a region color based on the lected, the edit cursor automatically locates to
color assigned to the track. the point where scrubbing stops.

Marker Locations Assigns a unique color to each Audio During Fast Forward/Rewind When se-
marker area in the Marker ruler, including the lected, audio is audible during fast forward or re-
area preceding the first marker. wind.

Region List Color Assigns a color to each region

based on its color in the Region List.

Chapter 7: Preferences 83
 Latch Forward/Rewind When selected, fast for- Back/Forward Amount (Pro Tools HD Only) Sets
ward and rewind latch and continue until you the default length of Back, Back and Play, Forward
press Stop, Play, Return To Zero, or Go To End and Forward and Play. The timebase of the
on the Transport. When disabled, the Fast For- Back/Forward Amount settings follows the Main
ward and Rewind only last as long as you hold Time Scale by default, or you can deselect the
down the mouse after clicking either button on Follow Main Time Scale option and select another
the Transport (or hold down the corresponding timebase format: Bars|Beats, Min:Sec, Time
switch on a Control Surface). Code, Feet+Frames, or Samples.

Play Start Marker Follows Timeline Numeric Keypad Mode

Selection When enabled, the Play Start Marker
snaps to the Timeline Selection Start Marker Numeric Keypad mode determines how the nu-
when you move the Timeline Selection, draw a meric keypad functions. You can always use the
new Timeline Selection, or adjust the Timeline numeric keypad to select and enter values in the
Selection Start. When disabled, the Play Start Event Edit Area, Edit Selection indicators, Main
Marker doesn’t move with the Timeline selec- and Sub Counters, and Transport fields.
tion.
Classic Selects a Shuttle Lock mode that emu-
Reserve Voices for Preview in Context (Pro Tools lates the way Pro Tools worked in versions lower
HD Only) When enabled, Pro Tools reserves the than 5.0. With the Numeric Keypad mode set to
appropriate number of voices for preview in Classic, you can play up to two tracks of audio in
context (previewing audio files in DigiBase dur- Shuttle Lock mode. Press the Start key (Win-
ing session playback). The number of available dows) or Control (Mac), followed by 0–9 for dif-
voices is reduced by the channel width of the se- ferent play speeds. Press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to
lected audition paths on the Output page of the reverse direction. Recall Memory Locations by
I/O Setup window. For example, if the number typing the Memory Location number, followed
of playback voices is set to 48 in the Playback by Period (.).
Engine, and you have a stereo audition path se-
lected in the I/O Setup, only 46 voices will be Transport Selects a Shuttle Lock mode that lets
available for tracks. If you have a 5.1 audition you set a number of record and play functions,
path, only 42 voices will be available. When this and also operate the Transport from the nu-
option is disabled, you will not be able to pre- meric keypad. With the Numeric Keypad mode
view in context if there are not enough available set to Transport, you can play up to two tracks of
voices. audio in Shuttle Lock mode. Press the Start key
(Windows) or Control (Mac), followed by 0–9
Custom Shuttle Lock Speed Sets the highest fast- for different play speeds. Press Plus (+) or Minus
forward Shuttle Lock speed (key 9) for Shuttle (–) to reverse direction. Recall Memory Loca-
Lock modes (Classic or Transport). The range for tions by typing Period (.), the Memory Location
this setting is 50–800%. number, and Period (.) again.

For more information, see “Custom Shuttle To customize the highest fast-forward Shut-
Lock Speed” on page 470. tle Lock speed, see “Custom Shuttle Lock
Speed” on page 470.

84 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Shuttle (Pro Tools HD Only) Selects a type of Video Section
shuttling different from that of Shuttle Lock
mode. With the Numeric Keypad mode set to QuickTime Playback Priority Options
Shuttle, playback is triggered by pressing and
Normal This is the default setting for QuickTime
holding the keys on the numeric keypad—play-
Playback Priority. It gives no extra priority to
back stops once the keys are released. Various
movie playback over other screen update tasks
playback speeds are available in both forward
such as metering, moving faders, and so on. In
and reverse. You can also recall Memory Loca-
most cases you should use this setting.
tions by typing Period (.), the Memory Location
number, and Period (.) again. Medium This setting gives QuickTime movie
playback a higher priority relative to other
Use Separate Play and Stop Keys Pro Tools screen update tasks. Use this setting if
When enabled, this option lets you start play- you experience inconsistent QuickTime movie
back with the Enter key and stop playback with playback with the Normal setting.
the 0 key on the numeric keypad. This is useful Highest This setting gives QuickTime movie
for quickly starting and stopping playback when playback highest priority. In this mode,
auditioning loop transitions. The Use Separate Pro Tools disables screen activity and requires
Play and Stop Keys option is only available in you to use the Spacebar to stop playback. Use
Transport Numeric Keypad mode. this setting if you require uninterrupted Quick-
Time movie playback.
When this option is enabled, it overrides us-
ing the Enter key to add Memory Location
High Quality QuickTime Image
markers. Instead, press Period (.) and then
Enter on the numeric keypad to add a Mem- When enabled, Pro Tools decompresses both
ory Location marker. fields of each interlaced frame of QuickTime
video. When viewing a QuickTime movie in the
Auto Backup Section Pro Tools Video window, select this option to
display the movie at the highest possible resolu-
Enable Session File Auto Backup When se-
tion. Deselecting this option can help improve
lected, Pro Tools automatically saves backups of
performance if your system experiences prob-
your Pro Tools session file while you work. Back-
lems playing back a session with QuickTime
ups are saved to in the Session Files Backup
video.
folder in your session folder.

Keep specifies the total number of incremental

backups that are kept.

Backup Every Specifies how often the session is

saved.

Chapter 7: Preferences 85
 Avid Video Errors Stop Playback • When not selected, record-enabled audio
tracks are taken out of record enable when
(Pro Tools HD with Avid Video Engine Only)
Pro Tools is stopped. This prevents tracks
When selected, Pro Tools automatically stops from remaining armed from pass to pass,
playback of audio and video if a single frame of emulating track record behavior of a digital
video is dropped. dubber.

When not selected, Pro Tools continues play- Transport RecordLock (Pro Tools HD Only) This
back of audio even if frames are dropped. In option lets the Transport Record (the Record
most cases, video playback will recover within a button in the Transport controls) be configured
few frames and continue playing audio and to either emulate a digital dubber, or to main-
video in sync. tain legacy behavior for the Transport master
Record.
Avid Video NTSC Has Setup (NTSC-J) • When selected, the Transport Record re-
(Pro Tools HD with Avid Video Engine Only) mains armed when playback or recording
stops. This saves having to re-arm the
This preference lets you adjust the level of NTSC Transport between takes, emulating digital
video black output between 7.5 IRE (standard) dubber behavior.
or 0 IRE. When this option is selected, output
• When not selected, the Transport Record
level is 0 IRE.
disarms when Pro Tools is manually
stopped or stops due to a loss of time code.
Record Section This replicates standard Pro Tools record-
Latch Record Enable Buttons When selected, ing behavior.
multiple audio tracks can be record-enabled. The Transport RecordLock option is automati-
When not selected, multiple audio tracks can- cally disabled and grayed out when Destructive
not be record-enabled. Record-enabling an au- Record mode is enabled.
dio track takes all other audio tracks out of
record-enabled mode. Disable “Input” When Disarming Track (In “Stop”)
(Pro Tools HD Only) For flexibility, TrackInput
Link Record and Play Faders When selected, monitoring can be customized to remain se-
Pro Tools does not remember separate fader lev- lected regardless of track record status, or to au-
els for tracks when they are record-enabled, al- tomatically switch to Auto Input monitoring af-
lowing you to maintain the same monitoring ter a recording pass. This lets you optimize
level for tracks during recording and playback. monitoring for a typical dubbing workflow (in
which you might want tracks to remain in Input
Audio Track RecordLock (Pro Tools HD
Only) This option configures Pro Tools tracks to Only mode until explicitly switched to Auto In-
either emulate a digital dubber, or to maintain put monitoring) or a typical music tracking
legacy behavior for track record status. workflow (in which leaving a track in Input
Only monitoring mode after recording can re-
• When selected, the record-enabled audio
sult in accidental double-monitoring).
tracks remain record-enabled when play-
back or recording stops.

86 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 • When selected, taking an audio track out of Online Options
record enable (any mode) takes it out of In-
Record Online at Time Code (or ADAT)
put Only mode, regardless of the global
Lock When selected, online recording begins as
monitor mode, and switches it to monitor
soon as Pro Tools receives and locks to incoming
audio from disk only.
time code.
• When not selected, audio tracks remain in
Input Only monitoring mode until explic- Record Online at Insertion/Selection When se-
itly switched to Auto Input monitoring. lected, online recording begins at the edit cursor
location. Recording continues until Pro Tools
Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped stops receiving time code. If you make a selec-
(Pro Tools HD Only) This setting determines
tion, Pro Tools records online for the length of
monitor status of record-armed tracks.
the selection.
• When selected, Pro Tools mutes all record-
enabled tracks when the transport is Open Ended Record Allocation
stopped. Input can still be monitored while
stopped using the TrackInput Monitor but- This preference determines how much of your
ton. available hard drive space is allocated for record-
ing.
• When not selected, Pro Tools does not
mute audio input on record-enabled tracks Use All Available Space When selected, the
when the transport is stopped. drive’s entire available space is allocated. Gener-
ally, this is a good setting for recording longer
PEC/Direct Style Input Monitoring (Pro Tools
HD Only) This option changes the way the Track- takes, as it provides the maximum amount of
Input monitoring mode is indicated on-screen drive space. Additionally, when recording mul-
(and on supported control surfaces) to emulate tiple tracks, the files are spread across your drive.
“PEC” (playback) and “Direct” (input/bus) indi- This can sometimes slow down the recording
cation on some large format consoles. process for hard drives that use certain file sys-
tems, including HFS+ and NTFS.
• When not selected, the TrackInput button
shows the letter “I.” The button remains Limit To Sets the maximum allowable recording
gray to indicate Auto Input mode and duration for one take. This can help reduce the
lights green to indicate Input Only mode. time it takes to begin recording by allocating
• When selected, the TrackInput button re- only a portion of your hard drive. The number
mains gray and shows the letter “D” to in- of minutes specified is allocated for each record-
dicated Input Only mode (“Direct”); it enabled track. You may want to experiment
lights green and shows the letter “P” to in- with this number to achieve the recording per-
dicate Auto Input mode (“Pec” or play- formance you want.
back).
If you do not regularly record longer takes, set a
Automatically Create New Playlists When Loop Re- smaller length (such as a low multiple of the
cording When selected, copies loop recorded al- song’s total length).
ternate takes to new playlists in the track. This is
especially useful to prepare for track composit-
ing in Playlists view after loop recording multi-
ple alternate takes.

Chapter 7: Preferences 87
 DestructivePunch File Length (Pro Tools HD
Only) Editing Preferences
This preference sets the duration of consoli-
dated audio files when preparing tracks for De-
structivePunch mode. The default value for this
setting is 25 minutes.

Misc (Miscellaneous) Section

Show Quick Start Dialog When Pro Tools
Starts When selected, Pro Tools shows the Ses-
sion Quick Start dialog on launch.

Auto Region Fade In/Out Length (Pro Tools HD

Only) Sets a default length for fade-ins and fade-
outs automatically applied to region bound-
aries. Using automatic fade-ins and fade-outs
saves you the trouble of editing to zero-crossings
or creating numerous rendered fades in order to
Regions Section
eliminate clicks or pops in playback. Autofades Region List Selection Follows Edit
are not written to disk. Value range is from 0–10 Selection When selected, selecting a region in a
ms for the Auto Region Fade In/Out Length setting. track also selects it in the Region List.
A value of zero means that no auto-fading will
occur. The Auto Fade value is saved with the ses- Edit Selection Follows Region List
Selection When selected, selecting a region in
sion, and is automatically applied to all free-
the Region List causes Pro Tools to highlight
standing region boundaries until you change it.
that region’s occurrence in a track.
Calibration Reference Level (Pro Tools HD
Only) Sets a default calibration reference level in Auto-Name Separated Regions When selected,
dB when Pro Tools is in Calibration mode. For Pro Tools automatically names newly separated
audio interfaces that have trims (such as the regions by appending a number to the region’s
192 I/O), see the interface’s guide for calibration name.
instructions.
“Separate Region” Operates On All Related
Takes When selected, editing a region with the
Delay Compensation Time Mode (Pro Tools HD
Only) This option lets you choose whether infor- Separate Region command also affects all other
mation in the Delay Manager is displayed in related takes (recording passes) with the same
milliseconds or samples. This option is only User Time Stamp. This option helps you com-
available when Delay Compensation is enabled pare different sections from a group of related
(Options > Delay Compensation). takes.

88 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Tracks Section Default Fade Settings

New Tracks Default To Tick Timebase When se- Fade In Selects the default envelope shape for
lected, all new tracks default to ticks. When de- fade-ins when using the Smart Tool.
selected, audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader,
Fade Out Selects the default envelope shape for
and VCA (Pro Tools HD only) tracks default to
fade-outs when using the Smart Tool.
samples.
Crossfade Selects the default envelope shape for
Memory Locations Section crossfades when using the Smart Tool.

Auto-Name Memory Locations When To apply a Fade In, Fade Out, or Crossfade
Playing When selected, Pro Tools gives new
to an Edit selection using the Default Fade
Memory Locations default names based on their
settings, and without opening the Fades di-
time location in the session. The time units cur-
alog, press Control+Start+F (Windows) or
rently chosen in the View menu determine the
Command+Control+F (Mac).
units for the names.
REX Selects the default envelope shape for fades
Recall Memory Location at Original Track When
and crossfades between regions (“slices”) in im-
selected, Memory Locations that recall a selec-
ported REX files.
tion also recall the track in which the selection
was made.
Zoom Toggle Section
Fades Section Vertical Zoom Selects either Selection or Last
Used for the Zoom Toggle Vertical Zoom setting.
Crossfade Preview Pre-Roll This setting specifies
the amount of pre-roll to be added when you are Horizontal Zoom Selects either Selection or Last
auditioning crossfades in the Fades dialog. Used for the Zoom Toggle Horizontal Zoom setting.

Crossfade Preview Post-Roll This setting speci- Remove Range Selection After Zooming
fies the amount of post-roll to be added when In When selected, the current Edit selection col-
you are auditioning crossfades in the Fades dia- lapses into an insertion point after zoom tog-
log. gling in. Zoom toggling back out reverts to the
previous selection.
QuickPunch/TrackPunch Crossfade Length Spec-
ifies a default length for crossfades created by Track Height Selects Last Used, Medium, Large,
QuickPunch or TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD only) Extreme, or Fit To Window for the Zoom Toggle
recordings. Crossfades occur before the punch Track Height setting.
in and after the punch out.
Track View Selects Waveform/Notes, Warp/Notes,
Preserve Fades when Editing This option pre- Last Used, or No Change for the Zoom Toggle
serves fade-ins and fade outs, and converts sepa- Track View setting.
rated crossfades into corresponding fade-ins and
fade-outs.

Chapter 7: Preferences 89
 Separate Grid Settings When Zoomed In When Setup Section
selected, this option retains the same (current)
grid setting when zoom toggling in or out. Sends Default to –INF When selected, the initial
When this option is deselected, the grid setting fader level of newly-created sends is set to –∞ (no
stored with Zoom toggle is recalled when zoom audible signal level). When not selected, the ini-
toggling in. tial fader level of newly-created sends is set to
0 dB.
Zoom Toggle Follows Edit Selection When se-
lected, zoom toggle automatically follows the Send Pans Default to Follow Main Pan When se-
current Edit selection. When disabled, changing lected, newly created sends have Follow Main Pan
the Edit selection has no affect on the currently turned on, so the Send Pan controls follow the
toggled-in track. pan controls of the track. When not selected,
newly created sends have Follow Main Pan turned
off.
Levels of Undo
Link Mix and Edit Group Enables When selected,
This preference sets the maximum number of
this option links enabling and disabling of Mix
actions that can be undone with the multiple
and Edit Groups. For example, enabling Group
undo feature. Setting this to a lower number can
A in the Mix Window automatically enables
speed up the performance of slower computers.
Group A in the Edit window.
Pro Tools supports up to 32 Levels of Undo.
Use Absolute Pan Linking (Pro Tools HD
Only) This option affects behavior of grouped
pan controls.
Mixing Preferences
• When selected, grouped pan controls do
not maintain relative offsets when any of
the grouped pan controls is adjusted. All
grouped pan controls snap to the absolute
value of the adjusted control.
• When not selected, grouped pan controls
maintain relative offsets when any of the
linked controls is adjusted.

Default EQ

This preference lets you choose any installed EQ

plug-in as the default, which makes it available
for quick assignment, both on-screen and on
ICON worksurfaces (Pro Tools HD only). On-
screen, the plug-in appears at the top of the In-
sert selector pop-up menu. On ICON worksur-
faces, the plug-in appears first in the list of menu
choices on the rotary encoders.

90 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Default Dynamics Touch Timeout If you are writing automation in
Touch mode and you stop moving a non-touch
This preference lets you choose any installed
sensitive fader or encoder, Pro Tools continues
Dynamics plug-in as the default, which makes it
to write automation for the Touch Timeout
available for quick assignment, both on-screen
value.
and on ICON worksurfaces (Pro Tools HD only).
On-screen, the plug-in appears at the top of the After the Touch Timeout period, writing of auto-
Insert selector pop-up menu. On ICON worksur- mation stops and the automation data returns
faces, the plug-in appears first in the list of menu to its previous automation value at the rate spec-
choices on the rotary encoders. ified in the AutoMatch Time setting.

Controllers Automation Section

Edit Window Follows Bank Selection If you are Smooth and Thin Data After Pass When selected,
using a supported control surface with Pro Tools automatically smooths and then ap-
Pro Tools, this option scrolls the Edit window to plies the specified amount of thinning to the au-
display the selected bank of tracks when you tomation data created in an automation pass.
switch banks on the control surface, ensuring
that the current bank is viewable on-screen. Degree of Thinning Specifies the amount of thin-
ning performed on automation data when you
Mix Window Follows Bank Selection If you are using the Thin Automation command, or if you
using a supported control surface with have selected the Smooth and Thin Data After Pass
Pro Tools, this option scrolls the Mix window to option.
display the selected bank of tracks when you
switch banks on the control surface, ensuring Plug-in Controls Default to Auto-Enabled When
that the current bank is viewable on-screen. selected, all applicable controls of newly added
plug-ins are enabled for automation. When not
“Scroll to Track” Banks Controllers When using selected, the controls of newly added plug-ins
a control surface (such as D-Control or ProCon- must be manually enabled for automation.
trol) you can select this option to bank control
surface faders to a numbered track when using Suppress Automation “Write To” Warnings
(Pro Tools HD Only) When selected, Pro Tools
the Scroll to Track command.
suppresses the warnings that appear after invok-
Always Fill Channel Strips When Banking If you ing any of the Write Automation To Start, Selec-
are using an ICON worksurface (Pro Tools HD tion, End, or Punch commands and then stopping
only), or other supported Digidesign control the transport.
surface, you can select this option to maximize
the number of channels displayed when bank-
ing. This setting optimizes the Bank commands
to prevent the display of a small number of
channels at the extremes of the surface.

Chapter 7: Preferences 91
 Latching Behavior for Switch Controls in Standard VCA Logic for Group Attributes
“Touch” This option determines the behavior of (Pro Tools HD Only) This option determines
switch-type controls (such as mute or plug-in which Mix group attributes may be selected in
bypass) when writing automation in Touch the Group dialog when the group is assigned to
mode. a VCA Master.
• When selected, controls in Touch mode • When selected, the Main Volume, Mute,
will latch in their current state. If an exist- Solo, Record Enable, and Input Monitoring
ing breakpoint is encountered, writing of controls on slave tracks follow the VCA
automation stops. If the transport is Master only and are not available to be in-
stopped while writing, the control will dependently linked. (This emulates the be-
AutoMatch to the underlying value. havior of analog console VCA masters.)
• When not selected, controls in Touch • When deselected, the Main Volume, Mute,
mode will not latch. Solo, Record Enable, and Input Monitoring
controls follow the VCA Master, but also re-
Allow Latch Prime in Stop (Pro Tools HD main available for independent linking
Only) When selected and any tracks are in Latch
with groups.
mode, any automation-enabled controls on
those tracks can be set to new values while the Include Sends in Trim Mode (Pro Tools HD
transport is stopped by touching or moving con- Only) This option determines the Trim status of
trols, to prepare for the next automation pass. Send faders when a track is put in Trim mode.
• When selected, Send faders go into Trim
Coalesce when Removing Slaves from VCA Group
mode along with the Main Volume fader.
(Pro Tools HD Only) This option determines the
behavior when removing slave tracks from a • When deselected, the Main Volume fader
VCA-controlled group. goes into Trim mode, but the Send fader
stays in the corresponding standard Auto-
• When selected, any automation on the
mation mode.
VCA Master is automatically coalesced
(without confirmation) to its slave tracks Include Control Changes in Undo Queue This op-
when the tracks are removed from the tion determines whether certain mixer control
group. changes, such as moving a fader or pan control,
• When not selected, a confirmation dialog are entered into the Undo queue.
lets you choose whether or not to coalesce • When selected, mixer control changes ap-
the VCA Master automation to the slave pear in the Undo queue, and are undone if
tracks. any prior operation is undone.
• When deselected, mixer control changes
will not appear in the undo queue, allow-
ing you to undo other types of operations
without losing the current mixer settings.

Any set to default operations that affect mixer

controls will be entered into the Undo queue.

92 Pro Tools Reference Guide

AutoMatch Time If you are writing automation On Exiting Trim Mode Sets Trim Automation to
in Touch mode, when you release a fader or con- coalesce on a track when the track is taken out of
trol, writing of automation stops and the auto- Trim mode. A Composite Playlist can be viewed
mation data returns to its previous value. The before committing Trim moves.
rate of return to the previous value is the
AutoMatch Time. Manually Trim Automation can be coalesced
only with the Coalesce Trim Automation com-
AutoGlide Time (Pro Tools HD Only) Specifies mand. A Composite Playlist can be viewed be-
how quickly Pro Tools transitions (glides) from fore committing Trim moves.
one automation value to another, when
AutoGlide mode is used.

After Write Pass, Switch To Options

Processing Preferences
These options select the Automation mode that
Pro Tools tracks automatically switches to after
an automation pass in Write (or Write Trim)
mode. Select one of the following options:

Touch Switches to Touch mode after an automa-

tion pass in Write (or Write Trim) mode.

Latch Switches to Latch mode after an automa-

tion pass in Write (or Write Trim) mode.

No Change Stays in Write mode after an automa-

tion pass in Write (or Write Trim) mode.

After an automation pass in Write Trim mode,

tracks automatically switch to the Trim version
of the specified setting. AudioSuite Section
Use AudioSuite Dither When selected, certain
Coalesce Trim Automation Options
AudioSuite plug-ins automatically apply dither
(Pro Tools HD Only) when processing. AudioSuite plug-ins that sup-
port automatic dithering include: Gain, Nor-
These options determine when Trim automa-
malize, Smack!, and Sonic NoNOISE.
tion is committed to the main automation play-
list on a track. Plug-in Specifies the plug-in used for dither pro-
cessing when the Use AudioSuite Dither option is
After Every Pass Sets Trim automation to coa-
selected.
lesce when the transport is stopped at the end of
each Trim automation pass. No Composite Play- Bit Depth Lets you select a bit depth for the dith-
list is indicated. ered audio (24-bit, 20-bit, 18-bit, or 16-bit).

Chapter 7: Preferences 93
 Import Section Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to
Session Tempo
Convert Imported “WAV” Files To AES31/Broad-
castWave When selected, this option applies to The Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to Ses-
all newly imported WAV files, making them sion Tempo options determine whether or not
compliant with the AES31/EBU Broadcast stan- REX, ACID, and audio files are imported as tick-
dard. based Elastic Audio and conformed to the ses-
sion tempo.
Automatically Copy Files on Import When se-
lected, all audio files that are imported by drag- No Files When enabled, REX and ACID files,
ging and dropping are copied to the current ses- and all other audio files are not conformed to
sion’s Audio Files folder, regardless of whether the session tempo when imported by drag and
the files need to be converted to the current ses- drop from Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder.
sion’s file type, bit depth or sample rate. Addi- They are imported as sample-based files and
tionally, when selected, the Copy from Source Me- converted to the sessions audio file format.
dia option is automatically enabled in the
REX and ACID Files Only When enabled, only
Import Session Data dialog. The Automatically
REX and ACID files are conformed to the session
Copy Files on Import preference does not affect
tempo when imported by drag and drop from
the Import Audio command.
Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder. REX files
Import REX Files as Region Groups When se- are imported either as tick-based Elastic Audio
lected, REX flies are imported as region groups, or, if the Import REX Files as Region Groups op-
all the underlying slices are imported as individ- tion is enabled, as tick-based region groups.
ual regions contained within the region group.
All Files When enabled, all audio files (including
When this option is not selected, importing REX
REX and ACID files) imported by drag and drop
files into a session converts them to the session’s
from Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder are
audio file format, the individual slices are con-
imported as tick-based Elastic Audio and con-
solidated, and the slice information is used for
form to the session tempo.
Elastic Audio analysis. These files remain tick-
based after import and conversion.
Sample Rate Conversion Quality
Automatically Create Fades When selected,
The Sample Rate Conversion Quality pop-up
crossfades are applied automatically to the
menu lets you select the default sample rate con-
sliced regions within region groups created by
version quality for importing audio files by drag
importing REX files. If the Import REX Files as Re-
and drop from any DigiBase browser, or Win-
gion Groups option is not selected, the Automati-
dows Explorer or Mac Finder. The higher the
cally Create Fades option is not available.
quality of sample rate conversion you select, the
To change the default fade settings for REX files, longer Pro Tools will take to process the audio
click the REX button in the Default Fade Settings file.
section on the Editing Preferences page.

94 Pro Tools Reference Guide

TC/E (Time Compression/Expansion) The Elastic Properties window inherits the De-
Section fault Input Gain setting. To apply further region-
based input gain attenuation for Elastic Audio
TC/E Plug-in Lets you select the plug-in used for processing, select the region and adjust the Input
Time Compression and Expansion when you Gain setting in the Elastic Properties window (see
edit audio with the Time Compression/Expan- “Elastic Properties Window” on page 787).
sion Trim tool. This Trim tool works by using
Time Compression/Expansion to match an au- Enable Elastic Audio on New Tracks When se-
dio region to the length of another region, a lected, new tracks are created with Elastic Audio
tempo grid, a video scene, or other reference enabled. The selected default Elastic Audio plug-
point. The DigiRack Time Shift plug-in is se- in is used.
lected by default.
If the Enable Elastic Audio on New Tracks
Default Settings Specifies the default settings option is selected, you may want to also se-
used by the chosen Time Compression/Expan- lect the New Tracks Default to Tick Time-
sion plug-in. base option in the Editing Preferences page.

Elastic Audio Section

These preferences determine Elastic Audio usage
MIDI Preferences
and settings on new tracks, as well as for pre-
viewing and importing tick-based audio.

Default Plug-in Lets you select any Real-Time

Elastic Audio plug-in as the default for preview-
ing and importing Elastic Audio. The selected
default Elastic Audio plug-in is also used when
new tracks are created with the Enable Elastic Au-
dio on New Tracks option enabled.

Default Input Gain Lets you attenuate the signal

input to Elastic Audio plug-ins by 0 to –6 dB for
preview and import. If you experience clipping
due to Elastic Audio processing during preview
or after import, you may want to set the Default
Input Gain to slightly attenuate the audio signal
input for Elastic Audio processing. This prefer- Basics Section
ence also applies to any audio imported to an Remove Range Selection After Opening the
Elastic Audio-enabled track. MIDI/Score Editor When selected, the MIDI Edi-
tor and Score Editor open with no Edit selection.
When this option is disabled, the MIDI Editor
and Score Editor open with the current Edit se-
lection intact.

Chapter 7: Preferences 95
 Use MIDI to Tap Tempo When enabled, you can Global MIDI Playback Offset
tap a MIDI keyboard to enter a new tempo value
This option lets you set an offset in samples to
into a tempo field.
compensate for MIDI latency. Entering a value
Display Events as Modified by Real-Time Proper- here has the same effect as setting an offset with
ties When enabled, Pro Tools displays the ef- the MIDI Track Offsets command. Offset values
fects of Real-Time Properties in the Edit, MIDI can be positive (later) or negative (earlier).
Editor, and Score Editor windows, and the MIDI
Event List. Double-Clicking a MIDI Region Opens

Use F11 Key for Wait for Note When enabled, This option lets you specify what happens when
pressing the F11 Function key puts MIDI record- you double-click MIDI regions with the Grabber
ing in Wait for Note mode. tool on MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Edit
window.
Automatically Create Click Track in New
Sessions When enabled, Pro Tools automati- MIDI Editor Opens the MIDI region in a MIDI
cally creates a new click track in new sessions. Editor window.

Default Thru Instrument Score Editor Opens the MIDI region in the Score
Editor window.
This option lets you set the default MIDI Thru
instrument. You can select a predefined device MIDI Event List Opens the MIDI region in the
from your available MIDI instruments, or select MIDI Event List.
First Selected MIDI Track to use the assigned MIDI
Name Dialog Opens the Name dialog for the
output of the first selected MIDI or Instrument
MIDI region.
track. When multiple MIDI or Instrument tracks
are selected, the instrument in the selected track
that is closest to the top of the Edit window (or Note Display Options
closest to the left edge of the Mix window) is These options set the reference for middle C as
used. Select None to only route MIDI Thru C3, C4, or MIDI note number 60.
record enabled MIDI and Instrument tracks.

Delay for External Devices Section

Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller
Data (Pro Tools HD Only)

This option lets you set the default resolution These options only apply when a Delay Compen-
for MIDI controller data created with the Pencil sation Engine is selected in the Playback Engine
tool. Setting this to a lower resolution helps dialog and Delay Compensation is enabled in
avoid creating controller data that is unneces- Pro Tools. These options are distinct from the
sarily dense. The value range is from 1 to 100 hardware offsets available for hardware inserts
milliseconds. in the I/O Setup.

96 Pro Tools Reference Guide

MIDI Time Code When selected, Pro Tools ap- Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When se-
plies Delay Compensation to Pro Tools-gener- lected, navigating to a specific location in a ses-
ated MIDI Time Code (MTC). Enable this option sion by moving the selection point or by scrub-
when synchronizing video to Pro Tools using bing a track will cause a connected transport to
MTC. chase to that location.

MIDI Beat Clock When selected, Pro Tools ap- When the connected device is a linear device
plies Delay Compensation to Pro Tools-gener- (such as a tape deck), select Linear Devices (jog) to
ated MIDI Beat Clock. set Pro Tools to send jog commands.

When the connected device is a non-linear de-

MIDI/Score Editor Display
vice (such as a random-access video recorder or
another Pro Tools system), select Non-Linear De-
Additional Empty Bars in the Score Editor
vices (cue) to set Pro Tools to send cue com-
This setting lets you specify the default number mands.
of empty bars that appear in the Score Editor
window after the end of the last MIDI region in Machine Cues Intelligently (Pro Tools HD
Only) When selected, if you navigate to a cue
the session.
point that is more than 10 seconds from the cur-
rent location, Pro Tools will command a con-
nected transport to fast wind to the new loca-
Synchronization Preferences tion at full speed to within 10 seconds of the cue
point. Cueing will then slow to normal speed
until the point is reached. This can significantly
speed up tape cueing with certain video trans-
ports.

Stop at Shuttle Speed Zero (Pro Tools HD

Only) Causes Pro Tools to send a Stop command
whenever you stop shuttling. This is useful if
you have a machine that requires an explicit
stop command to park correctly.

Non-Linear Transport Error Suppression (Pro Tools

HD Only) When Transport = Pro Tools, keeps
Pro Tools from sending a Stop command when
taken offline. This prevents Pro Tools from stop-
ping any other 9-pin devices connected to the
Machine Control Section system.

Machine Chases Memory Location When se-

lected, navigating to a specific location in a ses-
sion with a Memory Location causes a con-
nected transport to chase to that location.

Chapter 7: Preferences 97
 Synchronization Section Remote Mode Section
Minimum Sync Delay Sets the initial amount of (Pro Tools HD Only)
prime time (in frames) your system’s devices
Ignore Track Arming Sets Pro Tools to ignore in-
need to achieve synchronization “lock.” This
coming track arming (record enable) com-
amount varies for each device. Pro Tools lock up
mands. This is useful if you are using a master
delay is set by entering a value for Minimum Sync
controller to arm tracks on other machines, but
Delay in the Synchronization page of the Prefer-
you do not want to arm tracks in Pro Tools.
ences dialog. The lowest value available is 15
frames. Find the shortest possible lock-up time Set Servo Lock Bit at Play (Tamura Support) En-
that your equipment can operate at consis- able this option when using a Tamura synchro-
tently, and set this as the Minimum Sync Delay. nizer to control Pro Tools in Remote mode to
On systems using Digidesign MachineControl, minimize lock-up times during recording.
enabling the Use Serial Time Code option will
make machines lock up much faster. (Serial time Allow Track Arm Commands in Local Mode Sets
code requires both a Digidesign-qualified syn- Pro Tools to respond to incoming track arming
chronization peripheral and external devices to (record enable) commands even when the sys-
be locked to house video reference.) tem is not in Remote mode. This is useful if you
are using a paddle device to control Pro Tools
Delay Before Locking to Longitudinal Time Code track arming or punching.
(Pro Tools HD Only) Sets the amount of time (in
frames) for Pro Tools to lock to incoming LTC. Punch In Frame Offset Sets an offset (in frames)
Use this option when locking Pro Tools to a sta- to compensate for punch in timing advances or
ble time code source (such as a non-linear tape delays.
machine or LTC generator) and not a linear tape
Punch Out Frame Offset Sets an offset (in frames)
machine.
to compensate for punch out timing advances
Delay Before Locking to Serial Time Code or delays.
(Pro Tools HD Only) Sets the amount of time (in
frames) for Pro Tools to wait before attempting Delay After Play Command Sets the amount of
to lock to machines that issue servo lock mes- time (in frames) for Pro Tools to wait after re-
sages. This setting allows time for the servo ceiving a Play command before starting the au-
mechanisms to achieve stable lock. dio engine. This can prevent false starts when
locking to synchronizers that are not fully sup-
ported by Pro Tools.

98 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Satellite Link Section Solo Independent of Linked State Causes a
Pro Tools system to send the solo status of its
(Pro Tools HD Only)
tracks to other satellite systems even when it is
These preferences are available only with the unlinked. This allows control of solo status
Satellite Link option. The Pro Tools Satellite across systems even when transport control is
Link option lets you link up to 5 Pro Tools sys- not enabled.
tems (or 4 Pro Tools systems and an Avid® Me-
DAE Errors Stop All Linked Systems Causes a
dia Composer® with the Video Satellite option
DAE error on any linked Pro Tools system to
or a Video Satellite LE system) over an Ethernet
stop the transport on all linked systems. When
network so that you can cue, play, and stop the
this option is not selected, linked systems will
transport, make play selections, and solo tracks
not stop if a DAE error occurs on one system.
across any of the systems from any linked work-
station. Transmit Play Selections Causes a linked
Pro Tools system to send the Edit window selec-
Transmit Solos Causes a linked Pro Tools system
tion to all other linked Pro Tools systems. On
to send the solo status of its tracks to all other
other linked systems that are set to receive play
linked Pro Tools systems. On other linked sys-
selections, the selection is mirrored in the Edit
tems that are set to receive solos, tracks follow
window.
solo behavior as if the solo were on the local sys-
tem. Receive Play Selections Causes a linked
Pro Tools system to receive Edit window selec-
Receive Solos Causes a linked Pro Tools system
tions from all other linked Pro Tools systems
to receive solos from all other linked Pro Tools
that are set to transmit play selections.
systems that are set to transmit solo status of
their tracks. Tracks on the receiving system fol-
lows solo behavior as if the solos were on the lo-
cal system.

Chapter 7: Preferences 99
100 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 8: Peripherals

The settings in the Peripherals dialog define

how Pro Tools works with various synchroniza-
tion, machine control, MIDI control surface,
Ethernet worksurface, Mic Preamp, and satellite
peripherals and devices.

To configure settings for Pro Tools peripherals:

1 Choose Setup > Peripherals.

2 Click the tab for the type of peripheral you

want to configure.

3 Change the settings.

4 Click OK to save your changes and close the

Peripherals dialog. MTC Reader and Generator
The MIDI Time Code (MTC) settings let you se-
lect the MIDI In and Out ports for MTC.
Synchronization
MTC Reader Port
The Synchronization page lets you configure
Pro Tools for use with MIDI Time Code and a The MTC Reader Port setting lets you select the
Digidesign synchronization peripheral. MIDI In port to which the MTC slave device is
connected (the source of MTC information from
For information about Digidesign synchroni- the slave device).
zation peripherals, see the SYNC HD Guide.
MTC Generator Port

The MTC Generator Port setting lets you select the

MIDI Out port to which the master device is
connected (this the destination of MTC infor-
mation from Pro Tools).

Chapter 8: Peripherals 101

 Digidesign Synchronization Device Idle MTC Enabled
(Pro Tools HD Only) When this option is selected, MTC is continu-
ously output. When not enabled, MTC output is
The Digidesign Synchronization Device settings
muted when playback is idle.
let you configure a Digidesign synchronization
peripheral, such as the Digidesign SYNC HD or
LTC Output Level
SYNC I/O .
This setting adjusts the analog audio level of the
Enable SYNC Peripheral LTC output, from –24 dBu to +9 dBu.

When this option is selected, any connected

VITC Read Lines
Digidesign Synchronization peripheral is en-
abled for use with Pro Tools. This setting determines which line pair of in-
coming video signal is used for the VITC source.
Current Firmware Version When set to Auto, the synchronization periph-
eral searches for the first valid line pair automat-
This displays the firmware version for the con-
ically. Alternatively, this value can be set to spe-
nected Digidesign synchronization peripheral,
cific VITC line pairs.
such as a SYNC HD.

VITC Generate Lines

VITC Insertion Enabled
This setting determines the line pair of the out-
When this option is selected, VITC is inserted
going video signal onto which the synchroniza-
into the outgoing video signal—assuming that a
tion peripheral inserts VITC. Normally, this
video signal is present at a Digidesign synchro-
should be left at the default (and preferred) set-
nization peripheral video input, and that the
ting of 14/16.
synchronization peripheral is in a valid mode
for inserting VITC.
Bi-Phase/Tach Wiring

Pitch Memory Enabled This setting lets you select from the following
options for Bi-Phase or Tach wiring:
When this option is selected, the Digidesign
synchronization peripheral will remain at a pitch • Bi-Phase: FWD = A leads B
(sample rate) that corresponds to the last known • Bi-Phase: FWD = B leads A
incoming time code speed. When deselected, • Tach:FWD = B is Low
the Synchronization peripheral reverts to the se- • Tach: FWD = B is High
lected sample rate. If Pitch Memory is disabled
and the selected external clock reference is not Bi-Phase/Tach Pulses/Frame (2–254)
available, then the synchronization peripheral
reverts to the nominal, selected internal sample There are several different standards for the
rate setting. number of pulses-per-frame output by Bi-Phase
or Tach devices. You can set the Digidesign syn-
chronization peripheral to operate from 2 to 254
pulses per frame from Pro Tools. The setting
should match the PPF rate of the Bi-Phase/Tach
encoder on the external device.

102 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Reset Bi-Phase numbers are displayed directly on top of the
video signal, without a contrasting background
This button lets you set the Bi-Phase/Tach start
box.) The default setting is White on Black
frame from Pro Tools. Clicking the button up-
Bkgnd.
dates the Time Code Display on the Digidesign
synchronization peripheral to match the session
time code value.
Machine Control
Enable Dub Window
The MachineControl page lets you configure
When this option is selected, you can insert a Pro Tools for use with MIDI Machine Control or
time code window into a video signal with the 9-Pin Machine Control.
following Window dub appearance settings:
For information about the MachineControl
Vertical Position Sets the vertical position of the Software Option for Pro Tools, see the Ma-
window dub, relative to the bottom of the video chineControl Guide.
picture. The choices range from 10% From Bot-
tom to 50% From Bottom, in 10% increments.

“10% from Bottom” vertical position is out-

side the standard “safe title” area, which
means it may not be visible on some video
monitors.

Horizontal Position Sets the relative horizontal

position of the window dub within the video
picture. The choices include Extreme Left, Left,
Center, Right and Extreme Right.

The “Extreme” horizontal positions are out-

side the standard “safe title” area, which
means they may not be visible on some
MIDI Machine Control (Master)
video monitors.
Enable
Size Sets the relative size of the window dub
(Small or Large). When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is
the Master and it sends MMC commands to the
Color Sets the color of the time code numbers in
slave device and receives MTC information back
the window dub, and the background color for
from the slave device.
the window dub. The choices include White on
Black Bkgnd, Black on White Bkgnd, White on
MIDI Out Port
Video Bkgnd, or Black on Video Bkgnd. (Video
Bkgnd means that the background of the win- The MIDI Out Port pop-up menu lets you select
dow dub is transparent, so that the time code the MIDI Out port to which the slave device is
connected.

Chapter 8: Peripherals 103

 MMC ID chineControl is connected using the Serial Deck
Control cable. When connected for Serial Deck
The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC
Control mode, MachineControl enables all
ID number for which MMC information will be
Pro Tools track arming, synchronization, and
sent. MMC commands contain an ID number to
Transport features, as available on your system.
identify which machine should respond to the
Serial Deck Control mode also supports 9-pin se-
MMC command. There are 128 MMC ID num-
rial time code.
bers, from 0–127. The default of ID #127 is a spe-
cial setting that transmits to all 128 MMC IDs.
Enable
With a setting of 127, Pro Tools will transmit
MMC commands to all MMC IDs. When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is
in Serial Deck Control mode.
Preroll
Port
The Preroll setting lets you specify a pre-roll
time in frames for your MMC slave device. Pre- The Port setting lets you select the 9-pin Machi-
roll is needed to provide the device with suffi- neControl port. The available choices depend
cient time to lock to the time code transmitted on your platform and configuration
by Pro Tools. This value will vary depending on
the external device. If the pre-roll time is insuf- Machine Type
ficient, the device may not be ready to lock until
After you select a port, Pro Tools automatically
after the current time code position has passed.
polls the port to see what kind of machine is
connected. If the machine is recognized,
MIDI Machine Control (Slave) Pro Tools loads the corresponding Machine Type.
This includes the corresponding track layout
Enable
and automatically enters the name of that ma-
When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is chine into the Machine Track Arming window.
the slave and it receives MMC commands from However, if the machine is not recognized, the
the master device and sends MTC information “Generic 1” personality is automatically loaded.
back to the slave device.
Preroll
MMC ID
The Preroll setting lets you specify a variable
The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC amount of machine preroll to account for the
ID number for which MMC information will be time it may take the machine to achieve servo
received. lock. Shorter preroll values are usually better for
non-linear machines. Longer preroll values are
9-Pin Machine Control (Deck Control) usually better for older tape transports. The Ma-
chine preroll value is added to any preroll spec-
(Pro Tools HD with Machine Control Only) ified in the Transport window.
The 9-Pin Machine Control (Deck Control) settings
let you configure a MachineControl device for
Serial Deck Control mode with Pro Tools. Serial
Deck Control mode is available whenever Ma-

104 Pro Tools Reference Guide

9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation)
MIDI Controllers
(Pro Tools HD with Machine Control Only)
The MIDI Controllers page lets you configure up
The 9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation) settings let to four different MIDI controllers for Pro Tools.
you configure Pro Tools for 9-Pin Remote (Deck
Emulation) mode. This mode makes Pro Tools
operate as a virtual tape deck, supporting most
standard Sony P2 9-pin commands. By default,
Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75 model video
deck. You can also configure Pro Tools to emu-
late other machines.

Enable

When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is

in 9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation) mode.

Port

The Port setting lets you select the 9-pin Machi- Number and Color
neControl port. The available choices depend
The number of the row indicates the order of the
on your platform and configuration
selected controllers. The color corresponds to
the controller focus around Pro Tools track and
Machine Type
plug-in controls.
The Machine Type setting lets you select the ma-
chine description for specific machine control- Type
lers (such as the Soundmaster ATOM). By de-
The Type setting lets you select the MIDI control-
fault, Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75.
ler connected to your computer. Choose from
any of the following types of MIDI controllers:
Chase LTC
• Command|8
When Chase LTC is enabled, Pro Tools still re- • HUI
sponds to track arming and record commands.
• MotorMix
However, Pro Tools will chase incoming LTC in-
• CS-10
stead of behaving as a master or slave device
with the machine controller. By slaving • PC-1600
Pro Tools to the LTC source instead of slaving • Surround Panner
the machine to Pro Tools time code, you can • M-Audio Keyboard
avoid the waiting (and tape wear) that occurs
while a machine transport locates and bumps Receive From
tape to the cue point.
The Receive From setting lets you select the MIDI
In port to which your MIDI controller is con-
nected.

Chapter 8: Peripherals 105

 Send To Number and Color

The Send To setting lets you select the MIDI Out The number of the row indicates the order of the
port to which your MIDI controller is con- selected controllers. The color corresponds to
nected. the colored controller focus border around
Pro Tools track and plug-in controls.
Number of Channels
Ethernet Controller
The Number of Channels (# Ch’s) setting dis-
plays the number of control channels supported From the Ethernet Controller pop-up menu, se-
by the selected MIDI controller type. lect the Ethernet controller that you want to
use.

Name
Ethernet Controllers
Click the Name button to enter a name for the
The Ethernet Controllers page lets you configure
selected Ethernet controller.
up to seven different Ethernet controllers for
Pro Tools.

Mic Preamps
(Pro Tools HD Only)

The Mic Preamps page lets you configure up to

nine different Mic Preamps (Digidesign PRE) for
Pro Tools.

For information about the Digidesign PRE,

see the PRE Guide.

Enable

When selected, Pro Tools is enabled for control

by one or more Ethernet controllers (such as
D-Command or C|24).

Ethernet Port

The Ethernet Port setting lets you specify the eth-

ernet port on your computer to which your con-
troller is connected.

106 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Type The Video Satellite option lets you link a
Pro Tools|HD system and a Media Composer
The Type setting lets you select none or PRE. Se-
system. The Video Satellite LE option lets you
lect the PRE option to declare any connected
link a Pro Tools|HD system and a Pro Tools LE
Digidesign PRE.
system for monitoring QuickTime HD video.

Receive From For more information, see the guide for your
The Receive From setting lets you specify the specific Satellite option.
MIDI In port to which the PRE is connected. \

Send To

The Send To setting lets you specify the MIDI

Out port to which the PRE is connected.

Defaults

Click the Reset button reset the corresponding

PRE to its default settings.

Retain Current Settings

Select the Retain Current Settings option to retain

PRE channel settings when an existing session
System Name
with different settings is loaded. New sessions
will automatically retain the current settings. Type a name for the local system. This name ap-
pears in the list of available satellites in other
connected systems with the Satellite Link op-
tion.
Satellites
The Satellites page lets you configure Pro Tools Mode
for use with Satellite Link, Video Satellite, and
Video Satellite LE software options. The Mode settings let you configure the satellite
behavior of the local system.
The Pro Tools Satellite Link option lets you link
up to 5 Pro Tools systems (or 4 Pro Tools sys- Administrator
tems and an Avid Media Composer with the
When enabled, the Administrator option sets the
Video Satellite option or a Video Satellite LE sys-
local system to be the administrator system for
tem) over an Ethernet network so that you can
any satellite systems on the network. Satellite
cue, play, and stop the transport, make play se-
systems can be declared from the administrator
lections, and solo tracks across any of the sys-
system.
tems from any linked workstation.

Chapter 8: Peripherals 107

 Satellite

When enabled, the Satellite option sets the local

system to be a satellite system on the network.
When a system is in Satellite mode, it becomes
available to be declared as a satellite from any
administrator system on the network.

Administrator
When the local system is in Administrator
mode, the Administrator settings let you declare
satellites from that system.

System 1–5

These popup menus let you declare up to 4 sat-

ellite systems (in addition to the administrator
system itself) from an administrator system. The
number of the system indicates the order of the
declared satellites in the Transport window.

Advanced Network Settings

The Advanced Network settings let you specify an
IP address and port for Satellite Link communi-
cation.

Interface

For systems that have more than one Ethernet

network connection, the Interface setting lets
you select which connection to use for Satellite
Link communication.

TCP/UDP Port

For systems that have more than one Ethernet

network connection, you can enter the
TCP/UDP port number to be used for Satellite
Link communication.

108 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Part III: Sessions & Tracks

109
110
Chapter 9: Sessions

This chapter covers the basics of starting a Creating a New Session from a
project in Pro Tools, including how to create Template
and save a Pro Tools session.
To create a new session from a template:
1 Select Create Session from Template.
Quick Start Session Dialog
Session Template
The first step in beginning a Pro Tools project is pop-up menu
creating a new session. Pro Tools provides a
Quick Start dialog on launch that lets you
quickly and easily create a new session or open
an existing one. You can choose to show or hide
the Quick Start dialog on launch in the
Pro Tools Operation Preferences.

When you first launch Pro Tools, you are

prompted by the Quick Start dialog to do one of
the following:
• Create a new session from a template.
• Create a new blank session.
• Open any of the last ten most recent sessions. Session Parameters
reveal button
• Open any other session on your system. Session Template
list
Press Control+Up Arrow or Down Arrow Quick Start dialog
(Windows) or Command+Up Arrow or
2 From the Session Template pop-up menu, se-
Down Arrow (Mac) to select different Ses-
lect the category for the session templates you
sion Quick Start options. Also, you can use
want:
the Up and Down Arrows to select different
• Guitar
items in the Recent Sessions and Session
Templates lists. • Music Creation
• Record & Mix

Chapter 9: Sessions 111

 3 Select the session template you want to use Creating a New Blank Session
from the list (on the right).
To create a new blank session:
1 Select Create Blank Session.

Quick Start dialog, Session Parameters revealed

4 If you want to change any of the session pa-

rameters, click the Session Parameters reveal Quick Start dialog, Create Blank Session
button and do any of the following:
2 If you want to change any of the session pa-
• Select the Audio File Type for the session. rameters, click the Session Parameters reveal
button and do any of the following:
For optimum compatibility between Win-
dows and Mac, set the file type to BWF • Select the Audio File Type for the session.
(.WAV). • Select the Bit Depth (16 bit or 24 bit).
• Select the Sample Rate.

Sound Designer II (SD II) files are not sup- • Select the I/O Settings to use for the session.
ported on Windows systems or at sample Several pre-configured I/O Settings are in-
rates above 48 kHz. Also, sessions that use cluded with your system, or you can select
the SD II file format do not support Elastic a custom I/O Setting. For more information,
Audio. see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”

3 Click OK.
• Select the Bit Depth (16 bit or 24 bit).
• Select the Sample Rate. 4 In the Save dialog, name the session, choose
where you want to save the session, and click
5 Click OK. Save.
6 In the Save dialog, name the session, choose
where you want to save the session, and click
Save.

112 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Opening a Recent Session Showing or Hiding the Quick Start
Dialog on Launch
The Open Recent Session option is not
available the first time you launch To prevent the Quick Start dialog from appearing
Pro Tools (or if you have cleared the Recent when Pro Tools launches:
Sessions list by choosing File > Open Recent „ Deselect the Show Quick Start Dialog when

> Clear). Pro Tools Starts option in either the Quick Start
dialog or the Pro Tools Operation Preferences
To open a recent session:
(Setup > Preferences).
1 Select Open Recent Session.
To have the Quick Start dialog appear when
Pro Tools launches:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.

2 Click the Operation tab.

3 In the Miscellaneous section of the Operation

Preferences page, select the Show Quick Start Dia-
log when Pro Tools Starts option.

Quick Start dialog, Open Recent Session

Show Quick Start Dialog when Pro Tools Starts option
2 Select any of the last ten recent sessions from
the list (on the right). 4 Click OK.

3 Click OK.

Opening Any Session

To open any session:

1 Select Open Session.

2 In the Choose a Session dialog, navigate to the

location of the session file and select it.

3 Click Open.

Chapter 9: Sessions 113

 Creating a New Session Sound Designer II (SD II) files are not sup-
ported on Windows systems or at sample
The New Session dialog lets you create a new ses- rates above 48 kHz. Also, sessions that use
sion from a template or create a new blank ses- the SD II file format do not support Elastic
sion (with no tracks or media). Audio.

To create a new session from a template: 6 Select the Bit Depth (16 bit or 24 bit) and the
Sample Rate.
1 Choose File > New.
7 Click OK.

8 In the Save dialog, name the session, navigate

to the location where you want to save the new
session and click Save.

To create a new blank session:

1 Choose File > New.

New Session dialog, Create Session from Template

2 In the New Session dialog, select Create Ses-

sion from Template.

3 From the Session Template pop-up menu, se-

lect the category for the session templates you
want:
• Guitar
• Music Creation New Session dialog, Create Blank Session

• Record & Mix 2 In the New Session dialog, select Create Blank
Session.
4 Select the session template you want to use
from the list (on the right). 3 Select the Audio File Type for the session.

5 Select the Audio File Type for the session. 4 Select the Bit Depth (16 bit or 24 bit) and the
Sample Rate.
For optimum compatibility between Win-
dows and Mac, set the file type to BWF 5 Select the I/O Settings to use for the session.
(.WAV). Several pre-configured I/O Settings are included
with your system, or you can select a custom I/O
Setting. For more information, see Chapter 6,
“I/O Setup.”

114 Pro Tools Reference Guide

6 Click OK. Session File
7 In the Save dialog, name the session, navigate The session file is the document that Pro Tools
to the location where you want to save the new creates when you start a new project. Pro Tools
session and click Save. can open only one session file at a time. The ses-
sion file is appended with the extension .ptf
Selecting Bit Depth and Sample Rate (Pro Tools file).

When selecting a bit depth or sample rate for Audio Files Folder
your session, consider fidelity, any compatibil-
ity issues with others systems, and storage space. The Audio Files folder contains all audio re-
corded or converted during the session.
Bit depth and sample rate also have an effect on
the amount of mixing power available in a ses- When you record a new audio track, the track is
sion. Fewer mixer channels are available with saved as a new audio file to the Audio Files
24-bit sessions and with sessions at higher sam- folder. You can also import other audio files into
ple rates. For more information, see your Setup the session, and work with them as well.
Guide.
For details on allocating audio tracks to
It is not possible to combine different bit depths different hard drive locations, including
within a single Pro Tools session; files of differ- shared media volumes, see “Recording with
ent bit depths must be converted and imported Multiple Hard Drives” on page 361.
into the session.
Fade Files Folder

The Fade Files folder contains any crossfaded au-

Session Files and Folders dio data generated by the session.

When you create a new session, Pro Tools auto- Rendered Files Folder
matically creates a new folder named for your
The Rendered Files folder contains any tempo-
session. Within this folder is the session file, a
rary files created by Rendered Elastic Audio pro-
WaveCache.wfm file, and several subfolders (in-
cessing in the session. It may also contain tem-
cluding (but not limited to) an Audio Files
porary filtered analysis files (.aan) as a result of
folder, a Fade Files folder, and a Region Group
any changes to Elastic Audio analysis.
folder).

Region Groups Folder

The Region Groups folder is the default direc-

tory for any region groups that you export from
your Pro Tools session.

Typical session folder contents

Chapter 9: Sessions 115

 WaveCache File Renamed Audio Files Folder

The WaveCache.wfm file stores all of the wave- This folder includes file names that have been
form display data for the session. If you delete renamed when you open a session that contains
the WaveCache.wfm file, Pro Tools creates a audio file names with incompatible characters,
new one the next time you open the session. or, in certain situations, save a copy of a session
to a Pro Tools version that does not support
By storing waveform data in the WaveCache long file names.
file, sessions open more quickly. The session
WaveCache file can be included whenever a ses- For more information, see “Renamed Audio
sion is transferred to another Pro Tools system Files and the Renamed Audio Files Folder” on
(7.x and higher). page 311.

Pro Tools also maintains a distinct WaveCache

file inside the local Digidesign Databases folder
(C:\\Digidesign Databases), which retains Opening a Session
waveform data for all files used on the system. When you open a session, Pro Tools looks in the
Additional WaveCache files are created on each session folder for audio and fade files linked to
hard drive attached to your system, and stored the session.
in the Digidesign Databases folder on each
drive. For more information on opening sessions
created on different platforms, Pro Tools
Deleting or trashing a WaveCache file does not systems, or versions of Pro Tools software,
harm the session or your system. However, each see Chapter 16, “File and Session Manage-
session takes longer to open because it has to re- ment and Compatibility.”
calculate waveform data for any associated au-
dio files and store that data in a new WaveCache To open an existing session:
file.
1 Choose File > Open Session.

Session File Backups Folder 2 Locate the session you want to open and click
Open.
The Session File Backups folder contains auto-
matically-generated backups of your Pro Tools You can also open a session from a Digi-
sessions. These files are created when working Base browser by double-clicking it.
on a session and the Operations preference for
Enable Session File Auto Backup is enabled. (See
Opening a Session that Contains
“Enable Session File Auto Backup” on page 85.)
Unavailable Files
DigiBase notifies you if files are located but re-
side on Transfer volumes (such as CD or DVD
discs), or if any required files cannot be found.
For more information, see “Locating Audio
Files” on page 309.

116 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Opening a Session from a Transfer With Pro Tools LE Only:
Volume ‹ Any tracks beyond the maximum number of
available voices on the current system are set to
When opening a session from a Transfer volume
voice off.
(such as a CD or DVD disc), DigiBase prompts
you to save the session on a Performance vol-
ume, and copy and convert any referenced me- Opening a Session with Audio File
dia files. For more information, see “Locating Names that Contain Illegal
Audio Files” on page 309. Characters
Pro Tools does not support audio file names that
Opening a Session that Contains contain the following ASCII characters:
Unavailable Resources / (Forward Slash)
Pro Tools prompts you when opening a session \ (Backslash)
that contains unavailable voices, I/O paths, DSP : (Colon)
resources, or plug-ins. This is common when * (Asterisk)
transferring sessions between systems with dif-
? (Question mark)
ferent Digidesign hardware.
“ (Quotation marks)
The Unavailable Resources dialog provides an < (Less-than symbol)
initial report of the missing session compo- > (Greater-than symbol)
nents. To save a text (.txt) file containing a more
| (vertical line or pipe)
detailed Notes report, along with the resulting
Any “high order” ASCII character (created
action, click Yes. The Notes report is named
with a key combination)
with the session name, followed by Notes.txt.
You can choose to save this file in your Session When opening sessions that contain audio files
folder, or in another location. with illegal characters, Pro Tools automatically
creates a renamed copy of each file (replacing
The following occurs when opening a session
these characters with an underscore “_”). Re-
with unavailable items:
named files are copied to the Renamed Audio
With all Pro Tools Systems: Files folder. The original files are left intact in
the Audio Files folder.
‹ Inserts assigned to unavailable plug-ins are
made inactive. Before the session opens, you are prompted to
‹ Inputs, outputs, and sends that are assigned to save a detailed report of the renamed files and
unavailable paths are made inactive. their original file names to a Notes text file. Fol-
low the on-screen instructions. By default, the
With Pro Tools HD Only: Notes text file is saved to the Session folder.

‹ Any tracks beyond the maximum number of

available voices on the current system are made
inactive.

Chapter 9: Sessions 117

 Opening a Session that Was Saved
with +6 dB Fader Gain Opening Session with Plug-ins
Deactivated
All Pro Tools 7.x and higher sessions have a
+12 dB fader gain level. However, when saving a Pro Tools lets you open sessions with all of the
Pro Tools 7.x or higher session to a lower ver- session’s plug-ins set to inactive. Since sessions
sion of Pro Tools that supports +6 dB and with a lot of plug-ins can take a long time to
+12 dB fader gain, the new session can be saved load, this lets you quickly open any session for
with either a +6 dB or a +12 dB maximum fader immediate visual inspection and audio playback
gain. (without plug-ins). If it is the session that you
want to work with, you can easily reopen the
When saving a +12 dB session as a +6 dB session, session with plug-ins activated.
Pro Tools alerts you that any automation set-
tings over +6 dB will be lowered to +6 dB. See To open a Pro Tools session with all plug-ins set to
“Saving a Copy of the Session” on page 120. inactive:

In Pro Tools 7.x or higher, when opening a ses- 1 In Pro Tools, choose File > Open Session.
sion that was saved with a +6 dB maximum gain 2 In the Open Session dialog, locate and select
level, the session will update to a +12 dB range. the session you want.

3 Shift-click Open.

Opening Recent Sessions To re-open the same session with all plug-ins set to
active, do one of the following:
The Open Recent submenu in the File menu lets
you open any of the 10 most recently opened „ Choose File > Revert To Saved.
Pro Tools sessions. – or –

„ Choose File > Open Recent and select the most

To open a recent session:
recent session in the submenu.
„ Choose File > Open Recent and choose the ses-
sion you want to open. Press Control+Shift+O (Windows) or
Command+Shift+O (Mac) to open the most
If a session is open when choosing a recent ses-
recent session.
sion, you are prompted to save it before
Pro Tools closes the session and opens the cho-
sen recent session.

To open the most recent session:

„ Control+Shift+O (Windows) or Com-

mand+Shift+O (Mac).

To clear the recent sessions submenu:

„ Choose File > Open Recent and choose Clear.

118 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Saving the Session File with a New
Saving a Session Name
You should save regularly while working on To save a copy of the current session with a new
your session to ensure that your work is pre- name or to a different hard drive location, use
served on your hard drive. the Save As command. The Save As command
closes the current session and lets you keep
Saving the Session File working on the renamed copy. This is useful if
you are experimenting and want to save succes-
The Save command saves the changes you have sive versions of the session.
made to your session and writes them over the
previously saved version of the session file. The By working this way, you can quickly retrace
Save command cannot be undone. your steps if you want to go back to an earlier
version of your session. The Save As command
To save a session: saves a new version of the session file only, and
does not duplicate versions of the audio or fade
„ Choose File > Save.
files.

Revert to Saved Command To save a session with a new name:

If you have made changes to a session since you 1 Choose File > Save As.
last saved it, you can discard those changes and
revert to its previously saved state. 2 Type a new name for your session.

3 Click Save.
To revert to the last saved version of a session:
The renamed session file is saved in the session
„ Choose File > Revert to Saved.
folder along with the original session (unless
If you have enabled the Operation prefer- you specify a different destination). Any new au-
ence for Auto Backup, you can also open up dio files that you record in your renamed session
a backup copy of your session. This feature will be placed into the same Audio Files folder
lets you specify the total number of incre- that was created for your original session.
mental backups that are kept and how often
the session is saved. See “Auto Backup Sec-
tion” on page 85.

Chapter 9: Sessions 119

 Saving a Copy of the Session Using the Save Copy In command is the only way
to change the sample rate of a session. The sam-
To save a copy of the current session with or ple rate of each of the session’s copied audio files
without its audio files and fade files, use the is converted to the selected sample rate.
Save Copy In command. In addition, you can
specify the session file format, audio file format, When you save a copy of the session to a lower
bit depth, and sample rate for the session copy. bit depth, Dither (and Noise Shaping) are ap-
plied. See the following table:
For information on sharing sessions between
Dither and Noise Shaping with Save Copy In
different platforms, Pro Tools systems, or
Pro Tools software versions, see Chapter 16, Noise
Session Bit Depth Dither
“File and Session Management and Compat- Shaping
ibility.” 24-bit to 24-bit No No

16-bit to 24-bit No No

24-bit to 16-bit Yes Yes

16-bit to 16-bit No No

The dither setting used for any conversion is the

Digidesign Dither plug-in with Noise Shaping
enabled.

For more information about using Dither,

see “Dither” on page 866.

To save a session copy in a new location:

Save Session Copy dialog
1 Choose File > Save Copy In.
Unlike the Save As command, Save Copy In does
2 In the Save Session Copy dialog, choose a des-
not close the original session, so subsequent ed-
tination and type a name for the new session
its are made to the original session. Session cop-
ies can be used to archive important sessions, for file.
versioning, or as a means to prepare sessions for 3 Choose a session file format (Save As Type) for
transfer to another Pro Tools system. the copied session.

Save Copy In can save only the audio being used 4 Set the Audio File Type for the copied session. If
in the session. Any audio that was recorded or the audio files need to be compatible with either
imported and then later removed from the ses- Windows or Mac, select BWF (.WAV) or AIFF.
sion, but not deleted from disk, is not included
5 Set the session Sample Rate and Bit Depth for
in the new session copy.
the copied session.
To include all audio with the session copy, 6 If applicable, select a Fader Gain level for the
All Audio Files must be selected in the Items copied session.
to Copy section.

120 Pro Tools Reference Guide

7 If applicable, select Enforce Mac/PC Compatibil- Session Parameters
ity to create session and audio files that can be
used on both Windows and Mac Pro Tools sys- Audio File Type
tems (see “Saving Copies of Mac Sessions to be
You can save the session to reference BWF
Compatible with Windows” on page 314).
(.WAV) or AIFF audio files. On the Mac, you can
8 Select the Items to Copy for the copied session. also save the session to reference SD II audio
files (at sample rates up to 48 kHz).
To include audio with the session copy,
All Audio Files must be selected. SD II sessions are not supported with
Pro Tools on Windows, or with sample
9 Click Save. rates higher than 48 kHz. Also, SD II
sessions do not support Elastic Audio. For
Session Format optimal compatibility, convert SD II
sessions to BWF (.WAV).
You can save the session copy in the following
formats, depending on your platform: Using Mixed File Types
Windows: A session can use mixed audio file types. If your
• Pro Tools Session (.ptf); supports Pro Tools original session has mixed file types, they are
7.x -> 8.0. not converted to a different file type unless you
• Pro Tools 5.1 -> 6.9 Session (.pts); specify that they be converted. However, when
• Pro Tools 5.0 Session (.pt5) using mixed file types, audio performance will
be reduced (due to additional file handling re-
Mac: quired for some file formats).
• Latest; supports Pro Tools 7.x -> 8.0.
Bit Depth
• Pro Tools 5.1 -> 6.9 Session
• Pro Tools 5.0 Session You can save the session at a Bit Depth of 16 or 24
• Pro Tools 4 24-Bit Session bits. If your session is in a different bit depth, au-
• Pro Tools 4 16-Bit Session dio files are converted to the new session bit
depth, and copied to the specified location.
• Pro Tools 3.2 Session
For information on bouncing to disk and
When saving sessions to versions lower
dither, see “Dithering” on page 960.
than Pro Tools 5.1, multichannel tracks
(including stereo) and multi-mono plug-ins Sample Rate
are lost. In this case, separate the tracks and
plug-ins to individual mono tracks before You can save the session at sample rates of
saving as a Pro Tools 5.0 session or lower. 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz (on Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Mini,
and Mbox) and at sample rates up to 96 kHz (on
003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, Digi 002, Digi 002
Rack, Mbox 2 Pro, and Pro Tools|HD systems
with a 96 I/O or 96i I/O) or up to 192 kHz (on
Pro Tools|HD systems with a 192 I/O or

Chapter 9: Sessions 121

 192 Digital I/O). If your session is at a different To choose the language encoding when saving a
sample rate, audio files are converted to the new copy of a session:
session sample rate, and copied to the specified 1 Choose File > Save Copy In.
location.
2 Select the Limit Character Set option.
Fader Gain 3 Choose the language you want to use from the

When saving a Pro Tools 7.x or higher session to Limit Character Set pop-up menu.
a lower version of Pro Tools that supports +6 dB
and +12 dB fader gain, you can save the new ses- Items to Copy
sion with either a +6 dB or a +12 dB maximum
fader gain. When saving a +12 dB session as a All Audio Files
+6 dB session, Pro Tools alerts you that any au- When this option is selected, all audio files are
tomation settings over +6 dB will be lowered to copied to the new location.
+6 dB.
This setting is automatically selected if you
Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility change the bit depth or sample rate of the
session.
When saving a Pro Tools 7.x or higher session to
a lower version of Pro Tools, enable the Enforce
All “Non-Native” Audio Files
Mac/PC Compatibility option to force Windows or
Mac versions of Pro Tools to create sessions and The name of this option varies depending on
audio files that are compatible on both plat- the audio file type you select. If you change the
forms. audio file type of the session, this option ensures
that all files in the copied session are converted
For more information, see “Saving Copies of to the selected file type. Use this option to avoid
Mac Sessions to be Compatible with Win- the reduced performance of a session with
dows” on page 314. mixed file types.

Limit Character Set This option is automatically selected if you do

any of the following:
When saving a copy of a session to the current
session format, you can choose to limit the char- • Change bit depth or sample rate.
acter set to a single language by selecting the • Copy a session on the Mac from SD II for-
Limit Character Set option. mat to AIFF or BWF (.WAV) format.
• Select Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility.
When saving a copy of a session to a lower ses-
sion format, the Limit Character Set option is au-
Don’t Copy Fade Files
tomatically selected. Select a language from the
Limit Character Set pop-up menu. When this option is selected, Fade Files are not
copied to the new session Fade Files folder.

Pro Tools opens the copied session with all avail-

able media and any missing Fades are regener-
ated automatically.

122 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Don’t Copy Elastic Audio Rendered Files When this option is not selected, the Save Copy
In command copies all files of the same type, re-
When this option is selected, Elastic Audio Ren-
gardless of their location, into a single destina-
dered files are not copied to the new session’s
tion folder.
Rendered Files folder.

When opening the new session, Pro Tools opens

the session with all available media and any Session Templates
missing Rendered files are regenerated automat-
ically. In addition to the Session Templates provided in
the Pro Tools Session Quick Start dialog,
Session Plug-in Settings Folder Pro Tools lets you create and share your own
custom Session Templates. Pro Tools Session
When this option is selected, the session’s Plug- Template files use the suffix “.ptt” to differenti-
in Settings folder is copied to the new location. ate them from regular Pro Tools session files
The references to these plug-in settings in the (“.ptf”).
session are redirected to the copied settings files.

Creating and Saving Custom Templates

Root Plug-in Settings Folder

When this option is selected, the contents of the To create a custom Pro Tools Session Template:
root-level Plug-in Settings Folder are copied into 1 Create a new Pro Tools session and configure
a folder named Place in Root Settings Folder, indi- it for the session template you want.
cating that these files will need to be moved to
the root level plug-in settings folder on the des- For example, if you are a songwriter you
tination system before you can use them. The might simply want a session consisting of a
references to these settings files in the session stereo Instrument track with an instrument
are not redirected to point to the copied files. plug-in (such as Xpand! 2 with a piano pre-
set), a mono audio track (for tracking vo-
Movie/Video Files cals), a stereo Auxiliary Input track (for an
effects bus), and a stereo Master Fader
When this option is selected, session video files
track. You can then use this template every
(Avid or QuickTime) are copied to the new loca-
time you sit down to work on a new song.
tion, and session references are updated to point
to the copied video files.

Preserve Folder Hierarchy When selected, the

relative arrangement of session audio files lo-
cated across different drives or folders is main-
tained. The main folder for the session copy will
include subfolders for each drive or folder in the
original session and the destination subfolders
will use the same names as the source drives and
folders.

Chapter 9: Sessions 123

 2 Choose File > Save As Template. Save Session Template Dialog
The Save Template dialog provides the follow-
ing options:

Install Template In System

Select this option to save the template file in the
system folder referenced by the Pro Tools Ses-
sion Quick Start dialog (the Session Templates in
the Pro Tools application folder).

Save Session Template dialog Category

3 Configure the Save Session Template dialog The Category pop-up menu is only available if
(see “Save Session Template Dialog” on the Install Template In System option is enabled.
page 124). The Category pop-up menu lets you select the
subdirectory in which to save the template file.
4 Select the Include Media option if there is any
It also provides options for adding a category
audio, MIDI, or video media in the session that
and revealing the Session Templates folder in
you want included in the template.
Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder.
When the Include Media option is enabled,
Add Category Select this option from the Cate-
all media in the session is included in the
gory pop-up menu to create a new subdirectory
template. If you want to include media in
in the Session Templates folder.
your session template, be sure that your ses-
sion only contains the media you want.
Name
5 Click OK.
The Name setting is only available if the Install
If you selected the Install Template In System op- Template In System option is enabled. This lets
tion, your session template will be available in you type a new name for the template file. From
the Pro Tools Session Quick Start dialog. the Name pop-up menu (to the right of the
Name field), you can select from a list of all of
If you selected the Select Location For Template the templates available in the currently selected
option, you are prompted by the Save As Tem- Category. Selecting one places that name in the
plate dialog to save the file to another location Name field, letting you overwrite, or create a in-
on your system. cremental version of, an existing template.

124 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Select Location For Template 2 In the New Session From dialog, select the Au-
dio File Type, Sample Rate, and Bit Depth for the
Select this option to save the template file to any new session that will be created from the tem-
directory location on your system. Note that the plate.
saved session template will not appear in the
Pro Tools Session Quick Start dialog unless it is 3 Click OK.
in a subdirectory (Category) in the Session Tem- 4 In the Save New Session As dialog, navigate to
plates folder in the Pro Tools application folder. the location where you want to save the new
session and click Save.
Include Media
Select this option to include any audio, MIDI, or
video media in the session with the template. Closing a Session
Pro Tools only lets you work on just one session
Creating New Sessions from at a time. The Close Session command closes
Templates your current Pro Tools session but leaves the
Pro Tools application running. Pro Tools
You can create new session from templates by
prompts you to save a session when closing it,
opening a template. You can open any Pro Tools
but it is recommended that you save your work
Session Template file (.ptt) to start a new session
using the Save or Save As command before clos-
based on that template.
ing a session regardless.
For information on creating new sessions
from templates using the Quick Start dialog, To close a session:
see “Creating a New Session from a Tem- „ Choose File > Close Session.
plate” on page 111.

To open a Pro Tools Session Template and save it

as a new session: Exiting or Quitting Pro Tools
1 Choose File > Open, navigate to the Session
When you exit (Windows) or quit (Mac) the
Template file you want and open it. Pro Tools application, Pro Tools prompts you to
save any open session before exiting or closing
the application.

To exit Pro Tools in Windows:

„ Choose File > Exit.

To quit Pro Tools on the Mac:

New Session From dialog „ Choose Pro Tools > Quit Pro Tools.

Chapter 9: Sessions 125

126 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows

Pro Tools provides two complementary ways of Edit Window Shows tracks and track material
viewing tracks in a session: against the Timeline (see “Edit Window” on
page 128).
Mix Window Shows tracks as channel strips, like
a mixing board (see “Mix Window” on To toggle between the Mix and Edit win-
page 128). dows, press Control+Equals (=) (Windows),
or press Command+Equals (=) (Mac).

Plug-in window

DigiBase browser

Edit window

Mix window
Transport window

Figure 3. Pro Tools windows

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 127

 Pro Tools provides several other types of To display the Mix window:
windows:
„ Choose Window > Mix.
Transport Window Lets you control the transport
and transport-related functions (see “Transport To display all Mix window view options:
Window” on page 134). „ Select View > Mix Window > All.

Plug-in Windows Let you control plug-in param- For information on selecting individual view
eters, such as Frequency and Q for an EQ (see options, see “Views in the Mix and Edit Win-
“The Plug-in Window” on page 880). dows” on page 836.
MIDI Editor Windows Lets you edit MIDI data
(see Chapter 30, “MIDI Editors”).
Edit Window
Score Editor Window lets you edit MIDI data as
music notation (see Chapter 31, “Score Editor”). The Edit window (see Figure 5 on page 130) pro-
vides a Timeline display of audio, video, MIDI
DigiBase Browsers Let you manage, audition, notes, as well as other MIDI data and mixer au-
and import media for Pro Tools sessions (see tomation for recording, editing, and arranging
“DigiBase Browsers” on page 139). on tracks. As in the Mix window, each track has
controls for record enable, solo, mute, and auto-
mation mode.

Mix Window
To display the Edit window:
In the Mix window (see Figure 4 on page 129), „ Choose Window > Edit.
tracks appear as channel strips just like a mixing
console, with controls for:
To display all Edit window view options:
• Inserts
„ Select View > Edit Window > All.
• Sends
• Input and output assignments For information on selecting individual view
• Volume options, see “Views in the Mix and Edit Win-
• Panning dows” on page 836.

• Record enable
• Track Input monitoring
• Automation mode
• Solo and Mute
• Instrument controls
• Mic preamps (Pro Tools HD only)

128 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Channel strips
(page 155)

Instrument
Track List View
(page 175) (page 837)

Inserts
(A–E) View
(page 838)

Sends
(A–E) View
(page 838)

Track Path selectors

(page 179 and
Group ID
page 186)
indicator
(page 200) Automation
Mode selector
Input Monitoring / (page 904)
Record Enable
(page 363 and Pan knob
page 358) (page 162)
Solo/Mute Volume
(page 189) fader
(page 162)

Voice selector Level meter

(page 184) (page 163)

AutoMatch
indicator Track Name
(page 913) (page 166)
Mix Group List
(page 197)

Track
Comments
Delay
View
Compensation
(page 837)
View (page 839)

Stereo Mono MIDI

Show/Hide
Audio Track Audio Track Track
Track List/Group List
(page 154) (page 154) (page 157)
View
(page 175) Mix Window Auxiliary Instrument Master
View selector Input Track Fader
(page 836) (page 155) (page 157) (page 156)

Figure 4. Pro Tools Mix window

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 129

 Grid and Universe view
Nudge values (page 489)
Zoom buttons (page 449) (page 132) Edit Window
Edit Mode Counters and Edit Toolbar and menu
buttons Edit tools Selection indicators Transport controls (page 131)
(page 445) (page 448) (page 486) (page 134)

Timebase and Region

Conductor rulers List
(page 663) (page 211)

Track List
(page 175)
Tracks
(page 153)

Edit Group
List
(page 669)

Playlists MIDI Editor pane Elastic Audio Automation Edit Window

Track View (Notation view) Warp Track View (page 901) Zoom buttons
(page 535) (page 138) (page 763) (page 133)

Selected Region MIDI Controller lanes

(page 475) (page 628)

Figure 5. Pro Tools Edit window

130 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Edit Window Toolbar Counters and Edit Selection Indicators

At the top of the Edit window is the Edit Win- The Counters and Edit selection indicators pro-
dow Toolbar and menu. This Toolbar provides vide information where selections are in the
access to the editing modes, tools, options, indi- Timeline.
cators, and displays for Pro Tools. You can cus-
tomize the Toolbar in the Edit, MIDI Editor, or MIDI Selection
Score Editor windows by re-arranging, showing, Edit Selection
and hiding the available controls and displays. Main and Sub Counters

Edit Toolbar Controls and Displays

The following controls and displays in the Edit
Window Toolbar are always shown.
Cursor Location
Edit Modes Cursor Value
Timeline Data Online Status
The Edit mode affects the movement and place- Session Data Online Status
ment of audio and MIDI regions (and MIDI Automatic Delay Compensation
notes), how commands like Copy and Paste
function, and also how the various Edit tools Edit window indicators
(Trim, Selector, Grabber, and Pencil tools) work. Main Counter Displays the current Edit insertion
For more information, see “Edit Modes” on location in the Main Timebase ruler.
page 445.
Sub Counter Displays the current Edit insertion
location in the Sub Timebase ruler.

Cursor Location Displays the current cursor loca-

tion in the Main Timebase ruler.
Edit mode buttons Cursor Value Displays the value of the current
Edit Tools cursor value in peak amplitude (audio), pitch
(MIDI), or according to the current automation
Edit tools are used for editing audio, MIDI, and or controller data type.
automation data in Pro Tools. For more infor-
mation, see “Edit Tools” on page 448. Edit Selection Indicators Display the Start, End,
and Length of the current Edit selection.

MIDI Selection Indicators and Controls Display

the current MIDI Edit selection (MIDI note
number, and Note On and Note Off velocities)
and provides controls MIDI editing.
Zoom buttons and Edit tools

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 131

 Timeline Data Online Status Indicator Is green
when all files in use in track playlists are avail- Edit Window Toolbar menu
able for playback. If files are offline, being pro-
cessed, or otherwise unavailable for playback,
this indicator is red.

Session Data Online Status Indicator Is green

when all audio and fade files referenced by the
session are available for playback. If files are of-
fline, being processed, or otherwise unavailable
for playback, this indicator is red.

Delay Compensation Status Indicator (Pro Tools

HD Only) Is displayed when Delay Compensation
is enabled (Options > Delay Compensation). When
Delay Compensation is disabled, this indicator is
2 From the menu, select or deselect any of the
not displayed.
following depending on which window you are
Grid and Nudge configuring:

The Grid and Nudge d selectors let you set the Zoom Controls When selected, the Zoom con-
Grid and Nudge values for editing in Pro Tools. trols are displayed in the Edit window toolbar.

Grid Value selector (page 447)

Nudge Value selector (page 503)

Grid and Nudge value selectors

Transport When selected, the Transport controls
Showing and Hiding Additional Controls are displayed in the Edit window toolbar.
in the Edit Window

To show or hide controls in the Edit window

toolbar:
1 Do one of the following:
• Click the Edit Window Toolbar menu (in MIDI Controls When selected, the MIDI controls
the upper-right corner of the window). are displayed in the window toolbar.

– or –
• Right-click in the Toolbar.

132 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Synchronization When selected, the Synchroni- Rearranging Controls and Displays
zation controls are displayed in the Edit window
toolbar. To rearrange controls and displays in the Edit,
MIDI Editor, or Score Editor window toolbar:
„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) the control or display you want to move

and drag it to a new location in the toolbar.
Minimal When selected, the Zoom, Transport, For example, if you want the Counters and Edit
MIDI, and Synchronization controls are not dis- Selection indicators to the right of the Transport
played in the Edit window toolbar. controls in the toolbar, Control-click (Windows)
All When selected, the Zoom, Transport, MIDI, or Command-click (Mac) and drag them to the
and Synchronization controls are all displayed right of the Transport controls.
in the Edit window toolbar.

Expanded Transport When selected, the Ex-

panded Transport controls are displayed in the
Edit window toolbar if Transport is also selected.

Moving the Counters and Edit Selection indicators

Track List When selected, the Track List is Edit Window Zoom Buttons
shown on the left of the Edit window. The Edit window also provides Zoom buttons in
Region List When selected, the Region List is the lower right and upper right corners of the
shown on the right of the Edit window. tracks pane.

Universe When selected, the Universe view is Vertical and Horizontal Zoom In and Out
shown near the top of the Edit window. Buttons

MIDI Editor When selected, the MIDI Editor view In addition to the Zoom controls in the Toolbar,
is shown at the bottom of the Edit window. Pro Tools provides horizontal and vertical zoom
buttons in the lower-right corner of the Edit
window.

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 133

 Edit Window Default Length
Pro Tools lets you set a default length for the
Edit window in hours, minutes, seconds, and
frames (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with DV
Vertical Zoom
In and Out Toolkit 2 or Complete Production Toolkit only).
buttons This is useful if you want to assemble a session of
a particular length or leave extra room to ex-
pand the Edit window’s work area in your ses-
Horizontal Zoom sion. The maximum length is 12 hours and 25
In and Out seconds at 48 kHz, and proportionally less at
buttons
higher sampling rates. For best scrollbar sensi-
Horizontal and Vertical Zoom buttons, Edit window tivity, set the length to slightly longer (a minute
Vertical Zoom Buttons Zoom the track heights or more) than the total session or song length.
proportionally in the Edit window.
To set the default length for the Edit window:
Horizontal Zoom Buttons Zoom the Timeline just
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
like the Horizontal Zoom controls in the Edit
window toolbar. 2 On the Display page, enter the value in hours,
minutes, seconds, and frames for the Edit Win-
Audio and MIDI Zoom In and Out Buttons dow Default Length setting.

Pro Tools also provides Audio and MIDI Zoom 3 Click OK.
In and Out buttons in the upper-right corner of
the Edit window. These controls function ex-
actly the same as the Audio and MIDI Zoom
controls in the Toolbar, and let you zoom in and
Transport Window
out vertically on audio waveforms and MIDI The Transport window can be set to show basic
notes respectively. transport controls, counters, MIDI controls, and
expanded features. The counters in the Trans-
In the Edit window, MIDI Vertical Zoom port window mirror the controls and counters at
only affects tracks not in Regions view. the top of the Edit window.

To display the Transport window:

Audio Zoom
In and Out „ Choose Window > Transport.
buttons

MIDI Zoom
In and Out
buttons

Audio and MIDI Zoom buttons, Edit window

134 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Basic Transport Controls and Rewind and Fast Forward Increments
Counters
Main Time Scale Format Increment Amount

Transport Window menu Min:Sec 1 second

Track Record Enable indicator
Go to End Time Code 1 frame
Fast Forward Stop
Rewind Play
(Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE
Return to Zero Record
Online
with Complete Production
Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2)

Bars|Beats 1 bar

Feet+Frames 1 foot
Pre-Roll
Post-Roll
(Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE
with Complete Production
Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2)
Start, End, and Length
Selection indicators
Sample 1 second
TrackInput Monitor
indicator
Fast Forward Fast forwards from the Timeline in-
Transport window showing basic transport controls and
sertion point. You can also click repeatedly to
counters (Main and Sub Counters and MIDI not shown)
fast forward incrementally (by an amount based
Online Puts Pro Tools online so that playback on the Main Time Scale).
and recording is triggered by an external time
code source. With Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans-
port, you can fast forward by pressing 2.
Return to Zero Locates to the beginning of the
session. Go to End Locates to the end of the session.

Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac) to You can press Control+Enter (Windows) or
Return to Zero. Option+Return (Mac) on the alphanumeric
keyboard to locate to the end of the session.

You can Right-click the Return to Zero but-

ton to access the Write to Start and Write to You can Right-click the Go to End button to
All automation commands. access automation commands Write to End
and Write to All.
Rewind Rewinds from the current play location.
You can also click repeatedly to rewind incre- Stop Stops playback or recording.
mentally, by an amount based on the Main
Time Scale, as follows: You can also stop the transport by pressing
the Spacebar, or with the Numeric Keypad
With the Numeric Keypad mode set to mode set to Transport, pressing 0.
Transport, you can rewind by pressing 1.

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 135

 Play Starts playback or (if the Record button was Right-clicking the Record button lets you select
clicked first) recording from the Timeline inser- the record mode from a pop-up menu:
tion point or the Play Start Marker location if • Normal
Dynamic Transport mode is enabled. • Loop

You can also begin playback by pressing the • Destructive

Spacebar, or with the Numeric Keypad • QuickPunch
mode set to Transport, pressing 0. • TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD only)
• Destructive Punch (Pro Tools HD only)
Right-clicking the Play button lets you select the
playback mode from a pop-up menu: You can also cycle through the Pro Tools record
• Half-Speed modes with the Transport stopped, by Start-
• Prime for Playback clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac)
• Loop the Record button.

• Dynamic Transport The Record button changes to indicate the cur-

rently selected mode: blank for Nondestructive,
To initiate playback at half-speed, you can
“D” for Destructive, a loop symbol for Loop
also press Shift+Spacebar (Windows or
Record, “P” for QuickPunch, “T” for Track-
Mac) or Shift-click (Mac) the Play button.
Punch, and “DP” for DestructivePunch.
With the Transport stopped, Start-click Play
To initiate recording at half-speed, you can
(Windows) or Control-click Play (Mac) to toggle
press Control+Shift+Spacebar (Windows)
Loop Playback mode. When enabled, a loop
or Command+Shift+Spacebar (Mac).
symbol appears in the Play button and Pro Tools
plays continuously from the beginning of the Track Record Enable Indicator When lit (red), in-
selection to the end. dicates that at least one audio track is currently
record-enabled. When off (gray), no tracks are
For more information on loop playback and
currently record-enabled.
Dynamic Transport mode, see “Loop Play-
back Mode” on page 338. TrackInput Monitor Indicator When lit (green),
indicates that at least one audio track is cur-
Record Arms Pro Tools for recording (the button
rently set to Input Only monitoring (regardless
flashes). Clicking Play then starts recording on
of record enable status). When off (gray), all
record-enabled tracks only.
tracks are in Auto Input monitoring.
You can also begin recording immediately Transport Window Menu Lets you select what op-
by pressing F12, pressing Control+Spacebar tions to show in the Transport window:
(Windows) or Command+Spacebar (Mac), Counters, MIDI Controls, Synchronization, Minimal,
or with the Numeric Keypad mode set to All, and Expanded Transport.
Transport, pressing 3.
Pre-Roll During playback or record, specifies the
amount of audio that plays before the Play
(Timeline) Cursor or Play Start Marker location,
or beginning of the Timeline selection. Pre-roll

136 Pro Tools Reference Guide

is particularly useful with punch recording since MIDI Controls
it gives you time to “catch the beat” before
reaching the punch-in point. To set the pre-roll
Tempo Resolution (Beat Value) pop-up menu
amount, type a new value in this field, or drag
the Pre-Roll flag in the Main Timebase ruler.
Count Off
Meter
Post-Roll During playback or record, specifies Tempo
the amount that plays after the end of a Time-
line selection. Post-roll is useful in punch re-
cording since playback continues after the
punch-out point so you can check for a smooth Wait for Note Tempo Ruler
transition to previously recorded material. To Metronome Click Enable

set the post-roll amount, type a new value in MIDI Merge

this field, or drag the Post-Roll flag in the Main Transport window, MIDI controls
Timebase ruler.
To view the MIDI controls in the Transport, do one
Start Specifies the beginning of the play or of the following:
record range. You can set the start point by en- „ Select View > Transport > MIDI Controls.
tering a location in this field, or by dragging the
– or –
corresponding Timeline Selection or Play Start
Marker in the Main Timebase ruler. For more in- „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

formation, see “Timeline Selection Markers” on (Mac) the Expand/Collapse “+” button in the
page 373. Transport window to display the MIDI controls.

End Specifies the end of the play or record range. Expand/Collapse button
You can set the end point by entering a location
in this field, or by dragging the corresponding
Timeline Selection Marker in the Main Timebase
ruler. For more information, see “Timeline Se-
lection Markers” on page 373.
Transport Window with MIDI controls
Length Specifies the length for the play or record
range. You can set the length by entering a loca-
tion in this field, or by selecting a range in any
Timebase ruler.

When the Timeline and Edit selections are

linked, you can make an Edit selection in a
track’s playlist to set the play and record
range. See “Linking or Unlinking Timeline
and Edit Selections” on page 473

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 137

 Wait for Note When selected, recording does not MIDI Merge When selected (Merge mode),
begin until a MIDI event is received. This en- recorded MIDI data is merged with existing
sures that you begin recording when you’re track material. When deselected (Replace
ready to play, and that the first note, or other mode), recorded MIDI data replaces existing
MIDI data, is recorded precisely at the beginning track material.
of the record range.
With the Numeric Keypad mode set to
You can press F11 to turn on Wait for Note, Transport, press 9 to enable MIDI Merge.
unless the MIDI preference for “Disable F11
for Wait for Note” is enabled. Tempo Ruler Enable (Conductor) When selected,
Pro Tools uses the tempo map defined in the
Tempo ruler. When deselected, Pro Tools
On Mac, the Desktop Keyboard Shortcut switches to Manual Tempo mode and ignores
uses the same key command that Pro Tools the Tempo ruler.
uses for Wait For Note (F11). To use F11
for Wait For Note in Pro Tools, be sure to In Manual Tempo mode, you can enter a BPM
disable the Desktop Keyboard Shortcut in value in the tempo field, or tap in the tempo
the Apple System Preferences. with the T key on your alphanumeric keyboard.

Metronome Click When selected, Pro Tools gen- Current Meter Displays the session’s current
erates a metronome pulse that can be set to trig- meter based on the play location. Double-click
ger built-in sounds or MIDI instruments during the Current Meter indicator to open the Change
playback and recording. Meter window.

The Pro Tools metronome is configured in the Current Tempo Displays the session’s current
Click/Countoff Options dialog. Double-click the tempo based on the play location. In Manual
Metronome Click button to open the Tempo mode, you can enter a BPM value into
Click/Countoff Options dialog. this field, or manually tap in a tempo with a
computer keyboard or an external MIDI key-
With the Numeric Keypad mode set to board.
Transport, press 7 to enable the Metronome
Click.

Count Off When selected, Pro Tools counts off a MIDI Editor Windows
specified number of measures (indicated in the
MIDI Editor windows let you view and edit
button) before playback or recording begins.
MIDI notes and controller data. You can open
Double-click the Count Off button, to open the multiple MIDI Editor windows to work on dif-
Click/Count Off Options dialog. ferent parts of your MIDI arrangements sepa-
rately. MIDI Editor windows show Instrument
With the Numeric Keypad mode set to and MIDI track data superimposed in Notes
Transport, press 8 to enable the Count Off.

138 Pro Tools Reference Guide

view, or on separate tracks in Notation view,
and lets you view and edit MIDI controller data DigiBase Browsers
(such as velocity, pitch bend, and mod wheel) in
DigiBase databases are accessed through Digi-
controller lanes under the Notes pane.
Base browsers. Browsers provide an intuitive user
For more information, see Chapter 30, interface to DigiBase databases with many con-
“MIDI Editors.” venient features for various file management
tasks (such as search and sort functions).
MIDI Editor in the Edit Window
Browsers in Pro Tools are analogous to windows
You can also choose to show (or hide) a MIDI in your computer’s operating system (such as
Editor pane at the bottom of the Edit window Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder), but are
(below the Tracks pane). specially designed for working in Pro Tools.
Multiple browsers can be displayed simulta-
To show (or hide) the MIDI Editor view in the Edit neously, and arranged independently with cus-
window, do one of the following: tom display settings for each.

„ Select (or deselect) View > Other Displays > MIDI Browsers let you search and sort audio files,
Editor. video files, and sessions. These files are dis-
„ Click the MIDI Editor Show/Hide icon in the
played in browsers and can be dragged directly
lower left corner of the Tracks pane in the Edit into the current Pro Tools session.
window.
When offline items are needed, Pro Tools lets
„ Double-click the divider below the Tracks you find the correct matching files, then relink
pane in the Edit window. to online media.

„ From the Edit Window menu, select (or dese- To open the Workspace browser, press Alt+;
lect) MIDI Editor. (Windows) or Option+; (Mac).

To bring all DigiBase browsers to the front,

press Alt+J (Windows) or Option+J (Mac).
Score Editor Window
To send all DigiBase browsers to the back,
The Score Editor window lets you view and edit press Alt+Shift+J (Windows) or
Instrument and MIDI tracks as music notation. Option+Shift+J (Mac)
It automatically transcribes MIDI performances
in real-time. You can print a score of your ses-
sion or just parts from individual tracks.

For more information, see Chapter 31, “Score

Editor.”

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 139

 The main elements of a DigiBase browser (see Items List Displays the contents of a volume,
Figure 6 on page 140) include the following: folder, session, or Catalog database. Each col-
umn in the items list displays metadata (such as
Title Bar Shows the browser type (Workspace, file name and format) for volumes, folders, and
Volume, Project, or Catalog), and the name of files in the Items List.
its associated volume, session or catalog.
There are three types of Pro Tools browsers
Toolbar Provides the Browser menu, Search icon, available on all supported systems:
View Presets (numbered 1–5), and browser navi-
• The Workspace browser
gation tools.
• Volume browsers
Column Headers Display the type of metadata • The Project browser
displayed in the Items List. Column Headers can
be: DigiBase Pro (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with
• Resized by dragging the column border, or DV Toolkit 2 or Complete Production Toolkit
rearranged by dragging the Column head- only) provides one additional type of browser:
ers. • Catalogs
• Dragged to either of two available panes,
the Fixed or Scrolling panes.

TItle bar
Toolbar
Column
headers

Items
List

Fixed pane Show/Hide Scrolling pane

Pane split

Figure 6. Main elements of a DigiBase browser (Volume browser shown).

140 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Workspace Browser Project Browser

The Workspace browser provides access to all The Project browser provides powerful search
your mounted volumes, as well as the folders and management tools for the files referenced in
and files they contain. your current session, regardless of where they
are stored. Using the Project browser, you can:
Using the Workspace browser, you can:
• Show all the media files associated with the
• Access all mounted volumes. current session, including any missing
• Access all Catalogs. files.
• Search across multiple volumes and Cata- • View, manage, audition, and spot individ-
logs simultaneously. ual items.
• Designate volumes for Record and Play-
back, Playback Only, or Transfer. For detailed information about the Project
browser, see “Project Browser” on page 263.
• Unmount volumes.
• View, manage, audition, and import indi- DigiBase Pro Catalogs
vidual items in any catalog or mounted
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
volume.
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)
• Update databases for entire volumes.
Catalogs provide the highest level of Pro Tools
For more information about the Workspace file management. Catalogs make it easy to orga-
browser, see “Workspace Browser” on nize files from multiple sources into libraries of
page 260. favorite files. Catalogs can be sorted and
searched, even when the files they reference are
Volume Browsers
offline. Catalogs can also be shared.
Volume browsers provide file management for
Using Catalogs, you can:
local and network volumes. Volumes are format-
ted partitions on a physical drive (hard drive). • Collect and organize files from any combi-
Open a Volume browser by double-clicking a nation of volumes.
volume in the Workspace browser. Any changes • Create catalogs of complete volumes to
made in Volume browsers (such as copying, de- view and search even if a volume is offline.
leting, or moving files and folders) is mirrored • View, manage, audition, and import indi-
on the volumes themselves. Volumes include vidual items in the catalog.
mounted hard drives, network storage, and • Update a database for contents of catalog.
CD/DVD-ROMs.
For detailed information about Catalogs,
Using Volume browsers you can: see “DigiBase Pro Catalogs” on page 265.
• View, manage, audition, and import indi-
vidual items on the volume.
• Update a database for contents of the vol-
ume.

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 141

 Task Window A Window Configuration can store the location
and size of all open windows, including:
The Task window is a utility for viewing and
• Edit window
managing all of the background tasks that you
• Mix window
initiate with Pro Tools. Use the Task window to
monitor, pause, or cancel background tasks such • Targeted MIDI Editor window
as file copies, searches, indexing, and fade cre- • Score Editor window
ation. • Workspace browser
• Project browser
For detailed information about the Task
window, see “Task Window” on page 270. • DigiBase browsers
• Session Setup window
Relink Window • Time, Tempo, and Event Operations win-
dows
The Relink window provides tools and features
• MIDI Event List
for relinking sessions and catalogs to media files.
• Real-time MIDI Properties window
Use Relink tools to search and reacquire missing
files for use in the current session. • Beat Detective window
• Plug-in windows
For detailed information about the Relink • Panner windows
window, see “Relink Window” on
• Mic Pre windows
page 256.
• All floating windows listed in the Window
menu:
Managing Windows • Task Manager window
• Transport window

Window Configurations • Big Counter window

• Automation window
Pro Tools provides a powerful means of manag-
• Memory Locations window
ing the configuration of windows in your ses-
sion, as well as the internal configurations of the • Machine Track Arming window
Edit, Mix, MIDI Editor, Score Editor, and Trans- • Video Universe window (Pro Tools HD and
port windows. Use the Window Configuration Pro Tools LE with Complete Production
List to create (or delete) and manage stored Win- Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 only)
dow Configurations. Pro Tools lets you store up • Video window
to 99 Window Configurations. Window Config- • Color Palette window
urations are saved with the session. • Undo History window

Create a session template with your favorite • Disk Space window

Window Configurations. You can then use • System Usage window
the template when you start a new session,
or you can use Import Session Data to The location and size of the Window Con-
import Window Configurations into your figuration List is not stored with Window
current session. Configurations.

142 Pro Tools Reference Guide

A Window Configuration can also store the
Window Display settings for the Edit, Mix, Tar-
geted MIDI Editor, Score Editor, and Transport
windows.

Window Configuration List

The Window Configuration List lets you recall
and manage stored Window Configurations, as
well as create new Window Configurations.

Edit Window Configuration dialog

Number Is the number of the slot in which the

Window Configuration is stored (1–99). You can
type Period (.), the number of the Window Con-
figuration, and then Asterisk (*) on the numeric
keypad on your computer keyboard to recall the
Window Configuration stored in that slot.

Name Is the name of the stored Window Config-

Window Configuration List uration.

To open the Window Configuration List: Window Layout When enabled, stores the size
„ Select Window > Configurations > Window Config-
and location of all open windows.
uration List. Include Edit, Mix, Targeted MIDI Editor, Score Ed-
itor, and Transport Display Settings When en-
Press Control+Alt+J (Windows) or Com-
abled, stores all window display settings for the
mand+Option+J (Mac) to show or hide the
Edit, Mix, Targeted MIDI Editor, Score Editor,
Window Configuration List.
and Transport windows with the Window Con-
figuration (such as whether or not the Region
Window Configuration Properties
List is shown in the Edit window). This option is
Window Configurations can be stored and re- only available when the Window Layout option is
called with the layout of windows in your enabled.
Pro Tools session, as well as with the settings for
the Edit, Mix, and Transport windows. You can
specify which of these properties are stored for
each Window Configuration either in the New
Window Configuration dialog or the Edit Win-
dow Configuration dialog.

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 143

 Window Display Settings Stores only the window Window Configuration Commands and
display settings for the selected window (Edit, Options
Mix, Targeted MIDI Editor, Score Editor, or
Transport): View Filter Icons
• Edit Window Display Settings Using the View Filter icons, the Window Config-
• Width of the Track List and Group List uration List lets you show or hide Window Con-
• Height of the Track List figurations based on whether or not they are
• Width of the Region List stored with Window Layout, Edit Window set-
tings, Mix Window settings, Score Editor win-
• What rulers are shown (the main ruler is al-
dow settings, MIDI Editor Window settings, or
ways shown)
Transport Window settings.
• What track columns are shown (such as In-
serts, Sends, or Comments)
MIDI Editor Window (targeted) settings
• Tempo editor display Transport Window settings
Score Editor Window settings
• Whether Transport controls are shown in
Mix Window settings
the Edit window Edit Window settings
• Edit Window Toolbar arrangement Window Layout

• Mix Window Display Settings

• Width of the Track List and Group List
• Height of the Track List
• What track rows are shown (such as Inserts,
Sends, or Comments)
• Narrow/wide mixer view
• Score Editor
• MIDI Editor (Targeted)
Window Configuration List view filter icons
• MIDI Editor (Untargeted)
• Transport Window Display Settings To show or hide Window Configurations in the
Window Configuration List, do one of the following:
• Counters display
„ Click the View Filter icon to show or hide
• MIDI controls display
Window Configurations that include that prop-
• Expanded view
erty (Window Layout, Edit Window Settings,
Comments Lets you type comments for the Win- Mix Window Settings, Score Editor Window Set-
dow Configuration. tings, MIDI Editor Window Settings, or Trans-
port Window Settings).
– or –

„Select or deselect the View Filter item in the

Window Configuration List pop-up menu.

144 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Window Configuration List Pop-Up Menu Insert Slot Before <Name> Inserts a new slot be-
fore the selected Window Configuration and, if
You can select viewing and sorting options,
necessary, increments the number of each fol-
along with commands for creating and remov-
lowing slot.
ing Window Configurations, from the pop-up
menu in the Window Configuration List. Delete <Name> Slot Deletes the selected Win-
dow Configuration and its slot (number), and
renumbers each subsequent slot.

Auto-Update Active Configuration Automatically

updates the active Window Configuration as
you make changes to the layout and settings of
windows. If Auto-Update Active Configuration is
enabled, the number of the active configuration
is also displayed in the Window menu. This
Window Configuration List pop-up menu command is also available from Window > Config-
View Filter Lets you show or hide Window Con- urations.
figuration filter icons in the Window Configura-
tion List as well as show or hide Window Con-
figurations with Window Layout, Edit Window
Settings, Mix Window Settings, Score Editor
Window Settings, MIDI Editor Window Set-
tings, or Transport Window Settings.

Show Comments Lets you show or hide Com-

ments in the Window Configuration List. Number of active Window Configuration displayed in
Window menu
New Configuration Creates a new Window Con-
Active Window Configuration
figuration. This command is also available from
Window > Configurations. The active Window Configuration is indicated
by a diamond to the left of the Window Config-
Update <Name> Updates the selected Window uration Number in the Window Configuration
Configuration with any changes to the layout List and in the Configurations submenu (Win-
and settings of windows depending on the Win- dow > Configuration). If Auto-Update Active Config-
dow Configuration’s properties. This command uration is enabled, the number of the active con-
is also available from Window > Configurations. figuration is also displayed in the Window menu.
Only Window Configurations that include Win-
Edit <Name> Opens the Edit Window Configu-
dow Layout can be made active.
ration dialog where you can edit the properties
of the selected Window Configuration.

Clear <Name> Clears the selected Window Con-

figuration without deleting the slot (number). Active Window Configuration

Delete All Deletes all Window Configurations. Active Window Configuration

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 145

 Creating New Window Configurations 5 You can type a different number for the new
Window Configuration. If the number you type
To create a new Window Configuration: is already used by another Window Configura-
tion, you are prompted to replace it or Cancel.
1 Open the windows you want to include in the
Otherwise, Pro Tools automatically fills in the
Window Configuration and position them
first available number (1–99) for the Window
where you want on the screen.
Configuration.
2 Do one of the following:
6 Type any comments for the new Window
• Choose Window > Configurations > New Con-
Configuration.
figuration.
7 Click OK to store the new Window Configura-
– or –
tion, or Cancel.
• If the Window Configuration List is open,
choose New Configuration from the Window The new Window Configuration is added to the
Configuration List pop-up menu. Window Configuration List.

To create a new Window Configuration at a

specific numbered slot:
„ On the numeric keypad, type Period (.), a

number (1–99), and then Plus (+) to add a new

Window Configuration at that number slot.

If a Window Configuration already exists

at that numbered slot, the new Window
Configuration overwrites it.

Recalling Window Configurations

New Window Configuration dialog
You can use the Window Configuration List to
3 In the New Window Configuration dialog, do recall stored Window Configurations. You can
one of the following: also use the Number Keypad on your computer
• Select Window Layout and whether or not to keyboard to recall a specific Window Configura-
include the Edit, Mix, Targeted MIDI Edi- tion.
tor, Score Editor, and Transport window
display settings. To recall a Window Configuration, do one of the
following:
– or –
• Select a Window Display Settings option „ Select the Window Configuration from Win-
from the pop-up menu (Edit Window, Mix dow > Configurations.
Window, MIDI Editor (Targeted), Score Editor „ In the Window Configuration List, click the
Window, or Transport Window. Window Configuration to recall it.
4 Name the Window Configuration.
„ On the numeric keypad, press Period (.), the

number of the Window Configuration (1–99),

and then Asterisk (*).

146 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The Pro Tools session’s screen layout updates Updating Window Configurations
with the stored Window Configuration.
After you recall a stored Window Configuration,
you can make changes to the window layout
Undoing Window Configurations
and window settings, and then update the
Pro Tools lets you revert to the previous Win- stored Window Configuration with your
dow Layout and Window Settings with a single changes. You can do this manually, or you can
level of undo. This is useful, for example, if you have Pro Tools automatically update the active
recall a Window Configuration, but then decide configuration.
you want to revert to the previous screen state.
To manually update a Window Configuration, do
To undo a Window Configuration: one of the following:
„ Choose Window > Configurations > Update Ac-
„ On the numeric keypad, press Period (.), 0,
and then Asterisk (*). tive Configuration.

The active Window Configuration updates to

To redo a Window Configuration:
include any changes to its included properties
„ On the numeric keypad, press Period (.), 0, (Window Layout and Window Display Settings).
and then Asterisk (*).
– or –
If Auto-Update Active Configuration is enabled, un- „ From the Window Configuration List pop-up
doing the Window Configuration reverts to the menu, choose Update <Name>.
previously stored Window Configuration with-
out automatically saving changes (see “Updat- The selected Window Configuration updates
ing Window Configurations” on page 147). with any changes to its included properties.

Editing Window Configurations To have Pro Tools automatically update the active
Window Configuration, do one of the following:
You can change which properties are stored
„ Select Window > Configurations > Auto-Update
with Window Configurations, as well as the
Active Configuration.
number, name, or comments.
– or –
To edit a Window Configuration: „ From the Window Configuration List pop-up

1 In the Window Configuration List, select the menu, select Auto-Update Active Configuration.
Window Configuration you want to edit.
When Auto-Update Active Configuration is se-
2 From the Window Configuration List pop-up lected, the active Window Configuration up-
menu, select Edit <Name>. dates with every change to the Window Layout
and Window Display Settings.
3 In the Edit Window Configuration dialog, edit
the configuration and click OK.

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 147

 Window Configurations that do not include Importing Window Configurations
Window Layout and only store Window Display
Settings cannot be made active and thus won't You can import Window Configurations from
automatically update. If you want to update a another session using Import Session Data.
Window Configuration with changes to the
Window Display Settings (such as the width of To import Window Configurations:
the Region List in the Edit window), use the Up- 1 Choose File > Import > Session Data.
date command in the Window Configuration
2 Select the Window Configurations option.
List.
3 If you only want to import Window Configu-
Clearing Window Configurations rations, click the Session Data to Import pop-up
menu and select None.
Clearing a window configuration removes it and
its associated slot number while keeping the slot 4 Click OK.
numbers of other window configurations un-
changed. The Clear command is useful if you Arranging Windows
want to insert another configuration it the same
slot. Pro Tools provides commands to tile or cascade
all open windows. Floating windows (such as
To clear a Window Configuration: plug-in windows) and the Transport window are
not affected by these commands.
1 In the Window Configuration List, select the
Window Configuration you want to clear.
To arrange windows:
2 From the Window Configuration List pop-up
„ Choose Window > Arrange and select one of the
menu, select Clear <Name>.
following:

Deleting Window Configurations Tile Arranges all open windows in a tiled pattern
on the screen.
Deleting a Window Configuration removes the
it and its slot number, and renumbers any sub- Tile Horizontal Arranges all open windows in a
sequent Window Configurations. horizontally tiled pattern on the screen. This op-
tion is not available if there are too many win-
To delete a Window Configuration: dows open.

1 In the Window Configuration List, select the Tile Vertical Arranges all open windows in a ver-
Window Configuration you want to delete. tically tiled pattern, side by side, on the screen.
2 From the Window Configuration List pop-up This option is not available if there are too many
menu, select Delete <Name>. windows open.

Cascade Arranges all open windows in cascad-

To delete all Window Configurations: ing pattern on the screen.
„ From the Window Configuration List pop-up

menu, select Delete All.

148 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Hiding All Floating Windows
Menus
The Hide All Floating Windows command hides or
shows all floating windows. This is useful for Pro Tools menus provide commands and op-
quickly clearing the screen of all floating win- tions for configuring and working with
dows so that you can work in the Edit or Mix Pro Tools, sessions, and session material.
windows.
For detailed information on Pro Tools main
menus and Region List menus, see the
To hide or show all floating windows:
Pro Tools Menus Guide.
„ Select or deselect Window > Hide All Floating

Windows. Pro Tools Main Menus

Press Control+Alt+Start+W (Windows) or Pro Tools includes the following main menus:
Command+Option+Control+W (Mac) to
File Provides commands that are used to create
hide or show all floating windows.
and maintain Pro Tools sessions.

Closing Windows Edit Provides commands that are used to edit

and manipulate the current selection and affect
To close an open window: data in the Timeline or the clipboard.
1 Make sure the window you want to close is in View Provides options and commands to cus-
the foreground. tomize what is shown in various windows.
2 Do one of the following:
Track Provides commands that are used to cre-
• Click the Close button for the window. ate, manage, and edit tracks.
– or –
Region Provides commands that are used to
• Choose Window > Close Window.
manage and edit regions.
Press Control+W (Windows) or Event Provides commands for editing audio and
Command+W (Mac) to close the frontmost MIDI events.
window.
AudioSuite Provides AudioSuite plug-ins.

Options Provides commands that let you select

several editing, recording, monitoring, play-
back, and display options.

Setup Provides commands to open dialogs and

windows or configure various Pro Tools hard-
ware and software parameters.

Window Provides commands to toggle the dis-

play of various Pro Tools windows.

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 149

 Help Provides access to the following PDF docu- Track Name and Region Name
mentation: Shortcuts, Digidesign FAQ, DigiRack Right-Click Menus
Plug-ins Guide, Pro Tools Menus Guide, and
Pro Tools Reference Guide. The Help menu also Track and region names provide Right-click
provides access to the Check For Updates com- menus for managing and working with tracks or
mand. regions, as follows:

Track Name Right-Click Menu Right-clicking a

Track, Region, and Group List Menus track name in the Edit window, Mix window, or
the Track List provides access to various track
The Track, Region, and Group Lists provide pop-
commands (such as show/hide, make active/in-
up menus for managing and working with the
active, rename, duplicate, and delete tracks).
contents of each list, as follows:

Track List Menu Provides commands to show For more information, see “Track Name
and hide tracks in the Mix, Edit, MIDI Editor, Right-Click Menu” on page 178.
and Score Editor windows. The Track List pop-
Region Name Right-Click Menu (Edit
up menu also lets you sort the contents of the Window Only) Right-clicking a region name in
Track List. the Region List provides commands to clear, re-
name, time stamp, or replace regions. The pop-
For more information, see “The Track List”
up menu also lets you export region definitions
on page 175.
or selected regions as files, recalculate waveform
Group List Menu (Edit Groups and Mix overviews, select the parent file of selected re-
Groups) Provides commands to create, display, gions in the DigiBase Workspace Browser, or se-
suspend, and delete Mix and Edit Groups. lect a region as an object in the Edit window.

For more information, see “The Group List” For more information, see Chapter 13,
on page 199 “The Region List.”

Region List Menu (Edit Window Only) Provides Group Name and Track Group ID
commands to find, select, sort, clear, rename, Indicator Pop-Up Menus
time stamp, compact, export, and recalculate
waveform overviews of items in the Region List. When you click and hold on a group name in
The pop-up menu also lets you set the drop or- the Group List, or click on a Group ID indicator
der for regions dragged from the Region List and in a track, a pop-up menu provides access to var-
dropped in the Timeline. ious group commands (such as selecting tracks
in a group).
For more information, see Chapter 13,
“The Region List.” For more information, see “Group Name
and Track Group ID Indicator Pop-Up
Menus” on page 200.

150 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Tool Tips
Pro Tools provides Tool Tips in all main win-
dows. Holding the cursor for a few seconds over
an abbreviated name, or unlabeled icon or tool,
displays either the function or details of the
item (depending on the Tool Tips preferences
settings).

To configure Tool Tips for Pro Tools:

1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the Dis-
play tab.

2 In the Basics section, enable the Tool Tips op-

tions you want displayed.

Function Shows the functional name of different

Pro Tools items (such as specific buttons, indica-
tors, modes, selectors, and Edit tools).

Details Shows abbreviated or hidden Pro Tools

names or values for different Pro Tools items
(such as insert names, gain levels, settings, and
routing assignments).

To turn off Tool Tips, leave both options

deselected t

3 Click OK.

Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows 151

152 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 11: Tracks

This chapter covers the different types of tracks Auxiliary Input Tracks
in a Pro Tools session and basic track manage-
Auxiliary Input tracks can be used as effects
ment tasks.
sends, destinations for submixes, as a bounce
destination, as inputs to monitor or process au-
dio (such as audio from external MIDI instru-
Track Types ments), and for many other audio routing tasks.

In a Pro Tools session, you can have several dif-

Master Fader Tracks
ferent types of tracks. These can include audio,
Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master Master Fader tracks control the overall level of
(Pro Tools HD only), MIDI, Instrument, and audio paths that are routed to physical output
video tracks. paths. For example, you could have 24 tracks in
a session with channels 1–8 routed to Analog
Video track features are described in Output 1–2, channels 9–16 to Analog Output
Chapter 48, “Working with Video in 3–4, and channels 17–24 to Analog Output 5–6.
Pro Tools” You could then create three master faders, one
to control each of these output pairs.
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader,
and VCA Master Tracks Master Fader tracks have additional uses (such as
controlling submix levels). For more informa-
Pro Tools provides mono, stereo, and multi-
tion, see “Master Fader Tracks” on page 830.
channel format audio, Auxiliary Input, Master
Fader, and VCA Master tracks.
VCA Master Tracks (Pro Tools HD Only)

Audio Tracks VCA Master tracks (or VCA Masters) emulate the
operation of voltage-controlled amplifier chan-
Audio tracks let you record to disk and play back
nels on analog consoles, where a VCA channel
from disk recorded or imported audio files.
fader would be used to control, group, or offset
the signal levels of other channels on the
console.

Chapter 11: Tracks 153

 VCA Master tracks do not pass audio, so they do Track Formats
not have inputs, outputs, inserts, or sends. A
Mix Group is assigned to a VCA Master track, Mono Tracks
which appears in the VCA track’s Assignment
A mono audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, or
selector.
Instrument track controls volume, and, in some
The controls of the tracks in that Group, called cases, panning, for a single channel of audio. A
the slave tracks, are modified by the controls on mono audio track uses a single voice. A mono
the VCA Master. track can also be routed to a multichannel out-
put.
For more information, see “VCA Master
Tracks” on page 832. Stereo Tracks

MIDI Tracks A stereo audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, or

Instrument track is a single channel strip for two
MIDI tracks record, store, and playback MIDI channels of audio as a stereo pair. Stereo audio
data. You cannot select a track format when you tracks use two voices.
create a MIDI track, because audio does not pass
through it. Multichannel Tracks
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Instrument Tracks Production Toolkit Only)
Instrument tracks are a special type of track that A multichannel track is a single channel strip
provide both MIDI and audio capabilities in a that plays multiple channels of audio (from 3 to
single channel strip. Instrument tracks simplify 8 channels at a time). This allows Pro Tools to
using software and hardware instruments to support multichannel mixing formats including
record and monitor MIDI instruments. LCRS, 5.1, 6.1, and others. Audio, Auxiliary In-
put, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks can all
Video Tracks use any supported multichannel format.

Video tracks let you add or import QuickTime For more information on surround mixing with
(Windows and Mac) or Windows Media Video Pro Tools, see the following chapters:
(Windows Vista only).
• Chapter 44, “Pro Tools Setup for Surround”
With an Avid video peripheral and Pro Tools HD • Chapter 45, “Multichannel Tracks and
or Pro Tools LE (with the Complete Production Signal Routing”
Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 option), you can add or • Chapter 46, “Surround Panning and Mix-
import Avid video to the Pro Tools Timeline. ing”

Video tracks only appear in the Edit window,

and video can be viewed in the Video window.

For more information, see Chapter 48,

“Working with Video in Pro Tools.”

154 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Auxiliary Input Track Channel Strips
Track Channel Strips
Each Auxiliary Input track has its own set of
(Mix Window)
channel strip controls, including volume, pan,
automation mode, solo, and mute. Auxiliary In-
Audio Track Channel Strips put tracks also have a Comments view to type
Each audio track has its own set of channel strip and display comments.
controls, including volume, pan, record enable,
Track Color Coding
input monitoring (Pro Tools HD only), automa-
tion mode, solo, mute, and voice assignment.
Inserts (A–E shown)
Audio tracks also have a Comments view to type
and display comments.

Track Color Coding Sends (A–E shown)

Inserts (A–E shown)

Audio Input/Output Path selectors
Output Window button
Automation Mode selector
Sends (A–E shown) Group ID

Pan knobs
Pan indicators
Audio Input/Output Paths
Output Window button Solo/Mute buttons
Automation Mode selector
Group ID
Volume fader
Pan knob
Pan indicator Level meters
TrackInput Monitor button (Pro Tools HD only)
Track Record Enable button
Solo/Mute buttons
Volume/Peak/Delay indicator
Volume fader Track Type indicator
Track Name button
Level meter
Delay Compensation view (Pro Tools HD only)

Track Comments
Voice selector
Volume/Peak/Delay indicator
Track Type indicator Track Color Coding
Track Name button

Delay Compensation view (Pro Tools HD only) Stereo Auxiliary Input track channel strip

Track Comments

Track Color Coding

Mono audio track channel strip

Chapter 11: Tracks 155

 Master Fader Track Channel Strips VCA Master Track Channel Strips
Each Master Fader track has its own set of chan- (Pro Tools HD Only)
nel strip controls, including volume and auto-
Each VCA Master track has its own set of chan-
mation mode. Master Fader tracks also have a
nel strip controls, including volume, record en-
Comments view to type and display comments.
able, input monitoring, automation mode, solo,
and mute. VCA Master tracks also have a Com-
ments view to type and display comments.
Inserts (A-E shown)
For more information, see “VCA Master
Tracks” on page 832.

Track Color Coding

Group ID
Audio Output Path selectors
Automation Mode selector
Output Window button
Automation Mode selector

Group ID

Record
TrackInput Enable
Solo Mute

Volume fader
Volume fader

Level meters

Volume indicator
Track Type indicator
Volume/Peak/Delay indicator
Track Type indicator
Track Name button
Delay Compensation view (Pro Tools HD only)
Track Comments

Track Comments
Track Color Coding

Track Color Coding VCA Master track

Stereo Master Fader track channel strip

156 Pro Tools Reference Guide

MIDI Track Channel Strips
MIDI Volume
Each MIDI track has its own set of channel strip MIDI Input selector

controls, including MIDI volume, pan, record MIDI Mute button

MIDI Output selector
enable, automation mode, solo, mute, patch as-
MIDI meter (Velocity)
signment, and channel assignment. MIDI tracks MIDI Pan
also have a Comments view to type and display
comments. Inserts (A–E shown)

Track Color Coding

MIDI Input selector
MIDI Output selector Sends (A–E shown)
Automation Mode selector

Group ID
Audio Input/Output Path selectors
MIDI Pan knob Output Window button
MIDI Pan indicator Automation Mode selector
Record Enable Group ID
Solo/Mute buttons Pan knobs
MIDI Volume fader Pan indicators
Record Enable
MIDI Velocity meter
Solo/Mute buttons

Patch Select Volume fader

MIDI Volume indicator
Track Type indicator Level meters
Track Name button
Patch Select
Track Comments
Volume/Peak/Delay indicator
Track Type indicator
Track Color Coding Track Name
Delay Compensation view (Pro Tools HD only)
MIDI channel strip

Track Comments
Instrument Track Channel Strips
Each Instrument track has its own set of channel Track Color Coding
strip controls, including audio (like an Auxiliary
Stereo Instrument track channel strip, Instruments view
Input track) volume, pan, automation mode, shown
solo, and mute, and MIDI (like a MIDI track)
record enable. Instrument tracks have an addi-
tional Instruments view that provides controls
for MIDI input, output, mute, volume, and pan
(like on a MIDI track). Instrument tracks also
have a Comments view to type and display com-
ments.

Chapter 11: Tracks 157

 Auxiliary Input Track Controls
Track Controls and Indicators
Each Auxiliary Input track has its own set of
(Edit Window)
track controls, including Track Name, Solo,
Mute, Track View, Track Height, Timebase, and
Audio Track Controls Automation mode.

Each audio track has its own set of track con- Solo button
trols, including Track Name, Playlist, Record En- Track Height selector
Track Name
able, Input Monitoring (Pro Tools HD only),
Solo, Mute, Track View, Track Height, Timebase,
Elastic Audio, Voice Assignment, and Automa-
Mute button
tion mode.
Track View selector
Track Height selector Automation Mode
Track Name selector
Record Enable button
TrackInput Monitor button
Solo button
Mute button
Timebase selector
Show/Hide Automation lanes

Edit window track controls for a stereo Auxiliary Input

Playlist selector
track (medium track height)

Track View selector Master Fader Track Controls

Each Master Fader track has its own set of track
controls, including Track Name, Track View,
Track Height, Timebase, and Automation mode.

Automation Mode selector Track Height Track View

selector selector
Elastic Audio plug-in selector Track Name
Voice selector
Timebase selector
Show/Hide Automation lanes
Edit window track controls for a mono audio track
(medium track height)

Timebase selector
Show/Hide Automation lanes Automation mode

Edit window track controls for a stereo Master Fader

track (medium track height)

158 Pro Tools Reference Guide

VCA Master Track Controls MIDI Track Controls
(Pro Tools HD only) Each MIDI track has its own set of track controls,
Each VCA Master track has its own set of track including Track Name, Playlist, Record Enable,
controls, including Track Name, Playlist, Record Solo, Mute, Track View, Track Height, Patch,
Enable, Input Monitoring, Solo, Mute, Track Timebase, and Automation mode.
View, Track Height, Timebase, and Automation
Track Height selector
mode. Record Enable button
Track Name
Track Height selector Solo button
Track Name Mute button
Record Enable button
TrackInput Monitor button
Solo button
Playlist selector
Mute button

Track View selector

Automation Mode selector

Patch selector
Timebase selector
Show/Hide Controller lanes
Automation Mode selector
Timebase selector Edit window track controls for a MIDI track (medium
Show/Hide Automation lanes track height)
Edit window track controls for a VCA Master track
(medium track height)

Chapter 11: Tracks 159

 Instrument Track Controls
Edit Window Views
Each Instrument track has its own set of track
controls, including Track Name, Playlist, Record In addition to track controls and playlists (of re-
Enable, Solo, Mute, Track View, Track Height, gions of events on the Timeline), the Edit win-
Patch, Timebase, and Automation mode. dow provides the following views that corre-
spond to channel strip controls in the Mix
Track Height selector window:
Record Enable button • Comments
Track Name
Solo button • Mic Preamps (Pro Tools HD only)
Mute button
• Instruments
• Inserts (A–E and F–J)
Playlist selector • Sends (A–E and F–J)
• I/O
• Real-Time Properties
Track View selector
• Track Color

See also “Views in the Mix and Edit Win-

dows” on page 836.

Automation Mode selector Comments View

Patch selector
Timebase selector Comments view lets you type and view com-
Show/Hide Automation and Controller lanes
ments for a specific track.
Edit window track controls for a stereo Instrument track
(medium track height) For more information on Comments view,
see “Adding Comments to Tracks” on
Video Track Controls page 166.
Each video track has its own set of track con-
trols, including Track Name, Playlist, Online,
Mic Preamps View
Track View, and Track Height. (Pro Tools HD Only)

Track Height selector The Mic Preamps view shows controls for tracks
Track Name Playlist selector with physical audio inputs routed through the
Digidesign PRE.

For more information, see the PRE Guide.

Online button

Track View selector

Frame Rate indicator

Edit window track controls for a video track (medium

track height)

160 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Instruments View To show the I/O View in the Edit window:

Instruments view provides MIDI controls for In- „ Select View > Edit Window > I/O.
strument tracks: MIDI Input selector, MIDI Out-
Channel strips in the Mix window always
put selector, MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and MIDI
display Input and Output selectors as well
Mute.
as volume and pan values, so there is no I/O
For more information, see “Assigning MIDI view display option for the Mix window.
Input and Output for Instrument Tracks”
on page 188. For details on Input and Output selectors,
see “Assigning Audio Inputs and Outputs to
Inserts View (Inserts A–E and Tracks” on page 179.
Inserts F–J)
Volume/Peak/Channel Delay Indicator
Inserts view provides up to ten inserts (software
plug-ins and hardware I/O inserts for generating The Volume indicator on an audio track has
and processing audio) on each audio, Auxiliary three display modes: Volume, Peak, and Chan-
Input, Master Fader, and Instrument track. nel Delay.

For more information on inserts, see To toggle the Volume indicator display:
Chapter 41, “Plug-in and Hardware In-
„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
serts.”
(Mac) the indicator to toggle it between the fol-
Sends View (Sends A–E and Sends F–J) lowing modes:

Sends view shows send assignments in each au- Volume Indicator (and Pop-Up Fader) Shows the
dio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument track. current volume, or input level of a track as set by
the track Volume fader. In I/O view (Edit win-
For more information, see “Configuring dow), click the Volume indicator to display the
Sends View in the Mix and Edit Windows” Volume pop-up fader, which can be used to ad-
on page 844. just the volume.

I/O View
In the Edit window, I/O view provides Input and
Output selectors on audio, Auxiliary Input, Mas-
ter Fader (output only), MIDI, and Instrument
tracks (corresponding to the controls of the
same name in the Mix window).
Edit window I/O view, Volume pop-up fader (audio track)
Input Path selector
Output Window button Peak Indicator Functions as a headroom indica-
Volume indicator tor based on the last peak playback level. To re-
Pan indicator
set the peak counter, click anywhere in the
Output Path selector
meter. Values range from –∞ (no signal) to 0 dB.
Edit window I/O view (audio track)

Chapter 11: Tracks 161

 Channel Delay Indicator (Pro Tools HD Volume Fader
Only) Shows the total delay, in samples, incurred
on the track from the use of any TDM plug-ins The Volume fader controls the playback level of
or hardware inserts on that channel. a track when it is playing back, and the monitor
level of the track when it is recording. You can
Pan Indicator link the record and monitor levels by enabling
the Link Record and Play Faders option in the Op-
The Pan indicator displays the current pan set- eration preferences.
ting of a track. Pan values range from <100 (full
left) to 100> (full right). Pan controls are only The maximum fader gain for a volume fader is
available for stereo tracks or for mono tracks +12 dB.
routed to a stereo output.
MIDI Volume Fader
In I/O view (Edit window), click the Pan indica-
tor to display the Pan pop-up slider, which can If your MIDI sound module supports volume,
be used to adjust panning. the volume fader on a MIDI or Instrument track
can send a value of 0–127 to the MIDI volume
controller.

Real-Time Properties
In the Edit window, Real-Time Properties view
provides access to Real-Time Properties controls
Edit window I/O view, Pan pop-up slider (audio track)
(such as Quantize or Transpose) on MIDI and In-
strument tracks. For more information, see
Greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks do
“MIDI Real-Time Properties” on page 604.
not provide a Pan indicator in I/O view. You
can view and adjust multichannel panning
Track Color
in the track’s Output window or in the Mix
window. In the Edit window, Track Color view displays
the Track Color strip at the left-most side of the
Pan Slider
Track controls.
The Pan slider controls the balance of a track be-
tween the assigned output pair. It only appears
if you are using stereo tracks or mono tracks
routed to a stereo output.

The Pan slider on a MIDI track is effective only if

you are controlling a sound module that sup-
ports MIDI panning.

Send Pan controls can be linked to the Main

Pan controls of a track by enabling the
Follow Main Pan button in Send window.

162 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To clear a meter:
Track Level Meter „ Click anywhere on the meter.
On audio tracks, level meters indicate the level
of the signal being recorded or played back from To clear all meters, do one of the following:
the hard drive. On Auxiliary Input, Master
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any
Fader, and Instrument tracks, level meters indi-
meter.
cate the level of the signal being played through
the channel output. Green indicates nominal „ Choose Track > Clear All Clip Indicators.
levels; Yellow indicates pre-clipping (–6 dB be-
„ Press Alt+C (Windows) or Option+C (Mac).
low full scale); and Red indicates clipping.
When an audio track is record-enabled, these Clip Indication
meters indicate record levels.
Pro Tools meters provide Clip Indication with
On MIDI tracks, and in Instruments view for In- three options: 3 Second, Infinite, or None. If clip-
strument tracks, the meter shows the MIDI ve- ping occurs, the topmost LED will stay lit (red).
locity of the most recent MIDI event.
Clip indicators appear in plug-in, send, and
Pre- and Post-Fader Metering track windows.

You can globally set audio track level meters to To choose a Clip Indication setting:
indicate pre- or post-fader levels. When pre-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
fader metering is selected, the level meters show
Display tab.
levels independent of fader position. With post-
fader metering, the level meters respond to fader 2 Select a Clip Indication option.
position.
3 Click OK.

To toggle track level metering between pre- fader

and post-fader metering: To clear a clip indicator:

„ Select Options > Pre-Fader Metering. „ Click anywhere on the meter.

Peak Hold To clear all clip indicators, do one of the following:

„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any
Pro Tools meters provide a Peak Hold feature
meter.
with three options: 3 Second, Infinite, or None.
„ Choose Track > Clear All Clip Indicators.
To choose a Peak Hold setting:
„ Press Alt+C (Windows) or Option+C (Mac).
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Display tab.

2 Select a Peak Hold option.

3 Click OK.

Chapter 11: Tracks 163

 Wide Meters View
Creating Tracks
Wide Meters view expands the width of the level
meters for tracks in both the Mix and Edit win- You can create mono and stereo tracks on all
dows, to make the track level meters easier to Pro Tools systems. With Pro Tools HD or
read. Wide Meters view are also available Nar- Pro Tools LE with the Complete Production
row Mix view. Toolkit option, you can also create multichan-
nel tracks (from LCR to 7.1).
To toggle Wide Meters View on or off:
When new tracks are created, they are given a
„ Control-Alt-Start-click (Windows) or Com- default name that can be changed at any time.
mand-Option-Control-click (Mac) any track ‹ To insert new tracks next to a specific track in
level meter in the Mix or Edit window. a session, select that track by clicking the track’s
name in the Mix or Edit window before opening
the New Tracks dialog. The new tracks are added
immediately after the selected track.
‹ To insert new tracks after the last tracks in a
session, make sure that no track names are se-
lected on-screen before opening the New Tracks
dialog.

You can also add tracks to your session by

Wide Meters view, Mix and Edit windows importing them from preexisting sessions.
See “Importing Session Data” on page 289.

Adjusting Track Width

Mix Window

The Narrow Mix command lets you view all

tracks/channels in the Mix window at a reduced
width to conserve screen space in a large session.
(See “Track Height” on page 173, to adjust track
height in the Edit Window.)

To reduce the width of tracks in the Mix window:

„ Select View > Narrow Mix.

To display tracks at normal width:

„ Deselect View > Narrow Mix.

You can toggle track width by pressing Con-

trol+Alt+M (Windows) or Command+Op-
tion+M (Mac).

164 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To create new tracks: 4 Select the timebase (samples or ticks) from the
Track Timebase pop-up menu.
1 Do one of the following to open the New
Tracks dialog:
To auto-scroll the Track Timebase pop-up
• Choose Track > New. menu, press Control+Alt (Windows) or
– or – Command+Option (Mac) and use the
• Right-click any Track Name in the Mix or Up/Down Arrow keys.
Edit windows, or Track List, and choose
5 Enter the number of new tracks.
New.
If you are creating various multiple new
Press Control+Shift+N (Windows) or
tracks, you can move to the next or previous
Command+Shift+N (Mac) to open the New
row’s Number of New Tracks field by press-
Tracks dialog
ing Tab or Shift+Tab.

Add/Remove Row 6 Do any of the following:

Number of new tracks Track Type
Track Format Track Timebase
• To add more tracks, click the Add Row but-
ton.

Add a new track by pressing Control+N

(Windows) or Command+N (Mac), or by
pressing Control+Plus (+) (Windows) or
New Tracks dialog
Command+Plus (+) (Mac) on the numeric
2 Select the type of track you want to add from keypad.
the Track Type pop-up menu.
– or –
To auto-scroll the Track Type pop-up menu • To remove a track, click the Remove Row
in the New Tracks dialog, press Control button.
(Windows) or Command (Mac) and use the
Up/Down Arrow keys. To remove the last track from the New
Tracks dialog Control+Minus (–) (Win-
3 Select the track format (mono, stereo, or one dows) or Command+Minus (–) (Mac).
of the multichannel surround formats) from the
Track Format pop-up menu. Surround formats 7 To reorder tracks, click a Move Row icon and
are available on Pro Tools|HD systems or drag it up or down.
Pro Tools LE with the Complete Production
Toolkit option.

To auto-scroll the Track Format pop-up

menu, press Control (Windows) or
Command (Mac) and use the Left/Right Move Row icon
Arrow keys. Move Row icon in the New Tracks dialog

8 Click Create.

Chapter 11: Tracks 165

 Default Track Names 3 Click Previous or Next to rename other dis-
played tracks.
When creating new audio, Auxiliary Input, Mas-
ter Fader, VCA Master, MIDI, and Instrument To move to the previous or next track in the
tracks, Pro Tools names them as “Audio,” Track Name/Comments dialog, you can
“Aux,” “Master,” “VCA,” “MIDI, or “Inst” ac- press Control (Windows) or Command
cordingly and numbers them consecutively. For (Mac) and use the Up/Down or Left/Right
example, when you create the first two audio Arrows.
tracks in a new session, their default names are
“Audio 1” and “Audio 2.” You can rename 4 Click OK.
tracks and also log comments for each track.
Adding Comments to Tracks
Naming Tracks
To add comments to a track, do one of the
Track names are used to auto-name recorded au- following:
dio files and regions (see “Default Track Names”
„ From the track channel strip, click directly in
on page 166).
the Comments area, type any comments for the
track, and press Enter (Windows) or Return
(Mac).
– or –

„ In the Edit or Mix window, double-click the

Track Name button for a track. Then click di-

rectly in the Comments area, type any com-
ments for the track, and press Enter (Windows)
or Return (Mac).

To enter a carriage return in the Comments

area, press Shift+Enter (Windows) or
Shift+Return (Mac) on the alphanumeric
Track Name/Comments dialog
keyboard.
To rename a track:
Track Numbering
1 Do one of the following:
• In the Mix or Edit window, double-click the With Track Number view enabled, each track is
Track Name button for the track you want assigned a number corresponding to its position
to rename. in the Mix and Edit Windows. When tracks are
– or – reordered, they are renumbered to maintain po-
sitional sequence.
• In the Track List, or Mix or Edit window,
Right-click the track name for the track you
To enable Track Number view:
want to rename.
„ Choose View > Track Number.
2 In the Track Name/Comments dialog, type a
new track name.

166 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To navigate directly to any track number: All tracks between the first track selected and the
additional track will also be selected.
1 Choose Track > Scroll to Track.

Press Control+Alt+F (Windows) or Com- To select or deselect noncontiguous tracks, do

mand+Option+F (Mac) to open the Scroll to one of the following:
Track dialog. „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) Track Name buttons that are unhigh-

2 In the Scroll To Track dialog, enter the Track
lighted to select them.
Position Number.
– or –

„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) Track Name buttons that are highlighted

to deselect them.

To select all tracks:

Scroll To Track dialog „ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any

Track Name button that is unhighlighted.

3 Click OK.

The track is selected, and the windows scroll as To deselect all tracks:
follows: „ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any

• The Mix window tracks scroll to bring the Track Name button that is highlighted.
selected track as close to the left as possible.
• The Edit window tracks scroll to bring the Selecting Tracks when Making Edit Selections
selected track as close to the top as possible.
Pro Tools lets you link Track selection with Edit
selections. When Track and Edit selections are
Selecting Tracks linked, you can make a selection within a track
or across multiple tracks for editing and each as-
Tracks need to be selected for operations such as
sociated track is selected (track names automati-
duplicating tracks or adding tracks to a group.
cally highlight).
One or more tracks can be selected at a time.

To link Track and Edit selections:

To select a track:
„ Select Options > Link Track and Edit Selection.
„ Click the name of an unhighlighted track in
its track channel strip.
Scrolling a Track into View
To select a range of tracks:
To scroll a track into view:
1 Click the name of an unhighlighted track in
„ In the Track List, or Mix or Edit window,
its track channel strip.
Right-click the track name and select Scroll into
2 Shift-click an additional button. View.

Chapter 11: Tracks 167

 The track is selected, and the windows scroll as Duplicating Tracks
follows:
The Duplicate Track command lets you dupli-
• The Mix window tracks scroll to bring the
cate one or more tracks, including their audio or
selected track as close to the left as possible.
MIDI data, playlists, automation, and other at-
• The Edit window tracks scroll to bring the tributes.
selected track as close to the top as possible.
To duplicate one or more tracks:
Deleting Tracks
1 Select the tracks you want to duplicate.
When you delete tracks, your audio or MIDI re-
gion data remains in the Region List, but your For information, see “Selecting Tracks” on
arrangement of the regions on the deleted track page 167.
(the track’s playlist) will be lost.
2 Do one of the following:
If the track contains playlists that are not as- • Choose Track > Duplicate.
signed to any track, you are prompted to delete • Press Alt+Shift+D (Windows) or
or retain them. Option+Shift+D (Mac).
• Right-click the name of the track in the
The Delete Track command cannot be
Track List, or Mix or Edit window, and
undone.
select Duplicate.
To delete a track:
1 Click the name of the track in its track chan-
nel strip to select it.

To select multiple tracks, Control-click

(Windows) or Command-click (Mac)
additional Track Names.

To select a range of tracks, Shift-click

additional Track Names.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Track > Delete.
– or –
• In the Track List, or Mix or Edit window,
Right-click the track name and select De- Duplicate Tracks dialog
lete.

3 Click OK to remove the selected tracks from

the session.

168 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 In the Duplicate Tracks dialog, configure the Duplicating VCA Slave Tracks
following options as needed:
(Pro Tools HD Only)
• Enter how many copies you want to create
in the Number of Duplicates filed. Duplicating a VCA slave track without duplicat-
• To copy the currently active (visible) Edit ing its group assignments will coalesce any auto-
playlist from the source track, select Active mation on the duplicate track. The coalesced
Playlist. duplicate plays back exactly as if it were in the
VCA group. For more information, see “VCA
• To copy all Edit playlists on the source
Master Tracks” on page 832.
track, select Alternate Playlists
• To copy all automation from the source
track, select Automation.
• To copy all plug-in and insert assignments, Track Views
select Inserts. The Track View determines which data is dis-
• To copy all sends and send assignments, played and edited in the track’s playlist area.
select Sends. Track View data can be set to Playlists, Blocks,
• To maintain all Mix and Edit Group assign- Analysis, Warp, Waveform, Volume, Volume
ments, select Group Assignments. Trim, Mute, Pan, Send, or an automated control
or continuous controller, based on the track
4 If duplicating multiple tracks, do one of the
type and your Pro Tools system.
following:
• If you want all the newly created tracks to Audio Tracks Can be set to Blocks, Playlists, Anal-
follow the last selected source track (to the ysis, Warp, Waveform, Volume, Volume Trim, Mute,
far-right of the Mix window, and at the bot- Pan, Send controls, or any plug-in controls that
tom of the Edit window), select the Insert are enabled for automation. By default, audio
after Last Selected Track option. tracks are set to Waveform view where track ma-
– or – terial is graphically drawn with amplitude wave-
forms (a time-domain representation of sound).
• If you want each newly-created track to be
This Track View provides the necessary detail for
inserted directly after its source track, dese-
important region edits.
lect this option.

5 Click OK to duplicate tracks according to the

Auxiliary Input Tracks Can be set to Volume, Vol-
settings in the Duplicate Tracks dialog. Click ume Trim, Mute, Pan, Send controls, or any plug-
Cancel to close the dialog and not create dupli- in controls that are enabled for automation.
cate tracks. Master Fader Tracks Can be set to Volume, Vol-
In the Mix window, each duplicate track is cre- ume Trim, or any plug-in controls that are en-
ated to the right of its original track. In the Edit abled for automation.
window, each duplicate track is created below its VCA Master Tracks (Pro Tools HD Only) Can be
original track. When duplicating multiple set to Volume, Volume Trim, or Mute.
tracks, you can also choose to have the new
tracks follow the last selected track (or have each
new track follow its source track).

Chapter 11: Tracks 169

 MIDI Tracks Can be set to Blocks, Regions, Notes, Playlists Tracks View
Velocity, Volume, Mute, Pan, Pitch Bend, Mono Af-
(Audio Tracks Only)
ter Touch, Program Change, Sysex, and any con-
tinuous controller type. MIDI tracks are com- With the Track View set to Playlists, alternate
monly set to Notes or Regions, each of which playlists for audio tracks are revealed in Playlist
displays notes in a “piano roll” format. Use Re- lanes under the Main Playlist on the track. This
gions view to edit and arrange MIDI regions. Use view is useful for track compositing, letting you
Notes view for inserting and editing MIDI notes. select the best parts from a track’s alternate play-
Other MIDI track views are useful for editing ve- lists and copy them to the main playlist.
locity, controller data, program changes, and Sy-
sex events. Analysis and Warp Tracks View
(Audio Tracks Only)
Instrument Tracks Can be set to Blocks, Regions,
Notes, Velocity, Volume, Mute, Pan, Pitch Bend, With the Track View set to Analysis or Warp, you
Mono After Touch, Program Change, Sysex, and can edit Elastic Audio analysis and warp markers
any continuous controller type for MIDI; as well on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks.
as Volume, Volume Trim, Mute, Pan, Send controls,
or any plug-in controls that enabled for automa- Waveform View
tion. Instrument tracks are commonly set to
(Audio Only)
Notes or Regions, each of which displays notes
in a “piano roll” format. Use Notes view for in- With the Track View set to Waveform, you can
serting, editing, and copying and pasting MIDI edit and arrange audio regions on audio tracks.
notes. Use Regions view to arrange, capture, or Waveforms are time-domain representations of
consolidate regions. Other Instrument track the audio data and can be shown as normal or
views are useful for editing automation, control- rectified waveforms, and calculated using Peak
ler data, program changes, and Sysex events. or Power mode.

Video Tracks For information on video track

views, see “Video Track View” on page 1040.

Blocks Tracks View

With the Track View set to Blocks, audio and

MIDI regions are displayed as empty blocks Track View set to Waveform for audio track
bearing the region’s name. This Track View is
most useful once you have finished capturing
and editing regions at the waveform or MIDI
event level and are moving and rearranging
them. Screen redraws are fastest with this for-
mat.

170 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Regions View
For details on editing automation data for
(MIDI Only)
audio tracks, see Chapter 42, “Automa-
With the Track View set to Regions, you can edit tion.”
and arrange MIDI regions on MIDI and Instru-
ment tracks. For details on inserting and editing control-
ler data for MIDI tracks, see “Continuous
Controller Events” on page 592.

You can also edit automation and controller

data in lanes below the track’s main play-
Track View set to Regions for MIDI track list view. See “Automation and Controller
Lanes” on page 911.
Notes View
(MIDI Only) To set the Track View:
„ Click the Track View selector for the track and
With the Track View set to Notes, you can insert
and edit MIDI notes on MIDI and Instrument select the format from the pop-up menu.
tracks. The track displays the new format. If the track is
part of an active Edit Group, all tracks in the
Automation and Controller Views group are set to the new format.
When an audio or Instrument track is displayed
as Volume, Pan, or another automated control, or
when a MIDI or Instrument track is set to one of
the continuous controller types (such as Volume
or Pitch Bend), the data for that track appears in
the form of a line graph with a series of editable
breakpoints. The breakpoints can be dragged to
modify the automation data, and new break-
points can be inserted with the Pencil tool or a Audio Track View selector
Grabber tool. MIDI and Instrument tracks also
provide Velocity view for editing MIDI veloci-
ties.

Auxiliary Track View selector

Track View set to Pan for audio track

Chapter 11: Tracks 171

 Changing Track Views
For audio, Auxiliary Input, MIDI, and Instru-
ment tracks, you can change to the next or pre-
vious Track View, or toggle between pre-defined
common views.
Master Fader Track View selector
Changing to Previous or Next Track View

When changing to the next or previous Track

View, Track View list ordering is maintained as
shown in the Track View selector.

Track Views at the beginning of the list

(such as Blocks for audio or MIDI tracks)
VCA Master Track View selector (Pro Tools HD only)
cannot be changed to the previous Track
View. Tracks Views at the end of the list
(such as a MIDI controllers option) cannot
be changed to the next Track View.

To change to the previous or next Track View:

1 Click in the track you want to change. To
change views on multiple tracks, Shift-click or
drag the Selector tool to select additional tracks,
or select a group.

2 Do one of the following:

MIDI Track View selector • To change to the previous or next Track
View on all selected tracks, press Con-
trol+Start (Windows) or Control+Com-
mand (Mac) and the Left or Right Arrow
key.
– or –
• To change to the previous or next Track
View on all tracks, press Control+Alt+Start
(Windows) or Control+Option+Command
(Mac) and the Left or Right Arrow key.

Instrument Track View selector

172 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Toggling Common Track Views Master Views for Tracks
The most common editing view for audio tracks Audio, MIDI, and Instrument tracks have Track
are Waveform and Volume view. The most com- Views that act as “master.” When a track is dis-
mon editing views for MIDI and Instrument played in its Master view, any edits performed
tracks are Notes and Regions view. Pro Tools pro- apply to all data in the track. For instance, when
vides an easy way to toggle these views. an audio track is set to Waveform, copying and
pasting affects not just the waveform informa-
To toggle Track Views on tracks containing the tion, but all of the automation data as well.
edit cursor (or an Edit selection):
The Master view is based on the type of track, as
1 Click in the track you want to toggle. To toggle
follows:
multiple tracks, Shift-click or drag with the Se-
• Audio tracks: Waveform and Blocks
lector tool to select additional tracks.
• MIDI and Instrument tracks: Regions,
2 Do one of the following: Blocks, and Notes (when using the Selector
• Press Start+Minus (Windows) or Con- tool)
trol+Minus (Mac) on the alphanumeric
keyboard.

To toggle Track Views for all tracks, press Track Height

Alt+Start+Minus (Windows) or
Tracks can be viewed in the Edit window at any
Option+Control+Minus (Mac) on the
of eight heights: Micro, Mini, Small, Medium,
alphanumeric keyboard.
Large, Jumbo, Extreme and Fit To Window. Larger
– or – track heights are particularly useful for precise
editing, especially for MIDI. Smaller track
• With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled
heights are useful for conserving screen space in
(see “Keyboard Focus” on page 24), press
a large session.
Minus on the alphanumeric keyboard.
You can adjust track heights on an individual
To toggle Track Views for all tracks with
track basis or set all tracks to the same height.
Command Focus enabled, press Alt+Minus
Track heights can be changed during playback.
(Windows) or Option+Minus (Mac) on the
alphanumeric keyboard.

Audio tracks are toggled between Waveform and

Volume view. MIDI and Instrument tracks are
toggled between Notes and Regions view.

Chapter 11: Tracks 173

 To set the Track Height, do one of the following: Continuously Variable Track Height
„ Click the small arrow to the left of the Track
In the Edit window, you can continuously resize
name to get the Track Height pop-up menu. the Track Height of any given track by simply
clicking and dragging the lower boundary of the
Track Controls column.

To resize the Track Height of any track in the Edit

window:
„ Drag the bottom line of any given track’s

Track Controls column up or down. The cursor

Track Height pop-up menu changes to indicate that you can resize the track.
– or –
The track’s Track Height changes incrementally.
„ Right-click on the vertical zoom scale just to
the right of the track controls and choose the
height from the pop-up menu.

The track is resized to the new height. If the

track is part of an Edit Group, all tracks in the
group are set to the new height.

Press Start+Up/Down Arrow key (Win- Adjusting the Track Height of an audio track
dows) or Control+Up/Down Arrow key
(Mac) to increase/decrease track height of
Press and hold Control (Windows) or
any track that contains a selection or in
Command (Mac) while adjusting track
which the edit cursor is currently placed.
height for continuous, non-incremental
To resize all tracks proportionally: adjustments.

„ Click Edit window Vertical Zoom In or Out

button. To continuously resize all tracks, Alt-click

(Windows) or Option-click (Mac) and drag.

To continuously resize all selected tracks,

Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or Option-Shift-
Vertical Zoom click (Mac) and drag.
In and Out
buttons

Vertical Zoom buttons, Edit window

174 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Track Controls and Track Height
The Track List
The Track Height affects how the various track
controls appear in the Edit window. For in- The Track List (at the left of both the Mix and
stance, when a track’s height is set to Small, Edit windows) shows all tracks in the session. It
most of the buttons are reduced in size. allows you to show or hide a track in the Mix,
Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows.
Even though a track is hidden, the material on
the track will still play as part of the session. In-
active tracks appear in italics in the Track List.
Track Height set to Small
The Track List can also be used to create
When the Track Height is set to Mini or Micro,
new tracks when importing media from
only controls for Record, Solo, and Mute appear,
DigiBase. See “Importing Files with Drag
and the menus for Playlist, Track Timebase, Track
and Drop” on page 280.
Height, and Track View are accessed from the
same selector.
Track Show/Hide
Track Color Code
Track Type icon
Track Height set to Mini Track name
Track List menu
When the Track Height is set to Medium, Large,
Jumbo, or Extreme, all track controls are dis-
played at their full size.

Track List
Track Height set to Large
Show/Hide Track List and Group List

To show (or hide) the Track List (and Group List),

do one of the following:
„ From the Edit window menu, select (or dese-

lect) Track List.

– or –

„ Click the Show/Hide Track List/Group List View

button in the Mix or Edit window.

Chapter 11: Tracks 175

 Sort Tracks By options
Show/Hide Track List/Group List View
When a track that is a member of an active
Track List and Group List shown in Edit Window
group is hidden from view, editing operations
Track List Menu performed on other members of the group in
the Edit window will not affect the hidden track.
The pop-up menu at the top of the Track List In the Mix window, however, all operations
provides commands that allow you to show or other than record-enable will affect a hidden
hide all tracks, tracks currently selected on- track that is a member of an active group.
screen, or specific types of tracks (audio, Auxil-
iary Input, Master Fader, MIDI, Instrument, With Pro Tools HD, even if a track is
VCA Master, or Inactive tracks). hidden from view, its position relative to
other tracks still affects its voiceable track
playback priority (see “Voice Borrowing” on
page 186 for details).

The options in the Track List menu in the Score

Editor window are different from the Mix, Edit,
and MIDI Editor windows. For more informa-
tion, see “Track List” on page 637.

Show Only option

Showing and Hiding Tracks
The Sort Tracks By command lets you set the
The Mix and Edit windows are linked in terms of
track order according to Name, Type, Edit Group,
which tracks are shown or hidden. However, the
Mix Group, or Voice. The sort order will be re-
Score Editor window and MIDI Editor windows
flected in the Track List in the Mix, Edit, MIDI
are all unique in terms of which tracks are
Editor, and Score Editor windows.
shown or hidden. For example, hiding a specific
track in the Edit window also hides it in the Mix
window, but not in the Score Editor or MIDI Ed-
itor windows. Also, hiding a specific track in a
MIDI Editor window hides it only in that MIDI
Editor window.

176 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To hide a track, do one of the following:
To reorder tracks on-screen, drag the track
„ Click the Track Show/Hide icon in the Track
names to new positions within the Track
List.
List or in the Mix or Edit window.
– or –
To show a range of tracks:
„ In the Track List (or on the track channel
1 Select a range of hidden tracks in the Track
strip), Right-click the track name and select Hide
(or Hide and Make Inactive if the track is active List.
and you also want to make the track inactive). 2 Click the Show/Hide icon of hidden track at
the top of the Track List.

Hidden track 3 Shift-click the Show/Hide icon of hidden track

at the bottom of the selection.
Shown track
All tracks that occur between the first track se-
Show/Hide icons in the Track List lected and the last track will also be selected.

To show a track that is currently hidden, do one of You can also select a range of tracks by
the following: moving the cursor to the left of the track
„ Click the Track Show/Hide icon in the Track
names, so the Marquee appears, and drag-
List. ging around the track names you want to se-
lect.
– or –
To show or hide a range of tracks in the Track List
„ In the Track List (or on the track channel
with the Marquee:
strip), Right-click the track name and select
Show (or Show and Make Active if the track is ac- 1 Move the cursor to the left of a track name un-
tive and you also want to make it active). til the Marquee with a small “+” symbol appears.

2 Click on the track in the list and drag up or

To show all tracks: down over the Show/Hide icons (to show or
„ Click the Track List menu and choose Show All hide the track and the tracks immediately above
Tracks. or below it).

You can also show all tracks by Alt-clicking To show or hide non-contiguous tracks:
(Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac) the
„ Click the Show/Hide icon for the tracks you
Show/Hide icon of any track that is hidden.
want to show or hide.
To hide all tracks:
„ Click the Track List menu and choose Hide All

Tracks.

You can also hide all tracks by Alt-clicking

(Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac) the
Show/Hide icon of any track that is shown.

Chapter 11: Tracks 177

 About Mix/Edit Groups and Hidden
Tracks Track Name Right-Click Menu
(Mix Window, Edit Window, MIDI Editor
In the Mix window, if a hidden track is part of
Windows, or Track List)
an enabled group, all Mix window operations
performed on other members of the group also When you Right-click a track name in the Mix
affect the hidden track—with the exception of au- window, Edit window, MIDI Editor windows, or
dio or MIDI record-enabling. If you solo, mute, the Track List, a pop-up menu provides access to
or automation write-enable a grouped track, any the following commands:
group members that are hidden are soloed,
muted, or automation write-enabled as well. Hide/Show Hides (or shows) the track (or se-
lected tracks if any).
In the Edit window, however, editing operations
performed on members of an enabled group do Hide and Make Inactive Hides the track and
not affect hidden tracks that are also members of makes it inactive (or selected tracks if any).
the enabled group.
Make Active/Inactive Toggles the active status
of the track (or all selected tracks in the Mix or
About Clipping and the Track List
Edit window only).
(Pro Tools HD Only)
Scroll Into View Scrolls the track to the top of the
When a track, send, or plug-in clips, the Track Edit window or to the left of the Mix window.
List displays the track’s name in red. Both
shown and hidden tracks display clipping indi- Export MIDI (MIDI and Instrument Tracks
Only) Exports the MIDI data from one or more
cation.
MIDI or Instrument tracks to a standard MIDI
file. For more information, see “Exporting MIDI
About Track Numbering and Hidden
Files” on page 303.
Tracks
Coalesce VCA Master Automation (Pro Tools HD
In the Mix and Edit windows, Track Position
Only) Coalesces the VCA automation to the
Numbers can include hidden tracks in their
slave tracks of the VCA.
numbering sequence, or ignore them, as fol-
lows: Coalesce Trim Automation (Pro Tools HD
Only) Coalesces Trim automation on the track
• Numbers are only assigned to tracks that are
(or selected tracks if any).
shown (when Track Position Numbers Stay with
Hidden Tracks is not selected in the Display Clear Trim Automation (Pro Tools HD
Preferences page). In this case, active tracks Only) Clears Trim automation on the track (or
are then numbered sequentially. Hidden selected tracks if any).
tracks are un-numbered.
Locked (Video Track Only) Toggles the
– or –
locked/unlocked status of the video track (or se-
• Tracks keep their Track Position Numbers lected video tracks if any).
even when hidden (when Track Position Num-
bers Stay With Hidden Tracks is selected in the
Display Preferences page).

178 Pro Tools Reference Guide

New Opens the New Track dialog.
Assigning Audio Inputs and
Rename Opens the Track Name dialog. Outputs to Tracks
Duplicate Duplicates the track (or selected tracks Inputs for audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instru-
if any). ment tracks can be assigned to audio interface
channels or busses. Outputs for audio, Auxiliary
Split Into Mono (Multichannel Tracks Only) Splits
Input, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks can
a multichannel track (or selected multichannel
also be assigned to audio interface channels or
tracks if any) into their mono component
busses.
tracks.

Delete Deletes the track (or selected tracks if Track Input Track Input Track set to
set to Audio 2 set to Bus 2 No Input
any).

MIDI Real-Time Properties (MIDI and Instrument

Tracks Only) Opens the Real-Time Properties
window for the track.

Open in New MIDI Editor (MIDI and Instrument

Tracks Only) Opens the track in a new MIDI Ed- Input/output assignments for three mono audio tracks
itor window.
For stereo and multichannel surround tracks, in-
Open in Score Editor (MIDI and Instrument Tracks puts and outputs appear as stereo pairs and mul-
Only) Opens the track in the Score Editor win- tichannel groups. The available inputs, outputs,
dow. and busses are defined as paths in the I/O Setup
dialog (see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup”).
Open in MIDI Event List (MIDI and Instrument
Tracks Only) Opens the track in the MIDI Event
List. Automatic Input and Output
Assignments
Notation Display Track Settings (MIDI and Instru-
ment Tracks Only) Opens the Notation Display When adding tracks to a new session, inputs are
Track Settings window for the track. Music nota- automatically assigned in ascending order. For
tion can only be viewed in the Score Editor or in example, if you have an audio interface with
MIDI Editor windows set to Notation view. eight inputs, creating four new mono audio
tracks will automatically add four audio tracks
Expand Channels to New Tracks Expands multi- with inputs assigned to the first four paths de-
channel audio files imported from a field re- fined in the I/O Setup dialog. When creating ste-
corder to new tracks, such that every channel re- reo tracks, inputs are automatically assigned to
sides on its own mono audio track. Pro Tools subsequent input pairs.
also automatically conforms all expanded tracks
to the edits in the guide (expanded) track. You The outputs automatically assigned to new
can expand multichannel files to new tracks or- tracks are determined by the New Track Default
dered by channel name, by channel number, by Output specified in the I/O Setup dialog.
channel name and number, or by Time Code
only.

Chapter 11: Tracks 179

 Assigning Audio Inputs ‘

(Audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument Tracks)

To assign an audio input of an audio, Auxiliary

Input, or Instrument track:
1 In order to assign audio track inputs in the
Edit window, select View > Edit Window > I/O.

2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the track’s In-

put Path selector and choose from the available
audio interface channels and busses. Stereo and
multichannel surround tracks have inputs avail-
able as pairs and multichannel groups.

The Input Path selector lets you route any audio

input or any of the Pro Tools internal busses to Input Path selector
an audio, Auxiliary Input, or Instrument track.
To remove an input assignment:
The choices available in this pop-up menu are
determined by the Input Path configuration in „ Select No Input from the Input Path selector.
the I/O Setup. Inputs in use by another track ap-
pear bold in the Input Path selector’s pop-up
Assigning Audio Outputs
menu.
(Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and
Control-Alt-click (Windows) or Command- Instrument Tracks)
Option-click (Mac) the Input Path selector
of the left-most track and select the first In- To assign an audio output of an audio, Auxiliary
put Path (mono or stereo, depending on Input, Master Fader, or Instrument track:
whether your tracks are mono or stereo). All 1 In order to assign audio track outputs in the
visible tracks of the same channel width Edit window, select View > Edit Window > I/O.
(mono or stereo) will be auto-assigned to
unique Input Path assignments in ascend- 2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the track’s

ing order. For example, Track 1 to A1, Output Path selector and choose from the avail-
Track 2 to A2, Track 3 to A3, and so on. able audio interface channels and busses. Stereo
and multichannel surround tracks have outputs
available as pairs and multichannel paths.
Instrument tracks route their input auto-
matically to the audio output from any in-
strument plug-in inserted on the track.

180 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To remove an output assignment:
„ Select No Output from the Output Path selec-

tor. Playlists become dimmed for tracks with no

output assignment.

Assigning an audio track, Auxiliary Input,

Master Fader, or Instrument track to “No
Output” will cause its automation data for
pan and plug-in controls to be lost.

Renaming Track Inputs and

Outputs from the Edit or Mix
Window
I/O path names can be renamed in the Edit or
Mix windows, or in the I/O Setup.

To rename an I/O path in the Edit or Mix window:

1 In the Edit or Mix window, Right-click the In-
put selector or Output selector for a track, and
Output Path selector choose Rename from the pop-up menu.

The Output Path selector lets you route a track 2 In the Rename I/O dialog, type a name for the
to any configured audio output or internal bus. I/O Path, and click OK.
The choices available in this pop-up menu are ‘

determined by the Output Path configuration in

the I/O Setup. Outputs in use by another track
appear bold in the Output Path selector’s pop-
up menu.

Control-Alt-click (Windows) or Command- Rename I/O dialog

Option-click (Mac) the Output Path selector
of the left-most track and select the first Making Track Inputs and Outputs
Output Path (mono or stereo). All visible Inactive from the Edit or Mix
tracks are automatically assigned to unique Window
Output Path assignments in ascending or-
der. For example, Track 1 to A1–2, Track 2 Track Input, Output, and Bus Path assignments
to A3–4, Track 3 to A5–6, and so on. can be made inactive using the corresponding
selector on the track. Making a track’s Input or
Output inactive silences that Input or Output,
while retaining all automation and playlist data.
For Pro Tools|HD systems, inactive Inputs and
Outputs do not consume resources for TDM
mixer connections, but any active assigned

Chapter 11: Tracks 181

 plug-ins on the track continue to use their re- To make all selected tracks’ Inputs or Outputs
quired DSP resources. For Pro Tools LE systems, assigned to the same path inactive (or active), do
inactive Inputs and Outputs do not consume one of the following:
host-processing resources. RTAS plug-ins require „ In the Edit or Mix window, Alt-Shift-Right-

CPU resources, and TDM plug-ins use the DSP click (Windows) or Option-Shift-Right-click
available on Pro Tools|HD cards. (Mac) the Input selector or Output selector for a
track, and choose Make Inactive (or Make Active)
You can make track inputs and outputs inactive
from the pop-up menu.
(or active) directly from the Edit or Mix win-
dows. Inactive I/O Paths are grayed out. – or –

„ Control-Alt-Start-Shift-click (Windows) or
You can also make a path globally inactive
Command-Option-Control-Shift-click (Mac)
(or active) in the I/O Setup dialog. See
the Input or Output selector in the Mix or Edit
“Making Paths Active or Inactive” on
window.
page 69.

To make a track’s Input or Output Path inactive (or Toggling Multiple Paths
active), do one of the following:
If a track has only one main output assignment,
„ In the Edit or Mix window, Right-click the In- Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-
put selector or Output selector for a track, and Control-click (Mac) the track’s Output Path se-
choose Make Inactive (or Make Active) from the lector to toggle the main output to inactive.
pop-up menu. When there are multiple assignments, the track
– or – selector will be displayed for you to specify the
Input, Output, Insert, or Bus Path.
„ Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-

Control-click (Mac) the Input or Output selector If a Send (A–J) has multiple Output Path
in the Mix or Edit window. assignments and one of those is toggled ac-
tive or inactive, then all of the Output Path
To make all tracks’ Inputs or Outputs assigned to assignments for that Send (A–J) are toggled
the same path inactive (or active), do one of the active or inactive.
following:
„ In the Edit or Mix window, Alt-Right-click

(Windows) or Option-Right-click (Mac) the In- Track Priority and Voice

put selector or Output selector for a track, and Assignment
choose Make Inactive (or Make Active) from the
pop-up menu. Pro Tools|HD systems provide a certain number
of voices (simultaneous channels of audio play-
– or –
back and recording), depending on the system.
„ Control-Alt-Start-click (Windows) or Com- For example, a Pro Tools|HD 1 system can pro-
mand-Option-Control-click (Mac) the Input or vide up to 96 voices of audio playback and re-
Output selector in the Mix or Edit window. cording, at 44.1 or 48 kHz. For details on
Pro Tools system capabilities, see Table 5 on
page 31.

182 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Pro Tools LE systems let you play or record up to Changing a Track’s Playback Priority
48 simultaneous stereo or mono tracks. For de-
tails on LE system capabilities, see Table 7 on Tracks with higher positions (leftmost in the
page 34. Mix window or topmost in the Edit window)
have priority over tracks in lower positions in a
session.
Track Priority
While your Pro Tools hardware allows a fixed To increase a track’s priority, do any of the
following:
number of voices, Pro Tools software allows for
additional audio tracks beyond that fixed num- „ In the Mix window, drag the Track Name but-

ber of voices. While all of these tracks can be re- ton to the left of other tracks in the session.
corded to or imported, arranged, and cued for Tracks at the left of the Mix window have higher
playback, not all of them can be played back si- priority than those on the right.
multaneously.
„ In the Edit window, drag the Track Name but-

When the number of tracks exceeds the number ton above other tracks in the session. Tracks at
of available voices, tracks with lower priority the top of the Edit window have higher priority
may not be heard. For these situations, than those below.
Pro Tools assigns priorities to tracks that com- „ In the Track List, drag the Track Name to a
pete for the available voices. Because there can higher position in the list. Tracks at the top of
be more tracks than available voices, Pro Tools this list have higher priority than those below.
provides multiple ways of adjusting the play-
back priority of audio tracks. See “Changing a
Freeing up Voices on a Track
Track’s Playback Priority” on page 183 and
“Freeing up Voices on a Track” on page 183. You can also adjust the relative priority of tracks
by freeing up the voices of individual tracks,
With Pro Tools|HD systems, you can assign spe- making them available to other tracks in the ses-
cific voices to multiple tracks such that those sion.
voices are shared by more than one track. This
feature is called voice borrowing. The combina-
To free up the voice of a track, do one of the
tion of playback/record tracks and shared voiced following:
tracks comprises the total number of voiceable
„ Click the Voice selector of the track and set it
tracks on a Pro Tools|HD system.
to Off. See “Setting Voice Assignment” on
To set multiple tracks to the same voice, see page 184.
“Setting Voice Assignment” on page 184. For
„ Deactivate the track by Control-Start-clicking
additional information on voice borrowing,
(Windows) or Command-Control-clicking
see“Voice Borrowing” on page 186).
(Mac) its track type icon in the Mix window.

„ Make sure the track does not have an Output

Path or Send assignment.

„ With Pro Tools HD, you can temporarily free a

track’s voice during playback by muting it (see

“Mute Frees Assigned Voice” on page 192).

Chapter 11: Tracks 183

 Setting Voice Assignment To set the voice assignment for a track:
„ Click the Voice selector and set the track to
A track’s voice assignment can be turned off or
set to be dynamically allocated, and with Dyn, Off, or select a voice number (Pro Tools HD
Pro Tools HD, can also be explicitly assigned to a only).
specific voice number.

On all Pro Tools systems, you can use Dynami-

cally Allocated Voicing to automatically take
care of voice management in the background,
assigning voices not in use by other tracks.

Pro Tools LE supports Dynamically Allocated

Voicing only; it does not support explicit voice
assignments.

With Pro Tools HD, tracks assigned to a specific

voice number take priority over dynamically al-
located tracks and support voice borrowing (see
“Voice Borrowing” on page 186). To ensure that
a track is heard, or that it is available for Quick-
Punch, TrackPunch, or DestructivePunch re-
cording, assign an explicit voice to that track.

With Pro Tools HD, QuickPunch, Track-

Punch, and DestructivePunch require addi- Voice selector for stereo audio track (Pro Tools HD
tional voices. For more information, see shown)
Chapter 21, “Punch Recording Modes.”
Elastic Audio and RTAS plug-ins are not
With Pro Tools HD, the initial insert of an allowed on explicitly voiced tracks (Pro Tools
RTAS plug-in uses additional voices in cer- HD only). Use Dynamically Allocated
tain situations. See“Voice Usage and Total Voicing for tracks on which you want to use
Elastic Audio or RTAS plug-ins.
Latency for RTAS Plug-ins” on page 874.

For stereo and multichannel tracks, voices ap-

pear in pairs and multichannel groups. Voices
already explicitly assigned to another track ap-
pear in bold in the Voice selector’s pop-up
menu.

With Pro Tools HD, you can preview audio

files in DigiBase browsers during session
playback. This requires additional playback
voices. For more information, see “Reserve
Voices for Preview in Context” on page 252.

184 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Voice Assignment with Toolkit Options When working with more than the maximum
number of voiced audio tracks allowed by your
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit system, you can only play back audio from
higher-numbered (lower priority) tracks by
Pro Tools LE systems with the Complete Produc-
changing the track priority by doing any of the
tion Toolkit option let you simultaneously play
following:
or record up to 128 mono audio tracks or up to
64 stereo audio tracks. Higher track counts are • Make a lower-numbered track inactive
only supported with multiple hard drives and (click the Track Name and select Track >
faster Digidesign-qualified systems. Make Inactive).
• Set the voice assignment in a lower-num-
Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 or Music bered track to Off (click the Voice selector
Production Toolkit 2 and select Off).
• Drag the Track Name button of the higher-
Pro Tools LE systems with the DV Toolkit 2 op-
numbered track to the left (Mix window) or
tion or the Music Production Toolkit 2 option
upwards (in the Edit window or Track List)
let you simultaneously play or record up to 64
until it is in the range of the maximum
stereo or mono tracks. Higher track counts are
number of voiced audio tracks allowed by
only supported with multiple hard drives and
your system. The previously last voiced au-
faster Digidesign-qualified systems.
dio track is moved out of range and its
voice assignment is changed to Off.
Track Priority and Dynamic Voicing
When the priority of the higher-numbered track
The lowest-numbered (highest priority) audio
is changed, its voice assignment is automatically
tracks that are active and have their voice assign-
changed from Off to DYN.
ment set to DYN (Dynamically Allocated Voic-
ing) are the tracks that play back. (The total
number of tracks that play back depends on the Automatic Assignment of Ascending
maximum number of voiced audio tracks al- Voices
lowed by your system.) (Pro Tools HD Only)

Tracks that are higher-numbered (lower prior- You can automatically assign all tracks or all se-
ity) than these tracks do not play back and you lected tracks to successive voices. For example,
cannot record to them. Their Dynamically Allo- you may want to select eight audio tracks and
cated Voicing button are blue to indicate they are reassign them to voices 9–16.
unavailable for playback or recording. For exam-
ple, with Pro Tools LE with Music Production To assign all audio tracks to successive voices:
Toolkit 2, any tracks after the first 48 will cannot
„ While pressing Control+Alt (Windows) or
be voiced and will not play back.
Command+Option (Mac), select the starting
Tracks do not play back when they are in- voice number from the Voice selector for the
active or their voice assignment is set to Off. track at the far left of the Mix window, or at the
top of the Edit window.

Chapter 11: Tracks 185

 The voice is assigned to the first track, with suc- The following example demonstrates the con-
cessive voices assigned to tracks (with the same cept of voice borrowing:
format) of lower priority.

To assign all selected audio tracks to successive

voices:
1 Select the audio tracks by Control-clicking
(Windows) or Command-clicking (Mac) their
names.

To select multiple tracks, Control-click Figure 7. “Rhythm” regions play only when there is no
(Windows) or Command-click (Mac) “Lead” region
additional Track Names.
In Figure 7 above, the two visible tracks are as-
To select a range of tracks, Shift-click signed to the same voice. There is an open area
additional Track Names. in the top track where no region appears. At this
point, the voice is free since it is not being used,
2 While pressing Control+Alt+Shift (Windows) and the next highest priority track assigned to
or Command+Option+Shift (Mac), select the that voice (the bottom track) sounds through
starting voice number from the Voice selector the open area and plays.
for the left (Mix window) or top (Edit window)
selected track. By experimenting with track priority, voice
assignment, and arranging regions so that they
The voice is assigned to the starting track, with are positioned to sound through holes in
successive voices assigned to currently selected higher priority tracks, you can find many useful
tracks (with the same format) of lower priority. ways to maximize voiceable tracks with
Pro Tools HD.
Voice Borrowing
(Pro Tools HD Only)
Assigning MIDI Inputs and
Pro Tools HD features voice borrowing, which lets
you assign more than one track to the same
Outputs to Tracks
voice. The track with the highest priority takes MIDI recording and playback is supported with
over that voice, but when a hole opens up in the MIDI tracks and Instrument tracks.
higher-priority track, its shared voice is tempo-
rarily available, and the track with the next For information on naming and configuring
highest priority “sounds through” and begins to the MIDI ports in your system, your Setup
play. When the original track returns, the track Guide. For Windows, see Appendix C,
that had sounded through relinquishes the “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup.” For Mac,
shared voice to the higher priority track. see Appendix D, “Configuring AMS.”

186 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Assigning MIDI Track Input Assigning MIDI Track Output
Pro Tools lets you assign specific MIDI ports and Pro Tools lets you assign specific MIDI ports and
channels to a MIDI track input. The default se- channels to a MIDI track output. The default se-
lection of All receives all incoming MIDI data lection of none sends MIDI data to no port on
from all ports on all channels. Use the MIDI In- any channel. Use the MIDI Output selector to
put selector to specify a MIDI port and channel specify a MIDI port and channel for output.
for input.
MIDI tracks in Pro Tools cannot contain
For information on assigning MIDI input to multiple channels of MIDI data.
Instrument tracks, see “Assigning MIDI In-
put and Output for Instrument Tracks” on
For information on assigning MIDI output
page 188.
to Instrument tracks, see “Assigning MIDI
To assign a MIDI track input: Input and Output for Instrument Tracks”
on page 188.
„ Click the track’s MIDI Input selector and as-
sign a port and channel for MIDI input. Chan- To assign a MIDI track (and all its regions) to a
nels already assigned to another track appear in specific MIDI device channel:
bold. „ Click the track’s MIDI Output selector and as-

sign a port and channel for MIDI output. Chan-

In the Edit window, select View > Edit
nels already assigned to another track appear in
Window > I/O to access any track’s Input
bold.
selector.
In the Edit window, select View > Edit
Window > I/O to access any track’s Output
selector.

MIDI Input selector (MIDI Track shown)

MIDI Output selector (MIDI track shown)

Chapter 11: Tracks 187

 To assign multiple destinations to a single MIDI Instrument Track MIDI Input
track:
Pro Tools lets you assign specific MIDI ports and
„ Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac)
channels to an Instrument tracks’ MIDI input.
the MIDI Output selector and select additional
The default selection of All receives all incoming
channels from any device.
MIDI data from all ports on all channels. Use the
For information on recording and MIDI Input selector to specify a MIDI port and
importing MIDI data, see Chapter 20, channel for input.
“MIDI Recording.” Channels in use by another track input appear
bold in the MIDI Input pop-up menu.
Assigning MIDI Input and Output
for Instrument Tracks To assign an Instrument track MIDI input:

Instrument tracks have a specific view for MIDI „ Click the track’s MIDI Input selector and as-
controls, including MIDI Input and Output se- sign a port and channel for MIDI input. Chan-
lectors. nels already assigned to another track appear in
bold.
In addition to assigning MIDI input and
output for recording and playing back MIDI Instrument Track MIDI Output
data, Instrument tracks can also be used to
monitor the audio from your hardware Pro Tools lets you assign specific MIDI ports and
MIDI instruments and instrument plug-ins. channels to an Instrument tracks’ MIDI output.
See “Signal Routing for Monitoring and Sub- The default selection of none sends MIDI data to
mixing” on page 853. no device, port, or node on any channel. Use the
MIDI Output selector to specify a MIDI port and
To view Instrument track MIDI controls, do one of channel for output.
the following:
Channels in use by another track input appear
„ Select View > Mix Window > Instruments.
as bold in the MIDI Input pop-up menu.
– or –

„ Select View > Edit Window > Instruments. To assign an Instrument track MIDI output:
„ Click the track’s MIDI Output selector and as-

sign a port and channel for MIDI output. Chan-

MIDI Input selector
MIDI Output selector
nels already assigned to another track appear in
bold.

Instruments view, Mix window

188 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Solo Modes
Soloing and Muting Tracks
(Pro Tools HD Only)
The Solo and Mute buttons can be engaged at
any time during playback. The Solo and Mute With Pro Tools HD, the Solo button can be used
buttons affect MIDI as well as audio tracks. It is to:
possible to have more than one track soloed or • Mute other tracks so that the selected track
muted at the same time in a session. can be auditioned alone.
– or –
Instrument tracks have separate sets of Solo
• Route a selected track to a separate output.
and Mute buttons for MIDI and audio mon-
itoring. Solo button behavior is defined by the Solo
mode, as follows:
Track grouping also affects mute and solo be-
havior. Muting or soloing a track that is a mem- SIP (Solo In Place) The Solo button mutes other
ber of an active Mix Group will mute or solo all tracks. When this mode is enabled, tracks can be
other tracks that are a member of that active Mix solo safed (see “Solo Safe Mode” on page 191).
Group as well.
AFL (After Fader Listen) The Solo button routes
For information on creating and modifying the track’s post-fader/post-pan signal to the
groups for track soloing and muting, see AFL/PFL Path output. The AFL/PFL Path is con-
“Grouping Tracks” on page 197. figured in the Output page of the I/O Setup dia-
log (see “AFL/PFL Path” on page 76).
Solo Button
With AFL, the level you hear is dependent on
The Solo button normally mutes other tracks so the fader level for that track. Additionally, there
that the selected track can be auditioned inde- is a separate master level setting for AFL that af-
pendently. fects the output of any or all tracks you solo in
AFL mode (see “AFL/PFL Path” on page 76). This
With Pro Tools HD, this behavior is selected as a level setting is independent of the PFL level set-
Solo mode, called “Solo In Place.” Additional ting.
Solo modes are provided to change how the Solo
button works. See “Solo Modes” on page 189. AFL and PFL Solo modes require the Sur-
round Mixer plug-in (see the Pro Tools|HD
To solo tracks: Setup Guide).
1 Click the Solo button on a track. The button is
PFL (Pre Fader Listen) The Solo button routes
highlighted and all other tracks are muted.
the track’s pre-fader/pre-pan signal to the
2 Click the Solo button on another track. The AFL/PFL Path output. The AFL/PFL Path is con-
buttons for both tracks are highlighted and all figured in the Output page of the I/O Setup dia-
other tracks are muted. log (see “AFL/PFL Path” on page 76).

To un-solo tracks:
„ Click the Solo button on soloed tracks.

Chapter 11: Tracks 189

 With PFL, the fader level and pan are ignored, Using AFL/PFL on Pro Tools Systems with a
and the level you hear is dependent on the sig- D-Control or D-Command
nal’s recorded level. Additionally, there is a sep-
AFL/PFL is optimized for Pro Tools systems us-
arate master level setting for PFL that affects the
ing a D-Control or D-Command control surface,
output of any or all tracks you solo in PFL mode
where the XMON automatically switches its
(see “AFL/PFL Path” on page 76). This level set-
monitor source between the main output and
ting is independent of the AFL level setting.
the AFL/PFL output from Pro Tools.
AFL and PFL Solo modes require the
For more information on using XMON and
Surround Mixer plug-in.
AFL/PFL, see your control surface guide.

If Mutes Frees Assigned Voice is enabled, Using AFL/PFL on Pro Tools Systems without D-
muted tracks will not be audible in PFL Control or D-Command
mode. If you are not using a D-Control or D-Command
control surface, your regular Pro Tools output
To select a Solo mode:
path is not necessarily muted when you send a
1 Choose Options > Solo Mode. signal to the AFL/PFL Path. If you need the main
signal to automatically mute when an AFL/PFL
2 Select SIP, AFL, or PFL.
signal is invoked, you need to do the following:
The Solo mode for all soloed tracks can be 1 Configure the output path for AFL or PFL so-
changed “on-the-fly” from any Solo mode to loed tracks.
either SIP or AFL. Previously soloed tracks
will switch their solo behavior to the new 2 Select the main output path that will mute
mode. when you solo a track in AFL or PFL mode (see
“AFL/PFL Mutes (Output Path) Selector” on
Switching the Solo mode for all soloed page 76).
tracks “on-the-fly” to PFL clears all previ-
3 Set up your hardware to monitor both the
ously soloed tracks before entering PFL
mode. This prevents potentially large boosts main and AFL/PFL paths simultaneously.
in level. When AFL or PFL is selected as a Solo mode and
a track is soloed, the main output path will mute
DSP Usage when Using AFL or PFL Mode
and the AFL/PFL signal will appear at the
AFL and PFL are accomplished by Pro Tools cre- AFL/PFL Path for monitoring.
ating a “behind the scenes” mixer to route the
signal to the chosen AFL/PFL Path. Depending Solo Latch Options
on the size of your main mixer, Pro Tools will
devote a substantial portion of its available DSP Solos can be latched (where pressing subsequent
when using AFL/PFL mode. buttons adds them to the soloed mix of tracks),
unlatched, or temporarily latched (Pro Tools HD
Un-declaring the AFL/PFL Path will free up all only).
DSP resources previously used for AFL/PFL
mode.

190 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To select a Solo Latch mode: Solo Safe Mode
„ Choose Options > Solo Mode and select from
Pro Tools lets you solo safe a track. This prevents
the following options: the track from being muted even if you solo
other tracks. This feature is useful for tracks such
Latch When selected, pressing subsequent Solo
as Auxiliary Inputs that are being used as a sub-
buttons adds them to the soloed mix of tracks.
mix of audio tracks, or effects returns, allowing
X–OR (Cancels Previous Solos) When selected, the audio or effects track to remain in a mix
pressing subsequent Solo buttons cancels previ- even when other tracks are soloed. It is also use-
ous solos. ful to solo safe MIDI tracks so that their playback
is not affected when you solo audio tracks.
To override X–OR mode and solo more than
one track at a time, press and hold the Solo AFL or PFL soloed tracks (Pro Tools HD
button on the first track. Subsequently only) cannot be solo safed.
pressed Solo buttons will latch.
To solo safe a track:
Momentary (Pro Tools HD Only) When selected,
„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
Solo buttons are not sticky. A track is soloed
(Mac) the Solo button on the track. This pre-
only when its Solo switch is held down.
vents the track from being muted even if you
With a Digidesign-qualified control surface, ad- solo other tracks. The Solo button changes to a
ditional tracks can be soloed by pressing their transparent color in Solo Safe mode.
SOLO switches (as long as at least one Solo but-
ton is held down). When no SOLO switch is To return a solo safe track to normal:
held down, all soloed tracks will unsolo. „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) the Solo button on the track again.

Temporarily Latching Solos in Momentary Solo
Mode
Mute Button
(Pro Tools HD Only)
The Mute button silences a chosen track. More
To temporarily latch solos: than one track can be muted at one time. If Op-
tions > Mute Frees Assigned Voice (Pro Tools HD
1 Choose Options > Solo Mode > Momentary.
only) is enabled, muting a track will allocate its
2 Press and hold the Solo button on the first voice to the next highest priority voiceable track
track that will be soloed. (assigned to the same voice).

3 While still holding the first Solo button, press

To mute a track:
additional Solo buttons. Solo buttons will re-
main soloed as long as one Solo button is held. „ Click the Mute button on the track. The track

is grayed-out and muted.

As long as at least one Solo button is held
down, all the solos will remain latched. To unmute a track:
„ Click the Mute button again.

Chapter 11: Tracks 191

 Mute Frees Assigned Voice
Making Tracks Inactive
(Pro Tools HD Only)
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Mas-
Selecting Options > Mute Frees Assigned Voice ter (Pro Tools HD only), and Instrument tracks
and muting a track disables playback of that can be made inactive. Inactive tracks use no DSP
track, and surrenders control of its voice to the or voices. Plug-ins, sends, voices, and automa-
next highest priority track with the same voice tion on inactive tracks are all disabled. Tracks
assignment. may also be automatically made inactive if a ses-
sion is opened on a system with less DSP power
Muting a track with Mute Frees Assigned
than the system that it was created on.
Voice enabled does not free up the voice for
QuickPunch, TrackPunch, or Destructive- MIDI tracks cannot be made inactive.
Punch recording.
To toggle a track active/inactive:
With this option enabled, there may be a delay
„ Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-
(ranging in length from one to several seconds
depending on the processing power of your sys- Control-click (Mac) the Track Type indicator in
tem) between the time you mute or unmute a the Mix window.
track and when you hear the effect on playback.
Playlists for inactive tracks are dimmed and
Larger DAE Playback Buffer Sizes can also track controls are grayed out.
increase the time between clicking the Mute
button and the onset of muting. See “DAE To make one or more tracks inactive or active, do
one of the following:
Playback Buffer Size” on page 48.
„ Select the track and select Track > Make Inac-
MIDI Mute tive/Active.

The Mute button on a MIDI track mutes MIDI – or –

data, not audio. Muting MIDI results in no MIDI „ Right-click the Track Name in the Track List,
data being passed to the MIDI output. On In- or Mix or Edit windows and choose Make Inac-
strument tracks, the track’s Mute button mutes tive/Active.
the audio signal and the MIDI Mute button is
only available in Instruments view. To select multiple tracks, Control-click
(Windows) or Command-click (Mac) addi-
tional Track Names.
MIDI Mute button

To select a range of tracks, Shift-click the

Track Names bounding the range of tracks
you want selected.
Instruments view, Mix window

192 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Display Page Preferences for
Color Coding for Tracks, Color Coding
Regions, Markers, and Groups
Color Coding options determine how colors are
Separate colors can be assigned to audio and assigned to the display of tracks and regions.
MIDI regions, tracks, markers, and groups. Re-
gions shown in Waveform and Block Views in To change Color Coding options:
the Edit window are drawn in color. Tracks
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
shown in the Track List, Group List, and Mix
and Edit windows have associated color bars. 2 Click the Display tab.

3 Select or deselect the Always Display Marker Col-

Color Bars
ors option.
Color coding at the track level is displayed using
4 Select the MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity op-
color bars, as follows:
tion.
Mix Window Track colors are displayed in hori-
5 Select or deselect the Apply Color Coding to
zontal color bars that appear above each chan-
Track Channel Strip option.
nel strip, and below the track name.
6 Select a Default Track Color Coding option.
Edit Window Track colors are displayed in verti-
cal color bars that appear to the left of each 7 Select a Default Region Color Coding option.

track. 8 Click OK.

Track List Track colors are displayed in vertical

color bars that appear to the left of each track Always Display Marker Colors
name. This option lets you view Marker colors in the
Group List Track colors are displayed in vertical Markers ruler, regardless of the option you
color bars that appear to the left of each Group choose for the Default Region Color Coding op-
Name. tion.

Default colors are automatically assigned to MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity
tracks, but you can override those colors by
choosing from a color palette of 96 possible col- When this option is enabled, MIDI notes display
ors. For more information, see “Color Palette” varying shades of the assigned track color in
on page 195. MIDI notes view in the Edit window and in
MIDI Editor windows. Notes with high veloci-
ties are darker and notes with lower velocities
are lighter.

Chapter 11: Tracks 193

 Default Track Color Coding Groups Assigns a color to each region according
to the Group ID of its track. If groups are sus-
The Default Track Color Coding options determine pended (using the Suspend Groups command)
how colors are assigned to the display of tracks. all regions display black waveforms or MIDI
None Turns off default color assignment for notes on a light gray background.
tracks. Track Color Assigns a region color based on the
Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to color assigned to the track. (See “Color Palette”
each track in the Mix or Edit window according on page 195.)
to its voice assignment or MIDI channel assign- Marker Locations Assigns a unique color to each
ment. marker area in the Marker ruler, including the
Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each area preceding the first marker.
track in the Mix or Edit window according to its Region List Color Assigns a color to each region
voice assignment or MIDI device assignment. based on its color in the Region List. When this
Groups Assigns a color to each track according to Default Region Color Coding option is enabled, the
its Mix or Edit Group ID. If groups are suspended assigned region color is maintained even if the
using the Suspend Groups command, the tracks region is placed in a track set to a different color
color bars are not shown. coding.

Track Type Assigns a color to each track accord- Enabling any Default Region Color Coding
ing to its type (audio, Auxiliary Input, Master option other than Region List Color will
Fader, VCA Master, MIDI, Instrument, or video). override Region List Color and reassign the
parent track color to copies of the region
placed in tracks. Copies of the region in the
Default Region Color Coding
Region List will retain their unique color.
The Default Region Color Coding options deter-
mine how colors are assigned to the display of
tracks, regions in the track playlist and Region
List, and Marker Locations.

None Turns off default color assignment for re-

gions. Regions are drawn as black waveforms or
black MIDI notes on a light gray background.

Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to

each region in the Edit window according to its
voice or MIDI channel assignment.

Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each

region in the Edit window according to its voice
assignment or MIDI device assignment.

194 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Color Palette Default Removes any custom coloring and re-
stores the color to the default color orientation.
The Color Palette lets you make color selections See “Display Page Preferences for Color Coding”
for tracks, regions, groups and markers. on page 193 for more information.

Apply to Selected None Turns off color assignment. Affected re-

Apply to Channel Strip None
Saturation Default gions are drawn with black waveform or MIDI
Brightness notes on light gray background. Affected tracks
and groups no longer show their color bars.

Using the Hold Button

The Color Palette provides a Hold button to sim-

plify the process of assigning the same colors to
Last assigned color Hold multiple items (such as track and regions).
Color Palette window
By default, the Hold button is off. When off, the
The Color Palette supports independent region Color Palette automatically highlights the as-
color coding in the Region List and in tracks. signed color (if any) of items as you select them.

To apply a color from the Color Palette: When the Hold button is enabled, the assigned
color selected in the Color Palette persists and
1 Choose Window > Color Palette.
does not change when a different track or region
2 Do one of the following: is selected.
• In the Apply to Selected pop-up menu, se-
lect the destination for color coding: To use the Hold button to assign the same color to
Tracks, Marker, Group, Regions in Tracks, or multiple items:
Regions in Region List. 1 Click the Hold button to enable it. The Hold

– or – button becomes white, and the currently se-

lected color is now highlighted with a wider
• Select a track, marker, group, track region,
white outline.
or Region List region in the appropriate
Pro Tools window. The Apply to Selected 2 Select additional tracks or regions to which
menu will display the type of item you you want to assign the same color. Because the
have selected. Hold button is enabled, the Color Palette does
not follow item selection; it remains (or
If selecting a marker does not display the “holds”) at the last currently assigned color.
Marker option in the Apply to Selected
pop-up menu, then the Always Display 3 Click the assigned color again to assign it to
Marker Colors option in the Display Prefer- the new selection of tracks or regions. Use the
ences page is deselected. See “Always Dis- Apply to Selected pop-up menu to determine
play Marker Colors” on page 193 for more which selected elements are affected.
information. 4 To turn off Hold and return the Color Palette to
its default mode, click the Hold button until it
3 Select a color from the palette, or select one of
turns off.
the following:

Chapter 11: Tracks 195

 Applying Track Color Coding to Channel Strips

The Color Palette lets you apply the Track color

coding to channel strips in the Mix and Edit
windows.

To apply track color coding to channel strips:

1 Enable the Apply to Channel Strip button.

2 If necessary, adjust the Saturation slider to get

the color saturation you want.

3 If necessary, adjust the Brightness slider.

Color Coding applied to channel strips, Mix window

196 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 12: Grouping Tracks

Edit Groups
Grouping Tracks
Edit Groups affect the following items in the
Pro Tools provides a relative grouping function Edit and MIDI Editor windows:
for linking tracks and their controls.
• Track View
Groups are useful for editing several tracks in ex- • Track Height
actly the same way, or for mixing several tracks • Track Timebase
(such as a pair of stereo tracks or a submix) while • Audio and MIDI editing functions
keeping them at the same relative volume level.
• Automation editing functions
Pro Tools provides the following grouping
features: Mix Groups in Pro Tools HD
• Up to 104 different groups are available, ar- Mix Groups in Pro Tools HD can be set to affect
ranged in 4 banks of 26 Group IDs. the following items:
• Groups can be nested (subgroups within • Main Mute
groups).
• Solo
• Grouped faders or controllers preserve their
• Send Level
levels relative to each other.
• Send Mute
• Groups are assignable to an available VCA
Master track (Pro Tools HD only). • Main Volume
• Main Pan
You can also group regions into region • Main LFE Level
groups. See “Region Groups” on page 743.
• Record Enable
• Input Monitoring
Mix Groups, Edit Groups, and
• Automation Mode
Mix/Edit Groups
• Send Pan
Mix Groups only affect mixing functions and • Send LFE Level
Edit Groups only affect editing. Mix/Edit
• Plug-in Controls
Groups link the grouping functions of the Mix
• Plug-in Bypass
Group and the Edit Group.

Chapter 12: Grouping Tracks 197

 Linking Mix and Edit Groupings
In Pro Tools HD, when the Main Pan
attribute is enabled for groups, grouped The Link Mix and Edit Group Enables option links
behavior applies to the Link, Front inverse, group enabling between the Mix and Edit win-
Rear inverse and Front/Rear inverse controls dows.
in stereo and multichannel panner windows.
Pro Tools allows you to create groups that are
Mix Groups in Pro Tools LE both Mix and Edit Groups, but in some cases you
may prefer not to link enabling of Mix and Edit
Mix Groups in Pro Tools LE always affect the fol- Groups. For example, when you are using the
lowing: Mix window for mixing, you may prefer to work
• Main volume with large, nested groups. However, in the Edit
• Automation mode window or a MIDI Editor window, you may
want to perform editing tasks within a smaller
Mix Groups in Pro Tools LE can also be set to af- group. Disabling the Link Mix and Edit Group En-
fect the following: ables preference lets you work with different
• Main Mute groups in the two windows.
• Solo
• Send Level To unlink Mix and Edit Groups:

• Send Mute 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Mix-
ing tab.
Grouping Limitations 2 Deselect the Link Mix and Edit Group Enables
option.
Grouping does not affect these parameters:
• Voice assignment 3 Click OK.
• Output assignment
• Inserting plug-ins Mix Groups and VCA Masters
• Elastic Audio plug-ins (Pro Tools HD Only)

An existing Mix Group can be assigned to a VCA

Selectable Group Attributes Master, or a new Mix Group can be assigned to a
You can select which parameters, or attributes, VCA Master while it is being created. Only one
are linked in groups by the following methods: group can be assigned to a VCA Master at a time.
A VCA Master cannot control a group that in-
• By making the group an Edit Group, a Mix
cludes itself.
Group, or both (Mix/Edit Group).
• With Mix and Mix/Edit Groups, by selecting For information on assigning groups to
from a list of attributes for the group. VCA Masters, see “Assigning Groups to
VCA Masters” on page 834.
• With Mix Groups in Pro Tools HD only, by
choosing whether the selected attributes ap-
ply globally to all groups or to individual
groups.

198 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Show/Hide Track List/Group List View
Group Controls Button
Menus and commands for creating and modify-
To show the Group List (and Track List):
ing groups are accessible in the following:
• Group List „ Click the Show/Hide Track List/Group List

• Group name in the Group List View button in the Mix, Edit, or MIDI Editor
window.
• Group ID indicator on a track
• Track > Group menu
Group ID
To the left of each name in the Group List is a
The Group List
letter denoting its Group ID (“a” through “z”).
The Pro Tools track grouping functions are lo-
cated at the left side of the Mix, Edit, and MIDI Group Symbols
Editor windows in the Group List. This scrolling
window contains the names of all the groups in To the left of each Group ID (“a” through “z”) is
your session, as well as a pop-up menu for ac- a symbol indicating whether that group is se-
cessing grouping commands. From this menu, lected in the current window (either the Mix or
you can select and enable groups. Edit window). There are three types of Group
symbols, as shown in the following figure:
By default, every session has a group named All,
which includes every track in the session. The
All group cannot be edited or deleted. Hollow Circle

Group List menu Filled In Circle

Click to
select a
group by
typing its Circle with a Dot
letter
Click to
select group Click to Groups Symbols
members activate a
on-screen group The Group symbols indicate the following:

Filled-in Circle Indicates that all members of the

group are currently selected, and no members
from outside the group are selected
Colors Group IDs Show/Hide
Group List
Hollow Circle Indicates that only some members
of the group are currently selected
Group List
Circle with a Dot Indicates that all members of
the group are currently selected, plus additional
members outside the group

Chapter 12: Grouping Tracks 199

 Group List Menu Duplicate Opens Group dialog for duplicated
group.
The pop-up menu at the top of the Group List
provides the following commands: Delete Deletes a single group.

New Group Executes the Track > Group com- Select Tracks in Group Selects tracks in the
mand. group.

Display Provides commands to show Edit groups Show/Hide Tracks in Group Shows or hides
only, Mix groups only, or all groups (Edit, Mix, tracks in the current group.
and Mix/Edit).
Show Only Tracks in Group Shows only the tracks
Suspend All Groups Suspends group behavior for in the group and hides all other tracks.
all Mix and Edit groups.
Show All Tracks Shows all tracks in the session.
Modify Groups Opens Group dialog to modify
existing groups only.

Delete Active Groups Deletes only currently ac-

tive groups.

Group Name pop-up menu

Group List menu

Group Name and Track Group ID

Indicator Pop-Up Menus
When you click and hold on a group name in
the Group List (or Right-click), or click a Group
ID indicator in a track, a pop-up menu provides
the following commands: Group ID indicator pop-up menu

Tracks Displays track membership in group.

Attributes Displays attributes of group.

Modify Opens Group dialog to modify existing

groups only.

200 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Group Dialog Group Dialog in Pro Tools LE
Whether you are creating or modifying groups In Pro Tools LE, the Group dialog has a single
with the Group List, a tracks’s Group ID indica- page.
tor, or the Track > Group menu command, you
use the Groups dialog.

The Group dialog lets you create new groups

and assign attributes to groups.

Group Dialog in Pro Tools HD

In Pro Tools HD, the Group dialog has three
pages:

Tracks Lets you add and remove tracks from the

current group.

Attributes Lets you select which parameters are

linked for the current Mix or Mix/Edit Group.

Globals Lets you select parameters to use as a

template that can be applied to individual
groups by selecting the Follow Globals option.
Group dialog (Pro Tools LE)

Working with Groups

Creating Groups
You can select the tracks you want to add to a
group before creating it, or add and remove
tracks from a group after it has been created.

Creating Groups in Pro Tools HD

To create a group in Pro Tools HD:

1 Select the tracks you want to include in the
group. (If you do not select tracks at this time,
you can add tracks later.)

Group dialog (Pro Tools HD)

Chapter 12: Grouping Tracks 201

 2 Do one of the following: 6 Click Tracks in the Group dialog, and do any
• Choose Track > Group. of the following:

– or – • To add the tracks that are currently selected

in the session to the group, click the Add
• Choose New Group from the Group List
button at the bottom of the Group dialog.
menu.
• To add tracks to the group, select the track
3 Type a name for the group. names in the Available track list, and click
4 Select the type of group to create: Edit, Mix, or
Add or press A on the computer keyboard.
Mix/Edit. • To remove tracks from the group, select the
track names in the Currently In Group list,
and click Remove or press R on the com-
puter keyboard.
• Double-click track names in either list to
move them to the opposite column.
• To replace all tracks in the group with the
tracks that are currently selected in the ses-
Selecting a Group Type sion, click the Replace button at the bot-
5 Choose a Group ID from the ID pop-up menu. tom of the Group dialog.
Four banks of 26 are available: a–z, 2a–z, 3a–z,
4a–z. (If you do not choose a Group ID,
Pro Tools automatically assigns the next avail-
able ID to a new group.)

Selecting track names to add to a group

In either list, Shift-click to select a range of

Choosing a Group ID
track names. Control-click (Windows) or
Command-click (Mac) to select discontigu-
ous track names.

202 Pro Tools Reference Guide

7 If the group is a Mix Group or a Mix/Edit 6 Do any of the following:
Group, do the following: • To add the tracks that are currently selected
• Set the Attributes for the Group (see “Set- in the session to the group, click the Add
ting Group Attributes” on page 205). button at the bottom of the Group dialog.
• If you want to assign the group to an avail- • To add tracks to the group, select the track
able VCA, select the VCA Master track from names in the Available track list, and click
the VCA pop-up menu. Add or press A on the computer keyboard.
• To remove tracks from the group, select the
track names in the Currently In Group list,
and click Remove or press R on the com-
puter keyboard.
• Double-click track names in either list to
move them to the opposite column.
• To replace all tracks in the group with the
tracks that are currently selected in the ses-
sion, click the Replace button at the bot-
Choosing a VCA track to control a group tom of the Group dialog.

8 Click OK. In either list, Shift-click to select a range of

track names. Control-click (Windows) or
Creating Groups in Pro Tools LE Command-click (Mac) to select discontigu-
ous track names.
To create a group in Pro Tools LE:
7 Select the items to be Linked Within Groups
1 Select the tracks you want to include in the
(Mutes, Solos, Send Mute, Send Levels).
group. (If you do not select tracks at this time,
you can add tracks later.)

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Track > Group.
Linked Within Groups options (Pro Tools LE)
– or –
8 Click OK.
• Choose New Group from the Group List
menu.

3 Type a name for the group.

4 Select the type of group to create: Edit, Mix, or

Mix/Edit.

5 Choose a Group ID from the ID pop-up menu.

Four banks of 26 are available: a–z, 2a–z, 3a–z,
4a–z. (If you do not choose a Group ID,
Pro Tools automatically assigns the next avail-
able ID to a new group.)

Chapter 12: Grouping Tracks 203

 Modifying Groups

To modify a group:
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Modify Groups from the Group List
menu.
• In the Mix window, click the Group ID in-
dicator on a track and choose Modify from
the pop-up menu.
• Right-click the Group name in the Group
List and choose Modify from the pop-up
menu.

2 In the Groups dialog, choose the group you

want to modify from the ID pop-up menu.

3 Change any of the following for the current

group:
• Group name
• Group type (Edit, Mix, or Mix/Edit)
• VCA status (Pro Tools HD only) Modify ALL Group dialog
• Follows Global status (Pro Tools HD only)
3 For Mix or Mix/Edit Groups, you can change
• Track membership
any of the following:
• Attributes (Pro Tools HD only)
• Follows Global status
• Linked Within Group items (Pro Tools LE
• Attributes
only)
4 Click OK.
4 Click OK.

To modify the settings for the “All” group in

To modify the settings for the “All” group in Pro Tools LE:
Pro Tools HD:
1 Right-click the “All” group name in the Group
1 Right-click the “All” group name in the Group
List and choose Modify from the pop-up menu.
List and choose Modify from the pop-up menu.
2 In the Group dialog, select Edit, Mix, or
2 In the Group dialog, select Edit, Mix, or
Mix/Edit to change the settings for the “All”
Mix/Edit to change the settings for the “All”
group. If you select Edit only or Mix only, the
group. If you select Edit only or Mix only, the
“All” group will apply only to that Group type.
“All” group will apply only to that Group type.

204 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Duplicating Groups
You can duplicate a group and modify its set-
tings in order to quickly set up a mix.

To duplicate a group:
1 Do one of the following:

Modify ALL Group dialog

• Click the Group ID indicator on a track and
choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu.
3 For Mix or Mix/Edit groups, you can change
– or –
any of the following Linked Within Groups op-
tions: • Right-click the Group name in the Group
List and choose Duplicate from the pop-up
• Mutes
menu.
• Solos
• Send Mutes 2 Change any of the following for the current
group:
• Send Levels
• Group name
4 Click OK.
• Group type (Edit, Mix, or Mix/Edit)
• VCA status (Pro Tools HD only)
Deleting Groups • Follows Global status (Pro Tools HD only)
One or all groups can be deleted at a time. • Track membership
• Attributes (Pro Tools HD only)
Deleting a group cannot be undone.
• Linked Within Group items (Pro Tools LE
To delete a single group, do one of the following: only)

„ In the Mix window, click the Group ID indica- 3 Click OK.

tor on a track and choose Delete from the pop-
up menu.
– or – Setting Group Attributes
„ Right-click the Group name in the Group List (Pro Tools HD Only)
and choose Delete from the pop-up menu.
When creating a Mix Group or a Mix/Edit
Group, you can select the Mix window parame-
To delete all currently active groups
ters that will be linked for that group. These
„ Choose Delete Active Groups from the Group linked parameters are the attributes of the group.
List menu.
You can select attributes in the Globals page and
The “All” group cannot be deleted. then set individual groups to follow the Global
settings, or you can select attributes for groups
individually.

Chapter 12: Grouping Tracks 205

 To select attributes in the Global page: To select attributes for an individual group:
1 While creating or modifying a group, click 1 While creating or modifying a Mix Group or a
Globals in the Group dialog. Mix/Edit Group, do one of the following:
• Click Attributes in the Group dialog, and
select the attributes you want to link.
– or –
• Enable Follow Globals to follow the base set
of attributes. The Attributes page grays out
to indicate that the group is following the
selections in the Globals page.

For information on selecting attributes, see

“Selecting Group Attributes” on page 207.

2 Click OK to save the settings.

Globals page of Group dialog

2 Select the base set of attributes for groups in

your session.

3 Click OK to save the group and the new Glo-

bals settings.

For information on selecting attributes, see

“Selecting Group Attributes” on page 207.

Attributes page of Group dialog

206 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Selecting Group Attributes „ To select or deselect attributes for a single con-

trol across all Sends, all Inserts, or for the four

The following attributes can be selected for Glo- track controls (down a column), Alt-click (Win-
bal settings and for individual groups. dows) or Option-click (Mac) any attribute in
that column.
Track controls:
• Main Volume
• Main Mute Saving Group Attribute Presets
• Main Pan You can define six Group presets that can be re-
• Main LFE Level called on either the Attributes or Globals page
• Record Enable whenever you are creating or modifying a Mix
• Input Monitoring or Mix/Edit Group.

• Solo
To save the current attribute settings as a Group
• Automation Mode preset:

Send controls (Sends A–J): 1 In the Groups dialog, click Save. (Follow Glo-
• Send Level bals must be unchecked to save a setting from
the Attributes page.)
• Send Mute
• Send Pan
• Send LFE Level

Insert controls (Inserts A–J):

Saving a Group preset
• Plug-in Controls
2 In the Save Group Settings dialog, select one
• Insert Bypass
of the six preset locations from the Location pop-
up menu, and click Save.
To select the attributes for a group, do any of the
following:
„ Select individual attributes by clicking their
checkboxes.

„ To select or deselect all attributes, Alt-Shift-

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

attribute.
Selecting a Group Settings Location
„ To select or deselect all attributes for a single
Send or Insert (across a row), Start-click (Win- To save the current attribute settings
dows) or Control-click (Mac) any attribute in directly to a preset location, Control-click
that row. (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the
preset button.

Chapter 12: Grouping Tracks 207

 To recall a Group preset: Keyboard Selection of Groups
„ Click the corresponding Preset button (1–6) in The Group List Keyboard Focus lets you type a
the Groups dialog. (Follow Globals must be un- Group ID letter to automatically toggle that
checked to recall a setting in the Attributes group’s enable status.
page.)
‹ In the Mix window, the Group List Keyboard
Focus is always enabled.
‹ In the Edit window, you need to enable the
Group List Keyboard Focus to use it.
Recalling a Group preset
To enable the Edit Group List Keyboard Focus, do
one of the following:
Enabling Groups „ Click the Keyboard Focus button in upper

Editing operations are not applied to members right of the Edit Group List.
of a group that are hidden with the Track List. – or –
Mix operations (with the exception of record-
„ Press Control+Alt+3 (Windows) or Com-
enabling of tracks) are applied to hidden tracks.
mand+Option+3 (Mac).
Pro Tools lets you create separate groups for ed-
iting and mixing. You set this option when you
use the New Group command. Groups that apply Keyboard Focus enabled

to both editing and mixing can be decoupled.

To enable a group:
„ In the Group List, click the name of the group

you want to enable. The name is highlighted to

indicate that it is enabled.
Group List Keyboard Focus enabled
To enable additional groups, click their names
To enable and disable groups using the Edit and
in the Group List. Mix Group List Keyboard Focus:

Moving a fader of a group member causes all „ With Group List Keyboard Focus enabled,

other group members to move relative to it. If a type the Group ID letter (a–z) to automatically
fader belongs to multiple groups, and the groups enable or disable the corresponding group.
conflict when faders are moved, the fader will
follow the top-most or “parent” group to which
it belongs.

To disable a group:
„ In the Group List, click the name of the group

you want to disable. The name is unhighlighted

to indicate that it is not enabled.

208 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Temporarily Isolating Control of an
Item from Group Operation Grouped Control Offsets
You can temporarily isolate control of a group When the following controls are grouped with
item from group operation by Right-clicking on offsets and moved to their extremes, relative off-
the item. sets are preserved when the controls are moved
back from their extremes:
You can also temporarily suspend group • Main Volume
behavior for a track by Start-clicking • Main Pan (Pro Tools HD only)
(Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac) a
• Send Level
group function.
• Send Pan
The following items can be isolated from group
For example, when a grouped Volume fader is
operation:
moved to its maximum value, any other faders
• Pan slider (Pro Tools HD only)
in that group that had higher values will re-
• Channel Record Enable (Pro Tools HD member their relative offset whenever the first
only) fader is pulled down again.
• Channel TrackInput (Pro Tools HD only)
In Automation views, this “overflow” is indi-
• Send Pan slider
cated on the automation playlist by blue auto-
• Channel Volume fader
mation breakpoints at the extremes of the auto-
• Channel Pan slider mation playlist.
• Channel Mute button
• Channel Solo button
Setting Group Pan Controls to
• Channel Record Enable button Ignore Offsets
• Channel TrackInput button
By default, offsets are preserved for grouped pan
• Send fader
controls. In some workflows, it is desirable to
• Send Pan slider have grouped pan controls match absolute val-
ues rather than preserve offsets.

To set grouped pan controls to ignore offsets:

1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Mix-
ing tab.

2 Select the Use Absolute Pan Linking option.

When this option is enabled, grouped pan con-

trols will snap to the absolute value of the pan
control that is being adjusted.

Chapter 12: Grouping Tracks 209

210 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 13: The Region List

The Edit Window displays all audio regions,

MIDI regions, and region groups in a single, Use the Region List as a bin for storing your
comprehensive Region List. favorite audio loops and MIDI clips. Save
the session as a template and the regions are
All regions of all types that are recorded, im- available for future sessions (see “Session
ported, or created by editing appear in the Re- Templates” on page 123).
gion List. Items can be dragged from the list to
tracks and arranged in any order. You can also
preview audio and MIDI regions and region Region List Menu
groups in the Region List.
The Region List menu provides tools to search,
Drag to resize width Keyboard Focus select, sort, export, clear, and manage items in
of Region List
Region List menu the Region List.

To access the Region List menu:

„ In the Edit window, click the Region List

menu.

Click Show/Hide Region List Region List menu

button to hide Region List

Figure 8. Region List

Chapter 13: The Region List 211

 Displaying Regions in the Region List In the Region List, whole-file audio regions are
displayed in bold, and stereo and multichannel
The Region List can show all region types (au- audio regions can be expanded to display indi-
dio, MIDI, video, Groups, Auto-Created), or vidual channels.
only certain region types. This is useful for iso-
lating the type of regions you want to work with Because region names can become lengthy, the
while editing and arranging. For example, when Region List can be scrolled or resized as neces-
arranging region groups, you may want the Re- sary (see Figure 8 on page 211).
gion List to show only region groups.
If the Region List Selection Follows Edit Selection
option is enabled in the Editing preferences, se-
To show or hide certain types of regions in the
Region List: lecting a region or region group in the Region
List selects it on any track where it is present in
„ Click the Region List menu (at the top of the
assigned playlists. Likewise, selecting a region or
Region List) and choose Show. From the sub-
region group on a track selects it in the Region
menu, select or deselect the region type you
List.
want to show or hide.

Audio Shows or hides audio regions in the Re- Displaying File Info for Audio Regions
gion List.
In addition to region names, the Region List can
MIDI Shows or hides MIDI regions in the Region also display information about the region’s
List. color coding, type (audio, MIDI, and region
group), timebase, Elastic Audio processing, and
Video Shows or hides video regions in the Re- parent file:
gion List.
Color Displays Track Color Coding as assigned
Groups Shows or hides region groups in the Re- with Default Region Color Coding option in
gion List. Display Preferences page, or as assigned in the
Color Palette.
Auto-Created Shows or hides automatically-cre-
ated regions (of all types) in the Region List. Icon Displays the icon for audio and MIDI re-
These are regions that were created as a by-prod- gions, and region groups.
uct of cutting, pasting, and separating other re-
gions. Since these auto-created regions can be- Timebase Displays the timebase (samples or
come numerous, hiding them (by deselecting ticks) for audio and MIDI regions, and region
the option) helps you to avoid scrolling through groups.
an unnecessarily long Region List.
Warp Indicator Displays the Warp Indicator icon
Hiding Auto-Created regions can be useful if Elastic Audio processing has been applied to
when importing region groups (or REX files the region.
as region groups), because these file types
File Name Displays the parent file name.
can contain so many separate regions that it
becomes difficult to read the Region List. Disk Name Displays the name of the hard drive
on which referenced file resides.

212 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Full Path Displays the full directory path of the Sorting Regions
region’s parent file.
To sort regions in the Region List:
Channel Name Displays the channel name for
audio files imported from field recorders. 1 Click the Region List menu (at the top of the
Region List) and choose Sort By.
Scene and Take Displays the scene and take for
2 From the submenu, select a basis for sorting.
audio files imported from field recorders.
Different options are available for audio and
MIDI regions. See “Sort By Options” on
page 213.

3 To set whether regions are listed in ascending

or descending order, click the Region List menu,
choose Sort By, and select Ascending or Descend-
ing.

Sort By Options
Regions with file information shown in the Region List
The Sort By options let you sort regions to help
Pro Tools displays only the region name in the
keep track of large numbers of regions.
Region List by default.
Audio regions can be sorted by:
When editing, the Region List can become
• Region Type
cluttered with auto-created regions. You can
• Name
hide auto-created regions by choosing Show
in the Region List menu, and deselecting • Length
Auto-Created. • Original Time Stamp
• User Time Stamp
• Timebase
Sorting and Searching in the • Start in Parent
Region List • End in Parent
Most sessions will contain many regions, which • File Name
can make it challenging to swiftly locate a par- • File Length
ticular region in the Region List. Pro Tools lets • File Creation Date
you sort and search regions in the Region List to • File Modification Date
quickly locate any region you want.
• Disk Name (audio and region groups only
• Track Format/Width
• By Channel Name
• By Scene and Take

Chapter 13: The Region List 213

 MIDI regions can be sorted by: 2 In the Find Regions dialog, do any of the fol-
• Name, Length lowing:
• Original Time Stamp • Select By Name and type the name, or any
• User Time Stamp portion of the name, for regions you want
to find. The search string appears at the top
• Timebase
of the Region List.
• Start in Parent
• Select Include Subsequently Added Regions
• End in Parent. to limit the display to newly added regions.
Regions can also be sorted by Region Type (Audio A plus (+) sign appears at the top of the Re-
and MIDI), or in Ascending or Descending order. gion List to indicate this option is selected.
• Select both options to start with a list of
Finding Regions named regions and allow display of added
regions.
Use the Find command to display all regions in
a list whose names contain a particular word or
phrase.

To find and display regions in the Region List:

1 Do one of the following:
• Click the Region List menu and choose
Find.
– or –
• Press Control+Shift+F (Windows) or Com- Found Regions in the Region List
mand+Shift+F (Mac).
Regions of any type whose name match the
word or phrase you searched are displayed in the
Region List. The search string is displayed at the
top of the Region List in brackets.

Text entered into the Find dialog is saved in

a Find History, letting you quickly repeat
previous searches with a minimum of retyp-
Find Regions dialog
ing.

3 Click OK.

214 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To repeat a previous search:
1 Click the Region List menu, and choose Find.

2 Click the small arrow to the right of the text

field in the Find dialog and select a text string
from the Find History pop-up menu.

Region List while searching

4 Type another entry and choose Insert Entry

again to add additional search strings to the his-
tory.

To remove an entry from the history:

An example of a Find history 1 Select it from the Find History pop-up menu so
The Find History is saved with the session. it is displayed in the text field.

2 Choose Remove Entry from the Find History

In addition to storing each text string previously
pop-up menu.
entered, you can insert multiple entries into the
Find History manually (without having to per-
To clear the Find History:
form each Find in order to store words or
phrases). „ Choose Remove All Entries from the Find History
pop-up menu.
To compile a Find History without performing each
search:
1 Click the Region List menu, and choose Find.

2 Type the name, or any portion of the name,

for the regions you want to find.

3 Click and hold the double arrow to the right

of the text field in the Find dialog and choose
Insert Entry from the pop-up menu.

Chapter 13: The Region List 215

 To select or deselect a range of regions with the
Selecting Regions in the Marquee:
Region List 1 Move the cursor to the left of the region name

In the Region List, you can select regions so they until the Marquee icon with a small “+” symbol
can be dragged to tracks, processed with Audio- appears:
Suite plug-ins, or exported. • To select regions, the Marquee should be to
the left of an unhighlighted region name.
To select or deselect a region in the Region List, • To deselect regions, the Marquee should be
do the following: to the left of a highlighted region name.
„ Click a region name that is unhighlighted to 2 Click on the region name and drag up or
select it. down (to select or deselect regions immediately
– or – above or below the region name).

„ Click a region name that is highlighted to de- To select multiple noncontiguous regions in
select it. the Region List, press and hold Control
(Windows) or Command (Mac) when mak-
To select a range of regions in the Region List, do ing subsequent selections.
one of the following:
To select or deselect noncontiguous regions, do
„ Move the cursor to the left of the region
one of the following:
names, so the Marquee appears, and drag
around the regions you want to select. „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) region names that are unhighlighted to

select them.
– or –

„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) region names that are highlighted to de-

select them.

Regions selected with Marquee

Keyboard Selection of Regions
– or –
If Region List Keyboard Focus is enabled, you
„ Click the name of a region in the Region List, can type the first few letters of a region’s name
and Shift-click an additional region name. and Pro Tools will automatically locate and se-
lect the region in the Region List.
All regions that occur between the first region
selected and the additional region will also be
selected.

216 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To enable and use the Region List Keyboard Focus: Unused Except Whole Files Selects regions that
have not been placed in a track in the current
1 Click the Keyboard Focus button in the upper
session, but do not include Whole-file regions.
right of the Region List.
Whole-file regions are regions that were created
when recording or importing audio, consolidat-
ing existing regions, and when nondestructively
Keyboard Focus
processing with an AudioSuite plug-in. Whole-
file audio regions reference an entire audio file
that resides on your hard drive. Whole-file audio
regions are displayed in bold in the Region List

Region List Keyboard Focus enabled Offline Selects regions whose parent files cannot
2 Type the first or first few letters of the region be located, or are not available, when opening a
to automatically locate and select it. Once a re- session or importing a track. Offline regions ap-
gion is located and selected, it can be dragged to pear in the Region List as italicized and dimmed;
a track. they appear in playlists as light blue regions
with italicized names.
Keyboard selection of audio regions locates re-
gions based on their region name, not on the
names for their parent audio files or the volumes
on which they reside.
Previewing Regions in the
Region List
Select Options You can preview audio and MIDI regions and re-
gion groups in the Region List. Previewing fol-
In the Region List, you can select specific regions lows the master Audition path as selected in the
so they can be dragged to tracks, processed with Output page of the I/O Setup. The base level for
AudioSuite plug-ins, or exported. previewing is determined by the Master Fader
(or Auxiliary Input) level assigned to the Audi-
To select specific regions in the Region List: tion path.
„ From the Region List menu, choose Select,

and then choose one of the Select options: The Preview Volume control in the Import
Audio dialog also affects the preview
All Selects all regions in the Region List. volume when auditioning regions in the
Region List.
Unused Selects regions that have not been
placed in a track in the current session. Offline To preview a region in the Region List:
regions appear in the Region List italicized and
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the
dimmed.
region name.

Audio regions and region groups play back

through the specified Audition Path (see “Audi-
tion Paths” on page 75).

Chapter 13: The Region List 217

 Sample-based regions play back at their native To audition through all channels of the main
tempo. Tick-based MIDI and Elastic Audio pro- audition path:
cessed regions play back at the session tempo „ Shift-Alt-click (Windows) or Shift-Option-
(based on the location of the playback cursor). click (Mac) on the signal in the Region List.
You can also preview regions from the Region
List during session playback.

MIDI regions play back using the Default Thru Stereo and Multichannel
Instrument selected in the MIDI Preferences Regions in the Region List
page (see “The Default Thru Instrument” on
page 391). Stereo and multichannel regions, whether im-
ported or recorded into Pro Tools, are displayed
Auditioning Discrete Signals in as single items in the Region List. For example,
Multichannel Items two mono source regions named “Main Pi-
ano.L” and “Main Piano.R” are listed as “Main
In the Region List, multichannel regions are au- Piano (Stereo).” An expand/collapse triangle in-
ditioned through the Audition Path specified in dicates stereo and multichannel regions.
the I/O Setup. Signals can be auditioned “in-
place,” or through all outputs, as described be- Stereo and multichannel regions are displayed
low. in the Region List by default in collapsed view.
The individual regions can be displayed by click-
Audition In-Place ing the arrow to the left of the region to expand
the name.
When auditioning a mono component of a
mono component region, the mono region can
be played from the corresponding channel of its Expand/collapse
triangles
parent mono component region. This playback
method is called audition in-place.

To audition in-place:
Stereo regions, expanded (top) and collapsed (bottom)
1 In the Region List, make sure the stereo or
multichannel region is in expanded view (show- To expand or collapse all stereo and multichannel
ing .L, .R, and other component channels). regions:

2 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the „ Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while

region for the channel you want to audition. clicking the expand/collapse triangle.

Individual items of an expanded-view stereo or

Audition to All Outputs
multichannel region can be selected indepen-
When auditioning a mono component of a dently of the other associated regions in the Re-
mono component region, the region can be gion List.
routed equally to all outputs of the parent re-
gion’s Audition Path.

218 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Rules for Stereo and Multichannel You can also rename a region in a track using
Regions the Rename command in the Region List menu
or the Right-click menu.
For stereo and multichannel audio regions to be
shown as collective regions, the component re-
To rename one or more regions from the Region
gions must be the same length. If an existing ste- List:
reo or multichannel region has been dragged
1 If you will be renaming an auto-created re-
onto multiple mono tracks and edited such a
gion, select Show > Auto-Created from the Region
way that one or more components are no longer
List menu.
the same length, the stereo display is removed
and the regions are displayed as individual re- 2 Select one or more regions to be renamed in
gions in the Region List. the Region List.

If the Region List Selection Follows Edit Se-

lection option in the Editing Preferences
Naming and Displaying page is enabled, you can highlight a region
Regions in the Region List in the Region List by selecting it in a track.
A typical session can become cluttered with doz- 3 Do one of the following:
ens of tracks and hundreds of regions. There are
• From the Region List menu, choose Re-
a number of things you can do to keep track of
name.
and manage a session’s regions, including:
• Renaming existing regions – or –

• Specifying how auto-created regions are • Right-click on any selected region and se-
named lect Rename from the pop-up menu.

• Hiding auto-created regions 4 In the Name dialog, type a new name for the
• Removing unused regions region. If a whole-file audio region was selected,
specify whether to rename just the region, or
both the region and the disk file.
Renaming Regions
In the course of a session you can rename re-
gions to give them more descriptive names, or
to shorten or simplify existing names. When re-
naming a region that was auto-created during
editing, the region becomes a user-defined re-
gion and is displayed in the Region List even
when auto-created regions are hidden.
Name dialog
If a region resides in a track, you can easily re-
5 Click OK to rename the region. If renaming
name it by double-clicking it with one of the
multiple regions, you are prompted, succes-
Grabber tools. However, if the region does not
sively, to rename each region.
reside in a track, or if you want to rename sev-
eral regions, use the Rename command in the
Region List.

Chapter 13: The Region List 219

 Auto-Naming Options
Managing Regions in the
You can specify the auto-naming options for a Region List
region when new regions are created from it in
the course of editing. In the course of editing a session, the Region List
can quickly fill up with many regions—with
Auto-naming of regions does not affect the ones you have created intentionally and also
names of parent audio files. Instead, it stores with those that are automatically created by cut-
pointers to the regions within the parent source ting, pasting, and separating other regions, or
file. importing Region Group files (or REX files as re-
gion groups). Pro Tools lets you hide or remove
To set auto-naming options for a region: regions in your session so you do not have to
1 Select a region in the Region List. scroll through a long Region List.

2 Choose Auto Rename from the Region List

Hiding Auto-Created Regions
menu.
You can hide regions that were automatically
3 In the Rename Regions dialog, enter the text
created during the course of editing.
to be used when naming regions created from
the selected region.
To hide auto-created regions:
„ From the Region List menu, deselect Show >
Auto-Created. With this option deselected, only
user-defined regions appear in the Region List.

User-defined regions include:

• Whole-file regions
• Regions created during recording
Rename Selected Regions dialog
• Imported regions
Name Determines the root name for the auto- • Renamed regions
created regions.
• Regions created as a result of AudioSuite
Number Sets the start number for the sequen- processing
tially numbered new regions. • New regions created with the Region > Cap-
ture command or the Edit > Separate Region
Zeros Determines the number of zeros that oc- commands
cur before the auto numbers.
• Regions created by trimming whole-file au-
Suffix Specifies text to be appended to the end of dio regions
the name, following the auto numbering.

4 Click OK.

220 Pro Tools Reference Guide

When auto-created regions are hidden, 3 In the Clear Audio dialog, do one of the fol-
Pro Tools warns you if the number of auto-cre- lowing:
ated regions exceeds a certain threshold, and • Click Remove to remove the unused regions
gives you the option of deleting them. If you from the session.
choose to delete them, all auto-created regions
– or –
are deleted at the same time.
• If clearing a whole-file audio region and
To ensure that you keep any specific auto-cre- you want to permanently remove the au-
ated regions, rename them. When you name a dio file from your hard drive, click Delete.
region, it is promoted from being an auto-cre-
ated region to a user-defined region (see “Re-
naming Regions” on page 219).

Removing Unwanted Regions

In the Region List, you can select unwanted re-
gions and then use the Clear command to re- Clear Selected dialog (audio regions)
move them from the session, whole-file regions
When deleting audio files for multiple regions,
can also be permanently removed from the hard
Pro Tools presents a warning dialog for each au-
drive on which they are stored.
dio file.
The Clear command cannot be undone.
To bypass repeated warning dialogs:
To find and remove unused regions in a session: „ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

1 Do any of the following: Delete button in the Clear dialog. This perma-
• For MIDI regions, from the Region List nently deletes each successive audio file from
menu, choose Select > Unused. your hard drive (for each of the unused regions)
without any further warning.
– or –
• For audio regions, from the Region List Use this “power delete mode” with caution:
menu, choose Select, then choose Unused, Deletion of these files cannot be undone.
Unused Except Whole Files, or Offline (as ap-
propriate).

2 After all unused regions are selected, choose

Clear from the Region List menu.

Chapter 13: The Region List 221

 Region Name Right-Click
Commands
When you Right-click a region name in the Re-
gion List, a pop-up menu provides access to the
following commands:

Clear Removes selected regions from the ses-

sion.

Rename Renames selected regions.

Time Stamp Redefines the time stamp of se-

lected regions.

Replace Region (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE

with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2
Only) Replaces multiple instances of a region
with another region.

Compact Compacts selected regions.

Export Region Definitions Exports definitions for

selected regions.

Export Regions as Files Exports selected regions

as files.

Recalculate Waveform Overviews Redraws wave-

forms for selected regions.

Select Parent in Workspace Highlights the par-

ent file of selected region in the DigiBase Work-
space Browser.

Object Select in Edit Window Selects region as an

object in the Edit window.

222 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 14: DigiBase

DigiBase and DigiBase Pro (Pro Tools HD and

Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit DigiBase Elements
or DV Toolkit 2 only) combine an intuitive,
Figure 9 shows the various elements of DigiBase.
browser-style interface with an integrated da-
Arrows show how files can be moved between
tabasing engine, optimized for Pro Tools data
the elements.
and media management.
For information on dragging and dropping
DigiBase browsers provide extensive databasing
files from DigiBase browsers to your
tools for searching, sorting, auditioning, and
Pro Tools session, see “Importing Files with
importing of audio, MIDI, video, plug-in set-
Drag and Drop” on page 280.
tings (.txf), and session files. Multiple browsers
can be displayed and arranged, with custom dis-
play settings provided to optimize your work
environment.

Workspace browser

Volume browsers Catalogs

(DigiBase Pro only)

Pro Tools
session Project browser

Relink window Task window

Figure 9. Data flow between a Pro Tools session and DigiBase browsers

Chapter 14: DigiBase 223

 DigiBase Browsers The main elements of a DigiBase browser (see
Figure 10) include the following.
DigiBase databases are accessed through Digi-
Base browsers (see Figure 10). Browsers provide Title Bar Shows the browser type (Work-space,
an intuitive user interface to DigiBase databases Volume, Project or Catalog), and the name of its
with many convenient features for various file associated volume, session or catalog.
management tasks (such as search and sort
Toolbar Provides the Browser menu, Search icon,
functions).
View Presets (numbered 1–5), and browser nav-
Browsers in Pro Tools are analogous to windows igation tools.
in your computer’s operating system, but are
Items List Displays the contents of a volume,
specifically designed for Pro Tools workflow.
folder, session, or Catalog database.
Multiple browsers can be displayed simulta-
neously, and arranged independently with cus- Columns Identifies the type of metadata dis-
tom display settings for each. played in the items list (such as file name and
format) for volumes, folders, and files in the
Browsers let you search and sort audio files,
Items List.
video files, and sessions. Audio, video, and ses-
sion files displayed in browsers can be dragged • Columns can be resized by dragging the
directly into the current Pro Tools session. column border, or rearranged by dragging
the Column headers.
When offline items are needed, Pro Tools lets • Columns can be dragged to either of two
you find the correct matching files, then relink available panes, the Fixed or Scrolling
to online media. panes.

TItle bar
Toolbar
Column
headers

Items
List

Fixed pane Show/Hide Scrolling pane

Pane split

Figure 10. Main elements of a DigiBase browser (Volume browser shown).

224 Pro Tools Reference Guide

There are three types of Pro Tools browsers Volume Browsers
available on all supported systems:
Volume browsers provide file management for
• The Workspace browser
local and network volumes. Volumes are format-
• Volume browsers ted partitions on a physical drive (hard drive).
• The Project browser Open a Volume browser by double-clicking a
volume in the Workspace browser. Any changes
DigiBase Pro (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE
made in Volume browsers (such as copying, de-
with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Tool-
leting, or moving files and folders) is mirrored
kit 2 only) provides one additional browser:
on the volumes themselves. Volumes include
• Catalogs mounted hard drives, network storage, and re-
movable media (such as CD-ROMs).
Workspace Browser
Using Volume browsers you can:
The Workspace browser provides access to all
• View, manage, audition, and import indi-
your mounted volumes, as well as the folders
vidual items on the volume.
and files they contain.
• Update a database for contents of the vol-
Using the Workspace browser, you can: ume.
• Access all mounted volumes.
• Access all Catalogs. Project Browser
• Search across multiple volumes and Cata- The Project browser provides powerful search
logs simultaneously. and management tools for the files referenced in
• Designate volumes for Record and Play- your current session, regardless of where they
back, Playback Only, or Transfer. are stored. Using the Project browser, you can:
• Unmount volumes. • Show all the media files associated with the
• View, manage, audition, and import indi- current session, including any missing
vidual items in any catalog or mounted files.
volume. • View, manage, audition, and spot individ-
• Update databases for entire volumes. ual items.

For detailed information about the Work- For detailed information about the Project
space browser, see “Workspace Browser” on browser, see “Project Browser” on page 263.
page 260.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 225

 DigiBase Pro Catalogs Relink Window
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete The Relink window provides tools and features
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) for relinking sessions and catalogs to media files.
Catalogs provide the highest level of Pro Tools Use Relink tools to search and reacquire missing
file management. Catalogs make it easy to orga- files for use in the current session.
nize files from multiple sources into libraries of
For detailed information about the Relink
favorite files. Catalogs can be sorted and
window, see “Relink Window” on
searched, even when the files they reference are
page 256.
offline. Catalogs can also be shared.

Using Catalogs, you can:

• Collect and organize files from any combi- Performance and Transfer
nation of volumes. Volumes
• Create catalogs of complete volumes to
DigiBase lets you view, manage, and import ses-
view and search even if a volume is offline.
sions and media from both Performance and
• View, manage, audition, and import indi- Transfer volumes.
vidual items in the catalog.
• Update a database for contents of catalog. Performance Volumes Are storage volumes (hard
drives) that are suitable for playback and have
For detailed information about Catalogs, been designated in the Workspace browser as
see “DigiBase Pro Catalogs” on page 265. Record and Playback (R) or Playback Only (P) of
media files in a Pro Tools session.
Task Window Transfer Volumes Are volumes that are not sup-
The Task window is a utility for viewing and ported for media playback in Pro Tools (such as
managing all of the background tasks that you shared network volumes or CD-ROMs), or stor-
initiate with Pro Tools. Use the Task window to age volumes (hard drives) that have been desig-
monitor, pause, or cancel background tasks such nated in the Workspace browser as Transfer (T)
as file copies, searches, indexing, and fade cre- volumes. Transfer volumes cannot be used to
ation. record or play back media in a Pro Tools session.
Designated Transfer (T) volumes can be useful
For detailed information about the Task for transferring session and media files between
window, see “Task Window” on page 270. different Pro Tools systems.

For more information on volume designa-

tions, see “Audio and Video Volume Desig-
nators” on page 261.

226 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Read-Only Volume Databases
Digidesign Databases (CD/DVD-ROMs and Write-Protected Volumes)
The information displayed in browsers is stored
Since data cannot be written to read-only vol-
in individual databases. Pro Tools creates these
umes, databases for read-only volumes are
databases automatically for all mounted vol-
stored locally on your system drive.
umes, including Transfer volumes.
On Windows, these databases are stored in the
Digidesign databases use three file types:
Program Files\Digidesign\Pro Tools\
volume.ddb Stores media and session file meta- Databases\Volumes folder.
data for a particular volume.
On Mac, they are stored in the Library/
catalog.ddb (DigiBase Pro Only) Stores media and Application Support/Digidesign/Databases/
session file metadata for a user defined Catalog. Volumes folder.
Cataloged media and session files are can reside
on multiple volumes, including Transfer vol- Shared Network Volume Databases
umes.
Though a shared volume may be read/write,
Wavecache.wfm Stores waveform overviews for Pro Tools treats it as if it were a Transfer volume
all audio files referenced by each session. and no database is stored on the shared volume.
Consequently, databases for shared volumes are
Read/Write Volume Databases (Hard Drives) stored locally on your system drive.

For each volume, a database file is created in a On Windows, volume databases are stored in
folder named Digidesign Databases, on the root the Program Files\Digidesign\Pro Tools\
level of the volume. The database is stored with Databases\Volumes folder.
the volume it describes so that if the volume is
On Mac, volume databases are stored in the
later moved to a different system the database
Library/Application Support/Digidesign/
does not have to be recreated.
Databases/Volumes folder.
If you delete the Digidesign Database
folder, all existing database information for
that volume is lost. To recreate a deleted
Digidesign Database folder, re-index the
volume (see “Indexing DigiBase Data-
bases” on page 232).

Chapter 14: DigiBase 227

 Sharing Database Files
Browser Windows and Tools
Database files can be shared among users. This is
particularly useful for Transfer volumes, elimi- Browsers display all files in their database (see
nating duplicate processing (indexing) time. Figure 11 on page 229), including Pro Tools and
non-Pro Tools files. Unknown file types can be
For example, shared volumes (such as network shown, as well as aliases, and desktop folders.
storage volumes) tend to be large, and indexing
can be a time consuming task. To avoid dupli- To maximize processing speed and protect vital
cate effort, one user can manually index part or components, DigiBase does not display all fold-
all of the shared volume just once, then email ers. For example, in Windows, DigiBase brows-
the database files to other users. Database files ers do not display the Program Files, Windows,
can be added by placing them within each user’s Digidesign Databases, WU Temp, or System Vol-
Volumes folder. Periodic manual indexing then ume Information folders; and on Mac, DigiBase
keeps all databases current. browsers do not display the System, Applica-
tions, Library, or Digidesign Databases folders.
Sharing Catalogs This excludes them from being indexed,
searched, sorted, or affected in any way by Digi-
(DigiBase Pro Only)
Base tasks. You should not store Pro Tools ses-
Catalogs can be created for a particular project sion or media files in any of these folders.
and then shared among multiple systems to
The main elements of a DigiBase browser (see
help facilitate more efficient workflow. DigiBase
Figure 11 on page 229) include the following:
Pro Catalogs are stored as database files on your
system drive. Title Bar Shows the browser type (Workspace,
Volume, or Project), and the name of its associ-
On Windows, Catalog database files are stored
ated volume or Catalog.
in the Program Files\Digidesign\Pro Tools\
Databases\Catalogs folder. Toolbar Includes the Browser menu, Search icon,
View Presets, and browser navigation and pre-
On Mac, Catalog database files are stored in the
view tools.
Library/Application Support/ Digidesign/
Databases/Catalogs folder. Items List Displays the contents of a volume,
folder, session, or Catalog database in rows.

Columns Display metadata (such as file name

and format) for volumes, folders, and files in the
Items List.

Each row of data in a browser represents an Item

(such as a file or folder). Data about each item is
displayed in columns. Columns can be arranged
and placed in either the Fixed pane or the Scroll-
ing pane.

228 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Browser Back arrow
Title bar
Search icon View Presets Preview controls Columns Browser menu

Toolbar
Column headers

Items List

Fixed pane Scrolling pane

Show/Hide

Pane split

Figure 11. Basic browser tools, panes, and columns (Volume browser shown)

Opening Browsers To open the Project browser:

1 Open a Pro Tools session.
There are several ways to open, close, and navi-
gate within browsers. 2 Choose Window > Project.

To open the Workspace browser: To open a Catalog browser (DigiBase Pro only):
„ Choose Window > Workspace. 1 Open the Workspace browser (Window > Work-
space).
To open a Volume browser:
2 Click the Expand/Collapse icon next to the
1 Open the Workspace browser (Window > Work- Catalogs icon to show all Catalogs, if they are
space). not already visible.
2 Double-click a volume or folder in the Items 3 Double-click a Catalog.
List. A new Volume browser opens.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 229

 To open another Volume or Catalog in a new All open browsers are moved to the background,
browser window and leave the current Volume or bringing the other windows to the foreground.
Catalog browser open: Browsers remain open and accessible.
„ Control-double-click (Windows) or Com-

mand-double-click (Mac) the Volume or Cata- To bring an open browser to the foreground:
log. „ Choose Window > Browsers, and select an open

browser from the submenu.

Viewing the Contents of a Volume,
Folder, or Catalog To cycle to the next or previous browser:
„ Press Control+Left/Right Arrow keys (Win-
To expand or collapse the currently selected
folder, do one of the following: dows) or Command+Left/Right Arrow keys
(Mac).
„ Click the Expand/Collapse icon next to the

folder.
Closing Browsers
– or –
To close all browsers:
„ Select a volume, folder, or Catalog, and press
the Right Arrow key to expand, or the left Arrow „ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

key to collapse. Close box of any browser.

To move up one browser level: Because the Task window is a utility and
not a browser, it remains open.
„ Click the Back arrow in the Browser toolbar.

To move up one browser level, press Con- Working wIth Items in Browsers
trol+Up Arrow key (Windows), or Com-
mand+Up Arrow key (Mac). Opening Sessions

Moving Browsers to the Foreground or To open a Pro Tools session listed in a browser:
Background „ With no Pro Tools session currently open,

double-click a Pro Tools session file in any Digi-

To bring all open browsers to the foreground: Base browser.
„ Choose Window > Browsers > Bring to Front.
Opening AAF and OMF Sequences
To bring all browsers to the foreground,
press Alt+J (Windows) or Option+J (Mac). (DigiTranslator 2.0 Only)

On systems with the DigiTranslator 2.0 Option,

To send all browsers to the background:
AAF and OMF sequences can be opened from
„ Choose Window > Browsers > Send to Back. DigiBase browsers.

To send all browsers to the background, You can also drag and drop AAF and OMF se-
press Alt+Shift+J (Windows) or quences from browsers into the current session.
Option+Shift+J (Mac).

230 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To open an AAF or OMF sequence from a DigiBase To open a folder in the current browser:
browser:
„ Double-click the folder, or click the Ex-

1 Do one of the following: pand/Collapse icon for the item.

• With no Pro Tools session currently open,
double-click the AAF or OMF sequence in a With the browser in the foreground and the
browser. folder selected, press Control+Down Arrow
key (Windows) or Command+Down Arrow
– or –
key (Mac) to open a folder in the current
• Drag the AAF or OMF sequence from a browser.
browser to the Timeline in an open session.
To create and open a folder in its own new
2 Configure the Import Session Data dialog.
browser:
3 Click OK. „ Control-double-click (Windows) or Com-

mand-double-click (Mac) the folder. The previ-

For more information on importing AAF
ous (parent) Browser window remains open.
and OMF sequences, see the DigiTranslator
Guide. With the browser in the foreground and the
folder selected, press Control+Alt+Down
Creating and Opening Folders Arrow key (Windows) or Command+Op-
Browsers let you create and manipulate folders tion+Down Arrow key (Mac) to open a
(file system sub-directories). All folders have Ex- folder in its own new browser.
pand/Collapse icons to show their contents.
Dragging items onto a folder icon is the same as
Scrolling and Moving Selections
dragging into an open browser.
To scroll the active pane up or down:

To create a new folder in a Volume browser or „ Press the Page Up or Page Down key.
Catalog:
1 Choose New Folder from the Browser menu. To scroll to the top or bottom of the active pane:
„ Press Home (for the top) or End (for the bot-
2 Type a name for the folder, and click OK.
tom).
(Click Cancel to cancel the new folder.)

In Volume browsers, the folder is created on To move items up or down in the current browser:
disk. In Catalogs, the folder is created in the Cat- 1 Select items in a browser, and make sure that
alog only. The Items List updates as new items window is in the foreground.
are added.
2 Press the Up or Down Arrow key.

Text Entry in Browsers

Many text fields can be edited to replace or up-
date data for an item.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 231

 To enter an edit to a text field and exit, and return The next time you open that browser, metadata
to the previous display state: for items that have already been indexed is visi-
„ Press Enter. ble immediately. If the browser or folder was
closed before indexing was complete, or if the
To revert to the previous text and cancel a text contents of the folder have changed since the
edit: last time it was browsed, Pro Tools automati-
cally updates the database the next time it is
„ Press Esc.
opened. This way, the database is always up to
For details on column editing, see “Column date for the folder you are browsing. (View the
Data” on page 237. Task Manager to see current activity.)

Indexing while Browsing saves time because it

only fills the database for items on the level of
Indexing DigiBase Databases the volume that you are currently browsing. For
example, if you are browsing the root level of
Indexing is the process of reading media files,
the volume, it indexes only the folders and files
extracting just the metadata for each file, then
on the root level. If you open a folder, Pro Tools
storing that data in an associated database so
indexes just the items in that folder. As a result,
that it may be displayed in the columns of a
a database is only indexed for the parts of the
browser. Once a volume or folder has been fully
volume that you have browsed. However,
indexed, it can be searched very quickly because
searches are faster and more complete when a
all of the metadata has already been sorted and
volume is already completely indexed.
organized.

If a volume or folder has not been indexed, it is

Manual Indexing
indexed automatically the first time it is opened
in a DigiBase browser. Volumes or folders con- Manual indexing fills in all missing data, and
taining a lot of media files can take a long time updates changed data for selected folders and all
to index. For this reason, you may want to man- of their sub-folders.
ually index specific volumes or files prior to
starting a project to help expedite workflow. To update the index for a folder and all sub-folders:
1 Select the item in a browser Items List.
Indexing while Browsing 2 Choose Update Database for Selected from the
The first time you open a Volume browser for a Browser menu.
volume or folder that has never been indexed,
Pro Tools automatically begins to fill the data- To update the index for an entire volume:
base for that level of the volume. Files and fold- 1 Select the volume to update in the Workspace
ers appear in the browser Items List, along with browser.
metadata in the columns for each item. Index-
ing continues until you either close the browser, 2 Choose Update Database for Selected from the

or until that folder is completely indexed. Browser menu.

232 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Last Indexed Date Display New Folder Creates a new folder on the current
volume, or within the current Catalog. In Vol-
The Last Indexed column shows the date that
ume browsers, a new folder is created on disk.
the index for that folder and all of its sub-folders
Available in Catalog and Volume browsers only.
was updated. Keep in mind that individual sub-
For more information, see “Creating and Open-
folders may have been updated more recently.
ing Folders” on page 231.

Automatic Updating for Pro Tools Actions New Catalog Creates a new, empty Catalog. Re-
quires DigiBase Pro. Available in the Workspace
Whenever Pro Tools adds, deletes, or modifies a
browser only.
file on a volume or in a session, the appropriate
database is immediately updated to reflect the Create Catalog from Selection Creates a fully in-
change. dexed catalog of the selected items. Requires
DigiBase Pro.
Changes that are made with Windows Ex-
plorer or the Mac Finder (such as copying or Calculate Waveform Calculates the waveform
moving files) are not tracked by Pro Tools displays for selected audio files, or all files con-
and are only indexed if the necessary folder tained in selected folders.
is browsed or if a manual index is per-
formed. For more information, see “Waveforms” on
page 246.

Update Database for Selected Updates the data-

The Browser Menu base for the currently selected volumes or fold-
All Browser windows provide a Browser menu in ers. Available in Workspace and Volume brows-
the upper right corner of their toolbar. The ers only.
Browser menu provides commands specific to
Calculate Elastic Analysis Calculates Elastic Au-
each type of browser, as described below.
dio analysis data for all selected audio files. An-
alyzed files are indicated by a check mark to the
Browser left of the file name. Analyzed files where a
menu tempo has been detected are also updated as
tick-based, display their duration in Bars|Beats,
and display their native tempo in the Tempo
column.

Clear Elastic Analysis Clears Elastic Audio analy-

sis data for all selected audio files. Files cleared
Browser menu icon
of Elastic Audio analysis data revert to sample
Not all browser commands are available in all timebase, display their duration in minutes and
browsers, as noted. seconds, and do not report a tempo.

For more information, see “Elastic Audio

Analysis” on page 247.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 233

 Select Offline Files Selects all files that are cur- Delete Selected Deletes any selected item. In the
rently offline. Workspace, Project, and Volume browsers, de-
leting an item deletes it from the disk. In Cata-
Select Transfer Files Selects all files identified as logs, you are asked whether you want to clear
Transfer files (files found on media that do not the items from the Catalog (leaving your disks
support playback). unchanged) or delete the files referenced by the
Select Online Files Selects all files that are on- Catalog items.
line. Unmount Lets you unmount any online volume.
Invert Selection Reverses (inverts) the current se- Available in the Workspace browser only.
lection.
While Pro Tools is running, always use the
Reveal in Finder/Explorer Opens the corre- Unmount command in the Workspace
sponding parent window in the Finder (Mac) or browser menu to unmount the volume, or
Explorer (Windows) for the currently selected quit Pro Tools and then unmount the vol-
file. ume.

Reveal in Browser Opens the parent browser for Auto-Preview Enables or disables automatic pre-
the selected item. The selected item is high- view of files. When this option is enabled, se-
lighted in its parent browser. lecting a file in the browser starts preview. The
Preview button updates to show that Auto-Pre-
Relink Offline Opens the Relink window. Avail- view is enabled. Additionally, the Preview but-
able in the Project browsers only. ton updates to show an Auto-Preview icon.

Relink Selected Opens the Relink window, with Loop Preview Previews the selected file by loop-
all selected files from the current browser dis- ing playback of the file. If multiple files are se-
played and selected as Files to Match. Available lected, only the first selected file previews.
in Catalogs and Project browsers only. When Loop Preview mode is enabled, the Pre-
view button updates to show a Loop Preview
Copy and Relink Copies items currently selected
Mode icon.
in the Project browser to a chosen location, and
relinks the session to the copies instead of the Spacebar Toggles File Preview Enables or dis-
originals. Use this to easily move files from a ables the Spacebar for starting and stopping pre-
Transfer to a Performance volume. This com- view. When this option is disabled, use the Pre-
mand is also available in DigiBase Pro Catalogs view button to start and stop preview. In this
to copy items and relink the current Catalog to mode, the spacebar starts and stops session play-
the copies. back. This lets you play back the session and,
with the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
Duplicate Selected Creates a duplicate of the se-
option enabled, preview the selected audio file
lected items in the same location.
in time with the session.
Lock Selected Locks all selected items. Any files
When a browser is front-most, Control+P
already locked remain so. Locking a folder locks
(Windows) or Command+P (Mac) starts
all files and sub-folders it contains.
and stops preview. Also, the Esc key stops
Unlock Selected Unlocks the selected items. preview.

234 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo Con-
forms all tick-based audio files with Elastic Au- Browser Panes and Display
dio analysis, as well as REX and ACID files, to
Browsers display an Items List consisting of var-
the session tempo. This option lets you play
ious columns (such as file name, size, creation
back the session, and then simultaneously pre-
date, and sample rate). The Items List is split
view the selected files in time with the session.
into two panes. Individual columns can be
This option is only available when a session is
placed in either pane, and all columns can be
open, otherwise it is disabled and grayed out.
shown or hidden, resized, reordered, and sorted.
When the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
option is enabled, Pro Tools analyzes un-ana- Moving Columns Between Panes
lyzed files on preview or import. Audio files that
Columns in browser can be placed in either
have been analyzed as tick-based can then be
pane. Move columns you frequently need to see
previewed at the session tempo and conform to
into the left-hand pane. Columns that you use
the session tempo on import.
less often can be moved to the right-hand pane.
When the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
option is disabled, any tick-based audio files To move columns between panes:
with Elastic Audio analysis, and REX and ACID „ Click the column header and drag it to a dif-
files preview and import at their native tempo. ferent pane.

For more information, see “Conforming

To show or hide the right-hand pane:
Preview to the Session Tempo” on page 251
„ Click the Show/Hide icon in the lower right

Additional DigiBase Pro Commands corner of the leviathan pane.

(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)

In Catalogs, the following additional com-

mands are available to manage Comments in se-
lected items.

Show/Hide
For more information on Comments, see
“Comments Fields” on page 239. Show/Hide Pane icon

Copy Database Comments to Clip Names Copies Arranging and Resizing Columns
an item’s Database comments to its Clip Name.
To rearrange columns in a pane:
Copy File Comments to Clip Names (Mac Only)
„ Drag the column header to a new position.
Copies an item’s File Comments to its Clip
Name.
To resize a column:
„ Drag the column header boundary to a new

width.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 235

 Showing and Hiding Columns View Presets
You can show or hide individual columns in Pro Tools lets you save up to five preset views for
DigiBase browsers to fit your workflow. The de- each type of browser, and the Relink window.
fault column display includes the items you Presets can be recalled by clicking a View Preset
would use in most sessions. button. View Presets are specific to each type of
browser.
To show or hide individual columns:
„ Start-click (Windows), Control-click (Mac), or To store a View Preset:
Right-click a column label and select or deselect 1 Open a browser, or the Relink window.
the column name from the pop-up menu.
2 Arrange columns and views.

3 Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) one of the five View Preset buttons.

Browser View Presets

View preset buttons

To recall a saved preset:

Showing and hiding columns
„ Click the appropriate View Preset button.
To show or hide all columns:
„ Start-click (Windows), Control-click (Mac), or About View Preset 1
Right-click a column header and choose ALL or Preset 1 becomes the default layout for other
NONE from the pop-up menu. (Only the Name browsers of its type when they are opened for
and Clip Name columns remain when you the first time.
choose NONE.)

To show the default set of columns: Sorting Columns

„ Start-click (Windows), Control-click (Mac), or Columns can be sorted in ascending or descend-
Right-click a column header and choose DE- ing order, and multiple sorts can be applied (up
FAULT from the pop-up menu. to four levels).

To sort by columns:
„ Click the column title header.

It is often helpful to perform a secondary sort

(for example, to sort by tape and timestamp).

236 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To add a secondary sort: Name Displays the name of the file, folder, vol-
ume, catalog, or session. This text field is edit-
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the
able in all browsers except Catalogs.
column title for the secondary sort criteria.
A Designates volumes for audio R (Record and
Primary Sort Secondary Sort
Playback), P (Playback only), or T (Transfer).
Available in the Workspace browser only.

V Designates volumes as video R (Record and

Playback), P (Playback only), or T (Transfer).
Available in the Workspace browser only.
Performing a secondary sort
For more information, see “Audio and
To toggle the current sort order between
ascending and descending: Video Volume Designators” on page 261.

„ Click the Sort toggle arrow, at the top of the Kind Displays whether the volume, folder, cata-
vertical scroll bars. log, or file. For files, this column displays what
kind of file it is: session file, audio file, video file,
or other. This field cannot be edited. For audio
files, this column also indicates whether the file
Column Data is sample-based to tick-based.
In browsers, each row of data represents an item
Size Displays the size of a file in kilobytes. For
in a database (such as a file, session, or volume).
folders, the total size of all files in the folder is
Each column displays specific data for an item,
displayed. This field cannot be edited.
as follows.
Date Indexed Displays the last indexed date for
Status The Status column is the first column on
the item. This field cannot be edited.
the left, and it displays the status of each item,
as follows. Capacity Displays the total capacity of a volume.
Status Icons and Display This field cannot be edited.

Icon Text Status Free Displays the unused space on volumes.

none Black Online This field cannot be edited.

none Blue italics Offline Waveform Displays a graphical overview of an

audio file. See “Waveforms” on page 246 for
T Blue italics Transfer
more information.
Ð Blue Elastic Audio
Analysis Duration Displays the duration of a file in abso-
Calculated lute time (minutes and seconds), regardless of
the time code format. For region groups, MIDI,
tick-based Elastic Audio files, REX, and ACID
files, Duration displays Bars and Beats. This field
cannot be edited.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 237

 File Comment Displays any embedded com- Video Compression Displays the compression ra-
ments associated with the file. File comments tio of video files where applicable.
are supported with BWF and SD II files, but are
not supported with AIFF files. File Comments al- Frame Rate Displays the frame rate of video files
ways remain with the file when copied, con- where applicable.
verted, or transferred. See “Comments Fields” Original Time Stamp Displays the original time
on page 239 for more information. stamp (time code location) of audio or video
Database Comment Displays user comments files.
stored with the database, with support for User Time Stamp Displays the user time stamp,
Finder comments. Available in the Project if any, of audio files only.
browser and Catalogs only. See “Comments
Fields” on page 239 for more information. Path Displays the directory path to the item.

Date Modified Displays the last modified date for Unique ID Displays the unique ID for a Pro Tools
the item. This field cannot be edited. file.

Date Created Displays the creation date of an Tape (DigiTranslator 2.0 Only) This column dis-
item. This field cannot be edited. plays the original Avid tape name if the item is
an OMF file (audio or video). If an audio file was
Number of Channels Displays the number of originally recorded in Pro Tools, this field dis-
channels in an audio file: mono, stereo, or 3–8 plays the name of the original session.
as appropriate for supported multichannel files.
This field cannot be edited. Video files originally recorded in Pro Tools
with AVoption|XL do not display a tape
Format Displays the audio file format: WAV,
name.
WAV (ACID) for ACID files, WAV (BWF), AIFF,
MP3, or ReCycle for REX files. This field cannot TC Rate When DigiTranslator 2.0 is installed,
be edited. this column displays the frame rate of the item if
the item is an AAF sequence or an OMF se-
Sample Rate Displays an audio file’s sample
quence or file: 24, 25, 29.97, 30, drop or non-
rate. This field can be edited in browsers for
drop. For sequences, the frame rate at the start
WAV and SDII files only. This can be useful
of the sequence is displayed.
when dealing with audio that has been pulled
up or down, or to force a sample rate conversion Channel Names Displays the channel name and
to occur if that is necessary before importing a number data embedded in multichannel audio
file that otherwise would not require conver- files. You can edit the Channel name for mono
sion. BWF files only. When editing the channel
name, anything entered in parentheses is dis-
Bit Depth Displays an audio file’s bit depth. This
carded. However, the channel number will al-
field cannot be edited.
ways be preserved
Tempo Displays the tempo associated with re-
Scene Displays scene number data embedded in
gion group, MIDI, tick-based Elastic Audio files,
audio files.
REX, and ACID files, and session files. This field
cannot be edited.

238 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Take Displays take number data embedded in Plug-in Manufacturer Name Displays the plug-in
audio files. manufacturer’s name for Plug-in Settings files
(.txf).
Shoot Date Displays origination date and time
information embedded in audio files. However, Link Path Displays the path to the file used for
many field recorders do not populate the Shoot relinking. Available in the Relink window only.
Date field, relying instead on the file’s Creation
Date to indicate date of production. When Clip Name Displays the name of the file, or the
Pro Tools imports a field recorder file, it checks Avid clip name when the item is an AAF or OMF
to see if the Shoot Date field is populated. If it is file. The Clip Name is what appears in the Time-
empty, Pro Tools copies the Creation Date of line and Region List when a file is imported into
the original source file to the Shoot Date field of a session. This field can be edited in Catalogs
the new imported files. This field cannot be ed- only, and can be generated using either of the
ited. Copy Comments to Clip Name commands in
the Browser menu (see “Additional DigiBase Pro
Sound Roll Displays sound roll number data Commands” on page 235).
(This data is usually named “Tape” in BWF files,
but is distinct from the date displayed in the
Comments Fields
DigiBase Tape column). This field cannot be ed-
ited. Comments about individual files can be stored
in the database, and embedded with the file’s
Sound Roll TC Displays the starting time code of
metadata wrapper.
audio files. This field cannot be edited.
There are two types of comments fields: File
Sound Roll TC Rate Displays the frame rate in-
Comments and Database Comments.
formation embedded in audio files: 24, 25,
29.97, 30, drop or non-drop. This field cannot File Comments
be edited.
File Comments are stored with the metadata of
User Bits Displays text information embedded the file itself. Not all file types support File Com-
in audio files. This field can be used for user ments. Indexing stores File Comments in the
comments, or auto-generated info with certain database, allowing them to be searched and
field recorders. viewed even if the file is offline. File Comments
can be edited in browsers, as long as the files or
Tape ID Displays tape ID information embedded
their parent media are not defined as read-only.
in audio files. This field cannot be edited.
You can also add and edit File Comments to
Project Displays the project name data embed-
Pro Tools Session files from the Project browser.
ded in audio files.
File Comments cannot be edited in Catalogs.
Circled Indicates if the status of a take is set to
“circled” (No or Yes) in audio files. This is usually
for indicating which take should be used.

Plug-in Name Displays the name of the plug-in

for Plug-in Settings files (.txf).

Chapter 14: DigiBase 239

 Database Comments To select multiple items:
(Catalogs and Project Browsers Only) „ Marquee-select a group of items, or Shift-click

additional items. Control-click (Windows) or

Database Comments in a Catalog are stored in
Command-click (Mac) to select multiple non-
the Catalog database. Database comments in
continuous items.
the Project browser are stored in the Session. Da-
tabase Comments, which can be up to 256 char-
To select all items listed:
acters in length, are searchable, cross-platform,
and editable. For more information, see “Com- „ Press Control-A (Windows) or Command-A

ments and Catalogs” on page 267. (Mac).

Adding and Editing Comments To select all Transfer files in the current window:
„Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser
To add, view, or edit a Comment: menu.
1 Click the Comments field. The field expands
to display the entire contents of the field if nec- To select all offline files:
essary. „ Choose Select Offline Files from the Browser

menu.
2 Enter or edit a comment.

3 Press Enter, or click outside the text box to To select all online files:
close it.
„ Choose Select Online Files from the Browser

menu.

Selecting Items To reverse the current selection:

„ Choose Invert Selected from the Browser
To select a single item in a browser:
menu.
„ Click the icon for an item. When selected, the

item Name is highlighted.

You can also type the first letter, or the first Moving, Copying, Duplicating,
few letters, of the item you want to select in and Deleting Items
the browser. For example, if you have a
Moving, copying, duplicating, and deleting
folder full of drum loops, and the one you
items in browsers follow the same rules and be-
are looking for is named “Ska Loop,” just
havior as in the operating system. For example,
type the letters S and K on your computer
moving a file to another volume copies the file,
keyboard and the first item that starts with
and Pro Tools warns you if an items is about to
“sk” will be highlighted in the list.
be overwritten or replaced. Dragging an item
from a Catalog to a Volume browser always
makes a new copy of the item.

240 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Moving Items To delete one or more items:
1 Select one or more items.
To move items:
2 Do one of the following:
„ Select one or more items and drag them to a
• Press Delete.
new location. Moving to a new location on the
same volume moves the item, while moving to a – or –
different volume copies the item. • Choose Delete Selected from the Browser
menu.
You can drag items directly into the Time-
line or Region List of the current session. See 3 Pro Tools asks you to verify that you want to
“Importing Files with Drag and Drop” on permanently delete selected files from disk.
page 280. Click Delete to proceed, or click Cancel to leave
your files and disks unchanged.
Copying Items
To skip the warning dialog, hold down the
To copy and move items: Option key while pressing Delete (or while
choosing Delete Selected).
„ Select one or more items and Option-drag

them to a new location. To delete locked files:

1 Select one or more items.
Duplicating Items
2 Press Control+Delete (Windows) or Com-
To duplicate one or more items: mand+Delete (Mac).

1 Select one or more items.

Deleting Catalog Items
2 Choose Duplicate Selected from the Browser
(DigiBase Pro Only)
menu.
When you delete a folder or item from a Digi-
To Duplicate selected items in the Browser,
Base Pro Catalog, Pro Tools lets you choose
press Control-D (Windows) or
whether to delete only the alias from the Cata-
Command-D (Mac).
log, or also delete the original files from the disk.

Deleting Items and Folders

To delete an item from a Catalog.
You can select and delete files and folders in all
1 Open a Catalog and select one or more items.
browsers. If a selected item resides on a read-
only volume, it cannot be deleted. 2 Do one of the following:
• Press Delete.
If using DigiBase Pro, see “Deleting Catalog
Items” on page 241 for additional information. – or –
• Choose Delete Selected from the Browser
menu.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 241

 3 When prompted, do one of the following: Search Features for All Systems
• To remove the aliases for the selected items
All systems provide the following search capa-
from the Catalog, click Aliases.
bility:
– or –
• Search by item Name, Kind, and Date Modi-
• To delete the selected items from disk (and fied.
remove their aliases from the Catalog),
• Results of a search are displayed in the Items
click Files.
List, where they can immediately be selected
for auditioning, copying, and other opera-
Deleting Folders in Catalogs
tions. In the Workspace browser, a separate
Deleting a folder from a Catalog does not delete “Search Results” pane displays found items.
the folder on disk (even if you choose to delete
• Utilize search syntax modifiers, such as OR,
all files from disk). Because Catalogs are “snap-
wildcard characters, and greater than/less
shots” of items, their aliases only include files
than. See “Search Modifiers” on page 244.
that resided in the corresponding folder at the
time the Catalog was created. To avoid potential • Search in Quick or Advanced Search mode.
data loss, folders are never deleted from disk, Quick mode assumes (fills in) wildcard charac-
even though you might choose to delete Files ters for faster data entry while searching. Ad-
instead of Aliases. vanced Search mode lets you specify wildcard
characters for more precise searching. See
“Search Modes” on page 245 for more infor-
mation.
Searching Items
Additional Search Features for DigiBase Pro
DigiBase provides powerful search capabilities
Only
so you can quickly search and find files.
With DigiBase Pro you can also:
The Workspace browser lets you search across
multiple volumes and catalogs (if available). All • Search by any data column, such as Com-
other browsers let you search the currently dis- ments fields, sample rate, format, and tempo
played contents of that individual browser. • Save the results of a search as a new Catalog.

Performing a search filters the Items List or

Search Results pane to display only found items
that match the search criteria.

DigiBase Pro lets you search on multiple criteria

in a single search pass, and search Catalogs.

The Relink window provides specialized search

capabilities for finding and relinking missing
files. For more information, see “Linking and
Relinking Files” on page 253.

242 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Starting a Search Searching begins, indicated by the spinning ar-
rows in the toolbar, and by the Search button
To search the current browser: changing to Stop. The Results List (at the bot-
tom of the browser) fills with items that match
1 Click the Search icon to display the Search
the search criteria. Items can be selected and au-
pane.
ditioned as they are found.
Search icon
To stop a search:
„ During a search, click the Stop button.

Search This stops the search routine, and the Stop but-
Pane ton changes back to Search. Whatever results
have already been found continue to be dis-
played, and all entries in search fields are re-
tained.

To reset your search settings:

„ Click Reset to clear all criteria in search fields,

and return to the main Browser view (all items).

The Search pane remains open.
Search icon and Search pane

To close the search pane and return to the

You can also start a search by pressing Con- complete Browser view:
trol+F (Windows) or Command+F (Mac).
„ Click the browser Search icon to toggle the

2 Do one of the following: Search pane closed or open.

• On all systems, type text into the File Name
The search is stopped, the Search (and Search
field to search by name, or type a date, or
Results pane) close, and the window returns to
select a kind from the Kind pop-up menu.
show the main Browser view.
See “Entering Data for Searches” on
page 243 for more information.
– or –
Entering Data for Searches
• If using DigiBase Pro (Pro Tools HD and
Field Formats and Searching
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production
Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2), choose additional The following describe the types of data formats
search criteria as needed. Press Tab to move available (not all search fields are available on all
to the next available search field, or systems).
Shift+Tab to move to the previous.
Text Fields Allow direct entry of text. By default,
3 Click the Search button, or press Enter (Win- the field is empty.
dows) or Return (Mac).

Chapter 14: DigiBase 243

 Pull-Down Menus Provide options for certain A question mark (?) can be used for single-char-
fields. For example, the Bit Depth pull-down acter wildcards. For example, a search on f?ee
provides choices for Any, 16-bit, or 24-bit. finds free, and flee. A similar search on f*ee finds
frendlee, flippee, flee, free, and so on.
Date and Time Accepts date and time entries in a
variety of formats.
OR Searches
Time Code Uses standard Pro Tools time code
The Plus (+) and Minus (–) buttons add and de-
entry shortcuts in hh:min:sec:frames.
lete OR rows to find results that match the crite-
ria either in the top row or the additional rows.
Search Modifiers
Certain fields have small pull-down menus con- To add and use OR rows in a search:
taining modifiers, which limit the search criteria 1 Click the (+) button to add an OR row identi-
entered in the field. cal to the upper row, but with no entries in the
search fields.
Modifiers include:
• Equal to (=) 2 To add an additional OR row, click the Plus (+)
button again. (An empty OR row has no effect
• Not Equal to (!=)
on the search.)
• Less Than (<)
• Greater Than (>) 3 Enter search criteria.

• Less Than or Equal to (<=) For example, to find all files named either Dog
• Greater Than or Equal To (>=) or Bark:
• Range (<…>) • Type Dog in the first File Name field.
• Add an OR row.
About Range-Limited When enabled, a second
search field is added so that a range of two val- • Type Bark in the second File Name field.
ues can be entered (such as two dates). Pro Tools 4 Click Search.
finds all items that fall between or are equal to
those two values. To remove OR rows:
„ Click the Minus (–) button to delete the bot-
Wildcard Characters (* and ?)
tom OR row.
An asterisk (*) can be entered at the beginning
or end of a text entry when you want to perform AND Searches
wildcard searches. For example, if you want to
find all files with a name that ends with scratch, If you enter two or more words in a text field,
you could enter *scratch in the Search field. This Pro Tools finds files that contain all of those
finds files with names such as vocal.scratch, and words. For example, if you type Dog Bark, only
dialog2.scratch. files that contain both the words Dog and Bark
are found.

244 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Quotations Marks for Text Strings To enable Advanced Search mode:
„ Click to enable the Advanced Search mode
Text enclosed in quotation marks is searched as
one text string. For example, if you type “Dog option.
Bark” (with quotes), only items with Dog Bark
Advanced Search
anywhere in the File Name are considered a
match.

Search Modes
DigiBase provides two different text searching
environments:

Quick Search Mode Applies wildcards before

and after each text string. For example, a Quick
search for Dog finds Dogs, dog_bark, and
howling_dogs. Search pane

Advanced Search Mode Does not automatically To return to Quick Search mode:
apply any wildcards. Therefore, an Advanced „ Click to deselect the Advanced Search mode.
search on Dog finds Big Dog, but not Dogs (unless
you manually add a wildcard, as described in Toggling search mode affects all DigiBase
“Wildcard Characters (* and ?)” on page 244). browsers.

In addition, Advanced Search recognizes word About the Searching Process

breaks such as underscores and capitalization.
For example, an Advanced search on Dog also Searches are conducted in two passes, each indi-
finds Big_Dog (Big-underscore-Dog) and BigDog, cated by Search Status displayed in the Search
though it would not find BigDogs. pane (and the Task window).

Searching Databases The existing databases are

searched first. While this is the fastest search
pass, this search pass can only be as accurate as
the database (in other words, if the database is
not completely up to date you might not find
the files you want).

File System Search Pass This is the second pass

of a search. This search is not as fast as the Data-
base pass, but it is more thorough because it is
not relying on the database, which may or may
not be current.

Each pass is completed before the next pass

begins.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 245

 Saving Search Results as a The waveform overview is stored in the file, or
Catalog in the appropriate Digidesign Databases folder.
For more information, see “WaveCache” on
(DigiBase Pro Only)
page 246.

To save the results of your search as a Catalog:

Summed Waveforms for Multichannel Files
1 Choose Edit > Select All, or press Control+A
(Windows) or Command+A (Mac), to select all Waveform displays for stereo and multichannel
items in the Items List. files are summed.

2 From the Browser menu, choose Create Cata-

Calculating Waveforms for Display
log.
If an audio file item does not have a waveform,
For more information, see “DigiBase Pro the waveform must be calculated to be visible in
Catalogs” on page 265. a browser Waveform display.

To calculate waveforms in a browser:

Waveforms 1 Select online audio files, or folders containing
The Waveform column displays waveforms for audio files, in a browser.
audio files. Waveform display depends on the 2 Choose Calculate Waveform from the Browser
following: menu.
• Waveforms are displayed if they have already
been calculated and stored, either with the file WaveCache
metadata or in the global Waveform cache.
A global WaveCache file stores waveforms that
• When a file is imported into a session, a wave- cannot be written back to the sound file, such as
form is automatically calculated for it, if nec- read-only files, files on network and other read-
essary. only volumes, and interleaved files. The global
WaveCache is stored in the Digidesign Data-
bases folder on your Pro Tools startup volume.
For write-enabled volumes, the cache is stored
with the volume’s Digidesign Database files, on
that volume.

Waveform displays in a browser

• Waveforms are gray if they have not been

stored with the file metadata or in the global
Waveform cache.

246 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Analyzed files in which no tempo was detected
Elastic Audio Analysis remain sample-based. These files typically con-
tain only a single transient (such as a snare hit)
You can both calculate and clear Elastic Audio
or they are longer files without a readily identi-
analysis for selected audio files in DigiBase
fiable regular tempo (such as entire songs).
browsers. Only AIFF and WAV files are sup-
ported for Elastic Audio analysis and processing. On Mac, if you do not see the Elastic Audio
Any other file format (such as MP3 and SD2) Analysis icon or the duration does not
must be converted to AIFF or WAV for Elastic change to tick-based during the preview pro-
Audio analysis and processing. cess, check the permissions for the folder in
the Mac Finder. You must have write access
Even though MP3 and SD2 file formats are
of the directory for this feature to work.
not directly supported by Elastic Audio, you
can import them into a WAV- or AIFF- To clear Elastic Audio analysis:
based session and then use the converted
files on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks. File 1 In a browser, select the files with Elastic Audio

formats that do not match the session are analysis that you want to clear.
converted automatically on import. 2 Do one of the following:
• From the Browser menu, choose Clear Elas-
For more information on Elastic Audio, see tic Analysis.
Chapter 38, “Elastic Audio.” – or –
• Right-click one of the selected files and
To calculate Elastic Audio analysis:
choose Clear Elastic Analysis from the pop-
1 In a browser, select the files you want to ana- up menu.
lyze.
Files cleared of Elastic Audio analysis data revert
2 Do one of the following:
to sample timebase, display their duration in
• From the Browser menu, choose Calculate minutes and seconds, and do not report a
Elastic Analysis. tempo.
• Right-click one of the selected files and
choose Calculate Elastic Analysis from the
pop-up menu.
• Preview the file with the Audio Files Conform
to Session Tempo option enabled.

Analyzed files are indicated by a check mark to

the left of the file name.

Analyzed files in which a regular tempo was de-

tected are updated as tick-based, display their
duration in Bars|Beats, and display their native
tempo in the Tempo column.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 247

 File Timebase and Elastic Audio
Analysis Icons Previewing Audio in DigiBase
DigiBase browsers provide three icons to indi- Audio files can be previewed in DigiBase brows-
cate whether a file has Elastic Audio analysis and ers. Previewing follows the master Audition
the file’s timebase. path as selected in the Output pane of the
I/O Setup (see “Audition Paths” on page 75).
Elastic Audio Tick-based Sample-based The base level for previewing is determined by
Analysis icon file icon file icon
the Master Fader (or Auxiliary Input) level as-
signed to the Audition path. You can also adjust
the Preview Volume in the browser.

Interleaved Files

When previewed in DigiBase, interleaved audio

files with more than two channels are summed
to mono for auditioning.

Multi-Mono Files

Multi-mono files must be previewed one file at a

time.
Elastic Audio and Timebase icons in DigiBase browsers

Elastic Audio Analysis Icon Indicates that the file Split Stereo Files Preview Together
has Elastic Audio analysis data.
When selecting one of a pair of Split Stereo files,
Sample-Based File Icon Indicates that the file is such as “Drums.L” and “Drums.R,” both files
sample-based. The file’s duration is displayed in preview together. To preview only the selected
minutes and seconds. channel of a split stereo pair, press the Shift key
and start preview.
Tick-Based File Icon Indicates that the file is
tick-based. The file’s duration is displayed in Some Pro Tools operations can cause tem-
Bars|Beats and the file’s native tempo is dis- porary interruptions in DigiBase audition-
played in the tempo column. ing.

MIDI files can be previewed from the ses-

sion Region List, but not from DigiBase
browsers. See “Previewing Regions in the Re-
gion List” on page 217.

248 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To preview an audio file in a browser: Preview Controls and Indicators
1 Select an audio file in a browser Items List.
Every DigiBase browser provides the following
Make sure the browser is the foreground (active) preview controls in the Toolbar: Preview, Vol-
window. ume, Meters, Audio Files Conform to Session
2 Do one of the following: Tempo, and Elastic Audio Plug-in.
• Click the Waveform Preview button (the
speaker icon to the left of the waveform Audio Files
display). Click again to stop auditioning. Conform to
Preview Session Tempo button
• If Spacebar Toggles File Preview is selected in button
Elastic Audio
Volume
the Browser menu, press the Spacebar. Press Meters
Plug-in selector

the Spacebar again to stop auditioning.

• Press Control+P (Windows) or Com-
mand+P (Mac) to start and stop preview-
ing.
• Press the Esc key to stop previewing.

If the Auto-Preview option is enabled, pre-

viewing starts as soon as the file is selected
Preview controls in DigiBase browsers
in a browser.
Preview Button
To audition from a specific location within the file:
The Preview button starts and stops preview of
„ Click in the waveform display at the location.
audio files selected in browsers. You can also
Right-click the Preview button to change the
Preview mode and set whether or not the space-
bar toggles file preview.
Auditioning an audio file

DigiBase Browser, Preview button Right-click menu

Volume

The Volume control in DigiBase browsers lets

you boost or attenuate the gain for previewing
selected files.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 249

 To change the volume for previewing in DigiBase When the Audio Files Conform to Session
browsers: Tempo button is enabled, Pro Tools analyzes
1 Click the Volume field to display the Volume any un-analyzed files on preview or import.
fader. Tick-based audio files conform to the session
tempo during preview and on import. Sample-
2 Adjust the Volume fader (from –INF to based files, those where no tempo has been de-
+12 dB). tected, always preview and import at their orig-
inal speed and duration.

When the Audio Files Conform to Session

Tempo button is disabled, any tick-based audio
files with Elastic Audio analysis, and REX and
ACID files preview at their native tempo.

For more information, see “Conforming

DigiBase Browser, Preview Volume fader
Preview to the Session Tempo” on page 251
Meters
Elastic Audio Plug-in Selector
The meters display the level of the audio and
also provide clip indicators. For mono files, the The Elastic Audio Plug-in selector lets you select
mono signal is shown in both meters. For stereo any Real-Time Elastic Audio plug-in as the de-
files, the top and bottom meters show the left fault plug-in for previewing and importing Elas-
and right channels respectively. Greater than tic Audio. Changing the plug-in in any DigiBase
stereo multichannel files are displayed as browser also affects the Elastic Audio Default Plug-
summed mono in both meters. in option in the Processing preferences.

The Clip LED lights when clipping occurs and For information on Elastic Audio plug-ins,
clears automatically after 3 seconds. see “Elastic Audio Plug-ins” on page 774.

Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo Button Preview Modes

The Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo but- DigiBase browsers provide three Preview modes:
ton mirrors the corresponding Browser menu Normal Preview, Loop Preview, and Auto-Pre-
command. When enabled, all tick-based audio view.
files with Elastic Audio analysis, as well as REX
and ACID files, conform to the session tempo. Normal Preview
This lets you play back the session, and then si-
multaneously preview the selected files in time Normal Preview simply plays the selected audio
with the session. The Audio Files Conform to file and stops at the end of the file. Deselect
Session Tempo button is only available when a Loop Preview and Auto-Preview for Normal Pre-
session is open, otherwise it is disabled and view mode.
grayed out.

250 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Loop Preview To stop loop audition:

Loop Preview plays the selected file by looping „ Do one of the following:
playback of the file. If multiple files are selected, • Click the Browser Preview button again.
only the first selected file previews. When Loop • If Spacebar Toggles File Preview is selected in
Preview mode is enabled, the Preview button the Browser menu, press the Spacebar
updates to show a Loop Preview Mode icon. again.
• Press Control+P (Windows) or Com-
Start-click (Windows) or Control-click
mand+P (Mac).
(Mac) the Preview button to toggle Loop
Preview mode on and off. • Press the Esc key.

To loop preview a file in a DigiBase browser: Auto-Preview

1 Do one of the following: Auto-Preview plays the audio file as soon as it is
• In the Browser menu, select Loop Preview. selected. Additionally, the Preview button up-
The Browser Preview button updates to dates to show an Auto-Preview icon.
show the Loop Preview icon.
Control-click (Windows) or Command-
– or – click (Mac) the Preview button to toggle
• Right-click the Preview button and select Auto-Preview mode on and off.
Loop Preview.
To automatically preview files when selected:
„ Do one of the following:
• From the Browser menu, select Auto-Pre-
view. The Preview button updates to show
DigiBase Preview button, Loop Preview mode that Auto-Preview is enabled.
2 Select an audio file in a browser Items List. • Right-click the Preview button and select
Make sure the browser is the foreground (active) Auto-Preview.
window.

3 Do one of the following:

• Click the Browser Preview button.
• Click the Waveform Preview button. DigiBase Preview button, Auto-Preview enabled
• If Spacebar Toggles File Preview is selected in
the Browser menu, press the Spacebar. Conforming Preview to the
Session Tempo
Pro Tools lets you preview Elastic Audio ana-
lyzed files at the session tempo. The selected de-
fault Elastic Audio plug-in is used for previewing
Elastic Audio analyzed audio files at the session
tempo. Additionally, other tick-based files, such
as REX and ACID files, can also be previewed at
the session tempo and in time with playback.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 251

 To preview files at the session tempo:
The DAE Playback Buffer setting in the
1 In the session, place the insertion point at the
Playback Engine dialog affects the amount
location where you want to preview the file in
of time it takes before preview starts. Pre-
DigiBase.
view takes longer to start with higher set-
2 In a DigiBase browser, select the file you want tings (which are necessary for sessions with
to preview. a lot of tracks and edits). Use lower settings
for more responsive preview start times. For
3 Do one of the following:
more information, see “DAE Playback
• Click the Audio Files Conform to Session Buffer Size” on page 48
Tempo button. It highlights when enabled.
• From the Browser menu, select Audio Files Reserve Voices for Preview in Context
Conform to Session Tempo. (Pro Tools HD Only)
• Right-click the file you want to preview and
select Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo Preview in context (previewing audio files in
from the pop-up menu. DigiBase during session playback) uses disk
voices for playback. The number of voices re-
4 Click the Preview button in the browser and quired depends on the channel width of the se-
the file plays at the session tempo. lected Audition Paths on the Output page of the
I/O Setup window. For example, if a stereo audi-
Preview in Context tion path selected in the I/O Setup requires 2
voices for preview in context, whereas a 5.1 au-
Pro Tools lets you preview audio files in Digi- dition path requires 6 voices. If one or more
Base browsers while playing back a Pro Tools voices are not available for preview in context
session. Tick-based audio files (those with because they are in use by disk tracks (or routing
tempo detected Elastic Audio analysis, as well as for RTAS processing), the Preview button in
REX and ACID files) can play back in tempo, DigiBase browsers will be unavailable during
and at the corresponding bar and beat location, session playback.
with session playback. Tick-based audio files au-
dition at the session tempo when the Audio Files Pro Tools provides an option to reserve voices
Conform to Session Tempo option is enabled. for preview in context. The number of reserved
voices is determined by the channel width of
Deselect the Spacebar Toggles File Preview the selected Audition Paths in the I/O Setup.
option in the Browser menu to be able to Voices reserved for preview in context are un-
start and stop session playback with the available for disk tracks.
spacebar without starting and stopping au-
ditioning in the browser. Use Control+P To reserve for voices for preview in context:
(Windows) or Command+P (Mac) to start
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
and stop preview in the front-most browser
during session playback. 2 Select the Operation tab.

3 Enable the Reserve Voices For Preview In Con-

text option.

4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.

252 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Choosing When to Relink
Linking and Relinking Files
Pro Tools lets you relink files while opening a
A Pro Tools session is made up of references, or session or after a session is already open, as fol-
links, to audio files and other session media. Au- lows:
dio and video files must be stored on suitable
‹ Relinking when opening a session ensures
Performance volumes and be properly linked in
that the session opens with all media playable.
order to be playable in the session.
Automatic and manual relinking can be per-
The following types of files are not playable: formed. See “Opening a Session with Missing
Files” on page 254.
Transfer Files Files that are stored on volumes
‹ Relinking later (after a session is already open)
not suitable for playback, such as network vol-
is the fastest way to open the session, but all
umes or CD-ROMs.
missing items remain offline and unplayable.
Missing Files Files that cannot be found where When items are needed, go to the Project
the session expects them, either because they browser to relink offline items. See “Missing
have been moved, or because they are stored on Files in an Open Session” on page 256.
volumes that are not currently mounted (offline
volumes). Forcing a Relink
The process of reacquiring missing files is re- If you cannot relink to the original file, you can
ferred to as relinking. Relinking can involve cer- force a relink to another file. See “Force Relink-
tain sub-tasks, depending on the situation. ing Files” on page 259.
• Transfer files must first be copied to a suitable
Performance volume. The session is then Transfer Files
relinked to the copies on the Performance vol-
umes instead of the original Transfer files. Unlike missing files, Transfer files are files that
have been found but which reside on volumes
• Volumes may be searched for missing files
unsuitable for playback, such as CD-ROMs or
and, when the files are found, Pro Tools
network drives. These volumes appear as Trans-
relinks the session to the file's new location.
fer volumes in the Workspace browser.
• Files that reside on offline volumes must first
have their volumes mounted (brought online) Opening a Session with Transfer Files
before they can be relinked.
If a session finds files on a volume unsuitable for
DigiBase Pro Catalogs have unique linking playback, a dialog appears prompting you to
characteristics. See “Relinking and Aliases copy them to a suitable volume.
in Catalogs” on page 260.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 253

 To copy Transfer files found when opening a To copy items to a new location and Relink to the
session, do one of the following: copies:
„ Click Yes to open the Copy and Relink dialog. 1 Do one of the following:

– or – • Choose Window > Project.

„ Click No to open the session with all Transfer – or –

files offline. When opened, the session’s Project • Open the appropriate Catalog.
browser indicates Transfer files with a “T” in 2 Select the items you want to copy and relink.
their Status column. You can select any media files (online, offline,
and Transfer files).
Transfer Files in an Open Session
3 Choose Copy and Relink Selected from the

To make Transfer files playable in the current Browser menu.

session: 4 If the default location for the copies (the ses-
1 Choose Window > Project. sion’s Audio Files folder) is not appropriate,
specify a different location and click Choose.
2 Double click the Audio Files folder to display
all of the audio files. 5 The files are copied to the chosen destination
and the session or Catalog is relinked in the
3 Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser
background.
menu.

4 Choose Copy and Relink from the Browser

Missing Files
menu.
Files are missing if they are not found in the
5 Specify a location for the copied files on a
same location as when the session was last
valid Performance volume and click OK.
saved. This could be because you moved the files
6 Repeat for video and fade files, as necessary. or the session folder, or because the files are on
a volume that is not currently mounted.
Copy and Relink
Opening a Session with Missing Files
The Copy and Relink command is a file manage-
ment option in the Project browser and in
To open a session with missing files:
DigiBase Pro Catalogs.
1 When you open a session, Pro Tools opens the
Copy and Relink provides a convenient way to session with all available media, then shows you
copy files and relink the session or Catalog to how many files are missing (if any) and asks
the copies rather than to the originals. how you want to proceed. (If told that files are
unsuitable for playback, see “Transfer Files” on
page 253.)

254 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Manually Find and Relink

This option opens the Relink window. Use the

Relink window to search, compare, verify, and
relink missing files. Files can be relinked one at a
time or in batches. See “Relink Window” on
page 256 for more information.

Automatically Find and Relink

Missing files warning when opening a session
Automatically Find and Relink is the simplest
2 Select one of the following:
method to relink sessions to required media, but
• Skip All—or press Control+S (Windows) or
it provides no way to compare files or verify
Command+S (Mac).
links. This option cannot be undone. The Auto-
• Manually Find Relink—or press Control+M matically Find and Relink option does the follow-
(Windows) or Command+M (Mac). ing:
• Automatically Find Relink—or press Con-
• Searches all Performance volumes for all miss-
trol+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac).
ing items with matching Name, ID, Format,
3 Select Regenerate Missing Fades Without and Length.
Searching—or press Control+R (Windows) or • Links missing items to the first matches
Command+R (Mac)—to exclude fade files from found.
the relink process and regenerate them instead.
• Commits links for all items possible, in the
4 Select Regenerate Missing Rendered Files With- background.
out Searching to exclude rendered Elastic Audio
files from the relink process and regenerate Links, once committed, cannot be undone
them instead. once the session is saved. The only way to
revert to previous links is to close the session
5 Click OK.
without saving changes.

Skip All • If some files remain unlinked, the Task win-

dow opens and a failed task appears in the
Use the Skip All option to skip all missing files
Paused Tasks pane. Double-click the Task icon
and fades. This option is the fastest way to open
to open the Relink window and manually find
the session utilizing all available media. Missing
and relink files.
files are offline in the session, and shown in the
Region List and the Project browser with italic Even if all of the missing files are later
text. Missing fades are regenerated if the con- found and relinked, the failed task remains
tributing files are online. in the Task Window. Like all failed tasks, it
must be manually selected and deleted. See
“About Failed Tasks” on page 272.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 255

 Regenerate Missing Fades Without Searching
Relink Window
Enable this option to exclude fades files from
the relinking process (fades are recalculated in- The Relink window provides tools for all relink-
stead). This option is available when Automati- ing tasks (see Figure 12 on page 257).
cally Find and Relink or Manually Find and Relink is
The Relink window includes the following:
enabled.
Menu and Toolbar Includes the Relink menu,
Regenerate Missing Rendered Files Without View Presets, and relinking buttons. Status is
Searching displayed at the far right.
Enable this option to exclude rendered Elastic
Areas to Search Selects volumes on which to
Audio files from the relinking process (rendered
search for missing items.
files are recalculated instead). This option is
available when Automatically Find and Relink or Files to Relink Lists missing files.
Manually Find and Relink is enabled.
Candidates Lists files that match the “relinking
criteria” for a particular missing file. The Link
Missing Files in an Open Session
icon next to the candidate can be toggled on or
You can open the Project browser to select and off to link (or unlink) the proposed candidate to
relink some or all missing files. the selected missing file.

The Relink window controls each phase of the

To relink missing (offline) files in an open session:
relinking process.
1 Choose Window > Project.
The following sections explain how to:
2 Choose Relink Offline from the Browser menu
to open the Relink window. • Open the Relink window (“Opening the
Relink Window” on page 257).
3 Configure the Relink window as needed. See
• Select volumes and folders to search and not
“Relink Window” on page 256 for more infor-
search (“Selecting Areas to Search” on
mation.
page 257).

To relink selected files in an open session: • Search, compare, and link individual files to
one or more candidates (“Relinking Individ-
1 Choose Window > Project.
ual Missing Files” on page 258).
2 Select the files to relink. Any file can be
• Quickly match and link missing files in
relinked, even if it is not an offline file. batches, with the ability to adjust the criteria
3 Choose Relink Selected from the Browser by which files are matched (“Relinking Multi-
menu. ple Missing Files” on page 258).

4 Configure the Relink window as needed. See

• Toggle links on or off for any candidate
“Relink Window” on page 256 for more infor- (“Force Relinking Files” on page 259).
mation. • Compare and review links before committing
(“Committing Links” on page 260).

256 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Menu and toolbar

Areas to Search

Files to Relink

Candidates

Figure 12. Main elements in the Relink window

Opening the Relink Window search. In addition, excluding folders from a

search for missing files also lets you redirect a
When opening a session with missing files, use session or Catalog to a more appropriate copy of
the Manually Find and Relink option to open the an item.
Relink window.

The Relink window can also be accessed after a

session is open.

To access the Relink window from an open

session:
1 Choose Window > Project.

2 Choose Relink Offline from the Browser menu.

Selecting Areas to Search

Volumes selected to include in the search
Selecting volumes and folders in the Areas to
To select volumes or folders to include or exclude
Search pane lets you focus the search for missing
in a search:
files. This can speed the relinking process by
limiting the number of volumes or folders to 1 Configure the Areas to Search pane to display
the appropriate volume, Catalog, or folder.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 257

 2 Click each item’s Search column to toggle it to Pro Tools searches the selected volumes and dis-
be included or excluded in the search. A check plays all files that match File Name and/or
next to an item indicates it will be included in Unique ID in the Candidates list. Link icons in-
the search. All folders within items are also dicate if a Candidate is already linked.
checked.
OMF video clips can only be relinked to a
session if they have matching Unique IDs.
Single and Multi-File Relinking
The Relink window can be used to relink one QuickTime video clips can only be relinked
missing file at a time, or to relink missing files in to a session by file name and file format
batches. (QuickTime).

Relinking Individual Missing Files

To control matching and linking criteria
In some situations, individual files must be when relinking an individual missing file,
relinked one at a time in order to relink the ses- use the Find Links button. Find Links is ex-
sion to the correct file. This is necessary if mul- plained in “Relinking Multiple Missing
tiple copies of a media file are online, or when- Files” on page 258.
ever you want the most control and flexibility
4 Click the Link icon next to the appropriate
over the relinking process.
Candidate to which you want to relink. A Link
icon next to an item indicates it will be relinked
To relink a missing file:
to the item currently selected in the Files to
1 Configure the Areas to Search pane. Relink list.
2 Select one item in the Files to Relink list.

3 Click Find All Candidates.

Link
icon

Indication of Linked status

5 Click the Link icon next to other Candidates,

if you want to relink to additional missing files.

6 Click the Commit Links button.

Find All Candidates

Relinking Multiple Missing Files
Using the Find Links button, multiple files can
Relinking a selected missing file be matched and linked in one procedure.

258 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To relink multiple missing files: 6 To view the selected candidate for a particular
missing file, select to highlight the missing file.
1 Configure Areas to Search. (See “Selecting Ar-
That file’s candidate appears in the Candidates
eas to Search” on page 257.)
pane, where you can view its file information
2 Select one or more items in the Files to Relink and waveform.
list. The Find Links button becomes available.
7 If, after the Find Links process is finished, you
3 Click Find Links. are not satisfied with the candidate selected for a
particular missing file, you can click Find All Can-
4 Configure criteria for relinking, if necessary, in
didates for the selected file (see “Relinking Indi-
the Linking Options dialog:
vidual Missing Files” on page 258).
• By default, Find by Name and ID is en-
abled.
• To add additional matching criteria, select Force Relinking Files
an option from the Linking Options dialog. If you want to link to a substitute file (for exam-
(Modification Date is only applicable to ple, if you know a file has the same audio or
Catalogs.) video but does not have a matching File Name
• If Match Duration is enabled, Pro Tools only or Unique ID), you can force a relink.
selects files of the same length or greater.
‹ To force relink an audio file, its file format
(WAV, SD2, AIFF, or MXF), sample rate and bit
depth must match those of the original file.
‹ To force relink a video file, its format (Quick-
Time, Avid, MXF, or OMF) and frame rate must
match those of the original file.

To force a relink:
1 Choose Window > Project.

2 Choose Relink Offline from the Browser menu.

Linking options 3 In the Relink window, select one item in the

Files to Relink list.
5 Click OK to continue (or click Cancel to return
to the Relink window). 4 Navigate in the Areas to Search pane to locate
the file you want to relink.
Pro Tools begins to search for an acceptable can-
didate for the first missing file (the first item se- 5 Drag the file to the Candidates pane in the
lected in the Files to Relink list). A link icon ap- Relink window.
pears next to each file as Pro Tools finds and 6 Click the Link icon next to the file you
links the first acceptable candidate to the miss- dragged to the Candidates pane.
ing file. The Link Path column shows the loca-
tion of the selected candidate. Pro Tools contin- 7 Click the Commit Links button.
ues searching, matching, and linking for each
missing file in the Files to Relink list.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 259

 Committing Links
Workspace Browser
There is no Undo for relinking. Once a file has
been relinked and the session saved, the session The Workspace browser is your starting point
always remembers the new link (the original for managing media (see Figure 13 on page 261).
link is forgotten). For this reason, no files are ac- The Workspace browser is always available
tually relinked until you click Commit Links. while Pro Tools is running, even if no session is
open.
The Automatically Find and Relink option
Only the Workspace browser lets you do the fol-
is the only relinking process that does not
lowing:
ask you to verify links before they are com-
mitted. If you use this option and are unsat- • Designate volumes as Performance vol-
isfied with the results, close the session umes (Playback or Record volumes) or as
without saving to prevent the new links Transfer volumes.
from being committed. • View and access all available volumes
• Unmount volumes
To commit links:
• Create, view, and access Catalogs.
1 Use the Relink window to link files as ex-
• Search multiple volumes and Catalogs si-
plained in “Single and Multi-File Relinking” on multaneously.
page 258.
The Workspace browser is similar to your com-
2 Click Commit. You are asked to verify commit-
puter’s desktop, in that it shows all of the
ting links.
mounted local and network volumes. The
3 Do one of the following: Workspace browser has all the common browser
• Click Yes to commit links. elements, including an Items list, View presets,
and access to all files. In addition, the Work-
– or –
space browser provides drive allocation settings,
• Click No to stop without affecting files. access to catalogs, and the ability to search mul-
tiple volumes and catalogs simultaneously.
Relinking and Aliases in Catalogs
Opening the Workspace Browser
DigiBase Pro Catalogs are collections of “aliases”
or “shortcuts” to actual files. If the files are
To open the Workspace browser:
moved, an item in a Catalog can become un-
linked from the file it references. 1 Launch Pro Tools.

2 Choose Window > Workspace.

To relink a Catalog:
Press Alt+; (Windows) or Option+; (Mac) to
1 Open the Catalog.
open the Workspace browser.
2 Select items to relink.

3 Choose Relink Selected from the Browser

menu in that Catalog window.

260 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Volume designators Browser name

Menu and toolbar

Search pane

Items List

Search Results

Show/Hide Scrolling pane

Fixed pane
Pane split

Figure 13. Workspace browser, with the Search pane displayed

Audio and Video Volume T (Transfer) Can only be used for storing, trans-
Designators ferring, or auditioning files, and cannot be used
for recording or playback.
The Workspace includes columns for Audio and
Video Volume designators. These two columns If you have a Pro Tools system with multi-
display, and let you designate, whether a vol- ple drives, and you intend to record multiple
ume is a Record, Playback, or Transfer volume. tracks simultaneously, you may want to
designate the System drive as a Playback
R (Record and Playback) Able to play audio and only or Transfer only drive for optimal per-
video files already on the volume, and record formance.
new files.

P (Playback Only) Can play audio and video files

already on the volume, but cannot have new
files recorded to it.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 261

 To change a volume designator: Catalogs in the Workspace
1 Open the Workspace browser. Browser
(DigiBase Pro Only)
2 Click and select the appropriate Audio and/or
Video designator for the volume. With DigiBase Pro, the Workspace browser pro-
vides special tools for creating and accessing
Catalogs. Once Catalogs have been created, they
appear in the Workspace browser in the Cata-
logs folder.

To show all Catalogs:

1 Open the Workspace browser.

2 Click the Expand/Collapse icon next to the

Designating a volume in the Workspace Catalogs folder.

Mounting and Unmounting

Volumes
The Workspace browser lets you unmount vol-
umes while Pro Tools is running, and shows
newly mounted volumes as they come online.

To unmount a volume from within the Workspace

browser:
Viewing Catalogs in the Workspace.
1 Select a volume in the Workspace browser.
To open an individual Catalog:
2 Choose Unmount Volumes from the Browser
„ Double-clicking a catalog opens a Browser
menu.
window for that catalog.
The Workspace browser closes the database file
for the selected online volume and removes it For complete instructions on creating and
from the Workspace browser, and unmounts working with Catalogs, see “DigiBase Pro
the disk from the computer. Catalogs” on page 265.

Pro Tools alerts you if the volume being un- Searching in the Workspace
mounted has files referenced in the Timeline. Browser
Always use the Unmount command in the The Workspace browser provides the most com-
Workspace browser menu to unmount vol- prehensive DigiBase search capabilities. The
umes, or quit Pro Tools and then unmount Workspace browser lets you perform searches
the volume. Do not use any other method to across a single volumes, multiple volumes, or
unmount a volume while Pro Tools is run- across any combination of volumes, folders, and
ning. Catalogs. You select which volumes to include

262 Pro Tools Reference Guide

in the search, and which to exclude. The Work-
space also provides a separate Search Results Project Browser
pane to view, select and manage the results of
The Project browser displays and manages all
searches.
the files related to the current session, regardless
of what volume they reside on (see Figure 14 on
page 264).
Search
pane
The Project browser is similar to the Region List
in that it contains all files associated with a ses-
Areas to sion, with the added data, searching, and sort-
search
ing capabilities of Pro Tools browsers.

Unlike the Region List, however, individual re-

Search gions are not displayed in the Project browser
results (in which only complete files are listed).

Search and Search Results panes in the Workspace Use the Project browser and its Browser menu
commands to:
The Search Results pane lets you maintain the
results of searches, while still viewing and con- • View all media files associated with a ses-
figuring options for additional searches. sion
• Identify, select, and relink offline files
To search from the Workspace: • Identify, select, copy, and relink Transfer
files
1 Choose Window > Workspace to open the
Workspace browser.
Opening the Project Browser
2 Click the Search icon to display the Work-
space Search pane. To open the Project browser:
3 Configure search criteria. 1 Launch Pro Tools and open a session.

4 Click next to each item in the Areas to Search 2 Choose Window > Project.
list to include or exclude volumes to be
searched. Checked items and their sub-folders Press Alt+O (Windows) or Option+O (Mac)
are included in the search. (The next time you to open the Workspace browser.
open a Search pane in the Workspace, these set-
tings remain in effect.)

5 Click Search.

6 The results of the search are shown in the

Search Results pane.

For more information on searching, see

“Searching Items” on page 242.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 263

 Browser menu
and toolbar

Folders and
files

Figure 14. Project browser

The Project browser displays the following: Locating Parent FIles of Regions
Audio Files Folder Contains all of the audio files The Project Browser can be set to automatically
currently referenced by the session, regardless of highlight the parent file of any region selected
where they are located. in the Pro Tools Region List.

Fade Files Folder Contains all of the fade files

To highlight the parent file of a selected region:
referenced by the session, regardless of where
they are located. 1 Select a region in the Region List. If the Region
List Selection Follows Track Selection preference is
Render Sources Folder Contains all files that enabled, you can select a region on a track.
have been imported into the session, but are still
2 From the Region List menu, select Select Par-
being converted, copied, or processed.
ent in Project Browser.
Video Files Folder Contains any video files refer-
enced by the session. When the Select Parent in Project Browser
option is enabled, the Project browser auto-
Each of the folder types in the Project browser matically highlights the parent file of any
has an Expand/Collapse icon. Clicking the icon file or region selected in the Region List.
shows or hides all of the files in the sub-group.
The folders displayed in the Project browser are
session-specific groupings of files, not physical
folders on disk.

264 Pro Tools Reference Guide

About the Project Browser
DigiBase Pro Catalogs
No Drag and Drop to the Project (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Browser Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)

To import a file from another browser into the Catalogs are available with DigiBase Pro, which
current session, you must drag files to the Time- is included with Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE
line or Region List. You cannot import a file into with Complete Production Toolkit or
a session by dragging it to the Project browser. DV Toolkit 2 (see Figure 15).
(You can, however, spot files from the Project
browser into the current session using While Volume browsers are designed to be an
drag/drop.) accurate representation of the file structure on a
given volume, Catalogs are similar to having a
Favorites folder, and serve as a way to collect
Deleting Items in the Project Browser
and organize frequently used items regardless of
Deleting items in the Workspace browser or in where they are stored.
Volume browsers deletes the files from disk.
Video and session files cannot be deleted in the A Catalog is analogous to a folder full of aliases
Project Browser. or shortcuts. Placing a file in a Catalog does not
create a copy of the file, and does not change
Deleting an item from the Project browser lets where the file is stored. Rather, it stores a refer-
you remove items from the current session, or ence (or alias) to the file so that it can be found
delete them from disk (using the Pro Tools Clear and manipulated without having to search for
Regions dialog). its physical location.

Copy and Relink Restrictions

In the Project Browser, the Copy and Relink com-
mand (in the Browser menu) cannot be used on
session files, or on offline audio files. Use the
Relink window to first bring items online. In ad-
dition, the Relink Selected command cannot be
used on session files.

Updating the Project Browser

The Project browser is automatically updated
whenever a file is added to or deleted from the
session, so it is always fully indexed and up to
date.

For instructions on searching, sorting, and

working with the Project Browser, see
“Project Browser” on page 263.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 265

 Catalog name

Menu and
toolbar

Items List

Fixed pane Show/Hide Scrolling pane

Pane split

Figure 15. Catalog browser

Opening a Catalog Browser 3 Do one of the following:

• Click the Expand/Collapse icon for the Cat-
Catalogs are displayed in the Workspace
alog to view its contents in the Workspace.
browser.
– or –
• Double-click the Catalog name to open it
in its own browser window.
Catalogs

Clip Names in Catalogs

Clip Names are the names that appear in the
Timeline and Region List when a file is imported
Catalogs item in the Workspace into a session.
To open a Catalog browser:
For most files, the Clip name is the same as the
1 Open the Workspace browser. file name. For OMF Files, the Clip Name is the
name that appears in the Avid bin.
2 Click the Catalogs Expand/Collapse icon.

266 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Clip names can only be edited in a Catalog. Ed- Creating Catalogs
iting the Clip name does not affect the actual
file; however, if you add the same file to a new Catalogs can be added to the Workspace as new,
Catalog, it retains its original Clip Name. When empty Catalogs, or you can select items first and
you drag a file from a Catalog into a session, the then save a Catalog of all selected items.
edited Clip Name is what appears in the Time-
line and Region List. To create a new, empty Catalog:
1 Open the Workspace browser.
If the Clip Name is longer than 32 characters,
Pro Tools truncates the name automatically 2 Choose New Catalog from the browser menu.
when imported into the session.
3 Type a unique name and click OK.

Comments and Catalogs To catalog a selection of items:

Catalogs provide commands for managing OS 9 1 Open any browser (including an existing Cat-
Finder comments, Database comments, and alog).
Clip Names. 2 Select the items you want to include in the

Database Comments in a Catalog are stored in new Catalog.

the Catalog database. Database Comments, 3 Choose Create Catalog from Selection from the
which can be up to 256 characters in length, are Browser menu.
searchable, cross-platform, and editable.
A new, fully indexed Catalog database of the se-
Copy OS 9 Finder Comment to Database Com- lected items is created.
ments (Mac Only) Copies an item’s OS 9 Finder
comments to its Database comments.
Creating Catalogs of Folders
OS 9 Finder comments (from the OS 9 Get
Info window) are not supported in OS X Get To create a Catalog of an entire folder and all its
contents:
Info windows. Use the Copy OS 9 Finder
Comment to Database Comments com- 1 Open the Workspace browser, if not already
mand to utilize any OS 9 Finder comments open.
stored with your media.
2 Drag and drop a single folder onto the Catalog

Copy OS X Finder Comment to Database Com- icon in the Workspace browser.

ments (Mac Only) Copies an item’s OS X Finder
Pro Tools first indexes the folder, then a fully in-
comments to its Database comments.
dexed Catalog is created, with the same name as
Copy Database Comments to Clip Names Copies the dropped folder.
an item’s Database comments to Clip Name.

Copy File Comments to Clip Names Copies an

item’s File Comments to Clip Name.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 267

 Renaming a Catalog Consolidating Files with Catalogs

Catalogs can be renamed at any time. Catalogs are excellent tools for consolidating
files from a variety of sources.
To rename a Catalog:
For example, create a Catalog named “Thumps”
1 Click the Catalog item in the Workspace and fill it with sound effects from three different
browser until its name highlights. volumes. You can then drag the Catalog from
the Workspace browser to another volume, and
2 Type a new name for the Catalog.
a folder named “Thumps” is created on that vol-
ume. All of the files referenced by the Catalog
Modifying Catalogs are automatically copied to the volume. Folders
and sub-folders, if any, and their contents are
To add items to a Catalog, do one of the following: included in the copy.
„ Open the Catalog and drop new items from

another browser. Updating Catalogs

– or –
Since a Catalog database is not linked to any
„ Click the main Catalogs icon in the Work- particular volume, there is a limit to the abilities
space, to expand your view of all existing Cata- of the Update Index command. When Update Da-
logs, then drop items onto any Catalog. tabase for Selected is selected from the Browser
menu in a Catalog, Pro Tools searches for the
To add a folder to a Catalog: items represented by the aliases in the Catalog
and updates the following information:
1 Open the Catalog.

2 Choose Create Folder from the Browser menu. Metadata Metadata for all files found online, in-
cluding File comments, are updated.
To delete items from a Catalog:
Database Comments Database Comments are
1 Select the items. not updated, because they are unique to each
Catalog and are not part of the file’s metadata.
2 Press the Delete key, or choose Delete Selected
from the Browser menu. A warning dialog ap-
pears. Relinking Catalog Items
3 In the warning dialog, do one of the follow- If files are ever missing from a Catalog, use the
ing: Relink window to locate, copy, and relink files.
• Click Cancel to cancel the delete operation. For more information, see “Linking and Relink-
• Click Delete Files to delete aliases and asso- ing Files” on page 253.
ciated files from disk.
• Click Delete Aliases to delete only the
aliases and not the associated files.

This operation cannot be undone.

268 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Deleting Catalogs The first step is to add files to a Catalog (files
must be online to be added to a Catalog). Once
To delete a Catalog: added to a Catalog, if the items are taken offline
they are listed in italicized text.
1 Select one or more Catalogs in the Workspace
browser. Offline files can be dropped from a Catalog to
2 Press the Delete key, or choose Delete Selected the Timeline just like online files. When you
from the Browser menu. A warning dialog ap- drop the files, a dialog appears asking if you
pears. want to relink the files or skip relinking. Click
Skip All to load all the items as offline files (in the
3 In the warning dialog, do one of the follow- Timeline, their regions appear in light blue). In
ing: the Project browser, these items are listed in the
• Click Cancel to cancel the delete operation. Render Sources folder, to ensure that Pro Tools
• Click Delete Files to delete aliases and asso- remembers that these items need to be relinked.
ciated files from disk.
Whenever the volume containing the offline
• Click Delete Aliases to delete only the
items is mounted, Pro Tools automatically starts
aliases and not the associated files.
to import the files, in the background. This is
This operation cannot be undone. true even if you have saved the session, quit,
and relaunched Pro Tools.

Importing Catalog Items Once the items are completely imported, they
appear as online items in the Timeline, Region
You can import online and offline items from List, and in the Project browser.
Catalogs into the current session.
If the offline items match the session sample
Importing Online Items from a Catalog rate, bit depth, and file format, no conversion is
necessary. As long as the volume is playable, the
Dragging and dropping audio files to the items become playable in the session as soon as
Pro Tools Region List and Timeline is identical the volume is mounted.
to dragging and dropping from Volume brows-
ers. If the volume is unsuitable for playback, you are
informed that some items must be copied to
For more information, see “Importing Files suitable volumes first.
with Drag and Drop” on page 280.
For more information on Transfer files,
Importing Offline Items from a Catalog missing files, and relinking, see “Relink
Window” on page 256.
With Catalogs, it is possible to search and im-
port files that are offline. For example, if you
have a music cue that you know you want to
use, but it resides on a CD-ROM or other un-
mounted volume, you can spot the file from a
Catalog to the session Timeline, and it is auto-
matically imported into the session when the
volume is mounted.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 269

 Opening the Task Window
Task Window
For maximum performance and flexibility with To open the Task Window:
file management tasks, Pro Tools provides the „ In Pro Tools, choose Window > Task Manager.
Task window (see Figure 16 on page 270). File
management with Pro Tools involves nearly Press Alt+’ (Windows) or Option+’ (Mac) to
constant creating, copying, converting, process- open the Workspace browser.
ing, searching, and indexing files. These tasks
Task Window Messages
occur in the background, letting you continue
recording, editing, and mixing without delay. If any background task cannot be successfully
completed, the Task window comes to the fore-
The Task window lets you monitor, pause and
ground to notify you. The incomplete task is
cancel ongoing tasks including file copying,
shown in the Paused Tasks pane of the Task win-
fade creation and indexing.
dow.
You cannot drag and drop items to or from Because the Task window is a floating window,
the Task window. it does not interrupt current work. This allows
you to continue recording and editing, and
postpone file management until a more conve-
nient time.

View Toggle (Minimize)

Status

Active Tasks

Paused Tasks

View Toggle (Maximize)

Status

Figure 16. Task window, maximum view (upper) and minimized view (lower)

270 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Task Window Views Any task that fails to complete successfully is
moved to the Paused Tasks pane (see below).
The Task window provides a maximized and The Status column displays a description of the
minimized view. failure.

To toggle between maximized and minimized

Paused Tasks Pane
views:
„ Click the View Toggle icon in the top of the The Paused Tasks pane is displayed below the
Task window. Active Tasks pane, and is separated by a move-
able horizontal divider. Tasks listed in this pane
will not be processed until they are moved back
Task Window Tools, Columns, and to the Active Tasks pane.
Displays
The Task window menu provides commands for Pausing and Cancelling Tasks
Task window operations.
The Task window lets you pause, resume, and
The following data is always displayed in the cancel tasks.
Task window (both views):
To pause a task:
Item Name Indicates affected item, whether a
„ Drag the appropriate task from the Active
file, database, or other supported item.
Tasks pane to the Paused Tasks pane.
Status Action being taken (for example, copy-
ing, processing, indexing and so on). The task moves to the top of the Paused Tasks
pane.
Progress Indicates the progress of the task or its
sub-tasks, which include assessing the size of the To pause all tasks:
items and the estimated amount of time neces-
„ Choose Pause All from the Task window
sary to complete the task.
menu.
Progress Indicator Indicates processing is ongo-
ing. To resume a task:
„ Drag a task from the Paused Tasks pane to the
Quantification Shows percentage of progress of
Active Tasks pane. The task returns to its previ-
the current task.
ous position in the queue.

Active Tasks Pane

To resume all paused tasks:
The upper Active Tasks pane shows the tasks „ Select Resume All from the Task window
that are in progress or waiting to start. The cur- menu. All tasks in the Paused Tasks pane (except
rently executing task is at the top. Tasks in this failed tasks) are moved to the Active Tasks pane.
pane will be processed.

As tasks complete, they disappear from the

queue.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 271

 To cancel a task: About Failed Tasks
1 Highlight any task in either pane of the Task The Paused Tasks pane shows any tasks that
window. could not be completed. The reason for the fail-
2 Press Delete to remove it from the Task win- ure is shown in the Status column.
dow.
Failed Tasks cannot be resumed, and must be de-
leted manually from the Paused Tasks pane.
To cancel all tasks:
1 Select any single task in either pane. If Automatically Find and Relink was unable to find
all files in a session, a failed task is placed in the
2 Press Control-A (Windows) or Command-A Paused Tasks pane of the Task window. It re-
(Mac) to select all the tasks in that pane. mains there unless you manually remove it
3 Press Delete. from the Task window (even if you have since
found the files through a subsequent search and
This command cannot be undone. relink task).

About Cancelling Tasks Task Prioritization

Some tasks involve one or more sub-tasks. Delet- A task that is in progress may be interrupted by
ing a task cannot undo sub-tasks already com- a task of higher priority. When this happens,
pleted. For example, if importing and convert- the partially completed task is halted and re-
ing multiple files appears as a single task, scheduled later in the queue, and shown with a
deleting that task before it is completed stops progress bar in the Active Tasks pane. When the
the import and conversion process, but files al- higher priority task is finished the first incom-
ready converted and imported remain on disk. If plete task in the queue resumes.
you want to cancel a task involving multiple
sub-tasks, you can instead let the process com-
plete and then use Undo to completely undo all Tips for Using the Task Window
sub-tasks, as available.
Pause Tasks During Playback
Closing Sessions with Pending A global preference Pause During Playback is pro-
Tasks vided in the Task window Browser menu. When
enabled, Active Tasks are paused whenever
If you close a session or quit Pro Tools while
Pro Tools is playing (or recording). This setting
tasks are still pending (either in the Active or
is especially useful when working on slower
Paused Tasks panes of the Task window)
CPUs, or whenever you want to minimize sys-
Pro Tools asks if you want to cancel, or complete
tem load for maximum playback and recording
the pending tasks. You can choose to open the
performance. This preference maintains its set-
Task window and wait for pending tasks to com-
ting until the next time it is changed.
plete, cancel the pending tasks, or quit. If you
quit, some tasks are cancelled. Tasks that in-
volve file copies are remembered and restarted
when you relaunch Pro Tools.

272 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Stored Tasks
Any task that imports files into a session is
stored with a session when it is closed, and re-
sumes when the session is re-opened.

For example, if you Import Session Data with

Copy From Source Media selected, then Save and
Close the session before the copy completes, the
copy tasks resume when the session is reopened.

Grouped Tasks
Some tasks consist of many smaller tasks. For in-
stance, Copy and Relink may require hundreds of
individual files to be copied. To help manage
these tasks, they are grouped under the originat-
ing command. So in the example of a Copy and
Relink command, one copy task would appear
with an Expand/Collapse icon in the Task win-
dow. Clicking the icon shows each of the indi-
vidual sub-tasks.

If there is more than one grouped task in the

queue, all of the sub-tasks for the first group
must be completed before the sub-tasks of the
second group can be processed.

If the session is saved and closed while several of

these group tasks are in the queue, and if those
tasks are the type that can be interrupted and
saved when closing the session, all of the tasks
reappear as part of the same group when the ses-
sion is reopened.

Chapter 14: DigiBase 273

274 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting
Session Data

Pro Tools lets you import and export a variety of

data into and out of a session, including audio Importing and Exporting to
and MIDI files, region groups, video files, track and from a Session
playlists, I/O configurations, and signal routing
configurations. Importing
You can import individual audio and MIDI files Pro Tools lets you import audio, video, MIDI, re-
into a session, or import entire audio or MIDI gion groups, or session files into the current
tracks, along with all of their attributes, from an- Pro Tools session by:
other session. Additionally, with Pro Tools HD, • Dragging and dropping from:
you have the option of importing any combina-
• A DigiBase browser
tion of track attributes from another session,
such as a track’s audio or MIDI playlists, signal • Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder
routing, plug-ins, or automation (see “Import- • Using the File menu Import commands:
ing Session Data” on page 289). • Session Data
• Audio
For information on importing and exporting
video files, see Chapter 48, “Working with • MIDI
Video in Pro Tools” • Video
• Region Groups

Session data, audio files and regions can be im-

ported to existing tracks, new tracks, the Track
List, or the Region List in a Pro Tools session.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 275

 Exporting ‹ When files are converted into the session, the
original files remain where ever they are on your
Pro Tools lets you export audio, video, MIDI, re- system and are copied to the session’s Audio
gion groups, and session data by: Files folder and converted to the session’s audio
• Using the Send Via DigiDelivery command file format, sample rate, and bit depth. The ses-
• Using the Export to Sibelius or Send to Sibelius sion references the converted files, not the orig-
command (MIDI only) inal files.

• Using the File menu Export commands: Files That Can Be Added to a Session without
• Selected Tracks as New AAF/OMF Conversion
• MIDI
Mono and split stereo (or split multichannel)
• Score audio files that are of the same audio file format,
• Session Info As Text sample rate, and bit depth of the session can be
• Using the Tracks Right-click menu: added to the session without conversion and
with or without copying the files to the session’s
• Send To Sibelius command (Score Editor
Audio Files folder.
only)
• Export MIDI command You can enable the Automatically Copy
• Using the Region List menu: Files on Import option in the Processing
• Export Region Definitions command Preferences page to be sure to always copy
files to the session’s Audio Files folder when
• Export Regions as Files command
importing audio by drag and drop.
• Export Region Groups command
Files That Must Be Converted on Import

Pro Tools automatically converts files that don’t

Audio Conversion on Import match the session’s audio file type, sample rate,
or bit depth. Audio files that don’t match the
Depending on the properties of the audio files
session audio file type, sample rate, and bit
you are importing, you can add, copy, or con-
depth must be converted on import. Pro Tools
vert the files:
also splits interleaved audio files into multiple
‹ When files are added to a Pro Tools session, mono files.
they remain at their current hard drive location
and are not moved or copied. The session refer- If region definitions are present in an audio file,
ences the original files where ever they are on you can convert and import the audio for a re-
your system. gion without importing the entire parent audio
file using the Import Audio command.
‹ When files are copied into the session, the
original files remain where ever they are on your Pro Tools 7.x and higher does not support
system and are copied to the session’s Audio audio file names that contain certain ASCII
Files folder and are then added to the session. characters (see “Opening a Session that
The session references the copied files, not the Contains Audio File Names with Illegal
original files. Characters” on page 311).

276 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Supported Audio File Formats Rate Conversion Quality setting is local to that
specific dialog. The Sample Rate Conversion Qual-
Audio files of the following types can be im- ity preference only applies to conversion on im-
ported into Pro Tools sessions: port by drag and drop.
• AIFF
• WAV or BWF (.WAV) To set the sample rate conversion quality for
• SD II importing audio by drag and drop:

• SD I 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the

• MP3 Processing tab.
• MXF audio 2 From the Sample Rate Conversion Quality pop-
• Sound Resource (AIFL—Mac only) up menu, select a quality setting. For most appli-
• WMA (Windows Media—Windows only) cations, the Good or Better setting will yield very
good results.
• QuickTime (Mac only)
• AAC audio (including audio with AAC,
Mp4, and M4a file extensions)
• ReCycle (REX 1 and 2) files
• ACID files

Pro Tools cannot import protected AAC or Sample Rate Conversion Quality preference
MP4 files with the .M4p file extension. 3 Click OK.
These files are protected under the rules of
digital rights management. The Import Audio, Import Session Data,
and Bounce To Disk dialogs provide local
Sample Rate Conversion Quality controls for sample rate conversion quality.

The Sample Rate Conversion Quality setting deter- Bit Depth Conversion and Dithering
mines the quality of sample rate conversion
used when converting and importing audio into When importing audio at a lower bit depth than
a session. It can also applied when exporting the session, Pro Tools converts the file to match
files at different sample rate and when bouncing the session bit depth by adding empty bits. For
to disk. There are five possible settings, ranging example, when importing a 16-bit file into a
from Low (fastest, but lowest quality) to Tweak 24-bit session, Pro Tools converts the file to
Head (highest quality, but slowest). The higher 24-bit.
the quality of sample rate conversion you
When importing audio at a higher bit depth
choose, the longer Pro Tools will take to process
than the session, Pro Tools automatically ap-
the audio file.
plies a preset, noise-shaped dither and converts
The Sample Rate Conversion Quality options are the file to the session bit depth. For example,
available in the Import Audio, the Import Ses- when importing a 24-bit file into a 16-bit ses-
sion Data, the Export Regions as Files, and the sion, dither is applied automatically and the file
Bounce to Disk dialogs. In each case, the Sample is converted to 16-bit.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 277

 Importing Interleaved Files Convert Imported “WAV” Files To AES31/Broad-
castWave When selected, this option applies to
When using the Import Audio command, inter- all newly imported WAV files, making them
leaved stereo files are automatically imported to compliant with the AES31/EBU Broadcast
stereo tracks. standard.

Split stereo (dual mono) audio files can be auto- Automatically Copy Files on Import When se-
matically imported to stereo tracks. Split stereo lected, all audio files that are imported by drag-
audio files must have the channel identifiers ging and dropping are copied to the current ses-
“.L” and “.R” in their names (for example, file- sion’s Audio Files folder, regardless of whether
name.L and filename.R), and the files must be the the files need to be converted to the current ses-
same length. In Windows, or in Mac/PC Com- sion’s file type, bit depth, or sample rate. Addi-
patibility mode, these files will have a 3-letter tionally, when selected, the Import Session Data
file extension appended after the “.L” or “.R” dialog defaults to Copy from Source Media. The
channel identifier. Automatically Copy Files on Import preference does
not affect the Import Audio command.
Pro Tools also lets you import multichannel in-
terleaved files of any supported file type. Import REX Files as Region Groups When se-
lected, REX flies are imported as region groups,
all the underlying slices are imported as individ-
Import Options and ual regions contained within the region group.
When this option is not selected, importing REX
Preferences files into a session converts them to the session’s
Pro Tools provides several options and prefer- audio file format, the individual slices are con-
ences that affect audio import. Configure solidated, and the slice information is used for
Pro Tools to match your most common work- Elastic Audio analysis. These files remain tick-
flows. For example, if you frequently work by based after import and conversion.
importing REX files for loop-based composition,
Automatically Create Fades When selected,
you can configure Pro Tools to always import
crossfades are applied automatically to the
REX files to conform to tempo and create new
sliced regions within region groups created by
tick-based Elastic Audio tracks.
importing REX files. If the Import REX Files as Re-
gion Groups option is not selected, the Automati-
cally Create Fades option does not apply.

To change the default fade settings for REX files,

click the REX button in the Default Fade Settings
section on the Editing Preferences page (see
“Fades Editing Preference” on page 280).

Import options in the Processing Preferences page

278 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to Elastic Audio Options
Session Tempo
The Elastic Audio preferences determine which
The Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to Ses- Elastic Audio plug-in is used for preview and im-
sion Tempo options determine whether or not port, and whether or not new tracks are created
REX, ACID, and all other audio file formats with Elastic Audio enabled using the selected de-
dragged and dropped from Windows Explorer or fault plug-in.
Mac Finder are imported as tick-based Elastic
Audio and conformed to the session tempo.

None When enabled, all audio files, including

REX and ACID files, are not conformed to the
session tempo when imported by drag and drop
from Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder. They
Processing Preferences, Elastic Audio
are imported as sample-based files and con-
verted to the sessions audio file format. Default Plug-in Lets you select any Real-Time
Elastic Audio plug-in as the default plug-in for
REX and ACID Files Only When enabled, only
previewing and importing Elastic Audio. The se-
REX and ACID files are conformed to the session
lected default Elastic Audio plug-in is also used
tempo when imported by drag and drop from
when new tracks are created with Elastic Audio
Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder. REX files
enabled. The Elastic Audio Plug-in selector in
are imported either as tick-based Elastic Audio
DigiBase browsers inherits the selected default
or, if the Import REX Files as Region Groups op-
plug-in. Likewise, changing the selected plug-in
tion is enabled, as tick-based region groups.
in DigiBase browsers updates the selected Default
All Files When enabled, all audio files are im- Plug-in in the Processing preferences.
ported as tick-based Elastic Audio and conform
Default Input Gain Lets you attenuate the signal
to the session tempo.
input to Elastic Audio plug-ins by 0 to –6 dB for
preview and import. If you experience clipping
Sample Rate Conversion Quality
due to Elastic Audio processing during preview
The Sample Rate Conversion Quality preference or after import, you may want to set the Default
determines the quality of sample rate conver- Input Gain to slightly attenuate (lower) the audio
sion used when converting and importing audio signal input for Elastic Audio processing. This
into a session by drag and drop. Sample rate preference also applies to any audio imported to
conversion is used in a variety of Pro Tools pro- an Elastic Audio-enabled track.
cesses including converting and importing au-
If you commit any regions on a track (by dis-
dio files of different formats into a session, and
abling Elastic Audio on the track) that were im-
bouncing and saving tracks to a different sample
ported with the Default Input Gain applied, their
rate or bit depth. The higher the quality of sam-
region-based In put Gain is reset to 0.
ple rate conversion you choose, the longer
Pro Tools will take to process the audio file.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 279

 The Elastic Properties window inherits the De-
fault Input Gain preference. To apply further re-
gion-based Input Gain for Elastic Audio process-
ing, select the region and adjust the Input Gain
setting in the Elastic Properties window (see
“Elastic Properties Window” on page 787).

Enable Elastic Audio on New Tracks When se-

lected, new tracks are created with Elastic Audio
enabled. The selected default Elastic Audio plug-
in is used. When importing audio to new tracks,
new tracks are created with Elastic Audio en-
abled if this option is enabled. REX Auto-Crossfades preference and dialog

If the Enable Elastic Audio on New Tracks

option is selected, you may want to also
select the New Tracks Default to Tick Time-
Importing Files with Drag and
base option in the Editing Preferences page. Drop
Pro Tools lets you import audio, MIDI, video,
Tracks Preference
and session files by dragging and dropping files
When the New Tracks Default To Tick Timebase from a DigiBase browser, Windows Explorer, or
option is enabled, all new tracks default to ticks. Mac Finder to the Pro Tools application icon,
This includes importing audio to new tracks. the session Timeline, a track, the Track List, or
When deselected, audio, Auxiliary Input, Master the Region List.
Fader, and VCA (Pro Tools HD only) tracks de-
Figure 17 on page 281 illustrates some of the op-
fault to samples. MIDI and Instrument tracks al-
tions available to import files using drag and
ways default to ticks.
drop from DigiBase browsers.

Fades Editing Preference Importing does not always convert or copy

audio files. See “Audio Conversion on Im-
The Default Fade Settings for REX files in the Ed-
port” on page 276.
iting preferences lets you select the default enve-
lope shape for fades and crossfades between re-
gions (“slices”) in imported REX files. Fades are Importing using drag and drop does not nec-
only applied to imported REX files if the Import essarily bring the Edit window to the fore-
REX Files as Region Groups option and the Auto- ground. For example, dragging and drop-
matically Create Fades option are both enabled ping a file from a browser into a track leaves
on the Processing Preferences page. the source browser in the foreground (not
the Edit window). Always verify the active,
foreground window or browser before con-
tinuing.

280 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To import files into the Region List: To import files as new tracks:
1 Select audio, video, MIDI, region group, REX, 1 Select the files you want to import in a Digi-
or ACID files in a DigiBase browser, or Windows Base browser, or Windows Explorer, or Mac
Explorer, or Mac Finder. Finder.

2 Drag the selected files onto the Region List. 2 Do any of the following:
• Shift-drag files and drop anywhere in the
To import files into an existing track: Edit window.
1 Select the files you want to import in a Digi- • Drop files to the Track List.
Base browser, or Windows Explorer, or Mac • Drop files to empty space in the Edit win-
Finder. dow, below or between tracks.

2 Drag the selected file to a location on an exist-

ing, compatible track. The file is imported and
placed where it was dropped.

Workspace

Volumes

Catalogs

Drop media or session files

to existing tracks, or to the
Track List to add as new tracks Drop files in the
Region List to import

Figure 17. Importing from browsers by drag and drop

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 281

 To import and spot files into a track: To snap to head and copy the file to the session
Audio files folder:
1 Enable Spot mode.
„ Alt-Start-drag (Windows) or Option-Control-
2 Select the files you want to import in a Digi-
drag (Mac) a file onto a track.
Base browser, or Windows Explorer, or Mac
Finder.
To snap to tail:
3 Drag the files onto an existing, compatible „ Control-Start-drag (Windows) or Command-
track. The Spot dialog appears. Control-drag (Mac) a file onto a track.
4 Enter the appropriate time code location
(where you want to spot the imported file). To snap to tail and copy the file to the session
Audio Files folder:
5 Click OK.
„ Control-Alt-Start-drag (Windows) or Com-

mand-Option-Control-drag (Mac) a file onto a

To import and spot an audio file by its Waveform in
DigiBase browsers: track.

1 In a DigiBase browser, Control-click (Win-

Elastic Audio on Import
dows) or Command-click (Mac) the file’s Wave-
form display at the approximate reference point When importing any audio file by drag and
you want to use for placement in a track. drop to an Elastic Audio-enabled track, the au-
dio file is imported and analyzed (if not already
2 While continuing to press Control (Win-
analyzed). If the imported audio file is tick-
dows), or Command (Mac), drag the waveform
based, it is conformed to tempo using the track’s
onto an existing audio track (the source audio
Elastic Audio plug-in. If it is a sample-based au-
file and the destination audio track must have
dio file, such as a single drum hit or short sound
the same number of channels).
effect, it maintains its original duration. Longer
audio files with no detectable tempo also remain
Snapping to Head and Tail sample-based.
You can drag and drop files to tracks and have
You can also import audio by drag and drop to
them snap to the head or the tail of the current
create new tick-based Elastic Audio-enabled
Edit selection or insertion point. When snap-
tracks.
ping to head, the beginning of the imported file
snaps to the beginning of the Edit selection. When importing tick-based audio by drag and
When snapping to tail, the end of the imported drop from DigiBase browsers to the Track List or
file snaps to the beginning of the Edit selection. empty space in the Edit window, Pro Tools cre-
ates a new tick-based, Elastic Audio-enabled
To import and snap to head: track using the default Elastic Audio plug-in se-
„ Start-drag (Windows) or Control-drag (Mac) a
lected in the Processing Preferences page (see
file onto a track. “Elastic Audio Options” on page 279).

If you are importing an audio file by drag and

drop from Windows Explorer or Mac Finder to
the Track List or to empty space in the Edit win-
dow, files are imported as sample-based or as

282 Pro Tools Reference Guide

tick-based Elastic Audio depending on the Drag
and Drop from Desktop Conforms to Session Importing Audio Files and
Tempo preference (see “Drag and Drop From Regions Using the Import
Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo” on Audio Command
page 279).
The Import Audio command lets you import au-
dio files or regions into your Pro Tools session.
Importing Elastic Audio from DigiBase
to the Region List To import entire tracks from other sessions,
With the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo see “Importing Session Data” on page 289.
option enabled, dragging and dropping tick-
To import audio files or regions into a session
based audio from DigiBase browsers to the Re-
using the Import Audio command:
gion List (or to the Track List), creates two sepa-
rate regions in the Region List. The first is a sam- 1 Choose File > Import > Audio.
ple-based whole file region and the second is a 2 In the Import Audio dialog, locate and select
tick-based copy of the same region. an audio file to display its properties and associ-
ated regions.
Importing Tempo from Tick-Based Audio
You can choose to display only a certain file
If there are no tracks in the session, and you im- type (such as AIFF) by selecting the type from
port a tick-based audio file to the Region List, the Show pop-up menu. To display all supported
Track List, or empty space in the Edit window, file types, select All Documents from the Show
you are prompted to either import the tempo pop-up menu.
from the file or use the default session tempo. To
keep the default session tempo, and have the
loop conform to the session tempo, click Don’t
Import.

Import Original Tempo From File

If the session already contains at least one track

(regardless of track type), you are not prompted
to import the tempo from the file and the file is
conformed to the session tempo.

Figure 18. Import Audio dialog

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 283

 In the import list, audio files are distinguished
from regions by their icons. Pro Tools lets you add files to a session that
are at a different sample rate than your
session. In the comments field of the Import
Audio File icon
Audio dialog, a warning is posted that these
files will play back at the wrong speed and
Audio Region icon pitch if they are not converted.
File and Region icons in the Import Audio dialog
5 When you have added all audio files and re-
gions to the Import list, you can apply sample
On Mac, Sound Resource files must have rate conversion by doing the following:
the “.SFIL” extension to be imported by
• Enable Apply SRC.
Pro Tools.
• Specify the Source Sample Rate either by
3 To preview a selected file or region before you typing a number, or by selecting a sample
import it, click the Play and Stop buttons in the rate from the pop-up menu.
Import Audio dialog. • Select the sample rate conversion quality
from the Quality pop-up menu. This setting
Adjust the preview volume with the vertical
overrides the Sample Rate Conversion Qual-
slider. To navigate to a particular location in the
ity setting in the Processing Preferences
file, use the horizontal slider under the Play and
page.
Stop buttons.
6 Click Done.
The Preview Volume control in the Import
7 If you are copying or converting files, choose
Audio dialog also affects the preview volume
a location for the new files. Choose a folder on a
when auditioning regions in the Region List.
valid audio drive, such as the Audio Files folder
The audition output path defaults to channels for the current session.
1–2. For Pro Tools systems with more than 2
8 In the Audio Import Options dialog, select
channels of output, the audition path can be
where the imported files will go in the session:
changed in the I/O Setup (see “Audition Paths”
on page 75).

4 Do any of the following:

• To place a file or region in the Import list,
select the file and click Add or Convert.
• To import all files and regions in the cur-
rent directory, click Add All or Convert All.
• To remove a file or region from the Import
list, select it and click Remove.
• To remove all files and regions, click Re-
Audio Import Options dialog
move All.

284 Pro Tools Reference Guide

New Track Each audio file is imported into its
own individual track and into the Region List. Importing CD audio with either drag and
drop method lets you continue working in
When importing audio into a track, you can also the session foreground (such as in the Mix
choose the location in the track where the audio or Edit window), while the Task Manager
file will begin (such as Session Start). (Window > Task Manager) works in the
background (importing and converting the
Region List Audio files are imported into the Re-
audio until the import is completed). For
gion List without creating a new track. Imported
more information on the Task Manager, see
audio files appear in the Region List and can
“Task Window” on page 270.
then be dragged to audio tracks.
Because the transfer is made in the digital do-
9 If you chose to create a new track, choose a lo-
main, there is no signal loss.
cation for the imported file in the track:
The sample rate for audio CDs is 44.1 kHz.
Session Start Places the file or region at the start
Therefore, if your session’s sample rate is set to
of the session.
48 kHz or higher, Pro Tools will convert the
Song Start Aligns the beginning of the file or re- sample rate for the imported audio. Before im-
gion to the Song Start point. porting CD audio, set the Sample Rate Conver-
sion Quality preference accordingly. For more in-
Selection Aligns the beginning of the file or re- formation, see “Sample Rate Conversion
gion to the edit cursor or to the beginning of a Quality” on page 277.
selection in the Timeline.

Spot Displays the Spot dialog, which lets you

spot the file or region to a precise location based Importing ACID and REX Files
on any of the Time Scales.
ACID files and REX 1 and 2 files are converted to
10 Click OK. the session audio file type. Depending on the
preferences settings, ACID and REX files can be
imported as sample-based regions or as tick-
Importing Audio from Audio based Elastic Audio regions. For REX files only,
Pro Tools uses any slice data to create Event
CDs
markers with 100% confidence. ACID files are
Pro Tools lets you import tracks from audio CDs analyzed for Elastic Audio events just like WAV
using the same methods that you use to import files, and so events are detected with varying de-
audio files, as follows: grees of confidence.
• Drag and drop CD audio from the CD
For information on Elastic Audio, see
folder.
Chapter 38, “Elastic Audio.”
• Drag and drop files from DigiBase Browser.
• Use the Import Audio command. REX files can also be imported as tick-based re-
gion groups.
Before importing CD audio, make sure your
hard drive has enough space for the converted For information on region groups, see “Re-
audio files. gion Groups” on page 743).

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 285

 To import ACID and REX flies as sample-based To import REX files as tick-based region groups:
regions:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Pro-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Pro- cessing tab.
cessing tab.
2 Select the Import REX Files as Region Groups op-
2 Disable the Import REX Files as Region Groups tion.
option.
3 To apply real-time crossfades to the files, en-
3 Select No Files as the Drag and Drop from Desk- able the Automatically Create Fades option (see
top Conforms to Session Tempo preference. “Automatic Fades for Imported REX Files” on
page 286).
4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
4 Select REX and ACID Files Only or All Files as the
5 When importing by drag and drop from Digi-
Drag and Drop from Desktop Conforms to Session
Base browsers, make sure that the Audio Files
Tempo preference.
Conform to Session Tempo option is disabled.
5 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
6 Import the ACID and REX files you want by
drag and drop from a DigiBase browser or the 6 Do one of the following:
Desktop, or using the Import Audio command • Import the REX files you want by drag and
(see “Importing Audio Files and Regions Using drop from a DigiBase browser
the Import Audio Command” on page 283).
• Import the REX files you want by drag and
drop from the Desktop.
To import ACID and REX files as tick-based Elastic
Audio regions: • Use the Import Audio command (see “Im-
porting Audio Files and Regions Using the
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Pro-
Import Audio Command” on page 283).
cessing tab.

2 Disable the Import REX Files as Region Groups Automatic Fades for Imported REX Files
option. If the Import REX Files as Region Groups option is
3 Select REX and ACID Files Only or All Files as the enabled in the Processing Preferences page,
Drag and Drop from Desktop Conforms to Session Pro Tools can automatically apply real-time
Tempo preference. crossfades to the regions or “slices” in imported
REX format files.
4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.

5 Do one of the following: To apply real-time crossfades to REX files:

• Import the REX files you want by drag and 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Pro-
drop from a DigiBase browser cessing tab.
• Import the REX files you want by drag and
2 Enable the Import REX Files as Region Groups
drop from the Desktop.
option.
• Use the Import Audio command (see “Im-
porting Audio Files and Regions Using the 3 Enable the Automatically Create Fades option.
Import Audio Command” on page 283). 4 In the Preferences dialog, click the Editing tab.

5 Under Default Fade Settings, click REX.

286 Pro Tools Reference Guide

6 In the REX Auto-Crossfades dialog, select the playlist, and a multichannel region appears in
shapes you want for crossfades, and click OK. the Region List with the channels expandable
underneath. Any metadata is also imported with
7 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
the files.
Depending on your edits or tempo changes
after importing REX files, the fades can be
deleted and you will have to recreate them Exporting Audio
manually.
Pro Tools supports exporting audio regions as
audio files, exporting left and right audio files as
stereo interleaved files, and exporting region in-
Importing Multichannel Audio
formation.
Files from a Field Recorder
You can also export audio from Pro Tools by
Pro Tools lets you use any of its import methods
bouncing or consolidating audio tracks. For
to import monophonic and polyphonic audio
more information, see “Bounce to Disk” on
files recorded by a field recorder. When you im-
page 962 and “Consolidate Command” on
port these types of files, they must be converted
page 506.
to an audio format compatible with Pro Tools.

For more information on importing files Exporting a Region as a New Audio

from a field recorder, refer to the Field File
Recorder Workflow Guide.
You can export regions as audio files with the
Importing Monophonic Audio Files Export Regions as Files command. Use this
command if you intend to use a region in other
A monophonic audio file contains one mono
sessions (or other audio applications) without
channel and relevant metadata from a single
using its parent source file.
multichannel recording.
This command also provides a way to convert
When you import monophonic audio files that
regions to a different audio format, sample rate,
were recorded simultaneously, they are con-
or bit depth.
verted to multichannel regions and displayed
together in the Region List. Any metadata is also
To export regions as new audio files:
imported with the files.
1 In the Region List, select the regions you want
to export.
Importing Polyphonic Audio Files
A polyphonic audio file contains multiple mono Warped regions (Elastic Audio) will be ex-
channels and relevant metadata recorded simul- ported unwarped at their original duration.
taneously in a multichannel recording.
2 From the Region List menu, choose Export Re-
When imported into Pro Tools, a polyphonic gions as Files.
audio file is divided into individual monopho-
nic audio files written to disk—one file for each
channel. Regions for each channel appear in the

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 287

 Table 16. Dither and Noise Shaping with Export
Selected dialog

Noise
Bit Depth Dither
Shaping

24-bit to 8-bit Yes No

16-bit to 8-bit Yes No

The Dither used for any conversion is the

Digidesign Dither plug-in (with or without
Noise Shaping enabled, as noted in Table 16).

For more information about using Dither,

see “Dither” on page 866.

4 If you are exporting to an 8-bit file, enable the

Use Squeezer option. This optimizes the dynam-
ics of the exported audio by preprocessing it us-
ing compression, limiting, and gating before
Export Selected dialog conversion to 8-bit resolution (for more infor-
3 In the Export Selected dialog, set the File Type, mation, see “Use Squeezer” on page 968).
Format, Bit Depth, and Sample Rate. In addition,
5 Select an option for how Pro Tools should re-
specify the Conversion Quality, and choose the
solve duplicate file names.
Destination Directory.
Prompting for Each Duplicate Prompts you for a
When you export regions to a lower bit depth,
file name for any file that has the same name as
Dither (with or without Noise Shaping) is ap-
a file in your destination directory.
plied as shown in Table 16.
Table 16. Dither and Noise Shaping with Export Auto Renaming Automatically changes the
Selected dialog name of any duplicate file by adding a number
at the end of the file name (such as file_01).
Noise
Bit Depth Dither
Shaping Replacing with New Files Replaces files with the
same name with the new files.
24-bit to 24-bit No No
6 Click Export to export the new audio files.
16-bit to 24-bit No No

24-bit to 16-bit Yes Yes

16-bit to 16-bit No No

288 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Exporting Stereo or Multichannel Exporting Region Definitions
Interleaved Files
Pro Tools stores region definitions for audio files
You can use the Export Regions as Files com- within each session. If you want to use an audio
mand to export audio regions to stereo or multi- file’s regions in another session, or with another
channel interleaved files for use in other appli- application that supports them, you can export
cations. (Pro Tools cannot use interleaved files the region information.
directly in the Timeline—these must be con-
verted into multiple mono files.) For example, If you plan to transfer Pro Tools session
for this to work with a stereo file, the selected re- data to another session, you should export
gions must have identical names with “.L” and region definitions for sessions containing
“.R” suffixes (for instance, vocals_01.L and multiple takes created with Loop Record.
vocals_01.R). These regions appear as a stereo re-
The Export Region Definitions command does not
gion in the Region List.
export regions as audio files (unlike the Export
Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Regions as Files command). Instead, it stores
Production Toolkit also let you bounce multi- pointers to the regions within the parent source
channel interleaved files of any supported file file.
type.
To export region definitions for an audio file:
To export regions as a stereo or multichannel 1 In the Region List, select any regions or region
interleaved file: groups for which you want to export defini-
1 Select the stereo or multichannel audio region tions. You do not have to select the parent file
in the Region List or in the track playlist. If the audio region.
regions appear on mono tracks in the session,
2 Choose Export Region Definitions from the Re-
select the two mono regions.
gion List menu.
2 From the Region List menu, choose Export Re-
3 Click Export.
gions as Files.

3 In the Export Selected dialog, select Stereo In-

terleaved in the Format pop-up menu. For multi-
channel regions, the Stereo Interleaved option
Importing Session Data
produces a multichannel interleaved file. You can import entire tracks from other
Pro Tools sessions into the current Pro Tools ses-
4 Configure any other output settings, then
sion using the Import Session Data command or
click Export to export the new stereo interleaved
drag and drop.
file.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 289

 With Pro Tools LE, you can import tracks and
some general session data, but with Pro Tools To select multiple tracks, Alt-click (Win-
HD, or Pro Tools LE with Complete Production dows) or Opt-click (Mac) on any track pop-
Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, you can select specific up menu and select Import As New Track.
session data (such as automation and routing) to
import. You can also import main playlist op- If the destination Pro Tools system does not
tions—either replacing existing options or over- support surround mixing, surround tracks
laying elements onto existing tracks. are not displayed in the Source Track List.
For example, with Pro Tools HD, or Pro Tools LE 5 With Pro Tools HD, or Pro Tools LE with Com-
with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Tool- plete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, for
kit 2, you can choose to import only the track’s each track you select, you can choose to import
audio into your current Pro Tools session. This is it as a new track, or choose a destination track
analogous to “changing the tape reel” in a tradi- from the corresponding pop-up menu. Click
tional studio setup with a tape machine and Match Tracks to automatically match source and
mixing console. Or, you can choose to import destination tracks with the same names.
all of a track’s mixer settings without its audio,
effectively importing a channel strip and using 6 With Pro Tools HD, or Pro Tools LE with Com-
it on a track in your current session. By import- plete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, select
ing mixer settings for all of the tracks in a ses- any additional track data you want to import
sion or session template, you can reuse an entire from the Track Data to Import pop-up menu.
Pro Tools mixer on all the sessions in a project. 7 With Pro Tools HD, or Pro Tools LE with Com-
plete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, select
To import tracks or their attributes: from among the Main Playlist Options to choose
1 Open or create a new session. how you want to import the source tracks.

2 Do one of the following: 8 If applicable, choose options for how media

• Choose File > Import > Session Data, select files should be imported from the Audio Media
the session to import data from, and click Options and the Video Media Options pop-up
Open. menus.

– or – 9 Choose the Time Code Mapping Options for im-

• Drag the session file whose tracks or at- ported data.

tributes you want to import from a Digi- 10 If the sample rates of the sessions are differ-
Base browser, Windows Explorer, or Mac ent, select the sample rate for the source session
Finder into empty space in the Edit win- from the Source Sample Rate pop-up menu.
dow or to the Track List.
11 To import the meter and tempo maps from
3 If the Fader Gain setting of the session is differ- the source session, select the Import Tempo/Meter
ent, you will be prompted to keep or change the Map option.
Fader Gain before the Session Data dialog opens.
12 To import key signatures from the source ses-
4 In the Source section, select tracks to import sion, select the Import Key Signature Map option.
by clicking the pop-up menu to the right of each
track name and selecting New Track.

290 Pro Tools Reference Guide

13 To import Markers and Memory Locations
from the source session, select the Import
Marker/Memory Locations option.

14 To import Window Configurations, select

the Import Window Configurations option.

15 With Pro Tools HD, select the Import Mic Pre

Settings option to import any Mic Pre settings
from the source session.

16 Click OK when you are finished.

17 If you chose to copy or consolidate media,

choose a location to place the media files.

Imported tracks are made inactive if their

source media is unavailable, or if the cur-
rent session does not contain an equivalent
output path.

Importing Grouped Playlists from Other

Sessions Import Session Data dialog (Pro Tools HD)

You can import tracks that use Grouped Playlists

from another Pro Tools session, and the playlist
grouping function will remain intact for those
imported tracks. There is, however, a restriction
for importing from pre-Pro Tools 6.1 sessions:
After importing a partial set of grouped playlists
(such as tracks 1–7 of a 10-track group), you can-
not subsequently import tracks 8–10 and have
them rejoin the playlist group for tracks 1–7.

Import Session Data Dialog

The Import Session Data dialog lets you view the
properties of the source session, select which
tracks to import, and with Pro Tools HD, choose
which attributes of those tracks you want to im-
port into the current session.

Import Session Data dialog (Pro Tools LE)

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 291

 Source Properties Copy from Source Media This option copies all
audio files related to the imported tracks from
The Import Session Data dialog displays proper- the source media to a new specified location,
ties for the source session. These properties in- and converts the files to the current session’s au-
clude source session name, session type, start dio file format, bit depth, and sample rate if nec-
time of the session, audio bit depth, and sample essary. This is useful if you are importing tracks
rate. For Pro Tools 5.1 or higher sessions, the from a source such as CD or DVDs or shared
program that created the session and the ses- storage, and you want to place the audio files on
sion’s audio file type are listed. a different hard drive.

Text Encoding Consolidate from Source Media This option con-

solidates audio while copying it. This is useful if
Pro Tools allows entry and display of any lan-
you want to copy only the regions of the audio
guage characters supported in Unicode any-
files used in the source tracks, without copying
where in the Pro Tools application. This lets you
unused audio. This option copies and converts
use multiple languages in session names, and in
consolidated audio to the current session’s au-
path names, file names and region names.
dio file format, bit depth, and sample rate if nec-
However, Pro Tools 7.3.x and lower does not essary.
support Unicode. When importing data from
When you choose this option, you can also
sessions or OMF sequences created or saved with
choose the Handle Size (in milliseconds) applied
older versions of Pro Tools, you may need to
to consolidated audio. Handle is the amount of
identify the language encoding used in the im-
the original audio file that is preserved before
ported elements.
and after each region in case you need to make
any edits (such as applying fades or trimming)
To choose the language encoding when importing
to the new regions.
data from a legacy Pro Tools session:
1 Choose File > Import > Session Data. Consolidate From Source Media is not
available when importing Elastic Audio
2 Choose the language used in the legacy ses-
tracks.
sion from the Text Encoding pop-up menu.
Force to Target Session Format This option cop-
Audio Media Options ies and converts any files that do not match the
current session’s file format, bit depth, and sam-
Refer to Source Media (Where Possible) This op-
ple rate. Files that do match the current session’s
tion lets you avoid duplicating audio files by re-
file type, bit depth and sample rate are referred
ferring to the original files when possible. If the
to directly and not copied.
source files do not reside on supported playback
media (such as a CDs or DVDs), or if they require
bit depth or sample rate conversion, the source
files are copied instead. This option allows the
current session to refer to files that do not match
the current session’s audio file format.

292 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Video Media Options 00:01:00:00, and the session from which you are
importing starts at 10:00:00:00, you can reset
You can either choose to leave video media files the start time code to 00:01:00:00, to avoid plac-
in their original locations or copy them to a new ing files 9 hours and 59 minutes from the start
location. This is useful if you are importing of your session.
tracks from a source such as CDs or DVDs or
shared storage, and you want to place video files
Track Offset Options
on a different drive.
You can specify a track offset in addition to any
Time Code Mapping Options offset incurred with the Time Code Mapping Op-
tions. Any imported audio is offset in the current
You can specify where the imported tracks are session’s Timeline by the specified amount. You
placed in the current session. Times are indi- can enter values in Minutes:Seconds, Bars|Beats,
cated in time code for Pro Tools HD and Samples, Time Code, or Feet/Frames.
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit
or DV Toolkit 2, and minutes:seconds for other
Sample Rate Conversion (SRC) Options
Pro Tools LE systems.
You can set options that control how sample
From the Import Session Data dialog, the follow-
rate conversion is applied to imported audio
ing Time Code Mapping Options are available:
files. If the source session and the current ses-
Maintain Absolute Time Code Values This op- sion have the same sample rate, this portion of
tion places tracks at the locations where they the dialog is unavailable.
were located in the source session. For example,
Source Sample Rate For audio files created in
if the current session starts at 00:01:00:00, and
any session, no matter what the session sample
the session from which you are importing starts
rate is, you can have the sample rate conversion
at 10:00:00:00, the earliest imported tracks can
process treat the files in several ways to compen-
appear in your session is 9 hours and 59 minutes
sate for pull-up, pull-down, and NTSC or PAL
after the start of the session.
frame rates. This setting allows you to choose
Maintain Relative Time Code Values This option the sample rate from which you want the sam-
places tracks at the same offset from session start ple rate conversion process to start.
as they had in the source session. For example, if
Destination Sample Rate The destination sample
the source session starts at 01:00:00:00 and con-
rate is always set to the sample rate of your cur-
tains a track that starts at 01:01:00:00, and the
rent session.
current session start is 02:00:00:00, the track will
be placed at 02:01:00:00 in the current session. Conversion Quality This option lets you set the
quality of the sample-rate conversion process
Map Start Time Code To This option places
(see “Sample Rate Conversion Quality” on
tracks relative to their original session start time.
page 277).
(With Pro Tools HD, or Pro Tools LE with Com-
plete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, times
are expressed in hh:mm:ss:ff, and on Pro Tools
LE systems, times are expressed in hh:mm:ss.)
For example, if the current session starts at

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 293

 Source Tracks Matching Tracks
This area of the dialog lists the tracks in the (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
source session that can be imported, each with a Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)
corresponding pop-up menu.
If you are importing playlists from source tracks
with the same name as destination tracks in the
Operation/Destination Track Pop-Up current session (such as a new cut of a scene),
Menus click Matching Tracks to automatically match the
For each source track, there is a corresponding track names. Tracks must have the same name,
pop-up menu that lists options for importing track type, and channel format to be automati-
the track and, with Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools cally matched.
LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV
Toolkit 2, possible destination tracks in the cur- Track Data to Import
rent session. The pop-up menus display the fol- (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
lowing items: Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)
Do Not Import Neither the source track nor any The Track Data to Import pop-up menu is where
of its attributes are imported. you select which attributes of the selected tracks
you want to import into the current session.
Import as New Track The source track and all at-
tributes selected in the Track Data to Import pop- Selected attributes are applied to all tracks that
up menu are imported into a new track in the you choose to import into the current session.
current session.
Replacing Track Attributes
Destination Track Names (Pro Tools HD and
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or When you import an attribute of the source
DV Toolkit 2 Only) The names of possible desti- track into an existing track in the current ses-
nation tracks in the current session are listed at sion, it replaces the corresponding attribute in
the bottom of the pop-up menu. Imported play- the destination track. If you choose not to im-
lists and all attributes selected in the Track Data port an attribute of the source track, the corre-
to Import pop-up menu will be placed in the des- sponding attribute in the destination track is re-
tination track you select. tained.

Only destination tracks that match the track

Replacing Track Path Names
type (audio, Instrument, MIDI, Auxiliary Input,
or Master Fader) and the channel format (mono, When you import a track’s input, output, send
stereo, or any of the supported multichannel output or hardware insert assignments, any cus-
formats) of the source track appear in the pop- tom path names and I/O configurations from
up menu. the source session are not imported. You can im-
port path names and I/O configurations by im-
porting I/O Setup settings. For more informa-
tion, see “Working with I/O Settings Files” on
page 71.

294 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Selecting Track Data to Import Main Output Assignments Imports the source
track’s channel output assignments, including
You can select All, None, or any combination of
any multiple output assignments. The channel
the listed track data to import. The following are
output assignments in the destination track are
available for import:
replaced.
All Imports all of the source track’s playlists, ac-
Send Output Assignments Imports the source
cording to the Main Playlist Option setting, and all
track’s send output assignments. Any Send out-
of the attributes in the Track Data to Import list.
put assignments in the destination track are re-
None Imports only the source track’s main play- placed.
list, according to the Main Playlist Options setting,
Plug-in Assignments Imports the source track’s
and no other attributes of the source track.
plug-in assignments. Any plug-ins in the desti-
Alternate Playlists Imports all of the source nation track are removed, and their associated
track’s alternate playlists. The alternate playlists settings and automation are lost.
appear in the destination track’s playlist pop-up
If the source track uses a plug-in that is not avail-
menu.
able on the destination system, it appears in the
Regions and Media Imports all of the audio files destination track and is made inactive.
or regions in the source track, and places them
Plug-in Settings and Automation When the
in the Region List.
source track’s plug-in assignments are imported,
Volume Automation and Setting Imports the this option imports the track’s plug-in settings
source track’s Volume fader setting and any au- and any automation data associated with the
tomation data on the track’s Volume Automa- plug-ins. If no plug-in assignments are im-
tion playlist. The Volume fader setting and any ported, this option has no effect.
Volume automation data in the destination
Hardware Insert Assignments Imports the source
track are replaced.
track’s hardware Insert assignments. Any Insert
Pan Automation and Setting Imports the source assignments in the destination track are re-
track’s Pan Slider settings and any automation placed.
data on the track’s Pan Automation playlist. The
Voice Assignments Imports the source track’s
Pan Slider setting and any Pan automation data
voice assignment from the source session. Any
in the destination track are replaced.
voice assignments in the destination track are
Mute Automation and Setting Imports the source replaced.
track’s Mute setting and any automation data
Input Assignments Imports the source track’s
on the track’s Mute automation playlist. The
channel input assignment. The Input assign-
Mute setting and any Mute automation data in
ment in the destination track is replaced.
the destination track are replaced.
Side-Chain Assignments When the source track’s
plug-in assignments are imported, this option
imports any side-chain assignments associated
with the plug-ins. If no plug-in assignments are
imported, this option has no effect.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 295

 Track Active State Imports the active/inactive Import Marker/Memory Locations Imports
state of the source track from the source session. markers and Memory Locations as they appear
in the Marker ruler, from the source session. Any
I/O Labels (Path Names) Imports the source markers and Memory Locations in the destina-
track’s path names. tion session are retained. Imported marker and
Track Comments Imports the track comments Memory Locations are assigned the next avail-
associated with the source track. Any comments able Marker/Memory Location numbers.
in the destination track are replaced. Import Window Configurations Imports the Win-
Record Safe/Solo Safe Settings Imports the dow Configurations from the source session.
record safe and solo safe settings of the source Import Mic Pre Settings (Pro Tools HD Only) Im-
track from the source session. Any record safe or ports any Pro Tools Mic Pre settings from the
solo safe settings in the destination track are re- source session. Any Mic Pre settings in the desti-
placed. nation session are replaced.
Track View Settings Imports the track height
and playlist view of the source track from the Main Playlist Options
source session. (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)
Mix/Edit Groups Imports track groups from the
source session. You can select from the following options to
control how the main playlist from each source
ICON Custom Fader Groups (Pro Tools HD
track is imported to the destination track in the
Only) Imports any ICON Custom Fader Groups
current session.
from the source session.
Import – Replace Existing Playlists Imports the
ICON Automation Snapshots (Pro Tools HD
Only) Imports any ICON Automation Snapshots main playlist from the source track. When you
from the source session. import the playlist into an existing track, the
main playlist in the destination track is deleted
and replaced with the imported playlist.
Import Options
‹ If you select this option and import all of the
Import Tempo/Meter Map Imports the meter source track’s attributes, this is equivalent to im-
and tempo maps, as they appear in the Tempo porting the entire track.
and Meter Conductor rulers, from the source
‹ If you select this option and do not import
session. Any Tempo or Meter events in the des-
tination session are replaced. any of the source track’s attributes, you replace
the audio playlists while keeping your current
Import Key Signature/Chord Map Imports all key mixer settings.
signatures (if present) and chord markers into
Pro Tools with the imported session data. Any
key signatures and chord markers in the destina-
tion session are replaced.

296 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Import – Overlay New On Existing Playlists Im- To import tracks and other session data by drag
ports the main playlist from the source track. and drop:
When you import the playlist into an existing 1 Open a browser.
track, any existing playlist data that overlaps
data imported from the source track is trimmed 2 Drag a Pro Tools session file, or an AAF or OMF
and replaced with the imported data. Any play- sequence (requires DigiTranslator 2.0), into the
list data in the destination track that does not current session, as follows:
overlap remains in the destination track. • Drag onto an existing track to overlay or
overwrite data on the target tracks. Hold
Do Not Import Does not import the main playlist the Shift key while dragging if you intend
from the source track. No audio is imported; to replace the current track playlists with
only the attributes selected in the Track Data to those being imported (the Shift key pre-
Import list are imported to the selected tracks. configures the settings in the Import Ses-
When selected, importing all of the source sion Data dialog).
track’s input, output, send, insert and plug-in at-
• Drag to empty space in the Edit window to
tributes is equivalent to importing a channel
create new tracks for the imported session
strip.
data.
• Configure the Import Session Data options
Importing Sessions and Tracks by (see “Import Session Data Dialog” on
Drag and Drop page 291).

Session files can be dragged into the current

session to import (and spot) audio, video, MIDI, Copying During Import
region group, REX and ACID files, tracks, and
If no conversion is necessary, and the files reside
session data.
on a suitable Performance volume, Pro Tools ref-
• Dragging a session to the Region List imports erences the original version of the media. You
all the regions from that session (without im- can also choose to copy media while importing
porting tracks). by using key commands, or enabling the Auto-
• Dragging a session to a track in Pro Tools LE matically Copy Files on Import preference. Copies
lets you import tracks. are created in the session’s Audio Files Folder.

• Dragging a session to a track playlist in

To manually copy files on import:
Pro Tools HD, or Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, opens the „ Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) the

Import Session Data dialog, letting you select files. A copy is created in the session Audio Files
tracks and attributes to import. The imported folder.
session data will begin wherever you drop the
When importing sessions or tracks, the Import
session in the Timeline.
Session Data dialog lets you specify whether to
reference the source media, or copy it.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 297

 To automatically copy files on import:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the Op-
Exporting Pro Tools Tracks as
erations tab.
AAF or OMFI Sequences
(DigiTranslator 2.0 Required)
2 Select Automatically Copy Files on Import.

3 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog. With the DigiTranslator 2.0 option, Pro Tools
lets you export individual tracks in AAF or OMFI
format. Use the Export Selected Tracks as
Using Undo after Importing AAF/OMF command.
Using Undo after importing any files to the
Pro Tools with DigiTranslator 2.0 does not
Timeline removes the files from the Timeline.
support AAF files with embedded media.
However, the files remain in the session (in the
Region List and Project browser) and are offline.
If you do not remove or delete the files from the For more information on exporting selected
session manually, Pro Tools will report them as tracks from Pro Tools sessions as AAF and
missing files the next time the session is opened. OMF sequences using the DigiTranslator
2.0 option, see the DigiTranslator Guide.

Importing AAF and OMF

Sequences Exporting Sessions as Text
(Pro Tools HD Only)
(DigiTranslator 2.0 Required)
You can use the Export Session Info as Text com-
With the DigiTranslator 2.0 option, Pro Tools
mand to create a text file that contains extensive
lets you open AAF and OMF sequences as new
information about your session.
Pro Tools sessions, or you can import AAF and
OMF sequences into existing Pro Tools sessions. This text file can contain a list of audio files, au-
dio regions, audio track EDL (Edit Decision List)
Pro Tools cannot play MXF audio or video
information, extended timestamp information,
files embedded within an AAF sequence.
and information about crossfades.

Track EDLs are exported as tab-delimited text—

For more information on opening and
that is, with tabs between each column heading,
importing AAF and OMF sequences using
and tabs between each event parameter. You
the DigiTranslator 2.0 option, see the
can use this data in a program for reading EDLs,
DigiTranslator Guide.
or you can format the EDL data into tables using
a word processor or spreadsheet application.

298 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Export Session Info as Text When exporting track EDLs, the following op-
Options tions are available:

Show Subframes This option allows you to ex-

port subframe time information with track
EDLs, if used in your session.

Include User Timestamps You can include user

timestamps with track EDLs. User timestamps
indicate a user-defined session location for the
region, or the original location of the region
when recorded.

Fade Handling For track EDLs, you can choose

whether to show crossfades, not to show them,
or to combine crossfaded regions. When regions
are combined, their durations and locations are
listed up to the center of the crossfade (for the
leading region) and from the center of the cross-
fade (for the following region).
Export Session Info as Text dialog
Time Format You can select the appropriate time
Include File List/Region List format that exported EDL information is based
on. For example, for post work, you might select
You can choose to export a list of the session’s SMPTE time, but for music creation locked to a
audio files and regions. The File List provides a grid, you might select Bars & Beats.
list of all the audio files and fades in the session,
and their hard drive locations. The Region List
File Format
displays all audio regions in the session, and the
source audio file for each region. You can choose to export to any of several differ-
ent text formats. These include standard text
Include Track EDLs (Playlists) formats, and Microsoft Word and Excel formats.

You can export track EDLs (playlists). Track

EDLs can be used to spot-check region place-
ment and edits, or in a conforming program for
post applications. In extreme circumstances the
EDL can be used to recreate the entire session.

MIDI track EDLs are not exported.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 299

 Exported Session Text To export a session as text:
1 Choose File > Export > Session Info as Text.
Session Information
2 Select whether to include the File List, Region
The session text file starts with basic informa- List, and track EDLs.
tion about the session. This information in-
cludes the session name, sample rate, bit depth, 3 If you choose to include track EDLs, select
time code format, and number of audio tracks, whether to show subframes, and whether to in-
audio regions, and audio files, as shown in the clude user timestamps. Also select an option for
following example. crossfade handling.

Session Information example 4 If you choose to include track EDLs, select the
Time Format for the exported session text from
SESSION NAME: Ripleys II-092700
the pop-up menu.
SAMPLE RATE: 48000.000000
5 Select the File Format for exported text using
BIT DEPTH: 24-bit the pop-up menu.
TIME CODE FORMAT: 30 Frame 6 When you have set your options, click OK.

# OF AUDIO TRACKS: 19 7 Select a location and type a filename for the

exported text file. In Windows, Pro Tools adds
# OF AUDIO REGIONS: 203
the correct 3-letter filename extension, while on
# OF AUDIO FILES: 54 the Mac, the file extension “.txt” is added.

File List and Region List

Next, if you choose to include them, are the lists Send via DigiDelivery
of audio files and regions.
DigiDelivery® is Digidesign’s system for efficient
and reliable transfer of digital media files over
Track EDLs
the Internet. Send via DigiDelivery lets you send a
The final item, if exported, is the list of track Pro Tools session and all of its related files using
EDLs. A track EDL lists the track name, and all DigiDelivery from within Pro Tools.
edits, including the event number, the region
name, region start and end time, and region du- Like the Save Copy In command, DigiDelivery
ration. The region timestamp is also exported, if copies all files of the same type, regardless of
you select this option. Subframes are shown in their location, into a single destination folder.
each time field if you select this option. The requirements for using DigiDelivery with
Pro Tools are as follows:
‹ To send a delivery, senders must have an In-
ternet connection, an account on a DigiDelivery
network appliance, and the DigiDelivery client
application.

300 Pro Tools Reference Guide

‹ To receive a delivery, recipients only need an You have the option to include:
Internet connection and the DigiDelivery client • Audio files
application. An account on the network appli- • Fade files
ance is not needed.
• Video files
For more information, visit the DigiDelivery • Plug-in settings files
website (www.digidesign.com/digidelivery). • Visible Timeline files only (files that are ref-
erenced in the current session Timeline on
To send a session from Pro Tools using tracks that are shown)
DigiDelivery:
4 Click OK. The DigiDelivery client will launch,
1 Choose File > Send via DigiDelivery.
and the DigiDelivery Send Wizard (Page 1) will
2 Do one of the following: open. On this page you can name the delivery
• If the DigiDelivery client is not installed on and add or remove files.
your system, Pro Tools will launch your
5 Complete the remaining DigiDelivery Send
Web browser, and connect to the DigiDe-
Wizard pages and send the file, following the in-
livery site where you can download the
structions that came with the DigiDelivery cli-
current DigiDelivery client.
ent software.
– or –
• If the DigiDelivery client is installed on
your system, the Send to DigiDelivery dia-
Importing MIDI Files
log will open.
You can import Standard MIDI Files (SMF) into
3 In the Send to DigiDelivery dialog, select
your Pro Tools sessions.
which files to include.
Pro Tools provides several ways to import MIDI
files into an open session.
• “Importing MIDI Files Using Pro Tools
Menu Commands” on page 302.
• “Importing MIDI Files with Drag & Drop”
on page 303.

Pro Tools does not import proprietary sequence

files. To use sequences from other MIDI applica-
tions in a Pro Tools session, you will need to first
save them as Standard MIDI Files. Refer to the
Include in Delivery dialog manufacturer’s documentation for details on
saving Standard MIDI Files.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 301

 There are two types of Standard MIDI Files, both
of which are supported by Pro Tools:
• Type 0 MIDI files store data for all MIDI chan-
nels in a single track. When importing these
files, Pro Tools separates the data by channel
and places each track’s data in separate re-
gions and tracks.
• Type 1 MIDI files, sometimes referred to as
multitrack MIDI files, contain multiple tracks
of MIDI data. When importing these files,
each track’s data is placed on its own new
MIDI track in the Pro Tools session.

Importing MIDI Files Using

Pro Tools Menu Commands MIDI Import Options dialog

Pro Tools provides menu commands to import 3 If you chose to create a new track, choose a lo-

MIDI files. cation for the imported file in the track:

Session Start Places the file or region at the start

To import Standard MIDI files into a session using
of the session.
the Pro Tools File menu:
1 Choose File > Import > MIDI and select the file Song Start Aligns the beginning of the file to the
you want to import. Song Start point.

2 In the MIDI Import Options dialog, choose Selection Aligns the beginning of the file to the
where the imported file will go: edit cursor or to the beginning of a selection in
the Timeline.
New Track Creates a new track where the file will
be imported. Spot Displays the Spot dialog, which lets you
spot the file to a precise location based on any of
Region List Imports the file into the Region List, the Time Scales.
where it will be available to place into tracks.
4 Select any of the following Import options:

Import Tempo Map From MIDI File When se-

lected, overwrites any existing tempo and meter
map with tempo and meter information read
from the MIDI file.

Import Key Signature From MIDI File When se-

lected, overwrites any existing key signatures
with key signature information read from the
MIDI file.

302 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Remove Existing Instrument Tracks When se- To import MIDI into an existing track:
lected, deletes any existing Instrument tracks.
1 Select MIDI files in a DigiBase browser, Win-
Selecting this option does not remove any cur-
dows Explorer, or Mac Finder.
rent MIDI tracks. All existing MIDI regions will
be left in the Region List. 2 Drag the files onto an existing track in the Edit
window of the current session.
Remove Existing MIDI Tracks When selected, de-
letes any existing MIDI tracks. Enabling this op- To import MIDI into new tracks:
tion does not remove any current Instrument
1 Select MIDI files in a DigiBase browser, Win-
tracks. All existing MIDI regions will be left in
dows Explorer or Mac Finder.
the Region List.
2 Do one of the following:
Remove Existing MIDI Regions When selected,
• From the DigiBase browser, Shift-drag the
deletes existing MIDI regions (all data on all
files and drag them anywhere in the Edit
MIDI and Instrument tracks) but leaves existing
window of the current session.
MIDI and Instrument tracks in place.
• Drag the files to the Timeline of the current
5 Click OK. session.
The MIDI file will be imported according to the • Drag the files to the Track List.
settings in the Import MIDI Settings dialog.
For more information on using DigiBase
If the Standard MIDI File contains markers, browsers, see “DigiBase” on page 223.
they are only imported if the current session
does not contain any markers.
Exporting MIDI Files
6 In the Mix window, click the MIDI Output se-
lector for each new track and assign a MIDI in- To export a session’s MIDI tracks for use in an-
strument and channel. other MIDI application, or for playback with an
external (hardware) MIDI sequencer, you can
export Pro Tools MIDI and Instrument tracks as
Importing MIDI Files with Drag & a Standard MIDI File.
Drop
MIDI can be exported from Pro Tools as a
You can drag and drop MIDI files from a Digi-
merged, single, multichannel track (Type 0), or
Base browser, Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder
as multiple tracks (Type 1).
to the Timeline, a track, the Track List, or the Re-
gion List. If your Pro Tools session uses key signatures and
meters, they are exported with the MIDI file.
To import MIDI into the Region List:
1 Select MIDI files in a DigiBase browser, or
Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder.

2 Drag the files onto the Region List of the cur-

rent session.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 303

 To export all MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Pro Tools exports all unmuted MIDI and Instru-
current session: ment tracks in the current session to a Standard
1 Make sure to unmute any MIDI tracks in the MIDI File and writes it to your hard drive. Ex-
session that you want included in the exported ported MIDI information includes notes, con-
MIDI file. (Or, conversely, mute any MIDI tracks troller events, program changes, and System Ex-
you do not want included in the exported MIDI clusive data, as well as events for tempo, meter,
file.) For Instrument tracks, enable or disable the and markers.
MIDI mute button (Instruments view).
The SMPTE start time for the session or the song
2 Choose File > Export > MIDI. The Export MIDI (depending on the selection from the Location
Settings dialog opens. Reference pop-up menu) is also exported. This
ensures that the exported tracks, when played
from another MIDI application, will align with
the correct SMPTE frames, and also synchronize
correctly to tape and video devices, or Pro Tools.

Refer to your third-party MIDI sequencer docu-

mentation to determine whether it supports im-
porting SMPTE start times from MIDI files.

Export MIDI Settings dialog Items Not Exported with MIDI Files
3 From the MIDI File Format pop-up menu, select
Mute automation and muted regions do not af-
1 (multitrack) or 0 (single track).
fect exported MIDI. As long as a MIDI track is
4 If the Song Start time is different from the Ses- not muted by clicking its Mute button, or an In-
sion Start time, select Session Start or Song Start strument track is not muted by clicking its MIDI
from the Location Reference pop-up menu. Mute button (Instruments view), all of its MIDI
data is exported.
5 Enable or disable the Apply Real-Time Properties
option. Chord symbols and chord diagrams are not ex-
ported with MIDI files.
6 Click OK. A Save dialog opens.

7 Specify a folder destination and name for the When exporting MIDI files from Pro Tools, de-
MIDI file. vice assignments for tracks are not retained
(though channel assignments are). If you export
Pro Tools automatically adds the “.mid” MIDI or Instrument tracks from Pro Tools and
extension when exporting MIDI files. later re-import them, you will need to reassign
the tracks to devices in your studio.
8 Click Save.
All playlist information for MIDI and Instru-
ment tracks is lost when exporting. For example,
tracks that previously contained dozens of MIDI
regions will be flattened and only contain single
regions after exporting and re-importing.

304 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Exporting Individual MIDI and 3 From the Right-click menu, select Export MIDI.
Instrument Tracks 4 Set the Export MIDI settings.

You can also export individual MIDI and Instru- 5 Click OK.
ment tracks as MIDI files. This can be useful for
storing libraries of your favorite MIDI sequences 6 In the Save dialog, type a name for the MIDI
or Sysex data (such as bulk or individual patch file, specify where you want to save it, and click
dumps for your external MIDI devices), or for Save.
importing MIDI into notation applications
Alt-Shift-Right-click (Windows) or Option--
(other than Sibelius).
Shift-Right-click (Mac) to export all selected
tracks as a single MIDI file.
To export a single MIDI or Instrument track as a
MIDI file:
1 Do one of the following:
Exporting Sibelius Files
• Right-click the Track name of an unselected
track in the Edit or Mix window, or in the Pro Tools can export the score of your session as
Track List. a Sibelius file (.sib). You can choose to export
the score as Sibelius file for later use or score
– or –
transfer, or to open the score in Sibelius imme-
• In the Track List, or Mix or Edit window,
diately (if Sibelius) is installed on your com-
Control-Right-click (Windows) or Com-
puter. Sibelius uses the Pro Tools transcription
mand-Right-click (Mac) the track name.
of MIDI in your session as seen in the Pro Tools
2 From the Right-click menu, select Export MIDI. Score Editor window (for more information, see
“Exporting Scores” on page 651).
3 Set the Export MIDI settings in the Export
MIDI Settings dialog. Sibelius 5.x or higher is required to open .sib
files exported from Pro Tools.
4 Click OK.

5 In the Save dialog, type a name for the MIDI

file, specify where you want to save it, and click Importing and Exporting
Save.
Region Group Files
Alt-Right-click (Windows) or Option-Right- Pro Tools can export and import the region
click (Mac) to export all tracks to a single group file format (.rgrp). This lets you do the fol-
MIDI file. lowing:

To export all selected Pro Tools Instrument or • Separate region group metadata from audio
MIDI tracks as a MIDI file: files to avoid unnecessary file copy opera-
tions when exporting audio region groups
1 Select the tracks you want to export to a MIDI
composed from multiple source files.
file.
• Export MIDI data as part of a region group.
2 Right-click the Track name of one of the se-
• Create multitrack loops.
lected tracks in the Edit or Mix window, or in the
Track List.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 305

 Region group files store the following metadata: 2 In the Region Group Import Options dialog,
• References to all audio files within the re- choose where the region group will go:
gion group
New Track Creates a new track where the region
• Region names and relative location in group will be imported.
tracks
• Embedded fades and crossfades Region List Imports the region group into the
• Region group names and format (single or Region List, where it will be where it will be
multitrack) available to place into tracks.

• All MIDI data present in the region group

(such as notes, controllers, and Sysex)
• Track names
• Elastic Audio Warp markers and TCE factor
• Region timebase (samples or ticks)
• Sync points
• Loops
• Tempo map

Region group files do not store the following: Region Group Import Options dialog
• Audio
3 If you chose to create a new track, choose a lo-
• Automation cation for the imported group in the track:
• Plug-ins
• Track routing Session Start Places the group at the start of the
session.
• Meter map
• Region List information Song Start Aligns the beginning of the group to
the Song Start point.
Pro Tools provides several ways to import region
groups into an open session: Selection Aligns the beginning of the group to
• “Importing Region Groups with Pro Tools the edit cursor or to the beginning of a selection
Menu Commands” on page 306 in the Timeline.
• “Importing Region Groups with Drag & Spot Displays the Spot dialog, which lets you
Drop” on page 307 spot the group to a precise location based on any
of the Time Scales.
Importing Region Groups with 4 Select any of the following import options:
Pro Tools Menu Commands
Import Tempo Map from Region Group File When
To import a region group with Pro Tools menu selected, replaces the session tempo map with
commands: the tempo map of the region group. This option
1 Choose File > Import > region groups and select is only available when importing the region
the region group you want to import. group to the Session Start.

5 Click OK.

306 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Importing Region Groups with Exporting Region Groups
Drag & Drop
To export a region group:
You can drag and drop region groups from a
DigiBase browser or from Windows Explorer or 1 Select one or more region groups in the Re-

the Mac Finder to the Timeline, a track, the gion List.

Track List, or the Region List. 2 From the Region List menu, choose Export Re-
gion Groups. The Export Region Groups dialog
To import region groups into the Region List: opens.
1 Select one or more region groups in a DigiBase
browser, Windows Explorer or Mac Finder.

2 Drag the files onto the Region List of the cur-

rent session.

To import region groups into an existing track:

1 Select one or more region groups in a
DigiBase browser or from Windows Explorer or
Mac Finder.

2 Drag the files onto an existing track in the Edit Export Region Groups dialog
window of the current session.
3 The Destination Directory defaults to the
auto-created Region Groups folder in the session
To import region groups into new tracks:
folder. You can change the Destination Direc-
1 Select one or more region groups in a DigiBase tory by clicking the Choose button, navigating
browser, Windows Explorer or Mac Finder. to a new location, and clicking Choose. Click Re-
set to reset the Destination Directory to the de-
2 Do one of the following:
fault location.
• From the DigiBase browser, Shift-drag the
files and drag them anywhere in the Edit 4 Enable one of the following options for resolv-
window of the current session. ing duplicate region group file names:
• Drag the files onto any empty space in the • Prompting for Each Duplicate (default)
Edit window of the current session. • Auto Renaming
• Drag the files to the Track List. • Replacing with New Files

For more information on using DigiBase 5 Click OK.

browsers, refer to the DigiBase Guide.

Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data 307

 Exporting Region Groups to Another Hard Drive

Generally, if you are exporting region groups to

another hard drive, you should copy any refer-
enced audio files. This way you can move region
groups not only from one session to another,
but from one system to another.

To export a region group to a different hard drive

and include its audio files:
1 Export one or more region groups to the new
drive.

2 Create a new session on the new drive.

3 Choose Setup > Preferences.

4 In the Preferences dialog, click the Processing

tab and select Automatically Copy Files on Import.

5 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.

6 Import all previously exported region groups

by dragging and dropping them into the ses-
sion.

The audio files folder of the new session now

contains all files referenced by the region
groups.

308 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 16: File and Session
Management and Compatibility

When you work with Pro Tools, you encounter

several different kinds of computer files. To ensure optimal compatibility when ex-
Pro Tools systems require that you keep certain changing sessions between different
files in specific hard drive locations in order to Pro Tools systems, be sure to use the default
function properly. I/O Settings whenever possible. For more in-
formation, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”
‹ Pro Tools software files (such as the applica-
tion and plug-ins files) should be located on
your Startup drive (the drive that contains your
operating system and other system-related files). Audio File Management
‹ On Pro Tools|HD systems, data files (such as
session files, audio files, and fade files) can be lo- Unique File IDs
cated on any compatible drive connected to Pro Tools tags each audio file in a session with a
your computer’s internal or external SATA, unique identifier that allows it to distinguish a
IDE/ATA, FireWire, or SCSI busses (including particular file even if its name or location has
SCSI HBA). For maximum performance, SCSI changed.
drives are recommended for Pro Tools|HD sys-
tems. FireWire and ATA/IDE drives are also sup-
ported. See the Digidesign website for details Locating Audio Files
(www.digidesign.com). With Pro Tools, you manage links to audio and
‹ On Pro Tools LE systems, data files (such as other media files using the Relink window.
session files, audio files, and fade files) can be lo-
cated on any compatible hard drive connected Pro Tools classifies storage volumes according to
to your computer’s internal or external SATA, their suitability for performance (recording or
IDE/ATA, FireWire, or SCSI busses. playback) or transfer (storage or copying) of au-
dio and other media files. Audio files must be
Although Pro Tools lets you record to your stored on suitable Performance volumes and be
system drive, this is generally not recom- properly linked in order to be playable in a
mended. You should record to system drives Pro Tools session.
only when necessary—for example, if your
computer system has just one hard drive, or
it your other hard drives are completely full.

Chapter 16: File and Session Management and Compatibility 309

 When you open a session, if Pro Tools deter- 6 Click OK.
mines that audio files are not located on a Per-
formance volume, or if it is unable to locate au- For complete information on relinking
dio files contained in the session, you can locate Transfer files, see “Linking and Relinking
or copy the files in order to play back the ses- Files” on page 253.
sion. This process is called relinking.
Missing Files
For more information on storage volume
A file is missing if it is not found in the same lo-
classifications, see “Performance and
cation as when the session was last saved.
Transfer Volumes” on page 226.

To open a session with missing files:

Transfer Files
1 Open the Pro Tools session. If any files are
Transfer files reside on volumes unsuitable for
missing, Pro Tools posts a Missing Files warning.
playback, such as CD or DVD discs, or network
drives.

To open a session containing Transfer files:

„ Open the Pro Tools session. If any files are on

a volume unsuitable for playback, Pro Tools

prompts you to do one of the following:
• Click Yes to open the Copy and Relink win-
dow. Missing files warning when opening a session

– or – 2 Choose one of the following options:

• Click No to open the session with all Trans- Skip All Ignores all missing files and fades. The
fer files offline. missing files are offline in the session.

To make Transfer files playable in the current Manually Find and Relink Opens the Relink win-
session: dow, where you can search, compare, verify, and
1 Choose Window > Project.
relink missing files.

2 Double-click the Audio Files folder to display Automatically Find and Relink Searches all Per-
all of the audio files. formance volumes for all missing files with
matching name, unique file ID, format, and
3 Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser
length, and automatically commits links to
menu. missing files where possible.
4 Choose Copy and Relink from the Browser
3 To exclude fades from the relinking process,
menu. and have them recalculated instead, select Re-
5 Specify a location for the copied files on a generate Missing Fades Without Searching.
valid Performance volume.

310 Pro Tools Reference Guide

4 To exclude any Rendered Elastic Audio files When opening sessions that contain audio file
from the relink process and regenerate them in- names with illegal characters, Pro Tools auto-
stead, select Regenerate Missing Rendered Files matically creates a renamed copy of each file
Without Searching. that contains illegal characters (replacing these
characters with an underscore “_”). Renamed
5 Click OK.
files are copied to the Renamed Audio Files
For more information on relinking missing folder. The original files are left intact in the Au-
files, see “Linking and Relinking Files” on dio Files folder.
page 253.
Before the session opens, you are prompted to
save a detailed report of the renamed files and
Renamed Audio Files and the Renamed
their original file names to a Notes text file. By
Audio Files Folder
default, the Notes text file is saved to the Session
Renamed audio files are located in the auto-cre- folder.
ated Renamed Audio Files folder in the
Pro Tools session folder. Files can be renamed It is possible to have a Pro Tools 7.x or
when you open a session that references audio higher session that contains audio file
file names with incompatible characters. Files names with illegal characters. If you Save
can also be renamed in certain situations when Copy In the session to Pro Tools 6.9.x or
saving a copy of a session to a Pro Tools version lower with Mac/PC Compatibility on, the
that does not support long file names tracks are renamed with legal characters. If
Mac/PC Compatibility is off, the characters
Opening a Session that Contains Audio File are not changed.
Names with Illegal Characters
Saving a Copy of a Session that Contains Long
Pro Tools 7.x and higher does not support audio Audio File Names
file names that contain the following ASCII
When saving files to Pro Tools 6.9.x and lower
characters:
(using Save Copy In), audio files with file names
/ (Forward Slash) that exceed the limits of the destination format
\ (Backslash) are truncated and located in the Session folder,
: (Colon) as follows:
* (Asterisk) • If the new session is saved to the same direc-
? (Question mark) tory as the original, a Renamed Audio Files
“ (Quotation marks) folder is created in the session’s original
< (Less-than symbol) folder, and the renamed audio files are placed
in it.
> (Greater-than symbol)
| (vertical line or pipe) • If the new session is saved to a different direc-
tory than the original and the All Audio Files
Any “high order” ASCII character (created
option is not checked, a new Session folder is
with a key combination)
created, which includes an Audio Files folder
and a Renamed Audio Files folder. Renamed
audio files are included in the Audio Files
folder.

Chapter 16: File and Session Management and Compatibility 311

 • If the new session is saved to a different direc-
tory than the original and the All Audio Files Sharing Sessions Created on
option is checked, a new Session folder is cre- Different Computer Platforms
ated, which includes an Audio Files folder. Re-
This section includes the following:
named audio files are included in the Audio
Files folder. • “Working with Mac-Based HFS+ Drives on
Windows Computers” on page 312.
• “Saving Copies of Mac Sessions to be Com-
patible with Windows” on page 314.
WAV File Compatibility
Convert Imported WAV files to
Working with Mac-Based HFS+
AES31/BroadcastWave
Drives on Windows Computers
Pro Tools always creates AES31/Broadcast com-
Either the Digidesign HFS+ Disk Support option
pliant BWF (.wav) files when the file originates
or the MacDrive Utility is required to mount
in Pro Tools. Non-BWF .wav files can be added
HFS+ drives on an NTFS system for use with
to BWF (WAV) format Pro Tools sessions with-
Pro Tools.
out conversion. This option ensures that all
WAV files are imported, and if necessary, con-
Digidesign HFS+ Drive Support Option
verted to BWF (WAV), compliant with the
AES31/EBU Broadcast standard. (Windows Only)

AES31/Broadcast Wave is a variant of the stan- Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE for Windows
dard audio WAV file type. The AES31 format support recording and playback of sessions di-
contains SMPTE time stamps and other informa- rectly from Mac-formatted (HFS+) drives using
tion beyond the raw PCM audio data. the Digidesign HFS+ Disk Support option. The
HFS+ Disk Support option is automatically in-
This variant complies with standards set by the stalled with Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE soft-
AES (Audio Engineering Society) and EBU (Euro- ware by default.
pean Broadcasters Union). Choose this option
to ensure compatibility with other workstations When using the Digidesign HFS+ Disk Support
that recognize this file type. option for recording and playback on a Win-
dows system, the session file and all associated
To make imported WAV files compliant with the files (such as audio and MIDI files) must be
AES31/EBU Broadcast standard: stored on Mac-formatted (HFS+) drives. Record-
ing and playback of a session from a mixture of
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Pro-
Windows- and Mac-formatted drives is not sup-
cessing tab.
ported.
2 Select the Convert Imported “.wav” Files to
AES31/BroadcastWave option. For more information, see the Mac HFS+
Disk Support Option Guide.
3 Click OK.

312 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Moving Sessions on Windows Systems
to Mac-Based HFS+ Drives When transferring Pro Tools sessions from
HFS+ drives to NTFS drives, Pro Tools ses-
(From Window-Based NTFS Drives Only) sions cannot relink to audio files and fades
There are specific steps for transferring session that have Mac characters that are illegal in
files from Windows-based NTFS drives to Mac- Windows. These characters are automati-
based HFS+ drives. cally converted to underscore (“_”) charac-
ters. These files are saved to the Renamed
To transfer Pro Tools Windows sessions from NTFS
Audio Files folder. You need to manually
drives to HFS+ drives: relink each file by File ID. See “Missing
Files” on page 310.
1 Set the Digidesign HFS+ Disk Support Options
or the MacDrive Options to Backup/File Transfer.
To save session with no illegal characters,
2 Do one of the following:
see “Saving Copies of Mac Sessions to be
• Drag the session folder from the NTFS drive Compatible with Windows” on page 314.
to the HFS+ drive.
To transfer Pro Tools Mac sessions from HFS+
– or –
drives to NTFS drives:
• Open the Windows session on the NTFS
drive, choose Save Copy In, and save a copy 1 Set the Digidesign HFS+ Disk Support option

of the session to the HFS+ drive. or the MacDrive Options to Normal Use.

2 Do one of the following:

Moving Mac-Based Sessions on HFS+ • Drag the session folder from the HFS+ drive
Drives to Windows Systems to the NTFS drive.
(To Windows-Based NTFS Drives Only) – or –

There are specific steps for transferring files from • Open the Mac session on the HFS+ drive,
Mac-based HFS+ drives to Windows-based NTFS and when prompted, choose Save Copy In
drives. and save a copy of the session to the HFS+
drive.
To save (or create) Mac sessions to be com-
If the session previously used SD II files, the files
patible on Windows systems, see “Saving
are converted to the new audio file format.
Copies of Mac Sessions to be Compatible
with Windows” on page 314.

Chapter 16: File and Session Management and Compatibility 313

 Recording and Playback from HFS+ Saving Copies of Mac Sessions to
Drives on Windows be Compatible with Windows
Windows supports recording and playback of (Save Copy In to Pro Tools 6.9.x and Lower
sessions directly from Mac-formatted (HFS+) Only)
drives using either the Digidesign HFS+ Disk
Sessions created and saved as Pro Tools 7.x and
Support option or the MacDrive software appli-
higher sessions are always compatible on both
cation.
Windows and Mac systems.
In older versions of Pro Tools, Mac-for- If you create a Pro Tools 6.9.x or lower session
matted HFS+ drives could only be used as on a Mac system, the session is only compatible
Transfer volumes when connected to on Windows systems if the Enforce Mac/PC Com-
Windows systems using MacDrive. patibility option is selected when using the Save
Copy In command. In addition, there are cross-
When using either the Digidesign HFS+ Disk
platform limits to consider when completing
Support option or MacDrive for recording and
the Save Copy In command.
playback on a Windows system, the session file
and all audio files must be stored on Mac-for-
matted (HFS+) drives. Recording and playback Cross-Platform Session Limits
of a session from a mixture of Windows- and
When saving (or creating) a copy of a Pro Tools
Mac-formatted drives is not supported.
session that you want to be compatible on both
Mac and Windows, keep in mind the following
For information on using the Digidesign
limits and how Pro Tools deals with them:
HFS+ Disk Support option, see the Mac
HFS+ Disk Support Option Guide.
Audio File Types
To record or play back from HFS+ drives with The recommended file format for cross-platform
Windows using MacDrive:
interoperability is BWF (.WAV). To support op-
1 In Windows, go to the MacDrive Control timal session interchange, Pro Tools defaults to
Panel. BWF format for new sessions.

2 Choose Options > File Names and select the In- Pro Tools lets you save, bounce, and export in a
ternational Use option. variety of file formats. However, if you create a
3 Delete all options listed under “File Name session using the SD II format, a warning dialog
Maps.” appears reminding you of its limitations:
• SD II is not supported on Windows.
4 In Pro Tools, choose Window > Workspace and
• The maximum sample rate for SD II files is
make sure that all Mac-formatted volumes are
48 kHz.
set to R (record) or P (playback) in the A (Audio)
and V (Video) columns.

314 Pro Tools Reference Guide

File Name Extensions Saving Cross-Platform Sessions
For cross-platform compatibility, all files in a
To save an existing session to Pro Tools 6.9.x or
session must have a 3-letter file extension added lower and maintain Mac and Windows
to the file name. Pro Tools 5.1 to 6.9.x session compatibility:
files have the extension “.pts,” and Pro Tools 5
1 Choose File > Save Copy In.
sessions have the extension “.pt5.” Wave files
have the “.wav” file extension, and AIFF files 2 In the Save Session Copy dialog, choose a des-
have the “.aif” file extension. tination and type a name for the new session
file.
Incompatible ASCII Characters
3 Set the Audio File Type to AIFF or BWF (.WAV).
Region names, track names, file names, and These file formats are compatible with either
plug-in settings cannot use ASCII characters that platform.
are incompatible with either system.
4 Set the Sample Rate and Bit Depth for the ses-
When importing files into a session, incompati- sion.
ble characters are converted to underscores (“_”)
5 Select Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility. This op-
and the renamed files are placed in the Renamed
tion must be selected to make the session cross-
Files folder.
platform compatible.
The following characters cannot be used in Win- 6 Select the Items to Copy options for the new
dows sessions: session.
/ (Forward Slash)
7 Click Save.
\ (Backslash)
: (Colon) If the session previously used SD II files, the files
* (Asterisk) are converted to the new audio file format.

? (Question mark) Pro Tools can convert a file created on a

“ (Quotation marks) Mac and saved without the “Enforce
< (Less-than symbol) Mac/PC compatibility” option selected to a
> (Greater-than symbol) Windows compatible file. For more infor-
| (vertical line or pipe) mation, see “Sharing Sessions Created on
Different Computer Platforms” on
Any “high order” ASCII character (created
page 312.
with a key combination)

Chapter 16: File and Session Management and Compatibility 315

 Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Systems
Pro Tools makes it easy to share sessions between Pro Tools|HD systems and Pro Tools LE systems.
There are some important differences between the three types of systems that can affect how session
material is transferred.

For details on transferring sessions between Windows and Mac systems, see “Sharing Sessions Cre-
ated on Different Computer Platforms” on page 312.

The following table also includes Pro Tools LE systems with the Complete Production Toolkit, DV
Toolkit 2, and Music Production Toolkit 2 options.
Differences between Pro Tools systems

Pro Tools LE Pro Tools LE

Systems with Pro Tools LE Systems with
Pro Tools|HD Pro Tools LE
Feature Complete Systems with Music
Systems Systems
Production DV Toolkit 2 Production
Toolkit Toolkit 2

Maximum up to 256 up to 128 up to 256 up to 128 up to 128

number of tracks tracks tracks (128 tracks (64 tracks (64
audio tracks (48 voiceable) voiceable) voiceable) voiceable)

Maximum 128 32 64 32 32
number of
Instrument
tracks

Maximum 128 busses 32 busses 128 32 32

number of mix (Pro Tools 6.9 (Pro Tools 7.x)
busses and higher)
16 busses
64 busses (Pro Tools
(Pro Tools 6.7 6.9.x and
and lower) lower)

Inserts per up to 10 up to 10 up to 10 up to 10 up to 10
track inserts inserts inserts inserts inserts

Sends per up to 10 up to 10 up to 10 up to 10 up to 10
track sends sends sends sends sends
(Pro Tools 7.x) (Pro Tools 7.x)

up to 5 sends up to 5 sends
(Pro Tools (Pro Tools
6.9.x and 6.9.x and
lower) lower)

316 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Opening Pro Tools HD Sessions in Groups
Pro Tools LE • In Pro Tools LE 7.1 or lower only, all groups
A Pro Tools HD 7.2 or higher session that does beyond the first 26 (Bank 1, Groups a–z) are
not contain video tracks or VCA Masters can be dropped.
opened with Pro Tools LE 8.0, but certain ses- • Mix Groups keep only Main Volume informa-
sion components open differently or not at all. tion.
• Mix/Edit Groups keep only Main Volume and
Pro Tools HD 7.2 sessions that contain
Automation Mode information.
video tracks or VCA Master tracks can only
be opened with Pro Tools LE 7.0cs3 and • Automation overflow information for
higher. grouped controls is be preserved.
• Group behavior of Solos, Mutes, Send Levels,
When opening a Pro Tools HD 7.x or higher
Send Mutes is be preserved.
session in Pro Tools LE 8.0, the following
occurs: • Solo Mode and Solo Latch settings are
dropped.
Tracks
• Any tracks beyond the first 48, as well any in- Video
active tracks, are set to voice off. • Only the main video track is displayed.
• Any assignments to busses beyond 32 are • Only the first QuickTime movie in the session
made inactive. is displayed or played back.
• Any Instrument tracks beyond 32 are made • If the session contains QuickTime movies in
inactive. the Region List but no video track, the session
• TDM plug-ins with RTAS equivalents are con- opens with a new QuickTime Movie track
verted; those without equivalents are made containing the first QuickTime movie from
inactive. the Region List.

• Multichannel surround tracks are removed • The Timeline displays and plays back only the
from the session. video playlist that was last active. Alternate
video playlists are not available.
• Unavailable input and output paths are made
inactive. • In Pro Tools LE 7.1 or lower only, video re-
gions and video region groups are not shown
• Any Delay Compensation settings are re-
or saved.
moved.
• VCA Master tracks are removed and any unco-
alesced VCA automation is dropped.

Chapter 16: File and Session Management and Compatibility 317

 Opening Pro Tools HD 7.4 or Higher
Sharing Sessions Created on Sessions with Pro Tools HD 7.3.x or 7.2
Different Pro Tools Software
A Pro Tools HD 7.4 or higher session can be
Versions opened with Pro Tools HD 7.3.x or 7.2, but cer-
Pro Tools makes it easy to share sessions be- tain session components open differently or not
tween different software versions of a particular at all.
Pro Tools system (such as sharing sessions be-
tween Pro Tools HD 8.0 and Pro Tools HD 7.x). When opening a Pro Tools 7.4 or higher
session with Pro Tools 7.3.x, you are
warned that you are opening a session cre-
Sharing Pro Tools HD 8.0 Sessions ated with a newer version of Pro Tools and
with Lower Versions of that not all session components will be
Pro Tools HD available.

Opening Pro Tools HD 8.0 Sessions with When opening a Pro Tools HD 7.4.x or higher
Pro Tools HD 7.4.x session with Pro Tools HD 7.3.x or 7.2, the
following occurs:
A Pro Tools HD 8.0 session can be opened with • All that occurs when opening a Pro Tools HD
Pro Tools HD 7.4.x, but certain session compo- 8.0 session with Pro Tools HD 7.4.x.
nents open differently or not at all.
• Elastic Audio-enabled tracks open without
When opening a Pro Tools 8.0 session with Elastic Audio and region durations revert to
Pro Tools 7.4.x, you are warned that you the timing of the original source file.
are opening a session created with a newer • Sessions with mixed language characters sup-
version of Pro Tools and that not all session ported in Unicode may not open or, if they do
components will be available. open, Pro Tools displays “garbage” text.

When opening a Pro Tools HD 8.0 session with

Pro Tools HD 7.4.x, the following occurs: Opening Pro Tools HD 7.2 or Higher
Sessions with Pro Tools HD 7.1 or 7.0
• Inserts F–J and any associated automation are
removed. A Pro Tools HD 7.2 or higher session without
• Regions from audio files larger than 2 GB ap- video tracks or VCA Masters can be opened with
pear offline. Pro Tools HD 7.1 or 7.0, but certain session com-
ponents open differently or not at all.
• Pitch transpositions of Elastic regions re-
moved. When opening a Pro Tools 7.4 or higher
• Chord markers are removed. session with Pro Tools 7.2, 7.1, or 7.0, you
are not be warned that not all session com-
ponents will be available.

318 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 • The Timeline displays and plays back only the
Pro Tools HD 7.2 or higher sessions that video playlist that was last active. Alternate
contain video tracks or VCA Masters can video playlists are not available.
only be opened with Pro Tools HD 7.1cs3
• Video regions and video region groups are not
and higher.
shown or saved.
When opening a Pro Tools HD 7.4 or higher
session with a version of Pro Tools HD 7.1 or Saving Pro Tools HD 8.0 Sessions to
7.0 the following occurs: Pro Tools 5.1 -> 6.9 Format
• All that occurs when opening a Pro Tools HD
Pro Tools 7.x and higher sessions cannot be
7.4 or higher session with Pro Tools HD 7.3.x
opened with Pro Tools versions 6.9.x through
or 7.2.
5.1.
Tracks
To save a Pro Tools 8.0 session so it is compati-
• VCA Master tracks are removed and any unco- ble with Pro Tools version 6.9.x through 5.1, use
alesced VCA automation is dropped. the File > Save Copy In command to choose the
• Any uncoalesced Trim automation is dropped. Pro Tools 5.1 -> 6.9 Session format.

Groups Pro Tools 8.0 supports file sizes up to

• All groups beyond the first 26 (Bank 1, Groups 3.4 GB. However Pro Tools 5.1 through 6.9
a–z) are dropped. on Mac only support file sizes up to 2 GB.
If your session references audio files larger
• Mix Groups keep only Main Volume informa-
than 2 GB, be sure to edit and consolidate
tion.
regions as necessary to reference only files
• Mix/Edit Groups keep only Main Volume and smaller than 2 GB.
Automation Mode information.
When saving a Pro Tools HD 8.0 session to
• Automation overflow information for
Pro Tools HD 5.1 -> 6.9 format, the following
grouped controls is not preserved. occurs:
• Group behavior of Solos, LFEs, Mutes, Send
Tracks
Levels, Send Mutes is not preserved.
• Elastic Audio-enabled tracks are saved un-
• Solo Mode and Solo Latch settings are
transposed, unwarped, and region durations
dropped.
revert to the timing of the original source file.
Video • Instrument tracks are split into separate Aux-
• Only the main video track is displayed. iliary Input and MIDI tracks.

• Only the first QuickTime movie in the session • VCA Master tracks are removed and VCA au-
is displayed or played back. tomation is coalesced to the corresponding
slave tracks.
• If the session contains QuickTime movies in
the Region List but no video track, the session • Trim automation playlists are coalesced to
opens with a new QuickTime Movie track their corresponding automation playlists.
containing the first QuickTime movie from • Fader Gain levels and automation breakpoints
the Region List. higher than +6 dB are changed to +6 dB.

Chapter 16: File and Session Management and Compatibility 319

 • Long names are shortened to 31 characters. Language Compatibility
• The following attributes are dropped: • The Limit Character Set option must be en-
• Region groups abled and you must select a single language
• Region loops and character set.

• Sample-based MIDI regions

Saving Pro Tools HD 8.0 Sessions to
• Sample-based MIDI tracks
Pro Tools 5.0 Format
• Inserts F–J and any associated automation
• Sends F–J and any associated automation Pro Tools 7.x and higher sessions cannot be
opened with Pro Tools version 5.0.
• Marker/Memory Locations 201–999
To save a Pro Tools 8.0 session so it is compati-
Groups
ble with Pro Tools version 5.0, use the File > Save
• All groups beyond the first 26 (Bank 1, Groups Copy In command to choose the Pro Tools 5.0
a–z) are dropped. Session format.
• Mix Groups keep only Main Volume informa-
tion. When saving a Pro Tools HD 7.4 session to
Pro Tools 5.0 format, the following occurs:
• Mix/Edit Groups keep only Main Volume and
Automation Mode information. • All that occurs when saving a Pro Tools HD
8.0 session to Pro Tools HD 5.1->6.9 format.
• Automation overflow information for
grouped controls is not preserved. • Multichannel surround tracks are removed
from the session.
• Group behavior of Solos, LFEs, Mutes, Send
Levels, Send Mutes is not preserved. • Inactive tracks are removed from the session.

• Solo Mode and Solo Latch settings are • Tracks assigned to “No Output” are routed to
dropped. Busses 31 and 32.
• Tracks or sends assigned to Busses 33–64 are
Video
routed to Busses 31 and 32.
• Only the main video track is displayed.
• Tracks assigned to multichannel paths or sub-
• Only the first QuickTime movie in the session paths of multichannel paths are routed to
is displayed or played back. Busses 31 and 32.
• If the session contains QuickTime movies in • Sends assigned to multichannel paths or sub-
the Region List but no video track, the session paths of multichannel paths are dropped.
opens with a new QuickTime Movie track
• Tracks or sends assigned to stereo paths refer-
containing the first QuickTime movie from
ring to even/odd channels (such as 2–3) are
the Region List.
routed to Busses 31 and 32.
• The Timeline displays and plays back only the
• Multi-mono plug-in instances are dropped
video playlist that was last active. Alternate
video playlists are not available.
• Video regions and video region groups are not
shown or saved.

320 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Sharing Pro Tools LE 8.0 Sessions Tracks
with Lower Versions of • Any Elastic Audio-enabled tracks open with-
Pro Tools LE out Elastic Audio and all audio regions on
those tracks are at their original duration. All
Opening Pro Tools LE 8.0 Sessions with warping is lost.
Pro Tools LE 7.4.x • Sessions with mixed language characters sup-
A Pro Tools LE 8.0 session can be opened with ported in Unicode may not open or, if they do
Pro Tools LE 7.4.x, but certain session compo- open, Pro Tools displays “garbage” text.
nents open differently or not at all.
When opening a Pro Tools 7.4 session with
When opening a Pro Tools 8.0 session with Pro Tools 7.3.x, you are warned that you
Pro Tools 7.4.x, you are warned that you are opening a session created with a newer
are opening a session created with a newer version of Pro Tools and that not all session
version of Pro Tools and that not all session components will be available. When open-
components will be available. ing a Pro Tools 7.4 session with Pro Tools
7.1, or 7.0, you will not be warned that not
When opening a Pro Tools LE 8.0 session with all session components will be available.
Pro Tools HD 7.4.x, the following occurs:
• Inserts F–J and any associated automation are Opening Pro Tools LE 7.3.x or higher
removed. Sessions with Pro Tools LE 7.1 or 7.0
• Regions from audio files larger than 2 GB ap- A Pro Tools LE 7.3.x or higher session that does
pear offline. not contain video tracks can be opened with
Pro Tools LE 7.1 or 7.0, but certain session com-
• Sessions that use mixed file formats must con-
ponents open differently or not at all.
vert audio files to a single file format
• Pitch transpositions of Elastic regions re- When opening a Pro Tools LE 7.3.x or higher
moved. session with a version of Pro Tools LE 7.1 or
• Chord markers are removed. 7.0, all items that occur when opening a
Pro Tools LE 7.4 session with Pro Tools LE 7.3.x
or 7.2 occur, plus the following:
Opening Pro Tools LE 8.0 Sessions with
Pro Tools LE 7.3.x • All that occurs when opening a Pro Tools LE
7.4.x or higher on Pro Tools LE 7.3.x.
A Pro Tools LE 7.4.x or higher session can be
opened with Pro Tools LE 7.3.x, but certain ses- Groups
sion components open differently or not at all. • All groups beyond the first 26 (Bank 1, Groups
a–z) are dropped.
When opening a Pro Tools LE 7.4 or higher
• Mix Groups keep only Main Volume informa-
session with Pro Tools LE 7.3.x, the following
tion.
occurs:
• Mix/Edit Groups keep only Main Volume and
• All that occurs when opening a Pro Tools LE
Automation Mode information.
8.0 session with Pro Tools LE 7.4.x.

Chapter 16: File and Session Management and Compatibility 321

 Video
Pro Tools 8.0 supports file sizes up to
• Only the main video track is displayed.
3.4 GB. However Pro Tools 5.1 through 6.9
• Only the first QuickTime movie in the session on Mac only support file sizes up to 2 GB.
is displayed or played back. If your session references audio files larger
• If the session contains QuickTime movies in than 2 GB, be sure to edit and consolidate
the Region List but no video track, the session regions as necessary to reference only files
opens with a new QuickTime Movie track smaller than 2 GB.
containing the first QuickTime movie from
When saving a Pro Tools LE 8.0 session to
the Region List.
Pro Tools LE 5.1 -> 6.9 format, the following
• The Timeline displays and plays back only the occurs:
video playlist that was last active. Alternate
Tracks
video playlists are not available.
• Elastic Audio-enabled tracks are saved un-
• Video regions and video region groups are not
transposed, unwarped, and region durations
shown or saved.
revert to the timing of the original source file.
• All groups beyond the first 26 (Bank 1, Groups
Sharing Pro Tools LE 7.x or Higher a–z) are dropped.
Sessions with Pro Tools LE 6.9 or
• Mix Groups keep only Main Volume informa-
Lower
tion.
Pro Tools 7.x and higher format sessions cannot • Mix/Edit Groups keep only Main Volume and
be opened on Pro Tools versions 6.9.x or lower, Automation Mode information.
but they can be saved to a lower compatible ver-
sion. Some session components in the new copy • Only the main video track is displayed.
open differently or not at all. • Only the first QuickTime movie in the session
is displayed or played back.
Saving Pro Tools LE 8.0 Sessions to • If the session contains QuickTime movies in
Pro Tools LE 5.1 -> 6.9 Format the Region List but no video track, the session
opens with a new QuickTime Movie track
Pro Tools 7.x and higher sessions cannot be
containing the first QuickTime movie from
opened with Pro Tools versions 6.9.x through
the Region List.
5.1.
• The Timeline displays and plays back only the
To save a Pro Tools 8.0 session so it is compati- video playlist that was last active. Alternate
ble with Pro Tools version 6.9.x through 5.1, use video playlists are not available.
the File > Save Copy In command to choose the
• Video regions and video region groups are not
Pro Tools 5.1 -> 6.9 Session format.
shown or saved.
• Fader Gain levels and automation breakpoints
higher than +6 dB are changed to +6 dB.
• Long names are shortened to 31 characters.

322 Pro Tools Reference Guide

• Instrument tracks are split into separate Aux- • Tracks/sends assigned to stereo paths referring
iliary Input and MIDI tracks. to even/odd channels (such as 2–3) are routed
• The following attributes are dropped: to Busses 31 and 32.

• Region groups
• Region loops
• Sample-based MIDI regions Language Compatibility
• Sample-based MIDI tracks
• Inserts F–J and any associated automation Unicode Support for Languages
• Sends F–J and any associated automation Pro Tools supports entry and display of any lan-
• Marker/Memory Locations 201–999 guage characters supported in Unicode any-
• Busses 17–32 (Pro Tools LE) where in the Pro Tools application. This lets
you:
• The Limit Character Set option must be en-
• Use multiple languages in session names,
abled and you must select a single language
and in path names, file names and region
and character set.
names within the same session.
• Search for terms in multiple languages in
Saving Pro Tools LE 8.0 Sessions to
DigiBase browsers.
Pro Tools LE 5.0 Format
To save a Pro Tools LE 8.0 session so it is com-
patible with Pro Tools version 5.0, use the File >
Pro Tools Automatic Naming
Save Copy In command to select the Pro Tools 5.0
Language
Session format. When working in a language other than En-
glish, you can set Pro Tools to automatically
When saving a Pro Tools LE 7.4 session to name session elements (such as regions, tracks,
Pro Tools 5.0 format, the following occurs: and I/O paths) in English. This is useful when
• All that occurs when saving a Pro Tools LE 8.0 sharing sessions with other users working in En-
session to Pro Tools 5.1->6.9 format. glish.
• Fader Gain levels and automation breakpoints
higher than +6 dB are changed to +6 dB. To set the Automatic Naming Language to match
the language selected for the Pro Tools
• Multi-mono plug-in instances are dropped. application:
• Sends assigned to multichannel paths or sub- 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Dis-
paths of multichannel paths are dropped. play tab.
• Tracks assigned to “No Output” are routed to 2 Choose the language you want to use in
Busses 31 and 32. Pro Tools from the Language pop-up menu.
• Tracks/sends assigned to Busses 33–64 are
3 Deselect the Default Automatic Naming to En-
routed to Busses 31 and 32.
glish option.
• Tracks assigned to multichannel paths or sub-
paths of multichannel paths are routed to
Busses 31 and 32.

Chapter 16: File and Session Management and Compatibility 323

 Pro Tools Application Language To change to a different language version of
Pro Tools:
(Windows Only)
1 Close Pro Tools if it is currently open.
You can choose the language you want to use in
the Pro Tools application, independently of 2 Launch Apple System Preferences.

what language version of Windows you are us- 3 Click International (the “flag” icon).
ing.
4 Click the Language tab.

To select the language for Pro Tools: 5 In the Languages column, click the language
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and select the Dis- you want, and drag it to the top of the list.
play tab. 6 Close the International window.
2 Choose the language you want to use in 7 Do one of the following:
Pro Tools from the Language pop-up menu.
• If you are changing from a localized lan-
guage to English, launch Pro Tools.
Multilingual Application Support – or –
for Pro Tools Systems • If you are changing from one localized lan-
(Localized OS on Mac Only) guage to another (or from English to a lo-
calized language), log out and log in from
Localized versions of Pro Tools (such as
the Apple menu, then launch Pro Tools.
Pro Tools Korean, simplified Chinese, or Japa-
nese) can be opened on a Digidesign-qualified If you want your computer to start with the
Mac that supports English and the localized lan- previous language (after working on a dif-
guage versions of Mac. You can also select a dif- ferent language version) follow the above
ferent language in any localized version of steps and change the International prefer-
Pro Tools (including English) in the Apple Sys- ence back to the previous language.
tem Preferences.

324 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Part IV: Playback and Recording

325
326
Chapter 17: Playing Back Track
Material

To stop playback, do one of the following:

Playing Tracks • Click Stop in the Transport.
After importing or recording audio or MIDI to • Press the Spacebar.
tracks, you will want to play back the material to • With the Numeric Keypad mode set to
listen to it for editing and mixing. Transport or Shuttle, press 0 on the nu-
meric keypad.
Starting and Stopping Playback • If you have a worksurface or MIDI control
surface connected and configured, press
To start playback, do one of the following: the Stop switch.
• Click Play in the Transport. • If Pro Tools is online and slaved to another
• Press the Spacebar. deck, press stop on the master deck (see
“Putting Pro Tools Online” on page 1021).
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to
Transport or Shuttle, press 0 on the nu-
meric keypad. Example: Playing Back Audio
• If the Numeric Keypad mode is set to Trans-
port, and the Use Separate Play and Stop To play back audio:
Keys option is enabled, press Enter on the 1 Import or record audio to a track.
numeric keypad.
2 Assign the track’s Output selector to your
• If you have a worksurface or MIDI control
main monitoring path.
surface connected and configured, press
the Play switch. 3 To have playback start from the beginning of
• If Pro Tools is online and slaved to another the session, click Return to Zero in the Trans-
deck, press play on the master deck (see port.
“Putting Pro Tools Online” on page 1021). 4 Start playback.

For more information about the Numeric 5 The audio plays through the selected Output
Keypad modes, see “Numeric Keypad Path. Adjust the track’s volume and pan faders
Modes” on page 25. as necessary.

6 When you are finished, stop playback.

Chapter 17: Playing Back Track Material 327

 Example: Playing Back MIDI • Set the Auxiliary Input or Instrument
track’s audio Output selector to the main
To play back MIDI (and monitor the audio): monitoring path.

1 Import, record, or enter MIDI to an Instru- • Set the MIDI track’s output selector to the
ment or MIDI track. Instrument plug-in, or MIDI device (port),
and channel you want to play back.
2 For an Instrument track, do the following:
4 To have playback start from the beginning of
• Set the Instrument track’s audio Output se-
the session, click Return to Zero in the Trans-
lector to the main monitoring path.
port.
• If you are using an Instrument Plug-in, in-
sert the plug-in on the track. The track’s 5 Start playback.
MIDI Output selector (in Instrument view)
6 The MIDI plays the selected MIDI device, and
should be automatically set to the plug-in.
the audio from the MIDI device is monitored
• If you are using an external MIDI device through the selected Output Path on the Auxil-
(not an Instrument plug-in), set the MIDI iary Input or Instrument track. Adjust the MIDI,
Output selector in Instrument view to the Auxiliary Input, or Instrument track’s volume
MIDI device (port) and channel you want and pan faders as necessary.
to play back.
7 When you are finished, stop playback.
• If you are using an external MIDI device
(not an Instrument plug-in), set the Instru- For information about synchronizing exter-
ment track’s audio Input selector to the In- nal MIDI devices with Pro Tools for play-
put path to which your MIDI device’s audio back and recording using MIDI Beat Clock,
outputs are connected. see “MIDI Beat Clock” on page 342, and
3 For a MIDI track, do the following: for information about using MIDI Time
Code, see “Generating Time Code” on
• If you are using an Instrument plug-in, cre-
page 1022.
ate an Auxiliary Input or Instrument track
insert the Instrument plug-in on the track.
• If you are using an external MIDI device
(not an Instrument plug-in), create an Aux- Playback Location
iliary Input or Instrument track to monitor The playback location is the point in the
the audio from an external MIDI device or Pro Tools Timeline where you can begin playing
Instrument plug-in. back audio or MIDI in your session.
• If you are using an external MIDI device
(not an Instrument plug-in), set the Auxil- The playback location is displayed in counters
iary Input or Instrument track’s audio In- and indicators in the Edit window, Transport
put selector to the Input path to which window, and Big Counter. The playback loca-
your MIDI device’s audio outputs are con- tion (or Edit selection) is also indicated by a
nected. playback or edit cursor in the Timeline or playl-
ist of the Edit window.

328 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Pro Tools also provides a pre-roll control for set-
ting playback to begin before the playback loca- Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac)
tion. See “Basic Transport Controls and the Expand/Collapse button in the Trans-
Counters” on page 135. port window to show or hide counters and
MIDI controls.

Counters and Indicators that To display the Sub Counter in the Transport
Display the Playback Location window:
1 Select View > Transport > Counters.
Main and Sub Counters and Edit Selection
Indicators 2 Select View > Transport > Expanded.

At the top of the Edit window, the playback lo-

To display Edit Selection indicators in the
cation is displayed in the Main and Sub Transport window:
counters, and the Edit Selection Start indicator.
If no selection is made, the playback location is „ Select View > Transport > Expanded.
also displayed in the Edit Selection End indica-
tor. The Big Counter

The current playback location can also be dis-

played in the Big Counter.

Main and Sub Counters, Edit Selection indicators

Counters and Edit Selection indicators can also Big Counter window
be displayed in the Transport window.
To display the Big Counter:
„ Choose Window > Big Counter.

Cursors that Indicate the Playback

(or Edit) Location
Transport with Counters displayed
There are two types of cursors in the Pro Tools
To display the Main Counter in the Transport
Edit window for indicating the current playback
window:
or Edit selection:
„ Select View > Transport > Counters.
Playback Cursor
Start-click (Windows) or Control-click
(Mac) the Expand/Collapse button in the The playback cursor is a solid line that moves
Transport window to show or hide counters. across the Edit window to indicate the current
playback location.

Chapter 17: Playing Back Track Material 329

 The selected Scrolling Option determines how The Playback Cursor locator is red when a track
the Edit window scrolls during playback, and is record-enabled and blue when no track is
how the playback cursor functions. See “Scroll- record-enabled.
ing Options” on page 334 for details.
To locate the playback cursor when it is off-screen:
Edit Cursor
„ Click the Playback Cursor locator in the Main

The edit cursor is a flashing line that appears Timebase ruler.

when you click with the Selector tool in a track’s
The Edit window changes to center the playback
playlist. The flashing edit cursor indicates the
cursor on-screen.
start point for any editing tasks performed. If
you make a selection and perform an edit, the
selection is the target of the edit.
Setting the Playback Location
Locating the Playback Cursor when It Is
Pro Tools provides commands for different ways
Off-Screen
of setting or moving the playback location in a
Use the Playback Cursor locator to locate the session. These include finding a passage in a
playback cursor when it is off-screen. song, moving to a different section of your ar-
rangement, or comparing different sections.
The Playback Cursor locator appears on the
right edge of the Main Timebase ruler if the
playback cursor is located beyond the time visi- Setting Playback Location Using
ble in the Edit window. If the playback cursor is the Selector Tool
located before the time visible in the Edit win- To set where playback begins, you can click any-
dow, the Playback Cursor locator appears on the where in a track with the Selector tool (as long as
left edge of the Main Timebase ruler. the Timeline and Edit selections are linked). See
“Linking or Unlinking Timeline and Edit Selec-
Playback Cursor locator tions” on page 473).

Playback Cursor locator, recording enabled (playback

cursor located after currently viewed audio)

For example, if the Scrolling option is set to Setting a playback point with the Selector tool
None, the playback cursor moves off-screen af-
ter it has played past the time currently visible
in the Edit window. The Playback Cursor locator
appears on the right edge of the Main Timebase
ruler after the playback cursor has moved be-
yond the time visible in the Edit window.

330 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To begin playing from a specific point within a Setting Playback Location with
track: the Main Counter or Edit Selection
1 Make sure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit Start Indicator
Selection is enabled.
To set the playback location using a Main Counter
2 With the Selector tool, click in the track where (or the Edit Selection Start indicator):
you want playback to begin.
1 Do one of the following:
3 Start playback.
• Click in one of the counters.
4 Stop playback. – or –
• Press asterisk (*) on the numeric keypad to
To jump to a different location and begin playing highlight the Main Counter in the Edit
from there, do one of the following:
window (or the Main Counter in the Trans-
„ When playback is stopped, click with the Se- port window or Big Counter window, if ei-
lector tool at the point you want to start play- ther are displayed).
back and click Play in the Transport window.
2 Type in the new location. Press Period (.) to cy-
– or – cle through to the different time fields.
„ During playback, click the new location in
3 Press Enter to accept the new value and auto-
any Timebase Ruler. matically locate there.

With the Timeline and Edit selections linked,

you can click a region or MIDI note with the Setting Playback Location with
Time Grabber tool to automatically update the Fast Forward/Rewind
Timeline with the selection’s start time, letting
You can use the Fast Forward and Rewind but-
you play from that point.
tons in the Transport window to move the play-
back location. If the Operation preference for Au-
Setting Playback Location with dio During Fast Forward/Rewind is selected, the
Basic Transport Controls scanned audio is heard (similar to a CD player)
when clicking the Fast Forward and Rewind but-
Transport controls in the Transport window and
tons.
top of the Edit window can be used to move the
playback location. These include Rewind, Fast You can also fast forward or rewind incremen-
Forward, and Return to Zero (to move playback tally by repeatedly clicking the appropriate but-
location to the beginning of the session). For ton. The size of these increments is determined
more information, see “Basic Transport Con- by the Main Time Scale:
trols and Counters” on page 135.
Bars|Beats Moves to the beginning of the previ-
ous or next bar.

Min:Sec Moves back or forward in one-second

steps.

Chapter 17: Playing Back Track Material 331

 Time Code Moves back or forward in one-second To configure the Back/Forward Amount:
steps (while adjusting for current SMPTE for-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Op-
mat).
eration tab.
Feet+Frames Moves back or forward in one-foot
The timebase of the Back/Forward Amount set-
steps.
tings follows the Main Time Scale by default, or
Samples Moves back or forward in one-second you can deselect Follow Main Time and select
steps. any of the following timebase formats:
• Bars|Beats
• Min:Sec
Setting Playback Location with
Back and Forward Commands • Time Code
• Feet+Frames
(Pro Tools HD Only)
• Samples
Pro Tools provides four Back/Forward com-
2 Do one of the following:
mands (sometimes called “rollback”) for mov-
ing the playback location in the Edit window. • Select a preset amount in the Back/Forward
Amount pop-up menu.
You can also move the playback location in
– or –
multiple increments by repeating the command
• In the Back/Forward Amount field, enter a
(See “Repeating Back/Forward Commands” on
custom amount.
page 333).

Back/Forward commands also work when Using Back or Forward Commands

controlling a 9-pin device. See the Machine-
Control Guide for details. To move the playback location backward by the
Back/Forward Amount:
Back Moves the playback location backward by „ Press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac),
the Back/Forward Amount. and click Rewind in the Transport window.
Back and Play Moves the current playback loca-
tion backward by the Back/Forward Amount and To move the playback location forward by the
Back/Forward Amount:
automatically begins playback.
„ Press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac),
Forward Moves the playback location forward by and click Fast Forward in the Transport window.
the Back/Forward Amount.
To move the playback location backward by the
Forward and Play Moves the current playback lo-
Back/Forward Amount and then begin playback:
cation forward by the Back/Forward Amount
and automatically begins playback. „ Press Control+Alt (Windows) or Com-

mand+Option (Mac), and click Rewind in the

Setting the Back/Forward Amount Transport window.

The length of the Back/Forward move is deter-

mined by the Back/Forward Amount preference
in the Operation page (Setup > Preferences).

332 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To move the playback location forward by the 3 Do one of the following:
Back/Forward Amount and then begin playback: • To extend the selection backwards by the
„ Press Control+Alt (Windows) or Com- Back/Forward Amount, press Shift+Control
mand+Option (Mac), and click Fast Forward in (Windows) or Shift+Command (Mac) and
the Transport window. click Rewind in the Transport window.
– or –
Repeating Back/Forward Commands
• To extend the selection backwards by the
All the Back/Forward commands can be repeated Back/Forward Amount and then begin
in order to increase the amount of the total Back playback, press Shift+Control+Alt (Win-
or Forward move. dows) or Shift+Command+Option (Mac)
and click Rewind in the Transport window.
To repeat Back/Forward moves:
1 Press and hold Control (Windows) or Com- Additional Ways of Moving the
mand (Mac). Playback Location
2 Click Rewind or Fast Forward the number of You can also move the playback location with
times you want to repeat moving the playback the following:
location backwards or forwards by the specified
Back/Forward Amount. Shuttle Lock Modes With either Shuttle Lock
mode (Classic or Transport) you can use the nu-
Extending Selections with Back or Back and meric keypad to shuttle forward or backwards at
Play Commands specific speeds. For more information, see
“Shuttle Lock Modes” on page 25.
The Back or Back and Play commands can be
used to extend a selection backwards by the Memory Locations Memory Locations can be
length of the specified Back/Forward Amount. used to move the playback location (or Edit se-
lection). When a Memory Location is recalled,
Although you cannot extend a selection the playback location (or Edit selection) up-
with the Forward or Forward and Play com- dates. Memory Locations can be recalled from
mands, you can use the following proce- the Memory Locations window and from the
dures with Forward or Forward and Play to numeric keypad. In addition, Marker Memory
move the start point of a current selection. Selections can be recalled by clicking them in
the Markers ruler. For more information, see
To extend a selection with Back or Back and Play
“Memory Locations and Markers” on page 705.
commands:
1 Specify the Back/Forward Amount. (See “Set- Tabbing to Transients With the Tab to Transients
ting the Back/Forward Amount” on page 332.) button enabled, you can automatically navigate
to transients in audio waveforms, placing the
2 With the Selector tool, drag within a track to
cursor just before the detected transient peak.
make a selection.
For more information, see “Tabbing to Tran-
sients” on page 484.

Chapter 17: Playing Back Track Material 333

 Page Scrolling During Playback
Scrolling Options
You can set Pro Tools to scroll the track display
You can configure how contents of the Edit win- while playing, and also have the edit cursor ap-
dow scroll during playback and recording. pear wherever playback stops.

To configure Scrolling options: To make the track display and the edit cursor
„ Choose Options > Scrolling and select one of
follow playback:
the following options: „ Enable the Timeline Insertion/Play Start

Marker Follows Playback button in the Edit win-

None The Edit window does not scroll during or
dow.
after playback. The playback cursor moves
across the Edit window, indicating the playback
location.

After Playback The playback cursor moves

across the Edit window, indicating the playback
location. When playback has stopped, the Edit
window scrolls to the final playback location. Timeline Insertion/Play Start
Marker Follows Playback
Page The playback cursor moves across the Edit
Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker Follows Playback
window, indicating the playback location. button enabled
When the right edge of the Edit window is
reached, its entire contents are scrolled, and the
You can enable or disable the Timeline In-
playback cursor continues moving from the left
sertion/Play Start Marker Follows Playback
edge of the window. For more information, see
option in the Operation Preferences.
“Page Scrolling During Playback” on page 334.

Continuous (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Press Start+N (Windows) or Control+N
Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 (Mac) to toggle the Timeline Insertion/Play
Only) See “Continuous Scrolling During Play-
Start Marker Follows Playback preference
back” on page 334.
on and off.
Center Playhead (Pro Tools HD Only) See “Cen-
ter Playhead Scrolling” on page 335. Continuous Scrolling During Playback
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Making a selection in the Timeline or a Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)
playlist, or manually scrolling the Timeline
while in Page Scroll or Continuous Scroll When this scrolling option is selected, the Edit
mode suspends page scrolling. To resume window’s contents scroll continuously past the
page scrolling and jump to the current play- playback cursor, which remains in the center of
back location, click the Playback Cursor the window. With this option, playback is al-
locator in the Main Timebase ruler (see ways based on the Timeline selection (unlike the
“Locating the Playback Cursor when It Is Center Playhead Scrolling option). Continuous
Off-Screen” on page 330).

334 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Scrolling During Playback uses host processing
power, so use this option with Pro Tools LE with Center Playhead Scrolling and Dynamic
Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Transport mode cannot be used at the same
only when absolutely necessary. time. Selecting Center Playhead Scrolling
disables Dynamic Transport mode (if it is
enabled). Likewise, enabling Dynamic
Center Playhead Scrolling
Transport mode when Center Playhead
(Pro Tools HD Only) Scrolling is selected automatically changes
the Scrolling option to No Scrolling.
When this scrolling option is selected, the Edit
window’s contents scroll continuously past the
Half-Screen Edit Window
Playhead, which is a blue line in the center of the
window (or a red line when recording). When the Scrolling option is set to Continuous or
Center Playhead, a half-screen appears at the far
The Playhead indicates where playback begins
left of the Edit window (before the beginning of
when clicking Play in the Transport window.
the session) when the Playhead is at the begin-
ning of the session.

Center Playhead Scrolling option

Half-screen for Center Playhead Scrolling option
To move the Playhead to a particular location
for playback, you can scroll there in a ruler (see
“Scrolling in a Timebase Ruler” on page 487),
Playing Selections
use the Edit window’s horizontal scroll bar, or
type the location into one of the Edit Selection Once an Edit selection is made, you can audi-
indicators or one of the Counters. tion it by clicking Play in the Transport window.
If enabled, the pre- and post-roll amounts play
Moving the Playhead with these methods does as well.
not update the Timeline selection. However, up-
dating the Timeline selection automatically To play a selection:
moves the Playhead to the Timeline insertion
point. 1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection.

2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make

With the Playhead enabled, you can jump to
a track selection.
and play an Edit or Timeline selection. For de-
tails, see “Playing Timeline and Edit Selections 3 If you want to use pre-roll or post-roll, enable
with the Playhead” on page 337. and set the pre-roll and post-roll amounts. For
details, see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on
page 376.

Chapter 17: Playing Back Track Material 335

 4 Click Play in the Transport window, or press
the Spacebar. plays start plays end
(for post-roll amount) (for pre-roll amount)
All tracks play for the range of the selection, in-
cluding pre-roll and post-roll if enabled.

To play an Edit selection with Link Timeline and

Edit Selection disabled:
„ Choose Edit > Selection > Play Edit.

To play a Timeline selection with Link Timeline and

Edit Selection disabled:
„ Choose Edit > Selection > Play Timeline. plays pre-roll + start plays end + post-roll

Playback ranges for auditioning start/end points

Auditioning Pre-Roll and Post-Roll
To audition a selection start point:
You can audition and play just the pre-roll or
„ Press Control+Left Arrow (Windows) or Com-
post-roll material for a selection.
mand+Left Arrow (Mac).
To play from the pre-roll point to the start of a When auditioning the beginning of a selection,
selection, or to the current Cursor location:
the selection plays from the start point for a du-
„ Press Alt+Left Arrow (Windows) or Op- ration equal to the post-roll amount.
tion+Left Arrow (Mac).
To audition a selection start point with pre-roll:
To play to the post-roll point from the end of a
„ Press Control+Alt+Left Arrow (Windows) or
selection, or from the current Cursor location:
Command+Option+Left Arrow (Mac).
„ Press Control+Right Arrow (Windows) or

Command+Right Arrow (Mac). To audition a selection end point:

„ Press Alt+Right Arrow (Windows) or Op-
Auditioning Start and End Points for
tion+Right Arrow (Mac).
Selections
When auditioning the end of a selection, play-
There may be times when you want to audition
back begins before the end point by the pre-roll
the start or end of an audio selection without
amount.
hearing the entire selection. This allows you to
check, for instance, whether the beginning or
To audition a selection end point with post-roll:
end of a selection includes any unwanted clicks
or pops. „ Press Control+Alt+Right Arrow (Windows) or

Command+Option+Right Arrow (Mac).

336 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Moving the Playhead
Playing Timeline and Edit
Selections with the Playhead When the Scrolling option is set to Center Play-
head, the Playhead can be moved forward or
(Pro Tools HD Only) back to the next region boundary in the selected
track.
When the Scrolling option is set to Center Play-
head, selections in the Timeline do not deter-
mine when playback begins. The Playhead itself To move the Playhead through a track’s region
boundaries:
denotes where playback begins when clicking
Play in the Transport. 1 Make sure the Tab to Transients button is not
enabled (see “Tabbing to Transients” on
Timeline and Edit selections, however, can still page 484).
be played when the Playhead is enabled.
2 Click in the track with the Selector tool.

To play an Edit selection with the Playhead 3 Do one of the following:

enabled:
• Press Tab to move the Playhead forward to
1 Deselect Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec- the next region boundary.
tions.
– or –
2 Select Options > Scrolling > Center Playhead. • Press Control+Tab (Windows) or Op-
tion+Tab (Mac) to move the Playhead back
3 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make
to the previous region boundary.
a track selection.

4 Choose Edit > Selection > Play Edit.

The Playhead jumps to the Edit selection and Playback Modes

plays it from beginning to end, and then stops.
Pro Tools provides several Playback modes:

To play a Timeline selection with the Playhead • Normal Playback mode

enabled: • Half-Speed Playback mode

1 Deselect Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec- • Prime for Playback mode
tions. • Loop Playback mode
• Dynamic Transport mode
2 Select Options > Scrolling > Center Playhead.

3 Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase

ruler to set the play range.
Normal Playback Mode
Normal Playback mode is simply when none of
4 Choose Edit > Selection > Play Timeline.
the other Playback modes are selected. In Nor-
The Playhead jumps to the Timeline selection mal Playback mode, Pro Tools plays back at the
and plays it from beginning to end, and then session sample rate.
stops.

Chapter 17: Playing Back Track Material 337

 Half-Speed Playback Mode
When synchronizing to time code, use
Use Half-Speed Playback mode to learn or tran- Prime for Playback mode to play back large
scribe difficult passages in recorded tracks. numbers of tracks. This decreases the time it
takes to lock to time code.
To play at half-speed:
1 Do one of the following: Loop Playback Mode
• Shift-click the Play button in the Transport. When Loop Playback mode is enabled, the se-
– or – lected track range repeats on playback. If there is
• Right-click the Play button in the Transport no selection, playback occurs normally from the
and select Half-Speed. Then click Play to current Cursor location.
start Half-Speed Playback.
A selection must be at least 500 ms in
You can also play at half-speed by pressing length for it to loop on playback.
Shift+Spacebar.
Looping playback is a useful way to check the
2 Click Stop in the Transport to stop playback. rhythmic continuity of a selection when work-
ing with musical material. If you’re working
with one-bar selections, you can loop playback
Prime for Playback Mode to see if the material loops cleanly. If it seems to
When playing back a large number of tracks, skip, you should then adjust the length of the
Pro Tools may take a little longer to actually selection until it works “musically” within the
start playback. To avoid this delay, put Pro Tools context of the playlist and the other tracks.
in Prime for Playback mode before starting play-
back. To loop playback of a selection:
1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection.
To enable Prime for Playback mode and start
2 With the Selector tool, select the track range
playback:
you want to loop.
1 Do one of the following:
3 Enable Loop Playback by doing one of the fol-
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac)
lowing:
Play in the Transport to put Pro Tools in
Prime for Playback mode. • Select Options > Loop Playback.
• Right-click the Play button in the Transport
– or –
window and select Loop from the pop-up
• Right-click the Play button and select Prime
menu.
for Playback.
• Start-click (Windows) or Control-click
The Stop button lights and the Play button (Mac) the Play button in the Transport win-
flashes. dow.
• Press Control+Shift+L (Windows) or Com-
2 To begin playback instantaneously, click Play.
mand+Shift+L (Mac).
3 Click Stop to stop playback. • With the Numeric Keypad mode set to
Transport, press 4 on the numeric keypad.

338 Pro Tools Reference Guide

When enabled, a loop symbol appears in the To enable or disable Dynamic Transport mode, do
Play button in the Transport window. one of the following:
„ Select or deselect Options > Dynamic Transport.

„ Right-click the Play button in the Transport

window and select Dynamic Transport from the

pop-up menu.
Loop Playback enabled
„ Press Control+Start+P (Windows) or Com-
4 Click Play in the Transport window.
mand+Control+P (Mac) to toggle Dynamic
Playback begins from the pre-roll point (if en- Transport mode on or off.
abled) and continues to the selection’s end
Enabling Dynamic Transport mode auto-
point, where it loops back to the selection’s start
matically disables Link Timeline and Edit
point.
Selection, and automatically enables Loop
5 Click Stop in the Transport window to stop Playback mode.
playback.

Center Playhead Scrolling (Pro Tools HD

Loop Playback and Audio Recording only) and Dynamic Transport mode cannot
Looping playback does not enable loop record- be used at the same time. Selecting Center
ing. Use Loop Record mode to loop during re- Playhead Scrolling disables Dynamic
cording (see “Loop Recording Audio” on Transport mode (if it is enabled). Likewise,
page 381). enabling Dynamic Transport mode when
Center Playhead Scrolling is selected auto-
matically changes the Scrolling option to
Dynamic Transport Mode No Scrolling.
Dynamic Transport mode lets you decouple the
playback location from the Timeline selection.
Play Start Marker strip
This means that you can start playback from
anywhere on the Timeline without losing your Timeline selection
Play Start Marker
Timeline or Edit selections. For example, you
can use Dynamic Transport mode in conjunc-
tion with Loop Playback mode to quickly audi-
tion loop transitions.

When Dynamic Transport mode is enabled, the

Main Timebase ruler expands to double-height
and reveals the new Play Start Marker. The Play
Start Marker determines where playback starts Dynamic Transport mode, Play Start Marker shown in
when the Transport is engaged. You can posi- expanded Main Timebase ruler
tion the Play Start Marker independently of the
Timeline Selection. The Play Start Marker can be
repositioned during playback and playback con-
tinues from the new location.

Chapter 17: Playing Back Track Material 339

 To reposition the Play Start Marker, do one of the To move the Timeline selection:
following:
„ With any Edit tool selected, drag the selection

„ With any Edit tool selected, click in the Play on the Main Timeline ruler to another location.
Start Marker strip in the Main Timebase ruler.

„ With any Edit tool selected, drag the Play Start

Marker to a new location.

„ Click Fast Forward or Rewind in the Transport

to relocate the Play Start Marker forward or

backward by the standard Fast Forward and Re-
wind increment amount.
Dynamic Transport mode, moving the Edit selection
Double-click anywhere in the Play Start
Marker strip in the Main Timebase ruler to When the Link Timeline and Edit Selection
move the Play Start Marker to that location option is disabled, press Alt-click (Win-
and start playback. dows) or Option-click (Mac) and drag the
Timeline selection to snap the Edit selection
To change the Timeline Selection Start or End to the Timeline selection and move both in
Markers: tandem.
1 Make a Timeline selection with the Selector
tool by clicking and dragging in the Main Time-
Play Start Marker Follows Timeline Selection
base ruler. If the Link Timeline and Edit Selection When enabled, the Play Start Marker snaps to
option is enabled, you can make an Edit selec- the Timeline Selection Start Marker when you
tion with the Selector or any of the Grabber move the Timeline Selection, draw a new Time-
tools. line Selection, or adjust the Timeline Selection
2 With any Edit tool selected, drag either the Start. When disabled, the Play Start Marker
Timeline Selection Start or End Markers left or doesn’t move with the Timeline selection.
right, extending or constricting the Timeline se-
lection. To have the Play Start Marker always snap to the
Timeline Selection Start Marker:
Changes to the Timeline selection during 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
playback temporarily interrupt playback.
To minimize this interruption, reduce the 2 Click the Operation tab.

DAE Playback Buffer size in the Playback 3 Select Play Start Marker Follows Timeline Selec-
Engine dialog. tion.

4 Click OK.

340 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker Follows 4 Reposition the Play Start Marker before the
Playback Timeline Selection End Marker.

When enabled, the Play Start Marker moves to

the point in the Timeline when playback stops.
When disabled, the Play Start Marker does not
follow playback.

When not in Dynamic Transport mode, the

Timeline Insertion follows playback.
Dynamic Transport mode, auditioning the loop
To have the Timeline Insertion and the Play Start transition
Marker follow playback:
5 Start playback.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
Playback starts before the loop end point and
2 Click the Operation tab. continues across the loop point through the
3 Select Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker Fol-
loop start. You can reposition the Timeline Se-
lows Playback. lection Start and End Markers by clicking and
dragging them left or right, even during play-
4 Click OK. back.

Press Start+N (Windows) or Control+N

Using Separate Play and Stop Keys
(Mac) to toggle the Timeline Insertion/Play
Start Marker Follows Playback preference When enabled, the Use Separate Play and Stop
on and off. Keys option lets you start playback with the En-
ter key and stop playback with the 0 key on the
Using Dynamic Transport Mode with numeric keypad. This is useful for quickly start-
Loop Playback ing and stopping playback when auditioning
Use Dynamic Transport mode in conjunction loop transitions.
with Loop Playback to specify the loop start and
end points with the Timeline selection while us- To use separate play and stop keys on the numeric
keypad:
ing the Play Start Marker to specify where play-
back begins. This is especially useful for audi- 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
tioning loop transitions. Note that enabling
2 Click the Operation tab.
Dynamic Transport mode automatically enables
Loop Playback mode. 3 Select Transport for Numeric Keypad.

4 Select Use Separate Play and Stop Keys.

To audition a loop transition:
1 Enable Dynamic Transport mode. When this option is enabled, it overrides us-
ing the Enter key to add Memory Location
2 Ensure that Loop Playback mode is enabled.
markers. Press Period (.) and then Enter on
3 Make a Timeline selection to loop. the numeric keypad to add a Memory Loca-
tion marker.

Chapter 17: Playing Back Track Material 341

 5 Click OK. To move the Play Start to a specific bar:
„ With Bars|Beats selected as the Main Timebase
The Enter key starts playback. The Zero key stops
playback. Pressing Zero twice locates the Play ruler, do the following on the numeric keypad:
Start Marker to the Timeline Selection start. • Press Asterisk (*).
• Type the bar number.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Relocating the • Press Enter.
Play Start Marker
In Dynamic Transport mode, you can use key-
Recording in Dynamic Transport Mode
board shortcuts to quickly relocate the Play Start Recording in Dynamic Transport mode lets you
Marker either during playback or when the start playback independently of the Timeline se-
Transport is stopped. lection. Use the Play Start marker as a manual
pre-roll before the Timeline selection. Recording
To move the Play Start Marker to the Timeline punches in and out based on the Timeline selec-
Selection Start: tion.
„ Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and

then the Left Arrow.

MIDI Beat Clock

To move the Play Start Marker to the Timeline
Selection End: Pro Tools can transmit MIDI Beat Clock to syn-
„ Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and
chronize external MIDI devices that receive
then the Right Arrow. MIDI Beat Clock (such as drum machines, hard-
ware sequencers, or arpeggiators) with the
To move the Play Start Marker to the Edit Pro Tools session tempo for playback and re-
Selection Start: cording. Some instrument plug-ins also support
MIDI Beat Clock for synchronizing to the
„ Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and
Pro Tools tempo.
then the Down Arrow.
For information about synchronizing exter-
To move the Play Start Marker to location of the nal MIDI devices with Pro Tools for play-
Playhead: back and recording using MIDI Time Code,
„ Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and see “Generating Time Code” on page 1022.
then the Up Arrow.
Transmitting Beat Clock
To nudge the Play Start Marker backward
(rewind): To transmit MIDI Beat Clock:

„ Press 1 on the numeric keypad. 1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock.

2 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the En-

To nudge the Play Start Marker forward (fast able MIDI Beat Clock option.
forward):
„ Press 2 on the numeric keypad.

342 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 Select the devices you want to receive MIDI 3 Configure the IAC Driver ports and confirm
Beat Clock. If your MIDI interface does not sup- that it is online.
port transmitting MIDI Beat Clock to separate
4 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock.
ports, only the interface appears as a destina-
tion. 5 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the En-
able MIDI Beat Clock option.

6 Select the IAC Driver ports you want to enable

for sending MIDI Beat Clock.

7 Click OK.

MIDI Beat Clock Offsets

You can set an offset for MIDI Beat Clock on a
port-by-port basis with your MIDI interface and
external MIDI devices. This lets you adjust the
timing for each device where some devices
sound late due to different, fixed latencies.
Where appropriate, enter negative offset values
in samples for each port to correctly synchro-
MIDI Beat Clock dialog
nize the audio signals from your external MIDI
devices with Pro Tools playback.
4 Enter the correct negative offset values (such
as “–200” samples) for each port that is enabled
Measuring Beat Clock Latency
for transmitting MIDI Beat Clock (see “Measur-
ing Beat Clock Latency” on page 343). To determine the correct MIDI Beat Clock offset
5 Click OK. for an external MIDI device:
1 Ensure that your computer and external MIDI
device are correctly connected and configured
Sending MIDI Beat Clock Over IAC
for MIDI, and that its audio output is correctly
(Mac Only) connected to audio inputs on your Pro Tools au-
You can synchronize other MIDI applications dio interface.
that use the Apple Inter-Application Communi- 2 Ensure that your external MIDI device is con-
cation (IAC) driver to Pro Tools by transmitting figured to receive MIDI Beat Clock, and that it is
MIDI Beat Clock on the IAC bus. correctly configured to play back a simple rhyth-
mic pattern “on the beat.”
To transmit MIDI Beat Clock on the IAC bus:
3 Create a new Pro Tools session.
1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio.
4 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, ensure that
2 In the MIDI Devices window of Audio MIDI MIDI Beat Clock is enabled and that the device is
Setup, double-click the IAC Driver icon. selected.

Chapter 17: Playing Back Track Material 343

 5 Set the Main Time Scale to Bars|Beats. 12 Switch the Main Time Scale to Samples. The
length of the selected region in samples is the
6 Create a new audio track and select the audio
MIDI Beat Clock latency for that device.
input channels for your external MIDI device.
13 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, enter the Sam-
7 Record enable the audio track and start record-
ple Offset value as a negative number.
ing. MIDI Beat Clock is sent to the external MIDI
device, which starts playing back the pattern.

8 Stop recording after a few bars.

9 Enable both Snap to Grid and Show Grid.

10 With the Selector tool, place the edit cursor MIDI Beat Clock Sample Offset
on the beat grid prior to a prominent transient
in the waveform that is “on the beat.” Since MIDI is not sample accurate, you may
want to make several measurements at dif-
11 Enable Tab to Transients and Shift+Tab to the
ferent grid locations and average them to
transient. The duration of this selection is the
come up with the best value for the MIDI
approximate amount of latency for your exter-
Beat Clock Offset.
nal MIDI device (see Figure 19 below).

Once you have measured the latency for

your MIDI Beat Clock-enabled devices, be
sure to keep a record of these values in case
you need to re-enter the MIDI Beat Clock
Sample Offset in other sessions.

Figure 19. Measuring the offset for MIDI Beat Clock in samples

344 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 18: Record Setup

Before you start recording in Pro Tools, you need Session Setup for Recording
to set up your Pro Tools system, a session, and • Configuring a new or existing session for re-
one or more tracks for recording. You will also cording:
need to configure how Pro Tools monitors the
• “Allocating Hard Drive Space for Record-
input you intend to record. For information on
ing” on page 347
recording audio, see Chapter 19, “Audio Record-
ing.” • “Recording with a Click” on page 348
• “Setting the Session Meter and Tempo” on
While some of the information in this chapter is page 351
relevant to preparing to record MIDI, there are • Setting a Record Mode. See “Record Modes”
more specific setup details for MIDI recording in on page 353
Chapter 20, “MIDI Recording.”
Track Setup for Recording
For information on digitizing (recording)
video in Pro Tools, see Chapter 48, “Work- • Configuring one or more tracks for recording:
ing with Video in Pro Tools” or the Avid • “Configuring Default Names for Audio
Video Peripherals Guide. Files and Regions” on page 356
• “Assigning Hardware I/O on a Track” on
page 357
Record Setup Overview • “Record Enabling Tracks” on page 358

Record setup includes the following: • “Recording with Multiple Hard Drives” on
page 361
Hardware Setup for Recording
Monitoring Setup for Recording
• “Configuring Pro Tools Hardware I/O for Re-
cording” on page 346 • “Selecting a Record Input Monitoring Mode”
on page 363
• “Connecting a Sound Source” on page 347
• “Setting Monitor Levels for Record and Play-
back” on page 365
• On Pro Tools LE, “Reducing Monitoring La-
tency” on page 365
• On Pro Tools HD, “Recording with Delay
Compensation” on page 366

Chapter 18: Record Setup 345

 For all systems, volume and pan controls for
Configuring Pro Tools tracks in Pro Tools only affect monitoring lev-
Hardware I/O for Recording els—not the recording input gain. The LED
meters on Digidesign audio interfaces indicate
Before you start recording, make sure your
both full-code (highest level before clipping)
Pro Tools system hardware is connected and
and true clipping of Pro Tools output signals.
configured properly. For details on connecting
The on-screen meters in Pro Tools indicate only
Pro Tools to your studio and configuring your
true clipping.
Hardware in the Hardware Setup dialog, refer to
the Setup Guide that came with your system. For
Digital Clipping
information on how to route signal paths in
Pro Tools, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.” Clipping occurs when you feed a signal to a re-
corder or mixer that is louder or “hotter” than
Input Connections and Audio the device allows. On many analog tape decks, a
little clipping adds a perceived warmth to the
Levels
sound due to tape compression. In digital re-
Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces operate as line- cording, however, clipping causes digital distor-
level devices and offer no pre-amplification. tion, which is undesirable and should always be
Low-level sources like microphones and electric avoided.
guitars need to be pre-amplified. You can do this
with a quality mixing board or dedicated Set Input Levels
preamp (such as the Digidesign PRE).
When you feed a signal into any audio record-
The Digidesign PRE can be used as a ing system, including Pro Tools, make sure to
standalone preamp with all Pro Tools adjust the input level to optimize the dynamic
systems, or it can be remote-controlled from range and signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded
within a Pro Tools session when used with a file. If the input level is too low, you will not
Pro Tools|HD system. take full advantage of the dynamic range of your
Pro Tools system. If the input level is too high,
003 Rack+ has eight inputs with preamps, to the waveform can clip and distort the recording.
which you can connect low-level signals. Set the input levels high, but not high enough
003, 003 Rack, Digi 002, and Digi 002 Rack have to clip.
four inputs with preamps, to which you can As a general rule of thumb, try to set levels so
connect low-level signals, and four additional that they peak within –6 dB to –12 dB on the in-
line-level inputs with switchable gain. put meter without triggering the clipping indi-
Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Pro, Mbox 2 Mini, and Mbox cator on your audio interface. Depending on the
each have two inputs with preamps, to which type of material you are recording and its dy-
you can connect low-level signals. namic range and peak content, you may want to
record with higher or lower levels.
For input information on Digidesign-qualified
M-Audio devices, refer to your M-Audio
documentation.

346 Pro Tools Reference Guide

You can display a track’s input levels in its Vol-
ume/Peak/Delay indicator. Normally, this indi- Connecting a Sound Source
cator is set to be a Volume indicator. When you
Depending on your Pro Tools hardware I/O, you
change it into a Peak indicator, it can function
can connect different types of sound sources
as a headroom indicator based on the last peak
(such as musical instruments, mics, and mixer
playback level.
outputs). Refer to the Setup Guide for your
Pro Tools system. For additional information,
To display a track’s peak level:
refer to the documentation that came with your
„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click sound source.
(Mac) a track’s Volume indicator to step through
the different indicator modes (Volume, Peak, If you connect a sound source to a Pro Tools in-
and Channel Delay) until the indicator displays put that was not previously configured to accept
peak (pk) level. input, you will need to reconfigure you hard-
ware in the Hardware Setup dialog (see your
Setup Guide). You may also need to reset your I/O
Calibration Mode
signal paths in I/O Setup (see Chapter 6, “I/O
(Pro Tools HD Only) Setup.”).

You can use the Calibration mode in Pro Tools

to adjust the input and output levels for your au-
dio interface so they match those of your mix- Allocating Hard Drive Space
ing console and other audio devices in your stu- for Recording
dio.
The Operation preference for Open Ended Record
The 192 I/O has two sets of adjustable trim pots Allocation determines how much of your avail-
for its inputs, and two sets of adjustable trim able hard drive space is allocated whenever you
pots for its outputs. Additionally, the reference record into one or more tracks in Pro Tools.
level for the input can be set to +4 dBu or
–10 dBV. For more information on calibrating When this allocation preference is set to Use All
192 I/O, see the 192 I/O Guide. Available Space, the drive’s entire available space
is allocated. This setting lets you record lengthy
The 888|24 I/O has adjustable trim pots for its takes, or longer sessions.
inputs and outputs. For more information, see
the 888|24 I/O Guide. However, when allocating all available space,
Pro Tools may take a little longer to begin re-
There are no input or output trims on the fol- cording. You can reduce this delay by allocating
lowing audio interfaces: 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, a specific amount of time for recording.
96i I/O, 882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, and 24-bit ADAT
Bridge I/O. Some Digidesign I/Os that do not You can also avoid recording delays by put-
have output trims (such as the 96i I/O) offer ting Pro Tools in Record Pause mode before
software-controllable input levels, adjustable beginning to record. See“Prime for Record
from Setup > Hardware (refer to the guide for Mode” on page 372.
your particular I/O).

Chapter 18: Record Setup 347

 In general, the Use All Available Space preference To display available drive space in Text Only view
makes hard drives work harder. In addition to only:
record and punch lag times, many systems see „ From the Disk Usage menu, select Text Only.
better overall recording performance when the
Open Ended Record Allocation setting is limited.

To allocate a specific amount of time to recording:

1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Operation tab.
Disk Usage window, selecting Text Only view
2 Under Open Ended Record Allocation, select
Limit To and enter the number of minutes to be
allocated. Recording with a Click
(Optional)

If you intend to work with MIDI or Instrument

tracks in your session, or if the audio you’re
working with is bar and beat-oriented, you can
Open Ended Record Allocation, Operation preference record your tracks while listening to a click. This
ensures that recorded material, both MIDI and
The number of minutes specified is allocated for
audio, aligns with the session’s bar and beat
each record-enabled track.
boundaries.
3 When you are finished, click OK.
When your track material lines up with the
beats, you can take advantage of some very use-
Monitoring Drive Space ful editing functions in Pro Tools, such as quan-
tizing MIDI and audio events or regions, quan-
Pro Tools lets you check how much drive space
tizing individual MIDI notes, and copying and
is available. The Disk Usage window shows the
pasting measures and song sections in Grid
available drive space for each drive connected to
mode.
your system as text and as a gauge display.
Material that is recorded without listening
To monitor available space on your drive during a to a click can still be aligned to bar and beat
Pro Tools session:
boundaries in Pro Tools with Beat Detective
„ Choose Window > Disk Space. (see Chapter 28, “Beat Detective”), or by us-
ing the Identify Beat command to determine
the tempo (see “Identify Beat Command”
on page 689).

Disk Usage window

348 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 2 Do one of the following:
You can record MIDI with or without a click
• From the track’s Input selector, select the
and manually add Bar|Beat markers or gen-
path to which the MIDI device is con-
erate a tempo and meter map from it by us-
nected.
ing Beat Detective. See Chapter 28, “Beat
Detective.” – or –
• Insert an instrument plug-in on the track
Creating a Click Track (such as Digidesign’s Xpand2 plug-in).

Pro Tools lets you create a Click track using the 3 Configure the Click/Countoff options, and be
DigiRack Click plug-in. You can also create a sure to select the port for the MIDI device or in-
click track using the TL Metro plug-in (included strument plug-in from the Output pop-up menu
with Pro Tools) or using a MIDI instrument. (see “Click Options” on page 349).

4 Enable Click (see “Enabling Click” on

For more information on the DigiRack Click
plug-in, see the DigiRack Plug-ins Guide. page 350).

To create a click track using the DigiRack Click Click Options

plug-in:
Pro Tools provides options and controls for driv-
„ Choose Track > Create Click Track.
ing a click. The following steps are for configur-
Pro Tools creates a new Auxiliary Input track ing and enabling a click using the DigiRack
named “Click” with the DigiRack Click plug-in Click plug-in or MIDI.
already inserted. In the Edit window, the click
track’s Track Height is set to Mini. You can cre- To configure click options:
ate more than one click track and each subse- 1 Open the Click/Countoff Options dialog by
quent click track is named in sequence. For ex- doing one of the following:
ample, Click 1, Click 2, and Click 3. • Choose Setup > Click/Countoff.
To hear the click during playback and recording, – or –
configure the Click Options (see “Click Op- • Double-click the Metronome button in the
tions” on page 349) and ensure that Click is en- Transport window.
abled (see “Enabling Click” on page 350).
2 In the Click/Countoff Options dialog, do one
of the following:
To create a click track using MIDI:
• If using the TL Metro or DigiRack Click
1 Create a new (mono) Auxiliary Input or In-
plug-in, select None in the Output pop-up
strument track.
menu.
– or –
• If playing a click using MIDI, select the port
number (device) and channel for the click
from the Output pop-up menu.

Chapter 18: Record Setup 349

 To enable click in the Transport:
1 Display the MIDI controls in the Transport by
doing one of the following:
• Select View > Transport > MIDI Controls.
• From the Transport window menu, select
MIDI Controls.

Selecting MIDI Controls from the Transport window

menu
Click/Countoff Options dialog
• Control-click (Windows) or Command-
3 Specify the note, velocity, and duration for the click (Mac) the Expand/Collapse “+” but-
accented and unaccented notes. ton in the Transport window to display the
MIDI controls.
If one is connected, you can also play new • Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac)
note values on a MIDI controller keyboard. the Expand/Collapse “+” button in the
Transport window to display the MIDI con-
When listening to the click in your Pro Tools
trols and the Counters.
sessions, the accented note sounds on the first
beat of each measure and the unaccented note
Expand/Collapse “+” button
sounds on the remaining beats.

4 Select whether the click is heard During Play

and Record, or Only During Record, or Only During
Countoff.

5 If using a countoff, specify the number of Bars

Transport Window with MIDI Controls
to be counted off. To hear the countoff only
when recording, select that option. 2 In the Transport, click the Metronome button
so it is highlighted.
6 Click OK.

Enabling Click
Click tracks must be enabled to be heard during
playback or recording.

To enable click from the MIDI menu: Metronome button

Metronome enabled
„ Select Options > Click.

350 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 To hear the click count off when recording or To set the meter for a session:
playing, click the Count Off button in the Trans-
1 Double-click the Current Meter button in the
port so it is highlighted.
Transport window.

Count Off button

Meter button

Count Off enabled 2 Enter the Meter for the session and set the Lo-

Hearing the countoff before recording helps mu- cation to 1|1|000 (to ensure that the inserted
sicians to start playing at the right time and in meter event replaces the default).
tempo. The Count Off button in the Transport
window displays the number of bars counted be-
fore the transport starts.

The countoff is ignored when Pro Tools is

online and synchronized to SMPTE time
code.

Setting the Session Meter Meter Change window

and Tempo
3 From the Click pop-up menu, select a note
(Optional) value for the beat. (For example, if you are in
6/8, select a dotted-quarter note).
Setting the Session Meter 4 Click OK to insert the new meter event.

When opening a new session in Pro Tools, the

meter defaults to 4/4. If you intend to record Setting the Session Tempo
with a click in a meter other than 4/4, make sure
to set the meter accordingly. When opening a new session in Pro Tools, the
tempo defaults to 120 BPM. If you intend to
If a session’s meter does not match the music record with a click at a tempo other than
you’re recording, the accented clicks will not 120 BPM, make sure to set the tempo accord-
line up with what you’re playing, and, as a re- ingly.
sult, the recorded material may not align with
the bars and beats in the Edit window. Tempo events, which can occur anywhere
within a Pro Tools session, appear in the
Meter events, which can occur anywhere within Tempo ruler. For more information on in-
a Pro Tools session, appear in the Meter ruler. serting and editing tempo events, see
For more information on inserting and editing “Tempo” on page 671.
meter events, see “Meter Events” on page 692.

Chapter 18: Record Setup 351

 To change the session tempo: 2 In the Transport window, click the Tempo
Ruler Enable button (Conductor) button so it
1 Double-click the Song Start Marker in the Edit
becomes unhighlighted. Pro Tools switches to
window (see “Song Start Marker” on page 670).
Manual Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo
2 Enter the BPM value for the session. events in the Tempo track are ignored.
3 Set the Location to 1|1|000 (to ensure that the
Tempo Resolution selector
inserted tempo event replaces the default).
Tempo value in BPM

Tempo Ruler
Enable button

Manual Tempo mode

3 To base the BPM value on something other

than the default quarter-note, click the Tempo
Resolution selector and select a different note
value. (For example, if you are in 6/8, select a
dotted-quarter note.)

Tempo Change window 4 To enter a new tempo, do one of the follow-

ing:
4 From the Resolution pop-up menu, select the
• Drag the Tempo value up or down. For finer
note value for the beat. (For example, if you are
resolution, press Control (Windows) or
in 6/8, select a dotted-quarter note.)
Command (Mac) while dragging.
5 Click OK.
– or –
• Click the Tempo value, type a new number,
Using Manual Tempo Mode
and press Enter.
In Manual Tempo mode, Pro Tools ignores tempo
events in the Tempo track and instead plays To exit Manual Tempo mode and enable the Tempo
back a Manual Tempo. This tempo can be set track:
with the Tempo slider, or if you are not sure of „ Click the Tempo Ruler Enable (Conductor)

the actual tempo, by tapping in the tempo. button in the Transport window so it becomes
highlighted.
While you can adjust the Manual Tempo during
playback, doing so momentarily interrupts play-
To set the Manual Tempo by tapping:
back.
1 Ensure that the MIDI controls are shown in
To set the Manual Tempo with the Tempo slider: the Transport window (select View > Transport >
MIDI Controls).
1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport
window, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls. 2 In the Transport window, click the Tempo
Ruler Enable (Conductor) button so it becomes
unhighlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual
Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in
the Tempo track are ignored.

352 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 Do one of the following: To select the Record mode, do one of the
• Click in the Tempo field so it becomes following:
highlighted and tap the “T” key on your „ Select the Record mode in the Options menu.

computer keyboard repeatedly at the new If no Record mode is selected, Pro Tools is in
tempo. Normal (Nondestructive) Record mode.
– or – – or –
• If the Use MIDI to Tap Tempo option is en-
„ Right-click the Record button in the Transport
abled in the MIDI Preferences, click in the
and select the Record mode from the pop-up
Tempo field so it becomes highlighted and
menu.
tap in the tempo by playing a note repeat-
edly at the new tempo on your MIDI key- You can also cycle through the Pro Tools
board controller. record modes with the Transport stopped,
by Start-clicking (Windows) or Control-
To compute the new tempo, Pro Tools averages
clicking (Mac) the Record button.
the last eight (or fewer) taps to determine the
correct tempo. The computed BPM value ap- The Record button changes to indicate the se-
pears in the Transport window’s Tempo field. lected Record mode as follows:
• Blank for Normal (Nondestructive)
To lock in the new tempo:
• “D” for Destructive
„ Take Pro Tools out of Manual Tempo mode by • Loop symbol for Loop Record
clicking the Tempo Ruler Enable (Conductor)
• “P” for QuickPunch
button, then set the default tempo for the Song
• “T” for TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD only)
Start Marker to the new tempo.
• “DP” for DestructivePunch (Pro Tools HD
only)

Record Modes
For recording audio, Pro Tools provides the fol-
lowing Record modes:
Destructive Record mode enabled
• Normal (Nondestructive)
• Destructive
When recording, you can preserve disk
• Loop space by removing unwanted record takes
• QuickPunch (see “Removing Unwanted Regions” on
• TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD only) page 221) and compacting audio files (see
• DestructivePunch (Pro Tools HD only) “Compacting an Audio File” on page 507).

Chapter 18: Record Setup 353

 Normal (Nondestructive) Record Mode Unlike the other record modes, it is not possible
to cancel or undo record takes when using De-
In Normal, Nondestructive Record mode, structive Record mode (see “Canceling a Record
Pro Tools records audio nondestructively, which Take” on page 371).
means that if you record over a track’s existing
regions, the audio is not erased from your hard In Destructive Record mode, the waveform
drive. Both the new and old audio files remain overview is not redrawn until you stop
on your hard drive, available as regions from the recording.
Region List.
Loop Record Mode
In Normal Record mode, the record range can be
defined by selecting a range in a ruler or in a Loop Record mode lets you record take after take
track’s playlist, or by specifying start and end (nondestructively) while the same section of au-
points in the Transport window. If there is no dio repeats. This is a convenient technique for
selection, recording begins from the current quickly recording multiple takes of a part with-
Cursor location and continues until the Trans- out losing spontaneity.
port’s Stop button is clicked.
The time range that is looped and recorded—
To set a record range by selecting within a which must be at least one second in length—is
track’s playlist, the Timeline and Edit selec- defined by selecting a range in a ruler or in a
tions must be linked. See “Linking or Un- track’s playlist, or by specifying start and end
linking Timeline and Edit Selections” on points in the Transport window. The pre-roll
page 473. setting, if enabled, is used during the first record
pass, but on each successive loop the pre- and
The pre- and post-roll settings allow material to post-roll times are ignored.
be heard up to and after the start and end
points, which is useful when punch recording To set a record range by selecting within a
(see “Audio Punch Recording Over a Specified track’s playlist, enable the Link Timeline
Range” on page 377). and Edit Selection option. See “Linking or
Unlinking Timeline and Edit Selections” on
Destructive Record Mode page 473.

In Destructive Record mode, recording over ex- When using Loop Record mode, each successive
isting regions replaces the original audio perma- take appears as a region in the Region List and
nently, which allows you to keep disk use to a each is numbered sequentially. The various
minimum. However, if you have sufficient drive takes, which are identical in length and start
space, it is usually best to use Pro Tools in Non- time, are easily auditioned and placed in the
destructive Record mode, to avoid losing any track at the correct location with the Matches
previously recorded material. pop-up menu (see “Selecting Alternate Takes”
on page 383).
When defining the record range and setting pre-
and post-roll, Destructive Record mode works In Loop Record mode, the waveform over-
the same as Normal (Nondestructive) mode. view is not redrawn until you stop
recording.

354 Pro Tools Reference Guide

QuickPunch TrackPunch automatically creates regions in
that file at each punch-in and punch-out point.
QuickPunch gives you the ability to manually These regions appear in the track’s playlist, and
and instantaneously punch in (initiate record- the complete audio file appears in the Region
ing) and punch out (stop recording) on record- List along with the TrackPunch created regions.
enabled audio tracks during playback by click- Up to 200 of these “running punches” can be
ing the Record button in the Transport. Record- performed in a single pass.
ing with QuickPunch is nondestructive.
For more information on TrackPunch, see
When using QuickPunch, Pro Tools begins re-
“TrackPunch Audio Recording” on
cording a new file when playback begins, auto-
page 412.
matically generating regions in that file at each
punch in/out point. These regions appear in the DestructivePunch
track’s playlist; and the complete audio file ap-
pears in the Region List along with the Quick- (Pro Tools HD Only)
Punch created regions. Up to 200 of these “run- Destructive Punch is a destructive recording
ning punches” can be performed in a single mode that lets you instantaneously punch in
pass. (start recording) and punch out (stop recording)
on individual audio tracks during playback,
Though you can punch record in the other
while preserving a contiguous audio file on each
record modes by manually specifying the record
punched track.
range, only QuickPunch provides instantaneous
monitor switching on punch-out.
For more information on DestructivePunch,
For more information on QuickPunch, see see “DestructivePunch Audio Recording” on
“QuickPunch Audio Recording” on page 416.
page 411.
Record Modes and MIDI
TrackPunch
In addition to the various record modes, there is
(Pro Tools HD Only) also a MIDI Merge button in the Transport win-
dow that determines how MIDI is recorded.
TrackPunch lets individual tracks be punched
When enabled (Merge mode), recording over ex-
in, punched out, and taken out of record enable
isting MIDI regions results in the new data being
without interrupting online recording and play-
merged with the old. When the MIDI Merge
back.
button is disabled (Replace mode), the new ma-
TrackPunch is a nondestructive recording mode. terial replaces the old.
When a track is TrackPunch-enabled, Pro Tools
begins recording a new file when playback be-
gins. During playback, you may record arm or
MIDI Merge button
disarm, or punch in or out a combination of any
or all TrackPunch enabled tracks.
MIDI Merge enabled

Chapter 18: Record Setup 355

 MIDI recording works the same whether using Subsequent record takes on the same track are
Nondestructive or Destructive Record mode. In named identically, but the digits (indicating the
addition, neither QuickPunch nor TrackPunch take number) are incremented (for example,
need to be enabled to punch on-the-fly with “Electric Gtr_02.”) A second set of digits (such as
MIDI—this capability is available in Nonde- used in “Electric Gtr_01-01”) indicates that the
structive and Destructive Record modes. region was auto-created from an edit.

Unlike audio loop recording, the state of the QuickPunch, TrackPunch, and Destructive
MIDI Merge toggle determines whether existing Punch modes use a different method for
material is replaced or merged. numbering regions. For details, see “Track-
Punch Audio Recording” on page 412.
Unless MIDI Merge is enabled, MIDI recording is
destructive (though you can undo a MIDI record When recording MIDI tracks, a similar naming
pass), either overwriting or adding to region ma- scheme is used, though with only one set of dig-
terial. One exception to this rule is when Loop its. For example, after recording to a track called
Record mode is enabled; in this mode, existing “Synth 1,” a region is created called “Synth 1-
track regions are replaced with new regions 01.” Subsequent regions for that track, generat-
when new material is recorded. The old regions ing either from additional record takes or region
remain intact and available from the Region edits, are numbered sequentially (for example,
List, and from the Matches pop-up menu. In “Synth 1-02”).
Loop Record mode, MIDI Merge has no effect, so
its button is dimmed. To rename a track:
1 Do one of the following:
• In the Mix or Edit window, double-click the
Configuring Default Names Track Name button for the track you want
for Audio Files and Regions to rename.
(Optional) – or –
• In the Track List in the Mix, Edit, MIDI Ed-
Track names define new file and region names
itor, or Score Editor window, Right-click the
when recording to a track (see “Naming Tracks”
track name for the track you want to re-
on page 166).
name.
When recording to an audio track, the resulting 2 In the Track Name/Comments dialog, type a
file and region names are based on the name of new track name.
the track. For example, after recording for the
first time on a track called “Electric Gtr,” an au- 3 Click OK.
dio file is created with the name “Electric
Gtr_01.” In addition, a region appears in the Re- Names for Stereo Audio Tracks
gion List with the name “Electric Gtr_01.” This
When recording to stereo audio tracks, audio
region is a whole-file region.
file and region names for the left and right chan-
nels are appended with a “.L” and “.R”
suffix.

356 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Names for Multichannel Tracks To assign I/O on a track:

(Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with Complete 1 Assign a hardware input (recording source) by
Production Toolkit Only) doing one of the following:
• In the Mix window, select the correspond-
When recording to multichannel surround
ing hardware input for your source from
tracks, audio file and region names for each
the track’s Input Path selector.
channel are appended with the following suf-
fixes:

Multichannel
File and Region Suffixes
Format

LCR L, C, R

Quad L, R, Ls, Rs

LCRS L, C, R, S

5.0 L, C, R, Ls, Rs

5.1 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, LFE

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

6.1 L, C, R, Ls, Cs, Rs

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

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

Assigning Hardware I/O on a Input Path selector, Mix window

Track – or –
Before recording to a track, you must specify the • In the Edit window, with I/O view enabled,
input and output signal path for the material select the corresponding hardware input
you are recording. You will do this by assigning for your source from the track’s Input Path
a hardware input (recording source) and output selector.
(for monitoring recording) on the track.

Input Path selector, Edit window

Chapter 18: Record Setup 357

 2 Assign a hardware output (for monitoring re-
cording) by doing one of the following: Record Enabling Tracks
• In the Mix window, select the correspond- To record audio or MIDI to a track you must first
ing hardware output for monitoring (such enable the track’s Record Enable button. To
as A 1–2) from the track’s Output Path se- record simultaneously to multiple tracks, record
lector. enable multiple audio, Instrument, or MIDI
tracks.

When one or more tracks are record-enabled,

click the Record button in the Transport to arm
recording, and then click the Play button in the
Transport to start recording.

MIDI and Instrument tracks can be record-

enabled during playback or record. To
record enable audio tracks, the Transport
must be stopped, or QuickPunch, Track-
Punch, or DestructivePunch must be en-
abled. For more information on Quick-
Punch, TrackPunch, and DestructivePunch,
see “Record Modes” on page 353.

To record enable an audio, MIDI, or Instrument

track:
„ From either the Mix or Edit window, click the

track’s Record Enable button to toggle record en-

Output Path selector, Mix window able on or off for the track. The track’s Record
– or – Enable button flashes red, the track’s fader is
solid red, and the Track Record Enabled indica-
• In the Edit window, with I/O view enabled,
tor in the Transport turns red (indicating at least
select the corresponding hardware output
one track is record-enabled).
for monitoring (such as A 1–2) from the
track’s Output Path selector.

Output Path selector, Edit window

358 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To record enable MIDI and Instrument tracks using
the Up/Down Arrows:
„ While pressing Control (Windows) or Com-

mand (Mac), press the Up/Down Arrows to

record enable the previous or next MIDI or In-
strument track. The previous (or next) record
Edit window track is no longer record-enabled.

To keep the previous track record-enabled

while enabling new tracks, press
Control+Shift+Up/Down (Windows) or
Mix window Command+Shift+Up/Down (Mac).

To record enable all audio tracks, or all MIDI and

Record-enabled audio track in Mix and Edit windows
Instrument tracks:
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the
Press Shift+R to record enable any track
Record Enable button to toggle record enable on
containing the Edit cursor on an Edit
or off for all audio tracks, or all Instrument and
selection.
MIDI tracks.
To record enable multiple audio tracks:
For record-enable, Pro Tools treats MIDI and In-
„ From either the Mix or Edit window, click strument tracks as the same type. Consequently,
each audio track’s Record Enable button to tog- Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking
gle record enable on or off for each track. (Mac) the Record Enable button on any MIDI or
Instrument track will record enable all MIDI and
If Latch Record mode is not enabled, Shift-
Instrument tracks in the session.
click each track’s Record Enable button to
toggle record enable on or off for each track.
See “Latch Record Enable Buttons Prefer-
ence” on page 360.

To record enable multiple MIDI and Instrument

tracks:
„ From either the Mix or Edit window, Shift-

click each MIDI or Instrument track’s Record En-

able button to toggle record enable on or off for
each track.

Chapter 18: Record Setup 359

 To record enable all selected audio tracks, or all Record Safe Mode
selected MIDI and Instrument tracks:
Pro Tools provides a Record Safe mode on a per
„ Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or Option-Shift-
track basis that prevents tracks from being
click (Mac) the Record Enable button on any se-
record-enabled by accident. Use Record Safe
lected audio, or MIDI or Instrument track to tog-
mode to protect important audio or MIDI data
gle record enable on or off for all selected audio,
on a track from being recorded over.
or MIDI and Instrument tracks.

Record enabling a track that is part of a Mix To put an audio, MIDI, or Instrument track in
Record Safe mode:
Group does not record enable the other
tracks in the Group. To record enable all „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

tracks in a group, click directly to the left of (Mac) the track’s Record Enable button. The
the group’s name in the Group List to select Record Enable button is grayed out.
all tracks in the group, and then Alt-Shift-
click (Windows) or Option-Shift-click (Mac) Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
the Record Enable button of one of the (Mac) again to take the track out of Record Safe
tracks to record enable the selected tracks. mode.

To put all audio, MIDI, and Instrument tracks in

Latch Record Enable Buttons Record Safe mode:
Preference
„ Control-Alt-click (Windows) or Command-

When the Latch Record Enable Buttons option is Option-click (Mac) the Record Enable button on
selected in the Operation Preferences, you can any track.
record enable additional audio tracks by clicking
their Record Enable buttons. Previously record- Control-Alt-click (Windows) or Command-Op-
enabled tracks remain enabled. The Latch Record tion-click (Mac) again to take all tracks out of
Enable Buttons option affects audio tracks only. Record Safe mode.

When the Latch Record Enable Buttons option is To put all currently selected tracks into Record
deselected, record enabling a subsequent audio Safe mode:
track disables the previously record-enabled au-
„ Control-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or Com-
dio track.
mand-Option-Shift-click (Mac) the Record En-
able button on any of the selected tracks to
To enable the Latch Record Enable Buttons
toggle them in and out of Record Safe mode.
preference:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Operation tab.

2 Select Latch Record Enable Buttons.

360 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Allocating Audio Drives in Your System
Recording with Multiple Hard
Drives To allocate the audio drives in your system:

(Optional) 1 Choose Setup > Disk Allocation.

By default, Pro Tools records audio files to the 2 In the Disk Allocation window, assign a hard
Audio Files folder inside the session folder. If drive for each track by clicking in the Root Me-
you have multiple hard drives for recording, you dia Folder column and selecting a volume from
can use the Disk Allocation window to specify the Disk Allocation pop-up menu.
other hard drive locations to record audio files
on a track-by-track basis.

Hard drives that are full do not appear in the

Disk Allocation window.

To increase system performance, Pro Tools can

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

Navigating in the Disk Allocation Window

To resize the Disk Allocation window: Disk Allocation window

„ Drag the lower-right corner of the window ac- Only drives designated as R (Play and Record)
cording to standard convention for your operat- can be selected in the Disk Allocation window.
ing system (Windows or Mac). For more information, see “Performance and
Transfer Volumes” on page 226.
To scroll up or down in the Disk Allocation window:
„ Press Page Up or Page Down.

Disk Allocation pop-up menu

Chapter 18: Record Setup 361

 A folder with the session name is created on
each hard drive, containing subfolders for audio If you want to exclude individual, valid,
and fade files. mounted volumes from Round Robin Allo-
cation passes, open the Workspace browser
• To assign a track to a different hard drive,
and make the volume safe, by designating it
click the track and select a drive name.
as P (Playback only) or T (Transfer). For
• To assign all tracks to the same hard drive,
more information, see “Audio and Video
press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while
Volume Designators” on page 261.
selecting a drive name.
• To make a continuous selection, Shift-click 5 When you are finished, click OK.
a track name (in the Track column) to ex-
tend the selection to include already-se- Saving Disk Allocation Settings
lected tracks and all tracks in between.
To save Disk Allocation settings for use with fu-
• To make a noncontiguous selection, Con-
ture sessions, save the session as a template. For
trol-click (Windows) or Command-click
details, see “Session Templates” on page 123.
(Mac) a track name in the Track column to
extend the selection to include already-se-
lected tracks without including tracks in- Disk Allocation and Cross-Platform
between. Sessions

3 To save recorded audio files to an existing To ensure cross-platform operation, it is re-

folder (without creating another session folder), quired that Mac Pro Tools sessions and their as-
select Customize Allocation Options, then click sociated audio files be on Mac-formatted (HFS or
Change and choose the folder. To create subfold- HFS+) drives. Windows Pro Tools sessions and
ers in this folder, select the Create Subfolders for their associated audio files must be on Win-
Audio, Video, and Fade Files option. dows-formatted NTFS drives.

4 To automatically distribute any newly created See “Saving Copies of Mac Sessions to be
tracks among the drives connected to your sys- Compatible with Windows” on page 314
tem, select the Use Round Robin Allocation for New and “Sharing Sessions Created on Different
Tracks option. Computer Platforms” on page 312.

If you are using Round Robin Allocation and

want audio to be recorded to your system’s start- On Windows, with the Digidesign HFS+
up drive, do the following: Disk Support option installed, you can
• Open the Workspace browser (Window > record to and play back from Mac-formatted
Workspace) and set the Volume Designator HFS+ drives. For more information, see the
for your system volume to R (Record and Mac HFS+ Disk Support Option Guide.
Playback). See “Workspace Volume Desig-
nation” on page 363.

Round Robin Allocation is not supported

with partitioned hard drives.

362 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Reallocating Tracks By default, the system volume is not included in
Round Robin Allocation (regardless of volume
When opening a session where some of the pre- designation in the Workspace browser). To in-
viously assigned hard drives are no longer avail- clude the System Volume in Round Robin Allo-
able (or do not match the current session plat- cations, see “Allocating Audio Drives in Your
form), Pro Tools automatically reassigns tracks System” on page 361.
to the volume where the session file is stored. In
such cases, use Disk Allocation if you need to re-
allocate tracks to other drives.
Selecting a Record Input
Reallocating tracks does not affect the previ- Monitoring Mode
ously recorded audio. Reallocating tracks
only affects where new audio recording is Pro Tools offers two modes of input monitoring:
saved. Auto Input and Input Only. These monitoring
modes determine how input signals are moni-
Workspace Volume Designation tored during playback, recording, or while the
transport is stopped.
The Workspace volume designation can alter
disk availability, thus affecting Disk Allocation.
Auto Input Monitoring
From the Workspace browser, you can designate
volumes as Record, Playback, or Transfer. If you In Auto Input mode, when session playback is
change a drive’s designation, making it read- stopped, Pro Tools monitors audio input. When
only (Play Only or Transfer), check the Disk Al- playback is started for a punch-in, Pro Tools
location window for any tracks formerly allo- monitors existing track material up until the
cated to that drive. For more information, see punch point. While punched in, the input sig-
“Audio and Video Volume Designators” on nal is monitored. On punch-out, monitoring
page 261. switches back to the existing track material. This
is similar to the auto-switching logic found on
digital and analog multitrack tape machines.
Recording to the System Volume
Although Pro Tools lets you record to your sys- When in Auto Input mode, the switch back
tem volume, this is generally not recommended. to monitoring track material on punch-out
Performance for audio recording and playback is not instantaneous.
on system drives is not as good as on non-sys-
tem hard drives. With Pro Tools HD, tracks are in Auto In-
Record to system drives only when absolutely
put mode by default, and a monitoring con-
necessary, such as if your computer system has
trol (TrackInput button) is provided for each
only one hard drive, or if your other hard drives
track. See “Selecting Record Monitor Modes
are completely full.
with TrackInput Monitoring” on page 364.

Chapter 18: Record Setup 363

 Input Only Monitoring Selecting Record Monitor Modes
In Input Only mode, when a track is record-en-
with TrackInput Monitoring
abled, Pro Tools monitors audio input only, re- (Pro Tools HD Only)
gardless of any punch-in/out selection or state.
TrackInput monitoring lets you toggle individual
For Pro Tools LE, the Input Monitor Enabled Sta- audio tracks between Auto Input and Input
tus indicator (in the Transport window) lights Only monitoring modes at any time, during
green when Input Only mode is enabled. playback, recording, while stopped, and even
when a track is not record-enabled. TrackInput
monitoring provides the necessary monitoring
flexibility for overdubbing and mixing, and is
similar to input switching on analog multitrack
recorders and similar machines.
Input Monitor Enabled Status indicator
When the TrackInput button in a track is en-
Transport window
abled (green), the track monitors audio in Input
For Pro Tools HD, the indicator lights green Only mode.
when one or more tracks have TrackInput en-
abled (see “Selecting Record Monitor Modes When the TrackInput button in a track is dis-
with TrackInput Monitoring” on page 364). abled, the track monitors in Auto Input mode.

Selecting a Record Monitor Mode TrackInput button

in Pro Tools LE Off (Auto Input)

For record-enabled tracks to use Auto Input

Monitoring: TrackInput button
On (Input Only)
„ Select Track > Auto Input Monitoring.

For record-enabled tracks to use Input Only

Monitoring: TrackInput Monitor buttons in the Edit Window

„ Select Track > Input Only Monitoring. To toggle the monitoring mode of audio tracks, do
one of the following:
To toggle between Auto Input and Input
„ To toggle individual tracks, click the TrackIn-
Only monitoring, press Alt+K (Windows)
put Monitor button for each track you want to
or Option+K (Mac).
toggle.

„ To toggle all tracks in the session, Alt-click

(Windows) or Option-click (Mac) a TrackInput

Monitor button.

364 Pro Tools Reference Guide

„ To toggle all selected tracks in the session, Alt-

Shift-click (Windows) or Option-Shift-click Setting Monitor Levels for

(Mac) a selected track’s TrackInput Monitor but- Record and Playback
ton.
Pro Tools remembers two different fader levels
Press Shift+I to enable the TrackInput Mon- for monitoring each audio track: one for when
itor button for any track containing the Edit the track is record-enabled, and one for when it
cursor on an Edit selection. is not record-enabled.

To toggle the TrackInput button states of all Pro Tools keeps track of these two states for
record-enabled tracks, do one of the following: fader levels automatically. If you adjust a fader
when a track is record-enabled and then turn off
„ To change all record-enabled tracks to Auto
record enable for the track, the fader returns to
Input monitoring, select Track > Set Record
its playback level.
Tracks to Auto Input.
– or – When audio tracks are record-enabled, their vol-
ume faders in the Mix window turn red, indicat-
„ To change all record-enabled tracks to Input
ing that the record monitor level is active.
Only monitoring, select Track > Set Record
Tracks to Input Only.
Link Record and Play Faders
To toggle record-enabled tracks between When the Link Record and Play Faders option is
Auto Input and Input Only monitoring, selected in the Operation Preferences, Pro Tools
press Alt+K (Windows) or Option+K does not keep track of record and play levels for
(Mac). audio tracks. In this case, record enabling an au-
dio track has no effect on the fader level for the
Disable “Input” When Disarming Track
track. This lets you maintain a consistent mix re-
When the Disable “Input” When Disarming Track gardless of whether you are recording or just lis-
(in “Stop”) option is enabled in the Operation tening.
Preferences, TrackInput monitoring is disabled
whenever a track is taken out of record enable.
This is useful for certain workflows, such as
Reducing Monitoring Latency
when you are recording on a series of tracks, one
at a time. There will inevitably be some audio delay, or la-
tency, in the monitoring signal (even if only a
Disabling this option allows TrackInput buttons few samples) due to the process of converting an
to remain enabled when deselecting the track analog signal to a digital signal (input) and back
Record Enable button. again (output). There may be additional latency
due to mixer configurations and processing.

Pro Tools|HD systems have additional latency

when using RTAS plug-ins because these plug-
ins also use your computer’s host processor.

Chapter 18: Record Setup 365

 Pro Tools LE uses the host processor in your To set the Hardware Buffer Size:
computer for all audio processing, playback, and
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
recording, so there is always a small amount of
latency in the system. For example, there may 2 Choose the number of samples from the H/W
be some audible delay between the incoming Buffer Size pop-up menu.
signal and outgoing signal when monitoring re-
3 Click OK.
cording through Pro Tools.
Computers with slower CPUs may not be
With Pro Tools, latency occurs as follows:
able to use a H/W Buffer Size setting lower
• All Pro Tools systems can have RTAS MIDI- than 512 samples buffer size without en-
to-audio latency (such as when playing an countering performance errors.
RTAS virtual instrument live and monitor-
ing the instrument’s output).
Recording with Delay
• Pro Tools LE systems have input-to-output
Compensation
monitoring latency on any record-armed
tracks or Auxiliary Inputs with live inputs.
(Pro Tools HD Only)

• Pro Tools|HD systems have monitoring la- Generally, you will want to record with Delay
tency on tracks that have one or more RTAS Compensation enabled to maintain phase co-
plug-ins. herent time alignment between tracks with dif-
ferent DSP delays. However, you will generally
The latency amount is related to the H/W Buffer
want to avoid using inserts on recording tracks
Size setting—the larger the buffer size the
or tracks used for controlling the levels of cue
greater the latency. You can reduce the amount
mixes. For more information about Delay Com-
of monitoring latency by reducing the H/W
pensation, see “Delay Compensation” on
Buffer Size setting. However, even at the smallest
page 860.
buffer size, there is still some latency.

In addition, reducing the buffer size limits the Zero Latency Monitoring
number of simultaneous audio tracks you can
(Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Mini, and Mbox Only)
record without encountering performance er-
rors. Mbox 2, Mbox Mini, and Mbox give you the
ability to monitor your analog input signals
While there may be times when you want a
while recording, without hearing any latency.
larger buffer size, such as when you have higher
This zero-latency analog monitoring is con-
track counts with more plug-ins, you will gener-
trolled by the front panel Mix knob, which you
ally want the smallest possible buffer size when
can use to blend and adjust the mix between the
latency is present during recording and moni-
interface’s analog input and Pro Tools playback.
toring.
For more information, refer to your system’s
For more information on H/W Buffer Size set- Setup Guide.
ting, see “Hardware Buffer Size” on page 42.

If you are monitoring the recording source with

an external mixer before it is routed to
Pro Tools, you will not hear any latency.

366 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Low Latency Monitoring Low Latency Monitoring and
(003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, Digi 002, Bounce To Disk
Digi 002 Rack, and Mbox 2 Pro Only) With Low Latency Monitoring enabled, only audio
tracks are included with the Bounce to Disk com-
003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, Digi 002, Digi 002
mand—Auxiliary Input and Instrument tracks
Rack, and Mbox 2 Pro systems can use the Low
are ignored. To include Auxiliary Input and In-
Latency Monitoring option to record with an ex-
strument tracks, disable Low Latency Monitoring
tremely small amount of monitoring latency, to
before using Bounce to Disk.
as many tracks as each system supports. Only
tracks with inputs set to an audio interface (not
External input cannot be recorded during a
a bus) use Low Latency Monitoring.
Bounce to Disk. To include external input
in your bounce, it must be recorded to new
To use Low Latency Monitoring: audio tracks before using Bounce to Disk
1 Record enable audio tracks by clicking their (see “Bounce to Disk” on page 962).
Record Enable buttons.

2 From the Output Path selector, assign each

track to either Output 1 or Output 2 (mono), or
both (stereo). Only tracks assigned to these out-
puts use Low Latency Monitoring.

3 Select Options > Low Latency Monitoring.

When Low Latency Monitoring is enabled, any

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

In Pro Tools LE with the Complete Produc-

tion Toolkit option, Low Latency Monitor-
ing is not available in surround sessions.

Chapter 18: Record Setup 367

368 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 19: Audio Recording

Before Recording
Recording an Audio Track
Before you start recording in Pro Tools, you need
In Pro Tools, you record audio to audio tracks. to set up your Pro Tools system, a session, and
Audio tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichan- one or more tracks for recording. You will also
nel as appropriate for the recording source. need to configure how Pro Tools monitors the
input you intend to record. For information, see
When recording a mono source, record to a sin-
Chapter 18, “Record Setup.”
gle, mono audio track in Pro Tools. A single,
mono audio file is written to disk, and the file
appears as a region both in the track’s playlist Basic Recording Steps
and in the Region List.
To record an audio track:
When recording a stereo audio source, record to
a single, stereo audio track in Pro Tools. A single, 4 From the track’s Input Path selector, select the

mono audio file is written to disk for each chan- audio Input Path you want to record (see “As-
nel of a stereo track: one for the left channel, signing Hardware I/O on a Track” on page 357).
and one for the right channel. These files appear 5 From the track’s Output Path selector, select
as a stereo region both in the track’s playlist and the main monitoring path.
in the Region List.
6 Select the Record Enable button for the audio
Recording a multichannel source to a multi- track. It lights red.
channel track (Pro Tools HD only) is similar to
recording stereo audio tracks. A single, mono
audio file is written for each channel in the
track, and these files appear as multichannel re-
gions in both the track’s playlist and in the Re-
gion List.

For more information on multichannel Record enabling a track in the Mix window
tracks, see “Multichannel Audio Tracks” on
page 983.

For detailed record setup information, see

Chapter 18, “Record Setup.”

Chapter 19: Audio Recording 369

 7 Adjust the output level of your sound source If using Countoff, Pro Tools counts off the spec-
(instrument, mixer, or preamp). Monitor the ified number of measures and then begins re-
track’s meter levels in Pro Tools to ensure that cording. See “Recording with a Click” on
levels peak within at least –6 dB to –12 dB on the page 348.
input meter without triggering the clipping in-
13 Record your performance.
dicator on your audio interface.
14 Click Stop in the Transport window or press
8 Do one of the following:
the Spacebar when you are finished recording.
• In the Mix window, adjust the track’s vol-
ume and pan faders. These settings are for The newly recorded audio is written to disk and
monitoring purposes only and do not af- appears as an audio region both in the track’s
fect the recorded material. playlist and in the Region List.
– or –
To play back the audio track:
• In the Output window for the track, adjust
the track’s Volume fader and Pan sliders. 1 Click the Record Enable button for the audio
These settings are for monitoring purposes track so that it is no longer record-enabled.
only and do not affect the recorded mate- Track volume faders now function as playback
rial. (See “Output Windows for Tracks and level controls.
Sends” on page 849.)
If a record-enabled track is in Auto Input
9 Choose Window > Transport to display the Monitor mode, you will hear “through” the
Transport window. Click Return to Zero to go to input while the Transport is stopped. The
the beginning of the session. track automatically switches to playback
when you press play, then back to Input
Rewind mode when you either stop, or punch into
Return to Zero Fast Forward
Go to End record. For more information, see “Auto In-
put Monitoring” on page 363.

2 To have playback start from the beginning of

the session, click Return to Zero in the Trans-
port.
Online Stop Record
Play 3 To start playback, click Play in the Transport

Transport window or press the Spacebar.

10 Click Record in the Transport window to arm

Pro Tools for recording. The Record button
flashes red to indicate that Pro Tools is ready to
record.

11 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected

(see “Record Modes” on page 353).

12 When you are ready to start recording, click

Play or press the Spacebar.

370 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Undo or Cancel Audio Recording To cancel a record take while recording:
„ Press Control+Period (.) (Windows) or Com-
Once you have recorded an audio track and the
transport is stopped, you can undo the record mand+Period (.) (Mac) before the Transport is
take. stopped.

To undo an audio recording: Recording Multiple Audio Tracks

„ Once the Transport has been stopped, choose
Pro Tools can record multiple audio tracks si-
Edit > Undo Record Audio. multaneously, up to the track recording limits of
your system. To record to multiple tracks, con-
The track’s playlist is restored to its previous
figure and record enable each track, then record.
state and material is discarded as follows:
Follow the same steps as in “Recording an Audio
• When in normal Record mode, only the
Track” on page 369.
most recent take is discarded.
• When in Loop Record mode, all takes from For each record-enabled track, a new audio file is
each record pass are discarded. written to disk, and a new region is created that
• When using QuickPunch, TrackPunch, or appears both in the track’s playlist and in the
DestructivePunch mode, all punches from Region List.
the last recording pass are discarded.
If you have a Pro Tools system with multi-
If you undo a record pass during recording, ple drives, and you intend to record multiple
Pro Tools removes any previously undone tracks simultaneously, you may want to
record pass from the session and lets you designate the System drive as a Transfer
delete the previous record pass from your only drive for optimal performance.
hard drive.

If no actions are available to undo, the menu

displays a grayed out Can’t Undo.

Canceling a Record Take

While recording, it is possible to discard the cur-
rent record take. This removes the audio (re-
corded up to that point) from your hard drive
and deletes the region from the track’s playlist
and the Region List. When using Loop Record
mode, all takes from each record pass are dis-
carded. Canceling recording when in Destruc-
tive Record mode is prohibited.

Chapter 19: Audio Recording 371

 To enable Prime for Record mode and start
Recording Shortcuts recording:

In addition to clicking the Record button in the 1 Click Record in the Transport. The Record but-
Transport or Edit window to arm Pro Tools re- ton flashes.
cording, you can arm and start recording with 2 Do one of the following:
the following keyboard shortcuts:
• Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac)
• Press F12 to start recording immediately. Play in the Transport to put Pro Tools in
Prime for Record mode.
On Mac systems, to use F12 for recording,
the Mac “Dashboard” feature must be – or –
disabled or remapped. See your Setup Guide • Right-click the Play button and select Prime
for details. for Record.

• Press Control+Spacebar (Windows) or Com- The Stop button lights and both the Play and
mand+Spacebar (Mac) to start recording. Record buttons flash.

3 To begin recording instantaneously, click Play.

On Mac systems, to use Command+Spacebar
for recording, the Mac “Spotlight” feature 4 Click Stop to stop recording.
must be disabled or remapped. See your Setup
Guide for details. When synchronizing to time code, use
Prime for Record mode to record or play
• Press 3 on the numeric keypad (when the Nu- back large numbers of tracks. This decreases
meric Keypad mode is set to Transport) to start the time it takes to lock to time code.
recording.

To initiate recording at half speed, press

Control+Shift+Spacebar (Windows) or
Setting Punch and Loop
Command+Shift+Spacebar (Mac). For Points
details, see “Half-Speed Recording” on The start and end points of a record range for
page 388. punch and loop recording can be set by the fol-
lowing methods:
• Select a range in a track’s playlist (with Op-
Prime for Record Mode tions > Link Timeline and Edit Selection en-
When recording a large number of tracks or abled).
channels, or playing back a large number of • Select a range in a Timebase ruler.
tracks while recording, Pro Tools may take a lit- • Drag the Timeline Selection Markers in the
tle longer to begin recording. To avoid this de- ruler.
lay, put Pro Tools in Prime for Record mode be- • Enter start and end times in the Transport
fore beginning to record. window.
• Recall a Memory Location that includes an
Edit selection (with Options > Link Timeline
and Edit Selection enabled).

372 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To set the record range in a track’s playlist: To set the record range in a Timebase ruler:
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the
current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.

2 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection. 2 Select the record range in any Timebase ruler.

3 Do one of the following:

• With the Selector tool, select the record
range in a track’s playlist.

Timeline selection

If the Selector tool is not active, you do not

need to manually select it. Other Edit tools
Playlist selection
(such as the Time Grabber tool) automati-
– or – cally turn into the Selector tool when used in
• If a region’s start and end points define the Timebase rulers.
record range, select the entire region.
Timeline Selection Markers
You can also enter a start and end point
When tracks are record-enabled, Timeline Selec-
during playback. Press the Down Arrow to
tion Markers for start and end times appear as
set the start point, and press the Up Arrow
red up and down arrows in the Main Timebase
to set the end points. Note that when in Grid
ruler. If no tracks are record-enabled, the Time-
mode, start and end point when entered in
line Selection Markers are blue.
this manner do not snap to the grid.

Timeline Selection Markers in the Main Timebase ruler

The Timeline Selection Markers can be moved,

either separately or at the same time, to set
record and play ranges.

Chapter 19: Audio Recording 373

 To set the record range by dragging the Timeline You can enter locations in the start and end
Selection Markers: fields to set the record or play range. The Time-
1 If you want the Timeline Selection Markers to line Selection Markers in the Main Timebase
snap to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode ruler are updated accordingly.
to Grid
To set the record range by entering start and end
2 Drag the first Timeline Selection Marker times in the Transport window:
(down arrow) to the start point of the range.
1 To see the start, end, and length times, do one
of the following:
• Select View > Transport > Expanded.
– or –
• Shift-click the Expand/Collapse “+” button
in the Transport window.

2 Do one of the following:

• In the Transport window, click in the Start
field.
Dragging a Timeline Selection Marker (start time) in the
Main Timebase ruler – or –
3 Drag the second Timeline Selection Marker • Press Alt+Forward Slash (/) (Windows) or
(up arrow) to the end point of the range. Option+Forward Slash (/) (Mac) on the nu-
meric keypad to select the start field in the
If the current record range is already the Transport window.
right length and the range needs only to be
3 Type in the start location and press Alt+For-
moved to a new location, Alt-drag (Win-
ward Slash (/) (Windows) or Option+Forward
dows) or Option-drag (Mac) either Timeline
Slash (/) (Mac) on the numeric keypad to enter
Selection Marker to move both to a new lo-
the value and automatically move to the end
cation (while keeping the same length).
field.
Start, End, and Length Fields 4 Type in the end location and press Enter to ac-
cept the value.
In its Expanded view, the Transport window can
display start, end, and length times, and pre-
Use the Period (.) or Left/Right Arrow keys
and post-roll settings. When setting a record or
to move through the different time fields for
play range, the range is reflected in these fields.
Start and End. Use the Up/Down Arrow
keys to increase or decrease the numerical
values.

Transport window with Start, End, and Length fields

displayed

374 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Memory Locations
You can store Edit selections as Memory Loca-
tions, which can also include current pre- and
post-roll values.

For more information on Memory Locations,

see “Memory Locations and Markers” on
page 705.

To save an Edit selection with a Memory Location:

1 Ensure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selection is selected.

2 Set the record range by making an Edit or

Timeline selection, or by entering start and end
times in the Transport window.

3 To save the pre- and post-roll values, enable

and set the pre- and post-roll amounts by enter-
New Memory Location dialog
ing them in the Transport window, or by drag-
ging the Pre- and Post-Roll Flags in the ruler that 6 Type a name for the new Memory Location.
represents the Main Time Scale (see “Setting Pre-
7 Click OK.
and Post-Roll” on page 376).

4 Press Enter on the numeric keypad or click the To recall an Edit selection with a Memory
Add Marker/Memory Location button in the Location:
Edit window. 1 Make sure to select Options > Link Timeline and
5 In the New Memory Location dialog, set Time Edit Selection.
Properties to Selection, and if saving pre- and 2 Choose Windows > Memory Locations.
post-roll values, select the Pre/Post Roll Times
option in the General Properties section.

Memory Locations window

Chapter 19: Audio Recording 375

 3 Do one of the following: To set and enable the pre- and post-roll times in the
• In the Memory Locations window, click the Transport window:
name or number of the Memory Location. 1 Select View > Transport > Expanded.
– or – 2 In the Transport window, click in the pre-roll
• Recall the Memory Location by typing Pe- field.
riod (.), the Memory Location number, and
3 Type in the pre-roll amount and press Forward
Period (.) again on the numeric keypad.
Slash (/) on the numeric keypad to enter the
(See “Numeric Keypad Modes” on page 25).
value and automatically move to the post-roll
The start and end times and pre- and post-roll field.
settings stored with the Memory Location are re-
4 Type in the post-roll amount and press Enter
called.
to accept the new value.

Setting Pre- and Post-Roll

Pre- and post-roll times appear as flags in the
ruler that represents the Main Time Scale. When
pre- and post-roll are enabled, the flags are Pre-roll enabled for 2 beats; Post-roll disabled
green, otherwise they are gray. 5 To enable either pre- or post-roll, click the ap-
propriate button so it is highlighted.

Use the Period (.) or Left/Right Arrow keys

to move through the different time fields for
Green Pre- and Post-Roll Flags (enabled) in the Main pre and post-roll. Use the Up/Down Arrow
Timebase ruler keys to increase or decrease the numerical
values.
Pre- and post-roll amounts can be entered in the
Transport window, set from a track’s playlist or
Setting Pre- and Post-Roll in a Playlist
Timebase ruler, or by recalling a Memory Loca-
tion. You can use the Selector tool to enable and dis-
able pre- and post-roll by clicking in a track’s
Setting Pre- and Post-Roll in the playlist.
Transport Window
To set and enable the pre- and post-roll by clicking
Pre- and post-roll can be enabled and set in the in a playlist:
Transport window.
1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection.

2 With the Selector tool, select the record range

in the track’s playlist.

3 With the Selector tool, Alt-click (Windows) or

Option-click (Mac) in the track’s playlist before
the selection to enable the pre-roll at that loca-
tion.

376 Pro Tools Reference Guide

4 With the Selector tool, Alt-click (Windows) or To set the pre- and post-roll amounts by dragging in
Option-click (Mac) in the track’s playlist after the Main Timebase ruler:
the selection to enable the post-roll at that loca- 1 If you want the Pre- and Post-Roll flags to snap
tion. to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode to
Grid.
To disable the pre- and post-roll by clicking in a
playlist: 2 Drag the Pre-Roll Flag to a new location in the
ruler.
1 With the Selector tool, Alt-click (Windows) or
Option-click (Mac) in the Edit selection near the
start to disable the pre-roll.

2 With the Selector tool, Alt-click (Windows) or

Option-click (Mac) in the Edit selection near the
end to disable the post-roll. Dragging a Pre-Roll Flag in a Timebase ruler

3 Drag the Post-Roll Flag to a new location in

In the Timeline, you can reset the pre- and
the Timebase ruler.
post-roll to zero. First, drag the Pre-Roll Flag
to the Timeline Selection Start Marker, then To set pre- and post-roll values to the same
drag the Post-Roll Flag to the Timeline Se- amount, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-
lection End Marker. drag (Mac) either the Pre- or the Post-Roll
Flag in the ruler. The deselected flag will
3 Drag the Pre-Roll Flag to the Timeline Selec-
immediately reset to the same value, and
tion Start Marker.
will adjust accordingly as you drag the
4 Drag the Post-Roll Flag to the Timeline Selec- selected flag.
tion End Marker.

Enabling Pre/Post-Roll from the Audio Punch Recording Over a

Options Menu Specified Range
Pre- and post-roll (as a pair) can be enabled and You can set Pro Tools to automatically punch
disabled from the Options menu. record over a specific range in an audio track (for
example, to replace a portion of a recorded
To enable both pre/post-roll from the Options track). The range’s start (punch in) and end
menu: (punch out) points must be specified before re-
„ Select Options > Pre/Post-Roll. cording.

To manually punch in and out on record-

Dragging Pre- and Post-Roll Flags in the
enabled audio tracks during playback, refer
Timebase Ruler
to Chapter 21, “Punch Recording Modes.”
The Pre- and Post-Roll Flags can be moved in the
Main Timebase ruler, either separately or at the
same time, to set their location.

Chapter 19: Audio Recording 377

 Though there are several ways to set record and To punch record on an audio track:
play ranges (see “Setting Punch and Loop
1 Do one of the following:
Points” on page 372), perhaps the easiest is to
• To record nondestructively, make sure that
select within the track’s playlist the range for re-
Options > Destructive Record is not selected.
cording.
– or –
To set a record or play range by selecting • If you do want to permanently record over
within a playlist, the Edit and Timeline se- the specified record range, select Options >
lections must be linked (select Options > Destructive Record.
Link Timeline and Edit Selection).
If you are recording in any mode other than
During the recording process, playback begins at Destructive Record mode, punches do not
the pre-roll time (if enabled) and proceeds to the permanently replace previously recorded
start time (the punch-in point), where recording material. If you do want to permanently
begins. When the end time (the punch-out record over the specified record range (and
point) is reached, Pro Tools automatically keep only the most recent take), select
switches out of Record mode and continues Options > Destructive Record.
playing through the specified amount of
post-roll. This automated punch-in/out feature 2 Record enable the track.
is a powerful and precise way of recording or
3 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection.
re-recording on a track.
4 With the Selector tool, drag in the track’s play-
Pre-roll flag Post-roll flag
list or in one of the Timebase rulers until the se-
Punch In Punch Out
lection encompasses the punch range (see
“Setting Punch and Loop Points” on page 372).

5 To hear any existing track material up to the

start point, or after the end point, enable and set
pre- and post-roll times (see “Setting Pre- and
Post-Roll” on page 376).

6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools

for recording.

7 Click Play to start recording.

Pro Tools starts recording from the punch-in

Pre-roll Post-roll
enabled enabled (start) point. If there is any pre-roll, recording
Timeline selection for punch recording with Pre-roll and starts when the punch-in (start) point is
Post-roll reached. Recording continues until the punch-
out (end) point is reached (unless you manually
stop recording first). If post-roll is enabled, play-
back continues for the specified post-roll
amount.

378 Pro Tools Reference Guide

If recording nondestructively, a new audio file is 3 Do one of the following:
written to your hard drive and a new audio re- • To record from the beginning of the ses-
gion appears both in the track and the Region sion, click Return to Zero in the Transport.
List.
– or –
If recording in Destructive Record mode, the • If Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is
new audio overwrites the previous material in enabled, click anywhere in the track’s play-
the existing audio file and region. list to begin recording from that point.

To record a specific track range, with precise

Monitoring During Punch-Ins
start and end points, see “Audio Punch Re-
Pro Tools provides two monitoring modes for cording Over a Specified Range” on
recording: Auto Input monitoring and Input page 377.
Only monitoring.
4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
For more information, see “Auto Input for recording.
Monitoring” on page 363.
5 Click Play to start recording.

6 Click Stop to stop recording.

Recording Additional Takes An audio file for the new take is written to disk
After recording to an audio track, you can record and appears as an audio region both in the
additional takes to the same track. Any of these track’s playlist and in the Region List.
additional takes can be used in the main playl-
The audio from the original take remains on
ist. For information about accessing alternate
your hard drive, and is still available as a region
takes, see “Alternate Takes” on page 382.
in the Region List.
Recording additional takes in Destructive
Record mode overwrites previous take. To keep To destructively record over a previous take:
the audio from previous takes, record the new 1 Do one of the following:
takes in Normal (Nondestructive) Record mode.
• Select Options > Destructive Record. When
in Destructive Record mode.
For information on audio file and region
names for new takes, see “Configuring De- – or –
fault Names for Audio Files and Regions” • Right-click the Record button in the Trans-
on page 356. port and select Destructive.

To nondestructively record a new take on the A “D” appears in the Record button.
same track:
1 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected
(see “Record Modes” on page 353).

2 Record enable the track.

Destructive Record mode enabled

2 Record enable the track.

Chapter 19: Audio Recording 379

 3 Do one of the following: Pro Tools adds the new material to the end of
• To record from the beginning of the track, the track. If using Destructive Record mode, the
click Return to Zero in the Transport. new audio is appended to the audio file and re-
gion from the first take. In Nondestructive
– or –
Record mode, a new file and region are created.
• If Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is
enabled, click anywhere in the track’s play-
Recording to a New Playlist
list to begin recording from that point.
Instead of recording over existing audio regions,
To record a specific track range, with precise there is another way to nondestructively record
start and end points, see “Audio Punch Re- new takes to the same track. Do this by creating
cording Over a Specified Range” on a new playlist for the track, then record just as
page 377. before.
4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools Tracks can have multiple edit playlists, each of
for recording. which stores a list of regions strung together in a
5 Click Play to start recording. particular order. Also, since playlists follow
groups, duplicating or selecting alternate playl-
6 When finished, click Stop to stop recording. ists for a track in an enabled group will affect all
tracks in the group.
The audio for the new take is written to disk,
permanently overwriting the original. The new
material replaces the original material within To record to a new playlist for a track:
the existing region and the region is not re- 1 From the track’s Playlist selector, choose New.
named.

Appending New Material to the End of a

Track
You can also append new material to the end of
a track.

To append new material to the end of a track:

1 Do one of the following: Playlist selector
• Click the Go to End button in the Trans- 2 Type a name for the new playlist.
port to locate to the end of the track (this
locates the end of the session). 3 Click OK.

– or – When a new playlist is created, its name replaces

• Tab to the end point of the last region on the track name. Names for new audio files and
the track. regions are based on the track name.

2 From there, begin recording. 4 Record enable the track.

5 To start from the beginning of the session,

click Return to Zero in the Transport.

380 Pro Tools Reference Guide

6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools you may want to make the loop range slightly
for recording. longer. Later, you can trim back the recorded
takes to the proper length with the Trim tool
7 Click Play to start recording.
(see “Using the Trimmer Tools” on page 458).
8 Click Stop to stop recording.
When loop recording audio, Pro Tools creates a
An audio file for the new take is written to disk single audio file that includes all takes. Takes ap-
and appears as an audio region both in the pear as individual regions in the Region List and
track’s new playlist and in the Region List. are numbered sequentially. Once you stop re-
cording, you can audition any of the recorded
Selecting a previous playlist from track’s Playlist takes.
selector recalls its regions as they previously ap-
peared in the track. At any time, all regions from To use alternate takes created with Loop
all playlists are available in the Region List, and Record in other sessions (such as when
can be mixed and matched between playlists using Import Session Data), export region
and tracks. definitions (see “Exporting Region Defini-
tions” on page 289). If region definitions
For more information on playlists and play- are not exported, alternate takes created
list editing, see “Playlists” on page 529. with Loop Record will be inaccessible when
imported into another session.

Loop Recording Audio To loop record an audio track:

1 Do one of the following:
Pro Tools provides a loop recording feature that
lets you record take after take while the same • Select Options > Loop Record. When Loop
section of audio repeats over and over. This is a Record mode is enabled, a loop symbol ap-
convenient technique for quickly recording pears in the Record button.
multiple takes of a part without losing sponta- – or –
neity. • Right-click the Record button in the Trans-
When loop recording, you must first specify the port and select Loop.
start and end points for the loop. Though there
are several ways to set record and play ranges
(see “Setting Punch and Loop Points” on
page 372), the easiest is to select the range to be
looped in the track’s playlist (ensure that Options Loop Recording enabled
> Link Timeline and Edit Selection is selected).
2 Record enable the audio track by clicking its

The pre-roll setting, if enabled, is used only dur- Record Enable button.
ing the first record pass, and the post-roll set- 3 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection.
ting, if enabled, is used only on the last record
pass. Pre- and post-roll times are ignored on 4 With the Selector tool, select the loop range

each successive loop. To compensate for this, on the track. For other methods of setting the
record range, see “Setting Punch and Loop
Points” on page 372.

Chapter 19: Audio Recording 381

 5 To hear track material up to the start point of Automatically Create New
the loop, enable pre-roll and set the pre-roll time Playlists When Loop Recording
(see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 376).
When loop recording, Pro Tools creates a single
6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools file containing all recording passes where each
for recording. recording pass is a region in the file. On the
7 Click Play to start recording. track, only the last recording pass is present as a
region in the main playlist. All other regions (re-
The Record button flashes during the pre-roll. cording passes) are hidden and can only be re-
When the start point is reached, Pro Tools be- called as matching alternate regions (takes).
gins recording. When the end point is reached, When enabled, the new Automatically Create New
Pro Tools loops back to the start time and con- Playlists When Loop Recording option in the Op-
tinues recording. eration Preferences page automatically copies
each region (take) to a new playlist in the track.
8 To cancel all recorded takes while loop record-
This facilitates using Playlists view for audition-
ing, press Control+Period (.) (Windows) or
ing and selecting alternate takes.
Command+Period (.) (Mac).

9 When finished, click Stop to stop recording. To automatically create new playlists when loop
recording:
If you stop recording before you reach the mid-
point of the loop, Pro Tools discards that take. If 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Oper-

you record more than half of the looped take, ation tab.
Pro Tools leaves the take in the track when you 2 In the Recording section, enable the Automati-
stop recording. cally Create New Playlists When Loop Recording op-
tion.
The recorded takes appear as regions in the Re-
gion List and are numbered sequentially. The
most recently recorded take appears in the ac-
tive playlist on the track. For details on audi- Alternate Takes
tioning the different takes, see “Selecting Alter-
When punch recording or loop recording,
nate Takes” on page 383.
Pro Tools creates matching alternate takes (re-
gions). Pro Tools lets you exchange regions in
Loop Playback and Audio Recording
the main playlist on tracks with matching alter-
Pro Tools ignores Loop Playback when recording. nate regions from other playlists associated with
The only way to loop while recording is to en- the same track, from other tracks, or from the
able Loop Record mode. Region List. Matching alternate regions are re-
gions that meet certain criteria. For example, re-
gions that have the same User Time Stamp
match.

For detailed information on working with

matching alternate regions, see “Matching
Alternate Regions” on page 540

382 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Selecting Alternate Takes 2 Do one of the following:
• Right-click the region with the Selector or
After recording multiple takes with loop or
the Grabber tool, and select a matching al-
punch recording, you can replace the current
ternate take from the Matches submenu in
take in the track’s active playlist with any of the
the pop-up menu.
previous takes. All takes are numbered sequen-
tially.

Selecting Alternate Takes from the

Region List

To select a take from the Region List:

1 In the Edit window, select the current region
(take) with the Time Grabber tool.

2 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) dif-

ferent regions in the Region List to audition Right-click Matches submenu
them. • If the take currently residing in the track is
selected, Control-click (Windows) or Com-
3 Start-drag (Windows) or Control-drag (Mac)
mand-click (Mac) anywhere on the selected
the region you want from the Region List into
take with the Selector tool, and select a dif-
the playlist.
ferent take from the Alternate Takes pop-up
The region replaces the previous take and snaps menu.
precisely to the correct location. • With the Selector tool, Control-click (Win-
dows) or Command-click (Mac) at the pre-
Selecting Alternate Takes on a Track cise beginning of the loop or punch range
and select a different take from the Alter-
Each region resulting from a punch or loop
nate Takes pop-up menu.
record pass has an identical start time (the User
Time Stamp). You can select and audition alter-
nate takes from the Right-click Matches sub-
menu or the Alternate Takes pop-up menu—
even during playback.

To select an alternate take:

1 Ensure that Track ID (or Track Name) is se-
lected and that Region Start is selected in the
Matching Criteria window (see “Matching Crite-
ria Window” on page 384). Alternate Takes pop-up menu

The selected matching alternate region (take) re-

places the region in the main playlist and snaps
precisely to the correct location.

Chapter 19: Audio Recording 383

 One way to ensure that subsequent recording The selected take replaces the previous take and
takes have the same User Time Stamp (and as snaps precisely to the correct location on each
such can be available as matching alternate re- track.
gions) is to store punch and loop record selec-
tions as Memory Locations. Then, if you later
Matching Criteria Window
need to record additional takes, recall the corre-
sponding Memory Location. The Matching Criteria window lets you select
the criteria for matching alternate regions. This
To change the User Time Stamp of other regions
lets you refine the list of available matching re-
so that they can be available as alternate match-
gions in the Alternate Takes pop-up menu and
ing regions for a specific location, use the Time
Region Right-click Matches submenu.
Stamp command in the Region List menu.

Matches and Multiple Tracks

If you have loop recorded on multiple tracks,
and each track contains multiple takes with
identical User Time Stamps, you can change all
takes simultaneously.

To switch takes for multiple tracks:

1 Configure the Matching Criteria window (see
“Matching Criteria Window” on page 384), so
that the following options are enabled: Matching Criteria window
• Track Name
– and – Matching Criteria affects MIDI as well as
• Selection Range audio regions.

2 With the Selector tool, select the take range for Alternates Match Options
each track you want to replace.
The following Alternates Match options can be
3 Do one of the following: selected in any combination:
• Right-click the Edit selection and select a
Track ID Any regions recorded to the same track
different matching alternate take from the
are considered matching. Use this option for se-
Matches submenu.
lecting alternate takes from loop or punch re-
– or – cording.
• Control-click (Windows) or Command-
click (Mac) the Edit selection and select a Track Name Any regions that share the same
different take from the Alternates pop-up root name with the track or playlist are consid-
menu. ered matching. For example, the Matches for a
track named “Gtr.L” would show the regions
“Gtr.L_01” and “Gtr.L_02-01,” but not “Gui-
tar.L_01.”

384 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Region Rating Any regions that have the same Expanding Alternate Takes to New
Rating are considered matching. Enable this op- Playlists
tion if you have rated regions (see “Rating Re-
gions” on page 509). Expanding alternate takes to new playlists
readily facilitates track compositing. Once you
In Addition To Match Options have expanded alternate takes to new playlists
on a track, you can audition and edit them in
The following In Addition To Match options are Playlists view to assemble the best takes in the
mutually exclusive. main playlist.

All Any regions that include the time location of

To expand alternate takes to new playlists:
the Edit cursor; or any regions that are either
partly or fully within the current time range of 1 Identify the region on the main playlist with
the Edit selection. matching alternate regions (takes).

Region Start Any regions that have the same 2 Do one of the following:
start time as the time location of the Edit cursor • Right-click the region and choose Matches
or Edit selection. > Expand Alternates To New Playlists.
• If the region is selected, with the Selector
Region Start and End Any regions that have the
tool, Control-click (Windows) or Com-
same start and end times as the Edit selection.
mand-click (Mac) anywhere on the selected
Selection Range Any complete regions that are region and choose Matches > Expand Alter-
entirely within the Edit selection. nates To New Playlists.
• If the region is not selected, with the Selec-
None No other criteria in addition to the se- tor tool, Control-click (Windows) or Com-
lected Alternates Match options are used to filter mand-click (Mac) at the precise beginning
matching alternate regions. of the loop or punch range and choose
Matches > Expand Alternates To New Playl-
Expanding Alternate Takes to New ists.
Playlists or Tracks All matching alternate regions are copied to new
Pro Tools lets you copy alternate takes to new playlists on the track. To view all playlists for the
playlists or tracks. This is especially useful for au- track, select Playlists view. In any track view,
ditioning, editing, and mixing multiple alter- you can also select any available alternate playl-
nate takes or channels. Alternate takes are cre- ist as the main playlist from the Playlist selector.
ated when punch and loop recording. For more information, see “Playlists View” on
page 535.

Chapter 19: Audio Recording 385

 Expanding Alternate Takes to New
Tracks Recording from a Digital
Source
Expanding alternate takes to new tracks readily
facilitates auditioning, editing, and mixing al- If you plan to use a DAT player, digital-output
ternate takes, each on separate tracks. CD recorder, or other digital device with your
Pro Tools system, make sure it supports the cor-
To expand alternate takes to new tracks: rect digital format. For example, your Pro Tools
audio interface’s AES/EBU inputs and outputs
1 Identify the region on the main playlist with
should only be connected to another AES/EBU
matching alternate regions (takes).
device.
2 Do one of the following:
For additional information on configuring
• Right-click the region and choose Matches
your particular Pro Tools system for record-
> Expand Alternates To New Tracks.
ing from a digital source, see your Setup
• If the region is selected, with the Selector
Guide.
tool, Control-click (Windows) or Com-
mand-click (Mac) anywhere on the selected Pro Tools|HD Digital Options
region and choose Matches > Expand Alter-
nates To New Tracks. The 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, and 96 I/O include
• If the region is not selected, with the Selec- AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and ADAT digital options. Ad-
tor tool, Control-click (Windows) or Com- ditionally, the 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O in-
mand-click (Mac) at the precise beginning clude TDIF digital I/O options. The 96i I/O in-
of the loop or punch range and choose cludes only the S/PDIF digital option.
Matches > Expand Alternates To New Tracks.
On a 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, or 96 I/O,
3 Then choose one of the following from the Ex- Pro Tools can receive digital audio from the fac-
pand Alternates To New Tracks sub-menu: tory-installed Optical (ADAT) I/O at any time (if
it is not set to S/PDIF). However, Pro Tools can
By Track Name Names all new tracks after the only receive digital audio from one of its enclo-
source track name. sure [Encl] digital sources—AES/EBU, S/PDIF, or
Optical (S/PDIF) at a time.
By Region Name Names each new tracks after
the corresponding original region names that Enclosure digital sources come standard with
you see in the Matches list. Pro Tools|HD I/Os and are labelled on-screen as
[Encl] versions, to differentiate them from digi-
By Track and Region Name Names all new tracks
tal inputs and outputs available on the 192’s
after the source track name, but with the corre-
Digital I/O card. For example, the AES/EBU in-
sponding original region names in parenthesis.
puts and outputs that come standard in the
All matching alternate regions are copied to new 192 I/O enclosure are identified as AES/EBU
tracks. [Encl].

386 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The additional digital ports on the 192 I/O and 3 Specify the format (digital) of the inputs of the
192 Digital I/O are TDIF, AES/EBU, and ADAT. audio interface to which the digital recording
Pro Tools can only receive digital audio from source is connected:
one of these ports at a time. • Choose Setup > Hardware.

However, inputs on both the 192 I/O enclosure • Choose the audio interface.
I/O and Digital card can be used simultaneously. • Select the digital format for the appropriate
For example, on a 192 I/O, it is possible to clock channel pair (such as AES/EBU or S/PDIF).
off a source from one of the enclosure inputs
Some Digidesign I/O units only have two
and have another digital input from the digital
channels that can be set for analog or digi-
ports doing a sample rate conversion, thus hav-
tal. For example, Mbox 2 has S/PDIF L–R
ing two digital sources.
(Stereo) digital inputs and In 1–2 analog
inputs. Mbox 2 can record through analog
Pro Tools LE Digital Options
and digital inputs simultaneously.
003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, Digi 002, and
4 For Pro Tools|HD systems, select the appropri-
Digi 002 Rack include S/PDIF and ADAT
ate Clock Source in the Session Setup window or
digital I/O.
Hardware Setup dialog.
Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Pro, and Mbox include only
5 Create a new stereo audio track.
the S/PDIF digital option.
6 Assign the Input Path selector for the track to
All digital outputs are active at all times, so you the appropriate input. Since this is a digital
can actually send digital audio to different digi- transfer, you do not need to worry about input
tal devices simultaneously at mix time. levels.

7 Assign the Output Path selector for the track

Recording from Digital Sources to the appropriate output for monitoring (such
as A 1–2).
To record from a digital source with Pro Tools:
8 In the Options menu, ensure that the follow-
1 Connect the digital output of the recording
ing options are deselected: Destructive Record,
source to the appropriate digital input of your
Loop Record, QuickPunch, TrackPunch, and De-
audio hardware.
structivePunch.
2 If you want to start a new session with a dif-
9 To have recording start from the beginning of
ferent sample rate, do the following:
the session, click Return to Zero in the Trans-
• Choose File > New Session port.
• Select the sample rate.
10 Record enable the new audio track.
• Configure the rest of the New Session dia-
log accordingly. 11 Click Record in the Transport to arm
• Click Save. Pro Tools for recording.

12 Click Play to start recording.

13 Start playback on the recording source.

Chapter 19: Audio Recording 387

 14 When the material from the source has fin-
ished, click Stop in the Transport. Half-Speed Recording
15 Stop playback on the recording source. Pro Tools lets you play and record at half-speed.
This capability is similar to that of a tape deck
After a Digital Transfer where you can record material at half-speed and
then play it back at normal speed (faster and up
(Pro Tools HD Only)
an octave), or record material at normal speed
After you have finished recording digitally, set and play it back at half-speed (slower and down
the Clock Source pop-up menu in the Session an octave), for special effects.
Setup window back to Internal. Otherwise,
Pro Tools will not switch back to its own inter- Half-Speed Recording
nal clock and may not record or play audio
Use half-speed recording to record difficult to
properly. Failure to switch back to Internal syn-
play MIDI tracks or to record complex automa-
chronization typically results in pitch problems
tion moves.
(fast or slow playback), clicks and pops, or DAE
errors, since a DAT machine or CD Recorder that
To record at half-speed:
is idle can default to a different sample rate or
stop outputting a sample rate clock altogether. 1 Record enable the tracks you want to record at
half-speed.

2 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools

for recording.

3 Press Control+Shift+Spacebar (Windows) or

Command+Shift+Spacebar (Mac). Recording be-
gins and all existing track material plays at half-
speed.

4 When you have finished recording, click Stop.

For information on Half-Speed Playback,

see “Half-Speed Playback Mode” on
page 338.

388 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 20: MIDI Recording

Although recording MIDI in Pro Tools is similar

to recording audio, there are some important Recording from MIDI Devices
differences:
The MIDI Inputs for record-enabled MIDI and
‹ Unlike audio, MIDI recording is almost always Instrument tracks determine what MIDI data is
destructive. See “Record Modes and MIDI” on recorded in Pro Tools. MIDI Inputs can be set to
page 355 for details. a specific device (port) and channel, or they can
‹ Unlike audio tracks, MIDI and Instrument be set to All, where all channels for all devices
tracks can be record-enabled on-the-fly during are merged to the track.
playback or recording.
MIDI and Instrument tracks in Pro Tools do not
‹ MIDI and Instrument tracks have an Input se- contain multiple channels and always play back
lector that determines which port on your MIDI on the track’s assigned MIDI output device and
interface (devices) and which MIDI channel is channel. Multiple MIDI devices and channels
routed and recorded to the track. If the MIDI In- can be simultaneously recorded to multiple
put selector is set to All, all channels for all de- tracks.
vices are routed to the track.
The following Pro Tools options determine
‹ Similar to Auxiliary Inputs, Instrument tracks
whether you can record from a MIDI controller
have audio Input and Output selectors. These se-
(such as a MIDI keyboard or drum pad):
lectors are different than the Instrument track’s
selectors for MIDI Input and Output and are pri- ‹ Devices that are assigned as a MIDI Controller

marily used for monitoring audio from MIDI in- in the Peripherals dialog (Setup > Peripherals) are
struments or instrument plug-ins. ignored when MIDI tracks are recorded. This is
to avoid recording data from MIDI control sur-
‹ It is not necessary to use QuickPunch, Track-
faces (such as the Digidesign Command|8).
Punch, or DestructivePunch to punch in on-the-
fly with MIDI or Instrument tracks. This capabil- ‹ To record and play MIDI, the device must be

ity is available both in Normal (Nondestructive) enabled in the MIDI Input Enable dialog. For
Record mode and Destructive Record mode. more information, see “Enabling Input Devices”
on page 390.

Chapter 20: MIDI Recording 389

 In addition, the following options affect how To enable input devices:
MIDI data is recorded in Pro Tools:
1 Choose Setup > MIDI > Input Devices.
‹ The MIDI Input Filter can filter out MIDI mes-
2 In the MIDI Input Enable dialog, do the fol-
sages that you may not want to record, such as
lowing:
Polyphonic Aftertouch or System Exclusive
data. For more information, see “MIDI Input Fil- • Select the MIDI devices you want to record.
ter” on page 391. Also, select any device to be used as a con-
trol surface.
‹ Input Quantize, when enabled, automatically
quantizes (time corrects) all MIDI notes that are – and –
recorded. For more information, see “Input • Deselect any input devices you want to ig-
Quantize” on page 392. nore while recording MIDI.

Enabling Input Devices

To record from a MIDI device (such as a MIDI
keyboard) in Pro Tools, the device must be en-
abled in the MIDI Input Enable dialog. You can
also use this dialog to make sure unwanted
notes from certain devices, such as drum ma-
chines or arpeggiators, are not recorded.

MIDI Control Surfaces In order to use any MIDI

control surfaces (such as the Digidesign Com-
mand|8), they must be enabled in the MIDI In-
put Enable dialog.

MMC In order for Pro Tools to synchronize to MIDI Input Enable dialog
MIDI Machine Control (MMC), the MMC
source must be enabled in the MIDI Input En-
Devices do not need to be selected to receive
able dialog. For more information on using
MIDI data from Pro Tools. For example, a
MMC with Pro Tools, see “Using MIDI Machine
device used exclusively as a sound module
Control” on page 1024.
does not need to be selected in the MIDI In-
put Enable dialog.

3 Click OK.

390 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 If the Default Thru Instrument is assigned to a
MIDI Thru record-enabled MIDI track, Pro Tools only
routes incoming MIDI to the record-enabled
To monitor MIDI tracks while recording, enable
track.
MIDI Thru. When enabled, Pro Tools routes
MIDI from your controllers to the device and
To configure a default Thru instrument:
channels assigned to the currently record-en-
abled MIDI track. 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.

The MIDI preference for Global MIDI Play- 2 Click the MIDI tab.

back Offset and individual MIDI track off- 3 Do one of the following:
sets do not affect MIDI routed with MIDI
• Select a specific device from the Default Thru
Thru.
Instrument pop-up menu to play MIDI
through on that device by default.
When MIDI Thru is enabled, System Exclu- • Select Follows First Selected MIDI Track to
sive (Sysex) events are echoed to the MIDI have MIDI preview assignment follow
device assigned to the record-enabled MIDI track selection. When multiple MIDI
track—but only if the Sysex events are tracks are selected, previewing uses the top-
smaller than 256 bytes. most MIDI track in the Edit window or the
leftmost MIDI track in the Mix window.
To enable MIDI Thru:
• To disable the Default Thru Instrument, select
„ Select Options > MIDI Thru. None.

When using MIDI Thru, you should disable The Default Thru Follows First Selected
Local Control, if present, on your MIDI MIDI Track Selection option also lets you
devices. Otherwise, your MIDI device may play an instrument without having to create
receive double MIDI notes, which can lead and record-enable a MIDI or Instrument
to stuck notes. If you are unsure how to dis- track.
able Local Control for your instrument, refer
to the manufacturer’s documentation.
MIDI Input Filter
The Default Thru Instrument
Use the MIDI Input Filter to prevent certain
In addition to any MIDI tracks that are record- types of MIDI messages from being recorded.
enabled, you can also route MIDI to the Default The MIDI Input Filter can be set to record All
Thru Instrument. This saves the extra steps of messages, Only the specified messages, or All Ex-
creating a MIDI track and record enabling it to cept the specified messages.
hear a particular MIDI device and channel.
For example, to filter out program changes:
Unlike MIDI tracks, which only receive MIDI
from the device and channel assigned to its 1 Choose Setup > MIDI > Input Filter.
MIDI Input selector, all incoming MIDI data is
2 In the MIDI Input Filter dialog, select the All
routed to the Default Thru Instrument.
Except option.

Chapter 20: MIDI Recording 391

 3 Select the option for Program Changes. Leave
all other messages deselected. Wait for Note
The Wait for Note button, located in the Trans-
port window, determines how Pro Tools begins
recording. When enabled, Pro Tools does not
start recording until a MIDI event is received.
This ensures that recording begins only when
you start playing, and that the first note, or
other MIDI data, is recorded precisely at the be-
ginning of the set record range (start time).

Wait for Note can be used when recording nor-

mally, when punching in, or when loop record-
ing. If pre-roll is enabled, it occurs after the MIDI
event is received and before recording begins.

Wait for Note and Countoff are mutually

exclusive and cannot both be enabled at the
MIDI Input Filter dialog
same time. If, for instance, Countoff is
4 Click OK. enabled and you click the Wait for Note
button, Countoff is disabled. Furthermore,
When using the All Except option, the selected
Wait for Note starts recording immediately,
types of MIDI messages are not recorded. Con-
ignoring any specified Pre-roll.
versely, when using the Only option, only the se-
lected types of MIDI messages are recorded. To enable Wait for Note:
1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport
window, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls.
Input Quantize
When Input Quantize is enabled in the Input
Quantize Event Operations dialog (Event > Event
Operations > Input Quantize), all recorded MIDI
notes are quantized automatically. Quantizing
MIDI on input is useful for achieving rhythmi- Transport window with MIDI Controls
cally precise MIDI recordings. However, to pre-
serve all of the original nuance of your recorded
MIDI tracks (such as rubato phrasing), disable
this option.

For more information on Input Quantize,

see “Input Quantize” on page 820.

392 Pro Tools Reference Guide

2 In the Transport window, click the Wait for To enable MIDI Merge:
Note button so it becomes highlighted.
1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport
window, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls.

2 In the Transport window, click the MIDI

Wait for Note button Merge button so it becomes highlighted.

Wait for Note enabled

MIDI Merge button

With the Operation preference for “Use F11

for Wait for Note” enabled, you can press MIDI Merge enabled
F11 to turn on Wait for Note. (On Mac sys-
tems, the Mac “Desktop” keyboard shortcut
must be disabled or remapped.) Configuring MIDI or
Instrument Tracks for
Recording
MIDI Merge/Replace
To configure one or more MIDI or Instrument
The MIDI Merge button, located in the Trans-
tracks for recording:
port window, determines how MIDI is recorded
when overdubbing or punching in. When MIDI 1 Create a new MIDI or Instrument track, or use
Merge is on (Merge mode), recorded MIDI is an existing MIDI or Instrument track.
merged with existing track material. When
2 For Instrument tracks, select View > Mix
MIDI Merge is off (Replace mode), existing data
Window > Instruments or View > Edit Window >
within the punched region is replaced by the
Instruments.
newly recorded material.
3 From the track’s MIDI Input selector, select the
The MIDI Merge button can be turned on and device and channel to be recorded. (For Instru-
off during playback and recording. In Loop ment tracks, the MIDI Input selector is available
Record mode, MIDI Merge has no effect, and the in Instruments view.)
button is dimmed.

To enable MIDI Merge with a keyboard MIDI Input selector

shortcut, set the Numeric Keypad mode to
Transport, and press the 9 key on the nu-
meric keypad.

You can also paste and merge MIDI notes

using Paste Special commands. See “Special
Paste Function for Automation Data” on
MIDI track Input selector
page 935.

Chapter 20: MIDI Recording 393

 6 To assign a default program change to the
track, do the following:
MIDI Input selector • Click the Patch Select button.
• Make the necessary selections for program
and bank select.
• Click Done.

Default program changes are sent whenever

Instrument track MIDI Input selector the track is played. For more information,
4 From the MIDI Output selector, select the de- see “Patch Select (Program and Bank
vice and channel for MIDI playback. Changes)” on page 596.

7 If recording to multiple MIDI or Instrument

tracks, repeat the preceding steps for each track,
MIDI Output selector then continue to the next step.

8 To use a click, enable and configure the click,

and set a default tempo and meter for the ses-
sion (see “Recording with a Click” on page 348).

9 Enable either Wait for Note or Countoff in the

Transport window.
MIDI track Input selector, Mix window
10 To replace existing track material, disable
MIDI Merge in the Transport window (see “MIDI
Merge/Replace” on page 393).

MIDI Output selector 11 To automatically quantize material as it is re-

corded, enable Input Quantize (Event > Event Oper-
ations > Input Quantize). See “Input Quantize” on
page 392.

12 To start recording from the beginning of the

session, click Return to Zero in the Transport.
Instrument track MIDI Input selector, Mix window
13 Record enable the MIDI or Instrument track
5 To assign multiple destinations to a single
MIDI or Instrument track, Start-click (Windows) by clicking its Record Enable button.
or Control-click (Mac) the MIDI Output selector
To record enable additional MIDI and In-
and select additional channels from any device.
strument tracks, Shift-click their Record En-
When multiple destinations are selected for a
able buttons.
single MIDI track, a plus sign (“+”) appears next
to the first destination name in the track’s MIDI 14 Make sure that Options > MIDI Thru is selected,
Output selector. then play your MIDI controller. The MIDI device
or instrument plug-in assigned to the track’s
MIDI Output sounds, and the track’s meters reg-
ister MIDI activity (note velocity).

394 Pro Tools Reference Guide

You are now ready to record MIDI data to the To record to one or more MIDI or Instrument
record-enabled MIDI and Instrument tracks. tracks:
1 With Pro Tools HD, make sure that Options >
To monitor audio from an external MIDI
Delay Compensation is not selected.
instrument, select the corresponding audio
Input Path for your MIDI instrument on the Digidesign recommends recording without
Instrument track (or use an Auxiliary Input Delay Compensation in most cases. For
track). See “Signal Routing for Monitoring more information, see “Delay Compensa-
and Submixing” on page 853. tion” on page 860.

2 Configure a MIDI or Instrument track for re-

Recording MIDI and cording (see “Configuring MIDI or Instrument

Tracks for Recording” on page 393).
Instrument Tracks
3 Ensure that the track to which you want to
In Pro Tools, you can record to one or more
record is record enabled.
MIDI and Instrument tracks. Recording simulta-
neously to multiple tracks lets you: To record enable additional MIDI and In-
• Record from multiple MIDI devices at the strument tracks, Shift-click their Record En-
same time, such as when recording several able buttons.
performers.
4 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected
• Record multiple channels from the same de- (see “Record Modes” on page 353).
vice, such as recording from a split keyboard.
5 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
• Transfer MIDI tracks from an external MIDI
for recording (Record Ready mode). The Track
sequencer.
Record Enabled indicator lights red.
To take full advantage of the MIDI editing
capabilities in Pro Tools, make sure to
record tick-based MIDI tracks with a click.
This ensures that recorded data aligns with
the session’s bar and beat boundaries. You Record button in Record Ready mode
can also record to sample-based MIDI
6 Do one of the following:
tracks without a click and derive the tempo
and meter from the performance. • Click Play to start recording. If using
Countoff, Pro Tools counts off the specified
number of measures and then begins re-
To record audio from a MIDI instrument or cording.
instrument plug-in, bus the audio output of
– or –
the Instrument or Auxiliary Input track that
is monitoring the instrument to an audio • If Wait for Note is enabled, do not click the
track. Record enable the audio track and Play button; recording will begin automat-
start recording. See “Recording Audio from a ically as soon as you start playing (when a
MIDI Instrument” on page 403. MIDI event is received).

7 Play your MIDI controller.

Chapter 20: MIDI Recording 395

 8 When you are finished playing, click Stop in
the Transport to stop recording. It is possible to have the Note On of a MIDI
note be in one MIDI region, and its Note Off
For each record-enabled track, a new MIDI re- be in a subsequent MIDI region. It is also
gion is created and appears both in the playlist possible to have the region end before the
and in the Region List. Note Off, resulting in notes that extend
beyond the region boundary. However, Note
Press F12 to start recording immediately. Ons can never precede the beginning of a
You can also Press Control+Spacebar (Win- region.
dows) or Command+Spacebar (Mac) to
start recording. For more information, see
“Recording Shortcuts” on page 372.
Playing Back Recorded MIDI

To play back recorded MIDI and Instrument tracks:

MIDI Regions Are Created on Barlines
1 To start from the beginning of the session,
When recording MIDI, or when manually enter-
click Return to Zero in the Transport.
ing MIDI notes, the beginning and ending of
MIDI regions are created on bar boundaries. This 2 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback.
greatly facilitates arranging MIDI regions in a
The recorded MIDI data plays back through each
musically meaningful way, in whole bar
track’s assigned Output device (port) and chan-
lengths.
nel.
The beginning of a recorded MIDI region always
To monitor audio from an external MIDI
starts on the barline immediately before the first
instrument, select the corresponding audio
MIDI note (Note On) of the region. Likewise, the
Input Path for your MIDI instrument on the
MIDI region ends on the barline immediately
Instrument track (or use an Auxiliary Input
following the last note (Note Off) of the region.
track). See “Signal Routing for Monitoring
and Submixing” on page 853.
Recording Over Exisiting MIDI Regions
Unlike audio regions, existing MIDI regions are Undoing MIDI Recording
never overwritten even though MIDI data
You can undo previous MIDI record takes.
within regions can be overwritten. When MIDI
Merge mode is disabled and recording MIDI on a
track with existing regions, newly recorded To undo a MIDI recording:
MIDI data overwrites existing MIDI data within „ Once the Transport has been stopped, choose

existing regions, but the existing region bound- Edit > Undo MIDI Recording.
aries remain. New MIDI regions are only created
to fill the gaps between existing MIDI region
boundaries. Typically, new MIDI regions are al-
ways created on barlines. However, if existing
region boundaries are not on barlines, newly
created regions are bound by the existing re-
gions.

396 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The track’s playlist is restored to its previous 5 With the Selector tool, select the punch range
state. However, the following conditions apply: in the track’s playlist.
• If you punched in and out several times be-
For other methods of setting the record
fore stopping the Transport, only the last
range, see “Setting Punch and Loop Points”
punch is undone.
on page 372.
• When using Loop Record mode, all takes
from each record pass are discarded. 6 To hear existing track material up to the start
point, or after the end point, enable and set pre-
Canceling a Record Take and post-roll times (see “Setting Pre- and Post-
Roll” on page 376).
It is also possible to discard the current record
take before the Transport is stopped. 7 Record enable the track containing the previ-
ous take.
To cancel a take while recording: 8 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
„ Press Control+Period (.) (Windows) or Com- for recording. The Record button flashes.
mand+Period (.) (Mac) before the Transport is
9 Click Play to start recording.
stopped.
If pre-roll is enabled, the track material leading
When in Loop Record mode, all takes from each
up to the punch-in point plays. You can start
record pass are discarded.
playing during the pre-roll to get the “feel.”
MIDI is not recorded until the start point is
reached.
MIDI Punch Recording Over a
When the start point is reached, Pro Tools be-
Specified Range gins recording. Recording continues until the
You can set Pro Tools to automatically punch end point is reached. If post-roll is enabled, play-
record over a specific range in a MIDI or Instru- back continues for the specified post-roll
ment track. The range’s start (punch in) and end amount.
(punch out) points must be specified before re-
10 When you have finished recording, click
cording.
Stop in the Transport.

To punch in on a MIDI or Instrument track: The newly recorded MIDI data appears in the
track.
1 Configure a MIDI or Instrument track for re-
cording (see “Configuring MIDI or Instrument
Tracks for Recording” on page 393). Punch Recording During Playback with
MIDI
2 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected
(see “Record Modes” on page 353). You do not have to set a record range to punch
in on a MIDI or Instrument track. In fact, you
3 In the Transport window, disable Wait for
can punch in and out on-the-fly at any time dur-
Note and Countoff.
ing playback. Unlike audio tracks, it is not nec-
4 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection. essary to enable QuickPunch to perform real-
time punch recording.

Chapter 20: MIDI Recording 397

 To punch record on-the-fly with MIDI: MIDI Regions and Punch
1 Configure a MIDI or Instrument track for re- Recording
cording (see “Configuring MIDI or Instrument
Depending on the record range, new regions
Tracks for Recording” on page 393).
may be created after punch recording. For exam-
2 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected ple, Figure 20 shows two existing regions before
(see “Record Modes” on page 353). recording. If MIDI Merge mode is disabled, re-
cording overwrites any existing MIDI data
3 In the Transport window, disable Wait for
within the record range. Since the start and end
Note and Countoff.
times for recording are located within both of
4 Record enable the track containing the previ- the existing regions, newly recorded notes are
ous take. written into both of the existing regions, and
into a new region created to fill the space be-
5 Click Play in the Transport to start playback.
tween them.
6 When you reach the punch-in point, do one
of the following: Before punch record

• Click Record in the Transport.

– or –
• For Pro Tools systems that support a con-
nected footswitch, press the footswitch at
the punch-in point.

Foot switches are supported by 003 family After punch record

interfaces, Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, and

Mbox 2 Pro, as well as any Pro Tools system
with a supported control surface (such as
C|24 or Command|8).

The Record button in the Transport and the

track’s Record Enable button stop flashing and
stay lit during recording. newly recorded new region
material
7 To punch out, click Record again (or press the
Figure 20. Region added after punch record
footswitch).
When selecting an entire region, or a section
Pro Tools exits Record mode and continues within a region, before punching, no new re-
playing. You can perform additional punches gions are created. In this instance, only the ma-
during the same pass. terial residing within the existing region
changes, with no new material recorded outside
the region.

398 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Unlike audio recording, MIDI recording in this Make sure that MIDI Merge is enabled in the
scenario is destructive. Newly recorded MIDI Transport window, otherwise (in Replace mode)
data overwrites existing MIDI data while leaving each subsequent take destructively replaces the
the existing region boundaries intact. previous take.

If the MIDI data within a region is altered be- You can record enable a different MIDI or
cause of a record take, the original material is ei- Instrument track on-the-fly while loop re-
ther lost (unless you choose Edit > Undo MIDI cording. While pressing Control (Windows)
Recording) or combined with new material (if or Command (Mac), use the Up/Down Ar-
MIDI Merge was enabled during recording). If rows to record enable the previous or next
an existing region contains material you want to MIDI or Instrument track.
keep, use Duplicate to make a copy of the region
(“Duplicating Regions” on page 736), or dupli- To loop record in MIDI Merge mode:
cate the track’s playlist or record in a new playl- 1 Configure a MIDI or Instrument track for re-
ist to keep a backup (see “Working with Playl- cording (see “Configuring MIDI or Instrument
ists” on page 529). Tracks for Recording” on page 393).

2 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected

(see “Record Modes” on page 353).
Loop Recording MIDI
3 Select Options > Loop Playback. When Loop
Loop recording with MIDI is supported by two Playback is enabled, a loop symbol appears in
methods: the Play button.
• In Normal (Nondestructive) Record mode, en-
able Loop Playback and MIDI Merge for drum
machine style loop recording.
– or –
Loop Playback enabled
• Use Loop Record mode to record multiple
takes on each record pass. This is similar to 4 Record enable the MIDI or Instrument track.
loop recording audio. Ensure that no audio tracks are record-enabled.

5 In the Transport window, click the MIDI

Loop Recording in MIDI Merge Merge button so it is highlighted.
Mode
6 Disable Wait for Note and Countoff in the
For MIDI loop recording, use Normal (Nonde- Transport window.
structive) Record mode with Loop Playback and
7 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection.
MIDI Merge enabled. With this method, MIDI is
recorded and merged to the same region with 8 With the Selector tool, select the loop range in
each new record pass—for example, you can the track’s playlist.
record hi-hats on the first pass and kick and
snare on the next. For other methods of setting the record
range, see “Setting Punch and Loop Points”
For drum machine style step entry, use Step on page 372.
Input (see “Step Input” on page 821).

Chapter 20: MIDI Recording 399

 9 To hear track material up to the start point of Loop Recording Multiple Takes
the loop, enable and set the pre-roll time (see
“Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 376). When recording MIDI in Loop Record mode,
new regions are created each time new material
10 Click Record in the Transport to arm is received during a record pass. This differs
Pro Tools for recording. The Record button somewhat from loop recording audio, where
flashes. Pro Tools creates a single audio file that com-
11 Click Play to start recording. prises all takes, which appear as individual re-
gions in the Region List.
The Record button flashes during pre-roll.
When the start point is reached, Pro Tools be- You can use MIDI loop recording to record suc-
gins recording. When the end point is reached, cessive takes without stopping the record pro-
Pro Tools loops back to the start point and con- cess, thereby capturing your creative spontane-
tinues playing and recording. ity. Another advantage with this method of
recording MIDI, which is nondestructive, is that
12 Play your MIDI controller. Newly recorded all existing and newly recorded regions remain
MIDI data appears as a region in the record intact (and available in the Region List).
track. On each successive take, recorded mate-
rial shows up in the region, without replacing To record MIDI in Loop Record mode:
material from previous takes.
1 Configure a MIDI or Instrument track for re-
13 To switch to a new record track, press Control cording (see “Configuring MIDI or Instrument
(Windows) or Command (Mac), and press the Tracks for Recording” on page 393).
Up/Down Arrow keys to record enable the previ-
2 Select Options > Loop Record. When Loop
ous or next MIDI or Instrument track.
Record mode is enabled, a loop symbol appears
14 When you are finished recording, click Stop in the Record button.
in the Transport.

The newly recorded MIDI data appears as a MIDI

region in the track’s playlist, and in the Region
List.
Loop Recording enabled

3 If you have not done so already, record enable

the MIDI or Instrument track by clicking its
Record Enable button. Make sure no audio
tracks are record-enabled.

4 Disable Wait for Note and Countoff in the

Transport window.

5 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection.

400 Pro Tools Reference Guide

6 With the Selector tool, select the loop range in To select the various record takes:
the track’s playlist.
1 Ensure that the Matching Criteria window is
correctly configured (see “Matching Criteria
For other methods of setting the record
Window” on page 384).
range, see “Setting Punch and Loop Points”
on page 372. 2 Do one of the following:
• Right-click the region with the Selector or
7 To hear track material up to the start point of
Grabber tools, and select a take from the
the loop, enable and set the pre-roll time (see
Matches submenu in the pop-up menu.
“Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 376).

8 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools

for recording. The Record button flashes.

9 Click Play to start recording.

The Record button flashes during the pre-roll.

When the start point is reached, Pro Tools be-
gins recording. When the end point is reached,
Pro Tools loops back to the start point and con-
tinues playing and recording.

10 Play your MIDI controller. A new MIDI re- Selecting an alternate MIDI take
gion containing the newly recorded material is • With the Selector tool, Control-click (Win-
automatically created and appears in the track’s dows) or Command-click (Mac) at the pre-
playlist, replacing the previous region. cise beginning of the loop or punch range
and select a different take from the Alter-
Regions are replaced (nondestructively) during
nates pop-up menu.
subsequent record passes when new MIDI mate-
rial is received. • If the take currently residing in the track is
selected, with the Selector tool, Control-
11 When you are finished recording, click Stop click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac)
in the Transport. anywhere on the selected take and select a
different take from the Alternates pop-up
The recorded takes appear as regions in the Re-
menu.
gion List and are numbered sequentially. The
takes, which are the same length and easily in- The selected take (region) replaces the previous
terchangeable, can be selected from the Matches take and snaps precisely to the correct location.
pop-up menu—even while the session plays or
loops. For more information on auditioning and
managing takes, see “Selecting Alternate
Takes” on page 383.

Chapter 20: MIDI Recording 401

 6 Enable Wait for Note in the Transport window.
MIDI Step Input
7 To start recording from the beginning of the
Step Input lets you use a MIDI keyboard (or any session, click Return to Zero in the Transport.
other MIDI controller that sends MIDI note
8 When you are ready to begin recording, click
data) to enter notes individually, one step at a
Record in the Transport window.
time. This gives you precise control over note
placement, duration, and velocity. With MIDI The Record, Play, and Wait for Note buttons
Step Input you can also create musical passages flash, indicating that Pro Tools is waiting for
that might be difficult to play accurately, or at MIDI data.
faster tempos.
9 Initiate the Sysex transfer from the MIDI de-
For more information on Step Input, see vice, according to the manufacturer’s instruc-
“Step Input” on page 821. tions. Pro Tools automatically begins recording
as soon as it starts to receive Sysex data.

10 When the Sysex transfer is complete, click

Recording System Exclusive Stop in the Transport.
Data
The newly recorded MIDI data appears as a MIDI
Pro Tools supports recording and playing Sys- region in the track’s playlist, and in the Region
tem Exclusive data (Sysex) with MIDI tracks. List. MIDI regions that contain System Exclusive
This allows you to use MIDI tracks in Pro Tools data appear blank when the Track View is set to
to store patch and configuration data for your Regions.
MIDI devices, or to record real-time Sysex
changes for a particular parameter of a MIDI de- To see the Sysex event blocks, which indicate
vice that cannot be controlled by a standard the location of the data, set the Track View to Sy-
MIDI controller. sex (see “Regions View for MIDI and Instrument
Tracks” on page 433).
To record a Sysex dump at the beginning of a MIDI
track: For information on moving and copying of
Sysex data, see “System Exclusive Events”
1 Make sure that the MIDI OUT for the device on page 600.
sending the Sysex is connected to your MIDI in-
terface’s MIDI IN. To send Sysex data from Pro Tools to an external
MIDI device:
2 In the MIDI Input Filter dialog, enable Only
and System Exclusive. 1 For the device receiving the System Exclusive
data, make sure its MIDI IN is connected to the
3 Configure a MIDI track for recording (see MIDI interface’s MIDI OUT. Also, make sure the
“Configuring MIDI or Instrument Tracks for Re- device is set to receive Sysex. Some devices re-
cording” on page 393). quire that memory protect be off. For more in-
4 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected formation, refer to the manufacturer’s
(see “Record Modes” on page 353). instructions.

5 Record enable a MIDI track. 2 Make sure that the MIDI track containing the
Sysex data is not record enabled.

402 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 Click the track’s MIDI Output selector and as- Recording Audio from an Instrument
sign the device from the pop-up menu. Plug-in
4 Configure the external MIDI device to receive
To record audio from an instrument plug-in:
Sysex data according to the manufacturer’s in-
structions. 1 Create a new Instrument track.

5 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback. 2 Insert an instrument plug-in on that track.
Pro Tools begins playing and transmits the pre-
3 Do one of the following:
viously recorded Sysex to the assigned MIDI de-
• Record your MIDI performance on the In-
vice.
strument track.
– or –
• Manually enter MIDI data in the Instru-
Recording Audio from a MIDI
ment track.
Instrument
You can also record both the MIDI and au-
Typically, you will monitor the audio from
dio from your performance at the same
MIDI instruments (both hardware and plug-ins)
time.
using Instrument and Auxiliary Input tracks.
During the final mixdown, audio from Instru- 4 Create a new audio track with the same num-
ment and Auxiliary Input tracks can be included ber of channels as the Instrument track (such as
when using Bounce to Disk, or on a bussed re- stereo).
cording path if recording to a new track.
5 Set the Instrument track’s Audio Output Path
When using instrument plug-ins, you may selector to a bus (for example, Bus 1–2).
want to record the audio from a MIDI in-
6 Set the audio track’s Audio Input Path selector
strument to a new track before mixing in or-
to the same bus.
der to free up DSP resources.
7 Set the audio track’s Audio Output Path selec-
tor to the main monitoring path (for example,
A 1–2).

8 Record enable the audio track.

9 Do one of the following:

• To record from the beginning of the ses-
sion, click Return To Zero in the Transport.
– or –
• Make a Timeline selection for the record
range.

10 Click Record in the Transport to arm

Pro Tools for recording.

Chapter 20: MIDI Recording 403

 11 Click Play in the Transport to start recording. Recording Audio from an External MIDI
Instrument
You can record audio from an external MIDI in-
strument in one of two ways:
• By bussing audio from the output of the In-
strument (or Auxiliary Input) track used to
monitor the MIDI instrument to an audio
track for recording.
• By setting the audio track’s Audio Input Path
selector to the same Audio Input Path as the
Instrument (or Auxiliary Input) track used for
monitoring the external MIDI instrument.

This second method avoids any additional la-

tency associated with bussing. However, be sure
to mute the Instrument (or Auxiliary Input)
track used for monitoring while recording the
same audio path to the audio track.

Bus recording audio from an instrument plug-in

12 When your previously recorded MIDI perfor-

mance is finished playing, click Stop in the
Transport to stop recording.

404 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes

Punch recording is used in many areas of audio Pro Tools Punch Recording Modes
production for film, video, and music. This
chapter describes Pro Tools punch recording Pro Tools provides three different manual
features. punch recording modes:

QuickPunch A nondestructive Record mode that

lets record-enabled tracks be punched in and
Introduction punched out during playback by clicking the
Record button in the Transport. QuickPunch
Once basic track material has been recorded, it is mode is available on all systems.
often necessary to replace some, but not all, of
the audio that makes up each track. Punch re- TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD Only) A nondestruc-
cording lets you manually “punch” one or more tive Record mode that lets individual tracks be
audio tracks in and out of recording on-the-fly punched in, punched out, and taken out of
(without stopping the Transport). record enable without interrupting online re-
cording and playback.
You do not need to use QuickPunch or any
other audio punch recording mode to punch DestructivePunch (Pro Tools HD Only) A destruc-
on-the-fly with MIDI tracks. MIDI tracks tive Record mode that maintains a single con-
can be punched while in Normal (Non- tinuous audio file per punch track, and lets indi-
destructive) Record mode, and in Destruc- vidual tracks be punched in, punched out, and
tive Record mode. taken out of record enable without interrupting
online recording and playback.

To automatically punch in and out on

record-enabled audio tracks over a specific
range, refer to “Audio Punch Recording
Over a Specified Range” on page 377

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes 405

 Similarly, installing a Toolkit option expands
System, Session, and Track your system’s voice capabilities; this can in-
Guidelines for Punch crease the number of available voices, which
Recording then increases the number of tracks which can
be punched.
This section lists the basic settings and guide-
lines for Pro Tools punch recording, including For details on voice capabilities, see
the following: “Pro Tools LE System Capabilities” on
• “Voice Requirements for Punch Recording” page 34.
on page 406.
To make more voices available for punch
• “Delay Compensation and Destructive- recording:
Punch Mode” on page 407.
1 Identify tracks that are not record-enabled,
• “Audio Files, Regions and Takes” on
and do not need to be heard while recording.
page 408.
• “Preferences for Punch Recording” on 2 Make those tracks inactive.
page 408 (for crossfades, as well as trans-
port and monitor configuration settings). Pro Tools HD
(QuickPunch, TrackPunch, and
Voice Requirements for DestructivePunch)
Punch Recording When using any punch recording mode with
The maximum number of tracks that can be Pro Tools HD, two voices are required for each
punched depends on the type of system you are record-enabled mono track. This means that
using, as well as the number of available voices. you can punch record up to half the total num-
The following sections provide guidelines for ber of voices available on your system. For ex-
voice usage with punch recording that can be ample, a Pro Tools|HD Accel system configured
useful when managing resources during ses- for 192 voices can simultaneously punch record
sions. on up to 96 mono tracks with QuickPunch (or
48 stereo tracks).
Pro Tools LE
If the required number of voices for the record-
(QuickPunch Only) enabled tracks is not available when switching
to QuickPunch, TrackPunch, or Destructive-
QuickPunch capabilities for Pro Tools LE de-
Punch mode, you are prompted to free up the
pends on the total number of voices available.
necessary voices.
This will vary depending on the number of
tracks and plug-ins in use in the current session
(which affects the number of available voices).

QuickPunch uses CPU processing power,

and may reduce the number of tracks and
plug-ins you can use.

406 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To make more voices available for punch voice configured Pro Tools|HD Accel system,
recording: Dynamically Allocated Voicing distributes
1 Identify tracks that are not record-enabled, voices evenly across four sets of voices (1–48,
and do not need to be heard while recording, 49–96, 97–144, and 145–192).
and do any of the following:
If you do not use Dynamically Allocated Voic-
• Set voice assignments for tracks to Off. ing, the voices must be evenly distributed be-
• Make tracks inactive. tween all DSP engines. For example, to use
• Group all RTAS plug-ins before TDM plug- QuickPunch on 32 tracks without Dynamically
ins. Allocated Voicing, tracks 1–16 must be assigned
to voices 1–16 and tracks 17–32 must be as-
Voices that are in use by other tracks, but not signed to voices 33–48.
record-enabled, may be “stolen” during punch
recording as necessary.
Delay Compensation and
When any punch recording mode is enabled, DestructivePunch Mode
voice playback priority is as follows (from high-
est to lowest playback priority): When using DestructivePunch to punch in on
an existing recording, make sure the Delay
• Tracks with assigned voices that are not
Compensation settings are the same as when
record-enabled.
the original file was recorded. If they differ, the
• Tracks with assigned voices that are record- punched-in audio will not be time-accurate to
enabled. the original recording.
• Tracks with Dynamically Allocated Voicing
‹ If Delay Compensation was inactive when re-
that are not record-enabled.
cording the original file, it should be deactivated
• Tracks with Dynamically Allocated Voicing while using DestructivePunch.
that are record-enabled.
‹ If Delay Compensation was active when re-
If a session has plenty of available voices, you cording the original file, it should be kept active
should have no trouble punch recording tracks while using DestructivePunch.
using Dynamically Allocated Voicing. However,
if you are running out of voices, and want to en- To ensure that the Delay Compensation path on
sure that a track is heard when punch recording, record tracks remains consistent while using De-
assign it a voice. structivePunch, you need to prevent Pro Tools
from using the Low Latency monitoring path
Dynamically Allocated Voicing when record tracks switch to Input monitoring.

When punch recording with a Pro Tools|HD sys- To apply Delay Compensation to a track where
tem configured for its maximum number of Delay Compensation was suspended, do one of the
voices, make sure to set the voice assignment for following:
each audio track to Dyn (for Dynamically Allo- „ Right-click the Track Compensation indicator
cated Voicing). This ensures that Pro Tools han- on the track and select Auto Low Latency Off.
dles the distribution of voices between each set
of voices automatically. For example, for a 192- „ Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-

Control-click (Mac) the Track Compensation in-

dicator on the track.

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes 407

 To apply Delay Compensation to all selected Names for the punched regions are numbered
tracks where Delay Compensation was consecutively starting with “01.” For example, if
suspended, do one of the following: QuickPunch is used to punch in twice on a track
„ Shift-Right-click the Track Compensation in- called “Lead Gtr,” a region for the parent audio
dicator on the track and select Auto Low Latency file appears and is named “Lead Gtr_01,” and
Off. two regions for the punches are named “Lead
Gtr_01-01” and “Lead Gtr_01-02.”
– or –

„ Control-Start-Shift-click (Windows) or Com- If you stop playback and record additional

mand-Control-Shift-click (Mac) the Track Com- punches with QuickPunch (or TrackPunch), a
pensation indicator on the track. new whole file region is created (since one is cre-
ated for each pass), and subsequent regions are
For more information, see “Delay Compen- named by incrementing the first two digits in
sation” on page 860. the name. For example, on the second pass, the
punched regions are named “Lead Gtr_02-01,”
Audio Files, Regions and Takes “Lead Gtr_02-02,” and so forth.

QuickPunch and TrackPunch Modes DestructivePunch Mode

QuickPunch and TrackPunch are nondestructive DestructivePunch is a destructive recording mode

recording modes. Instead of replacing audio which permanently replaces pre-existing track
while punching, QuickPunch and TrackPunch material with newly recorded “punch” audio.
create new audio files for each pass (a pass is one Pro Tools only records while tracks are punched
cycle of starting and stopping the Transport). in, inserting new material and replacing audio
in the track playlist.
Pro Tools begins recording a new audio file
when playback begins, automatically generating
regions in that file at each punch-in and punch- Preferences for Punch Recording
out point. Up to 200 of these “running (Crossfade, Transport, and Record Settings)
punches” can be performed in a single pass.
Pro Tools provides several punch-related
QuickPunch and TrackPunch provide instanta-
preference settings that let you specify how
neous monitor switching on punch-out.
crossfades, monitoring and transport functions
After recording with QuickPunch or Track- are to perform during and after recording passes.
Punch, the new audio regions appear in the Re- These settings optimize Pro Tools fades,
gion List. This includes the whole-file audio re- transport and track behavior for different types
gion encompassing all punches from the record of tasks, including dubbing, mixing, and over-
pass, along with the regions derived for each dubbing.
punch.

408 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Crossfades while Punch Recording Regardless of the current QuickPunch/Track-
Punch Crossfade Length setting, Pro Tools al-
Pro Tools places crossfades at each in and out ways executes a 4 millisecond “monitor only”
point, for smooth transitions between punch re- crossfade (which is not written to disk) to avoid
gions. You can specify the crossfade length for distracting pops or clicks that might occur as
QuickPunch and TrackPunch modes (Destruc- you enter and exit record mode.
tivePunch uses a fixed crossfade length which
cannot be changed). After punch recording is DestructivePunch and Crossfades
completed, all crossfades can be edited in the
same manner as standard crossfades (see “Using DestructivePunch uses a fixed 10-millisecond
Fades” on page 511). linear crossfade at each in and out point. After
punch recording is completed, crossfades can be
QuickPunch/TrackPunch Crossfade Length edited in the same manner as standard cross-
fades (see “Using Fades” on page 511).
Pro Tools can automatically write a crossfade for
each punch point when using QuickPunch and
Transport and Record Settings
TrackPunch. The length for these crossfades is
set with the QuickPunch/TrackPunch Crossfade Transport and Record preferences for punch re-
Length option on the Editing Preferences page. cording appear on the Operation Preferences
page. These preferences specify how track and
To set the QuickPunch/TrackPunch Crossfade Transport record status respond during, be-
Length: tween, and after punches and passes.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Editing tab.

2 Enter a new value (in msec) for the Quick-

Punch/TrackPunch CrossFade Length. A good gen-
eral-purpose crossfade length for punches is
10 milliseconds. If you set the preference to
zero, Pro Tools will not create any crossfades at
the punch-in/out points.

3 Click OK.

If a value other than zero is specified for the

QuickPunch/TrackPunch Crossfade Length,
Pro Tools writes a pre-crossfade at the punch-in
point (the fade occurs up to but not into the
punched region boundary), and a post-crossfade
TrackPunch preferences
at punch-out (after the punched region).

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes 409

 Transport RecordLock ‹ When the Audio Track RecordLock option is not
enabled, record-enabled audio tracks are taken
This setting lets the Transport Record be config-
out of record enable when Pro Tools is stopped.
ured to either emulate a digital dubber, or to
This prevents tracks from remaining armed
maintain legacy behavior for the Transport mas-
from pass to pass, emulating track record behav-
ter Record.
ior of a digital dubber.
‹ When not enabled, the Transport Record dis-
arms when Pro Tools is manually stopped or For examples of how these settings can be
stops due to a loss of time code. This replicates applied, see “Example TrackPunch and De-
legacy Pro Tools recording behavior. structivePunch Workflows” on page 421.

‹ When enabled, the Transport Record remains

armed when playback or recording stops. This Synchronization and Track Arming
saves having to re-arm the Transport between Options for Punch Recording
takes, emulating digital dubber behavior. (Digidesign SYNC HD or SYNC I/O Only)

Punching out of record by pressing Record Synchronization settings for online punch re-
on the Transport takes the transport out of cording vary depending on the type and capa-
record enable. bilities of your Pro Tools system and other de-
vices in your studio.
Destructive Recording and Transport
RecordLock For basic time code and synchronization
information for Pro Tools, see Chapter 47,
As a precaution against accidentally recording
“Working with Synchronization.”
over previous material, the Transport RecordLock
option is automatically disabled and grayed out Digidesign’s MachineControl™ option for
when Destructive record mode is enabled. Pro Tools HD lets you remotely arm tracks on
supported 9-pin decks (or V-LAN for Transport
Audio Track RecordLock only).
This setting lets Pro Tools tracks either emulate
Choose Setup > Machine Track Arming
a digital dubber, or maintain legacy behavior for
Profiles to configure your system, and
track record status.
choose Window > Machine Track Arming to
‹ When the Audio Track RecordLock option is en- display the Machine Track Arming window.
abled, the record-enabled audio tracks remain
armed when playback or recording stops.
For information on remote track arming
with MachineControl, see the MachineCon-
trol Guide.

410 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 4 Prepare to record by cueing Pro Tools to an ap-
QuickPunch Audio Recording propriate location. To use pre-roll, enable a pre-
roll value in the Transport window.
QuickPunch is available on all systems and lets
you instantaneously punch in and out all 5 Start playback by clicking Play in the Trans-
record-enabled audio tracks during playback by port window.
clicking the Record button in the Transport.
6 Do one of the following:
Many Pro Tools systems also let you use a • When you reach the punch-in point, click
footswitch to punch in and out. See the Record in the Transport.
guide that came with your Pro Tools LE – or –
audio interface, control surface, or ICON
• For Pro Tools systems that support using a
worksurface (Pro Tools|HD only).
connected footswitch, step on the foot-
switch at the punch-in point.
Recording with QuickPunch
The Record button stops flashing and stays lit
To punch on-the-fly with QuickPunch: during recording.
1 Do one of the following: 7 To punch out, click Record again (or step on
• Select Options > QuickPunch. the footswitch).
– or – As Pro Tools continues playing, you can per-
• Right-click the Record button in the Trans- form additional punches (up to 200). When re-
port and select QuickPunch. cording multiple punches during a single pass, a
single audio file is recorded from which
When QuickPunch is enabled, a “P” appears in
Pro Tools creates the appropriate regions.
the Record button in the Transport.
After a QuickPunch recording pass, the punched
track’s playlist in the Edit window displays the
regions created by punching. You can use any of
the Trim tools after punch recording to open up
QuickPunch enabled the head or tail of QuickPunch recorded regions,
QuickPunch enabled or to reveal the parent audio file that was re-
corded in the background. This lets you com-
2 Check or reconfigure the crossfade setting for
pensate for any late or missed punches.
punch recording (see “QuickPunch/TrackPunch
Crossfade Length” on page 409). For information on file and region naming, see
“Audio Files, Regions and Takes” on page 408.
3 Click the track Record Enable button to record
enable each track on which you want to punch
in.

If you cannot record enable tracks due to

voice limitations, see “Voice Requirements
for Punch Recording” on page 406.

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes 411

 QuickPunch with an Edit Selection
TrackPunch Audio Recording
If you make an Edit selection and use Quick-
(Pro Tools HD Only)
Punch, the following rules apply:
‹ If the Transport is not online, recording be- TrackPunch mode lets you punch tracks in and
gins and stops whenever you click the Record out individually (one at a time) or punch multi-
button in the Transport—regardless of the selec- ple tracks in and out simultaneously. Track-
tion’s start or end point. Punch is a nondestructive punch mode which
leaves previous material on disk. (To destruc-
‹ If the Transport is online, punch-in/out be-
tively replace audio on disk, see “Destructive-
havior is controlled by the Online Options set-
Punch Audio Recording” on page 416).
ting on the Operation Preferences page.
• If you select Record Online at Insertion/Se-
lection, QuickPunch punches in and out TrackPunch Setup
only within the selection (or in the case of
Before using TrackPunch in a record pass you
an insertion point, only after the insertion
must configure Pro Tools, session, and track set-
point).
tings as explained in the following sections.
• If you select Record Online at Time Code
Lock, QuickPunch disregards the selection
Configure Pro Tools
and punches in and out whenever you
want (after Pro Tools has locked to time
To configure Pro Tools:
code).
1 Configure tracks, voicing, and other Track-
For information about online playback with Punch settings as needed (see “System, Session,
Pro Tools LE, see the Setup Guide that came and Track Guidelines for Punch Recording” on
with your system or with a Toolkit option (if page 406).
you purchase one). For information about
2 Make sure Pro Tools is not recording or play-
synchronization with TrackPunch and De-
ing back (the Transport is stopped).
structivePunch recording, see “Synchroniza-
tion and Track Arming Options for Punch
Recording” on page 410.

412 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Enable TrackPunch Mode When TrackPunch mode is enabled and the
transport is armed for recording:
To enable TrackPunch mode: ‹ If no tracks are TrackPunch-enabled, the

„ Do any of the following: Record button in the Transport flashes gray and
red.
• Select Options > TrackPunch.
‹ If at least one track is TrackPunch-enabled, the
• Right-click the Record button in the Trans-
port, and select TrackPunch from the pop- Record button flashes blue and red.
up menu. ‹ If at least one TrackPunch-enabled track is also

• Start-click (Windows) or Control-click record-enabled, the Record button flashes blue

(Mac) the Record button in the Transport and red, and the record LED lights.
to cycle through available Record modes ‹ Whenever at least one audio track is record-
until TrackPunch mode is selected (a “T” ing, the Transport Record button lights solid
indicates TrackPunch mode). red.
• Press Control+Shift+T (Windows) or Com-
mand+Shift+T (Mac). TrackPunch Enabling Tracks

Transport Display of TrackPunch Status Before each pass, you must TrackPunch enable
all tracks that you intend to punch (you can
TrackPunch Record Enable TrackPunch enable tracks without record en-
enabled Status indicator abling them).

To TrackPunch enable one audio track:

„ Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac)

Input Status the track’s Record Enable button.

indicator

TrackPunch and TrackInput Status indicators in the To TrackPunch enable or disable all audio tracks:
Transport window
„ Alt-Start-click (Windows) or Option-Control-
The Transport Record button indicates Track-
click (Mac) a track’s Record Enable button.
Punch and Record status as follows:

To TrackPunch enable or disable all selected audio

When TrackPunch mode is enabled: tracks:
‹ A “T” appears in the Record button in the
„ Alt-Start-Shift-click (Windows) or Option-
Transport.
Control-Shift-click (Mac) a track’s Record Enable
‹ If at least one track is TrackPunch-enabled, the button.
Record button lights solid blue.
When TrackPunch enabled, Track record enable
buttons light solid blue.

Create track groups for each stem or set of

tracks on which you plan to punch, then use
TrackPunch mode, with at least one TrackPunch- the Group List to quickly select all tracks in
enabled track the group.

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes 413

 Track Record Status Display Monitoring and Levels
Each track’s Record Enable button indicates its
To complete the setup for TrackPunch:
TrackPunch and record enable status as follows:
1 Configure monitoring for record-enabled
• When a track is TrackPunch-enabled but not
tracks by selecting a mode from the Track menu,
record-enabled, its Record Enable button
or using the TrackInput button, as appropriate.
lights solid blue.
Choices include:
• Set Record Tracks to Auto Input
• Set Record Tracks to Input Only

Selecting either monitoring mode only affects

tracks that are record-enabled.

2 Start playback and compare levels of the input

source with audio on disk. Click the TrackInput
button to toggle the track source. When lit
Record Enable button (green), the track is monitoring input. When
unlit (gray), the track is monitoring from disk
(see “Selecting Record Monitor Modes with
TrackPunch status indication TrackInput Monitoring” on page 364).
• When a track is both TrackPunch-enabled and 3 When you are satisfied with your levels, you
record-enabled, its Record enable button are ready to start punch recording.
flashes blue and red.
• When a track is record-enabled only, its
Using TrackPunch
Record Enable button flashes red.
• While a track is recording (in any mode), its After you have configured Pro Tools, tracks, and
Record Enable button lights solid red. levels, you can record with TrackPunch in sev-
eral ways.

Red (not flashing) indicates recording Punching In on Individual Tracks

(all modes)

To punch in on individual tracks:

1 Make sure Pro Tools is in TrackPunch mode.
Track Record status
2 Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac)
the Record Enable button for each track you
want to punch in, so that the track is Track-
Punch-enabled only. The track’s Record Enable
button should light solid blue.

3 Click Record in the Transport to enter the

TrackPunch Record Ready mode. The Record
button flashes blue and red.

414 Pro Tools Reference Guide

4 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback. 3 Do either of the following:

5 During playback, punch in and out on indi-

• During playback, click Record in the Trans-
vidual TrackPunch-enabled tracks by clicking port to punch in and out on all Track-
their respective Record Enable buttons. Punch-enabled tracks simultaneously.
– or –
6 While continuing local or remote playback,
do any of the following: • Click Record in the Transport first, then
Alt-Shift-click (Win) or Option-Shift-click
• Punch in on other TrackPunch enabled
(Mac) a track’s Record Enable button to si-
tracks individually.
multaneously punch in and out on all cur-
• After punching out, take tracks out of rently selected TrackPunch enabled tracks.
record enable then record enable different
TrackPunch enabled tracks. 4 Stop playback. When you are finished with

• Repeat as needed to punch other stems, the record pass, track Record Enable status and
tracks, or takes. transport Record Arm status follow the current
Audio Track RecordLock and Transport RecordLock
7 Stop playback. When you are finished with preference settings.
the record pass, track Record Enable status and
transport Record Arm status follow the current Start Recording on All Tracks
Audio Track RecordLock and Transport RecordLock
preference settings. You can choose to begin a punch pass in record,
to punch out and back in as needed.
After a TrackPunch recording pass, the punched
track’s playlist in the Edit window displays the To punch in on all tracks:
regions created by punching. You can use any of
1 Enable TrackPunch mode (see “Transport Dis-
the Trim tools after punch recording to open up
the head or tail of TrackPunch recorded regions, play of TrackPunch Status” on page 413).
or to reveal the parent audio file that was re- 2 Click the Record Enable button on each track
corded in the background. This lets you com- you want to punch in, so that the track is both
pensate for any late or missed punches. TrackPunch- and Record-enabled. The track’s
Record Enable button flashes blue and red.
For information on file and region naming, see
“Audio Files, Regions and Takes” on page 408. 3 Click Record in the Transport to enter the
TrackPunch Record Ready mode. The Record
Punching In on Multiple Tracks button flashes blue and red.
Simultaneously 4 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback.

To punch in on multiple tracks simultaneously: 5 During playback, punch out and back in on
individual TrackPunch-enabled tracks by click-
1 Enable TrackPunch mode.
ing their respective Record Enable buttons.
2 Click the Record Enable button on each track
you want to punch in, so that the track is both
TrackPunch- and Record-enabled. The track’s
Record Enable button flashes blue and red.

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes 415

 6 Stop playback. When you are finished with DestructivePunch Setup
the record pass, track Record Enable status and
transport Record Arm status follow the current Before using DestructivePunch in a record pass
Audio Track RecordLock and Transport RecordLock you must configure Pro Tools, session, and track
preference settings. settings as explained in the following sections.

Configure Pro Tools for

DestructivePunch
DestructivePunch Audio
Recording To configure Pro Tools:
(Pro Tools HD Only) 1 Configure tracks, voicing, and other settings
as needed (see “System, Session, and Track
DestructivePunch is a destructive recording mode
Guidelines for Punch Recording” on page 406).
that lets you punch in and out on during play-
back, while preserving a contiguous audio file 2 Make sure Pro Tools is not recording or play-
on each punched track. Like TrackPunch mode, ing back (the Transport is stopped).
DestructivePunch mode lets you punch tracks in
and out individually (one at a time) or punch Enable DestructivePunch Mode
multiple tracks in and out simultaneously.
To enable DestructivePunch mode:
Unlike QuickPunch and TrackPunch, Destruc-
tivePunch replaces audio within the target par- „ Do one of the following:
ent file. DestructivePunch is essentially a de- • Select Options > DestructivePunch.
structive version of TrackPunch mode. Where • Right-click the Record button in the Trans-
TrackPunch always records audio to a new file in port and select DestructivePunch.
the background, DestructivePunch destructively • Start-click (Windows) or Control-click
records audio directly into the original file, us- (Mac) the Record button in the Transport
ing a fixed 10-millisecond linear crossfade. No to cycle through available Record modes
additional regions are created when recording in until DestructivePunch mode is indicated
DestructivePunch mode. Up to 200 “running by “dp” in the Transport Record Enable
punches” can be performed in a track during a button.
single DestructivePunch pass.
Power waveform view is not available in
Destructive Punch mode.

416 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Transport Display of DestructivePunch Status Prepare Tracks for DestructivePunch
Recording
When DestructivePunch mode is enabled:
In order for a track to be enabled for Destructive-
‹ The letters “dp” appears in the Record button
Punch recording, the track must contain a con-
in the Transport.
tiguous audio file that meets the following re-
‹ If at least one track is DestructivePunch-en- quirements:
abled, the Record button in the Transport lights • The file must start at the beginning
solid blue. (sample 0) of the session.
– and –
• The File Length must be equal to or greater
than the DestructivePunch File Length set-
ting (see “DestructivePunch File Length”
Transport Record Enable button with DestructivePunch
on page 418).
mode enabled

When DestructivePunch mode is enabled and the If a track does not contain a file that meets these
transport is armed for recording: requirements, you can do any of the following
to meet the requirements:
‹ If no tracks are DestructivePunch-enabled, the
Record button in the Transport flashes gray and • Move the current file in the track Timeline
red. so that its beginning aligns with the session
start.
‹ If at least one track is DestructivePunch-en-
• Use the Consolidate command to create a
abled, the Record button flashes blue and red.
continuous file of the required length.
‹ If at least one DestructivePunch-enabled track
• Change the DestructivePunch File Length
is also record enabled, the Record button flashes
setting so that the current file is equal to or
blue and red, and the record LED lights.
greater than the required length.
‹ Whenever at least one audio track is record-
• Use the Prepare DPE Tracks command to
ing, the Record button lights solid red. consolidate audio on all DestructivePunch-
enabled tracks. (See “Using the Prepare DPE
Tracks Command” on page 418.)

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes 417

 DestructivePunch File Length Enabling Tracks for DestructivePunch
Recording
To use DestructivePunch on an audio track, the
track must contain a contiguous audio file of a You can enable tracks for DestructivePunch
minimum length, which is set in the Pro Tools without record enabling them. This lets you
Operation preferences page. punch in on individual tracks at any time after
starting playback by clicking their respective
To set DestructivePunch File Length: Record Enable buttons.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Op-
Or, you can simultaneously DestructivePunch
eration tab. enable tracks and record enable them. This lets
2 Type a value for DestructivePunch File Length. recording begin as soon as the transport is
record-armed and playback begins. (See “De-
3 Click OK.
structivePunch-Enabling and Record-Enabling
Tracks Simultaneously” on page 419.)
Using the Prepare DPE Tracks Command
DestructivePunch Enabling Tracks without
To prepare a track for DestructivePunch recording: Record Enabling Them
1 Enable DestructivePunch mode (“Enable De-
This method lets you use the Prepare DPE Tracks
structivePunch Mode” on page 416).
command to consolidate files for Destructive-
2 Make sure the tracks you want to prepare are Punch recording.
DestructivePunch-enabled (see “Destructive-
Punch Enabling Tracks without Record Enabling To DestructivePunch-enable an audio track:
Them” on page 418).
„ Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac)

3 Choose Options > Prepare DPE Tracks. the track’s Record Enable button to toggle the
button to solid blue.
Pro Tools consolidates audio on all Destructive-
Punch-enabled tracks from the beginning of the To DestructivePunch-enable all audio tracks:
session to the value specified in the Destructive-
„ Alt-Start-click (Windows) or Option-Control-
Punch File Length preference.
click (Mac) a track’s Record Enable button to
toggle all Record Enable buttons to solid blue.

418 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To DestructivePunch-enable all selected audio Track Record Status Display
tracks:
When Pro Tools is in DestructivePunch mode,
„ Alt-Start-Shift-click (Windows) or Control- each track’s Record Enable button indicates its
Option-Shift-click (Mac) a track’s Record Enable DestructivePunch and record enable status as
button to toggle the Record Enable buttons for follows:
the selected audio tracks solid blue.
• When a track is both DestructivePunch-en-
Create a VCA group for each stem or set of abled and record-enabled, its Record Enable
tracks on which you plan to punch, and use button flashes blue and red.
the VCA Record Enable button to arm all • When a track is DestructivePunch-enabled
tracks in the group for DestructivePunch. but not record-enabled, its Record Enable but-
For more information, see “VCA Master ton lights solid blue.
Tracks” on page 832.
• When a track is record-enabled only, its
DestructivePunch-Enabling and Record- Record Enable button flashes red.
Enabling Tracks Simultaneously • While a track is recording (in any mode), its
This method can be used when tracks already Record Enable button lights solid red.
meet the requirements for DestructivePunch re-
cording. Monitoring and Levels

To simultaneously DestructivePunch enable and To complete the setup for DestructivePunch:

record enable an audio track: 1 Configure monitoring for record-enabled
„ Click the track’s Record Enable button. The tracks by selecting a mode from the Track menu,
track’s Record Enable button flashes blue and as appropriate. Choices include:
red. • Set Record Tracks to Auto Input
• Set Record Tracks to Input Only
To simultaneously DestructivePunch enable and
record enable all audio tracks: Selecting either monitoring mode only affects
tracks that are record-enabled.
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) a

track’s Record Enable button. All tracks’ Record 2 Start playback.

Enable buttons flash blue and red.
3 To compare levels of the input source with au-
dio on disk, click the TrackInput button. When
To simultaneously DestructivePunch enable and
record enable all selected audio tracks: lit (green), the track is monitoring input. When
unlit (gray), the track is monitoring from disk
„ Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or Option-Shift-
(see “Selecting Record Monitor Modes with
click (Mac) a track’s Record Enable button. The TrackInput Monitoring” on page 364).
Record Enable buttons for the selected audio
tracks flash blue and red. When you are satisfied with your levels, you are
ready to start punch recording.

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes 419

 Using DestructivePunch 3 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback.

After you have configured Pro Tools, tracks, and 4 During playback, click Record in the Transport
levels, you can use DestructivePunch to record to punch in and out on all DestructivePunch-
in several ways. enabled tracks simultaneously.

5 Stop playback. When you are finished with

Punching In On Single Tracks the record pass, track Record Enable status and
transport Record Arm status follow the current
To punch in on single tracks: Audio Track RecordLock and Transport RecordLock
1 Enable DestructivePunch mode (“Enable De- preference settings.
structivePunch Mode” on page 416).
Starting Recording Immediately on
2 Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac)
Multiple Tracks
the Record Enable button for each track you
want to punch in, so that the track is Destruc-
To punch in on multiple tracks:
tivePunch-enabled only. The track’s Record En-
able button lights solid blue. 1 Enable DestructivePunch mode (“Enable De-
structivePunch Mode” on page 416).
3 Click Record in the Transport to enter Record
Ready mode. The Record Enable button flashes 2 Click the Record Enable button on each track
blue and red. you want to punch in, so that the track is both
DestructivePunch-enabled and Record-enabled.
4 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback. Each track’s Record Enable button flashes blue
5 During playback, punch in and out on indi- and red.
vidual DestructivePunch-enabled tracks by 3 Click Record in the Transport to enter Record
clicking their Record Enable buttons. Ready mode. The Record button flashes blue
6 Stop playback. When you are finished with and red.
the record pass, track Record Enable status and 4 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback.
transport Record Arm status follow the current
Audio Track RecordLock and Transport RecordLock 5 During playback, punch out and back in on
preference settings. individual DestructivePunch-enabled tracks by
clicking their respective Record Enable buttons.
Punching In on Multiple Tracks 6 Stop playback. When you are finished with
the record pass, track Record Enable status and
To punch in on multiple tracks simultaneously: transport Record Arm status follow the current
1 Enable DestructivePunch mode (“Enable De- Audio Track RecordLock and Transport RecordLock
structivePunch Mode” on page 416). preference settings.

2 Click the Record Enable button on each track

you want to punch in, so that the track is both
DestructivePunch-enabled and Record-enabled.
Each track’s Record Enable button flashes blue
and red.

420 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Film Dubbing and Mixing
Example TrackPunch and
DestructivePunch Workflows Film dubbing and mixing features of Track-
Punch and DestructivePunch let you do the fol-
TrackPunch and DestructivePunch let you use lowing:
Pro Tools punch recording in many ways. For
• Arm and punch Pro Tools audio tracks re-
example, DestructivePunch lets Pro Tools be
motely from a master synchronizer such as
used as a digital dubber for film re-recording
SoundMaster through P2 commands at any
(dubbing) and mixing (see “Film Dubbing and
time, without having to stop playback and
Mixing” on page 421).
while maintaining time code lock. (Requires
Keyboard shortcuts and preference settings for Digidesign MachineControl.)
recording and input monitoring provide flexi- • Toggle Pro Tools audio tracks between input
bility that makes TrackPunch or Destructive- and disk monitoring.
Punch equally useful for the following work-
• Use Pro Tools as the time code master (gener-
flows commonly performed in film, video, and
ating) or when slaving.
music production:
• Punch non-destructively with TrackPunch, or
• Loading dailies (see “Loading Dailies Using
destructively with DestructivePunch.
RecordLock” on page 422)
• Recording Foley (see “Foley Recording” on A typical pre-dub session includes the following
page 423) steps:
• Tracking and overdubbing in music produc- 1 Configure synchronization between Pro Tools
tion and any other recording situation (see and other devices as appropriate.
“Tracking and Overdubbing Music” on
2 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
page 423)
Operation tab.
Throughout these examples, references to 3 Select (enable) Transport RecordLock. This
TrackPunch can also be applied to Destruc- keeps the Transport Record armed after the
tivePunch (just remember that TrackPunch transport stops.
is nondestructive, while DestructivePunch is
a destructive punch mode). In Remote mode, Transport RecordLock has
no effect. The synchronizer determines the
Because Pro Tools can be networked, Track-
behavior.
Punch (and all other) audio files and whole ses-
sions can be available for secure transfer to other 4 Deselect Audio Track RecordLock. This causes
systems for review, editing, and archiving. the audio track record to disarm when the trans-
port stops.
In the following example workflows, it is as-
sumed you already familiar with routing, select- In Remote mode, Audio Track RecordLock
ing, and grouping Pro Tools tracks. If you are has no effect. The synchronizer determines
not, see Chapter 11, “Tracks” and Chapter 40, the behavior.
“Basic Mixing.”

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes 421

 5 Do either of the following: Loading Dailies Using RecordLock
• Select Options > TrackPunch to enable Track-
Dailies and similar types of transfers are com-
Punch mode for non-destructive punch re-
prised of multiple takes or scenes, each recorded
cording.
while locked to unique time-of-day time code.
• Select Options > DestructivePunch to enable
In between each take, time code does not con-
DestructivePunch recording.
tinue but stops completely. Because of this, the
6 Create 32 new tracks, then do the following: time code on dailies and similar source material
• Assign their inputs. is said to be “discontinuous” or discontinuous
(also known as broken time code).
– and –
• Group them into eight-track groups. By default, Pro Tools drops out of recording
when it goes offline due to broken time code.
7 Click the record enable buttons in the first
However, you can change this behavior so that
eight tracks to TrackPunch enable the first eight
Pro Tools will instead remain armed, waiting to
tracks (or, the group for the first pre-dub).
begin recording again when lock is re-estab-
lished with the time code of the next take.
Use the Group List to quickly select all
tracks in the group, and Alt-Shift-click
(Windows) or Option-Shift-click (Mac) to To configure RecordLock for loading:
record-enable all the tracks in the group. 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Operation tab.
8 Assign the console paddles to the first eight-
track group in the session. 2 Enable Transport RecordLock.

9 Begin the pre-dub pass. Use the console pad- 3 Enable Audio Track RecordLock.
dles to arm Pro Tools, and to punch in and out 4 Configure synchronization and other settings
on the first group. as required.
10 When the first pre-dub is over and all tracks
5 Put Pro Tools online, and start the external
are punched out, clear all TrackPunch or De- source player.
structivePunch enabled tracks.
6 Whenever time code drops out or stops,
11 Select the next group of tracks and Track-
Pro Tools remains online and waits to receive
Punch- or DestructivePunch-enable them. new time code. The Transport and record-en-
12 Punch in and out on the second group of abled tracks remain record-enabled. When time
tracks. code resumes, Pro Tools begins recording to a
new audio file (properly time stamped based on
13 Repeat the preceding steps as necessary.
the incoming code).

Because Pro Tools has a 13-hour Timeline

limit, you must use multiple sessions to
load dailies if the span is more than
13 hours.

422 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Foley Recording Tracking and Overdubbing Music
Foley recording is one of the more specialized Modern multitrack recording requires the flexi-
forms of recording in film production with bility to “capture the moment” by allowing on-
unique monitoring requirements. Between the-fly record enabling and punch recording, as
punches and takes, inputs must be muted while provided by TrackPunch. Features of Track-
Foley artists move themselves and equipment as Punch for all tracking, overdubbing, and punch-
they progress through a scene. ing situations include the following:
• Record enable tracks on-the-fly.
TrackInput monitoring can be configured to
support Foley style TrackPunch recording using • Punch tracks in and out using on-screen
the Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped pref- Record Enable buttons, remotely from a
erence. synchronizer, from a control surface, or us-
ing a foot switch.
To configure Pro Tools for Foley-style punch record • Compare and match levels using TrackIn-
monitoring: put switching.

1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the

Operation tab.

2 Enable Mute Record-Armed Tracks While

Stopped.

3 Configure synchronization and other settings

for Pro Tools and your other devices.

4 Enable TrackPunch or DestructivePunch

mode and proceed with punch recording.

When recording online and Mute Record-Armed

Tracks While Stopped is enabled, record-enabled
tracks mute when the Transport is stopped. In-
put can still be monitored at any time by using
the TrackInput switch.

Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes 423

424 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Part V: Editing

425
426
Chapter 22: Editing Basics

Nondestructive Editing
Pro Tools Editing
The vast majority of audio editing in Pro Tools is
The Edit window in Pro Tools provides a power- nondestructive. Whether cutting, pasting, trim-
ful collection of tools for editing and arranging ming, separating, or clearing regions, you are
audio, video, and MIDI. Track material can be only performing these functions on a map of
edited nondestructively and in real time during the actual media (such as audio files). The source
playback. The Edit window also lets you graphi- files remain untouched. However, certain pro-
cally edit Elastic Audio and track automation. cesses or tools work destructively (can perma-
nently change audio files on your hard disk), as
This chapter covers the basic concepts of editing
noted in this guide.
audio and MIDI regions and playlists. Subse-
quent chapters provide more detailed informa- While editing for MIDI tracks is in some in-
tion on the following editing tasks: stances destructive, with a few precautions you
can keep important MIDI tracks and regions safe
Editing Regions and Selections See Chapter 25,
when performing edits (see “Nondestructive
“Editing Regions and Selections.” Also, see
MIDI Editing” on page 436).
Chapter 35, “Arranging Regions.”

Editing Fades and Crossfades See Chapter 26,

Editing During Playback
“Fades and Crossfades.”
Pro Tools lets you perform many editing tasks
Editing Elastic Audio See Chapter 38, “Elastic while the session plays. This powerful capability
Audio.” lets you interactively modify and edit a session,
Editing MIDI See Chapter 29, “MIDI Editing.” hearing the changes as you make them.

Editing Automation See Chapter 42, “Automa- Use Loop and Dynamic Transport modes for
tion.” auditioning and editing loops during play-
back. See “Playback Modes” on page 337.
Editing Video See Chapter 48, “Working with
Video in Pro Tools.”

Chapter 22: Editing Basics 427

 Following are just a few examples of editing and Regions are also created by cutting and pasting,
arranging tasks that can be performed while resizing, separating, and re-capturing existing
playing back a Pro Tools session: regions. Regions in a session are listed in the Re-
• Capture, separate, cut, copy, paste, and gion List, where they can be dragged to existing
trim regions. tracks. A track can contain any number of re-
• Place, spot, or rearrange regions. gions, in any arrangement. The order and loca-
tion of regions in a track define its playlist.
• Add fades or crossfades to audio regions.
• Quantize MIDI notes and audio events. In addition to audio and MIDI regions,
• Transpose and otherwise modify MIDI tracks provide automation playlists of any
tracks. automation data (such as volume and pan).
• Nudge audio or MIDI regions. Automation can be recorded and edited in
the Mix, Edit, and MIDI Editor windows.
• Audition different playlists.
For more information, see Chapter 42, “Au-
• Adjust or scale automation and MIDI con-
tomation.”
tinuous controller data.
• Insert real-time plug-ins. Region Types
• Apply Real-Time (and Rendered) Elastic
There are different types of audio and MIDI re-
Audio processing.
gions, based on how they are created:
• Process audio with an AudioSuite plug-in.
• Automation editing. For information on video regions, see
Chapter 48, “Working with Video in
There are a few things that cannot be changed Pro Tools.”
while Pro Tools plays, as noted throughout this
guide. Whole-File Audio Regions These audio regions
are created when recording or importing audio,
consolidating existing regions, and when non-
destructively processing with an AudioSuite
Track Material plug-in. Whole-file audio regions reference an
Each time you record or import audio, video, entire audio file that resides on your hard drive.
and MIDI, Pro Tools creates regions for the new Whole-file audio regions are displayed in bold
track data, which not only indicate where the in the Region List (see Chapter 13, “The Region
material begins and ends, but also provides vi- List”). Normal regions often reference only a
sual feedback on its general character and con- portion of the parent audio file and are created
tent. When you record additional takes, or in the course of editing and, in some instances,
“punch in” on a specific location within a track, when punch recording or loop recording.
Pro Tools creates additional regions.
User-Defined Regions These are regions that are
explicitly defined, such as when you record or
import audio or MIDI; capture, separate, or con-
solidate a selection; trim a whole-file audio re-
gion; or rename an existing region.

428 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Auto-Created Regions These regions are auto- Warped Regions Regions on Real-Time Elastic
matically created in the course of editing, and, Audio-enabled tracks can be warped. Warped re-
in some instances, when punch recording over gions are identified with a Warp Indicator icon
existing regions. Since these regions can accu- in the upper-right corner of regions on tracks
mulate rapidly in a session, you can hide them and to the left of region names in the Region
in the Region List. Auto-created regions can be List. Warped regions result from the application
turned into user-defined regions by renaming of Elastic Audio processing. Elastic Audio pro-
them. cessing can be applied manually in Warp view
or using the TCE Trimmer in Waveform view, or
For more information, see “Naming and automatically using tempo conform, quantiza-
Displaying Regions in the Region List” on tion, or transposition.
page 219.
For more information, see “Warped Re-
Offline Regions Regions are offline when their gions” on page 784.
parent files cannot be located, or are not avail-
able, when opening a session or importing a
track. Offline regions appear in the Region List
as italicized and dimmed; they appear in playl-
Audio Regions and Waveforms
ists as light blue regions with italicized names. When the Track View for audio tracks is set to
Offline regions can be edited like other regions, Waveform, Pro Tools draws a waveform diagram
but they cannot be processed with AudioSuite of the audio. Audio waveforms tell you several
plug-ins. things about the recorded sound.

Multichannel Regions These regions, which are

displayed as a single region in the Region List,
reference multiple regions and audio files for
stereo and surround tracks. Multichannel re-
gions can be expanded (by clicking the triangle
next to their name) to see the individual chan- Figure 21. Audio waveform of a drum track
nels, which can be dragged independently to
tracks. In Figure 21, the “peaks” represent places in the
recording where the attack of the sound causes
Region Groups A region group is a collection of the volume to increase momentarily. These are
any combination of audio and MIDI regions followed by “valleys,” where the volume de-
that looks and acts like a single region. Region creases.
groups are essentially containers holding one or
more regions. Region groups can be created on a Different types of sounds produce different
single track or on multiple adjacent audio, types of waveforms. Drums, for example, gener-
MIDI, and Instrument tracks. Region groups let ally produce waveforms with sharp transients
you “nest” multiple regions into “macro” re- (peaks of short duration) that are clearly de-
gions for groove and tempo manipulation, edit- fined. A drum hit has a loud, sharp attack and a
ing, and arranging. rapid decay.

For more information on region groups, see

“Region Groups” on page 743.

Chapter 22: Editing Basics 429

 Other sounds, such as vocals or sustained syn- Power When selected, the wave form display is
thesizer pads, produce very different waveforms. calculated according to the Root Mean Square
These sounds have less pronounced peaks and (RMS). Power view can be used for normal or
valleys because they generally have softer at- rectified views. Power view is useful for better
tacks and longer decays. seeing the characteristics of the audio in the
waveform representation when zoomed out be-
yond the sample level. For mastering applica-
Waveform Views
tions in particular, it can be more revealing of
Pro Tools provides a several different Waveform the sonic characteristics of the audio than Peak
View options. Depending on the editing task, view.
you may want display waveforms in any num-
ber of different ways.

Calculating Waveform Overviews

Waveforms can be calculated using Peak or

Power overviews. Normal Power Waveform view with Outlines

To set how the Waveform view is calculated: Peak view is always shown during record-
„ Choose View > Waveforms and select one of the ing. Power waveform view is calculated and
following: shown only after you stop recording.
• Peak
– or – Power view is not available in Destructive
• Power Punch mode or when zoomed to the sample
level.
Peak When selected, the waveform display is
calculated based on the sample-by-sample peak Rectified Waveforms
level. Peak view is traditionally how Pro Tools
Rectified waveforms are displayed so that their
calculates the waveform overview and can be
positive and negative waveform excursions (the
used for normal or rectified views. Peak view
portions that fall above and below the center
clearly displays any clipping in the waveform.
line) are summed together and viewed as a sin-
gle positive-value signal. This view lets you see
more waveform detail in normal or reduced
track height views. It can be particularly useful
when editing volume automation data, since it
depicts waveform levels as starting at the bot-
Normal Peak Waveform view with Outlines tom of the track. Rectified view is available in
both Peak and Power views.

When zoomed in to the sample level,

Pro Tools always displays Peak view.

430 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To show waveforms rectified (or normally):
„ Select (or deselect) View > Waveforms > Recti-

fied.

Peak Waveform view without Outlines

Rectified Peak Waveform view with Outlines

Power Waveform view without Outlines

Rectified Power Waveform view with Outlines

When zoomed in to the sample level,

Pro Tools always displays waveforms in
Normal Peak view. Rectified Peak Waveform view without Outlines

Outlined Waveforms

Outlined waveforms provide more visual defini-

tion of the waveform, especially when viewed
from a distance. However, you may want to dis-
able Outlines when you need to do precise, de-
Rectified Power Waveform view without Outlines
tailed editing in Peak waveform view. Outlines
are not displayed when you are zoomed in to
the sample level.

To show (or hide) waveform outlines:

„ Select (or deselect) View > Waveforms > Out-

lines.

Chapter 22: Editing Basics 431

 Guidelines for Editing Waveforms Avoiding Clicks and Pops
With the Selector tool in the Edit window, you If an edited region begins or ends at a point of
can select portions of audio waveforms and di- high amplitude, you may hear a click when
vide them into segments called regions, so that Pro Tools plays from one region to another. In
you can rearrange and manipulate them in order to avoid clicks or pops do any of the fol-
tracks. lowing:
‹ Make sure that the start and end points of
While editing musical material, try to create re-
gions that let you maintain a consistent beat. If your selection are as close as possible to the
you always define regions so that they contain a point where the amplitude of the waveform
whole number of beats, you will be able to string tapers down to meet the zero-crossing line (the
the regions together and maintain a smooth, center line of the track’s waveform display). If
steady rhythm. necessary, use the zooming tools in the Edit win-
dow (see “Using the Zoomer Tools” on
It is sometimes useful to have a steady, well-de- page 449) to display waveforms in greater detail.
fined reference waveform (such as a drum track
or click track) as a guide when selecting and de-
fining other regions. If you have played in time
with the beat, it should be easier to create rhyth-
mically accurate regions by referring to the ref-
erence waveform. Selection that begins and ends at zero crossings

Some important rules to keep in mind when de- ‹ Apply a crossfade between regions where a

fining regions: click or pop occurs. See “Creating a Crossfade”

on page 521 for details.
‹ Whenever possible, begin a region precisely
before a volume peak, and end it immediately ‹ With Pro Tools HD, use the AutoFade feature

before another volume peak. to apply real-time fade-ins/outs to all region

boundaries that do not touch or overlap other
‹ Whenever possible, make sure a region starts
regions. See “Using AutoFades” on page 523 for
and ends on exactly the same part of a beat.
details.
‹ Use the following Pro Tools features to help
you edit rhythmic material or audio with clear
transients into precise regions:
• Tab to Transients (see “Tabbing to Tran-
sients” on page 484.)
• Editing to a Grid (see “Grid” on page 446)
• Beat Detective (see Chapter 28, “Beat De-
tective”)

432 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Nondestructive Audio Editing
MIDI Regions and MIDI Data
When editing an audio track’s playlist in
Pro Tools, you are not actually cutting and mov- The two most common Track Views you will use
ing pieces of sound as you would if you were for MIDI and Instrument tracks are Notes and
cutting and splicing analog tape. Instead, Regions:
Pro Tools creates a map of the audio file on your ‹ Use Regions view for arranging regions.
hard disk, which describes the order in which to
‹ Use Notes view for inserting and editing indi-
play various portions of the audio.
vidual MIDI notes, and for working with and af-
When trimming audio regions with any of the fecting groups of notes.
Trimmer tools, or when editing the placement
For more information on setting Track
or order of regions within a track, you can use
View, see “Track Views” on page 169.
multiple playlists to easily return to a track’s pre-
vious state. For more information, see “Playlists”
on page 529. To toggle the Track View between Notes
and Regions, click in the track you want to
toggle and press Start+Minus (Windows) or
Audio Regions and Automation Control+Minus (Mac) on the alphanumeric
Data keyboard.
Automation data for audio resides in tracks and
not in the Region List. This means that when Regions View for MIDI and
you drag an audio region from the Region List to Instrument Tracks
a new track, no automation data is placed in the
track. However, if you drag an audio region from MIDI and Instrument tracks can be viewed as
an existing track (that contains automation Regions, which is similar to Waveform view for
data) to another track, the automation from the audio tracks. While a track’s notes are visible in
source track is placed in the destination track. Regions view, individual note editing is not
available in this view. Instead, all editing occurs
You can edit automation data by switching track across a time range encompassing all track data,
views or by revealing the automation lanes un- including continuous controller events, pro-
der the track. gram changes, and System Exclusive events.

For more information on automation, see Use Regions view to define regions that repre-
Chapter 42, “Automation.” sent song sections and clips, or to rearrange or
assemble track material.

In Regions view, the vertical zoom is automati-

cally scaled to fit the entire range of pitches of
MIDI notes on a track.

You can double-click a MIDI region to open

it in the MIDI Editor window. See
Chapter 30, “MIDI Editors.”

Chapter 22: Editing Basics 433

 There are a few things to consider when select- When moving and placing MIDI regions with
ing, copying and cutting, and trimming MIDI overlapping notes, the notes always move with
regions: the regions. When placing MIDI regions with
‹ When cutting or clearing a region or region
overlapping notes next to or near another re-
group selection that includes a note’s start gion, the overlapping notes extend into the
point, the entire note is removed. This is even next region on the track.
the case when only a portion of the note (that
To separate MIDI notes, rather than leave
includes its start point) is selected.
them hanging, when separating, cutting or
‹ When cutting or clearing a region or region copying regions, make the Edit selection you
group selection that includes a note’s end point want, switch to Notes view and use the Sep-
(but not its start point), the note remains and arate At Selection command, then switch
overlaps the edge of the region (see Figure 22 on back to Regions view and make the edit
page 434). (separating, cutting, or copying).

MIDI Regions Created on Barlines

When recording MIDI, or when manually enter-
ing MIDI notes, the beginning and ending of re-
sulting MIDI regions are constrained to bar
boundaries. This facilitates arranging MIDI re-
gions in a musically meaningful way, in whole
bar lengths.

The beginning of a recorded MIDI region always

starts on the barline immediately before the first
MIDI note (Note On) of the region. Likewise, the
MIDI region ends on the barline immediately
following the last note (Note Off) of the region.

Figure 22. Cutting a MIDI region with note overlap

MIDI Regions and Continuous
‹ Similar rules also apply when MIDI regions or Controller Events
region groups containing MIDI regions are
Continuous controller events reside in MIDI re-
trimmed with any of the Trimmer tools. If the
gions and not in tracks. This means that when
MIDI region’s start point is moved beyond a
dragging regions that contain controller data
note’s start point, the note is removed. If the re-
from either a track or the Region List, the con-
gion’s end point is trimmed so that a note’s start
troller data is written to the destination track.
point is within the region but its end point is
not, the note remains and overlaps the edge of You can edit continuous controller events by
the region. switching track views or by revealing the con-
troller lanes under the track.

For more information on editing MIDI con-

troller data, see Chapter 29, “MIDI Editing.”

434 Pro Tools Reference Guide

MIDI Mute Automation
Clicking the mini-keyboard clears the cur-
Unlike continuous controller events, which rep- rent Edit selection. For more information,
resent nuances that are part of a MIDI perfor- see “Selecting MIDI Notes” on page 582.
mance, Mute in Pro Tools is an automation
playlist that actually mutes the MIDI engine. In Notes view, the pitch range of MIDI notes
Mute automation does not correspond to actual that can be displayed depends on the track
MIDI events and is therefore not exported when height, and on the current zoom value. Any
saving as a Standard MIDI File. time a track’s notes do not fit within its current
height, notes above or below the viewed area are
displayed as single-pixel lines at the very top
Notes View for MIDI and and bottom of the range (see Figure 23 above).
Instrument Tracks
When a MIDI or Instrument track’s Track View is To scroll the Notes display up or down for a MIDI or
Instrument track, do one of the following:
set to Notes, MIDI notes are displayed in a
“piano roll” format. Each note is displayed as a „ Click either the up or down arrow of the mini-

small rectangle with its vertical placement indi- keyboard.

cating pitch and its horizontal placement indi-
cating location in time (and duration).

Up Arrow MIDI note above the current display

Scrolling notes with the Up Arrow on mini-keyboard

– or –

„ With any of the Edit tools (such as the Time

Grabber tool) selected, press Control+Alt+Start

(Windows) or Command+Option+Control
(Mac) and drag up or down on the mini-key-
Down Arrow Keyboard reference MIDI note board.
Figure 23. MIDI track displaying notes

To the left of the MIDI or Instrument track’s

playlist is a vertical mini-keyboard, complete
with octave numbering, for pitch reference. You
can click the mini-keyboard to play pitches us-
ing the track’s selected MIDI output. Arrows at
the top and bottom of the mini-keyboard (not Scrolling Notes display by dragging
available in the smaller track heights) are used to
scroll the Notes display up and down.

Chapter 22: Editing Basics 435

 Using the Edit tools, notes can be inserted, de-
leted, transposed, trimmed, and moved. For Naming Regions
more information, see “Manually Editing MIDI
You can rename regions to give them more de-
Notes” on page 582.
scriptive names, or to simplify existing names.
If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you When renaming a region that was auto-created
can use it to scroll a MIDI or Instrument during editing, the region becomes a user-de-
track’s Notes display. Place the mouse over fined region and is displayed in the Region List
a MIDI or Instrument track in the Edit win- even when auto-created regions are hidden.
dow, and Control-Alt-Start-scroll (Win-
For details on renaming regions, see “Re-
dows) or Command-Option-Control-scroll
naming Regions” on page 219.
(Mac) the scroll wheel to scroll the Notes
display for that track. To rename a region on a track:
1 Do one of the following:
Nondestructive MIDI Editing
• Select the region you want to rename and
While editing audio regions is usually nonde- then choose Region > Rename.
structive, this is generally not the case for MIDI • With any of the Edit tools, Right-click the
regions. For instance, if a MIDI region resides in the region that you want to rename and se-
just one track at a single location, editing for lect Rename from the pop-up menu.
that region is destructive. This means that alter- • Press Control+Shift+R (Windows) or Com-
ing the pitch, duration, or placement of notes in mand+Shift+R (Mac).
Notes view permanently alters the region.
• With the Grabber tool, double-click the re-
However, if the Mirror MIDI Editing option is dis- gion you want to rename. For MIDI re-
abled, when editing a MIDI region that appears gions, the Name Dialog option must be
elsewhere in the session (either on the same selected as the Double-Clicking a MIDI Region
track at another location or in a different playl- Opens setting in the MIDI Preferences.
ist, or in another track), editing is nondestruc- 2 In the Name dialog, type a new name for the
tive and creates a new auto-created region. To go region. If a whole-file audio region was selected,
back to the previous material, drag the original specify whether to rename just the region, or
region from the Region List, or return to a previ- both the region and the disk file.
ously saved playlist.

One way to safely return to a track’s previ-

ous state is with playlists. Before you edit
notes, trim regions, or rearrange the order of
regions, make a duplicate of the track’s ex-
isting playlist and then edit the duplicate
(see “Playlists” on page 529).

To apply edits to all instances of a MIDI re- Name dialog

gion, enable Mirrored MIDI Editing mode
3 Click OK to rename the region.
(see “Mirrored MIDI Editing” on page 577).

436 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Displaying Other Region Information
Displaying Region Names,
You can also choose to display the following in
Region Times, and Other Data
regions:
Region names and times can sometimes get in
the way of editing audio waveforms and MIDI Sync Points Can be displayed on regions in play-
data. In these instances, you may want to dis- lists (see “Sync Points” on page 728). This is use-
able their display. In other instances, such as ar- ful when visually spotting to time code or in ar-
ranging or spotting Foley, displaying region ranging in Grid mode.
names and times is extremely useful. Region Overlaps Can be displayed on regions in
playlists. This is useful for arranging and when
To enable or disable the display of region names in working with tick-based audio tracks (see “Re-
playlists:
gion Overlap and Underlap” on page 499).
„ Select or deselect View > Region > Name.
Channel Name and Scene And Take
Information Can be displayed in regions in play-
To display region times:
lists and in the Region List. This is useful for
„ From View > Region, select one of the follow- working with multichannel recordings and
ing options: metadata made by field recorders.

No Time Disables display of region times. See the Field Recorder Workflow Guide for
detailed information on workflows for field
Current Time Displays start and end times for re-
recorders.
gions.

Original Time Stamp Displays the Original Time

Stamp for each region. The Original Time Stamp
is the original time code location for the region
when it was first recorded or created.

User Time Stamp Displays the User Time Stamp

for each region. The User Time Stamp, which de-
faults to the Original Time Stamp, can be rede-
fined with the Time Stamp command.

Display enabled for region names, Overlap, and times

Chapter 22: Editing Basics 437

 Undo History Window
Multiple Undo
You can use the Undo History window to view
Pro Tools can keep track of up to 32 of the last the queue of the undoable and redoable opera-
undoable operations, allowing you to return to a tions and return to any previous state. The Undo
previous editing state. History can show edit creation times, enabling
you to revert to the state a session held at a par-
The Undo operations in Pro Tools are stored in a
ticular time.
queue, in the order in which they were invoked.
When choosing Edit > Undo, the most recent op-
Options selector
eration is undone. If you choose Undo again, the
next operation in the queue is undone. You can
also choose Edit > Redo to redo an operation,
which moves back through the Undo queue by
one step. Undoable
operations

When the number of operations in the Undo

Redoable
queue reaches the maximum specified level of operations
Undo (set in the Editing Preferences page), per-
forming another undoable operation will re-
move the oldest operation at the top of the Creation times
queue. Undo History Window

To undo the last operation, do one of the following: To show (or hide) the Undo History window:

„ Choose Edit > Undo. „ Choose Window > Undo History.

– or –
To undo operations in the Undo History window:
„ Press Control+Z (Windows) or Command+Z
„ Click the operation (bold) in the list to undo.
(Mac).
All operations in the queue that were performed
If no actions are available to undo, the after the operation you select are also undone.
menu displays Can’t Undo. In the Undo History window, undoable opera-
tions are shown in bold and redoable operations
To redo the last undone operation, do one of the
(operations that have already been undone) are
following:
shown in italics.
„ Choose Edit > Redo.
– or – To redo operations in the Undo History window:

„ Press Shift+Control+Z (Windows) or „ Click the operation (italics) in the list to redo.
Shift+Command+Z (Mac).
The operation you choose, as well as all the op-
If no actions are available to redo, the menu erations in the queue before it, are redone.
displays Can’t Redo.

438 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To toggle display of creation times in the Undo Levels of Undo and Memory
History window:
Because Pro Tools needs to keep track of the
„ Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
playlists for all tracks that are edited, the use of
Show Creation Times.
multiple levels of Undo can be memory inten-
sive. You can lower the Levels of Undo setting
To undo all the operations in the Undo Queue:
(Editing Preferences) in Pro Tools to reduce the
„ Click the Options pop-up menu and choose amount of system memory (RAM) used by the
Undo All. Undo queue. If you have plenty of memory
available for Pro Tools, you can use a higher Lev-
To redo all the operations in the Redo Queue: els Of Undo setting.
„ Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
Use the Undo History window to view a
Redo All.
queue of undo operations and return to a
previous state.
Clearing the Undo Queue
To set the Levels of Undo in Pro Tools:
To manually clear the Undo Queue
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
„ Click the Options pop-up menu and choose Editing tab.
Clear Undo Queue.
2 Click in the Levels of Undo field and type a
Other operations that clear the Undo Queue in- value between 1–32.
clude:
• Deleting a track, or clearing a region from
the Region List
• Selecting Select > Unused, or Select > Un-
Levels of Undo preference
used Audio Except Whole Files in the Region
List menu 3 Click OK.

When the number of operations in the Undo

History reaches the maximum level of Undo,
performing another undoable operation re-
moves the oldest operation at the top of the
Undo History queue. When the oldest operation
is one operation away from being pushed out of
the queue, it is shown in red.

Chapter 22: Editing Basics 439

 When selecting groups of MIDI notes in Notes
Basic Editing Commands view with any of the Grabber tools (by drawing
a rectangle around them), only the note data is
Pro Tools provides many standard edit com-
placed on the Clipboard. When selecting a time
mands (such as Cut, Copy, and Paste). Pro Tools
range of MIDI notes (in Notes view) with the Se-
also provides many specialized edit commands
lector tool, all controller data in the track is se-
that are optimized for audio and MIDI produc-
lected (similar to selecting with the Selector tool
tion (such as Repeat Paste to Fill).
for audio tracks in Waveform view).

Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear When a track is displaying automation data or
controller data, only that data is placed on the
Use the Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear commands to Clipboard. Also, whenever you cut or copy auto-
rearrange and edit track material. Edits can oper- mation data, bounding breakpoints are created
ate on entire regions selected with the Time at each end of the selected area, in order to pre-
Grabber tool, or on track ranges selected with serve the slope of the automation both inside
the Selector tool. Edits can also work across mul- and outside the selection.
tiple tracks (see “Editing Across Multiple Tracks”
on page 443).

You can Cut, Copy, and Paste noncontiguous

regions by selecting them with the Object
Grabber tool.

Track View and Edit Content

Automation data with Cut and Pasted audio region
When cutting or copying track material, the
Track View determines the type of data placed
Use Control+Start+V (Windows) or Com-
on the Clipboard. When editing in a track’s
mand+Control+V (Mac) to special paste
Master View (Waveform view for audio tracks
automation data into another automation
and Regions view for MIDI or Instrument
type. For example, you can copy Pan auto-
tracks), selections can include all underlying au-
mation into a Volume automation playlist.
tomation and controller data (“Automation Fol-
lows Edit Option” on page 909). Thus, cutting If tracks are grouped, copying and pasting on
an audio region can also cut any volume, pan, any of the tracks affects each of the other tracks
mute, send, continuous controller, or plug-in in the group. Tracks that are hidden—even if
automation that is also on the track. This saves they are part of a group being edited—are not af-
you from having to individually cut from each fected by edits.
automation playlist on the track.

Audio waveform data

440 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The Shuffle Regions option affects how material When displaying waveforms for audio tracks, or
is cut and pasted: notes or regions for MIDI tracks, selections in-
• When Shuffle Regions is enabled, the Cut clude underlying automation and controller
command leaves no empty space, since the re- data. If the track is displaying automation data,
gions to the right of the cut slide over, closing only the automation data is affected by the ed-
the gap. Otherwise the Cut command leaves its.
an empty space corresponding to the data re- 3 Make an Edit selection of the material you
moved from the track. want to Cut or Copy.
• When Shuffle Regions is enabled, pasted data
For information on making Edit selections,
causes all regions to slide over to make room
see “Selecting Track Material” on page 475.
for the pasted material. Otherwise, pasted
data can overlap an adjacent region. 4 Do one of the following:

For more information on the Shuffle Re- • Choose Edit > Cut to remove the selection
gions option, see “Shuffle” on page 445. and place it on the Clipboard.
– or –
New regions are often auto-created when per-
• Choose Edit > Copy to place the selection on
forming edits. For instance, when clearing a se-
the Clipboard, without removing it.
lection from a region, new regions are auto-cre-
ated from the material residing outside of the If a portion of a region was cut or copied, the
selection. material on the Clipboard appears as a new re-
gion in the Region List. If a portion of a region
Cut and Copy Commands was cut, new regions are auto-created from the
material residing outside of the selection.
Use the Cut command to remove the selection
from the track and place it on the Clipboard. When Shuffle Regions is enabled, any subse-
quent regions slide over to fill any empty space.
Use the Copy command to place a copy of the se-
lection on the Clipboard so it can be pasted to
Deleting Underlying Region Data
another track, or to the same track at a different
location, while leaving the original intact and in When removing a region or selection, you can
place. choose to remove or keep the underlying region
data.
To cut or copy a selection or region:
To delete a region or selection along with the
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the
underlying region data:
current Grid value, enable Snap to Grid.
„ Choose Edit > Cut.
2 Set the Track View for the tracks you want to
edit. To delete a region or selection without removing
the underlying region data:
„ Choose Edit > Clear.

Chapter 22: Editing Basics 441

 Paste Command Clear Command
Use the Paste command to place the contents of Use the Clear command to remove a selection
the Clipboard at the Edit insertion point, and from a track without placing it on the Clip-
overwrite any material already there. board.

To paste a selection or region: To clear a selection or region:

1 If you want to constrain the insertion point or 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the
the selection to the current Grid value, enable current Grid value, enable Snap to Grid.
Snap to Grid.
2 Set the Track View for the tracks you want to
2 Do one of the following: edit.
• With the Selector tool, click in a track at the
When displaying waveforms for audio tracks, or
point where you want to paste the mate-
notes or regions for MIDI tracks, selections in-
rial.
clude underlying automation and controller
– or – data. If the track is displaying automation data,
• Use the Selector or Time Grabber tool to only the automation data is affected by the ed-
make a selection where the material will be its.
placed.
3 Make an Edit selection.

With the Grabber tool, Start-click (Win- 4 Choose Edit > Clear to remove the selection.
dows) or Control-click (Mac) a region to
conform it to the current selection. If a portion of a region was cleared, new regions
are auto-created from the material residing out-
3 Choose Edit > Paste. side of the selection. When Shuffle Regions is
enabled, any subsequent regions slide over to fill
If pasting at an insertion point with Shuffle Re-
any empty space.
gions enabled, material to the right of the paste
point is shifted to the right. Otherwise, any ma-
terial within the paste range is overwritten.

If pasting into a selection with Shuffle Regions

enabled, the selection is replaced by the Clip-
board’s contents with the adjacent material slid
left or right as necessary. Otherwise, the selec-
tion is also replaced but with the surrounding
material remaining unchanged.

When working with MIDI, you can merge

the contents of the Clipboard with material
in the destination track using Edit > Paste
Special > Merge. For more information, see
“Paste Special” on page 934.

442 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Special Cut, Copy, Paste, and To fill a selection with Repeat to Fill Selection:
Clear Commands 1 Select the region you want to copy.

Use the four “special” Edit menu commands 2 Choose Edit > Copy.
(Cut Special, Copy Special, Paste Special, and
3 Select the area you want to fill using the Selec-
Clear Special) for cutting, copying, pasting, and
tor tool and choose Edit > Paste Special > Repeat
clearing automation (volume, pan, mute, and
to Fill Selection.
plug-in automation) on audio, Auxiliary Input,
Master Fader, VCA Master, and Instrument 4 Do one of the following:
tracks. These commands can also be used for • If pasting audio regions to larger areas, the
MIDI controller data on MIDI and Instrument Batch Fades dialog opens. Configure the di-
tracks. alog to create crossfades between each
pasted region, then click OK.
You cannot paste MIDI controller data to
automation data nor automation to MIDI. – or –
• If you do not want crossfades for the
pasted audio, click Cancel in the Batch
For more information, see “Cutting, Copying,
Fades dialog.
and Pasting Automation” on page 932.

Repeat To Fill Selection

Editing Across Multiple Tracks
The Repeat to Fill Selection command lets you
automatically fill a selection with audio or MIDI When working with data from multiple tracks,
regions or data without requiring that you man- there are some important points to remember.
ually duplicate the regions. To use Repeat to Fill For example, if any selected tracks are set to
Selection, Cut or Copy a region, then make a se- their master view (see “Master Views for Tracks”
lection and use the command to fill the selec- on page 173), edits affect not only audio and
tion. When pasting audio regions, you are MIDI for the selected tracks, but all automation
prompted to specify a crossfade to be used for and controller data as well.
the pasted regions.
If all selected tracks are displayed as automation
If you fill an area that is an exact multiple of the data, edits only affect the type of automation
copied region size (for example, filling 16 bars data displayed in each track. Furthermore, if
with a 4-bar region), the copied selection is track 1 displays Pan automation, track 2 displays
pasted as many times as it takes to fill the selec- Volume automation, and track 3 displays Mute
tion. If you fill an area that is not an exact mul- automation, the Cut command cuts only pan
tiple of the copied region size (for example, fill- data from track 1, volume data from track 2, and
ing 15 seconds of a track with a 2-second region mute data from track 3.
of room noise), the remaining selection area is
filled with an automatically trimmed version of For more information on selecting data on
the original selection. multiple tracks, see “Selecting Across Multi-
ple Tracks” on page 481.

Chapter 22: Editing Basics 443

 To copy all types of automation on all selected
tracks when copying only automation or controller
data:
„ Choose Edit > Copy Special > All Automation.

To paste to multiple tracks:

1 Do one of the following:
• Place the insertion point in each of the des-
tination tracks by Shift-clicking in them.
• Make a selection in one of the Timebase
rulers.

2 Choose Edit > Paste.

When you paste multiple types of data, what-

ever data has been copied is pasted into the cor-
rect type of playlist. Automation data is pasted
into the corresponding automation playlist. Au-
dio or MIDI data is pasted into the audio or
MIDI playlist. You do not need to set target
tracks to the specific type of data being pasted
for the paste to work correctly.

If all destination tracks in a multitrack paste are

displayed as automation, the paste replaces any
previous data on the target track without shuf-
fling—regardless of whether Shuffle Regions is
enabled.

444 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools

you cannot make them overlap as in Slip mode.

Edit Modes However, if there is silence between existing re-
gions, and the regions are shuffled, the silence is
Pro Tools has four Edit modes: Shuffle, Spot,
maintained, and not removed.
Slip, and Grid. Grid mode provides two modes
of operation, Relative and Absolute, explained In Shuffle mode, adding another region to the
below. The Edit mode is selected by clicking the beginning of a track moves all subsequent re-
corresponding button in the upper left of the gions to the right (later in time) by the length of
Edit window. the added region.

When using any of the Trimmer tools in Shuffle

mode, changing a region’s start or end point au-
tomatically moves any subsequent regions as
necessary. The placement and insertion of MIDI
Edit mode buttons notes is not affected by Shuffle mode.

The Edit mode affects the movement and place- Press F1 to enable Shuffle mode.
ment of audio and MIDI regions (and MIDI
notes), how commands like Copy and Paste Shuffle Lock
function, and also how the various Edit tools
(Trim, Selector, Grabber, and Pencil tools) work. With certain workflows, it is important to ex-
clude Shuffle mode in order to ensure that re-
Use the Accent key ( ` ) to toggle through the gions stay time-aligned while editing. Shuffle
Edit modes. Lock prevents you from inadvertently entering
Shuffle mode by disabling all key commands
Shuffle and control surface switches for Shuffle mode.
You cannot invoke Shuffle Lock while in Shuffle
In Shuffle mode, you can move, trim, delete, mode.
cut, or paste regions freely within a track or to
other tracks, but their movement is constrained
by other regions. That is, if you place several re-
gions in a track, they automatically snap to each
other. You can then “shuffle” their order, but
you cannot separate them from each other and Shuffle Lock enabled

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 445

 To lock out Shuffle Mode: Grid
„ While in any Edit mode other than Shuffle In Grid mode, regions and MIDI notes that are
mode, Control-click (Windows) or Command- moved, trimmed or inserted “snap” to the cur-
click (Mac) the Shuffle button on-screen. A lock rently selected Grid value, or to precise incre-
icon appears in the Shuffle button. ments on a user-definable time grid.

To unlock Shuffle Mode: Press F4 to enable Grid mode.

„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
Displaying Grid Lines
(Mac) the locked Shuffle button on-screen.

To show (or hide) the Grid lines in the Edit window

Slip or in a MIDI Editor window, do one of the following:

In Slip mode, regions can be moved freely „ Select (or deselect) the Grid button.
within a track or to other tracks. In this mode, it
Grid button
is possible to place a region so that there is space
between it and other regions in a track. When
the track is played back, this space is silent. It is
also possible to move a region so that it overlaps
or completely covers another region.
Grid button selected in the Edit window
Use Slip mode when you want the Trim, Selec- – or –
tor, Grabber, and Pencil tools to work without
any restrictions to placement in time. „ Click the Name of the currently selected

Timebase ruler.
Press F2 to enable Slip mode.
Click to show or hide Grid lines

Spot
Use Spot mode to place regions at precise loca-
tions. In Spot mode you can specify a frame lo-
cation (or a location based on any of the other
time formats), capture an incoming Time Code
address, or use a region’s time stamps as refer-
ence points for spotting. This can be particularly
useful when performing post production tasks
Turning on Grid lines from a Timebase ruler
around SMPTE frame locations.

When Spot mode is enabled, Pro Tools asks you

to specify a destination location when a region
is dragged from the Region List, a DigiBase
browser, Windows Explorer, or the Mac Finder.

Press F3 to enable Spot mode.

446 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Absolute and Relative Grid For example, in Shuffle mode, with Snap To
Grid enabled, you can make a selection in a re-
Grid mode can be applied in Absolute or Rela- gion based on the Grid, cut the selection, and
tive mode: any regions to the right of the edit shuffle to the
‹ In Absolute Grid mode, moving any region left.
snaps the region start to Grid boundaries. If a re-
gion’s start point falls between beats, and the
Grid is set to 1/4 notes, dragging the region will
snap its start time to the nearest 1/4 note (the
current absolute Grid value).
‹ In Relative Grid mode, regions can be moved
by Grid (or Nudge) units. If a region’s start point
falls between beats and the Grid is set to a 1/4 Shuffle mode with Snap To Grid enabled
note (assuming the 1/4 note gets the beat), drag-
ging the region will be constrained to 1/4 notes, To enable Snap To Grid while in another Edit mode:
preserving the region’s relative position to the „ Shift-click the Grid mode button.
nearest beat. For more information on Relative
Grid mode, see “Sliding Regions in Grid Mode” Press Shift+F4 to enable Snap To Grid while
on page 724. in another Edit mode.

To select Absolute or Relative Grid mode: To enable Shuffle, Slip, or Spot while in Grid mode:
„ Shift-click the Shuffle, Slip, or Spot mode but-
„ Click the Grid mode selector and choose Ab-

solute or Relative. ton.

To temporarily suspend Grid mode and Press F1+F4 to enable Snap To Grid and
switch to Slip mode while dragging a region, Shuffle mode; press F2+F4 to enable Snap
hold down the Control key (Windows) or To Grid and Slip mode; and press F3+F4 to
Command key (Mac) after clicking the enable Snap To Grid and Spot mode.
mouse.
Configuring the Grid
Snap To Grid The actual Grid size, chosen from the Grid value
Pro Tools lets you enable Snap To Grid while in selector can be based on a time value using the
Shuffle, Slip, or Spot mode. When in any of Main Time Scale; or, if the Follow Main Time Scale
these modes with Snap To Grid also enabled, option is deselected, another time format can be
placing the Edit cursor and making Edit selec- used for the Grid size.
tions is constrained by the Grid, but any region
editing is also affected by the other selected Edit
mode.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 447

 The Grid Value indicator and selector are lo-
cated in the Edit window. Also, the Score Editor Edit Tools
window and MIDI Editor windows each provide
Pro Tools provides the following Edit tools: the
an independent Grid Value indicator and selec-
Zoomer, Trimmer, Selector, Grabber, Scrubber,
tor.
and Pencil tools, and the multifunctional Smart
Tool.

Zoomer Scrubber
Zoom buttons Smart Tool Pencil

Zoom Toggle Grabber

Selector
Trimmer

Zoom buttons and Edit tools

To select an Edit tool:

„ Click the icon for the tool you want in the

Grid Value indicator and pop-up menu Toolbar.

The Zoomer, Trimmer, Grabber, and Pencil tools

The current Grid value is also used for the have multiple modes, which you can select from
Quantize to Grid command (see “Quantiz- a pop-up menu when you click the tool.
ing Regions to Grid” on page 505) and Sep-
arated Region At Grid command (see “Sepa- You can use F5 (Zoomer), F6 (Trimmer), F7
rate Commands” on page 496). (Selector), and F8 (Grabber), F9 (Scrubber),
and F10 (Pencil) to select the Edit tool and
Available in the Grid Value menu is an option toggle through each tools’ respective subset
for Regions/Markers. When selected, events can of tools.
be placed freely (as in Slip mode) but will snap to
region locations (start, end, and sync points),
markers, and Edit selections when placed near Press the Escape key to toggle through the
them. Edit tools.

MIDI notes inserted with the Pencil tool ig- Zoom Buttons Use the Zoom buttons to zoom in
nore the Regions/Markers option, and in- and out vertically and horizontally on MIDI and
stead snap to the time value selected in the audio track material. You can also store and re-
Grid Value selector. call five Zoom presets.

Zoomer Tool Use the Zoomer tool to select a

zoom view in a track.

448 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Zoom Toggle Use the Zoom Toggle to switch be- Zoom Buttons
tween the current zoom view and a defined
zoom view. Pro Tools includes different Zoom buttons for
zooming in and out on track data.
Trimmer Tools Use the Trimmer tools to trim re-
gions and region groups. The Edit window, MIDI Editor windows,
and the Score Editor window also provide
Selector Tool Use the Selector to make selections Zoom buttons above and below the right
on tracks. vertical scroll bar. For more information,
see “Edit Window Zoom Buttons” on
Grabber Tools Use the Grabber tools to select,
page 133, “MIDI Editor Zoom Controls” on
separate, or move regions on tracks.
page 618, and “Score Editor Zoom Con-
Smart Tool Use the Smart tool to Trim, Select, or trols” on page 640.
Grab regions in tracks.
Horizontal Zoom In and Out Buttons
Scrubber Tool Use the Scrubber tool to scrub
The Horizontal Zoom In and Out buttons let
through track material.
you zoom in and out horizontally on track data.
Pencil Tool Use the Pencil tool to draw automa-
tion and MIDI data. Horizontal Zoom Horizontal Zoom In
Out button button (selected)

For information on using the Edit tools in

Notes view on MIDI and Instrument tracks, Horizontal Zoom In button
see Chapter 29, “MIDI Editing.”
To zoom in horizontally for all tracks, do one of the
following:
For information on using the Edit tools in
„ Click the Horizontal Zoom In button.
Warp view and Analysis view on Elastic
Audio-enabled tracks, see “Editing in Warp „ Drag on the Horizontal Zoom In button to

View” on page 778 and “Editing in Analy- zoom in continuously.

sis View” on page 785.
„ Press Control+] (Windows) or Command+]

(Mac).

Using the Zoomer Tools To zoom out horizontally for all tracks, do one of
Zooming options in Pro Tools include Zoom the following:
buttons, the Zoomer tool, the Zoom Preset but- „ Click the Horizontal Zoom Out button.
tons, and the Zoom Toggle command.
„ Drag on the Horizontal Zoom Out button to

zoom out continuously.

„ Press Control+[ (Windows) or Command+[

(Mac).

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 449

 Audio and MIDI Zoom In and Out Buttons To zoom in vertically for all MIDI and Instrument
tracks, do one of the following:
The Audio and MIDI Zoom buttons let you
zoom in and out vertically on audio and MIDI „ Click the MIDI Zoom In button.
data respectively. – or –

„ Press Control+Shift+] (Windows) or

Audio Vertical MIDI Vertical
Zoom buttons Zoom buttons Command+Shift+] (Mac).

To zoom out vertically for all MIDI and Instrument

tracks, do one of the following:
„ Click the MIDI Zoom Out button.
Audio and MIDI Vertical Zoom buttons
– or –

„ Press Control+Shift+[ (Windows) or

MIDI Vertical Zoom only affects tracks in
not in Regions view. Command+Shift+[ (Mac).

To zoom in vertically for all audio tracks, do one of To zoom MIDI vertically to show all notes (lowest
the following: to highest) in MIDI and Instrument tracks:
„ Click the Audio Zoom In button. „ Press Control+Start+Shift+[ (Windows) or

Command+Control+Shift+[ (Mac)
„ Drag on the Audio Zoom In button to zoom

continuously.
To zoom in or out vertically for a single MIDI or
„Press Control+Alt+] (Windows) or Instrument track:
Command+Option+] (Mac). 1 Make sure the Track View is not set to Regions.

To zoom out vertically for all audio tracks, do one 2 Select the Zoomer tool.
of the following:
3 Hold Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) and
„ Click the Audio Zoom Out button. drag upwards to zoom in, or downward to zoom
out.
„ Click the Audio Vertical Zoom buttons.

„ Press Control+Alt+[ or Control+Alt+] Additional Zoom Key Commands

(Windows) or Command+Option+[ or
Command+Option+] (Mac). To return to the previous zoom level, do one of the
following:
To zoom all audio vertically to show the default „ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any
waveform height:
of the Horizontal, Audio, or MIDI Zoom but-
„ Press Control+Alt+Start+[ (Windows) or tons.
Command+Option+Control+[ (Mac).
– or –

„ Press Control+Alt+E (Windows) or

Command+Option+E (Mac).

450 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To zoom in horizontally on the Edit selection To set horizontal zoom to “overview scale” (256
without affecting vertical zoom: samples per pixel):
„ Press Alt+F (Windows) or Option+F (Mac). „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) the Zoomer tool.

If the selection contains MIDI notes, the se-
lected MIDI notes are vertically scrolled to show
in tracks as necessary. Zoomer Tool
Use the Zoomer tool to zoom in and out around
To zoom in horizontally on a selection without a particular area within a track.
affecting vertical zoom or scrolling, do one of the
following: The Zoomer tool offers two modes:
„Press Alt+Start+F (Windows) or
Normal Zoom The Zoomer tool remains selected
Option+Control+F (Mac).
after zooming.
– or –
Single Zoom The previously selected Edit tool is
„Press Control+Start+] (Windows) or
automatically reselected after zooming.
Command+Control+] (Mac).
Press the F5 key to select the Zoomer tool
To zoom horizontally to show the entire session, do and toggle between Normal and Single
one of the following: Zoom modes.
„ Double-click the Zoomer tool in the toolbar.
Normal Zoomer Tool
„ Press Alt+A (Windows) or Option+A (Mac).
To zoom around a certain point in a track:
Audio waveforms revert to the default vertical
zoom; on tracks set to Notes view, MIDI notes 1 Do one of the following:
zoom vertically to show all notes in the track • Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and
(same as the vertical zoom in Regions view); and select Normal Zoom mode.
the Tempo Editor zooms vertically to show all
tempo events.

To zoom horizontally to show the entire session

without affecting vertical zoom or scrolling, do one Zoomer tool
of the following:
– or –
„Press Alt+Start+A (Windows) or
• Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Option+Control+A (Mac).
Zoomer Tools > Normal Zoom.
– or –
2 Click once with the Zoomer tool at a location
„Press Control+Start+[ (Windows) or within the track. All tracks are zoomed in by one
Command+Control+[ (Mac). level and the Edit window is centered around
the zoomed location.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 451

 3 To zoom back to the previous level, Alt-click For example, when using the Smart Tool you
(Windows) or Option-click (Mac) with the can click the Single Zoomer tool, and once the
Zoomer tool. Zoom operation has been performed, Pro Tools
automatically switches back to the Smart Tool.
To zoom into a particular track area:
To use Single Zoom mode, do one of the following:
1 Do one of the following:
• Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and „ Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and se-

select Normal Zoom mode. lect Single Zoom mode.

– or – „ Right-click on any track and select Tools >

• Right-click on any track and select Tools > Zoomer Tools > Single Zoom.
Zoomer Tools > Normal Zoom. „ Press the F5 key to toggle to Single Zoom

2 Do either of the following: mode.

• To zoom horizontally only, drag with the Single Zoom is identified with an arrow to the
Zoomer tool in the track’s playlist. right of the Zoomer icon.
– or –
• To zoom horizontally and vertically, press
Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)
while dragging in the track’s playlist.
Single Zoom mode

Normal Zoom mode does not have the arrow.

Zooming in a Ruler

To zoom horizontally in a ruler:

1 Press Control+Start (Windows) or Com-
mand+Control (Mac) and move the cursor into
the ruler area, so the Zoomer tool appears.

Zooming horizontally with Zoomer tool

The zoomed area fills the entire Edit window.

Single Zoom Mode

Single Zoom mode returns you to the previously
selected tool after a zoom has been performed.

Zooming in a ruler

452 Pro Tools Reference Guide

2 Do one of the following: To vertically zoom in or out of all MIDI and
• Click once to zoom in one level around a Instrument tracks that are set to Notes view using
continuous zoom:
certain point.
„ Drag up or down on the MIDI Zoom In or Out
– or –
button. Any waveform height offsets will be
• Drag to zoom in around a particular ruler
maintained.
range.

To zoom horizontally and show the entire session,

Continuous Zoom with the Zoomer Tool and to reset the audio waveform to show the
default height, zoom MIDI to show all notes in a
Use the Zoomer tool to zoom in or out continu-
track, and zoom the Tempo Editor to show all
ously. tempo events, do one of the following:
„ Double-click the Zoomer tool.
To use continuous zoom on one track or a group of
tracks: „ Press Alt+A (Windows) or Option+A (Mac).
1 Select the Zoomer tool.
This will also affect your MIDI note
2 Hold the Start key (Windows) or Control heights.
(Mac) and do one of the following:
• Drag up to continuously zoom in vertically.
To reset the default audio waveform heights
• Drag down to continuously zoom out ver- without affecting the horizontal zoom level
tically. or MIDI note heights, press Control+
• Drag to the right to continuously zoom in Alt+Start+[ (Windows) or Command+
horizontally. Option+Control+[ (Mac).
• Drag to the left to continuously zoom out
horizontally. To only zoom horizontally to show the entire
session without affecting vertical zoom or
For horizontal zoom, all tracks zoom together. scrolling:
Tracks will zoom in or out centered horizontally „ Press Alt+Start+A (Windows) or

on the location where you click. Option+Control+A (Mac).

Vertical Zooming In or Out of All Audio Tracks To set all audio track waveform heights to match
Continuously the waveform height of the topmost audio track in
the Edit window:
To vertically zoom in or out of all audio tracks
„ Control-Shift-click (Windows) or Command-
using continuous zoom:
Shift-click (Mac) the Audio Zoom button. All
„ Drag up or down on the Audio Zoom In or
waveform height offsets will be lost.
Out button.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 453

 To set all MIDI and Instrument track note heights Zoom Toggle
to match the note height of the topmost MIDI or
Instrument track in the Edit window: Zoom Toggle lets you define and toggle between
zoom states in the Edit window.
„ Control-Shift-click (Windows) or Command-

Shift-click (Mac) the MIDI Zoom button. All

note height offsets will be lost. Zoom Toggle Parameters
The Zoom Toggle stores and recalls the follow-
Zoom Preset Buttons ing parameters:
• Vertical Zoom
Pro Tools lets you save up to five horizontal Edit
• Horizontal Zoom
window Zoom presets, which can be recalled by
typing a number or by clicking a Zoom Preset • Track Height
button. • Track View
• Grid setting
To store a view as a Zoom preset:
1 Use the Zoomer tool to configure the Track Zoom Toggle Preferences
View.
The Zoom Toggle preferences determine how
2 Click and hold one of the Zoom Preset buttons Zoom Toggle works. Adjust the Zoom Toggle
(1–5) and choose Save Zoom Preset from the preferences to fit your workflow.
Zoom Preset pop-up menu. The preset button
flashes momentarily, and any previously stored To change the Zoom Toggle preferences:
Zoom preset at that number is replaced.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.

2 Click the Editing tab.

3 Change the Zoom Toggle settings and options.

Zoom Preset pop-up menu

To recall a saved Zoom preset, do one of the

following:
„ Click the appropriate Zoom Preset button

(1–5).
Zoom Toggle preferences
– or –

„ Click and hold the Zoom Preset button and For MIDI Editing, set the Zoom Toggle pref-
choose Recall Zoom Preset from the Zoom Preset erences as follows: Vertical Zoom to Last
pop-up menu. Used, Horizontal Zoom to Last Used, Track
View to Waveform/Notes, and Track
Height to Fit to Window.

454 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Large When selected, zoom toggling in changes
For audio editing, set the Zoom Toggle pref- all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the
erences as follows: Vertical Zoom to Selec- Large Track Height.
tion, Horizontal Zoom to Selection, Track
Height to Fit to Window, and Track View to Jumbo When selected, zoom toggling in changes
No Change. all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the
Jumbo Track Height.
4 Click OK.
Extreme When selected, zoom toggling in
Vertical Zoom changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection
to the Extreme Track Height.
Selection When selected, zoom toggling in
zooms vertically to the current Edit Selection. Fit To Window When selected, zoom toggling in
changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection
Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in
to the Fit To Window Track Height.
zooms vertically to the last stored Zoom Toggle
state for MIDI notes in Notes view only. Track View

Horizontal Zoom Waveform/Notes When selected, zoom toggling

in changes the Track View for audio tracks to
Selection When selected, zoom toggling in
Waveform view, and changes the Track View for
zooms horizontally to the current selection.
Instrument and MIDI tracks to Notes view.
This is especially useful for audio editing.
Warp/Notes When selected, zoom toggling in
Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in
changes the Track View for audio tracks to Warp
zooms horizontally to the last stored Zoom Tog-
view, and changes the Track View for Instru-
gle state. This option can emulate a separate ed-
ment and MIDI tracks to Notes view.
itor window. This is especially useful for editing
MIDI notes. Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in
changes the Track View to the last used Track
Remove Range Selection After Zooming In When
View that was stored with Zoom Toggle.
the Remove Range Selection After Zooming In
option is selected, the current Edit selection col- No Change When selected, the track view does
lapses into an insertion point after zoom tog- not change when zoom toggling in or out.
gling in.
Separate Grid Settings When Zoomed In
Track Height
When selected, this option retains the same
Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in (current) grid setting when zoom toggling in or
changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection out. When this option is deselected, the grid set-
to the last used Track Height. ting stored with Zoom toggle is recalled when
zoom toggling in.
Medium When selected, zoom toggling in
changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection
to the Medium Track Height.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 455

 Zoom Toggle Follows Edit Selection If Last Used is selected for any of the following,
you can adjust the corresponding zoom, height,
When selected, this option ensures that zoom
or view in the Edit window to update the stored
toggle automatically follows the current Edit se-
zoom state:
lection. When disabled, changing the Edit selec-
• Vertical Zoom
tion has no affect on the currently toggled-in
track. • Horizontal Zoom
• Track Height
Using Zoom Toggle • Track View

Depending on the Zoom Toggle preferences set- In Commands Keyboard Focus mode (see
tings, the Zoom Toggle button in the Edit win- “Keyboard Focus” on page 24), press the
dow lets you define a zoom state and toggle be- E key to enable or disable Zoom Toggle.
tween it and the current zoom state, or it zooms
to the settings in the Zoom Toggle preferences.
Press Alt+Shift+E (Windows) or Op-
When Zoom Toggle is enabled, the Edit window
tion+Shift+E (Mac) to cancel Zoom Toggle
displays the stored zoom state. Additionally,
without reverting to the previous view.
any changes made to the view while Zoom Tog-
gle is enabled are also stored in the zoom state. To modify the stored Zoom Toggle state, do one of
the following:
When Zoom Toggle is disabled, the Edit window
reverts to the last zoom state. „ Change the Zoom Toggle preferences.
– or –
To store a zoom state using Zoom Toggle:
„ If Last Used is selected for any of the Vertical
1 Set the Zoom Toggle preferences.
Zoom, Horizontal Zoom, Track Height, or Track
2 Make an Edit selection. View preferences, do the following:
• Make sure the Zoom Toggle button is lit
3 Click the Zoom Toggle button. It lights to in-
(enabled).
dicate that Zoom Toggle is enabled and
Pro Tools zoom toggles in based on the settings – and –
of the Zoom Toggle preferences. • Adjust the Track Height, Vertical Zoom,
Track View, or the Grid depending on
which preferences are set to Last Used.
Changes are stored as the new Zoom Toggle
state.

To clear the stored Zoom Toggle state:

Zoom Toggle button
1 Make sure the Zoom Toggle button is lit (en-
Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window
abled).

2 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

Zoom Toggle button.

456 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To use Zoom Toggle without changing playlist Zooming with a Scroll Wheel
views:
If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can
1 Make a selection on one or more tracks.
use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out of tracks,
2 Do one of the following: both vertically and horizontally.
• Press Alt+Start+E (Windows) or Op-
tion+Control+E (Mac). To continuously zoom horizontally using a scroll
wheel:
– or –
„ Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while
• With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled
turning the mouse scroll wheel.
(see “Keyboard Focus” on page 24), press
Alt+E (Windows) or Option+E (Mac).
To continuously zoom audio (vertical zoom) in the
Edit window:
„ Hold Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift

(Mac) while turning the mouse scroll wheel.

To continuously zoom MIDI (vertical zoom) in the

Edit window:
„ Hold Alt+Start (Windows) or Option+Control

(Mac) while turning the mouse scroll wheel.

To scroll the contents of the Edit window or Mix

window horizontally:
Using the Zoom Toggle
1 Focus the window you want to scroll by click-
Auto-Toggle When Changing Selection ing in it or bringing it forward.

When Zoom Toggle is enabled, selecting a dif- 2 Hold the Shift key while turning the mouse
ferent range of material, or selecting material on scroll wheel.
a different track affects Zoom Toggle as follows:
• Changing the selection length does not re-
zoom the window, the current zoom level
is maintained.
• Changing the selection to a different track
sets the toggle-in state for track height and
view. However, horizontal zoom remains
unchanged. When moving the selection
from a toggled in track, the toggled out
track height and view are restored.

Auto-Toggle does not work for Edit selec-

tions across multiple tracks that are Zoom-
toggled to Fit to Window.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 457

 Use of the Trimmer tool is affected by the cur-
Using the Trimmer Tools rent Edit mode: Shuffle, Slip, Spot, or Grid (see
“Edit Modes” on page 445).
Trimmer tools provide region, note, and data
trimming functions. The following Trimmer The Trimmer tool can also be used to
tools are available: lengthen and shorten MIDI notes (see
• Trimmer tool; also called the Standard “Trimming Note Start and End Times” on
Trimmer tool page 585), and also to scale automation
• Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer and controller data up or down “Drawing
tool; also called the TCE Trimmer tool Automation” on page 926.
• Scrub Trimmer tool (Pro Tools HD and
To trim a region with the Trimmer tool:
Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 or Complete
Production Toolkit only) 1 Select the Trimmer tool.
• Loop Trimmer tool
If necessary, do one of the following:
The Standard and Scrub Trimmer tools are only • Click the Trimmer tool pop-up menu and
constrained by the boundaries of the whole-au- select Standard.
dio file referenced by the region. The TCE Trim-
mer tool is only constrained by the maximum
TCE amount when using the TCE Trimmer tool.

Trimmer Tool Trimmer tool

– or –
With the Trimmer tool, you can quickly shorten
or expand a region (up to the entire length of • Right-click on any track and select Tools >
the source audio file). The first time you trim a Trimmer Tools > Standard.
region, Pro Tools automatically adds it to the 2 Move the cursor near the start or end of the re-
Region List as a new region (with a name derived gion, so the Trimmer Tool cursor appears.
from the original) in order to differentiate it
from the original.

The Trimmer tool is a nondestructive tool and

does not actually modify the original audio or
MIDI data (when working on regions). To return
to the length of the original region, drag it from
Trimmer tool
the Region List, or resize the edited region with
the Trimmer tool to its original length. To reverse the direction of the Trimmer tool,
press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac).

458 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 Do one of the following:
With Pro Tools HD or LE with DV Toolkit
• If trimming the end, drag left to shorten
2, you can match an Edit selection to the
the region, right to lengthen.
length of a Timeline selection by selecting
– or – Edit > TCE Edit to Timeline Selection com-
• If trimming the start, drag right to shorten mand (see “TCE (Time Compression and
the region, left to lengthen. Expansion) Edit To Timeline Selection” on
page 508.
When working with audio, you cannot trim
past the boundaries of adjacent regions. Elastic Audio TCE Trimmer Tool
When trimming regions in a stereo or multi- On Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, the TCE tool
channel track, all channels are trimmed. uses the track’s selected Elastic Audio plug-in
(Real-Time or Rendered) to apply Real-Time or
When using Shuffle mode, subsequent regions
Rendered Elastic Audio processing. The resulting
are slid as necessary to make room for the edited
region displays a Warp indicator to indicate
region. If using Grid mode, the dragged
Elastic Audio processing.
start/end times snap to the nearest Grid bound-
ary. If using Spot mode, the Spot dialog opens, For information on Elastic Audio plug-ins,
where you can enter the new location for the re- see “Elastic Audio Plug-ins” on page 774.
gion’s start or end point.
AudioSuite TCE Trim Tool
Time Compression/Expansion On audio tracks without Elastic Audio enabled,
Trimmer Tool the Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer tool
works by using the Time Compression/Expan-
The Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer
sion (TCE) AudioSuite plug-in selected in the
tool (TCE Trimmer) is a convenient tool for
Pro Tools Processing preferences to create a new
matching an audio region to the length of an-
audio file.
other region, a tempo grid, a video scene, or to
practically any other reference point you want.
Time Compression/Expansion Plug-in
Preferences

You can select which AudioSuite plug-in is used

for trimming with the TCE Trimmer tool on
non-Elastic Audio-enabled audio tracks.

Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer tool over a To set the AudioSuite plug-in for use with the TCE
region Trimmer tool:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
The TCE Trimmer tool unloops and consol-
idates looped regions. 2 Click the Processing tab.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 459

 3 From the TC/E Plug-in pop-up menu, select the To use the TCE Trimmer tool in Grid mode:
AudioSuite plug-in to be used with the Time
1 Set the Edit mode to Grid.
Compression/Expansion Trimmer tool.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the Trimmer tool pop-up menu and
select TCE.

TC/E Preferences

4 From the Default Settings pop-up menu, select Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer tool
the plug-in setting best suited to the material
– or –
you work with most (such as Stereo Mix Default).
• Right-click on any track and select Tools >
5 Click OK. Trimmer Tools > TCE.

For more information about AudioSuite 3 With the TCE Trimmer tool, drag the audio re-
plug-ins, see Chapter 37, “AudioSuite Pro- gion’s start or end point to compress or expand
cessing.” the region to the Grid (for example, by quarter
notes).
Using the TCE Trimmer Tool in Grid Mode
Using the TCE Trimmer Tool in Slip Mode
The TCE Trimmer tool can be used in Grid mode
to match a region to the tempo of a session or a
To use the TCE Trimmer tool in Slip mode:
section of a session. For example, you might im-
port a one-bar drum loop with a tempo of 90 1 Set the Edit mode to Slip.
BPM into a session with a tempo of 120 BPM. In
2 Click the Trimmer tool pop-up menu and se-
Grid mode, you can use this tool to simply and
lect TCE.
quickly “time compress” the drum loop to the
length of one measure, with no noticeable to 3 With the TCE Trimmer tool, drag the region’s
minimal loss of audio fidelity. start or end point to compress or expand the re-
gion freely.
Trimming regions while in Relative Grid
mode will trim the regions in grid incre- Using the TCE Trimmer Tool in Spot Mode
ments while maintaining their relative off-
set (if any) from the grid. In Spot mode, clicking with the TCE Trimmer
tool in a region opens the Spot dialog. You can
specify the location you want the region to start
or end at, or the duration of the region, and the
region is automatically compressed or expanded
as specified.

460 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To use the TCE Trimmer tool in Spot mode: To scrub trim a track:
1 Set the Edit mode to Spot. 1 Do one of the following:

2 Click the Trimmer tool pop-up menu and se-

• Click the Trimmer tool pop-up menu and
lect TCE. select Scrub.
– or –
3 Click the region near its start or end point.
The Spot dialog opens. Using any Time Scale, • Right-click on any track and select Tools >
enter a new start or end time (or duration) for Trimmer Tools > Scrub.
the region, then click OK. The tool changes to a speaker with a bracket.

2 Drag within a track to the left or right. Audio

Scrub Trimmer Tool from a scrubbed track is routed through the
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete track signal path, including any TDM effects.
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) When you locate the trim point, release the
mouse button to trim the region.
The Scrub Trimmer tool is a convenient tool for
auditioning material (on up to two tracks) to To scrub trim two tracks, click with the Scrub
find a trim point. You can drag in a track to hear Trimmer tool between two adjacent tracks and
the audio information, then trim at a specific lo- drag.
cation by releasing the mouse button.
To scrub with finer resolution (without having
This action creates a new region. Note that the to zoom in), press Control (Windows) or Com-
Scrub Trimmer tool changes into a “right trim” mand (Mac) while scrubbing.
or “left trim” shape as it is placed over the right
or left side of a region. To reverse the direction
of the Scrub Trimmer tool, press Alt (Windows)
or Option (Mac) before you click the region.

Scrub Trimmer tool over a region

Scrub playback speed and direction vary with

controller movement. Scrubbed audio is routed
through the track signal path, so you hear any
effects in the signal path.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 461

 Loop Trimmer Tool 3 Do one of the following:
• Click at the end of the region, and drag left
Use the Loop Trimmer tool to create or trim
or right to the point you want the loop to
looped regions.
stop.
– or –
• Click at the beginning of the region, and
drag left or right to the point you want the
loop to start.
Loop Trimmer tool
Loop Trimmer tool
For more information on looping regions,
see “Region Looping” on page 739.

Creating Loops with the Loop Trimmer

Tool
Loop icon
To create loop regions using the Loop Trimmer
tool: Looped region

1 Do one of the following: Trimming Looped Regions

• Click the Trimmer tool pop-up menu and
You can trim looped regions in two ways:
select Loop.
• Loop Trim a looped region to change how
– or –
long the region is looped. For example, Loop
• Right-click on any track and select Tools > Trim a looped region from 2 bars to four bars.
Trimmer Tools > Loop. With a 1 bar region, the number of loops
2 Position the cursor over the top half of an un- changes from 2 to 4. Each loop iteration re-
looped audio or MIDI region, or region group. mains the same length, but the length of the
The cursor changes to indicate that you can loop entire looped region changes.
trim the region. (Positioning the cursor over the • Trim the source region (loop iteration) while
bottom half of the region results in the Standard keeping the overall loop length unchanged.
Trim cursor.) The number of loop iterations within the
looped region changes accordingly. For exam-
ple, trim a 2 bar loop iteration of a 4 bar
looped region to 1 bar. The 4 bar looped re-
gion remains constant, but the number of
loop iterations changes from 2 to 4. Each loop
iteration’s length changes, but how long the
Loop Trim cursor
region is looped does not.

462 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To Loop Trim a looped region: To trim the source region (loop iteration) of a
looped region:
1 Select the Loop Trimmer tool.
1 Select the Loop Trimmer tool.
2 Move the cursor over the top half of the
looped region (not over a Loop icon). The cursor 2 Move the cursor over a Loop icon in the
indicates the Loop Trimmer tool. looped region, or anywhere along the bottom of
the region. The cursor indicates the Trimmer
Loop Trimmer tool tool icon.

Loop icon Trimmer tool Loop icon

Looped region
Looped region
3 Trim the looped region.
3 Trim the start or end of the loop iteration.

Loop trimming a looped region Trimming a looped region

The number of loops increases or decreases to The number of trimmed loop iterations in-
fill the new length of the entire looped region. creases or decreases to fill the original length of
the entire looped region.
Hold down the Start key on Windows, or
the Control key on Mac, while trimming to
trim in loop iteration increments.

Trimming a looped region does not trim any

underlying Fades.
Trimmed looped region

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 463

 Using the Selector Tool
Use the Selector tool to place the edit cursor in a
track or Timebase ruler, or to make Timeline se-
lections or Edit selections on tracks. For more in-
formation on making selections, also see
Chapter 24, “Making Selections.”

Placing the Edit Cursor

Making a selection with the Selector tool
To place the edit cursor with the Selector tool: To select an entire region with the Selector tool:
1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window. 1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window.
2 Click the location in a track or on a Timebase 2 Double-click a region on a track.
ruler.
To select an entire track with the Selector tool:
1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window.

2 Triple-click in the track.

Making a Timeline Selection with the

Selector Tool

To make a Timeline selection with the Selector

Placing the edit cursor with the Selector tool tool:
1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window.
Making an Edit Selection with the
Selector Tool 2 Do one of the following:
• Drag on a Timebase ruler.
To make an Edit selection with the Selector tool:
– or –
1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window.
• If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is en-
2 Do one of the following: abled, drag in a track.
• To make an Edit selection in a single track,
drag in the track.
• To make an Edit selection across multiple
tracks, drag across the tracks.
• If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is en-
abled, drag on the Timebase ruler to make
an Edit selection across all tracks.

464 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To select one of the Grabber tools, do one of the
Using the Grabber Tools following:

Use the Grabber tools to select, move, separate, „ Click the Grabber tool in the Edit window and

and arrange regions on tracks. There are three select the Grabber tool from the pop-up menu.
modes for the Grabber tool: Time Grabber, Sep-
aration Grabber, and Object Grabber. For more
information about arranging regions, also see
Chapter 35, “Arranging Regions.”

Time Grabber Selects an entire region on a track

with a single click. For more information on se-
lecting regions, see “Selecting Track Material”
on page 475.

Selecting a Grabber tool

– or –
Time Grabber tool
„ Right-click on any track and select the Grab-
Separation Grabber Cuts and pastes an Edit se-
ber tool from Tools > Grabber Tools.
lection from one location to another by clicking
and dragging. For more information, see “Sepa-
ration Grabber Tool” on page 498.
Using the Smart Tool
With the Smart Tool, you can instantly access
the Selector, Grabber, and Trimmer tools, and
you can also perform fades and crossfades. The
Separation Grabber tool position of the cursor in relation to a region or
Object Grabber Lets you select multiple, non- note, or within an automation playlist, deter-
contiguous regions. For more information, see mines how the Smart Tool functions.
“Object Selections” on page 477.

Object Grabber tool Smart Tool enabled in the Edit window

To select the Smart Tool, click its icon in the up-

per left of the Edit window, or press F6+F7 (or
F7+F8) simultaneously.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 465

 The Smart Tool in Waveform View ‹ For a crossfade, position the cursor between

(Audio) or Regions View (MIDI) two adjacent audio regions, near the bottom of
the region. Once the Crossfade cursor appears
Fade-In Selector tool Fade-Out
drag left or right to set the crossfade length. The
crossfade is created automatically with the De-
fault Fade Settings (in the Editing Preferences
Trimmer
page).
Trimmer
tool tool (end)
(start) To temporarily switch the Smart Tool to the
Scrubber, place the cursor over the region so
that the Selector tool is enabled, then press
Grabber tool Crossfade
Start (Windows) or Control (Mac).
Smart Tool in Waveform view
The Smart Tool in Warp View
The following capabilities are available with the
Smart Tool when working with audio tracks in
Trimmer Trimmer
Waveform or Blocks view, or MIDI or Instru- tool Selector tool tool
ment tracks in Regions view: (start) (end)

‹ For the Selector tool, position the cursor over

the middle of the region, in the upper half of the
region.
‹ For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over
the middle of a region, in the lower half of the
Grabber tool
region.
Smart Tool in Warp view
‹ For the Trimmer tool, position the cursor near
the region’s start or end point. The following capabilities are available with the
‹ For a fade-in or fade-out, position the cursor
Smart Tool when working with Elastic Audio-
near an audio region’s start or end point, near enabled audio tracks in Warp view, or MIDI or
the top of the region. Once the Fade cursor ap- Instrument tracks in Regions view:
pears, drag into the region to set the fade length. ‹ For the Selector tool, position the cursor over
The fade is created automatically with the De- the middle of the region, in the upper half of the
fault Fade Settings (in the Editing Preferences region.
page).
‹ For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over
the middle of a region, in the lower half of the
region, but not over an Event marker or Warp
marker.
‹ For Elastic Audio warping, position the cursor
over an Event marker or a Warp marker, in the
lower half of the region (for more information
on warping audio, see “Editing in Warp View”
on page 778).

466 Pro Tools Reference Guide

‹ For the Trimmer tool, position the cursor near ‹ For the Velocity Trimmer tool, position the
the region’s start or end point, in the upper half cursor over the note and press Control (Win-
of the region. dows) or Command (Mac).

To temporarily switch the Smart Tool to the

Scrubber, place the cursor in the upper half
of the region so that the Selector tool is en-
abled, then press Start (Windows) or Con-
trol (Mac).

The Smart Tool in Notes View

Selector tool (marquee)

Trimming the velocity of a note

To temporarily switch the Smart Tool to the

Pencil tool, press Start (Windows) or Con-
trol (Mac).

Trim note start Grabber tool Trim note end

To temporarily switch the Smart Tool to the
Smart Tool in Notes view Eraser, press Alt+Start (Windows) or Op-
tion+Control (Mac).
The following capabilities are available with the
Smart Tool when working with MIDI and Instru- The Smart Tool in Automation and
ment tracks in Notes view in the Edit window Controller Views
and in MIDI Editor windows:
The following capabilities are available with the
‹ For the Marquee Selector, position the cursor
Smart Tool when working in both automation
so it does not cover any notes.
and controller views:
‹ For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over
‹ For the Selector tool, position the cursor any-
the note, near its middle.
where in the bottom 75% of the playlist for the
‹ For the Trimmer tool, position the cursor near Selector tool. Drag with the Selector tool to se-
the note start or end point. lect breakpoints.
‹ For Trimmer tools, position the cursor in the
top 25% of the playlist for the Trimmer tool.
Drag with the Trimmer tool to trim breakpoints.
Press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)
while trimming for fine control.
‹ For Grabber tools, Control (Windows) or
Command (Mac) for the Grabber tool, then click
in on the automation line to create breakpoints.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 467

 To edit existing breakpoints, move the cursor While viewing an audio waveform in Pro Tools
near a breakpoint for the Grabber tool. can be helpful in visually finding an edit point,
sometimes a waveform display (because of its
For fine control with the Grabber tool, press sonic characteristics) may not reveal the desired
Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)—or spot in the audio material. By scrubbing back
continue to hold the key if you are creating a and forth in Pro Tools, you can listen and locate
new breakpoint. an exact edit point.
To vertically constrain Grabber tool movement, When the Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle
press Shift. option is enabled in the Operation Preferences
To vertically constrain Grabber tool movement page, the edit cursor automatically locates to the
with fine control, press Control+Shift (Win- point where scrubbing stops.
dows) or Command+Shift (Mac). When the Scrolling option is set to Continuous
(Pro Tools HD and LE with DV Toolkit 2 only) or
The Smart Tool with Stereo and Center Playhead (Pro Tools HD only), clicking
Multichannel Tracks with the Scrubber in a track’s playlist centers the
Edit window around that point, and moves the
When using the Smart Tool on stereo and mul-
Playhead there. With these Scrolling Options,
tichannel tracks, individual channels cannot be
scrubbed material moves past the Playhead,
independently edited. All edits affect all chan-
which remains stationary and centered.
nels as a whole.

Tool switching for the Smart Tool in stereo and Scrubbing is only supported for audio
multichannel tracks is determined by the posi- tracks. MIDI and Instrument tracks cannot
tion within the entire track, and not within in- be scrubbed.
dividual channels.
To scrub a single audio track:
1 Select the Scrubber tool.

Using the Scrubber Tool 2 Drag within the track: left for reverse or right
for forward.
The Scrubber tool lets you “scrub” up to two
tracks of audio in the Edit Window. Scrubbing is
a technique that originated in tape editing,
where the tape was rocked back and forth past
the playhead at slower than normal speeds to
find a particular location (usually for cutting
and splicing). Scrubbing an audio track with the Scrubber

The distance and speed with which you drag

(with either the mouse, or the scrub wheel on a
control surface) determine the length and speed
of the scrubbed audio. Audio from the scrubbed
track is routed to its output, along with any ef-
fects assigned to the track.

468 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The resolution for the Scrubber is dependent on To scrub in Shuttle mode (at several times normal
the zoom factor for the scrubbed track. speed):
1 Select the Scrubber tool.
You can temporarily switch the Selector tool
to the Scrubber tool by Start-clicking (Win- 2 While pressing Alt (Windows) or Option
dows) or Control-clicking (Mac). For finer (Mac), drag within the track—left for reverse,
resolution, Control-Start-click (Windows) right for forward. The Fast Forward and Rewind
or Command-Control-click (Mac). buttons in the Transport window engage.

To scrub multiple audio tracks, do one of the The distance and speed dragged determine the
following: speed for the scrubbed audio.
„ With the Scrubber selected, drag between two
adjacent tracks. Shuttle Lock Mode
Shuttle Lock mode lets you use the numeric key-
pad to shuttle up to two tracks forward or back-
wards at specific speeds: 5 is normal speed, num-
bers from 6 up to 9 provide increasingly faster
fast-forward speeds, and numbers from 4 down
to 1 provide progressively faster rewind speeds
(4 is the slowest rewind Shuttle Lock speed, 1 is
the fastest). If multiple tracks are selected, only
the first two tracks are shuttled.
Scrubbing between two audio tracks
To play one or two tracks with the shuttle lock:
– or –
1 With Pro Tools HD, make sure the Operation
„ Scrub within a selection that contains multi- preference for Numeric Keypad mode is not set
ple tracks. to Shuttle (see “Operation Preferences” on
page 83).
When scrubbing multiple tracks, only the first
two tracks are heard. 2 With the Selector tool, click in the track where
you want playback to begin. To shuttle on two
The maximum number of channels tracks, Shift-click in a second track.
scrubbed in Pro Tools is eight, which lets
you scrub a 7.1 track, two stereo tracks 3 Press the Start key (Windows) or Control
(four channels), but not two 5.1 surround (Mac) and a number on the numeric keypad:
tracks (12 channels). 0–9 (9 is fastest, 5 is normal speed, and 0 stops
shuttling).
Scrub/Shuttle Mode
Once Shuttle Lock mode is initiated, Fast For-
When scrubbing normally, you can scrub at nor- ward and Rewind become highlighted in the
mal playback speeds or slower. Scrub/Shuttle Transport window.
mode, however, lets you scrub at several times
normal speed, which is helpful in playing
through large ranges and locating material.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 469

 4 Press additional keys to change the playback
speed, or press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to switch the Numeric Keypad Set to
playback direction (plus for forward, minus for Shuttle
backward).
(Pro Tools HD Only)
5 To stop playback, press Start+0 (Windows) or
Pro Tools offers another form of shuttling, dif-
Control+0 (Mac).
ferent from that of Shuttle Lock mode. With the
Numeric Keypad mode set to Shuttle, playback
To exit Shuttle Lock mode, do one of the following:
of the current Edit selection is triggered by press-
„ Press Stop in the Transport window. ing and holding the keys on the numeric key-
– or – pad—playback stops once the keys are released.
Various playback speeds are available in both
„ Press the Spacebar. forward and reverse. In this mode, pre- and post-
roll are ignored.
Custom Shuttle Lock Speed

Use the Custom Shuttle Lock Speed preference To shuttle with the Numeric Keypad mode set to
to customize the highest fast-forward Shuttle Shuttle:
Lock speed (key 9) to better match your editing 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Oper-
and auditioning needs. ation tab.

2 Set the Numeric Keypad mode to Shuttle and

To configure Custom Shuttle Lock Speed:
click OK.
1 In Pro Tools, select Setup > Preferences and
click the Operation tab. 3 With the Selector tool, click in the track where
you want playback to begin. To shuttle on two
2 Be sure that the Numeric Keypad mode is set tracks, Shift-click in a second track.
to Transport or Classic (see “Operation Prefer-
ences” on page 83). 4 Press and hold any of the following keys (or
key combinations) on the numeric keypad to
3 Enter a percentage for the Custom Shuttle Lock trigger playback.
Speed setting. The range for this setting is
50–800%. You can use the Up and Down Arrow Shuttle Speed Rewind Key Forward Key
keys to increase or decrease the setting.
1 X Speed 4 6
4 Click OK.
4 X Speed 7 9
The Custom Shuttle Lock Speed will be saved
1/4 X Speed 1 3
with your Pro Tools preferences (not with the
session). 1/2 X Speed 4+5 5+6

2 X Speed 7+8 8+9

To enable Custom Shuttle Lock Speed:
„ Press Start+9 (Windows) or Control+ 9 (Mac) 5 Press a different key to switch the playback di-
on the numeric keypad. rection or speed. Release to stop.

470 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To destructively edit an audio waveform with the
Using the Pencil Tool Pencil tool:

The Pencil tool lets you draw audio waveforms 1 Locate the area you want to edit.
(at the sample level), tempo changes, MIDI data, 2 Using the Zoomer tool or the Zoom buttons,
and automation. zoom down to the sample level so the waveform
appears as a continuous thin line. Adjust the
For information on drawing tempo changes,
Track Height, as necessary, to edit the waveform
see “Editing Tempo Events in the Tempo
with greater precision. You can also use vertical
Editor” on page 676.
zoom for greater visual resolution.

For information on drawing MIDI data, see You can recall zoom levels with the Zoom
“The Pencil Tool” on page 578. Preset buttons (see “Using the Zoomer
Tools” on page 449), or with Memory Loca-
tions (see “Memory Locations and Markers”
For information on drawing automation,
on page 705). The default setting for Zoom
see “Drawing Automation” on page 926.
Preset 5 is at the sample level for Pencil ed-
iting.
Waveform Repair with the Pencil
Tool 3 Select the Pencil tool.

On audio tracks, the Pencil tool lets you destruc-

tively “redraw” waveform data. This tool is most
commonly used to repair a pop or click in an au-
dio file. A pop or click appears as a sudden sharp
Pencil tool
spike in a waveform. This tool only becomes ac-
tive when the Edit window is zoomed in to the 4 Carefully draw with the Pencil tool by drag-
sample level. ging over the area of the waveform.

The Pencil tool is a destructive editing tool Do not over-edit or the results may be undesir-
that permanently modifies the audio file on able. However, you can use the Undo command
disk and should be used with caution. to undo your previous edit.

Although you can Undo a Pencil tool edit, it is

recommended that you create a backup copy of
the target audio, before using the Pencil tool.
You can do this by using the AudioSuite Dupli-
cate plug-in. Repairing a “pop” with the Pencil tool

Refer to the DigiRack Plug-ins Guide for in- The Pencil tool can independently edit different
formation about the AudioSuite Duplicate channels of a multichannel track.
plug-in.
Try to limit editing to smoothing over a very
small problem area, and keep the “fixes” in char-
acter with the shape of the surrounding wave-
form.

Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools 471

472 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 24: Making Selections

Linking or Unlinking Timeline

and Edit Selections
Pro Tools lets you link or unlink the Timeline
and Edit selections. Link Timeline and Edit Selection
Link Timeline and Edit Selection button enabled in the
When the Timeline and Edit selections are Edit window
linked, selecting in a track’s playlist (making an
Edit selection) also defines the play and record
Press Shift+Forward Slash (/) to toggle Link
range (the Timeline selection).
Timeline and Edit Selection on and off.
Unlinking Timeline and Edit selections lets you
If you are working on a film or video scene, you
make a selection within a track for editing pur-
may want to unlink the Timeline and Edit selec-
poses that is distinct from the selection in the
tions to find or audition material that is at a dif-
Timeline (which determines the playback and
ferent location than the current Timeline selec-
recording range).
tion. Edit selections can be played (choose Edit >
Selection > Play Edit) without disrupting the cur-
To link or unlink the Timeline and Edit selections,
do one of the following: rent Timeline selection. Once you find the ma-
terial, you can then go back to the Timeline se-
„ Select or deselect Options > Link Timeline and
lection and place it within the context of the
Edit Selection. scene.
– or –
Figure 24 illustrates another reason why you
„ In the Edit window, a MIDI Editor window, or might want to unlink the Timeline and Edit se-
the Score Editor window, click the Link Timeline lections. In this example, the Timeline selection
and Edit Selection button so it becomes high- sets a range to be looped on playback, while a
lighted (selected) or un-highlighted (not se- MIDI region (residing within the loop) is se-
lected). Enabling or disabling the Link Timeline
and Edit Selection button in any editor window
affects all editor windows.

Chapter 24: Making Selections 473

 lected for editing purposes. During playback, If the Timeline and Edit selections are linked,
the Edit selection can be nudged, quantized, or Edit selections are represented by the blue Time-
transposed while the loop plays back completely line Selection Markers.
independent and uninterrupted.
See the following sections for more information
on working with Timeline and Edit selections:
• “Selecting Track Material” on page 475
• “Timeline Selections” on page 485
• “Setting Punch and Loop Points” on
page 372
• “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 376
Figure 24. Timeline and Edit selections unlinked

While you could theoretically do this with the

Timeline and Edit selections linked, as soon as Linking or Unlinking Track and
playback is stopped, the playback range would Edit Selections
then be updated to that of the more recent edit
range, or to a single note when editing MIDI. Pro Tools lets you link or unlink Track selection
with Edit selections.

Timeline and Edit Selection Markers When Track and Edit selections are linked, you
Timeline selections are displayed in the Main can make a selection within a track or across
Timebase ruler with Timeline Selection Markers, multiple tracks for editing and each associated
which appear as blue arrows (red when record- track is selected (track names automatically
ing). In addition, there are Pre- and Post-Roll highlight). This lets you quickly apply track-
Flags (which are green when enabled) indicating level commands (such as Track View toggle,
the location for pre- and post-roll. change track heights) and have the command
apply to all tracks you are working on.

When Track and Edit selections are unlinked,

making an Edit selection does not automatically
Timeline Selection Markers with Pre- and Post-Roll select all associated tracks.
Flags

When the Timeline and Edit selections are un- To link or unlink Track and Edit selection, do one of
linked, Edit selections are displayed in the ruler the following:
with Edit Markers, which appear as black brack-
„ Select or deselect Options > Link Track and Edit
ets.
Selection.
– or –

„ In the upper left of the Edit window, under

Figure 25. Edit Markers the Edit tools, click the Link Track and Edit Se-
lection button so it becomes highlighted (se-
lected) or un-highlighted (not selected).

474 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Selections and Edit Groups
When making selections on tracks that are part
of an Edit Group, all tracks within the group be-
come selected.

Link Track and Edit Selection

Selections and Hidden Tracks
Link Track and Edit Selection enabled
When editing tracks that are part of an active
Edit Group, any tracks within the group that are
Selecting Track Material hidden are not affected by the edits. To edit all
members of a group, make sure they are visible
Before audio and MIDI material can be edited, it
by highlighting their names in the Track List.
must first be selected. The Track View deter-
mines how the material is viewed and selected.
Selections in Multiple Tracks
When you make a selection, it appears as a high-
lighted area of the tracks, and is also indicated To make a selection in multiple tracks:
by blue start and end arrows (Timeline Selection
„ With the Selector tool, drag horizontally to in-
Markers) in the Main Timebase ruler. If any track
clude adjacent tracks in a selection (drag verti-
(audio or MIDI) in the session is record-enabled,
cally to define the time range).
even if it is hidden, these markers appear red.

Selecting Regions

To select a portion of a region:

„ With the Selector tool, drag within a region

(left or right) to select the material on a single

track. (You can also use the Selector tool across
multiple, adjacent tracks to make multitrack se-
lections.)
Timeline Selection Markers indicating Edit selection

If the Timeline and Edit selections are unlinked,

the Edit selection range is indicated by Edit
Markers in the Main Timebase ruler. See “Link-
ing or Unlinking Timeline and Edit Selections”
on page 473 for details.

Selecting a portion of a region

To select an entire region, do one of the following:

„ Click the region with the Time Grabber tool.
– or –

„ Double-click the region with the Selector tool.

Chapter 24: Making Selections 475

 To select two regions and the time range between Region List Selection Follows Edit
them: Selection
1 With the Time Grabber, click the first region.
When the Editing preference for Region List Se-
2 Shift-click the second region. Both regions are lection Follows Edit Selection is enabled, selecting
selected, along with the time range between a region in a track also causes the region to be-
them (including any other regions). come selected in the Region List.

Conversely, if the Editing preference for Edit Se-

To select an entire track, do one of the following:
lection Follows Region List Selection is enabled, se-
„ Click in the track with the Selector tool and lecting a region in the Region List causes the ini-
then choose Edit > Select All. tial occurrence of that region to become selected
– or – within the track.

„ Triple-click with the Selector tool in the track.

Selecting All from Timebase Rulers
Press Control+A (Windows) or Com-
mand+A (Mac) for Select All. To select all material in all displayed audio and
MIDI tracks:
To select all regions in all tracks: 1 Enable Link Timeline and Edit Selection (Op-
1 Select the “All” Edit Group in the Group List tions > Link Timeline and Edit Selection).
pop-up menu. 2 Double-click in any Timebase ruler. All regions
2 Do one of the following: in all displayed audio and MIDI tracks are se-
• Click in any track with the Selector tool lected. Tracks that are hidden are not selected.
and choose Edit > Select All.
To select all material in all tracks, including
– or – Conductor events:
• Triple-click with the Selector tool in any
1 Enable Link Timeline and Edit Selection (Op-
track.
tions > Link Timeline and Edit Selection).
Another way to select all regions in all 2 While pressing Control (Windows) or Option
tracks, without having to select the “All” (Mac), double-click in any Timebase ruler. All re-
Edit Group, is to press Enter (Windows) or gions in all displayed audio and MIDI tracks are
Return (Mac), then press Control+A (Win- selected, including all events in each of the Con-
dows) or Command+A (Mac). The Link ductor tracks.
Timeline and Edit Selection option must be
enabled.

476 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Making Selections While Playing Object Selections
Pro Tools lets you make on-the-fly selections Use the Object Grabber tool to select noncontig-
with the Up and Down Arrow keys. uous regions on one or more tracks. Noncontig-
uous selections must encompass entire regions.
To make a selection while playing: If you want a noncontiguous selection to in-
clude a portion of a region, first turn the portion
1 Enable Link Timeline and Edit Selection (Op-
into a new region with the Separate Region com-
tions > Link Timeline and Edit Selection).
mand (see “Separate Commands” on page 496).
2 With the Selector tool, click somewhere near
the beginning of the track in which you want to The Object Grabber is not available when
make the selection. the Edit mode is set to Shuffle or Spot.

3 Click Play in the Transport window (or press To select noncontiguous regions:
the Spacebar) to begin playback.
1 Set the Edit mode to either Slip or Grid.
4 When playback reaches the point where you
2 Click the Grabber tools pop-up menu and se-
want the selection to begin, press the Down Ar-
lect Object.
row key.

5 Press the Up Arrow key at the point where you

want the selection to end. The selected range be-
comes highlighted.

6 To stop playback, click Stop in the Transport Object Grabber tool

(or press the Spacebar). 3 Shift-click each region you want to include in

To automatically scroll to the beginning of the the selection. The regions can even reside on dif-
selection (or to the location of the on-screen ferent tracks.
cursor), press the Left Arrow key. To scroll to the
end of the selection, press the Right Arrow key.

While in Page Scroll or Continuous Scroll mode,

making a selection in the Timeline or a playlist
during playback as the playback cursor moves
off-screen suspends page scrolling. To resume
page scrolling and jump to the current playback Noncontiguous selection
location, click the Playback Cursor locator in the
Main Timebase ruler (see “Locating the Playback Each clicked region is surrounded by a dark bor-
Cursor when It Is Off-Screen” on page 330). der, indicating it is selected.

The Object Grabber tool ignores Edit Groups

when making selections. For instance, selecting
a region on a grouped track does not cause re-
gions in the other tracks in the group to become
selected.

Chapter 24: Making Selections 477

 Object to Time Selection To select regions that were partially selected,
press Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) while
You can convert between Time- and Object-
double-clicking the Grabber icon.
based selections. Time selections are made with
the Selector and Time Grabber tools. Object se-
To change an Object selection to a Time selection:
lections are made with the Object Grabber tool.
1 Select any number of regions with the Object
Converting to an Object selection is useful when Grabber tool.
you are working with large selections, especially
2 Double-click the Selector tool in the toolbar.
across multiple tracks, and you want to remove
certain regions from the selection. The time range between the first and last region
becomes selected.
Converting to a Time selection is useful if you
want to select all regions between a noncontig- When using the Object Grabber tool on tracks
uous Object selection. that belong to an Edit Group, regions in the
other grouped tracks are selected if they fall
within the range of the selected region.
To change a Time selection to an Object selection:
1 Drag with the Selector tool in any track to de-
Changing a Selection Length
fine a selection, or select in a Timebase ruler to
select across all tracks. The selection range can be shortened or length-
ened. This does not affect the material within
the selection.

To change the length of a selection, do one of the

following:
„ With the Selector tool, position the cursor

over one end of the current selection and Shift-

Selected regions click, or Shift-drag left or right.
2 With the Object Grabber tool selected, dou- „ In the Main Timebase ruler, drag the Timeline
ble-click the Grabber icon in the toolbar. Re- Selection Marker for the selection’s start or end
gions falling within the selection range become point.
selected as objects. Regions that were partially
selected become deselected.

Dragging a Timeline Selection Marker

„ If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is disabled,

drag the Edit Markers (see Figure 25 on

page 474) to change the selection length.
Regions selected as objects

478 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To make a long-length selection: 3 Do one of the following:

1 With the Selector tool, click at where you • While pressing Alt+Shift (Windows) or Op-
want the selection to start. tion+Shift (Mac), press Plus (+) or Minus (–)
on the numeric keypad to move the selec-
2 Scroll to the end point and Shift-click at the tion’s start point by the Nudge value.
point where you want the selection to end.
– or –
To verify the start and end points of a long selec- • While pressing Control+Shift (Windows)
tion, press the Left Arrow key to scroll to the be- or Command+Shift (Mac), press Plus (+) or
ginning of the selection, or press the Right Ar- Minus (–) on the numeric keypad to move
row key to scroll to the end. the selection’s end point by the Nudge
value.
Nudging a Selection Range
Extending Selections
The selection range (not the material within the
selection) can be moved by the Nudge value. You can extend selections to region start and
end points, to include an adjacent region, or to
To nudge a selection range: Markers and Memory Locations.
1 Configure the Nudge value. For details, see
“Defining the Nudge Value” on page 503. To extend a selection to a region start or end
point:
2 Make the initial selection with the Selector
1 With the Selector tool, select a portion of a re-
tool.
gion, or click anywhere in the region.
3 While pressing Shift, press Plus (+) or
2 Do one of the following:
Minus (–) on the numeric keypad to move the
selection range by the Nudge value. • Press Shift+Tab to extend the selection to
the region’s end point.

Nudging Selection Start/End Points – or –

• Press Control+Shift+Tab (Windows) or Op-
Start and end points for selections can be moved
tion+Shift+Tab (Mac) to extend the selec-
by nudging them.
tion to the region’s start point.

To move a selection start or end point by the

Nudge value:
1 Configure the Nudge value. For details, see
“Defining the Nudge Value” on page 503.

2 Make the initial selection with the Selector

tool.

Chapter 24: Making Selections 479

 To extend a selection to include an adjacent Using the Edit Selection Indicators
region: (Start, End, and Length)
1 Select the first region with the Time Grabber
The Edit Selection indicators at the top of the
tool.
Edit window can define precise Edit selections.
2 Do one of the following: Time values for the Edit Selection indicators use
• With Tab to Transients disabled, press the time format for the Main Time Scale.
Start+Shift+Tab (Windows) or Con-
trol+Shift+Tab (Mac) to extend the selec-
tion to the next region boundary.
– or –
• Press Control+Start+Shift+Tab (Windows) Edit Selection indicators
or Option+Control+Shift+Tab (Mac) to ex-
To make a selection with the Edit Selection
tend the selection to include the previous indicators:
region boundary.
1 Click with the Selector tool in the track you
want to select.
To extend a selection to a Marker or Memory
Location: 2 Click in the Start field at the top of the Edit
1 Do one of the following: window.
• Click in a track with the Selector tool at the 3 Type in the start point for the selection and
start or end point. press the Forward Slash key (/) to enter the value
– or – and automatically move to the end field.
• Make a selection with the Selector or Time 4 Type in the end point for the selection and
Grabber tool. press Enter to accept the value.
2 Do one of the following:
• Shift-click a Marker in the Markers ruler.
– or –
• Shift-click a Memory Location in the Mem-
ory Locations window.

The selection is extended from the original In-

sertion point to the Marker or Memory Loca-
tion.

480 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Numeric Entry Shortcuts for Selection To add time values:
Indicators
1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the
You can use the following shortcuts for entering time field you want to change.
values in the Edit Selection indicators:
2 Press Plus (+) on the numeric keypad.
• Press the Forward Slash (/) key to cycle
3 Type the amount you want to add to the cur-
through the three Edit Selection indicators.
rent time value, then press Enter.
• Use Period (.) or the Left and Right Arrow keys
to move through the different time fields in 4 Press Enter again to apply the change.

each Edit Selection indicator.

• Press the Up or Down Arrow keys to increase Selecting Across Multiple Tracks
or decrease the numerical values.
To perform edits across multiple tracks or all
• Drag in a field to scroll to a new value. For tracks, you must first select the tracks. Do this by
finer resolution, Control-drag (Windows) or including other tracks in the selection, or by se-
Command-drag (Mac). lecting in a Timebase ruler (for all tracks).
• Press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)
and Plus (+) or Minus (–), then type a number, To make a selection in multiple tracks:
to add or subtract from the current field value. „ With the Selector tool, drag vertically to in-

For example, to add 10 to a current field value, clude adjacent tracks in a selection (drag hori-
cycle to the field, press Control (Windows) or zontally to define the time range).
Command (Mac) and Plus (+) key, type “10,”
and then press Enter. To extend a selection to another track:
• Press Escape to exit the Edit Selection indica- 1 Using the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make
tors without entering any values. a selection in the first track or tracks.

These shortcuts can also be used to enter start 2 Shift-click in additional tracks with the Selec-
and end values in the Transport window. tor tool. An identical range is selected for each
additional track.
Calculator Entry Mode
To shorten or lengthen the selection across each
You can perform calculator-style editing of val-
of the tracks, press Shift while dragging to
ues in the Edit Selection indicators.
change the range of the selection.

To subtract time values:

To select across all tracks, do one of the following:
1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the
„ Enable the All Edit Group and make a selec-
time field you want to change.
tion in any track.
2 Press Minus (–) on the numeric keypad. – or –
3 Type the amount you want to subtract from „ Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
the current time value, then press Enter. ruler (make sure the Timeline and Edit Selec-
4 Press Enter again to apply the change. tions are linked).

Chapter 24: Making Selections 481

 These selections include all tracks in the Edit In either instance, the original Edit selection be-
window, but do not include the Conductor comes deselected.
tracks (for Tempo, Meter, and Markers).
With Commands Keyboard Focus disabled,
To select across all tracks, including the press Start+P (Windows) or Control+P
Conductor tracks (for Tempo, Meter, and (Mac) to move the selection to the previous
Markers): track, or Start+Semicolon (;) (Windows) or
Control+Semicolon (;) (Mac) to move the se-
„ Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac)
lection to the next track.
with the Selector tool in any Timebase ruler.
To extend a selection to an adjacent track:
Moving and Extending Selections
1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key-
Between Tracks
board Focus” on page 24).
With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled, Edit
2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make
selections can be moved or extended to adjacent
a selection.
tracks.
3 Do one of the following:
To move a selection to an adjacent track: • Press Shift+P to extend the selection to the
1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key- previous track.
board Focus” on page 24). – or –
• Press Shift+Semicolon (;) to extend the se-
lection to the next track.

In either instance, the original Edit selection re-

mains selected.

With Commands Keyboard Focus disabled,

press Start+Shift+P (Windows) or Con-
Commands Keyboard Focus button enabled trol+Shift+P (Mac) to extend the selection to
2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make the previous track, or Start+Shift+Semicolon
a selection. (;) (Windows) or Control+Shift+Semicolon
(;) (Mac) to extend the selection to the next
3 Do one of the following:
track.
• Press P on your computer keyboard to
move the selection to the previous track. To remove the bottom track from a selection:
– or – „ Press Alt+Start+Semicolon (;) (Windows) or

• Press semicolon (;) to move the selection to Option+Control+Semicolon (;) (Mac) to remove
the next track. the bottom track.

482 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Other Useful Selection Techniques To move a selection to an adjacent region on the
same track:
Following are some additional selection tech-
1 Select a region with the Time Grabber.
niques.
2 Do one of the following:
To position the edit cursor precisely at a region • Press Start+Tab (Windows) or Control+Tab
start, end, or sync point: (Mac) to move the selection to the next re-
1 Make sure the Tab to Transients button is not gion.
enabled. (See “Tabbing to Transients” on – or –
page 484.)
• Press Control+Start+Tab (Windows) or Op-
2 Click with the Selector tool in the track. tion+Control+Tab (Mac) to move the selec-
tion to the previous region.
3 Do one of the following:
• Press Tab to move the cursor to the next re- In either instance, the original region becomes
gion or region group start, end, or sync deselected.
point.
To slide an Edit selection in the Main Timebase
– or –
ruler:
• Press Control+Tab (Windows) or Op-
tion+Tab (Mac) to move the cursor to the 1 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make

previous region or region group start, end, a selection.

or sync point. 2 While pressing Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac), move the cursor over either of the Time-
To make a selection with the Scrubber: line Selection Markers in the ruler (the Time
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Grabber appears).
Operation tab.

2 Select the option for “Edit Insertion Follows

Scrub/Shuttle,” then click OK.

3 Scrub with the Scrubber to find an appropriate

start point for the selection, then release.

4 While pressing Shift, scrub to an appropriate

Sliding an Edit selection in the Main Timebase ruler
end point for the selection, then release. The
range between the initial and final scrub be- 3 Drag left or right to move the Edit selection
comes selected. back or forward in time while preserving its
length.

If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is disabled

(Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection), Alt-
drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) the Edit
Markers instead.

Chapter 24: Making Selections 483

 Right-Click Commands and Selection For MIDI and Instrument tracks in Notes view,
Preservation pressing Tab always tabs to the next note, re-
gardless of whether or not Tab to Transients is
You can use Right-click commands with key enabled. In Regions view, Tab to Transients tabs
combinations to perform operations on objects to notes and Normal Tab tabs to region bound-
while maintaining selections in the Edit and aries.
Mix windows. For example, you can maintain
selections in the following areas while carrying For MIDI notes, when tabbing to chords, each
out certain commands: note in the chord is recognized as a single event.
• Region selections in the Timeline This lets you tab to each note in the chord.
• Region name selections in the Region List When Tab to Transients is enabled, the Tabbing
• Track selections function also locates the cursor to region start
and end points, but not to sync points.
To apply a command to an object while keeping
the current selection: To toggle Tab to Transients on and off,
press Control+Alt+Tab (Windows) or Com-
„ Control-Right-click (Windows) or Command-
mand+Option+Tab (Mac).
Right-click (Mac) the object and choose a com-
mand from the pop-up menu.
To set the start and end points of a selection with
Tab to Transients:
Tabbing to Transients 1 In the upper left of the Edit window, click the
Tab to Transients button so it becomes selected.
With the Tab to Transients button enabled, you
can automatically navigate to transients in au- 2 If you will be setting the play range with this
dio waveforms in Waveform view, placing the selection, enable Options > Link Timeline and Edit
cursor just before the detected transient peak. Selection.
This lets you define selections and play ranges,
3 Click in the audio track just before the begin-
as well as start and end points for new regions,
ning of the material you want to select.
without having to zoom in on the waveform.
4 Press Tab repeatedly until the cursor locates to
the transient where you want to start the selec-
tion.

If necessary, you can move to the previous tran-

sient by pressing Control+Tab (Windows) or
Tab to Transients
Option+Tab (Mac).
Tab to Transients button enabled
5 Press Shift+Tab until the cursor locates to the
In Warp view, Tab to Transients tabs to all Event
end of the material you want to select.
and Warp markers in a region. Normal Tab tabs
to region boundaries and all Warp markers. In To move the selection end point to the previous
Analysis view, pressing Tab always tabs to Event transient, press Control+Shift+Tab (Windows)
markers, regardless of whether or not Tab to or Option+Shift+Tab (Mac).
Transients is enabled.

484 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Once selected, the material can be looped for re- To make a Timeline selection with the Selector
cording or playback, or it can be turned into a tool:
new region with the Separate or Capture com- 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the
mand. current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.

Peak transients are usually visible in the 2 Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
waveform. However, some low-frequency ruler.
transients may not appear as visible peaks
in the waveform.

Tab to Transients Across Multiple

Tracks
With the edit cursor inserted across multiple Making a Timeline selection with the Selector tool
tracks, you can use Tab to Transients to tab to
the next transient on any of those tracks. When The Timeline selection is indicated in the Main
transients on multiple tracks are closely aligned, Timebase ruler by the blue Timeline Selection
Tab to Transients tabs to the first transient on Markers (or if a track is record-enabled, the
any of those tracks. Timeline Selection Markers are red). The start,
end, and length for the Timeline selection is dis-
played in the corresponding fields in the Trans-
port window.
Timeline Selections
To select all tracks, including Conductor
With the Link Timeline and Edit Selection op- tracks, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac)
tion disabled, selections can be made in the while clicking and dragging in a Timebase
Timeline that are distinct and separate from Edit ruler with the Selector tool.
selections.
To set the Timeline selection by dragging the
With the Timeline and Edit selections linked, Timeline Selection Markers:
any Edit selections that are made are mirrored in
1 If you want to constrain movement to the cur-
the Timeline, and any Timeline selection is mir-
rored as an Edit selection across all tracks. rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.

2 With the Time Grabber, drag the first Timeline

Whether the Timeline and Edit selections are
Selection Marker (down arrow) to set the start
linked or not, the range indicated by the Time-
point.
line Selection Markers always determines the
range for playback and recording (except when 3 Drag the other Timeline Selection Marker (up
in Dynamic Transport mode, see “Dynamic arrow) to set the end point.
Transport Mode” on page 339).

With Pro Tools HD, when the Scrolling option is

set to Center Playhead, it determines where
playback begins (see “Playing Timeline and Edit
Selections with the Playhead” on page 337). Dragging a Timeline Selection Marker

Chapter 24: Making Selections 485

 To set the Timeline selection by typing into the Timeline Selections to/from Edit
Transport window: Selections
1 If necessary, resize the Transport window to
When the Timeline and Edit selections are un-
Expanded view so the start and end times are
linked, you can copy selections between them.
displayed (View > Transport > Expanded).

2 Do one of the following: To change the Timeline selection to match the

• In the Transport window, click in the start current Edit selection:
field. „ Choose Edit > Selection > Change Timeline to

– or – Match Edit.

• Press Alt+Forward Slash (/) (Windows) or Press Alt+Shift+5 (Windows) or Op-

Option+Forward Slash (/) (Mac) on the nu- tion+Shift+5 (Mac) to change the Timeline
meric keypad to select the start field in the selection to match the Edit selection.
Transport window.
To change the Edit selection to match the current
3 Type in the new start location and press For-
Timeline selection:
ward Slash (/) to enter the value and automati-
cally move to the end field. „ Choose Edit > Selection > Change Edit to Match

Timeline.
4 Type in the new end location and press Enter
to accept the value. Press Alt+Shift+6 (Windows) or Op-
tion+Shift+6 (Mac) to change the Edit selec-
Shortcuts for entering start and end values tion to match the Timeline selection.
in the Transport window are listed in “Nu-
meric Entry Shortcuts for Selection Indica-
Navigating the Timeline with the
tors” on page 481.
Edit Window Counters and
Sliding a Timeline Selection Indicators
Like Edit selections, Timeline selections can be The counters and indicators at the top of the
slid in the Main Timebase ruler. Edit window display the current playback loca-
tion and Edit selection. These include the Main
and Sub Counters, and the Edit Selection Start,
To move a Timeline selection in the Main
Timebase ruler: End, and Length indicators.

1 While pressing Alt (Windows) or Option All Edit window counters and indicators (except
(Mac), move the cursor over either of the Time- the Sub Counter) let you enter a location in their
line Selection Markers (the Time Grabber ap- counter display to navigate to a specific time lo-
pears). cation.

2 Drag left or right to move the Timeline selec-

tion back or forward in time, while preserving
its length.

Main and Sub Counters, Edit Selection indicators

486 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The Main Counter displays the playback loca- This method of scrolling is especially useful
tion in the time format for the Main Time Scale. when using the Continuous Scrolling option
The Sub Counter can be set to any of the other (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit
Time Scale formats for another timing reference. 2 or Complete Production Toolkit only), which
does not update or follow Timeline selections.
The Edit Selection indicators (to the right of the
Main and Sub counters) display the Start and
To scroll the entire contents of the Edit window
End times, and Length of the current Edit selec- from a ruler:
tion according to the Main Timebase.
„ While pressing Control+Alt+Start (Windows)

The Main and Sub Counters, as well as the Edit or Command+Option+Control (Mac), drag left
Selection indicators, also appear in the Trans- or right in any of the Timebase rulers.
port window when it is set to display Counters.

To navigate with the Edit window Main Counter (or

one of the Edit Selection indicators):
Scrolling in a ruler
1 Do one of the following:
• Click in one of the counters.
Scrolling with a Scroll Wheel
– or –
If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can
• Press asterisk (*) on the numeric keypad to
use the scroll wheel to scroll vertically or hori-
highlight the Main Counter in the Edit
zontally in any Pro Tools window that has a
window (or the Main Counter in the Trans-
scroll bar (such as the MIDI Event List).
port window or Big Counter window, if ei-
ther are displayed).
To scroll a Pro Tools window vertically:
2 Type in the new location. Press Period (.) to cy-
1 Place the mouse over the window you want to
cle through to the different time fields.
scroll (for example, in the Edit window you
3 Press Enter to accept the new value and auto- might want to scroll either the track display or
matically locate there. the Region List).

2 Scroll the scroll wheel up or down to scroll the

Scrolling in a Timebase Ruler window up or down.

You can scroll the contents of the Edit window

To scroll a Pro Tools window horizontally:
by clicking and dragging in a ruler. While this
does not actually update the session’s Current 1 Place the mouse over the window you want to
Location, it does let you conveniently shift the scroll (for example, in the Edit window you
display left or right for the sake of finding and might want to scroll either the track display or
editing material. the Region List).

2 Shift-scroll the scroll wheel up or down to

scroll the window to the left or right.

Chapter 24: Making Selections 487

 Navigating to Tracks Using Track
Auto-Scrolling Tracks in the Position Numbers
Mix and Edit Windows
With Track Number View enabled, each track is
(Pro Tools HD Only) assigned a number corresponding to its position
If you are working with more tracks than can be in the Mix and Edit Windows. You can scroll di-
displayed at one time in the Mix or Edit win- rectly to any track by its positional number.
dows, you can select a track in one window and
When tracks are reordered, Track Position
Pro Tools will automatically scroll to that track
Numbers are reassigned to keep them in nu-
in both windows.
merical sequence.

To auto-scroll the Mix and Edit windows to show a To navigate directly to any track using Track
track, do one of the following: Position Numbers:
„ In the Track List, Right-click the track name 1 Choose View > Track Number.
and select Scroll Into View.
2 Choose Track > Scroll to Track.
– or –
Press Control+Alt+F (Windows) or Com-
„ In the Track List, Control-click (Mac) the track
mand+Option+F (Mac) to Scroll to Track.
name and select Scroll Into View.

The track becomes selected, and the Mix and

Edit windows both scroll to display the selected
track.

Scroll To Track dialog

3 In the Scroll To Track dialog, enter the Track

Number for the track you want to view.

4 Click OK.

The track is selected, and the windows scroll as

follows:
• The Edit window tracks scroll to bring the se-
lected track as close to the top as possible.
• The Mix window tracks scroll to bring the se-
lected track as close to the left as possible.

488 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 „ From the Edit window pop-up menu, select or

Universe View deselect Universe.

The Universe view displays an overview of the

entire Pro Tools session above the tracks pane in
the Edit window. This overview represents audio
and MIDI material on all tracks in the session
that are not hidden (including tracks that are in-
active, or that contain offline regions). The or-
der in which material is displayed in the Uni-
verse view corresponds to the track order in the
Edit window.

In the Universe view, audio, MIDI, and video re-

gions on tracks are represented by horizontal
lines that are the same colors as the regions on
the tracks. Each audio track is represented at the Selecting Universe view from the Edit window pop-up
same height regardless of how many channels it menu
has. Additionally, tracks that show Automation, „ Click the Show/Hide Universe view button.
Controller, or Playlist lanes are represented with
increasing height for each lane shown.

Since Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and VCA

Master tracks do not contain audio or MIDI re-
gions, they are displayed as blank areas in the
Universe view.

To show or hide the Universe view in the Edit

window, do one of the following:
„ Select or deselect View > Other Displays > Uni- Clicking the Show/Hide Universe view button
verse (see Figure 26 on page 490).

„ Double-click the divider above the Main

Timebase ruler.

Chapter 24: Making Selections 489

 Universe view

Figure 26. Universe view at the top of the Edit window

Framed Area in the Universe View When all tracks are visible in the Edit window
and the session is zoomed all the way out, with
The framed area in the Universe view represents all regions visible, the entire Universe window is
what is visible in the Tracks pane in the Edit framed.
window. If you change what is displayed in the
Edit window—by zooming, scrolling horizon-
Frame of Tracks pane
tally or vertically, hiding or showing tracks, or in the Edit window
changing track heights—the framed area in the
Universe view relocates and resizes accordingly.
During playback, if the Edit window is set to
scroll, the framed area in the Universe view also
scrolls. Framed area representing what part of the session is
viewed in the Tracks pane of the Edit window

490 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Navigating with the Universe View
By clicking in the Universe view, you can scroll
the material displayed in the Edit window hori-
zontally, vertically, or both. This provides a con-
venient method of focusing the Edit window
anywhere in the session.

To navigate the session using the Universe view:

1 Ensure that Universe view is shown (View >
Other Displays > Universe).
Resizing the Universe view
2 Click anywhere in the Universe view to move
the framed area and the Edit window updates
Scrolling the Universe View
accordingly. If you have more tracks in the session than are
visible in the Universe view, you can scroll up or
down to show the other tracks.

To scroll the Universe view up or down:

„ Click the Scroll Up or Scroll Down Arrows on

the right of the Universe view.

Resizing the Universe View

You can resize the height of the Universe view to
Scroll Up and
fit the total number of tracks in the session, or to Down Arrows
show more of the Edit window.

To resize the height of the Universe view:

1 Click the area between the bottom of the Uni-
verse window and the top of the Timebase rul-
ers. The cursor changes to show that you can
resize the Universe view.

2 Drag up to decrease the height of the Universe

view or drag down to increase the height of the
Universe view.

Scrolling the Universe view

Chapter 24: Making Selections 491

 To zoom to an Edit selection using Zoom Toggle:
Navigating Your Pro Tools 1 With the Selector or the Grabber tool, make an
Session Edit selection.
In addition the Universe view, Pro Tools let you
Press F7 for the Selector tool or F8 for the
quickly and easily navigate your session using
Grabber tool.
keyboard shortcuts. This section provides an
overview of the essential key commands for 2 Press Start+E (Windows) or Control+E (Mac)
navigating and making Edit selections in your to enable Zoom Toggle.
session.
Set the Track Height option for Zoom Toggle
Zooming to the Entire Session and to to Fit To Window in the Editing Preferences.
the Edit Selection
3 Do one of the following:

To zoom your entire session into view: • Press Start+E (Windows) or Control+E
(Mac) again to revert to the preview zoom
1 Press Alt+Start+A (Windows) or Option+Con-
state.
trol+A (Mac) to horizontally fit the begging and
end of your session to the length of the Edit win- – or –
dow. • Press Alt+Shift+E (Windows) or Op-
tion+Shift+E (Mac) to cancel Zoom Toggle
2 Press Alt+Start+Up Arrow (Windows) Op-
without reverting to the previous view.
tion+Control+Up Arrow (Mac) to fit all of the
tracks in your session to the height of the Edit
Creating Edit Selections with Tab to
window.
Transients
Now that you can see your entire session in the
Edit window, identify the location to view for If editing audio with clear transients, use Tab to
editing. Transients to make Edit selections:
1 Press Control+Alt+Tab (Windows) or Com-
To zoom to an Edit selection: mand+Option+Tab (Mac) to toggle Tab to Tran-
1 With the Selector or the Grabber tool, make an sients on and off.
Edit selection. 2 With the Selector tool, place the Edit cursor
before the first transient your want in your se-
Press F7 for the Selector tool or F8 for the
lection.
Grabber tool.
3 Press Tab to place the Edit cursor at the first
2 Press Alt+Start (Windows) or Option+Con- transient.
trol+F (Mac) to fit the length of the selection to
the length of the Edit window. 4 Press Shift+Tab to make an Edit to the next tr-
nansient.
3 Press Control+Start+Up Arrow (Windows) or
Command+Control+Up Arrow (Mac) to zoom 5 Repeat as necessary.

the Track Height of the Edit selection to fit to

the height of the Edit window.

492 Pro Tools Reference Guide

You can also do the following: Changing the Edit Selection
• Press Control+Tab (Windows) or Op-
Pro Tools provides several keyboard shortcuts
tion+Tab (Mac) to move the Edit cursor to
for moving and extending or decreasing the
the previous transient.
range of an Edit (or Timeline) selection.
– and –
• Press Control+Shift+Tab (Windows) or Op- To move the selection down to the next track:
tion+Shift+Tab (Mac) to extend the selec-
„ Press Start+; (semicolon) (Windows) or Con-
tion to the previous transient.
trol+; (semicolon) (Mac).

Making an Edit Selection During To extend the Edit selection down across
Playback tracks, Press Start+Shift+; (semicolon)
(Windows) or Control+Shift+; (semicolon)
To make an Edit selection during playback: (Mac).
1 Place the Edit cursor in the track or across mul-
To move the selection up to the next track:
tiple tracks where you want to make the selec-
tion. „ Press Start+P (Windows) or Control+P (Mac).

2 Start playback. To extend the Edit selection up across

tracks, Press Start+Shift+P (Windows) or
3 Press the Down Arrow to place the Edit cursor
Control+Shift+P (Mac).
at the current playback location and mark the
beginning of the Edit selection. To move the selection forward by the selection
4 Press the Up Arrow to mark the end point of amount:
the Edit selection. „ Press Control+Alt+Start+’ (single quote) (Win-

dows) or Command+Control+Option+’ (single

5 Stop playback.
quote) (Mac).
6 Do one of the following:
• Press the Left arrow to locate the beginning To move the selection backward by the selection
of the Edit selection. amount:

– or – „ Press Control+Alt+Start+L (Windows) or

• Press the Right arrow to locate the end of Command+Control+Option+L (Mac).

the Edit selection.
To double the Edit selection:
„ Press Control+Alt+Start+Shift+’ (single quote)

(Windows) or Command+Control+Op-
tion+Shift+’ (single quote) (Mac).

To halve the Edit selection:

„ Press Control+Alt+Start+Shift+L (Windows) or

Command+Control+Option+Shift+L (Mac).

Chapter 24: Making Selections 493

 Moving the Insertion to the Beginning Changing Track Heights
or End of the Selection
To fit the Track heights of tracks containing he
With the Transport stopped, you can use the Edit selection to the height of the Edit window:
Down and Up Arrows on your alphanumeric
„ Press Control+Start+Up Arrow (Windows) or
keyboard to the beginning or end of the Edit (or
Command+Control+Up Arrow (Mac).
Timeline) selection (and collapse the selection).

To change Track height proportionally for tracks

To move the insertion to the beginning of the
containing the Edit selection:
selection:
„ Press Start+Up or Down Arrows (Windows) or
„ Press the Down Arrow.
Control+Up or Down Arrows (Mac).

To move the insertion to the end of the selection:

To change Track views for all tracks together:
„ Press the Up Arrow.
„ Press Alt+Start+Up or Down Arrows (Win-

dows) or Option+Control+Up or Down Arrows

Restoring the Last Selection
(Mac).
There are times when editing that you can loose
your selection. If you loose the current Edit (or Changing Track Views
Timeline) selection and want to restore it, use
the Restore Last Selection command. To change Track views for tracks containing the
Edit selection:
To restore the last selection: „ Press Control+Start+Left or Right arrows

„ Choose Edit > Restore Last Selection. (Windows) or Command+Control+Left or Right

arrows (Mac).
You can also press Control+Alt+Z (Win-
dows) or Command+Option+Z (Mac) to re- To change Track views for all tracks together:
store the previous selection.
„ Press Control+Alt+Start+Left or Right arrows

(Windows) or Command+Option+Control+Left
or Right arrows (Mac).

494 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 25: Editing Regions and
Selections

Regions are the basic building blocks for arrang-

ing audio and MIDI in Pro Tools. Understanding Creating New Regions
how regions are created, edited, and arranged is
Pro Tools provides several commands for creat-
essential to taking full advantage of the editing
ing regions and region groups, each of them
capabilities of Pro Tools.
having a slightly different effect on the selec-
This chapter covers basic editing functions as tion. When you create a new region or region
they apply to regions and region groups, and se- group, it appears in the Region List and in the
lections, which for the most part apply to both track’s playlist. When creating a new region
MIDI and audio data. from an existing region, the original region re-
mains in the Region List.
For editing procedures more specific to
MIDI, see Chapter 29, “MIDI Editing.” For details on how these new regions are au-
tomatically named, see “Auto-Naming Op-
tions” on page 220.
For editing procedures specific to video, see
“Video Regions” on page 1047.
For information on automatically-created
regions, see “Region Types” on page 428.

Capture Region Command

The Capture Region command defines a selection
as a new region and adds it to the Region List.
From there, the new region can be dragged to
any existing tracks.

Chapter 25: Editing Regions and Selections 495

 To capture a new region: On Grid Creates new regions according to the se-
lected Grid value (see “Defining the Grid Value”
1 With the Selector tool, drag in an existing re-
on page 725). Likewise, MIDI notes can be sepa-
gion to select the material for the new region.
rated on the grid.

At Transients Automatically creates region

boundaries on detected transients within a se-
lection. This uses the same algorithm for tran-
sient detection as the Tab to Transients feature
(see “Tabbing to Transients” on page 484). On
Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, the Separate At
Selecting a portion of a region
Transients command uses the transient events
2 Choose Region > Capture. detected by Elastic Audio analysis (see “Elastic
Audio Analysis” on page 772). Separate At Tran-
Press Control+R (Windows) or Com- sients only applies to audio and is not applicable
mand+R (Mac) for Capture Region. to MIDI notes or regions.

3 Type a name for the new region and click OK.

To separate one or more regions (or MIDI notes) at
The new region appears in the Region List. The the selection (or at the edit cursor):
original region remains intact and unchanged. 1 Do one of the following:
• With the Selector tool, make an Edit selec-
Separate Commands tion.
– or –
The Separate commands define a selection
within an existing region, or a partially selected • With the Selector tool, click at the point
region, as a new region and separate it from sur- where you want to separate the region (or
rounding material. The Separate commands can MIDI note).
also be applied to MIDI notes (see “Separating 2 Do one of the following:
MIDI Notes” on page 586).
• Choose Edit > Separate > At Selection.
New regions appear in the tracks in which they – or –
are created, separate from the data surrounding • With an Edit selection, Right-click near the
them. They also appear in the Region List. cursor position or selection and choose
Separate from the pop-up menu.
There are three different Separate commands:

At Selection (or Edit Cursor) Creates new region Press Control+E (Windows) or
boundaries at the selection start and end points. Command+E (Mac) for Separate At Selection.
If there is no selection and the edit cursor is
3 If the Editing preference for Auto-Name Sepa-
placed within the region, the region is split into
rated Regions is disabled, type a name for the
two new regions at the insertion point. Likewise,
new region when prompted, then click OK.
MIDI notes can be separated at the selection
start and end points (or at the Edit cursor).

496 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To separate regions (or MIDI notes) according to By separating a region, additional regions are
the current grid resolution: auto-created from data on either side of the sep-
1 Make an Edit selection. aration, which have new numbers assigned to
their names. The original region remains intact
2 Choose Edit > Separate > On Grid. and unchanged on the Region List.
3 In the Pre-Separate Amount dialog, type a
The Region List can quickly fill up with
pre-separate amount in milliseconds. This can
auto-created regions. For easier region man-
be useful to pad the beginnings of the new re-
agement, click the Region List menu, dese-
gions.
lect Show > Auto-Created to hide all auto-
created regions in the Region List.

“Separate Region” Operates On All

Related Takes
When the “Separate Region” Operates on All Re-
lated Takes option is enabled in the Editing Pref-
Pre-Separate Amount dialog
erences, editing a region with the Separate Re-
4 Click OK. gion command also affects all other related takes
with the same User Time Stamp.
To separate audio regions at transients:
This option helps you compare different sec-
1 Make an Edit selection. tions from a group of related takes. For example,
2 Choose Edit > Separate > At Transients.
you can quickly separate an entire group of re-
lated vocal takes into sections, then audition
3 In the Pre-Separate Amount dialog, type a and select the best material from each section
pre-separate amount in milliseconds. This can independently.
be useful to pad the beginnings of the new re-
gions. If this option is selected, make sure the Track
Name and Region Start and End options are also
4 Click OK.
selected in the Matching Criteria window (see
“Matching Criteria” on page 541). If they are
Auto-Name Separated Regions Option not, all regions in the session that have the same
User Time Stamp will be affected.
With the Auto-Name Separated Regions option in
the Editing Preferences page selected, Pro Tools In most instances, you will want to disable the
automatically names separated regions for you. Separate Region Operates On All Related Takes op-
The name is a numbered variation of the origi- tion, to prevent a large number of regions from
nal region’s name. being created when you use the Separate Region
command.

Chapter 25: Editing Regions and Selections 497

 Separating Multiple Tracks Separation Grabber Tool
Figure 27 illustrates a separation across one You can use the Separation Grabber tool to auto-
mono audio track and two stereo tracks. For matically separate an Edit selection and move it
some tracks, the selection resides within a re- to another location or another track.
gion, while others reside at the start or end of a
region. To separate a selection with the Separation
Grabber tool:
1 With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection.
The selection can reside within a single region,
across adjacent regions within the same track, or
across multiple tracks.

2 From the Grabber tools pop-up menu, choose

the Separation Grabber tool.

Separation Grabber tool

3 Drag the selection to the new location, or to

another track.

Figure 27. Separating across multiple tracks

Once separated, this material can be moved or

copied to another location. before
after

Dragging later in track with Separation Grabber tool

A new region (or regions) containing the previ-

ous selection is created, separate from the origi-
nal selection. New regions are also created from
the material outside the original selection.

498 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To separate a selection without affecting the Region Overlap and Underlap
original regions:
When a tick-based audio track has multiple re-
1 With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection.
gions, an increase in tempo can cause neighbor-
The selection can reside within a single region,
ing regions to overlap. Audio regions can be set
across adjacent regions within the same track, or
to display a small “dog-ear” corner to indicate
across multiple tracks.
overlapping region boundaries.
2 From the Grabber tools pop-up menu, choose
Overlap region Overlap region
the Separation Grabber tool.

3 While pressing Alt (Windows) or Option

(Mac), drag the selection to the new location, or
to another track.

Underlap region

Region overlap and underlap

To toggle the display of overlap and underlap

region boundaries:
„ Choose View > Region > Overlap.

Changing Region Overlap/Underlap

After tempo changes with tick-based audio, and
Dragging to another track with the Separation Grabber other edits, regions may overlap in undesired
tool
ways. To correct this, a region can be brought to
New regions containing the previous selection the front, or sent behind neighboring regions as
are created and placed at the new location. The needed.
original selection and regions remain intact.
To change the region overlap or underlap:
1 In the Edit window, choose the region or re-
gions you want to re-order.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Region > Bring to Front to make the
region overlap the neighboring regions.
– or –
• Choose Region > Send to Back to make the
region underlap the neighboring regions.

If multiple overlapping regions are selected,

Pro Tools will apply the command to each re-
gion as that region relates to the neighboring re-
gion on the right.

Chapter 25: Editing Regions and Selections 499

 Healing Separated Regions Trimming Regions
The Heal Separation command returns sepa- In addition to the Trimmer tools, Pro Tools pro-
rated regions to their original state—provided vides several options for editing region and re-
the regions are still next to each other and their gion group boundaries.
relative start and end points have not changed
since the separation. For information on using the Trimmer
tools, see “Using the Trimmer Tools” on
If you have trimmed or otherwise changed the page 458.
start or end points of the two regions, or moved
them further away from each other, you will not Trim to Selection Command
be able to repair them with the Heal Separation
command. It is not possible to heal two regions The Trim to Selection command removes data be-
created from different audio files. fore and after a region or MIDI note selection,
leaving only the selection. This command lets
To heal a separation between two regions: you quickly remove all data in a region (and in
some instances the entire track) except for the
1 With the Selector tool, make a selection that
current selection.
includes part of the first region, the entire sepa-
ration between the regions, and part of the sec-
To trim unwanted data from a region or note:
ond region.
1 With the Selector tool, select a portion of a re-
2 Choose Edit > Heal Separation.
gion or note (or a range of notes).

Press Control+H (Windows) or 2 Choose Edit > Trim > To Selection to remove
Command+H (Mac) to Heal Separation. material outside of the selection.

If the regions do not heal with Heal Separation, do

one of the following to return the separated
regions to a single region:
„ Delete one of the two separated regions (verify

that Slip mode is enabled so the gap does not

close) and use the Trimmer tool to expand the
remaining region to its original length (see “Us-
ing the Trimmer Tools” on page 458).
– or –

„ Delete both of the separated regions and drag

the original region from the Region List to the

original location (see “Placing Regions in
Tracks” on page 715).

500 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Trim to Insertion Commands Trim to Fill Selection Commands
You can trim a region or MIDI note by automat- The Trim to Fill Selection commands let you au-
ically removing the material between the Edit tomatically reveal underlying material in the
insertion point and the start or end point of the gaps between regions, or before and after indi-
region. vidual regions, as follow:

To trim from a start point to insertion: To trim from a start point to fill gaps:
1 With the Selector tool, click inside the region 1 With the Selector tool, select across at least
or note where you want the new start point to one gap between regions.
be.
2 Choose Edit > Trim > Start to Fill Selection.
2 Choose Edit > Trim > Start To Insertion. The re-
gion’s start point is automatically trimmed to The start point of the region behind the gap is
the insertion point. automatically trimmed (expanded) to the previ-
ous region, or as far as possible if there is not
Press Alt+Shift+7 (Windows) or Option+ enough underlying material to cover the gap.
Shift+7 (Mac) to Trim Start To Insertion.

To trim from an end point to insertion:

1 With the Selector tool, click inside the region
or note where you want the new end point.

2 Choose Edit > Trim > End To Insertion. The re-

gion’s end point is automatically trimmed to the
insertion point.

Region start trimmed to fill gap

To trim from an end point to fill gaps:

1 With the Selector tool, select across at least
one gap between regions.

2 Choose Edit > Trim > End To Fill Selection.

Region end trimmed to insertion

Press Alt+Shift+8 (Windows) or Option+

Shift+8 (Mac) to Trim Start To Insertion.

Chapter 25: Editing Regions and Selections 501

 The end point of the region in front of the gap is Trimming with Nudge
automatically trimmed (expanded) to the next
region, or as far as possible if there is not enough You can trim the start and end points of a region
underlying material to cover the gap. by nudging them.

To trim a region’s start or end point by the Nudge

value:
1 Configure the Nudge value (see “Defining the
Nudge Value” on page 503).

2 With the Time Grabber tool, select the region

you want to trim.

3 Do one of the following:

• While pressing Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac), press Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the
Region end trimmed to fill gap numeric keypad to trim the region’s start
point by the Nudge value.
To trim from a region’s start and end points to fill
the Edit selection: – or –
• While pressing Control (Windows) or
1 With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection
Command (Mac), press Plus (+) or Minus
that includes the region you want to trim out.
(–) on the numeric keypad to trim the
2 Choose Edit > Trim > To Fill Selection. region’s end point by the Nudge value.

The start point of the region is automatically

trimmed (expanded) to the Edit selection start,
or as far as possible if there is not enough under- Nudging Regions
lying material to cover the selection, and the
Pro Tools can nudge regions (or MIDI notes) by
end point of the region is automatically
precise increments with the Plus (+) and Minus
trimmed out (expanded) to the Edit selection
(–) keys on the numeric keypad. The amount of
end, or as far as possible if there is not enough
the nudge is determined by the value specified
underlying material to cover the selection.
in the Nudge Value pop-up menu. The Nudge
The Trim to Fill Selection command is the inverse function can be used in any of the Edit modes.
of the Trim to Fit Selection command: where the
Nudging can be invaluable for adjusting the
Trim to Fill Selection command trims a region out
“groove” of a musical phrase or a sound effect
to match the Edit selection, the Trim to Fit Selec-
relative to other elements in the session. Since
tion command trims a region in to match the
Pro Tools can nudge material during playback,
Edit selection.
you can nudge continuously in real time to ad-
just the timing relationship between tracks.

Nudge can also be used to adjust the placement

of automation breakpoints. For more informa-
tion, see “Editing Automation” on page 927.

502 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Defining the Nudge Value
The Nudge value determines how far regions
and selections are moved when nudging.

Start and end points for selections can also be

moved by the Nudge value (see “Nudging Selec-
tion Start/End Points” on page 479). In addi-
tion, regions can be trimmed by the Nudge
value (see “Trimming with Nudge” on
page 502).

To set the Nudge value:

Nudge Value pop-up menu showing Time Code
1 Do one of the following:
• From the View > Main Counter menu, select Nudging with Nudge
the Time Scale for the Nudge value.
To nudge one or more region:
– or –
1 Configure the Nudge value (see “Defining the
• To keep the Main Time Scale and use a dif-
ferent time format for the Nudge value, de- Nudge Value” on page 503).
select Follow Main Timebase in the Nudge 2 With the Time Grabber or Selector tool, select
Value pop-up menu. the region, regions, or region groups you want
2 Specify a Nudge value by doing one of the fol-
to nudge. The regions can reside on multiple
lowing: tracks. Only regions that are completely selected
are nudged.
• From the Nudge value pop-up menu in the
Edit window, select the Nudge value. 3 Do one of the following:

– or – • On the numeric keypad, press Plus (+) to

• To specify a Nudge value not listed in the move the selection forward by the Nudge
Nudge Value pop-up menu, click the value.
Nudge Value indicator and type in the – or –
value. • Press Minus (–) to move the selection back
by the Nudge value.

The Nudge command works the same regardless

of the Edit mode. Adjacent regions are over-
lapped in Shuffle mode, the Spot dialog does not
appear when in Spot mode, and shifted material
does not snap to the Grid when in Grid mode.

Chapter 25: Editing Regions and Selections 503

 Nudging Regions on Multiple Tracks and Nudging a Region’s Contents
in Multichannel Tracks
Often a region’s start point will reside at the cor-
When nudging a selection of multiple regions rect location, perhaps at a SMPTE frame or bar-
within a single track or across multiple tracks, line, but the material within the region starts
that also contains silence, any automation data too late or early. You can, in effect, nudge a re-
residing within the silence is also nudged. gion’s audio waveform or MIDI notes without
displacing the region’s start and end points.
Nudging by Next Nudge Value
before
In addition to nudging by the current Nudge
value, you can also nudge by the next larger
value in the Nudge pop-up menu.
Region contents are slid, moving waveform material
For example, if the Nudge value is set to 1 frame into and out of the current region boundaries
and you want to nudge by a larger value, you
can nudge by the Nudge value of 10 frames.

To nudge forward or back by the next larger Nudge

value:
after
1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key-
Nudging region contents
board Focus” on page 24).
This “sliding” of region contents is only possible
2 Select the regions or notes you want to nudge.
if there is material residing outside the region’s
3 Do one of the following: start and end points—from the region having
• Press Forward Slash (/) to nudge the se- been trimmed, or perhaps captured from a larger
lected material forward by the next Nudge region.
value.
To nudge the contents of a region without
– or –
changing the region start and end points:
• Press M to nudge the selection back by the
1 Configure the Nudge value (see “Defining the
next Nudge value.
Nudge Value” on page 503).
When Commands Keyboard Focus is not
2 With the Time Grabber tool, select the region
enabled, press Start+Forward Slash (/)
whose contents you want to nudge.
(Windows) or Control+Forward Slash (/)
(Mac) to nudge the selected material 3 While pressing the Start key (Windows) or
forward by the next Nudge value, and press Control (Mac), press Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the
Start+M (Windows) or Control+M (Mac) to numeric keypad to move the material by the
nudge the selected material back by the next Nudge value.
Nudge value.

504 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Quantizing Regions to Grid To quantize individual MIDI notes or Elas-
tic Audio Events, use the Quantize Event
The Quantize to Grid command adjusts the place- Operations. You can also use the Quantize
ment of selected audio and MIDI regions so that Event Operation to quantize audio regions.
their start points (or sync points, if present) For more information see “Quantize” on
align precisely to the nearest Grid boundary. page 798).
To quantize individual MIDI notes or Elastic Au-
dio Events, use the Quantize Event Operations.
You can also use the Quantize Event Operation Editing Stereo and
to quantize audio regions (see “Quantize” on Multichannel Tracks
page 798).
Regions on individual channels within stereo
and multichannel tracks cannot be indepen-
To quantize one or more regions:
dently selected. All selections for these tracks are
1 Select the Grid value (see “Defining the Grid time-based, which means that selections made
Value” on page 725). with the Selector or Time Grabber tool extend to
2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, select each and every channel in the track.
the region or regions you want to quantize. The
When regions in multichannel tracks are edited
regions can be on multiple tracks. Only regions
with any of the Trimmer tools or dragged with
that are entirely selected will be quantized.
the Time Grabber tool, material on all channels
3 Choose Region > Quantize to Grid. Region start is affected equally as a group.
times (or sync points) are aligned to the nearest
boundaries for the defined Grid. Split Selected Tracks

Press Control+0 (Windows) or To edit a specific channel within a stereo or

Command+0 (Mac) to Quantize to Grid. multichannel track without affecting the other
channels, you can split the track into separate
For MIDI regions, only the regions are quantized mono tracks. Once the edits have been made to
and all MIDI data contained within the regions the separated material, you can then drag or
(such as notes) are moved equally, thereby re- copy it back to the original multichannel track.
taining their rhythmic relationships.
To split a stereo or multichannel track:
For Elastic Audio regions, only the regions are
quantized and all Elastic Audio Events con- 1 Select one or more stereo or multichannel
tained within the regions (such as transient tracks (see “Selecting Tracks” on page 167).
events) are moved equally, thereby retaining
2 Choose Track > Split Into Mono. Regions from
their rhythmic relationships.
the channels on the selected tracks are placed on
new, mono audio tracks.

Chapter 25: Editing Regions and Selections 505

 Names for the new tracks are based on the ‹ When dragging multichannel regions to
source track name and channel suffix. For exam- mono tracks, the destination tracks must be
ple, if a stereo track called “Funkit” is split, two adjacent.
new tracks called “Funkit.L” and “Funkit.R” are ‹ When dragging regions from mono tracks to a
created. multichannel track, the source tracks need not
Output and send assignments and volume and be adjacent.
pan settings are retained in the new tracks. Multichannel regions can also be dragged from
Mono equivalents of stereo and multi-mono the Region List, to multichannel tracks of the
plug-in assignments are assigned in the new same format, groups of mono audio tracks, or a
tracks. However, multichannel plug-in assign- combination of both.
ments are not assigned in the new tracks.
Conversely, a collection of single, mono regions
Dragging Regions to and from Stereo can be dragged from the Region List to multi-
and Multichannel Tracks channel tracks—provided the dragged number
of regions matches the number of channels in
the destination track.

Consolidate Command
During the course of normal edit operations,
any track can accumulate many regions. How-
ever, once a track or track range (such as a verse
or chorus) reaches a satisfactory state, you may
want to consolidate multiple regions into a sin-
gle region.

When consolidating an entire audio track or just

an Edit selection, a new audio file is written that
Dragging a stereo region to two mono audio tracks consists of the entire selection, including any
When dragging regions to or from stereo or blank space.
multichannel tracks, the following rules apply:
When consolidating, muted regions are treated
‹ Provided the number of tracks and channels as silence. Otherwise, whether or not a track is
are the same for the source and destination, you muted, or contains Mute automation, does not
can drag regions between multichannel tracks affect the Consolidate command.
and mono tracks.
Consolidating an audio track does not
‹ The source and destination for dragged re-
consolidate underlying automation data.
gions can be mixed. For example, you can drag
To create a single file with automation data
regions from a 5.0 track (containing five chan-
applied to the audio, use Bounce to Disk
nels) to a stereo track and three mono audio
(see “Bounce to Disk” on page 962).
tracks.

506 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To consolidate regions within a track: To compact an audio file:
1 Do one of the following: 1 In the Region List, select the region or regions
• Using the Time Grabber or Selector tool, se- you want to compact.
lect the regions you want to consolidate. 2 From the Region List menu, choose Compact.
– or –
3 Enter the amount of padding in milliseconds
• To select all regions in a track, triple-click in that you want for each region in the file.
its playlist with the Selector tool.
4 Click Compact to compact the file or Cancel to
2 Choose Edit > Consolidate.
cancel the command.

Press Alt+Shift+3 (Windows) or Once the Compact command has been com-
Option+Shift+3 (Mac) to Consolidate. pleted, the session is saved automatically.

Compacting an Audio File Processing Audio with

The Compact command deletes unused portions AudioSuite Plug-ins
of audio files to conserve disk space, and to pre-
pare for cleaner hard drive back-ups. The Com- The AudioSuite plug-ins included with your
pact Selected command also deletes any audio Pro Tools system can be used to process and
files for which there are no regions on tracks ref- modify audio regions or even entire audio files.
erencing those files. Do this in order to apply a specific AudioSuite
process (such as Normalization or DC Offset Re-
Because it permanently deletes audio data, the moval) to any number of audio regions in your
Compact command should be used only after session.
you have completely finished your editing and
are sure that you have no further use for the un- For more information about AudioSuite
used audio data. plug-ins, see Chapter 37, “AudioSuite Pro-
cessing.”
The Compact command can pad the regions of
the compacted file by a selectable amount. If re-
gions in your session use crossfades, or if you
want to pad the regions for the sake of any fu-
ture trimming, you should enter an appropriate
amount of padding (in milliseconds).

The Compact command is destructive and

cannot be undone. It permanently alters the
original audio files. There is no way to
recover data deleted by this command.

Chapter 25: Editing Regions and Selections 507

 Fitting an Audio Region to an Edit
TCE (Time Compression and Selection
Expansion) Edit To Timeline
Regions can be dragged from the Region List to
Selection
fit within an Edit selection. The dragged region
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with is compressed or expanded to fit within the se-
DV Toolkit 2 or Complete Production lection. On audio tracks, fitting an audio region
Toolkit Only) to the Edit selection uses the TCE AudioSuite
Plug-in selected in the Processing preferences
When the Edit and Timeline selections are un-
(see “Processing Preferences” on page 93). On Elas-
linked, you can compress or expand an audio se-
tic Audio-enabled tracks, it uses the track’s se-
lection to fit the Timeline selection. On audio
lected Elastic Audio plug-in (see “Elastic Audio
tracks, TCE Edit to Timeline Selection uses the TCE
Plug-ins” on page 774).
AudioSuite Plug-in selected in the Processing
preferences (see “Processing Preferences” on
To fit an audio region to an Edit selection:
page 93). On Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, TCE
Edit To Timeline Selection uses the track’s selected 1 With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection
Elastic Audio plug-in (see “Elastic Audio Plug- in an audio track.
ins” on page 774).
2 Control-Alt-drag (Windows) or Command-
Option-drag (Mac) the region from the Region
To fit an Edit selection to the Timeline:
List to the track with the selection. The start of
1 Deselect Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec- the region is positioned at the selection start,
tion. and the region is compressed or expanded to
match the length of the selection.
2 With the Selector tool, select the audio mate-
rial to be compressed or expanded.
Fit to Selection on Multiple Tracks and
3 In any Timebase ruler, select the time range Channels
where you want to fit the audio material.
The Fit to Selection command supports dragging
4 Choose Edit > TCE Edit to Timeline Selection. multiple regions from the Region List to multi-
The Edit selection is compressed or expanded to ple tracks, or multichannel tracks.
the length of the Timeline selection.
However, all dragged regions are compressed or
TCE Edit to Timeline Selection on expanded equally by the same percentage value,
Multiple Tracks and Channels based on length of the region last clicked before
dragging.
The TCE Edit to Timeline command can be used
on multichannel selections, and selections
across multiple tracks. All regions are com-
pressed or expanded equally by the same per-
centage value, based on Edit selection range.
This ensures that the rhythmic relationship
between the different channels or tracks is
maintained.

508 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Rating Regions
You can rate different regions on a scale of 1 to
5, where 5 is the highest (or best) and 1 is the
lowest (or worst). Region rating is useful for
identifying which takes (regions) you like the
most when compositing playlists. You can dis-
play or hide the region rating in regions to facil-
itate track compositing or regular editing. You
can also show or hide Playlist lanes based on the
ratings of regions in the playlist (see “Filtering
Lanes” on page 540).

To rate a region:
1 Select the region.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Region > Rating, and select a rank-
ing of 1 to 5.
– or –
• Right-click the region, choose Rate, and se-
lect a ranking of 1 to 5.

You can rate selected regions during play-

back by pressing Control+Alt+Start (Win-
dows) or Command+Option+Control (Mac)
and then typing the rating number (1–5) on
the numeric keypad.

To display ratings in regions:

„ Select View > Region > Rating.

Region with Rating shown

To hide ratings in regions:

„ Deselect View > Region > Rating.

Chapter 25: Editing Regions and Selections 509

510 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades

About Crossfades and Curves

Using Fades
To create a crossfade between two regions, use
You can quickly and easily apply a fade-in or the Selector tool to select across the end point of
fade-out on a audio region, as well as crossfades the first region and the start point of the second.
between adjacent audio regions. Crossfading is The length of the selection determines the
the process of fading between two regions of au- length of the crossfade. Though fades may ap-
dio to prevent pops, clicks, or sudden changes in pear to be discrete regions, they cannot actually
sound. Crossfades have many applications, be separated from the regions in which they
from smoothing transitions between regions to were created. You can, however, create fade-ins
creating special audio effects. The crossfade du- and fade-outs for individual regions (see “Creat-
ration, position, and shape are all user-defin- ing Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Re-
able. gions” on page 519).
Fades are computed and written to disk. Cross- Use the Fades dialog to select, view, and manip-
fades that are written to disk are stored in a ulate the curves used to perform fades and cross-
folder named “Fade Files” within the session fades. Different volume curves can be assigned
folder. When you play back your track, to the fade-out and fade-in portions of cross-
Pro Tools reads and plays back the fade file from fades. The Fades dialog can also render a preview
disk. of the fade.
Pro Tools does not let you replace fade-ins and The following examples illustrate common
fade-outs with crossfades. To add a crossfade be- types of crossfades, and explain how the type of
tween regions, any existing fade-ins and fade- selection you make determines the character of
outs between the regions must first be deleted. the crossfade.

Pro Tools HD includes an AutoFade feature Since crossfades are created by fading be-
that provides real-time fades without pro- tween overlapping audio material, a cross-
cessing them to disk (see “Using AutoFades” fade cannot be performed on regions that do
on page 523). not contain audio material beyond their re-
gion boundaries.

Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades 511

 This type of selection creates a crossfade before
If a region references insufficient data to ex- the splice point. This lets you maintain the vol-
ecute a selected fade or crossfade, you are ume of the very beginning of region 2 instead of
prompted to either skip those fades or to ad- fading across it, which is useful if there is a
just the bounds of the selection to be able to strong attack at the beginning of region 2 that
execute those fades. you want to preserve. When making selections
for crossfades that occur on the border of two re-
Standard Crossfade (Centered) gions, you can use the Tab key to move the cur-
sor to the exact beginning or end of a region.
splice
fade-out curve point fade-in curve
This crossfade type requires that region 2 con-
tain audio material before its start point.

region 1 region 2
Post Crossfade

splice
crossfade selection point
Centered crossfade

This type of selection creates a crossfade on both

sides of the splice point, which affects the vol- region 1 region 2
ume of region 1 and region 2. It is the most
common type of crossfade.

This crossfade type requires that region 1 con- crossfade selection

tain audio material beyond its end point, and Post crossfade
region 2 contain audio material before its start
point. This type of selection creates a crossfade after
the splice point. It is useful if you want to main-
tain the amplitude of region 1 until its very end.
Pre Crossfade
When making selections for crossfades that oc-
cur on the border of two regions, you can use
splice
point the Tab key to move the cursor to the exact be-
ginning or end of a region.

This crossfade type requires that region 1 con-

region 1 region 2 tain audio material beyond its end point.

crossfade selection
Pre crossfade

512 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 The controls in the Fades dialog include:
Fades Dialog
Audition
When choosing the Edit > Fades command you
can use the Fades dialog to select, view, and pre-
view fades and crossfades, and to edit the curves
used to perform fades and crossfades. A fade-in
shows the In Shape settings, but not the Out
Shape settings, and likewise a fade-out shows Click this button to audition fades. Pro Tools
the Out Shape settings, but not the In Shape set- supports fade auditioning directly from your au-
tings. dio interface outputs.

View First Track (Crossfades Only)

If you are cross-fading between more than one

track, this button allows you to view and pre-
view the audio of the first in a pair of adjacent
tracks.

View Second Track (Crossfades Only)

Fades dialog, fade-out

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

View Both Tracks (Crossfades Only)

Click this button to display the waveforms of

the first two adjacent tracks in a multitrack
crossfade.

Fades dialog, crossfade

Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades 513

 Fade Curves Only Zoom In

Click this button to display the specified fade Click this button to scale the view of the wave-
curves without showing the actual audio wave- form’s amplitude upwards. Control-click (Win-
forms. This is the default view when you open dows) or Command-click (Mac) for the default
the Fades dialog. view scale.

Fade Curves and Separate Waveforms Zoom Out

Click this button to display the specified fade Click this button to scale the view of the wave-
curves along with separate views of the fade-in form’s amplitude downwards. Control-click
and fade-out waveforms. (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) for the de-
fault view scale.
Fade Curves and Superimposed Waveforms

Fade-Out Shape Settings

Click this button to display the specified fade

curves along with superimposed views of the
fade-in and fade-out waveforms.

Fade Curves and Summed Waveform

Fade-Out Shape

The Out Shape setting lets you define the shape

of the fade-out from a region for a fade, or from
region 1 for a crossfade.
Click this button to display the specified fade Standard Selects a single continuous fade curve.
curves along with a single waveform represent- This creates a general-purpose fade that can be
ing the summation of the any crossfaded audio. edited by dragging the curve itself.

514 Pro Tools Reference Guide

S-Curve Selects an S-shaped curve, which inverts ‹ Preset Curve 4 fades out with a linear fade.
its beginning and end characteristics. This This is the default curve.
makes it possible to fade out faster at the curve’s
start and slower at its end, for example. S-shaped
curves can be useful with material that is diffi-
cult to crossfade effectively. S-curves can be ed-
ited by dragging the curve in the curve editor. Preset Curve 4

Preset Curves Seven commonly used preset ‹ Preset Curve 5 fades out quickly at the begin-
curves are provided for fast crossfade creation. ning of the crossfade.
These can be edited by dragging the end points
of the curve in the curve editor portion of this
dialog. The seven presets are as follows:
‹ Preset Curve 1 stays at full volume throughout
the fade, then immediately drops the volume at Preset Curve 5
the end of the fade.
‹ Preset Curve 6 drops the volume even more
quickly at the beginning of the fade.

Preset Curve 1

‹ Preset Curve 2 fades out relatively slowly, Preset Curve 6

keeping the volume fairly high throughout the
‹ Preset Curve 7 silences any audio at the begin-
duration of the fade.
ning of the fade.

Preset Curve 2 Preset Curve 7

‹ Preset Curve 3 fades out slightly faster, keep-
ing the volume slightly lower during the fade.

Preset Curve 3

Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades 515

 Link Settings None Disables linking between the fade-out and
fade-in curves, and lets you freely adjust them
(Crossfades Only)
separately, including start and end points. This
option also allows you to create custom cross-
fade shapes.

Fade Link

The Link setting links the selected fade-out and

fade-in curves of a crossfade. If you adjust one
curve, the corresponding curve is also adjusted.
This ensures that the resulting crossfade is an
equal power or equal gain crossfade, depending
Adjusting the end point of a fade curve
on which one you select.
When Link is set to Equal Power or Equal Gain, you
Equal Power Recommended for material that is can edit only the fade-in portion of the curve, by
not phase coherent, as in the case of a crossfade pressing Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while
between two completely different types of mate- dragging. To edit only the fade-out portion of
rial. Use this option to avoid the volume drop the curve, press Control (Windows) or Com-
that can occur with an Equal Gain crossfade. mand (Mac) while dragging.
With this fade, you can Alt-click (Windows) or
Option-click (Mac) the fade curve to reset it to
Slope Settings
its default shape.
(Fade-In or Fade-Out Only)
Equal Gain Recommended for material that is
phase-coherent or nearly phase-coherent, as in
the case of a crossfade between identical re-
gions/instruments (for example, a repeated
drum loop). Use this option to avoid clipping
that can occur when using an Equal Power cross-
fade. With this fade, you can Alt-click (Win- Fade Link
dows) or Option-click (Mac) the fade curve to re- The Slope settings affect the slope of the fade-in
set it to its default shape. or fade-out. Select either Equal Power or Equal
Gain. For more information on Equal Power and
Equal Gain fades, see “Link Settings” on
page 516.

516 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Use Dither Preset Curves Seven commonly used preset
curves are provided for fast creation. These can
be edited by dragging the end points of the
curve in the curve editor portion of this dialog.
Dither option for Fades
The seven presets are as follows:
The Use Dither option turns on a preset, noise- ‹ Preset Curve 1 fades in at full volume immedi-
shaped dither function that improves audio per- ately at the beginning of the fade and keeps it
formance when fading in or fading out of si- there throughout the fade.
lence, and crossfading between low amplitude
regions. Dithering is usually not necessary when
applying fades to regions with audio at high am-
plitudes. You can disable Dither while editing
fades in the Fades dialog to speed up previews
Preset Curve 1
and fade recalculation, then re-enable Dither to
create the final fade or crossfade. ‹ Preset Curve 2 fades in quickly in the begin-
ning, reaching full amplitude fairly early in the
Fade-In Shape Settings fade.

Preset Curve 2

‹ Preset Curve 3 fades in moderately fast.

Fade-in Shape

The In Shape setting lets you define the shape of

the fade-in to a region for a fade, or to region 2
for a crossfade.
Preset Curve 3
Standard Selects a single continuous fade curve.
‹ Preset Curve 4 fades in with a linear fade
This creates a general-purpose fade that can be
curve. This is the default curve.
edited by dragging the curve itself.

S-Curve Selects an S-shaped curve, which inverts

its beginning and end characteristics. This
makes it possible to fade in faster at the start of
the curve, and slower at the end. S-shaped Preset Curve 4
curves are useful with material that is difficult to
fade effectively. S-curves can be edited by drag-
ging the curve in the curve editor.

Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades 517

 ‹ Preset Curve 5 fades in slowly at the begin- Equal Power Crossfade This is a good general
ning of the fade. purpose crossfade useful in cases where a linear
crossfade seems to create a noticeable drop in
volume across the splice point.

1. Out 2. In
Preset Curve 5

‹ Preset Curve 6 fades in even more slowly than

the previous curve.

Equal Power Crossfade

Preset Curve 6 Overlap Fade This combination of curves keeps
‹ Preset Curve 7 silences any audio until the both regions at full amplitude throughout the
end of the fade. crossfade: region 2 “jumps in” at the beginning
and region 1 “jumps out” at the end.

1. Out 2. In

Preset Curve 7

Typical Curve Combinations

Following are the available combinations of
fade-out and fade-in curves.
Overlap Crossfade
Linear Crossfade This is a good general purpose
crossfade with a smooth, even transition be-
tween region 1 and region 2.

1. Out 2. In

Linear Crossfade

518 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Fade and Crossfade Preferences
Creating Fades at the
You can set default fade and crossfade settings. Beginnings and Ends of
These settings load as your “base” settings when
you use the Create Fades command, and the
Regions
Fade to Start and Fade to End commands. Pro Tools lets you create fade-ins and fade-outs
at the beginnings and ends of regions.
To set the fade and crossfade preferences:
With Pro Tools HD, you can also use an auto-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
matic fade-in/out option, which applies real time
Editing tab. fade-ins/outs to all regions during playback.
2 Set the Pre-Roll and Post-Roll times for Fade These fades are not written to disk, but are auto-
previews. matically applied during playback. For more in-
formation, see “Using AutoFades” on page 523.

Region with a fade-in

Creating Fade-Ins and Fade-Outs

Depending on how you make the selection, you
can position a fade-in or fade-out at the exact
Fade preferences beginning or end of a region, or position it so it
extends into a blank area of the track. The
3 Click Fade In and set the default shape for length of the selection in the region determines
fade-ins when using the Smart Tool, then click the length of the fade-in or fade-out.
OK.
You can also fade to the beginning or end of a
4 Click Fade Out and set the default shape for
region from an insertion point.
fade-outs when using the Smart Tool, then click
OK. Although fades appear to be discrete regions,
they cannot be separated from the regions in
5 Click Crossfade and set the default shape for
which they were created.
crossfades when using the Smart Tool, then click
OK. When changing tempo in a tick-based audio
6 Click OK. track, fade-ins and fade-outs remain with their
parent regions. Fades maintain their absolute
To apply the default fade or crossfade duration and are consequently recalculated after
shape, make an Edit selection and press any tempo changes.
Control+Start+F (Windows) or
Command+Control+F (Mac).

Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades 519

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

Selecting the beginning of a region for a fade-in Selecting the end of a region for a fade-out

2 Do one of the following: 2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Edit > Fades > Create. • Choose Edit > Fades > Create.
– or – – or –
• Press Control+F (Windows) or • Press Control+F (Windows) or
Command+F (Mac). Command+F (Mac).

To apply a Fade In using the Default Fade To apply the Fade Out using the Default Fade
In setting (in the Editing Preferences page), Out setting (in the Editing Preferences page),
and without opening the Fades dialog, press and without opening the Fades dialog, press
Control+Start+F (Windows) or Control+Start+F (Windows) or
Command+Control+F (Mac). Command+Control+F (Mac).

3 Select the fade-in curve and configure the 3 Select the fade-out curve and configure the
other Fade settings. other Fade settings.

4 Click the Audition button to audition the 4 Click the Audition button to audition the
fade. fade.

5 Adjust the curve by dragging it or by selecting 5 Adjust the curve by dragging it or by selecting
a different shape from the In Shape pop-up a different shape from the Out Shape pop-up
menu. menu.

6 Click OK. 6 Click OK.

Pro Tools calculates the fade and writes it to Pro Tools calculates the fade and writes it to
disk. The selected fade curve appears in the re- disk. The chosen fade curve appears in the re-
gion. gion.

Fade lengths can be resized with any of the

Trimmer tools, including Nudge Trim
commands. See “Using the Trimmer Tools”
on page 458 and “Trimming with Nudge”
on page 502.

520 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To fade from the insertion point to a region start 2 Do one of the following:
point: • Choose Edit > Fades > Create.
1 Place the cursor at a location in the region. – or –
2 Do one of the following: • Press Control+F (Windows) or
• Choose Edit > Fades > Fade To Start. Command+F (Mac).

– or – To apply a Crossfade using the Default

• Press Alt+D (Windows) or Crossfade setting (in the Editing Preferences),
Control+D (Mac). and without opening the Fades dialog, press
Control+Start+F (Windows) or
The fade is applied based on the Fade In prefer- Command+Control+F (Mac).
ences (see “Fade and Crossfade Preferences” on
page 519). 3 Use the view buttons to adjust the view of the
crossfade. It may take a few moments to calcu-
To fade from the insertion point to a region end late the waveform display for long selections.
point:
4 Select an Out Shape and an In Shape.
1 Place the cursor at a location in the region.
5 Select a Linking option.
2 Do one of the following:
6 Click the Audition button to audition the
• Choose Edit > Fades > Fade To End.
crossfade. For long crossfades, it may take
– or – Pro Tools a few moments to calculate and load
• Press Alt+G (Windows) or the audio into playback RAM.
Control+G (Mac).
7 Do one of the following:
The fade is applied based on the Fade Out pref- • Adjust the curves by selecting different pre-
erences (see “Fade and Crossfade Preferences” set shapes with the Out Shape and In Shape
on page 519). pop-up menus.
– or –
• Drag the Fade-In and Fade-Out curves to a
Creating a Crossfade custom shape. By choosing None as the
Linking option, you can drag the begin-
To create a crossfade between two regions: ning or end points of a fade curve to adjust
1 With the Selector tool, click at the point where its beginning or end point.
you want the crossfade to begin in the first re- 8 Click the Audition button to audition the
gion and drag to where you want it to end in the crossfade again.
second region. Crossfade selections can begin
and end anywhere in their respective regions.

Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades 521

 9 When the crossfade sounds right, click OK. Pre and Post Crossfade Selections
The fade is calculated and written to disk, but
the audio files and regions remain unchanged. By making a selection that begins or ends pre-
Crossfades are stored in the Fade Files folder in cisely on the border of two regions, you can cre-
the session folder. ate “pre” or “post” crossfades. Use the Tab key to
place the insertion point at the exact beginning
Crossfade lengths can be resized with any of or end of a region.
the Trimmer tools, including Nudge Trim
commands. See “Using the Trimmer Tools” To create a pre- or post-crossfade:
on page 458 and “Trimming with Nudge” 1 With the Selector tool, click in the track that
on page 502. contains the regions you want to crossfade.

To remove a crossfade, do one of the following: 2 Do one of the following:

„ Select the area of the track containing any • Press Tab to move forward to the next
crossfades you want to delete and choose Edit > region boundary.
Fades > Delete. – or –
„ Select the crossfade with the Time Grabber • Press Control+Tab (Windows) or
tool and press Backspace (Windows) or Delete Option+Tab (Mac) to move back to the
(Mac). previous region boundary.

„ Right-click the crossfade with any of the edit 3 Extend the selection as follows:
tools and select Delete Fades from the pop-up • Shift-drag to adjust your selection, or press
menu. Shift+Tab to extend the selection forward
to the next region boundary.
To trim a crossfade: – or –
1 Select the crossfade with the Time Grabber • Press Control+Shift+Tab (Windows) or
tool, or double-click it with the Selector tool. Option+Shift+Tab (Mac) to extend the
selection back to the previous region
2 With any of the Trimmer tools, trim either
boundary.
side of the crossfade. The crossfade is recalcu-
lated to reflect the newly trimmed length. 4 Do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Fades > Create.
Crossfades on Tick-Based Audio Tracks
– or –
Crossfades are re-rendered after changing tempo • Press Control+F (Windows) or
in a tick-based audio track. The new crossfade is Command+F (Mac).
the same duration as the crossfade prior to the
5 Select a fade type and click OK.
tempo change.

If there is not enough audio material to com-

plete the crossfade, or if the new crossfade area
falls outside of valid region boundaries, the
crossfade is removed.

522 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Regions As Files command (from the Region
Using AutoFades List) are used to duplicate multiple regions as a
(Pro Tools HD Only) continuous file. To render these real-time auto
fades to disk, choose File > Bounce to > Disk.
Pro Tools HD can automatically apply real-time
fade-ins and fade-outs to all region boundaries To set the length of automatic fade-ins/outs:
in the session. Specify the duration (0 to 10 ms)
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
for automatic real-time fades with the Auto Re-
Operation tab.
gion Fade In/Out Length preference in the Opera-
tion Preferences page). These fade-ins and fade- 2 Type a value between 0 and 10 ms for the Auto
outs are performed during playback and do not Region Fade In/Out Length. A value of zero (the
appear in the Edit window, and are not written default) means that no auto-fading will occur.
to disk.
3 Click OK. The AutoFade value is saved with the

AutoFades are not applied to AudioSuite session, and is automatically applied to all free-
processing. standing region boundaries until you change it.

The automatic fade-in/out option also has an ef-

fect on Voice borrowing in a session. Whenever
a lower-priority virtual track “pops thru” a si-
Creating Fades and
lence in a higher-priority track on the same Crossfades in Batches
voice, a fade-in and fade-out is applied to the Using Batch Fades, you can create many fades at
transition. once. Select across several regions and use the
Create Fades command to create crossfades for
This feature is especially useful in post produc-
each region transition. If your selection includes
tion situations such as dialogue tracking. For ex-
regions that already have crossfades, this feature
ample, you could assign both a dialogue track
lets you modify them.
and a “room tone” track with matching back-
ground to the same voice. You could then set
the AutoFade option to a moderate length (4 ms To apply crossfades between multiple regions:
or so) so that whenever a silence occurred in the 1 With the Selector tool, click in the first region
dialog, playback would switch smoothly to and in which you want to create a crossfade. Make
from the background track without clicks or sure that the selection includes the entire re-
pops. gion.

Using automatic fade-ins/outs saves you the 2 Drag to extend the selection to include the last
trouble of editing to zero-crossings or creating region you want to crossfade. Make sure that the
numerous rendered fades in order to eliminate selection includes the entire region.
clicks or pops in playback. However, since these
autofades are not written to disk, those clicks or
pops still exist in the underlying sound file.
Consequently, those anomalies still appear if
Selected regions for Batch Fades
the Duplicate AudioSuite plug-in or the Export

Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades 523

 3 Do one of the following: Pro Tools creates the fades for all selected re-
• Choose Edit > Fades > Create. gions.

– or – Fade lengths can be resized with any of the

• Press Control+F (Windows) or Trimmer tools, including Nudge Trim com-
Command+F (Mac). mands. See “Using the Trimmer Tools” on
page 458 and “Trimming with Nudge” on
4 In the Batch Fades dialog, select whether you
page 502.
want to Create New Fades, Create New Fade-Ins &
Outs, Adjust Existing Fades, or a combination of
these options.
Moving and Nudging Fades
If you choose to create new fades and new fade- and Crossfades
ins and outs, new crossfades are created at each
region boundary that is bordered by another se- Fades and crossfades can be moved or nudged in
lected region, a fade-in is created at the start of tracks, independently of their contributing re-
the first region, and a fade-out is created at the gions. Moving or nudging fade-ins or fade-outs
end of the last region. reveals or hides audio as the fade is moved from
the edge of a contributing region. Moving or
nudging crossfades changes the overlap point of
the contributing regions. Moving or nudging
fades is also constrained by underlying region
boundaries.

Moving or Nudging Fades or

Crossfades within Regions

To move or nudge a fade or crossfade within its

contributing regions:
1 Select the fade or crossfade by doing one of
the following:
• Use the Time Grabber tool to select the
fade.
– or –
• Use the Selector tool to select a range that
includes the fade.
Batch Fades dialog

5 Select the placement of the Fades: Pre-Splice,

Centered, or Post-Splice (see “About Crossfades
and Curves” on page 511).

6 Enter a crossfade length in milliseconds.

7 Click OK. Selecting a fade with the Time Grabber

524 Pro Tools Reference Guide

2 Move the fade by doing one of the following: 2 Move the region selection by doing one of the
• Drag the fade with the Time Grabber tool following:
to a new location on the track. • Drag the region selection with the Grabber
– or – tool to a new location on the track.

• Nudge the fade by pressing Plus (+) or – or –

Minus (–) on the numeric keypad to move • Nudge the region selection by pressing Plus
the fade forward or backward on the track. (+) or Minus (–) on the numeric keypad to
move the region forward or backward on
the track.

Dragging the fade with the Time Grabber

Dragging a region with its fade

Nudging Regions Adjacent to Fade-Ins

or Fade-Outs
When you nudge a region selection adjacent to
Result of moved fade a fade-in or fade-out, but do not select the fade,
the adjacent fade stretches or shrinks to main-
Moving and Nudging Regions with tain the fade start or end point. The amount of
Fades or Crossfades change depends on the amount of audio mate-
rial outside the fade start or end point.
Moving Regions Containing Fades or
Crossfades To a nudge region without its fade:
1 Select the region, but not the fade.
When you move or nudge a region selection
that contains a fade-in, fade-out, or crossfade,
the fade moves with the selection.

To move a region selection with fades or

crossfades:
Selecting a region without its fade
1 Do one of the following:
2 Nudge the region by pressing Plus (+) or Mi-
• Click a region with the Time Grabber tool
nus (–) on the numeric keypad.
(or double-click with the Selector tool) to
select the region along with the fade (in or
out).
– or –
• Select multiple regions that include the
fades and crossfades you want to move. Nudging a region without its fade

Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades 525

 Moving Regions Adjacent to Crossfades 4 Use the Time Grabber or Separation Grabber
tool to select one of the contributing regions to
When you move either of the regions that con- a crossfade.
tributes to a crossfade, the regions separate. The
status of the fade depends on the Preserve Fades
when Editing preference (in the Editing Prefer-
ences page).

To separate crossfaded regions and retain the

corresponding fades: Selecting a region with a crossfade
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Edit- 5 Drag the selected region with the Grabber.
ing tab.

2 Select Preserve Fades when Editing.

3 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.

4 Use the Time Grabber or Separation Grabber

tool to select one of the contributing regions to
Separating regions while removing fades
a crossfade.
Nudging Regions Adjacent to
Crossfades
When you nudge either of the regions that con-
tributes to a crossfade, the fade stretches to pre-
serve the relative position of the crossfade start
Selecting a region with a crossfade and end points. The amount of stretch depends
on the amount of overlap between the contrib-
5 Drag the selected region with the Grabber.
uting regions.

If you nudge a region beyond the boundary of

available audio for the crossfade, the fade is re-
moved.

To nudge a region and stretch its crossfade:

Separating regions while preserving fades
1 Use the Time Grabber tool to select one of the
To separate crossfaded regions and remove the contributing regions to the crossfade.
fade:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Edit-
ing tab.

2 Deselect Preserve Fades when Editing.

3 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.

Selecting a region with a crossfade

526 Pro Tools Reference Guide

2 Nudge the region by pressing Plus (+) or
Minus (–) on the numeric keypad.

Result of Separate Region command on fade-in

Where your selection overlaps a crossfade, the

crossfade is separated into a fade-out and fade-in
Stretching the crossfade by nudging at the selection boundary.

Separating Regions That

Include Fades or Crossfades
You can create regions from track material that
overlaps with fades or crossfades. If the Preserve Selecting material that overlaps a crossfade
Fades when Editing option is enabled in the Edit-
ing Preferences page, the fades from the source
region are adjusted to the new region.

To separate a region that overlaps with a fade or

crossfade:
1 With the Selector tool, drag to select the ma- Result of Separate Region command on crossfade
terial for the new region.

2 Choose Edit > Separate Region > At Selection. If the Preserve Fades when Editing option is
not enabled in the Editing preferences, any
Where your selection overlaps any fade-ins or fades within the selection are deleted when
fade-outs, the fade is trimmed to fit the selec- editing.
tion.

Selecting material that overlaps a fade-in

Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades 527

 To trim a region to a selection that includes fades,
Trimming Regions That do one of the following:
Include Fades or Crossfades „ Make a selection in the track and choose Edit >

Trim > To Selection. You can Trim across multiple

Trimming a Region to a Fade Boundary regions and fades. Affected fades are adjusted to
the new region boundaries.
You can trim regions that are adjacent to fade
and crossfade boundaries. – or –

„ Click with the Selector in the region and

To trim a region on a fade boundary:
choose Edit > Trim > Start to Insertion or End to In-
„ With the Trimmer tool, click the region sertion. You can trim to region or fade boundary
boundary and drag to trim the region. The fade in the track.
remains constant and follows the new region
boundary.

Dragging a region boundary with the Trimmer tool

Trimming to a selection across multiple fades

Result of trimming the region Fade Boundaries and Shapes

in Displayed Automation View
Trimming to a Selection Across Fades or
Crossfades Fade boundaries and fade shapes are shown and
can be edited in Automation views, allowing for
You can trim regions to selections that include
more precise viewing and editing of automation
fades or crossfades.
data. For more information on Automation and
Automation views, see Chapter 42, “Automa-
tion.”

Fade information in Automation view

528 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 27: Playlists

The ability to create playlists is a powerful fea-

ture of Pro Tools. Each track maintains a “main” Working with Playlists
playlist and any number of “alternate” edit play-
When you create a new track, it contains a sin-
lists.
gle, empty playlist until you record, import, or
Edit playlists let you take a snapshot of a track’s drag and drop material to it.
current arrangement of regions, thereby freeing
Audio material can be dragged and dropped
you to experiment with alternate arrangements,
onto a track from the Region List, DigiBase
returning as necessary to previously saved play-
browsers, from Windows Explorer or the
lists.
Mac Finder.
A playlist, which can consist of a single region or
New playlists can be created that are empty or
many regions, can only be assigned to a track if
duplicates of the current playlist. Once created,
it is not in use by another track. While you can
you can recall, rename, and delete playlists as
create an almost unlimited number of edit play-
needed by using the Playlist selector.
lists, which are shared among all tracks, each
track has its own dedicated automation playlist.

Automation playlists for audio, Auxiliary Input,

Master Fader, and Instrument tracks store data
for volume, pan, mute, and plug-in controls.
Automation playlists for MIDI tracks, however,
store only mute information; continuous con-
troller events, program changes, and Sysex
events are stored in MIDI regions and therefore Playlist selector
reside within edit playlists for both MIDI and In-
strument tracks.

For more information on automation playl-

ists, see Chapter 42, “Automation.”

Chapter 27: Playlists 529

 Duplicating a Playlist Assigning a Playlist to Another
Track
When you edit a track, you can work with a
copy of the track's playlist and keep the original By default, a playlist is typically available only
playlist arrangement intact. for the track on which it was created. However,
if the playlist is no longer in use on its original
To duplicate a track’s current playlist: track or any other track, it can be reassigned in
another track using the Other Playlists feature.
1 Click the track’s Playlist selector and choose
When a playlist is reassigned to another track
Duplicate from the pop-up menu.
(assigned on any track), it is unavailable to other
2 Type a name for the new playlist and click OK. tracks including the track on which it origi-
nated.
The duplicated playlist appears in the track and
the track’s name is changed to the name of the An audio playlist’s timebase is saved with the
new playlist. playlist. When assigning an unassigned playlist
to any track, the track assumes the saved time-
New and duplicated playlists are auto-named
base of the playlist.
with the track name, followed by a Period (.) and
the playlist number. For example, the first dupli-
To assign a track playlist:
cated playlist on a track named “Kick” is auto-
named “Kick.01,” subsequent duplicated playl- „ Click the track’s Playlist selector and do one of

ists are auto-named “Kick.02,” “Kick.03,” and so the following:

on. • Select one of the track’s playlists.
– or –
Creating a Playlist • Select a playlist from a different track by
clicking the Other Playlists submenu, and
You can create new empty playlists for recording
selecting a playlist.
or importing audio and MIDI. This can be useful
for creating alternate takes of audio or MIDI, or
for constructing alternate arrangements.

To create a new (empty) playlist:

1 Click the track’s Playlist selector and choose
New.

2 Type a name for the new playlist and click OK.

An empty playlist with the specified name ap-

pears in the track. Selecting a playlist from a different track

The selected playlist appears in the track and the

track’s name is updated to that of the selected
playlist.

530 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Renaming a Playlist Playlists and Edit Groups
You can rename a playlist by renaming the track Creating new playlists with grouped tracks auto-
to which it is assigned. matically increments the suffixes of the playlist
names for each track of the active edit group.
To rename a track’s assigned playlist: This lets you revert back to an earlier take by
switching the playlist takes by group.
1 Double-click the track’s name.

2 Type a new name and click OK. Using this method, you can add new tracks to
the existing group and the suffixes for their
Both the track and playlist names are updated. playlist names are synchronized with the origi-
nal tracks.

Deleting a Playlist Empty playlists are created automatically to

You can delete a playlist from a session entirely. keep the playlist takes synchronized when
However, since playlists require minimal disk switching back to the earliest playlist takes in
space, you do not need to delete them to con- the group.
serve storage.
To keep your playlist names and performances
synchronized (example workflow):
To delete one or more playlists from a track:
1 Create new tracks and group them together.
1 Click the track’s Playlist selector and choose
Delete Unused. For more information on grouping tracks,
2 Select the unassigned playlists you want to de- see “Grouping Tracks” on page 197.
lete. Shift-click (Windows or Mac), Control-click
2 Make sure the group is enabled.
(Windows), or Command-click (Mac) to select
multiple playlists. 3 Create a new playlist (by clicking the Playlist
selector in one of the tracks in the group and
3 Click OK to delete the selected playlists. This
choosing New). The default suffix will now be
operation cannot be undone.
“.01”—signifying take 1.
You can also delete playlists in Playlists 4 Record take 1, then create a new playlist. The
view. Right-click the Playlist Name on a playlists on all tracks in the group increment to
lane or in the Track List and choose Delete. “.02.”

5 Create new tracks (for example, for an addi-

When deleting a track from a session, you tional musician or microphone), then add these
have the option of deleting or keeping its tracks to the group (or create a new group with
playlists, so they can be used on other all the tracks).
tracks.
6 Increment all the playlists by clicking the
Playlist selector in one of the tracks in the group
and choosing New.

Chapter 27: Playlists 531

 All the playlists will now have the same suffix Track Compositing Example
appended to them. (Creating additional playl-
ists in any of the group tracks will increment all In this workflow, you will be introduced to some
of their playlists to keep them synchronized.) common track compositing tasks:
• Configure a session for this workflow.
7 If you want to hear the .01 take on the first
• Loop record multiple takes on an audio
group of tracks, you can switch any playlist in
track.
the group back to playlist .01.
• Audition and select the best take.
All tracks in the group have playlists numbered • Copy the best take to the main playlist.
with .01 suffixes (even those tracks that were
added to the original group after the earlier Configure a session:
takes). Empty playlists are automatically created
1 Open an existing Pro Tools session or create a
on these newly-added members so that playlist
new one.
numbers match across all members of the group.
2 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the
Operation tab.
Elastic Audio and Alternate
Playlists 3 On the Operation page, in the Record section,
select the Automatically Create New Playlists When
Alternate playlists on Elastic Audio-enabled,
Loop Recording option.
tick-based tracks are only affected by tempo
changes. Otherwise, alternate playlists are not
affected by editing Warp or Event markers in the
main playlist.

Track Compositing
Pro Tools provides track compositing tools for au-
dio tracks. Track compositing is the process of
assembling various selections from alternate
takes, or playlists, to construct the best possible Enabling the Automatically Create New Playlists When
Loop Recording option in the Operation Preferences
version of a performance from multiple record-
ing passes. Using Playlists view for an audio 4 Click OK.
track, you can select the best parts from the
track’s alternate playlists and copy them to the Loop record multiple takes:
main playlist. This lets you quickly and easily
1 Create a new audio track (stereo or mono), or
create the “perfect take” from multiple alternate
use an existing track.
playlists.
2 Make sure the source you want to record is
correctly connected and routed to the track in-
put.

3 From the Track View selector, select Playlists.

532 Pro Tools Reference Guide

4 To hear track material up to the start point of After you have stopped loop recording, notice
the loop, enable pre-roll and set the pre-roll that all of the loop recording takes are revealed
time. in Playlist lanes below the main playlist (includ-
ing the whole audio file region of all of the loop
5 Enable Loop Recording by doing one of the
record passes).
following:
• Select Options > Loop Playback.
– or –
• Right-click the Play button in the Transport
and select Loop.

6 Make sure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit

Selection is selected.

7 With the Selector tool, select the loop range

on the track.

8 Record enable the audio track by clicking its

Record Enable button.

9 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools

for recording. Playlists view showing multiple alternate playlists

10 Click Play to start recording.

If the Automatically Create New Playlists
11 When finished, click Stop to stop recording. When Loop Recording option was disabled
before you started loop recording, Right-
12 If you do not want to make another loop
click the region in the main playlist and
record pass, record disable the audio track.
choose Matches > Expand Alternates to
New Playlists.

Chapter 27: Playlists 533

 To hide the whole file region containing all takes Select and copy the best take to the main playlist:
so that you only see the takes with the same start
1 Once you have identified the best take, make
and end times as the Edit selection, do one of the
following: any changes to the Edit selection. This is the se-
lection that will be copied to the main playlist.
„ Right-click on the Playlist lane and choose

Hide. 2 Do one of the following:

– or – • Choose Edit > Copy Selection To > Main

Playlist.
„ With the same Edit selection that you used for
• Right-click the selection and choose Copy
loop recording intact, Right-click the Track
Selection to Main Playlist.
Name or any of the Playlist Lane Names and
• Click the Copy Selection to Main Playlist
choose Filter Lanes > Show Only Lanes With > Re-
button for the Playlist lane.
gions Within the Edit Selection.
Copy Selection to
Main Playlist button

Filtering Playlist lanes viewed

To audition alternate playlists:

1 Enable Loop Playback by doing one of the fol-
lowing:
• Select Options > Loop Playback.
– or –
• Right-click the Record button in the Trans-
port and select Loop.

2 With the same Timeline selection intact, and Copying the Edit selection in an alternate playlist to the
main playlist
and the same pre-roll/post-roll settings enabled,
start playback. The main playlist plays back.
Press Control+Alt+Start+V (Windows) or
3 Click the Solo button for the alternate playlist
Command+Option+Control+V (Mac) to
lane you want to audition. Repeat this step for copy the selection to the main playlist.
each playlist lane. (Soloing a Playlist lane only
solos the playlist in the track, it does not mute
any other tracks in the session.)

534 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 If the track does not contain any alternate play-
Playlists View lists in addition to the main playlist, only a sin-
gle, empty Playlist lane is shown under the main
Playlists view lets you view the main playlist in
playlist. You can drag and drop audio to this
the track, and also any alternate playlists associ-
lane from the Region List, DigiBase Browsers, or
ated with the track. Alternate playlists are dis-
other audio tracks to create an alternate playlist
played directly below the track in Playlist lanes.
for the track, in addition to the main playlist.
You can edit alternate playlists in Playlists view
just like the main playlist in Waveform view. In
Playlists view, edits that are applied to range se-
lections are applied to all shown alternate play-
lists. Alternate playlists that are not shown are
not affected.

Before starting work with Track Composit-

ing, duplicate the track’s Main Playlist to Dropping audio from Region List to create an alternate
playlist
keep it intact as a backup alternate playlist.
If the track contains one or more alternate play-
lists in addition to the main playlist, they are
Region groups are not supported in Playlists
displayed in lanes under the main playlist. Re-
Track View.
gardless, the bottom Playlist lane is always
To view the Playlist lanes for a track: empty and can be used for adding regions to cre-
ate new alternate playlists.
„ From the Track View selector, select Playlists.

Selecting Playlists Track view

\

You can also Control-Alt-click (Windows)

or Command-Control-click (Mac) the
Track with alternate playlists in Playlists Track view
Playlist selector to switch to Playlists view.

Chapter 27: Playlists 535

 Auditioning Alternate Playlists Copying Alternate Playlists to the Main
Playlist
Only the main playlist plays back through the
track audio output path. To hear an alternate Once you have found a selection in an alternate
playlist, you need to solo the Playlist lane. The playlist that you want to use in the main playl-
soloed lane then plays through the track audio ist, copy and paste the selection to the main
output path instead of the main playlist. playlist. In this way you can construct the best
combination of selections from alternate playl-
To audition an alternate playlist: ists.

1 Click the Solo button for the Playlist lane you In addition to manually copying and then past-
want to audition. (Soloing a Playlist lane only ing to the main playlist, Pro Tools provides sev-
solos the playlist in the track, it does not mute eral commands for copying and pasting the se-
any other tracks in the session.) lection to the main playlist:

Copy Selection To Main Playlist Copies and

pastes the selection to the main playlist. Any
material already on the main playlist at the
same location is overwritten.

Copy Selection to New Playlist Creates a new,

empty main playlist and copies and pastes the
selection to the new main playlist

Copy Selection to Duplicate Playlist Duplicates

the current main playlist and copies and pastes
the selection to the duplicate of the main playl-
ist. The previous main playlist moves to a new
Soloing an alternate playlist
Playlist lane.
2 Start Pro Tools playback.

Press Shift+S to solo any one Playlist lane

containing the Edit cursor. If more than one
Playlist lane contains the Edit cursor, the
topmost lane is soloed.

Use Start+P and Start+“;” (Windows) or

Control+P and Control+“;” (Mac) to move
the Edit cursor up and down through
Playlist lanes.

536 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To copy a selection in an alternate playlist to the The selection from the alternate playlist is cop-
main playlist: ied to the same time location in the main playl-
1 In Playlists view, make a selection in an alter- ist.
nate playlist.

Selection copied to the main playlist

Copy Selection To Main Playlist button To copy a selection in an alternate playlist to a

new main playlist:
Making a selection in an alternate playlist
1 In Playlists view, make a selection in an alter-
2 Do one of the following:
nate playlist.
• Click the Copy Selection To Main Playlist
button in the Playlist Lane controls. 2 Choose Edit > Copy Selection to New Playlist.

• Choose Edit > Copy Selection to Main Playlist.

• Right-click the selection and choose Copy
Selection To Main Playlist.

Press Control+Alt+Start+V (Windows) or

Command+Option+Control+V (Mac) to
copy the selection to the main playlist.

Selection copied to a new main playlist

Chapter 27: Playlists 537

 To copy a selection in an alternate playlist to a Reordering Playlist Lanes
duplicate of the main playlist:
You can reorder Playlist lanes the same way you
1 In Playlists view, make a selection in an alter-
reorder tracks.
nate playlist.

2 Choose Edit > Copy Selection to Duplicate To reorder Playlist lanes:

Playlist. „ Click the name of the alternate playlist and

drag it to the location you want.

Reordering Playlist lanes

Selection copied to a duplicate of the main playlist
Resizing Playlist Lanes
Dragging Regions to Playlists Lanes
You can resize Playlist lanes the same way you
You can drag and drop regions to any available resize tracks.
Playlist lane on any track that has the same
channel width. For example, you cannot drag To resize the track and all Playlist lanes together,
and drop a stereo region to a mono track Playlist do one of the following:
lane. Similarly, you can drag regions from any „ Click the line in between lanes and drag up or

Playlist lane to any other track of the same chan- down. The track and all Playlist lanes resize ac-
nel width. cordingly.
– or –
Editing in Playlist Lanes
„ Right-click the vertical scale between the play-
You can edit regions in Playlist lanes in the same list area and the Playlist Lane controls and select
way that you do in the main playlist. You can the lane size you want. The track and all Playlist
even move regions between different Playlist lanes resize accordingly.
lanes (including the main playlist), between dif-
ferent tracks, and to different points in time. Press Start+Up/Down Arrow key (Win-
However, you will not be able to hear your edits dows) or Control+Up/Down Arrow key
on Playlist lanes unless the lane you are editing (Mac) to resize heights for tracks, playlists,
is soloed (see “Auditioning Alternate Playlists” and lanes containing the Edit cursor or Edit
on page 536). selection.

538 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To resize a single Playlist lane, do one of the Renaming Alternate Playlists
following:
You can rename alternate playlists the same way
„ Control-click the line in between lanes and
you rename tracks.
drag up or down. The upper lane resizes accord-
ingly.
To rename an alternate playlist:
1 Double-click the name of the alternate playl-
ist.

2 In the resulting Name dialog, type the name

you want.

3 Click OK.

Alternate Playlists in the Track List

When an audio track is set to Playlists view, all
of its associated playlists appear listed under the
track name in the Track List. The names of asso-
Resizing a Playlist lane ciated alternate playlists are indented to distin-
– or – guish Playlist lanes from tracks. From the Track
List you can show and hide alternate playlists.
„ Control-Right-click the vertical scale between
You can also access the Right-click menu for al-
the playlist area and the Playlist Lane controls ternate playlists, which lets you apply Show or
and select the lane size you want. Hide, Scroll Into View, Rename, Delete, and Filter
Lanes commands.

audio track

Playlist lanes

Track List showing Playlist lanes for “Audio 1” and

“R Guitar FX” tracks

Selecting a preset size for a Playlist lane

Chapter 27: Playlists 539

 Filtering Lanes There are several ways to create matching alter-
nate regions in Pro Tools:
You can filter Playlist lanes to show or hide
them based on different criteria. • When punch recording (audio or MIDI),
Pro Tools creates matching regions for the
original region (if any) and the new punch re-
To filter Playlist lanes:
corded region.
1 Right-click the Track Name or the Playlist
• When loop recording (audio or MIDI),
Name.
Pro Tools creates multiple matching regions
2 From the Right-click menu, select one of the for each recording pass.
following:
• When duplicating playlists (audio or MIDI),
• Show All Lanes there will be matching alternate regions be-
• Show Only Lanes With > Regions Within The tween playlists.
Edit Selection
• When importing multichannel audio from a
• Show Only Lanes With > Regions Outside The field recorder, there will be matching alternate
Edit Selection regions between channels.
• Show Only Lanes With > “Regions Rated >=
1–5” Pro Tools also provides several ways to access
and audition multiple matching alternate re-
• Hide All Lanes
gions:
• Hide Only Lanes With > Regions Within The
Edit Selection • Use the Region Right-click menu to select
matching alternate regions according to cer-
• Hide Only Lanes With > Regions Outside The
tain criteria.
Edit Selection
• Hide Only Lanes With > “Regions Rated >= • Use the Alternate Takes pop-up menu to select
1–5” matching alternate regions.
• Use the Expand Alternates to New Tracks com-
Playlist lanes are shown and hidden accord-
mand to copy matching alternate regions to
ingly.
new tracks.
• Use the Expand Alternates to New Playlists
command to copy matching alternate regions
Matching Alternate Regions to new alternate playlists on the same track.
Pro Tools lets you exchange regions in the main Then use Playlists view to access the alternate
playlist on tracks with matching alternate re- playlists.
gions from other playlists associated with the
same track, from other tracks, or from the Re-
gion List. Matching alternate regions are regions
that meet certain criteria. For example, regions
that have the same User Time Stamp are matches.

540 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Matching Criteria 3 Select one of the following In Addition To op-
tions:
The Matching Criteria window lets you select
• All
the criteria for matching alternate regions. This
• Region Start
lets you refine the list of available matching re-
gions in the Alternate Takes pop-up menu and • Region Start and End
Region Right-click Matches submenu. • Within Selection
• None

4 Leave the Matching Criteria window open to

change the settings as appropriate while com-
positing tracks. Close the Matching Criteria win-
dow when you are done.

Matching Criteria settings are saved with

your Pro Tools session.

Alternates Match Options

The following Alternates Match options can be

Matching Criteria window selected in any combination:

Track ID Any regions recorded to the same track

Matching Criteria affects MIDI as well as are considered matching. Use this option for se-
audio regions. lecting alternate takes from loop or punch re-
cording.
To configure the Matching Criteria options for
matching alternate regions: Track Name Any regions that share the same
1 Do one of the following: root name with the track or playlist are consid-
• Right-click the region with the Selector or ered matching. For example, the Matches for a
the Grabber tool and select Matches > track named “Gtr.L” would show the regions
Match Criteria. “Gtr.L_01” and “Gtr.L_02-01,” but not “Gui-
tar.L_01.”
– or –
• With the Selector tool, Control-click (Win- Region Rating Any regions that have the same
dows) or Command-click (Mac) at the pre- Rating are considered matching. Enable this op-
cise beginning of the loop or punch range tion if you have rated regions (see “Rating Re-
and select Match Criteria. gions” on page 509).

2 In the Matching Criteria window, select any

combination of the following Alternates Match
options:
• Track ID
• Track Name
• Region Rating

Chapter 27: Playlists 541

 In Addition To Match Options 2 Do one of the following:
• Right-click the region with the Selector or
The following In Addition To Match options are
the Grabber tool, and select a matching al-
mutually exclusive.
ternate take from the Matches submenu in
All Any regions that include the time location of the pop-up menu.
the Edit cursor; or any regions that are either
partly or fully within the current time range of
the Edit selection.

Region Start Any regions that have the same

start time as the time location of the Edit cursor
or Edit selection.

Region Start and End Any regions that have the

same start and end times as the Edit selection.

Selection Range Any complete regions that are

entirely within the Edit selection. Right-click Matches submenu

• If the take currently residing in the track is

None No other criteria in addition to the se-
selected, with the Selector tool, Control-
lected Alternates Match options are used to filter
click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac)
matching alternate regions.
anywhere on the selected take and select a
different take from the Alternate Takes pop-
up menu.
Selecting Alternate Takes on • With the Selector tool, Control-click (Win-
Tracks dows) or Command-click (Mac) at the pre-
cise beginning of the loop or punch range
Each region resulting from a punch or loop
and select a different take from the Alter-
record pass has an identical start time (the User
nate Takes pop-up menu.
Time Stamp). You can select and audition alter-
nate takes from the Right-click Matches sub-
menu or the Alternate Takes pop-up menu—
even during playback.

To select an alternate take:

1 Configure the Matching Criteria window if
necessary (see “Matching Criteria” on
page 541).
Alternate Takes pop-up menu

The selected matching alternate region (take) re-

places the region in the main playlist and snaps
precisely to the correct location.

542 Pro Tools Reference Guide

One way to ensure that subsequent recording
takes have the same User Time Stamp (and as Automatically Create New
such can be available as matching alternate re- Playlists when Loop
gions) is to store punch and loop record selec- Recording
tions as Memory Locations. Then, if you later
need to record additional takes, recall the corre- When loop recording, Pro Tools creates a single
sponding Memory Location. file containing all recording passes where each
recording pass is a region in the file. On the
To change the User Time Stamp of other regions track, only the last recording pass is present as a
so that they can be available as alternate match- region in the main playlist. All other regions (re-
ing regions for a specific location, use the Time cording passes) are hidden, but can be recalled
Stamp command in the Region List menu. as matching alternate regions (takes).

When enabled, the new Automatically Create New

Matches and Multiple Tracks
Playlists When Loop Recording option in the Op-
If you have loop recorded on multiple tracks, eration Preferences page automatically copies
and each track contains multiple takes with each region (take) to a new playlist in the track.
identical User Time Stamps, you can change all This facilitates using Playlists view for audition-
takes simultaneously. ing and selecting alternate takes.

To switch takes for multiple tracks: To automatically create new playlists when loop
recording:
1 Configure the Matching Criteria window (see
“Matching Criteria” on page 541), so that the 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
following options are enabled: Operation tab.
• Track Name 2 In the Recording section, enable the Automati-
– and – cally Create New Playlists When Loop Recording op-
• Selection Range tion.

2 With the Selector tool, select the take range for 3 Click OK.

each track you want to replace.

For more information on loop recording, see
3 Do one of the following: “Loop Recording Audio” on page 381.
• Right-click the Edit selection and select a
different matching alternate take from the
Matches submenu. Expanding Alternate Takes to
– or – New Playlists or Tracks
• Control-click (Windows) or Command- Pro Tools lets you copy alternate takes and
click (Mac) the Edit selection and select a channels to new playlists or tracks. This is useful
different take from the Alternates pop-up for auditioning, editing, and mixing multiple al-
menu. ternate takes or channels. Alternate takes are
created when punch and loop recording. Alter-
The selected take replaces the previous take and
nate channels are included with files imported
snaps to the correct location on each track.
into Pro Tools from field recorders.

Chapter 27: Playlists 543

 Expanding Alternate Takes to New Expanding Alternate Takes to New
Playlists Tracks
Expanding alternate takes to new playlists Expanding alternate takes to new tracks readily
readily facilitates track compositing. Once you facilitates auditioning, editing, and mixing al-
have expanded alternate takes to new playlists ternate takes, each on separate tracks.
on a track, you can audition and edit them in
Playlists view to assemble the best takes in the To expand alternate takes to new tracks:
main playlist.
1 Identify the region on the main playlist with
matching alternate regions (takes).
To expand alternate takes to new playlists:
2 Do one of the following:
1 Identify the region on the main playlist with
matching alternate regions (takes). • Right-click the region and choose Matches
> Expand Alternates To New Tracks.
2 Do one of the following:
• If the region is selected, with the Selector
• Right-click the region and choose Matches tool, Control-click (Windows) or
> Expand Alternates To New Playlists. Command-click (Mac) anywhere on the se-
• If the region is selected, with the Selector lected region and choose Matches > Expand
tool, Control-click (Windows) or Alternates To New Tracks.
Command-click (Mac) anywhere on the se- • If the region is not selected, with the Selec-
lected region and choose Matches > Expand tor tool, Control-click (Windows) or
Alternates To New Playlists. Command-click (Mac) at the precise begin-
• If the region is not selected, with the Selec- ning of the loop or punch range and
tor tool, Control-click (Windows) or choose Matches > Expand Alternates To New
Command-click (Mac) at the precise begin- Tracks.
ning of the loop or punch range and
3 Then choose one of the following from the Ex-
choose Matches > Expand Alternates To New
pand Alternates To New Tracks sub-menu:
Playlists.
By Track Name Names all new tracks after the
All matching alternate regions are copied to new
source track name.
playlists on the track. To view all playlists for the
track, select Playlists view. In any track view, By Region Name Names each new tracks after
you can also select any available alternate playl- the corresponding original region names that
ist as the main playlist from the Playlist selector. you see in the Matches list.

By Track and Region Name Names all new tracks

after the source track name, but with the corre-
sponding original region names in parenthesis.

All matching alternate regions are copied to new

tracks.

544 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 • Matching Tape name
Expanding Alternate Channels • Matching Sound Roll name
to New Playlists or Tracks • Alternate channel Sound Roll name
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete matches current channel Tape name
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) • Alternate channel Tape name matches cur-
rent channel Sound Roll name
When working with a mono region that is part
of a multichannel recording imported from a
field recorder, you can expand that region (or a Expanding Channels to New
selected portion of it) to new playlists that re- Playlists
flect its matching alternate channels while pre-
serving any edits or fades. To expand alternate channels to new playlists:
1 In the Timeline, do one of the following:
For detailed information on working with
• To expand only a portion of the regions on
multichannel recordings made with field
the track, make a selection that includes or
recorders, see the Field Recorder Workflow
overlaps any number of regions on a track,
Guide.
and Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Con-
Conditions for Alternate Channel trol-click (Mac) the selection.
Availability – or –

An alternate channel is available to replace the • To expand all of the regions on the track,
original channel (represented by the region or Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-
portion of a region selected on the Timeline) if click (Mac) the track name.
all of the following are true: 2 Choose the Expand to New Playlists pop-up
• Both channels are part of a multichannel menu, and select one of the following methods
part of a recording made simultaneously by which to expand alternate channels for the
on one or more field recorders. selection to new tracks:
• Certain metadata matches between the • By Channel Name
original channel and the alternate channel. • By Channel Number
• The metadata embedded during shooting • By Channel Name and Number
and recording has been preserved prior to • By Time Code Only
import into Pro Tools.
If alternate channels are available, Pro Tools ex-
With multichannel recordings from one or pands them to new playlists (including the
more field recorders, both channels must over- channel represented in the original track) ac-
lap at least once between their start time code cording to the selected option.
and end time code positions, and must also
meet one of the following conditions:
• Matching Scene and Take
• Matching Shoot Date (applies only if Scene
and Take contain any information for both
channels)

Chapter 27: Playlists 545

 Expanding Channels to New Tracks Expanding Channels by Time Code
Only
To expand alternate channels to new tracks:
The Expand To New Tracks By Time Code Only
1 In the Timeline, do one of the following: command lets you expand an entire track or
• To expand only a portion of the regions on only selected regions to new playlists on the
the track, make a selection that includes or same track or to new separate tracks, thus reveal-
overlaps any number of regions on a track, ing all other regions recorded at the same time
and Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Con- code location, regardless of channel name or
trol-click (Mac) the selection. number. This is especially useful when expand-
– or – ing edited guide tracks to original source audio
that was recorded while referenced to time code,
• To expand all of the regions on the track,
but where channel names or numbers were not
Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-
written to the audio files.
click (Mac) the track name.

2 Choose the Expand Channels to New Tracks Example Workflow: Working with a Guide Track for
pop-up menu, and select one of the following Live Concert Videos
methods by which to expand alternate channels
1 Multitrack audio is recorded in Pro Tools
for the selection to new tracks:
while chasing time code. A mono or stereo mix
• By Channel Name is recorded simultaneously as a guide track for
• By Channel Number the video editor.
• By Channel Name and Number
2 The picture and audio guide tracks are edited
• By Time Code Only in a video editing application.

If alternate channels are available, Pro Tools ex- 3 The edited audio guide tracks are exported
pands them to new tracks (including the chan- from the video editor as an AAF (or OMF) se-
nel represented in the original track) according quence, including handles of at least 2 frames.
to the chosen parameters.
4 The AAF (or OMF) sequence is imported into
It is not possible to rename files encoded Pro Tools as a new session. The original source
with XML metadata. The file extension will audio files and unedited guide track are also im-
always be .A1 and .A2 (even for stereo ported into the session.
files). Also, it is not possible to rename files 5 The original unedited guide track is relinked
with a .L/.R suffix. As a result, Pro Tools to the session (see “Relinking the Original
does not always recognize these channels as Unedited Guide Track” on page 547).
a stereo pair.
6 The Pro Tools editor Right-clicks the name of
the guide track and selects Expand Channels to
New Tracks > By Time Code Only. The original
source tracks expand to new tracks with edits
and fades that match the guide track.

546 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Relinking the Original Unedited Guide Track

After importing the AAF (or OMF) sequence and

original source audio files into the session, it is
recommended that you relink the edited guide
track to the original unedited source audio.

To relink the original unedited guide track:

1 Open the Project Browser for the session and
open the Audio Files folder.

2 Right-click the edited guide track audio file in

the browser and choose Relink Selected.

3 In the upper pane of the Relink window, nav-

igate to the original unedited guide track audio
file that was recorded in Pro Tools.

If the original unedited file is not available,

you can relink to any of the source audio
files as long as they have the same start and
end times as the guide track.

4 In the Select Files To Relink pane, select the

edited guide track file.

5 Drag the original unedited guide track audio

file into the Candidates pane. If a dialog appears
stating that one or more files are shorter than
the media file you are trying to relink, click Yes
to select it for relinking anyway.

6 Check the box to the left of the file in the Can-

didates pane so that the Link icon appears.

7 Click Commit Links at the top of the Relink

window and then close the Relink window.

8 You can now Right-click the name of the guide

track and select Expand To New Tracks > By Time
Code Only. All expanded tracks should be syn-
chronous with the guide track.

Chapter 27: Playlists 547

548 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 28: Beat Detective

Beat Detective is a powerful tool for analyzing, Beat Detective and Source Material
editing, and manipulating audio or MIDI data
that has an inherent rhythmic character. Beat Detective is most effective with audio or
MIDI that has clear attack transients or accent
Beat Detective analyzes an audio or MIDI selec- patterns (including most instruments used in
tion, identifies its peak transients or accented popular music, such as drums, guitar, or bass).
notes, and generates beat triggers based on the Beat Detective will be less successful with audio
detected peak transients or MIDI notes. From material with soft attacks, or legato phrasing
these beat triggers, Beat Detective can: (such as strings and vocals).
• Extract tempo and beat information to create
Bar|Beat Markers that can be used to define Uses for Beat Detective
the session’s tempo map. See “Generating
Beat Detective can be useful in many situations,
Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective” on
including:
page 560.
• Extract tempo and groove information as Extracting Tempo from Audio and MIDI Beat De-
groove templates, called DigiGrooves. These tective can generate Bar|Beat Markers, from
templates can be applied to audio or MIDI us- which it can extract the tempo—even if the au-
ing Beat Detective or Groove Quantize (see dio or MIDI contains varying tempos, or mate-
“DigiGroove Templates” on page 561. rial with a swing feel. Additionally, once
Bar|Beat Markers have been generated, other au-
• Separate an audio selection into discrete re-
dio and MIDI regions and events can be quan-
gions, and then conform (or “quantize”) sep-
tized to them.
arated regions to the session’s tempo map, or
to groove templates. See “Separating Regions Creating DigiGrooves Beat Detective can extract
with Beat Detective” on page 563 and “Con- groove templates, called DigiGrooves, from an
forming Regions with Beat Detective” on audio or MIDI selection. DigiGrooves can be
page 565. used to apply the groove, or feel of the captured
passage to other audio selections (using Groove
Conform) or MIDI data (using Groove Quan-
tize).

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 549

 Conforming Audio Regions Beat Detective can Smoothing Post Production Edits (Audio
conform (“quantize”) audio with a different Only) Beat Detective’s Edit Smoothing can be
tempo, or with varying tempos, to the session’s used to automatically clean up foley tracks that
current tempo map, or to a groove template. contain many regions requiring trimming and
crossfading, effectively removing the gaps of si-
“Tighten Up” Performances Beat Detective can lence between the regions (thus retaining the
be used to improve the timing of some audio room tone throughout the track).
material by calculating and extracting its aver-
age tempo, and then conforming its rhythmic
components—regions separated with Beat De-
tective—to the session’s tempo map. Beat Detective Requirements
Beat Detective is available with all Pro Tools sys-
Loop Matching Since Beat Detective can extract
tems.
tempo and beat information from audio and
MIDI, and conform audio to an existing tempo
Beat Detective LE cannot be used across
map or groove template, this makes it very use-
multiple tracks without the Music
ful for aligning loops with different tempos or
Production Toolkit 2 option or the Complete
grooves. If a loop is at a different tempo than the
Production Toolkit option. When Beat
current session, Beat Detective lets you quickly
Detective LE (without the Music Production
separate each beat in the loop and conform
Toolkit 2 or Complete Production Toolkit
them to the tempo map (as an alternative to
option) is applied to multiple tracks, only
time compressing or expanding the loop, which
the top track is edited.
can alter the pitch and tone of the audio).

Remixes Beat Detective can be used for remixes

RAM Requirements for Beat Detective
or creating new rhythms. It can extract tempo Beat Detective operations can require a large
from the original drum tracks, or in some in- amount of RAM, especially when working with
stances the original stereo mix. New audio or multiple tracks and lengthy selections. To avoid
MIDI tracks can then be conformed to the orig- low memory situations with Beat Detective, do
inal material, or the original material can be the following:
conformed to new drum tracks, achieving an en-
• If you begin to experience slower Beat Detec-
tirely new feel.
tive response, add more RAM to your com-
When working with tick-based audio, use puter.
Beat Detective’s Region Separation • If your computer does not have extra RAM,
command to quickly separate audio regions work with shorter selections, or individual
into individual “hits” (or slices). You can tracks.
also create a region group of the separated
• Set the Editing preference for Levels of Undo
regions to facilitate editing and arranging.
to a smaller value (see “Levels of Undo and
Memory” on page 439). Memory-intensive
editing operations, such as Edit Smoothing
(audio only) with Beat Detective, can use up a
large amount of memory when in the Undo
queue.

550 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The Beat Detective Window
The Beat Detective window appears as shown in Figure 28, below.

Figure 28. Beat Detective (Pro Tools HD shown)

To open the Beat Detective window, do one of the The Beat Detective modes include the following:
following:
Operation Lets you choose to analyze either
„ Choose Event > Beat Detective.
MIDI or audio material.
– or –
Bar|Beat Marker Generation Generates Bar|Beat
„ Press Control+8 (Windows) or Command+8 Markers corresponding to transients detected in
(Mac) on the numeric keypad. the audio selection or according to accent pat-
terns with MIDI notes.
Beat Detective is a floating window that can be
left open while working. This lets you adjust the Groove Template Extraction Extracts the rhyth-
controls in real time during playback, while mic and dynamic information from audio or
viewing the beat triggers that appear in your se- MIDI, and saves this information to the Groove
lection in the Edit window. Clipboard, or as a DigiGroove template.

Region Separation (Audio Only) Separates and

creates new regions based on transients detected
Beat Detective Modes in the audio selection.
The Beat Detective window is divided into three
Region Conform (Audio Only) Conforms all sepa-
sections: Operation, Selection, and Detection.
rated regions within the selection to the current
Depending on the Operation mode, the controls
tempo map. Beat Detective can conform audio
in the Action section change. The Selection op-
regions to groove templates (such as DigiGroove
tions for Beat Detective are available in each of
templates) in addition to standard quantization.
the Operation modes.
Edit Smoothing (Audio Only) Fills the gaps be-
tween conformed regions by automatically
trimming them, and inserts crossfades.

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 551

 Defining a Beat Detective
Selection
Whether you will be generating Bar|Beat Mark-
ers, extracting a DigiGroove template, or sepa-
rating regions to be conformed, you must al- Making an audio selection for Beat Detective
ways define the audio or MIDI selection to be
analyzed. The Beat Detective window provides Make sure the selection’s start and end points
tools to define and capture the selection range, fall cleanly on the beat. To zero in on an audio
time signature, and swing (sub-division) con- region’s start and end points, zoom to the sam-
tent for the selected audio. ple level and use the Tab to Transients option
(see “Tabbing to Transients” on page 484).
To ensure the best possible results with Beat
Detective, make sure the selected passage To avoid losing an existing selection, save
starts exactly on the attack of the first beat. and recall an Edit selection by saving it as a
Memory Location. See “Memory Locations
For Beat Detective to generate beat triggers that and Markers” on page 705.
are metrically accurate, the length and meter of
the selection must be correctly defined. In addi- 2 Choose Event > Beat Detective.
tion, the selection should not contain any meter 3 You must define or capture the selection every
or tempo changes. time you make a new selection or change the
tempo map. To define the selection range, do
Use Loop playback to check the accuracy of
one of the following:
your selection.
• If the tempo and meter of the audio selec-
To define a selection for Beat Detective: tion do not match the session’s default
tempo and meter, enter the Time Signature,
1 In the Edit window, select a range of audio or
and Start Bar|Beat and End Bar|Beat loca-
MIDI material in a single track or in multiple
tions. For a four-bar selection that starts on
tracks.
beat 1, enter 1|1 and 5|1.
Beat Detective LE cannot be used across • If the tempo and meter of the audio selec-
multiple tracks without the Music tion do not match the session’s default
Production Toolkit 2 or Complete Produc- tempo and meter, and you are unsure of
tion Toolkit option. When Beat Detective the length of the material, enter the Time
LE (without the Music Production Toolkit 2 Signature and the Start Bar|Beat location;
or Complete Production Toolkit option) is then start playback, and click the Tap End
applied to multiple tracks, only the top track B|B button repeatedly to automatically
is edited. calculate the End Bar|Beat. When using Tap
End B|B with long selections, continue to
tap until the End Bar|Beat stabilizes. Once
To keep the Edit selection intact while play-
stabilized, you may need to manually
ing or looping from any location, deselect
adjust the number to the nearest bar
Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection.
boundary.

552 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 • If the selection’s tempo and meter match
the session tempo and meter (see “Calcu- Beat Detective Analysis
lating Tempo with Beat Detective” on
Beat Detective provides several analysis algo-
page 554), and it aligns correctly with the
rithms for beat detection appropriate to differ-
session’s bars and beats, click the Capture
ent types of audio material.
Selection button. The correct Time Signa-
ture, and Start Bar|Beat and End Bar|Beat High Emphasis Works well with high frequency,
values will be filled in automatically. inharmonic material, such as cymbals and hi-
hats, while avoiding low frequency material.

Low Emphasis Works well with low frequency

material, such as bass guitar and kick drum, as
well as with most harmonic material, such as pi-
ano or rhythm guitar.

Enhanced Resolution Works well with the broad-

est range of material, such as full mixes and
Beat Detective, Selection options
loops.

As long as the audio material is correctly Pro Tools M-Powered requires the Music
aligned with the session’s tempo map, use Production Toolkit 2 option to use the En-
Capture Selection each time you make a hanced Resolution option.
new selection or make any changes to the
tempo map (such as changing tempo or Beat Detection Across Multiple Tracks
meter). When analyzing a selection with multiple
tracks, Beat Detective analyzes each indepen-
The Selection definition is not retained dently. Transients that are detected in any track
when a session is closed and re-opened appear as Beat Triggers across all selected tracks
regardless of whether or not the detected tran-
4 To improve Beat Detective’s accuracy in ana- sient resides in any other track. However, for
lyzing swung notes, select the Contains option closely aligned events on multiple tracks, Beat
that indicates the smallest sub-division of the Detective only identifies the first detected tran-
beat contained in the selection. The Contains op- sient of a beat event.
tion includes quarter-notes, eighth-notes, six-
teenth-notes (the default setting), thirty-second- For example, if you have four drum tracks—kick,
notes, and a triplet modifier. The selected Con- snare, and a pair of overheads—transients in the
tains option determines the groove template overhead mics tracks occur a little later than the
grid locations for DigiGroove templates. closely miked snare and kick tracks because it
takes more time for the sound to travel from the
source to the microphones. If you make a selec-
tion across all four tracks and analyze them us-
ing Beat Detective, only the transients in the
kick and snare tracks will be identified as beat
triggers because the transients on overheads will

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 553

 be recognized as being part of the same beat 5 Click Generate.
events (only a little bit late). For information on
individually analyzing multiple tracks, see “Us- Bar|Beat Markers are automatically generated at
ing Collection Mode” on page 570. the beginning and end of the selection, indicat-
ing the material’s tempo and meter.
Beat Detective LE cannot be used across
multiple tracks without the Music
Production Toolkit 2 or the Complete Pro-
duction Toolkit option. When Beat Detec-
tive LE (without the Music Production Tool-
kit 2 option) is applied to multiple tracks,
Beat Detective generated Bar|Beat Markers identifying
only the top track is edited. tempo and meter

Calculating Tempo with Beat Generating Beat Triggers

Detective
Once you have accurately defined the selection
If you know the meter, and start and end points range, Beat Detective can generate beat triggers
of the audio selection, use Beat Detective to cal- based on detected MIDI notes or audio peak
culate its tempo. transients. The range and type of transients
found can be adjusted with the Detection set-
To calculate a selection’s tempo with Beat tings, allowing you to zero in on the bars, beats,
Detective: and sub-beats in the material, while avoiding
1 Make an Edit selection in the Edit window or the non-rhythmic content.
a MIDI Editor window (MIDI only) and define
the selection in the Beat Detective window as To generate beat triggers from an audio selection:
described in “Defining a Beat Detective Selec- 1 In the Edit window, make an audio selection.
tion” on page 552.
2 Select Audio from the Operation pop-up menu.
2 Select Bar|Beat Marker Generation.
3 In the Beat Detective window, select one of
3 In the Detection section (Normal mode), click the following modes:
Analyze. • Bar|Beat Marker Generation
4 Set Sensitivity set to 0%. • Groove Template Extraction
• Region Separation (audio only)

4 Define or capture the selection as described in

“Defining a Beat Detective Selection” on
page 552.

5 From the Analysis pop-up menu, choose a de-

tection algorithm.

Beat Detective, Detection mode 6 Click Analyze.

554 Pro Tools Reference Guide

7 Depending on the rhythmic content of the se- To generate beat triggers from a MIDI selection:
lection, set the Resolution to Bars, Beats, or Sub-
1 In the Edit window, set the MIDI track you
Beats.
want to use to Notes view.
8 Adjust the Sensitivity until beat triggers appear
2 In the Edit window, or in a MIDI Editor win-
on the beats and sub-beats in the selection.
dow, make a selection across a range of MIDI
Bar triggers are indicated with thick lines, beat notes. Make certain that the selection start and
triggers with medium lines, and sub-beat trig- end points are at musically relevant locations,
gers with thin lines. such as barlines.

3 Choose Event > Beat Detective.

4 Select MIDI from the Operation pop-up menu.

5 In the Beat Detective window, select one of

the following modes:
• Bar|Beat Marker Generation
Beat Sub-Beats Bar
• Groove Template Extraction
Beat triggers
6 Define the selection range. If the tempo and
9 You can zoom to the sample level and click the
meter of the audio selection do not match the
Scroll Next button to scroll to the next trigger session’s default tempo and meter, enter the
within the selection. To scroll to the previous Time Signature, and Start Bar|Beat and End
trigger, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click Bar|Beat locations. For example, for a four-bar
(Mac) the Scroll Next button (see “Navigating selection that starts on beat 1, enter 1|1 and 5|1.
Consecutive Beat Triggers” on page 559). This is
useful to confirm that the beat triggers are ap- 7 If your MIDI track contains chords, choose
pearing in the appropriate locations. If false trig- one of the following MIDI chord recognition al-
gers appear between the beats or sub-beats gorithms from the Analysis pop-up menu:
(representing non-rhythmic material), delete • Last Note
them (see “Deleting Beat Triggers” on page 558), • First Note
or reduce the Sensitivity value. • Loudest Note
10 To display the metric locations for the trig- • Average Location
gers, select the Show Trigger Time option. • Highest Note
11 If you cannot get the beat triggers to appear • Lowest Note
at the right locations, repeat steps 5–10, trying 8 Click Analyze.
one of the other Analysis algorithms (High or
Low Emphasis).

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 555

 MIDI Chord Recognition Realign Session
Since MIDI notes in a chord may be played at Beat Detective’s Realign Session function lets you
slightly different moments, Beat Detective inter- generate Bar|Beat markers without tick-based
prets notes that are close together (closer than material shifting. This is useful if you want to
half the time value that is set in the Selection extrapolate Bar|Beat markers from tick-based
Contains field) as a chord. material to align the tempo map and Bar|Beat
grid to the tick-based material.
Highest Note
You can also switch tick-based material,
such as a MIDI performance, to be sample-
First based and then manually insert Bar|Beat
Note Last markers.
Note
Generating Bar|Beat markers in sessions with
Lowest Note tick-based material, such as MIDI tracks and
MIDI chord analysis tick-based audio tracks, can cause the tick-based
material to shift in absolute time. This can be
Beat Detective uses the criteria you set in the
useful if you want to align the tick-based mate-
Analysis pop-up menu to interpret the location
rial to Bar|Beat markers generated from sample-
of the beat in relation to the chord.
based material.
Last Note Sets the beat trigger to the start of the
When you generate Bar|Beat Markers in a ses-
last note played in the chord.
sion that contains tick-based audio or MIDI,
First Note Sets the beat trigger to the start of the Beat Detective gives you the option to preserve
first note played in the chord. the position of the session’s tick-based material,
or to allow the material to shift.
Loudest Note Sets the beat trigger to the start of
the note in the chord played with the highest
velocity.

Average Location Sets the beat trigger to a point

that represents the average between the start of
the first note played in the chord, and the last
note played in the chord.

Highest Note Sets the beat trigger to the start of

the highest note played in the chord. Realign Session dialog

Lowest Note Sets the beat trigger to the start of

the lowest note played in the chord.

556 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To generate Bar|Beat Markers with Beat ‹ Check the thickness of the beat triggers to see
Detective in a session with tick-based tracks: if they align properly with the audio material.
1 In the Edit window, make an audio or MIDI se- Thick triggers fall on barlines, medium triggers
lection. fall on beats, and thin triggers fall on sub-beats.
‹ Select the option for Show Trigger Time and see
2 In the Beat Detective window, select Bar|Beat
if the (assumed) metric locations of the triggers
Marker Generation.
align with the material. A false trigger should be
3 Define or capture the selection as described moved or deleted because it can cause subse-
in“Defining a Beat Detective Selection” on quent triggers to appear in the wrong locations
page 552. (see “Editing Beat Triggers” on page 558).

4 Set the Resolution to Bars or Beats. ‹ Consider whether lengthy selections should
first be broken down into smaller selections,
5 Click Generate.
which could be more easily managed. For exam-
6 Do one of the following: ple, working in 8- or 4-bar sections might yield
• In the Realign Session dialog, choose Pre- better results more quickly.
serve Tick Position if you want to let the ‹ Beat triggers are preserved when switching be-
tick-based material shift in absolute time. tween audio and MIDI modes. This allows using
– or – MIDI triggers for editing audio, or collecting
triggers from combinations of MIDI and audio
• Choose Preserve Sample Position if you
tracks (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with the
want to have the tick-based material main-
Music Production Toolkit 2 or Complete Produc-
tain its absolute position. This option can
tion Toolkit option only).
be useful when adding a meter and tempo
map to a freely played performance. ‹ For selections across multiple tracks, consider
whether it may be easier to work with them in-
7 Click OK.
dividually, or in Collection mode (Pro Tools HD
and Pro Tools LE with the Music Production
Tips for Getting Useful Beat Triggers Toolkit 2 or Complete Production Toolkit option
Use the following tips to verify beat triggers: only). See “Detection (Normal) and Collection
Mode” on page 569.
‹ To focus on a particular area in the selection,
unlink the Timeline and Edit Selections and set Beat Detective LE cannot be used across
the playback range by clicking or dragging in multiple tracks without the Music
any Timebase ruler. Production Toolkit 2 or Complete Produc-
tion Toolkit option. When Beat Detective
LE (without the Music Production Toolkit 2
or Complete Production Toolkit option) is
applied to multiple tracks, only the top track
is edited.

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 557

 Editing Beat Triggers Moving Beat Triggers
Even though Beat Detective offers a great deal of You can adjust the placement of triggers to al-
flexibility in how transients are detected, there low for the attack of their transients, or to com-
may be times when beat triggers must be de- pensate for an individual transient that is
leted, moved, or manually inserted. Addition- slightly ahead of or behind the beat.
ally, triggers can be promoted so they are re-
tained at lower sensitivity settings. To move a beat trigger:
1 With the Beat Detective window open, select
Deleting Beat Triggers any Grabber tool in the Edit window.
False triggers, which do not represent an actual 2 Locate the beat trigger you want to move and
beat or sub-beat in the source material, may ap- drag it left or right.
pear when raising the Sensitivity to detect quiet
material. In these instances you can locate and
manually delete any false triggers.

To delete a beat trigger:

1 With the Beat Detective window open, select
any Grabber tool in the Edit window.

2 Locate the false trigger you want to delete.

Transients for false triggers usually have smaller
peaks than the other trigger points, and typi- Moving a beat trigger
cally fall between the sub-beats.
Inserting Beat Triggers
If an important beat or sub-beat is not detected,
because it is too quiet, you can manually insert a
beat trigger.

Deleting a beat trigger To insert a beat trigger:

3 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the 1 With the Beat Detective window open, select
trigger to delete it. any Grabber tool in the Edit window.

2 Click in the selection where you want to insert

the new trigger. After inserting a beat trigger,
you can drag it left or right to adjust its place-
ment (see “Moving Beat Triggers” on page 558).

If you click too close to an existing trigger,

the existing trigger will be moved to the new
location.

558 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Promoting Beat Triggers Redefining a Beat Trigger’s Metric
Location
To ensure that important beat triggers do not
disappear when lowering the Sensitivity, you can It is vital that beat triggers are accurately placed
promote them. This is useful if a selection has nu- at the correct metric location. If a detected tran-
merous false triggers (too many to bother delet- sient is slightly off the beat, Beat Detective may
ing) at a Sensitivity level where crucial, neces- assign it, as well as other transients in the selec-
sary beat triggers are also displayed. If lowering tion, to the wrong metric location.
the Sensitivity and the needed triggers to disap-
pear, simply promote them first. For example, if you have a bass track where a
note was intended to be a downbeat, but was
played too early, Beat Detective may define its
To promote a beat trigger:
location as occurring a little before the down-
1 Raise the Sensitivity until the transient is de- beat. If you then separate and conform the re-
tected and a beat trigger appears. gion containing this note, it will be moved to
2 Control-click (Windows) or Command-click the wrong location. Subsequent regions may be
(Mac) the beat trigger to promote it. moved to the wrong locations as well.

If a beat trigger is not assigned the correct metric

location, relocate it using Identify Trigger.

To change the metric location of a beat trigger:

1 Double-click the beat trigger you want to relo-
Promoting a beat trigger cate. The Identify Trigger dialog opens.
3 If necessary, repeat steps 1–2 to promote addi- 2 In the Identify Trigger dialog, enter the correct
tional beat triggers. location for the trigger, then click OK.
4 Lower the Sensitivity to a value where the false
triggers disappear.

Once beat triggers are promoted, they will only

disappear if the Sensitivity value is set to 0%. To
demote all beat triggers in the selection—return- Identify Trigger dialog
ing them to their original state—click the Ana-
lyze button. Navigating Consecutive Beat Triggers
Use the Scroll Next button to move from the cur-
rently selected beat trigger to the next beat trig-
ger. To move to the previous beat trigger, Alt-
click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the Scroll
Next button. This is particularly useful for edit-
ing consecutive beat triggers when zoomed in at
the sample level.

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 559

 Bar|Beat Markers are generated, based on the
Generating Bar|Beat Markers beat triggers, and appear in the Tempo ruler.
with Beat Detective
Once Beat Detective has accurately detected the
peak transients in the audio selection and accu-
rately generated beat triggers, the triggers can be
converted to Bar|Beat Markers. Bar|Beat Markers
generated by Beat Detective create a tempo map Bar|Beat Markers generated at Bar resolution
that can be used throughout the session.

Once a tempo map has been generated, other

audio regions and MIDI notes can be conformed
to the Bar|Beat Markers generated by Beat Detec-
tive.
Bar|Beat Markers generated at Beat resolution
If you want to match the audio material to the
session’s existing tempo map or a groove tem-
plate, do not generate Bar|Beat Markers from the Working with Sub-Beats
material. Instead, use Beat Detective to separate Tempo is derived from Bar|Beat Markers.
and conform the material (see “Separating Re- Groove, or feel, is derived from Sub-Beats—the
gions with Beat Detective” on page 563). deviation of subdivisions of the beat from the
strict tempo grid determines the groove or feel.
If you are simply aligning a sloppy part to
the other tracks, you probably do not need to To extract the groove from a selection, set the
generate Bar|Beat markers. Detection Resolution to Sub-Beats. This ensures
that the inner rhythms within each bar (if they
To generate Bar|Beat Markers with Beat indeed exist) are represented when generating
Detective:
Bar|Beat Markers. These Bar|Beat Markers can
1 Make an Edit selection. then be used to quantize other audio regions or
MIDI tracks, thereby conforming to the Bar|Beat
2 In the Beat Detective window, select Bar|Beat
Markers generated by Beat Detective.
Marker Generation mode.

3 Define or capture the selection as described in When quantizing regions or MIDI notes to
“Defining a Beat Detective Selection” on Bar|Beat Markers on sub-beats that
page 552. represent a swing feel, make sure to use a
straight quantize value (with the Swing
4 Set the Resolution to Bars or Beats, and config-
option for Quantize disabled).
ure the Detection setting so the selection’s peak
transients (or MIDI Note Ons) are accurately de-
tected (see “Generating Beat Triggers” on
page 554).

5 Click Generate.

560 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Capturing this information is very important to
DigiGroove Templates preserving the feel of a performance, and can
add life to MIDI tracks that lack dynamics.
Beat Detective allows the fine timing nuances of
a rhythmic performance to be extracted and Beat Detective only captures duration data
saved as a groove template, called a DigiGroove from MIDI tracks, not from audio tracks.
template. DigiGrooves can be saved locally to
the Groove Clipboard, or saved to disk as Digi- To extract a Groove Template:
Grooves.
1 In the Edit window, make an Edit selection
Groove templates can be used to transfer the feel (including audio or MIDI). The selection should
of a particular performance to: consist of one or more complete bars, starting
and ending on downbeats.
• Selected audio regions using Groove Conform
(see “Groove Conform” on page 566). When extracting Groove Templates, the
• Selected MIDI data using Groove Quantize captured selection must not include Bar|Beat
(see “Groove Quantize” on page 804). Markers. Otherwise, the accuracy of the
Groove Template will be compromised.
Groove templates are “quantization maps” de-
rived from real musical performances. The 2 In the Beat Detective window, select Groove
rhythmic character of each performance is ana- Template Extraction.
lyzed and stored as a groove template. Beat De-
3 Define or capture the selection as described in
tective analyzes an audio selection for transient
“Defining a Beat Detective Selection” on
peaks according to a defined threshold and
page 552.
maps the rhythmic relationships to a 960 parts
per quarter note (ppq) template. 4 Configure the Detection options so the selec-
tion’s peak transients (or MIDI Note Ons) are ac-
When creating DigiGroove templates, Beat De- curately detected (see “Generating Beat
tective also analyzes the dynamics of a perfor- Triggers” on page 554).
mance. MIDI velocity data is saved from MIDI
tracks, and accents and peak levels in audio data 5 Click Extract.
are incorporated into the groove template as ve- 6 In the Extract Groove Template dialog, enter
locity data, which can be applied to change the comments about the groove. You can enter a
dynamics of MIDI tracks. maximum of 255 characters to describe the
groove. Comments can be viewed using the
Beat Detective translates the amplitude of sig-
Show Info button in the Beat Detective window.
nals in audio tracks to MIDI velocity according
to a linear scale. For example:
• A 0 dBFS signal equals a MIDI velocity of
127.
• A signal at –6 dBFS equals a MIDI velocity
of 64.
• A signal at –12 dBFS equals a MIDI velocity
of 32.
• A –48 dBFS equals a MIDI velocity of 1.

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 561

 Swing Content for Generating Groove
Templates

When defining swing content of the selection,

select the Contains eighth-note option if the au-
dio selection has a heavily swung eighth-note
groove. If the audio selection has relatively
straight eighth-notes, use the Contains six-
teenth-note option. This lets the resultant Digi-
Groove template be applied more easily else-
where. Although a groove might be based upon
non-swung eighth-note material, you might
want to apply the template to material that con-
tains sixteenth-notes. If a template only has
eighth-note resolution, but the material being
Extract Groove Template dialog conformed contains sixteenth-notes, adjacent
sixteenth-notes will be mapped to the same
7 Do one of the following: eighth-note location.
• To save the extracted template for use in
the current session, without writing the Groove Extrapolation
template file to disk, click Save To Groove
Beat Detective’s ability to extract tempo data
Clipboard. (This template will be lost when
from a wide range of material is enhanced by its
you close the current session.)
powerful “groove extrapolation” logic. Groove
• To save the extracted template to disk in or-
extrapolation automatically generates beat trig-
der to use it in other sessions or share it
gers for inclusion in groove templates even if a
with other Pro Tools users, click Save To
peak transient is not detected. For example, a
Disk. Enter a name for the template and
drum loop might not have a hit on beat 3, con-
click Save. (Do not change the location of
sequently no peak transient is detected and no
DigiGroove template files and folders or
beat trigger is generated. Beat Detective will ex-
they will not be available in your sessions.)
trapolate from other beat triggers in the selec-
• Click Cancel to cancel without saving the tion and create a trigger for beat 3 in the groove
template. template.

Use folders and subdirectories to organize In addition, extrapolated triggers preserve the
DigiGroove templates. However, be sure feel of triggers generated from detected peak
they are always located in C:\ transients. For example, if a bar of kick drum de-
Program Files\Digidesign\Pro Tools\ tected three beat triggers, all of which were 20
Grooves (Windows) or Applications/ ticks ahead of the beat, any extrapolated beat
Digidesign/Pro Tools/Grooves (Mac). triggers will also be mapped 20 ticks ahead of
Groove template files located elsewhere will the beat.
not be available in either Groove Quantize
or Beat Detective.

562 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Trigger Pad
Separating Regions with
When separating regions, the Beat Detective
Beat Detective
window displays an option called Trigger Pad.
(Audio Only)

Once beat triggers appear in your selection, they

can be used to define start and end points for
new regions that can be separated automati-
cally. The new regions can then be conformed
to the session’s existing tempo map, or to a
groove template.

If you want to clean up the timing for the selec- Detection settings, Region Separation mode
tion, without affecting the tempo, make sure to Type a value (0–50 ms) in this field to pad region
first calculate the tempo by generating Bar|Beat start points—where the point of separation is lo-
Markers (see “Calculating Tempo with Beat De- cated in relation to the beat trigger (transient).
tective” on page 554). This creates a space between the region start
point and the region sync point, thereby ensur-
To separate regions with Beat Detective: ing that the attack portion of the material re-
1 In the Edit window, make an audio selection. mains intact.

2 In the Beat Detective window, select Region

Separation.

3 Define or capture the selection as described in

“Defining a Beat Detective Selection” on
page 552.

4 Configure the Detection options so the selec-

tion’s peak transients are accurately detected 20 ms
Region start Sync point
(see “Generating Beat Triggers” on page 554). (point of separation) (beat trigger)

5 Click Separate. Separated region with 20 ms Trigger Pad

When conforming separated regions, the region

Regions are separated based on the detected beat
sync point, not the region start point, deter-
triggers.
mines where the region is placed.

For more information on region sync points,

see “Sync Points” on page 728.

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 563

 Separating Multiple Tracks Extending the selection to the snare, hi-hat, and
overhead microphones tracks, and then per-
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Music
forming the separation, results in separated re-
Production Toolkit 2 or Complete Production
gions in each of the drum tracks at the same lo-
Toolkit Only)
cation, based on the beat triggers from the kick
You can use beat triggers from a single track, or drum track (see Figure 30).
subset of tracks, to separate a group of tracks.

Beat Detective LE cannot be used across

multiple tracks without the Music
Production Toolkit 2 option. When Beat
Detective LE (without the Music Production
Toolkit 2 option) is applied to multiple
tracks, only the top track is edited.

In the following example, the defined selection

is a drum loop consisting of two bars of 5/4. The
kick, snare, hi-hat, and overhead microphones
are recorded to separate tracks.

Analyzing the loop’s kick drum track, with the

detection Resolution set to Beats, Beat Detective
places beat triggers at the transients on beats 1 Figure 30. Kick drum, snare, hi-hat, and overhead
and 4 (see Figure 29). microphones tracks

The separated regions can then be conformed as

a group.

You can also use Collection mode (Pro Tools HD

and Pro Tools LE with Music Production
Toolkit 2 or Complete Production Toolkit only)
Figure 29. Kick drum track when working with multiple tracks. Collection
mode lets you analyze and detect triggers on
tracks individually, and if you choose, add only
the unique triggers from the current track to the
overall collection. For more information, see
“Detection (Normal) and Collection Mode” on
page 569.

564 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To conform regions using Standard Conform:
Conforming Regions with Beat 1 In the Beat Detective window, select Region
Detective Conform.
(Audio Only)
2 Make sure Standard is selected.
After regions have been separated with Beat De- 3 In the Edit window, if not already selected, se-
tective, the regions can then be conformed us- lect the separated regions you want to conform.
ing one of two modes: Make sure the selection’s start and end points
fall cleanly on the beat.
Standard Conform Uses the session’s current
tempo map (Grid) 4 In the Beat Detective window, define or recap-
ture the selection as described in “Defining a
Groove Conform Uses groove templates.
Beat Detective Selection” on page 552.
Beat Detective will conform any selected region, 5 To affect how strongly the regions are con-
whether or not it was separated with Beat Detec- formed to the Grid (tempo map), select the
tive. However, in order to successfully conform Strength option and specify a percentage value
regions with Beat Detective, the region start with either the slider or by typing in a value:
points must correspond to the start of the mate-
• Lower percentage values preserve the origi-
rial that will align with the session’s bars and
nal feel of the regions.
beats. This should generally not be a problem if
• Higher percentage values align the regions
the regions were separated with Beat Detective
more tightly to the tempo map, with 100%
(rather than manually separated or trimmed).
aligning precisely to the tempo map.

Standard Conform To “tighten up” the original feel while

retaining it, set the Strength option to
This is similar to using the Region > Quantize to
85–88%.
Grid command, but with one important differ-
ence: With a single operation, Beat Detective 6 To affect which regions are conformed, select
can adjust the position of all regions, whether the Exclude Within option and specify a percent-
they have a straight or swing feel. age value with the slider or by typing in a value:
• Lower percentage values ensure that re-
gions further away from the Grid are con-
formed, while those closer to the Grid are
not.
• Higher percentage values ensure that re-
gions closer to the Grid, as well as those fur-
ther away, are conformed.

Beat Detective, Standard Conform options To “tighten up” the original feel while
retaining it, set the Exclude Within option
to 10–15%.

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 565

 7 To achieve a swing feel for the conformed re- Groove Conform
gions, select the Swing option and whether the
swing is based on eighth-notes or sixteenth- Instead of using a grid based on the session’s
notes, then specify a percentage value with the tempo map, Groove Conform uses a grid based
slider or by typing in a value: on a groove template, or DigiGroove. Digi-
Grooves can be used to apply the feel of a cap-
• Smaller percentage values yield less swing,
tured passage to the selected audio regions. For
with 0% yielding none.
information about creating DigiGroove tem-
• Larger percentage values yield more swing, plates, see “DigiGroove Templates” on
with 100% yielding a triplet, swing feel. page 561.
• Percentage values between 100–150 move
the regions beyond a triplet, swing feel, to- To conform regions using Groove Conform:
ward the next sixteenth-note boundary
1 In the Beat Detective window, select Region
(provided the Swing note value is set to
Conform.
eighth-notes).
2 Select Groove.
If Beat Detective has successfully captured
enough of the sub-beats from a selection be-
fore separating, you can successfully con-
form with the Swing option to change the
groove from a “straight” feel to one that is
swung. You can also import a groove tem-
plate containing a swing feel (see “Groove
Conform” on page 566).
Beat Detective, Groove Conform options
8 Click Conform to automatically conform all re-
gions in the selection. 3 In the Edit window, if not already selected, se-
lect the separated regions you want to conform.
Make sure the selection’s start and end points
fall cleanly on the beat.

4 In the Beat Detective window, define or recap-

ture the selection as described in “Defining a
Beat Detective Selection” on page 552.
Regions conformed with Beat Detective
When using Groove Conform, the captured
9 Audition the new conformed regions by click-
selection must not include Bar|Beat Mark-
ing Play in the Transport.
ers. Otherwise, the accuracy of the Groove
10 Do one of the following: Template will be compromised.
• If necessary, select Edit > Undo, and repeat
5 From the Groove Template pop-up menu, se-
steps 4–8 trying a different set of Conform
settings. lect the Groove Clipboard or a saved groove tem-
plate (for information on creating groove
– or – templates, see “DigiGroove Templates” on
• If necessary, apply Edit Smoothing (see page 561).
“Edit Smoothing” on page 567).

566 Pro Tools Reference Guide

6 To see comments about the selected template, 9 Click Conform to automatically conform all re-
click Show Info. gions in the selection.

7 To affect how strongly the regions are con- 10 Audition the new conformed regions by
formed to the groove template, select the Timing clicking Play in the Transport.
option and specify a percentage value with ei-
11 Do one of the following:
ther the slider or by typing in a value:
• If necessary, select Edit > Undo, and repeat
• Lower percentage values preserve the origi-
steps 4–9 trying a different groove template
nal feel of the regions.
or Groove Conform settings.
• Higher percentage values align the regions
more tightly to the groove templates grid, – or –
with 100% aligning precisely to the tem- • If necessary, apply Edit Smoothing (see
plate grid. “Edit Smoothing” on page 567).
• If the slider is set to 200%, regions move to
a location that is twice the difference be-
tween the original region location and the Edit Smoothing
position of the referenced template event.
(Audio Only)
For example, if a note was played at Bar 1|1|060
After regions are conformed, there may be gaps
(a 16th note), and the corresponding template
between the regions. These gaps can cause the
event is at 1|1|073, a slider value of 100% results
material to sound unnatural on playback.
in the note being shifted to 1|1|073; a slider
value of 200% shifts the note to 1|1|086.

8 To conform the material before applying the

groove template, enable the Pre-Process Using
Standard Conform option.

With this option enabled, Beat Detective con-

forms regions to the current Standard Conform
settings before applying the groove template. Beat Detective, Smoothing options
For material in which the performance was not
accurate, enabling Pre-Process Using Standard Beat Detective can automatically fill the gaps be-
Conform can lead to better results by ensuring tween regions, and even add crossfades if you
that the performance is accurately mapped to choose. The Edit Smoothing option can be used
the correct bars, beats, and sub-beats before the with regions that have been conformed, or with
groove template is applied. Experimentation is a track that contains many regions that need to
the best way to determine when it is appropriate be trimmed and crossfaded (such as in a sound
to use this option. effects track). This automated process of
smoothing region edits can save many hours of
When conforming an audio passage to a tedious editing.
heavily swung groove template, enabling
Pre-Process using Standard Conform will
often yield better results.

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 567

 To use Edit Smoothing on conformed regions: Edit Smoothing Creates Sync Points
1 In the Beat Detective window, select Edit After smoothing edits with Beat Detective, sync
Smoothing. points (corresponding to the material’s start
2 Select a Smoothing option: point) are automatically created for the con-
formed regions. This allows you to later con-
Fill Gaps Select this option to trim region end form the regions to a different tempo map or
points so that the gaps between regions are groove template, or use different Conform set-
filled. tings. However, sync points are only created as
they are needed: If gaps between regions are cre-
Fill And Crossfade Select this option to trim re-
ated during Region Conform, Fill Gaps in Edit
gion end points and automatically add a pre-
Smoothing mode will trim regions to fill the gap
fade (in ms) directly before each region start
and a sync point will be created at each region’s
point.
original start point. If there is no gap between
3 In the Edit window, if not already selected, se- regions, no sync point will be created by Edit
lect the range of conformed audio regions you Smoothing.
want to smooth. Make sure the selection’s start
and end points fall cleanly on the beat. For more information on region sync points,
see “Sync Points” on page 728.
4 Click Smooth to smooth the edits for the se-
lected regions. Consolidating Regions after Edit
Smoothing
The process of separating, conforming, and
smoothing with Beat Detective can leave tracks
with many regions and many crossfades. If you
are working with multiple tracks, the density of
these edits may lead to system performance
problems.

If performance is not an issue, use the Re-

gion Group command for easier editing and
Regions before and after Edit Smoothing
manipulation of regions. This can be useful
5 Audition the results by clicking Play in the for arranging beats that were sliced with
Transport. Beat Detective, especially if you plan on
changing tempos with tick-based audio
6 If necessary, select Edit > Undo, and repeat
tracks. For more information on region
steps 2–5 trying a different Crossfade Length.
groups, see “Region Groups” on page 743.

568 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Once you are satisfied with the results from Beat Drum Tracks and Collection Mode
Detective, it is recommended that you flatten
the tracks with the Consolidate command. For all Suppose you have drum tracks for kick, snare,
regions selected, Consolidate creates a single, hi-hat, and overhead mics. If you analyze a se-
contiguous audio file to reduce the session’s edit lection across all of the tracks, you may get
density. See “Consolidate Command” on many false triggers when you raise the Sensitiv-
page 506. ity slider high enough to capture the hi-hat ma-
terial (coming mainly from the tracks for the
Before consolidating a large selection across overhead mics).
multiple tracks, make sure there is enough
However, if you analyze only the track for the
RAM available. See “RAM Requirements for
overhead mics, the resulting beat triggers are
Beat Detective” on page 550.
slightly later than the material on the other
tracks (since it will take more time for the sound
to reach the overhead mics). If you then extend
Detection (Normal) and the selection to the other drum tracks and sepa-
Collection Mode rate them, the regions from the kick, snare, and
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete tom tracks will be cut slightly late (see Figure 31
Production Toolkit or Music Production below).
Toolkit 2 Only)

In some instances, it may be difficult for Beat

Detective to successfully analyze multiple tracks
with the same Detection settings. With Beat De-
tective’s Collection mode, you can collect a set
of beat triggers from different tracks, each with
different Detection settings, and use the collec-
tion of triggers to generate Bar|Beat Markers or
DigiGroove templates, or separate new regions.
Figure 31. Overhead mics generate late beat triggers
Collection mode is the only way to analyze and
create beat triggers on one track, and apply Using Collection mode, you can analyze each
them to another track. drum track separately, one at a time, optimizing
the Detection settings for each track until you
This method of selectively adding beat triggers
get the triggers you want. The triggers for each
from separate analysis passes on different tracks,
track can be added successively to the collec-
until you get only the triggers you want, is po-
tion, or you can choose to collect only the
tentially much more effective than manually de-
unique triggers from a track. The collection of
leting, inserting, or adjusting incorrect or false
triggers that results can then be used to generate
triggers.
Bar|Beat Markers or a DigiGroove template, or
Beat Detective LE does not support Collec- separate new regions.
tion Mode without the Complete Production
Toolkit or Music Production Toolkit 2 op-
tion.

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 569

 Using Collection Mode 7 From the Detection pop-up menu, select Nor-
mal and move the selection to the next track you
Collection mode is available in Bar|Beat Marker want to analyze. Make sure to keep the selection
Generation, Groove Template Extraction, or Re- range constant for each track.
gion Separation mode (audio only), and is ac-
cessed by selecting Collection in the Detection Press Start+P (Windows) or Control+P
pop-up menu. (Mac) to move the selection up, or
Start+Semi-colon (Windows) or Con-
trol+Semi-colon (Mac) to move the selection
down.

With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled,

press “P” to move the selection up, or Semi-
colon (;) to move the selection down. Hold
down the Shift key to retain and add to the
Beat Detective, Collection mode options current selection

To use Collection mode: 8 Configure the Detection options so the selec-

1 In the Edit window, make an audio selection tion’s peak transients are accurately detected
on a single track. Make sure the selection’s start (see “Generating Beat Triggers” on page 554).
and end points fall cleanly on the beat. 9 Select Collection again.

2 In the Beat Detective window, select one of 10 Do one of the following:

the following modes:
• In the Detection (Collection Mode) sec-
• Bar|Beat Marker Generation tion, click Add Unique to add only the
• Groove Template Extraction unique triggers from the track to the collec-
• Region Separation (audio only) tion. When you choose to add unique trig-
gers, Pro Tools looks for triggers that are
3 Define or capture the selection as described in
close to triggers already collected from
“Defining a Beat Detective Selection” on
other tracks. Where triggers already exist,
page 552.
the newly detected triggers are discarded.
4 Configure the Detection options so the selec- • Click Add All to add all triggers to the collec-
tion’s peak transients are accurately detected tion.
(see “Generating Beat Triggers” on page 554). • Click Clear All to clear all triggers from the
5 From the Detection pop-up menu, select Collec- collection.
tion.

6 In the Detection (Collection Mode) section,

click Add All to add all the current beat triggers to
the collection.

570 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Each new set of triggers added to the collection 12 Once the beat triggers have been added to
appears in a different color. If successive triggers the collection, you can use them to generate
in the collection are located closely together (for Bar|Beat Markers or groove template, or separate
example, because of microphone leakage), Beat regions. However, this must be done from the
Detective keeps only the earlier triggers (see Collection Mode section (when the triggers are
Figure 32 on page 571). displayed in multiple colors).

11 Repeat steps 7–10 for each additional track To separate regions across multiple tracks,
you are analyzing. make sure to extend the selection to any ad-
ditional tracks before separating.
The beat triggers stored in the Collection mode
are saved with sessions. Therefore, when a ses-
sion is opened later, the previous collection ma-
terial is still there (until it is cleared).

1. Beat triggers
detected in Kick track
added to collection

2. Unique beat triggers

detected in Snare track
added to collection

3. Unique beat triggers

detected in Hi-hat track
added to collection

4.Collected beat triggers

applied to Overhead
microphones track

Figure 32. Overhead mic track displaying a collection of beat triggers containing unique triggers generated from the
kick, snare, and hi-hat tracks

Chapter 28: Beat Detective 571

572 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Part VI: MIDI

573
574
Chapter 29: MIDI Editing

Pro Tools provides powerful MIDI editing tools.

You can create and edit individual MIDI notes MIDI Editing Options
and controller events with the Pencil, Trim, and
Pro Tools provides a few options for determin-
Grabber tools in the Edit window, MIDI Editor
ing MIDI editing behavior. These options are
windows (see Chapter 30, “MIDI Editors”), and
available in the Edit window, MIDI Editor win-
the Score Editor window (Chapter 31, “Score Ed-
dows, and the Score Editor window. However,
itor”).
these options are only available if there is at
You can use the various Event Operations (such least one MIDI or Instrument track in your
as Quantize, Transpose, Change Velocity, and Pro Tools session.
Change Duration) to destructively transform
groups of MIDI notes in terms of pitch, timing,
dynamics, and phrasing (see Chapter 39, “Event Play MIDI Notes When Editing
Operations”). Default Note On Velocity

Additionally, you can use Real-Time Properties

to nondestructively affect MIDI on playback or Default Note Duration
play-through (see “MIDI Real-Time Properties” MIDI Editing Controls in the Edit window
on page 604).
Play MIDI Notes When Editing
Pro Tools also provides numerous zoom and
view tools that are optimized for MIDI editing. When enabled, the Play MIDI Notes When Edit-
ing option causes MIDI notes to play (send a
For information on region-specific editing MIDI Note On message) when editing.
for both MIDI and audio, see Chapter 25,
“Editing Regions and Selections.”

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 575

 Default Note Duration 3 To define a dotted or triplet duration, do one
of the following:
The Default Note Duration setting lets you de-
• To dot the selected Default Note Duration
fine the default note duration for inserting notes
value, click the Default Note Duration set-
manually. The Edit window, MIDI Editor win-
ting and select Dotted.
dows, and Score Editor window can each have a
different Default Note Duration setting. – or –
• To make the selected Default Note Dura-
To select a Default Note Duration: tion value a triplet, click the Default Note
Duration setting and select Triplet.
1 Click the Default Note Duration setting in the
Edit window, a MIDI Editor window, or the
Follow Grid
Score Editor window.
Select the Follow Grid option to have the Default
2 Select the Default Note Duration value you
Note Duration follow the selected Grid value. To
want. (For example, select the 1/4 Note option
stop following the Grid value, select the rhyth-
to insert quarter notes with the Pencil tool.)
mic value for the Default Note Duration setting.

Default Note On Velocity

The Default Note On Velocity setting lets you
define the default Note On velocity for inserting
notes manually. The Edit window, MIDI Editor
windows, and Score Editor window can each
have a different Default Note On Velocity set-
ting.

To define the Default Note On Velocity, do one of

the following:

Selecting a Default Note Duration in the Edit window „ Click the Default Note On Velocity setting in

the Edit window, a MIDI Editor window, or the

The Default Note Duration setting updates to
Score Editor window and drag up or down.
show the selected note value.
– or –

„ Click the Default Note On Velocity setting in

the Edit window, a MIDI Editor window, or the

Score Editor window, type a new number and
press Enter.
Default Note Duration value

Default Note Duration, quarter note selected

Default Note On Velocity value

Default Note On Velocity

576 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Mirrored MIDI Editing
Setting the Grid Value
Mirrored MIDI Editing lets you edit MIDI re-
gions and have your edits apply to every copy of When inserting MIDI notes with the Pencil tool,
the same MIDI region. This can be particularly the Grid value determines the Note On location
useful when editing looped MIDI regions. of each note, or other characteristics, based on
the Pencil tool shape (see “The Pencil Tool” on
To enable Mirrored MIDI Editing, do one of the page 578). The Edit window, MIDI Editor win-
following: dows, and Score Editor window can each be set
to a different Grid value.
„ Select Options > Mirror MIDI Editing.
– or – To set the Grid value for MIDI editing:
„ Enable the Mirrored MIDI Editing button in 1 Click the Grid Value selector and select
the Edit window, MIDI Editor window, or Score Bars|Beats. If the Follow Main Time Scale option is
Editor window. enabled you can simply set the Main Time Scale
to Bars|Beats (see “Setting the Main Time Scale”
on page 666).

2 Click the Grid Value selector again and select

a note value (such as 1/4, 1/8, or 1/16).

Mirrored MIDI Edit button

Mirrored MIDI Edit button in the Edit window

In Mirrored MIDI Editing mode, the Mirrored

MIDI Editing button flashes Red once as an edit
is made to alert you that your edit is being ap-
plied to more than one region.

To disable Mirrored MIDI Editing, do one of the

following:
„ Deselect Options > Mirror MIDI Editing.
– or –

„ Disable the Mirrored MIDI Editing button in

the Edit window, MIDI Editor window, or Score

Editor window. Selecting the Grid value in the Edit window

If Mirrored MIDI Editing mode is disabled,

and you edit notes of looped regions in
Notes view, the edit flattens the loop. Simi-
larly editing region groups separates the re-
gion groups.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 577

 3 To define a dotted or triplet value, do one of ferent types of MIDI control data—for example,
the following: try using Line for volume, Triangle for pan, Free
• To dot the selected Grid value, click the Hand for pitch bend, and Square or Random for
Grid Value selector again and select Dotted. velocity.

– or – Parabolic and S-Curve Pencil shapes are

• To make the selected Grid value a triplet, used for drawing tempo events only in the
click the Grid Value selector again and se- Tempo Editor. See “Drawing Tempo
lect Triplet. Events” on page 677.
4 Verify the default session meter and tempo
To select the Pencil tool shape:
(see “Setting the Session Meter” on page 351
and “Setting the Session Tempo” on page 351). 1 Click the Pencil tool icon in the Toolbar for
the Pencil tool shape pop-up menu.
For more information on Grid mode, see
2 Select a Pencil tool shape.
“Grid” on page 446.

To show (or hide) grid lines in the Edit window or in

a MIDI Editor window:
„ Select (or deselect) the Grid button.
Pencil tool
shapes
Grid button available for
MIDI

Grid button selected in the Edit window

Pencil tool shape pop-up menu

The Pencil Tool Free Hand
The Pencil tool is useful for creating and editing In the Edit window on MIDI and Instrument
MIDI data. The first five Pencil tool shapes (Free tracks in Notes view, in MIDI Editor windows,
Hand, Line, Triangle, Square, and Random) can and in the Score Editor, the Free Hand shape in-
be used to create MIDI notes with varying dura- serts a single MIDI note whose velocity is de-
tions and velocities. In the Edit window MIDI fined by the Default Note On Velocity setting.
Editor windows, and the Score Editor window, The pitch, location, and duration of the note are
note velocities are determined by the Pencil tool determined by where on the track you click with
shape). The various Pencil tool shapes can be the mouse.
particularly useful for drawing and editing dif-

578 Pro Tools Reference Guide

When editing MIDI velocities or continuous When editing MIDI velocities or continuous
controller data, the Free Hand shape draws controller data, the Triangle shape draws a trian-
freely according to the movement of the mouse. gular pattern that changes direction according
The shape is reproduced as a series of steps ac- to the current Grid value. MIDI controller values
cording to the Pencil Tool Resolution When change in steps according to the Pencil Tool Res-
Drawing Controller Data MIDI preference. olution When Drawing Controller Data option in
the MIDI Preferences page.
Line
Square
In the Edit window on MIDI and Instrument
tracks in Notes view, in MIDI Editor windows, In the Edit window on MIDI and Instrument
and in the Score Editor, the Line shape inserts a tracks in Notes view, in MIDI Editor windows,
series of MIDI notes on a single pitch whose ve- and in the Score Editor, the Square shape inserts
locities are defined by the Default Note On Ve- a series of MIDI notes on a single pitch whose
locity setting. The duration and spacing for the velocities alternate between the Default Note
inserted notes are determined by the current On Velocity setting and 127. The duration and
Grid value and the Default Note Duration set- spacing for the inserted notes are determined by
ting. the current Grid value and the Default Note Du-
ration setting.
When editing MIDI velocities or continuous
controller data, the Line shape draws in a When editing MIDI velocities or continuous
straight line from click to release. MIDI contin- controller data, the Square shape draws a square
uous controller values change in steps according pattern that repeats at a rate based on the cur-
to the Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Con- rent Grid value.
troller Data option in the MIDI Preferences page.
Random
Triangle
In the Edit window on MIDI and Instrument
In the Edit window on MIDI and Instrument tracks in Notes view, in MIDI Editor windows,
tracks in Notes view, in MIDI Editor windows, and in the Score Editor, the Random shape in-
and in the Score Editor, the Triangle shape in- serts a series of MIDI notes on a single pitch
serts a series of MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities change randomly within the
whose velocities oscillate between the Default range between the Default Note On Velocity set-
Note On Velocity setting and 127 according to a ting and 127. The duration and spacing for the
triangle pattern. The duration and spacing for inserted notes are determined by the current
the inserted notes are determined by the current Grid value and the Default Note Duration set-
Grid value and the Default Note Duration set- ting.
ting.
When editing MIDI velocities or continuous
controller data, the Random shape draws a series
of random values that change at a rate based on
the current Grid value.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 579

 When using the Pencil tool, the Cursor location
Inserting MIDI Notes and value are displayed in the Window Toolbar.

In addition to recording, step recording, and im-

Cursor pitch location
porting MIDI into Pro Tools, you can manually Pencil Cursor
insert MIDI notes using the Pencil tool. Cursor Timeline location

When inserting MIDI notes or other MIDI

data with the Pencil tool, MIDI region
boundaries are created on the nearest bar-
lines.

To insert a MIDI Note On a track in the Edit

window:
1 In the Edit window, set the MIDI or Instru-
ment track to Notes view.

2 Select the Pencil tool and make sure it is set to

Free Hand. The cursor will change to the Pencil
tool when located over the playlist area of a Cursor location and value
MIDI or Instrument track in Notes view. 5 When you reach the pitch and time location

3 To insert quarter notes on the beat, do the fol-

you want, click to insert the note.
lowing:
• Set the Main Time Scale to Bars|Beats.
• Set the Edit mode to Grid.
• Set the Grid value to quarter notes.
• Set the Default Note Duration value either
to quarter notes (or to Follow Grid). MIDI note inserted with the Pencil tool

4 Move the Pencil tool into the playlist area for

With the Smart Tool active (see “Using the
the MIDI or Instrument track. Use the Edit win-
Smart Tool” on page 465), Start-click
dow’s ruler and the track’s mini-keyboard as a
(Windows) or Control-click (Mac) to change
reference to locate the pitch and time location
the cursor to the Pencil tool and insert MIDI
you want.
notes; Option-Control-click (Mac) or
Alt-Start-click (Mac) to delete notes.

With Grid mode enabled, the start point of

the MIDI note snaps to the nearest Grid
boundary by default. With the Free Hand
Pencil tool, press Control (Windows) or
Command (Mac) after clicking and holding
to temporarily suspend Snap to Grid.

580 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The velocity for inserted notes is determined by The note velocities are determined by the Pencil
the Default Note On Velocity setting. The dura- tool shape:
tion is determined by the Default Note Duration • Use the Line shape to enter notes with
value. When in Grid mode, the Note On loca- identical velocities.
tion is determined by the Grid value. • Use the Triangle shape for a ramp up and
If the Play MIDI Notes When Editing option is down of velocities.
enabled, each note sounds as it is inserted. • Use the Square shape for alternating veloc-
ities of loud and soft.
The Pencil tool can be dragged after clicking • Use the Random shape for a series of notes
(and before releasing) to adjust the note’s pitch with random velocities.
or duration. Drag right to lengthen the note
without changing its start point. Drag left to
For example, to insert a series of notes with
shorten the note without changing its end random velocities in the Edit window:
point.
1 In the Edit window, set the MIDI or Instru-
ment track to Notes view.

2 Select the Pencil tool and make sure it is set to

Random.

3 To insert consecutive quarter notes on the

Adjusting the duration for an inserted note beat, do the following:
• Set the Main Time Scale to Bars|Beats.
With the Grid mode enabled, the end point • Set the Edit mode to Grid.
of the MIDI note snaps to the nearest Grid • Set the Grid value to quarter notes.
boundary by default. Control-drag (Win- • Set the Default Note Duration value either
dows) or Command-drag (Mac) with the to quarter notes (or to Follow Grid).
Pencil tool to temporarily suspend Snap to
Grid. With these settings, the notes are inserted
spaced one quarter note apart.
Inserting a Series of Notes
4 Click at the point to insert the first note and
In the Edit window and in MIDI Editor win- drag to the right until the number of notes you
dows, the Line, Triangle, Square, and Random want have been inserted.
Pencil tool shapes can be used to enter a series of
identical pitches with varying velocities. The
duration and spacing for the inserted notes are
determined by the current Grid value and the
Default Note Duration setting.

When the Default Note Duration is greater than

the Grid value, the inserted notes are truncated Inserting a series of notes with the Pencil tool
to match the Grid value and not overlap.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 581

 „ With the Selector tool, drag across a range of
Manually Editing MIDI Notes notes.

All aspects of a MIDI note can be edited in the

Edit window or in a MIDI Editor window, in-
cluding start and end points, duration, pitch,
and velocity. The Selector, Grabber, and Pencil
tools can operate on individual notes or groups
of notes.

Selecting MIDI Notes

MIDI notes must be selected before they can be Selecting notes with the Selector tool
edited.
When using the Selector tool, a note’s start
point must be included in order for it to be se-
To select MIDI notes, do one of the following:
lected. When a MIDI or Instrument track is in
„ With the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool, Notes or Regions view, selections made with the
Shift-click each note. Selector tool are range selections and include all
underlying controller and automation data.
„ With any Grabber tool, move the cursor to

where there are no notes (the Marquee appears) With the Selector tool, Alt-click (Windows)
and click and draw a rectangle around the group or Option-click (Mac) to get the Note Selector
of notes you want to edit. tool in the Edit window and MIDI Editor
windows (the Selector tool always make note
selections in the Score Editor). The Note
Selector tool selects all MIDI notes within
the duration of the selection as objects and
does not select any other MIDI events (such
as controller data or program changes).

To deselect one or more notes from a selection:

„ With the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool,
Selecting notes with a Grabber tool Shift-click the notes so they become deselected.
When using a Grabber tool, if any portion of the
You can also select notes in the Select/Split
rectangle touches a note (either its start or end
Notes window. See “Select/Split Notes” on
point), the note is included in the selection.
page 818.
However, selections made with a Grabber tool
are object selections and do not include under-
Selecting and Auditioning MIDI Notes with the
lying controller and automation data for the Mini-Keyboard
MIDI track.
Use the mini-keyboard on MIDI and Instrument
tracks to select and play notes on that track. You
can click on the mini-keyboard with any Edit
tool.

582 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To play a note on a MIDI or Instrument track, and Selecting Only MIDI Notes Using the Note
select all notes of that pitch on the track: Selector Tool
„ With any Edit tool selected, click a key on the
In Notes or Velocity view on MIDI and Instru-
mini-keyboard. ment tracks in the Edit window, or in a MIDI Ed-
itor window, the Selector tool makes a time
range selection that includes all MIDI event
types in addition to MIDI notes and velocities
(such as program changes, and continuous con-
troller data). The Note Selector tool can be used
to select only MIDI notes and velocities in a time
range selection.

To select only MIDI notes and velocities with the

Playing a note with the mini-keyboard and selecting all Note Selector tool:
notes of that pitch
1 Select the Selector tool.

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) 2 On MIDI or Instrument tracks in the Edit win-
to play notes without making a selection. dow in Notes or Velocity view, or in a MIDI Edi-
tor window, Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag
(Mac) over the time range that includes the
Control-click (Windows) or Command-
notes you want to select.
click (Mac) to select or deselect notes, and to
make noncontiguous selections.

To select and play a range of notes on a MIDI or

Instrument track:
„ With any Edit tool selected, click a key and

drag up or down on the mini-keyboard.

Selecting only MIDI notes using the Note Selector tool

Playing a range of notes with the mini-keyboard and When using the Smart tool and pressing Alt
selecting all notes of including those pitches
(Windows) or Option (Mac), the Selector is
available in the upper part of the Track and the
You can also Shift-click on the mini-keyboard Note Selector is available in the lower part of the
to extend or contract the range of notes. track.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 583

 While dragging, each new note sounds and the
Using the Grabber Tools Cursor Location Value indicator (in the Edit
window) indicates the number of semitones and
Use the Grabber tools to select, move, separate,
direction (+/–) for the transposition.
and arrange regions on tracks. There are three
modes for the Grabber tool: Time Grabber, Sep- To transpose a copy of the note, leaving the
aration Grabber, and Object Grabber. For more original unchanged, press Alt (Windows) or
information about arranging regions, also see Option (Mac) while dragging.
Chapter 35, “Arranging Regions.”

Transposing Notes MIDI notes can also be transposed using

the Transpose Event Operation (see “Trans-
MIDI notes can be transposed by dragging them pose” on page 816) or MIDI Real-Time
up or down with the Pencil tool or any Grabber Properties (see “MIDI Real-Time Properties”
tool. If several notes are selected before drag- on page 604).
ging, each is transposed.
Moving Notes
To transpose a MIDI note:
Like regions, MIDI notes can be dragged left or
1 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Notes right with the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool to
view. change their start point. If several notes are se-
lected before dragging, they are all moved to-
2 Select the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool.
gether.
3 While pressing Shift, drag the note up or
down. To move a MIDI note:
1 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Notes
view.

2 With the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool, drag

the note left or right (press Shift while dragging
to preserve the note’s pitch).
Transposing with a Grabber tool
As the note is dragged, the Cursor Location
The Shift key ensures that the transposed note
Value indicator (in the Edit window) displays
maintains its original start point.
the new start point.

If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged note

snaps to the nearest Grid boundary. If the Edit
mode is set to Spot, the Spot dialog opens.

To copy the selected notes, leaving the orig-

inals intact, press Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac) while dragging.

584 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 4 Move the cursor near the beginning of any of
The placement of MIDI notes can also be the highlighted notes, so the Trimmer tool ap-
adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Command” pears. Drag right to shorten the notes, or drag
on page 730) or Nudge (see “Nudging Re- left to lengthen them.
gions” on page 502).

Trimming Note Start and End Times

Like regions, start and end points for MIDI notes
can be adjusted with the Trimmer tool. If several
notes are selected when performing the trim,
each note is changed. Changing note end times with the Trimmer tool

If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged start

The Trimmer tool can also be used on MIDI
or end point snaps to the nearest Grid bound-
regions. For more informations, see “Time
ary. If the Edit mode is set to Spot, the Spot dia-
Compression/Expansion Trimmer Tool
log opens, where you can enter the new location
Functionality on MIDI Regions” on
for the note’s start or end point.
page 591.
When in Grid mode, use the Control key
To change the start or end points for a group of
(Windows) or the Command key (Mac) to
MIDI notes:
temporarily disable Grid mode.
1 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Notes
view. Notes can also be trimmed with the Trim Region
to Selection command (see “Trim to Selection
2 Using the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool,
Command” on page 500) and the Trim To Inser-
Shift-click each note you want to trim. tion command (see “Trimming with Nudge” on
3 Do one of the following: page 502).
• Select the Trimmer tool.
– or –
• Use the Pencil tool.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 585

 Separating MIDI Notes To separate MIDI notes on the grid:

The Separate command lets you separate MIDI 1 Set the Grid value.

notes at the Edit cursor location or at the bound- 2 Make an Edit selection or a marquee selection
aries of the Edit selection. When in Notes view that includes the MIDI notes you want to sepa-
in the Edit window and in MIDI Editor win- rate.
dows, separating MIDI regions creates new MIDI
notes but does not create new MIDI regions. 3 Choose Edit > Separate > On Grid.

However, when in Regions view in the Edit win- 4 In the Pre-Separate Amount dialog, click OK.
dow, separating MIDI regions only creates new
MIDI regions. Also, if the Edit selection includes Separate and Consolidate Tools for MIDI Notes
any audio tracks, the Separate command sepa-
rates only regions on MIDI and Instrument In Notes view in the Edit window and in MIDI
tracks regardless of the Track View setting. Editor windows, both the Pencil and Grabber
tools can be used to separate MIDI notes and to
To separate MIDI notes at the Edit cursor location consolidate MIDI notes.
or at the boundaries of the Edit selection:
The cursor updates to show a “knife” for the Sep-
1 Make an Edit selection or place the Edit cursor arate tool and a “bandage” for the Consolidate
at the location where you want to separate one tool.
or more MIDI notes.
To separate a MIDI note with the Separation tool:
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Separate > At Selection. „ With the Grabber or Pencil tool, Start-Shift-

click (Windows) or Control-Shift-click (Mac) on

– or –
the MIDI note at the location where you want
• Right-click in the Notes pane and choose the separation.
Separate.
Separation tool
Press Control+E (Windows) or
Command+E (Mac) to separate MIDI notes
at the selection.

MIDI note separated into two using the Separate Tool

586 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To consolidate MIDI notes with the Consolidate Muting MIDI Notes
tool:
The Mute command lets you mute individual
„ With the Grabber or Pencil tool, Start-Shift-
MIDI notes. If entire regions are selected, the
click (Windows) or Control-Shift-click (Mac) be-
Mute command prompts you to either mute re-
tween the separated MIDI notes.
gions or MIDI notes.

Consolidate tool
To mute one or more MIDI notes:
1 Select the MIDI notes you want to mute.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Edit > Mute Notes.
– or –
• Right-click the selected MIDI notes and
choose Mute Notes.

To unmute one or more MIDI notes:

Consolidating MIDI notes into one using the Consolidate
1 Select the MIDI notes you want to unmute.
Tool
2 Do one of the following:
Consolidating MIDI Notes
• Choose Edit > Unmute Notes.
The Consolidate command lets you combine two
– or –
or more consecutive MIDI notes of the same
• Right-click the selected MIDI notes and
pitch into a single MIDI note.
choose Unmute Notes.

To consolidate MIDI notes: Press Control+M (Windows) or

1 Select the MIDI notes you want to consoli- Command+M (Mac) to mute and unmute
date. selected MIDI notes.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Edit > Consolidate.
– or –
• Right-click the selected notes and choose
Consolidate.

Press Alt+Shift+3 (Windows) or

Option+Shift+3 (Mac) to consolidate adja-
cent selected MIDI notes of the same pitch.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 587

 Manually Editing Note Velocities The velocities for a range of notes can be edited
with any Pencil tool.
When a MIDI or Instrument track is set to Veloc-
ity view, or when the Velocity lane is revealed
To draw velocity values for a crescendo:
under a track, each note’s attack velocity is rep-
resented with a velocity stalk. The taller the ve- 1 Do one of the following:
locity stalk, the higher the velocity value • Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Veloc-
(0–127). ity view.
– or –
To edit MIDI velocity in the Edit window:
• Reveal the Controller lane for the MIDI or
1 Do one of the following: Instrument track and show Velocity.
• Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Veloc- 2 Select the Pencil tool with the shape set to
ity view. Line.
– or –
3 Click at the beginning of the note range, near
• Reveal the Controller lane for the MIDI or the bottom of the velocity range, and drag to the
Instrument track and show Velocity. right and up until the line encompasses the
range of notes you want to include in the fade.

Reveal
Velocity
Lane

Changing velocities with the Line shape

Dragging a velocity stalk You can also use the Trimmer tool to scale the
2 Select any Grabber tool. velocities for all selected notes. This is useful if
you like the velocity relationship between the
3 Drag the top (diamond) of the velocity stalk notes, but want them all to be louder or softer.
up or down.
When in Velocity view, the Trimmer tool
can be used to trim note durations in
addition to changing velocities.

Dragging a velocity stalk

588 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To scale velocities with the Trimmer tool: Drag up to increase the velocity value, or down
to decrease it. While dragging, the diamond
1 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Velocity
turns blue and the associated note becomes se-
view.
lected. The dragged velocity values are reflected
2 Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, se- in the Cursor Location Value indicator (in the
lect the range of notes to be edited. Edit window).
3 With the Trimmer tool, click near the range of
If two notes have the same start time (with
selected notes and drag up or down. Dragging
velocity stalks on top of each other), Con-
up increases the velocities for each note and
trol-drag (Windows) or Command-drag
dragging down decreases them.
(Mac) the actual note up or down to adjust
its velocity.

Auditioning Velocity Changes

If the Play MIDI Notes When Editing option is

Changing velocities with the Trimmer tool enabled, Pro Tools plays the note at the new ve-
locity when editing velocities for MIDI notes
Velocity Trimmer Tool with the Grabber tool. This lets you hear when
you have the velocity setting you want for a
To trim the velocity of one or more selected MIDI MIDI note.
notes:
„ With the Grabber tool selected, Control-click
Typing in Note Attributes
(Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the note
and drag up or down. Notice that the Grabber When an individual note is selected with the
tool changes to the Velocity Trimmer tool. Pencil tool or any Grabber tool, its attributes are
displayed in the Event Edit area.

Pitch
Attack Velocity
Release Velocity

Editing simultaneous velocities

Event Edit Area showing MIDI track information

Pitch is listed by note name and octave number.

Attack and release velocities are listed with their
MIDI values (0–127). Edit Selection Start, End,
and Length times are displayed in the Main
Time Scale.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 589

 To change an attribute for a MIDI note: Values entered in the pitch and velocity fields
add to or subtract from the values for all selected
1 In the Edit window, with a MIDI or Instru-
notes. For example, to transpose all selected
ment track set to Notes View, select the note
notes down an octave, enter a value of –12 for
with the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool.
pitch.
2 Click in the Attributes text box and do one of
the following:
Deleting MIDI Notes
• Enter the new value on the numeric key-
pad. In addition to deleting selected notes with the
• Press the Up or Down Arrow to increment Clear command in the Edit menu, individual
or decrement to the new value. notes can also be deleted with the Pencil tool.
• Drag up or down to scroll to the new value.
To delete a group of MIDI notes with the Clear
• Play the new note value on your MIDI key-
command:
board controller.
1 Using the Grabber or Selector tool, select the
Press Forward Slash (/) to move between the notes to be deleted (see “Selecting MIDI Notes”
fields in the Event Edit area. on page 582).

You can also change attributes of MIDI 2 Do one of the following:

notes in the MIDI Event List (see • Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected
Chapter 32, “MIDI Event List”). notes. The track’s underlying controller
data remains intact.
Multiple Notes and Event Edit Area • With any Edit tool, Right-click any selected
When multiple notes are selected, you can enter note and choose Clear.
values in the Event Edit area fields to affect all • Press the Backspace (Windows) or Delete
selected notes. A triangle (delta symbol) to the (Mac) key.
left of the displayed note indicates that multiple
notes are selected. When deleting MIDI notes within a time
range selection, all underlying controller
A new value in the Start field moves the first and automation data is also deleted.
note in the selection to that location, with all
other notes moving with it.

Multiple notes in the Event Edit area

590 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To delete a single MIDI note with the Pencil tool:
before trimming
„ With the Pencil tool selected, Alt-click (Win-
dows) or Option-click (Mac) the note. The Pen-
cil tool changes to an Eraser when Alt
(Windows) or Option (Mac) is pressed.

after trimming

Deleting a note with Pencil tool

Scaling a MIDI region with the Time
Compression/Expansion Trimmer tool
Program change events and Sysex events
can also be deleted by Alt-clicking Using the Time Compression/
(Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac) them Expansion Trimmer Tool in Grid Mode
with the Pencil tool.
The Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer
tool (TCE Trimmer tool) can be used in Grid
mode to match a region to the tempo of a ses-
Time Compression/Expansion sion or a section of a session, or to create “dou-
Trimmer Tool Functionality on ble time” or “half time” performances.
MIDI Regions
To compress or expand MIDI regions in Grid mode:
The Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer
tool is useful for matching a MIDI region to the 1 Set the Edit mode to Grid.

length of another region, a tempo grid, or any 2 If necessary, set the MIDI or Instrument track
other reference point. to Regions view.

With the Time Compression/Expansion Trim- 3 Select the TCE Trimmer tool.
mer tool, you can move the MIDI region’s start
4 With the TCE Trimmer tool, drag the MIDI re-
or end point to expand or compress the region,
gion’s start or end point to compress or expand
scaling the MIDI data accordingly regardless of
the region to the Grid (for example, by quarter
the track’s timebase (ticks or samples).
notes). A new MIDI region is automatically cre-
ated, and appears both in the playlist and in the
Region List.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 591

 Using the Time Compression/ Using the Time Compression/
Expansion Trimmer Tool in Slip Mode Expansion Trimmer Tool in Shuffle Mode
In Shuffle mode, the trimmed region will always
To compress or expand MIDI regions in Slip mode:
begin at the original region’s start point regard-
1 Set the Edit mode to Slip. less of whether you trim from the front to the
2 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Regions rear or from the rear to the front.
view.
To compress or expand MIDI regions in Shuffle
3 Select the TCE Trimmer tool. mode:
4 With the TCE Trimmer tool, drag the MIDI re- 1 Set the Edit mode to Shuffle.
gion’s start or end point to compress or expand
2 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Regions
the region freely A new MIDI region is automat-
view.
ically created, and appears both in the playlist
and in the Region List. 3 Select TCE Trimmer tool.

4 With the Time Compression/Expansion Trim-

Using the Time Compression/ mer tool, drag the MIDI region’s start or end
Expansion Trimmer Tool in Spot Mode point to compress or expand the region freely. A
In Spot mode, clicking with the TCE Trimmer new MIDI region is automatically created, and
tool in a region opens the Spot dialog. You can appears both in the playlist and in the Region
specify the location where you want the region List.
to start or end, or the duration of the region, and
the region is automatically compressed or ex-
panded as specified. Continuous Controller Events
To compress or expand MIDI regions in Spot mode: Continuous controller events for MIDI and In-
strument tracks are displayed in the form of a
1 Set the Edit mode to Spot.
line graph with a series of editable breakpoints.
2 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Regions Controller events for MIDI and Instrument
view. tracks differ from automation data for audio
tracks in that the breakpoints are stepped (in-
3 Select the TCE Trimmer tool.
stead of vector-based), where each breakpoint
4 Click the MIDI region near its start or end represents a single controller event.
point. The Spot dialog opens. Using any Time
Scale, enter a new start or end time (or duration)
for the region, and then click OK. A new MIDI
region is automatically created, and appears
both in the playlist and in the Region List.

592 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To show MIDI Controller data for a track, do one of MIDI controller #7 (volume) and #10 (pan) are
the following: treated by Pro Tools as automation data. This
„ Select the corresponding Track View from the
means that these controller events (along with
Track View menu. Mutes) can be recorded and automated from the
Mix window; in addition, each MIDI or Instru-
Track View selector ment track’s automation mode affects how
these events are played back and recorded.
While a MIDI track’s volume, pan, and mute
events can be suspended, all other controller
events in the track always play. Instrument
Instrument track displaying MIDI Volume events in MIDI tracks support both MIDI volume, pan, and
Volume view mute, and audio volume, pan, and mute.
– or – To avoid overwriting existing MIDI volume and
„ Reveal the corresponding MIDI Controller
pan automation data, record in MIDI Merge
lane under the track. mode. When recording in MIDI Merge mode,
existing volume and pan data play back while
recording new MIDI data.

Continuous controller events (including vol-

ume and pan) can be recorded from an external
MIDI controller (such as a keyboard or control
surface), and they can be inserted in a MIDI
Controller Type selector track’s playlist using the Pencil tool or any Grab-
Reveal Controller lanes ber tool.
Instrument track displaying MIDI Volume lane

Continuous controller events that can be in- Inserting and Editing Controller
serted and edited in Pro Tools include: Events
• volume
Continuous controller events can be edited with
• pan any of the following methods:
• pitch bend
‹ Individual breakpoints can be dragged with
• aftertouch (mono) any Grabber tool to adjust their location or
• MIDI controllers, 0–127 value.
‹ A group of selected breakpoints can be scaled
Polyphonic aftertouch cannot be viewed in
the Edit window. To view polyphonic after- up or down with any of the Trimmer tools.
touch in Pro Tools, use the MIDI Event List ‹ New controller events can be drawn in with
(see Chapter 32, “MIDI Event List”). the Pencil tool to replace existing events. Events
can be drawn with the Pencil tool (set to Free
Hand, Line, Triangle, Square, or Random).
‹ Controller events can be cut or copied and
pasted, as well as nudged or shifted.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 593

 To edit a continuous controller event with the
To copy continuous MIDI controller events Pencil tool, the controller first has to be added
and paste to a different MIDI controller, use to the Automated MIDI Controllers list.
Special Paste (Edit > Paste Special > To Cur-
rent Automation Type). For example, you The controller is automatically added to the
might want to use the same control data for Automated MIDI Controllers list when you
volume and a cut-off filter, or for pan and record controller information from an exter-
pitch bend. For more information, see “Spe- nal device.
cial Paste Function for Automation Data”
on page 935. To manually enable a continuous controller for
automation:
1 Do one of the following:
Edits to volume data affect all tracks within
an enabled Edit Group. This is not the case, • Click the Track View selector for the MIDI
however, for other controller playlists (such or Instrument track you want to edit, and
as pan). To insert and edit other controller select Add/Remove Controller from the
types across all tracks in an Edit Group, controllers submenu.
press the Start key (Windows) or Control
(Mac) while performing the edits.

Resolution for Inserted Controller

Events
When inserting controller events with the Pen-
cil tool, the density of the events is determined
by the Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Con-
troller Data setting in the MIDI Preferences page.

To set the Pencil tool resolution:

1 Choose Setup > Preferences, then click the
Selecting Add/Remove Controllers from the Track View
MIDI tab. selector
2 Type a value (1 to 100 milliseconds) for Pencil – or –
Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller Data. • If Controller lanes are revealed under the
3 Click OK. MIDI or Instrument track you want to edit,
click the Controller Type selector for the
Controller lane under the track and select
Add/Remove Controller from the control-
lers submenu.

594 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Selecting Add/Remove Controllers from the Controller
Automated MIDI Controllers dialog
Type selector on a Controller lane
4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 as necessary until you
2 In the Automated MIDI Controllers dialog, se-
have added all of the MIDI controllers you want
lect the MIDI Controllers range for the control-
for automation.
ler you want to automate.
5 To remove a controller from the Automated
MIDI Controllers list, select it in the list on the
Right and click Remove.

6 Click OK to close the Automated MIDI Con-

troller dialog.

When you record continuous controller in-

Selecting the MIDI Controllers range
formation from an external MIDI device,
3 Select the controller that you want to auto- the controller is automatically added to the
mate from the list on the left, and click Add. The MIDI Controllers list.
selected controller is added to the Automated
MIDI Controllers list on the right.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 595

 Patch Select (Program and Some older MIDI devices (such as the Kurz-
Bank Changes) weil K1000) use a program change instead
of a Bank Select message to switch banks.
Each MIDI and Instrument track can have a de- For these devices you may find it necessary
fault program change that is sent each time the to send two program change messages to ac-
track plays. Additional program changes can be cess a particular program, where the first
inserted at any point within the track. sets the bank and the second sets the pro-
gram.
Program changes are sent to external MIDI
devices. Instrument plug-ins in Pro Tools do
not respond to program change informa-
Default Program Change
tion. The default program change for each MIDI track
is specified by clicking on the Patch Select but-
About Program and Bank Changes ton, from either the Mix or Edit window. Once
The MIDI protocol lets you choose from a range specified, the default program change message is
of 128 programs (0–127). However, most MIDI sent to your instrument when playing the track.
instruments have several banks of 128 pro-
grams. To specify a bank, a bank select message To set the default program change for a MIDI or
Instrument track:
must be sent. Some instruments use Controller 0
to switch the bank while others use Controller 1 From the Mix or Edit window, click the Patch
32; some use a combination of the two. The Select button.
Patch Select dialog in Pro Tools lets you use ei-
ther of these bank select messages when insert-
ing a program change event. Check the manu-
facturer’s documentation for your MIDI device
to see which Controller value it uses.

If you do not know what bank select com-

mand your instrument uses, you can record
MIDI to Pro Tools while making a bank
change from the instrument. Then review
the bank select information your instrument
Patch Select button, Patch Select button,
has recorded into Pro Tools in the MIDI (Edit window) (Mix window)
Event List.
Patch Select button

596 Pro Tools Reference Guide

2 Do one of the following: Unlike recorded and inserted program change
• In the Patch Select dialog, select a program events, the default program change does not ap-
number. pear in the track’s playlist.

To clear the default program change, select None

in the Patch Select dialog.

Patch Names
Pro Tools supports XML (Extensible Markup
Language) for storing and importing patch
names for external MIDI devices (such as MIDI
Patch Select dialog instruments). Pro Tools installs MIDI patch
– or – name files (.midnam) for the factory default
patch names of many common MIDI devices.
• If you are using patch name files, select a
patch name (see “Patch Names” on MIDI patch name files (.midnam) can be
page 597). edited in any text editor, or you can use
third-party patch librarian and editor soft-
ware to create your own custom patch
names.

Patch name files are sorted by manufacturer and

are located:
• On Windows, in Program Files\Common
Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch Names\
Digidesign
• On Mac, in /Library/Audio/ MIDI Patch
Names/Digidesign

To import MIDI patch names into Pro Tools:

Choosing a bank in Patch Select dialog
1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio, and verify
3 Click Done.
the MIDI Device definition in the MIDI Studio
Once selected, the program number (or patch Setup window (Windows) or Audio MIDI Setup
name) appears in the Patch Select button in the (Mac).
Edit window.
See your Setup Guide for information on
configuring MIDI on Windows and Mac
systems.

patch name 2 Verify the MIDI track’s output is correctly as-

signed to the MIDI device.

Patch Select button, Edit window 3 Click the MIDI track’s Patch Select button.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 597

 4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change
button. Pro Tools does not let you import a patch
name file that does not match the model
5 In the Open dialog, navigate to one of the fol- and manufacturer information selected in
lowing: the MIDI Studio Setup window (Windows)
• On Windows, Program Files\Common or in the Audio MIDI Setup (Mac).
Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch
Names\Digidesign\<name of manufac- To clear patch names:
turer> 1 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Clear but-
– or – ton.
• On Mac, /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch 2 Click Done.
Names/Digidesign/<name of manufac-
turer>
Inserting and Editing Program
6 Select the MIDI Patch Name file (.midnam) for Changes
the MIDI device.
Program changes can be inserted into a track’s
7 Click Open. The Patch Select dialog is popu- playlist with the Pencil tool. Existing program
lated by patch names from the selected file. changes can be edited, moved, and copied and
8 For MIDI devices that have multiple banks of pasted.
patches, select which bank of patches you want
On some instruments, changing programs
from the Bank pop-up menu.
during playback can interrupt playback. To
avoid this, place program change events in
the track where there are no notes sounding.

To insert a program change with the Pencil tool:

1 Do one of the following:
• Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Pro-
gram Change view.
– or –
• Reveal the Controller lane for the MIDI or
Instrument track and show Program
Change.

Patch Select dialog with patch names 2 If you want the inserted event to snap to a
Grid value, enable Grid mode.
Once patch names have been imported into
Pro Tools, they are available for that MIDI de- 3 Click with the Pencil tool in the track’s playlist
vice in all subsequent sessions. at the point where you want to insert the pro-
gram change.

4 In the Patch Select dialog, select a program

number (or patch name) and, if necessary, spec-
ify a bank change value.

598 Pro Tools Reference Guide

5 Click Done to insert the program change event 2 Do one of the following:
in the track’s playlist. • Choose Edit > Clear to remove the selected
events from the track.
– or –
• Press the Backspace (Windows) or Delete
(Mac).

Individual program change events can also

Program change event
be deleted by Alt-clicking (Windows) or Op-
To edit a program change event: tion-clicking (Mac) them with the Pencil
1 With the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool, dou-
tool.
ble-click the program change event you want to
edit. Auditioning Programs
2 In the Patch Select dialog, select the new pro- When the Patch Select dialog is open, Pro Tools
gram number, or name and specify a bank can automatically scroll through the different
change value (if necessary). patches for a track’s assigned MIDI device.

3 Click Done.
To audition patches:

To move a program change event: 1 If you want to audition patches for a MIDI
track or Instrument during playback, click Play
„ With the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool, drag
in the Transport.
the program change event left or right.
2 Open the Patch Select dialog by clicking the
If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged event Patch Select button, or by inserting or editing a
snaps to the nearest Grid boundary. If the Edit program change event in a MIDI or Instrument
mode is set to Spot, the Spot dialog opens. track.

The placement of program changes can also 3 Click a program number (or patch name)—the
be adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Com- starting point from which you will scroll
mand” on page 730) or Nudge (see “Nudg- through the patches.
ing Regions” on page 502).
4 Type a value for the number of seconds that

To delete a program change event: will elapse between each program change.

1 With the Track View or Controller lane set to 5 Select the Increment Patch option.
Program Change view, click the program change
After the specified number of seconds, Pro Tools
event with any Grabber tool to select it.
selects the next patch and transmits the pro-
If the region contains other events you want gram change to the track’s assigned MIDI out-
to delete, you can delete the region and the put.
Program Change event will also be deleted. 6 When you are finished auditioning settings,
deselect the Increment Patch option and select
the program number (or patch name) you want
and click Done.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 599

 To move a Sysex event:
System Exclusive Events 1 Do one of the following:
System Exclusive (Sysex) events can be recorded • Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Sysex
to MIDI or Instrument tracks in Pro Tools (see view.
“MIDI Step Input” on page 402). Once the
– or –
events are recorded, they appear in the track’s
• Reveal the Controller lane for the MIDI or
playlist as blocks when the Track View is set to
Instrument track and show Sysex.
Sysex or a Controller lane set to Sysex is shown.
2 With any Grabber tool, drag the Sysex event
left or right.

If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged event

snaps to the nearest Grid boundary. If the Edit
mode is set to Spot, the Spot dialog opens.
Sysex event block, Sysex view shown
The placement of Sysex event blocks can
While the contents of recorded System Exclu- also be adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Com-
sive events cannot be directly edited in mand” on page 730) or Nudge (see “Nudg-
Pro Tools, the events can be moved or nudged, ing Regions” on page 502).
copied and pasted, or deleted.
To delete one or more Sysex events:
To record a Sysex event:
1 Do one of the following:
1 Create a new MIDI track. • Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Sysex
2 Set the MIDI track Input to the MIDI port to
view.
which your MIDI device is connected. – or –

3 Configure your MIDI device to send Sysex

• Reveal the Controller lane for the MIDI or
(such as a bulk dump). Instrument track and show Sysex.

2 Do one of the following:

4 Start recording in the Transport.
• Choose Edit > Clear to remove the selected
To begin recording the Sysex transfer from events from the track.
your MIDI device at the Timeline insertion
– or –
point, enable Wait For Note.
• Press the Backspace (Windows) or Delete
5 Start the Sysex transfer from your MIDI de- (Mac).
vice.
Individual Sysex event blocks can also be
6 When the Sysex transfer from your MIDI de- deleted by Alt-clicking (Windows) or Op-
vice is complete, click Stop in the Transport. tion-clicking (Mac) them with the Pencil
tool.

600 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Controller and Program Chasing
Note and Controller Chasing
Pro Tools always chases continuous controller
Note Chasing events and program changes for MIDI tracks.
This ensures that controller values and patches
Note Chasing allows long, sustained MIDI notes for MIDI devices are always set correctly.
to be heard when playing from a point after
their start time. For example, if a note’s start For example, suppose a MIDI track lasting 32
time is at 1|1|000 and lasts for 8 measures (until measures starts with a MIDI volume of 127 and
9|1|000), note chasing lets you begin playing in the last bar fades down to 0. If after playing
from bar 5 and still hear the note that started at the track in its entirety you attempt to play from
1|1|000 as it continues to sustain until 9|1|000. bar 8, the initial MIDI volume of 127 is chased
and sent to the track’s assigned device—other-
Note Chasing is an option that can turned on and wise the track would not be heard since the most
off individually for each MIDI or Instrument recent volume event sent would have been 0.
track. By default, new MIDI and Instrument
tracks have Note Chasing enabled. Chasing also occurs for a MIDI track’s default
program change, along with any program
To enable Note Chasing for a MIDI track: change events residing within the track. There-
fore, if you have chosen a default program
„ Click the track’s Playlist selector and select the
change for a track, when playing from any point
Note Chasing option.
within the track, the program change event is
sent to the track’s assigned device.

Default Controller Values and Chasing

Though new MIDI tracks appear to have default
values for continuous controller playlists, this is
actually not the case. For example, when view-
ing a MIDI track’s Mod Wheel playlist, you’ll see
that the breakpoint line is set to a default of
zero. However, since the modulation wheel on
your MIDI controller may be purposely set to a
Note Chasing enabled in Playlist selector different value, the default value in the track is
not transmitted when playing.
Make sure to disable Note Chasing when working
with samplers that are playing loops. If a MIDI For example, if you record Mod Wheel automa-
track, for example, is triggering a 4-bar drum tion that changes from 0–90 towards the end of
loop and you begin playing at bar 3, the loop the track, and you then play from the beginning
will begin playing at the wrong time and be out of the track, or from anywhere before the
of synchronization with the other tracks. change, having the Mod Wheel value remains at
90 until the 0 value is reached is not likely to be
what you want.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 601

 To ensure that the default controller value for a To configure the Global MIDI Playback Offset:
playlist is sent (and chased), click the initial
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the MIDI
breakpoint at the beginning of the track, move
tab.
it slightly, and set it back to the default value.
2 Enter the number of samples (–10,000 to
10,000) for the Global MIDI Playback Offset set-
ting. A negative value causes the MIDI tracks to
Offsetting MIDI Tracks play back earlier than the audio tracks; a positive
Pro Tools can offset MIDI tracks globally or indi- value causes the MIDI tracks to play back later.
vidually.
To allow for monitoring latency in Pro Tools LE,
With Pro Tools HD, when Delay Compen- set the offset to a value that is roughly equiva-
sation is active, MIDI and Instrument lent to the H/W Buffer Size.
tracks are automatically delay-compen- 3 Click OK.
sated to provide low latency monitoring. For
more information, see “Delay Compensa- The Global MIDI Playback Offset can also
tion for MIDI” on page 865. be set from the MIDI Track Offsets window.
You can also apply MIDI Real-Time Proper-
Global MIDI Playback Offset ties delay to offset MIDI (see “MIDI Real-
Time Properties” on page 604).
Pro Tools provides a preference for MIDI offset
that lets MIDI and Instrument tracks play back
Individual MIDI and Instrument Track
earlier or later (than audio tracks) by the speci-
Offsets
fied number of samples. The offset affects play-
back only and does not alter in any way how You can offset individual MIDI and Instrument
MIDI data is displayed in the Edit window. track offsets in Pro Tools to compensate for de-
lays in MIDI devices (the time it takes to trigger
This capability is provided in large part to com- events on a sampler or synth).
pensate for the audio monitoring latency in
Pro Tools LE. If you are monitoring the output For example, if you have some kick drums that
of external MIDI instruments with an external are being played by an audio track in Pro Tools
mixer or sound system (or headphones), there is and want them to be exactly synchronized with
no latency. If, however, you are monitoring the kick drums that are being played by a MIDI de-
output of your MIDI devices through a Pro Tools vice, you may need to use a MIDI offset. In this
LE interface (such as Mbox 2), your MIDI tracks example, it will usually take at least 5 ms to trig-
sound slightly later than your audio tracks. The ger the MIDI notes, and it could take even
larger the setting for the H/W Buffer Size (128, longer, depending on the MIDI device.
256, 512, or 1024 samples), the larger the la-
tency.

By configuring the Global MIDI Playback Offset

setting, you can align your MIDI tracks to play
back slightly earlier (by a specified number of
samples), thereby compensating for any latency
when monitoring audio in Pro Tools LE.

602 Pro Tools Reference Guide

You can measure the latency for a MIDI device The equivalent offset in milliseconds is dis-
assigned to a MIDI track by recording its audio played in the msec Offset column. This value
output back into Pro Tools. Compare the sample cannot be edited, but updates when a new value
locations for the recorded audio events against is entered in the Sample Offset column.
the original MIDI notes to calculate the latency.
3 Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac) to ac-
cept the entered offset value.

To reset all offsets for all MIDI and Instrument

tracks, click the Reset button in the upper left of
the window.

Stuck Notes
If you encounter stuck notes with any of your
Approximate offset
in samples MIDI devices, you can silence them with the All
Audio Transient recorded
from MIDI device MIDI Notes Off command.
MIDI Note On
Measuring MIDI latency To turn off all stuck notes:

To configure a MIDI or Instrument track offset for „ Choose Event > All MIDI Notes Off.
a track:
Press Control+Shift+Period (.) (Windows)
1 Choose Event > MIDI Track Offsets.
or Command+Shift+Period (.) (Mac) for the
All MIDI Notes Off command.

Remove Duplicate Notes

The Remove Duplicate Notes command is used to
remove duplicate MIDI notes. If a note starts
within the first 25% of the duration of a note of
the same pitch which is already sounding (or
within an eighth-note, whichever is shorter), it
is considered a duplicate and is combined with
the previous note. If it starts later than that, the
MIDI Track Offsets window
first note is shortened so that it ends at the same
2 Click in the Sample Offset column for the tick at which the new one starts.
MIDI or Instrument track and enter the number
of samples (–10,000 to 10,000) for the offset. A To remove duplicate notes:
negative value causes the MIDI or Instrument
1 Make an Edit selection including the duplicate
tracks to play back earlier than the audio tracks;
notes you want to remove.
a positive value causes the MIDI or Instrument
tracks to play back later. 2 Choose Event > Remove Duplicate Notes.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 603

 To enable Real-Time Properties view in the Edit
MIDI Real-Time Properties window:

MIDI Real-Time Properties let you change some „ Select View > Edit Window > Real-Time Proper-

MIDI properties of MIDI and Instrument tracks ties.

(or MIDI regions) during playback. There are
five types of MIDI Real-Time Properties: Quan-
tize, Duration, Delay, Velocity, and Transpose.

MIDI Real-Time Properties can be adjusted dur-

ing playback, so you can listen for the desired re-
sults. Once you have found the settings you Real-Time Properties column in the Edit window
want, you can write the settings to the selected
For Micro, Mini, and Small track heights, the
tracks or regions. This overwrites the corre-
Real-Time Properties column only displays one
sponding MIDI properties on selected tracks or
or two properties, accordingly. The first one or
regions and resets the Real-Time Properties dis-
two properties that are enabled are displayed au-
play to its default settings.
tomatically.
Real-Time Properties can be adjusted in the Real-
Time Properties view in the Edit window, or in To select a different Real-Time Property in Mini or
the Real-Time Properties window. Small track height view:
„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
For MIDI Real-Time Properties to apply to
(Mac) on a real-time property element to select a
incoming MIDI data with MIDI Thru
different element from the pop-up menu.
enabled, the corresponding MIDI and
Instrument tracks must be record-enabled.

Real-Time Properties View

Real-Time Properties view in the Edit window
only applies to tracks. To apply Real-Time Prop-
erties to regions, use the Real-Time Properties Real-Time Properties pop-up menu with Mini Track
window (see “Real-Time Properties Window” on Height
page 605).

604 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Real-Time Properties Window
Using the Real-Time Properties window, you can
apply Real-Time Properties to selected tracks or
regions.
Expand/collapse
triangles
To open the Real-Time Properties window:
„ Choose Event > MIDI Real-Time Properties.

Real-Time Properties window, expanded view

Real-Time Properties window with properties enabled

Enabling Real-Time Properties

The Real-Time Properties window can be used to To enable Real-Time Properties:

apply either track-based or region-based Real-
1 Select a track, or make an Edit selection.
Time Properties by making an Edit selection and
selecting tracks or regions from the Apply To When using Real-Time Properties, enable
pop-up menu. Link Track and Edit Selection mode to make
a track selection from an Edit selection (see
Expanded Real-Time Properties Window “Linking or Unlinking Track and Edit Selec-
In the Real-Time Properties window, Quantize, tions” on page 474).
Duration, and Velocity each provide an ex-
2 In Real-Time Properties view in the Edit win-
pand/collapse triangle to show or hide addi-
dow, or in the Real-Time Properties window, se-
tional settings.
lect Real-Time Properties by clicking the
property name (Quantize, Duration, Delay, Ve-
locity, or Transpose). Enabled Real-Time Proper-
ties are highlighted and display their settings.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 605

 3 If you are using the Real-Time Properties win-
dow and Link Track and Edit Selection mode is
enabled, select the track or region to affect from
the Apply To pop-up menu.

4 Configure the Real-Time Properties settings

(see “Real-Time Properties Settings” on
page 606).

Enabled Real-Time Properties are heard on play-

back and play through for the selected tracks
and regions. Selecting a Grid Quantize value or a Groove Template

Swing Value Enter the amount of swing as a per-

Real-Time Properties Settings centage between 0 and 300%.

Tuplet Value Enable Tuplet and enter the ratio for

Quantize
the tuplet (1–99), such as 3 to 2 or 5 to 4. Tuplet
Quantize either can be based on a grid or a is only available in the expanded Real-Time
groove template. For grid quantize, additional Properties window.
tuplet and grid offset settings are available in ad-
Offset Value Enable Offset and enter the offset
dition to the standard MIDI quantize properties.
value in Ticks between –2000 and 2000. Offset is
For groove quantize, additional controls are pro-
only available in the expanded Real-Time Prop-
vided to set the extent to which the groove’s du-
erties window.
ration and velocities are applied. Both grid and
groove quantize also let you set a strength Strength Value Enable Strength and enter the
amount, an “include” range, and a randomize amount as a percentage between 0 and 100%.
amount. Strength is only available in the expanded Real-
Time Properties window.
Quantize cannot be applied as a Real-Time
Property to MIDI Input and Thru. Include Enable Include and enter the range be-
tween 0 and 100%. Include is only available in
Quantize Pop-Up Menu Select the quantize value,
the expanded Real-Time Properties window.
including all standard note rhythm values be-
tween whole notes and 64th notes, including Random Enable Random and enter a percentage
dotted and triplet options. This pop-up menu between 0 and 100%. Random is only available
also provides access to all standard and custom in the expanded Real-Time Properties window.
groove templates.

606 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Duration Duration Amount

Duration can be used to increase or decrease the If the Ticks/Notes pop-up menu is set to ticks,
duration of MIDI notes by a fixed amount or by enter a duration as a number of quarter-notes
a percentage. This is useful for creating legato or plus a number of ticks, such as 4|000. If the
staccato passages. Ticks/Notes pop-up menu is set to a note size,
enter a number to by which to multiply that
Duration cannot be applied as a Real-Time note size, such as 7 16th-notes.
Property to MIDI Input and Thru.
Ticks/Notes Pop-Up Menu
Duration Mode Pop-Up Menu
The Ticks/Notes pop-up menu lets you select ei-
Select one of the following options from the Du-
ther Ticks or a note size for Note Durations.
ration Mode pop-up menu: Set, Add, Subtract,
There is also a Ticks/Notes pop-up menu for the
Scale, Legato/Gap, or Legato/Overlap.
Minimum and Maximum Durations options.

Ticks/Notes
pop-up menu

Selecting a Duration mode Real-Time Properties Ticks/Notes pop-up menus

Set Select to set notes to the specified duration. Minimum and Maximum Durations
Add Select to add the specified duration to the Enable either or both minimum and maximum
current duration of each note. durations and enter a value in quarter notes plus
ticks or as a multiple of a note size. The Mini-
Subtract Select to subtract the specified duration
mum (Min) and Maximum (Max) Durations op-
from the current duration of each note.
tions are only available in the expanded Real-
Scale Select to scale the current duration of each Time Properties window.
note by a percentage from 1 to 400%.
Delay
Legato/Gap Select to extend each note to the
following note. The specified duration is the Delay lets you delay or advance all MIDI data in
subtracted to create a consistent gap between the selected region or track. Select “+” from the
notes. Delay pop-up menu to delay MIDI data, or select
“–” to advance MIDI data. Select Ticks or Milli-
Legato/Overlap Select to extend each note to the seconds (MS) from the Ticks/Milliseconds pop-
following note. The specified duration is then up menu. Enter the Delay amount in Tick or
added to create a consistent amount of overlap. Millisecond values. Delay is limited to a maxi-
mum of value of 2000 ms or 999 ticks.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 607

 To transpose to a specific pitch, enter the MIDI
note name.

To transpose in key by scale steps, enter the

number of steps as a positive or negative num-
Ticks/Milliseconds
pop-up menu bers. For example, enter +2 to transpose up by
thirds in key (a unison plus a second equals a
third).

Transpose can be applied as a Real-Time

Real-Time Properties Ticks/Milliseconds pop-up menus Property to MIDI Input and Thru on record-
enabled MIDI and Instrument tracks.
Duration cannot be applied as a Real-Time
Property to MIDI Input and Thru. Real-Time Properties on Tracks
and Regions
Velocity
Real-Time Properties can be configured to apply
Velocity lets you change MIDI velocity by a per- to an entire track (all regions on that track), or
centage or by constant value. Enter a percentage on a region-by-region basis. Track-level proper-
value in the Dynamics field to scale velocity ties also provide real-time MIDI input process-
around the median velocity of 64. You can also ing of velocity and transposition.
enter an offset by adding (+) or subtracting (–)
values between 1 and 127. You can also enter The presence of track-based Real-Time Proper-
Minimum and Maximum Velocity value limits. ties are indicated by a “T” displayed in the upper
The Minimum (Min) and Maximum (Max) Veloc- right-hand corner of MIDI regions. Region-
ity options are only available in the expanded based Real-Time Properties are indicated by an
Real-Time Properties window. “R” displayed in the upper right-hand corner of
the region. Regions boundaries including the
Velocity can be applied as a Real-Time “T” and the “R” displays are indicated in Notes
Property to MIDI Input and Thru on record- view and in MIDI Editor windows, but not in
enabled MIDI and Instrument tracks. the Score Editor window.

Transpose Indicates Indicates

track-based region-based
Real-Time Properties Real-Time Properties
Transpose lets you transpose MIDI notes up or
down by a specified number of octaves and
semitones, or in key by scale steps (based on the
Key Signature ruler). You can also transpose to a
specified pitch. Select By, To, or In from the
Transpose pop-up menu to transpose by an in-
terval, to a specific pitch, or in key by scale steps. Track-based and region-based Real-Time Property
indicators
To transpose by an interval, enter the number of
octaves and semitones as a positive or negative
numbers.

608 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Region-Based Real-Time Properties To write Real-Time Properties to tracks:

Region-based Real-Time Properties can only be 1 Enable Link Track and Edit Selection.

applied using the Real-Time Properties window 2 Select one or more tracks to which you want
(Event > MIDI Real-Time Properties). Real-Time to apply Real-Time Properties.
Properties can be applied to multiple regions.
Once Real-Time Properties have been assigned 3 Open the Real-Time Properties window (Event

to a region, the region can be moved or copied > MIDI Real-Time Properties).
and pasted and retain its Real-Time Properties. 4 Select Tracks from the Real-Time Properties Ap-
ply To pop-up menu.
Track-Based Real-Time Properties
5 Configure the Real-Time Property settings.
All track-based Real-Time Properties consis-
6 Do one of the following:
tently apply to MIDI data throughout the entire
• Click the Write to Track button in the Real-
track. However, regions with region-based Real-
Time Properties window.
Time Properties will take precedence over any
track-based Real-Time Properties. You can clear – or –
region-based Real-Time Properties by selecting • Choose Track > Write MIDI Real-Time Proper-
the region and clicking the Clear Region Proper- ties.
ties button in the Real-Time Properties window
(see “Writing Real-Time Properties to Tracks or To write Real-Time Properties to regions:
Regions” on page 609).
1 Select one or more regions to which you want
For greater flexibility, when Real-Time Proper- to apply Real-Time Properties.
ties are assigned on a track basis they are actu-
2 Open the Real-Time Properties window (Event
ally contained in a track playlist. This lets you
> MIDI Real-Time Properties).
create multiple playlists containing different
Real-Time Property settings. 3 If Link Track and Edit Selection is enabled, se-
lect Regions from the Real-Time Properties Apply
To pop-up menu.
Writing Real-Time Properties to
Tracks or Regions 4 Configure the Real-Time Property settings.

Once you have found the settings you want, you 5 Click the Write to Region button.
can write Real-Time Properties to the selected
tracks or regions using the Real-Time Properties To clear Real-Time Properties from a region:
window. Real-Time Properties are applied to the 1 Select the region for which you want to clear
current MIDI data on the track or in a region. Real-Time Properties.

2 Open the Real-Time Properties window (Event

> MIDI Real-Time Properties).

3 Select Regions from the Real-Time Properties Ap-

ply To pop-up menu.

4 Click the Clear Region Properties button.

Chapter 29: MIDI Editing 609

 Real-Time Properties In the MIDI Real-Time Properties Effects Displayed
Event List in the MIDI Event List

In the MIDI Event List, the presence of track- The MIDI Event List takes into account the ef-
based Real-Time Properties are indicated by a fect of Real-Time Properties whenever the Dis-
“T” displayed to the right of each event. Region- play Events as Modified by Real-Time Properties op-
based Real-Time Properties are indicated by an tion is enabled. When editing or inserting an
“R.” event in a track or region with active Real-Time
Properties, Pro Tools takes the properties into
For more information on the MIDI Event account and edits or inserts the event in a differ-
List, see Chapter 32, “MIDI Event List.” ent place if necessary to match the effect of the
Real-Time Properties.
Display of Real-Time Properties
Effects Real-Time Properties Effects Displayed
in the Edit Window
The Display Events as Modified by the Real-Time
Properties option determines if Pro Tools dis- MIDI events appear where they sound in the
plays the effects of Real-Time Properties in both Edit window, MIDI Editor windows, and the
the Edit window, MIDI Editor windows, the Score Editor window, with the Display Events as
Score Editor window, and the MIDI Event List. Modified by Real-Time Properties option enabled
The Edit window, MIDI Editor windows, the in the MIDI preferences. However, MIDI events
Score Editor window, and the MIDI Event List are not actually written to their modified loca-
all display the effects of Real-Time Properties tions until you write the Real-Time Properties to
when the Display Events as Modified by Real-Time the track or region.
Properties option is enabled. With this option
disabled, the effects of Real-Time Properties are When moving MIDI events, the actual locations
heard but not seen—you see the notes and other (pitch or time) move by the amount the events
MIDI events at their original locations, pitches, are dragged, but the effect of Real-Time Proper-
durations, and velocities, but you hear them as ties is displayed.
they are affected by the Real-Time Properties set-
When inserting an event in a track or region
tings.
with active properties, Pro Tools takes the prop-
erties into account and edits or inserts the event
To enable or disable the Display Events as
in a different place if necessary to match the ef-
Modified by Real-Time Properties option:
fect of the Real-Time Properties.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the MIDI
tab.

2 Enable or disable the Display Events as Modified

by Real-Time Properties option.

3 Click OK.

610 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors

Pro Tools provides MIDI Editor windows for detailed MIDI editing.

Track Edit selector

Solo Default Note Duration
Mute Default Note Velocity
Notation View Play MIDI Notes While Editing Key Focus
Mirrored MIDI Editing
Edit Tools Link Timeline and Edit Selection MIDI Editor menu

Edit modes Cursor location

Grid Nudge Target
selector selector

Track List Zoom controls

Groups List Velocity, Controller and Superimposed MIDI
Automation lanes and Instrument tracks
Figure 33. MIDI Editor window

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors 611

 Superimposed MIDI and Instrument Opening a MIDI Editor Window
Tracks
To open a MIDI Editor window, do one of the
MIDI Editor windows display and let you edit following:
MIDI data (notes, velocities, and continuous
„ Choose Window > MIDI Editor.
controller data) for one or more MIDI or Instru-
ment tracks. When displaying multiple tracks in „ In the Edit window, Right-click a MIDI region

a MIDI Editor window, MIDI notes from differ- on the track, or the track name in the track con-
ent tracks are superimposed. MIDI Editor win- trols or in the Track List, and choose Open In MIDI
dows can also show Auxiliary Input tracks. Editor.

„ In the Score Editor window, Right-click any-

Automation and Controller Lanes
where on the score, or on a track name in the
Velocity, other continuous controller data Track List, and choose Open In MIDI Editor.
(MIDI and Instrument tracks), and automation
data (Instrument and Auxiliary Input tracks Press Start+“=” (Windows) or Control+“=”
only), can be edited along with MIDI notes and (Mac) to open a MIDI Editor window.
appear in Controller lanes under the Notes pane.
Velocities for MIDI notes on multiple tracks are
If the MIDI Editor option is selected as the
also superimposed in the Velocity lane. How-
“Double Clicking a MIDI Region Opens”
ever, for all other automation and controller
setting in the Pro Tools MIDI Preferences,
data, additional lanes are shown for each auto-
you can double-click a MIDI region to open
mation or controller type for each track.
it in a MIDI Editor.
For example, if two Instrument tracks are shown
To open additional MIDI Editor windows, do one of
in a MIDI Editor window, the MIDI notes for the following:
each track are superimposed in the Notes pane
„ Deselect the Target button in the open MIDI
and the velocities for each track are superim-
posed in the Velocity lane. However, you would Editor window and open another MIDI Editor
see two Mod Wheel Controller lanes, one for window.
each track; and you would see two Volume – or –
lanes, one for each track.
„ Right-click in the open MIDI Editor window

and select Open in New MIDI Editor.

To bring an open MIDI Editor window to the front:

„ Choose Window > MIDI Editor and select the

MIDI Editor window you want.

To cycle through all open MIDI Editor win-

dows, press Start+“=” (Windows) or
Control+“=” (Mac) repeatedly until the
window you want is in the front.

612 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Mixed Mute and Solo States
MIDI Editor Window Toolbar
The Solo and Mute buttons are global controls
The MIDI Editor window toolbar is similar to in that they affect all tracks shown in a MIDI Ed-
the Edit window toolbar, but with a few excep- itor window. If you independently solo or mute
tions. Each MIDI Editor window and the Edit tracks in the Edit window that are also shown in
window can be configured independently of a MIDI Editor window, the appearance of the
one another. For example, you can have Nota- Solo and Mute buttons updates to indicate
tion view enabled in one MIDI Editor window, mixed states. Mixed solo and mute states occur
but not another; or you can have a MIDI Editor when one or more tracks shown in the MIDI Ed-
window set to Grid mode, but the Edit window itor window, but not all, are soloed or muted.
set to Slip mode. You can also customize the
toolbar in MIDI Editor windows.
Notation View
Solo and Mute Buttons The Notation view button lets you view MIDI
notes in the MIDI Editor window as music nota-
In a MIDI editor window, the Solo and Mute tion. In Notation view, MIDI and Instrument
buttons affect tracks in all windows. They let tracks are not superimposed, but are shown as
you either audition the tracks shown in the cur- staves just like in the Score Editor window.
rent MIDI Editor window without the rest of the
mix, or let you hear just the mix without the
tracks shown in the MIDI Editor window.

Solo Notation view enabled in a MIDI Editor window

The Solo button lets you solo all the tracks cur-
rently displayed in the MIDI Editor window. You can access the Notation Display Track
Settings in a MIDI Editor window when in
Notation view. Select the Notation Display
Track Settings option from the Track List
menu or Right-click in the Notes pane and
select the Notation Display Track Settings
option from the Right-click menu. For more
Mute
information, see “Notation Display Track
The Mute button lets you mute all the tracks Settings” on page 641.
currently displayed in the MIDI Editor window.

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors 613

 Edit Tools
Play MIDI Notes When Editing, Link Time-
The Edit tools in MIDI Editor windows can be line and Edit Selection, and Mirrored MIDI
viewed as a single tool with a pop-up menu for Editing are all global settings that are avail-
selecting other tools, or as an expanded, com- able in the Edit window, MIDI Editor
plete row of Edit tool icons just like in the Edit windows, and in the Score Editor window.
window. The Edit tools in MIDI Editor windows
function exactly the same way for MIDI data as Track Edit Selector
in the Edit window. Edit tool settings can be set
If more than one MIDI or Instrument track is
independently in each MIDI Editor window,
shown in the MIDI Editor window, the Track
and are independent of tool selection in the Edit
Edit selector lets you select which track is “pen-
window and Score Editor.
cil-enabled.” You can manually insert MIDI
notes only in pencil-enabled tracks. You can
To view the Expanded Edit tools in a MIDI Editor
also pencil-enable tracks in the Track List (see
window, do one of the following:
“Manually Inserting MIDI Notes” on page 624).
„ Click the MIDI Editor Window Toolbar menu

and select Expanded Edit Tools.

Default Note Duration
– or –
The Default Note Duration selector lets you de-
„ Right-click in the toolbar and select Expanded fine the default note duration for manually in-
Edit Tools. serted notes.

To revert to the single Edit Tool icon with the Edit Default Note On Velocity
Tool pop-up menu:
The Default Note On Velocity setting lets you
„ Deselect Expanded Edit Tools.
define the default Note On velocity for manu-
ally inserted notes.
MIDI Editing Controls
The MIDI Editing controls function exactly the Play MIDI Notes When Editing
same way in MIDI Editor windows as in the Edit When enabled, Play MIDI Notes When Editing
window. causes MIDI notes to sound when you insert
them with the Pencil tool, click them with the
Track Edit selector
Default Note Duration Grabber tool, Tab to them, or select them with
Default Note Velocity the Note Selector tool.
Play MIDI Notes While Editing
Mirrored MIDI Editing
Link Timeline and Link Timeline and Edit Selection
Edit Selection
When this button is enabled, the Timeline and
Edit selections are linked. When it is disabled,
you can make Timeline and Edit selections inde-
MIDI Editing controls pendently of one another.

614 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Mirrored MIDI Editing To show (or hide) the Edit Selection display in a
MIDI Editor window, do one of the following:
Mirrored MIDI Editing lets you edit MIDI re-
„ Click the MIDI Editor Window Toolbar menu
gions and have your edits apply to every copy of
and select (or deselect) Selection Display.
the same MIDI region. This can be particularly
useful when editing looped MIDI regions. – or –

„ Right-click in the toolbar and select (or dese-

If Mirrored MIDI Editing mode is disabled,
and you edit notes of looped regions in lect) Selection Display.
Notes view, the edit flattens the loop.
Similarly editing region groups separates Grid and Nudge Selectors
the region groups.
When the Expanded Grid/Nudge Display option is
enabled in the MIDI Editor Window menu, the
Edit Modes
Grid and Nudge selectors in MIDI Editor win-
The Edit modes in MIDI Editor windows func- dows function exactly the same way for MIDI
tion exactly the same way for MIDI data as in data in MIDI Editor windows as in the Edit win-
the Edit window. Edit mode settings are unique dow.
to each MIDI Editor window and are also set in-
When the Expanded Grid/Nudge Display option is
dependently of the Edit window.
disabled in the MIDI Editor Window menu, you
can toggle between Grid Display and Nudge Dis-
play using the Grid/Nudge Display selector.

Cursor Location Display

Grid/Nudge Display selector, selecting Nudge display
The Cursor Location display in MIDI Editor win-
dows functions exactly the same way in MIDI
Target
Editor windows as in the Edit window.
Generally, the Target button for MIDI Editor
windows functions just like the Target button
Edit Selection Display for Plug-in, Output, and Send windows. Addi-
The Edit Selection display in MIDI Editor win- tionally, the Target button in a MIDI Editor win-
dows functions exactly the same way for MIDI dow synchronizes its Timeline location view to
data in MIDI Editor windows as in the Edit win- the Timeline location view in the Edit window.
dow. The Selection display can be shown or hid- Any changes to the Edit selection in the Edit
den in the Toolbar. window are reflected in the Targeted MIDI Edi-
tor window. There can only be one targeted
MIDI Editor window at a time. The targeted
MIDI Editor window can also be stored in a Win-
dow Configuration.

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors 615

 One or more untargeted MIDI Editor windows MIDI Editor Window Display Options
can remain open and available at the same time,
just like untargeted Plug-in windows. Targeting Expanded Edit Tools
an untargeted MIDI Editor window disables any
When selected, the Expanded Edit Tools option
other targeted MIDI Editor window.
displays all of the Edit Tools in the MIDI Editor
The front-most window, regardless of whether it window toolbar.
is targeted, always receives Keyboard Command
focus and control surface focus.

To enable or disable the Target for a MIDI Editor

window:
Expanded Edit tools displayed in a MIDI Editor window
„ Click the Target button for the MIDI Editor
window so that it is highlighted (targeted) or When this option is not selected, only the icon
unhighlighted (untargeted). for the selected Edit tool is displayed. Any of the
other Edit tools can be selected from the Edit
Tool pop-up menu.
Target enabled

Targeted MIDI Editor window

Target disabled

Edit Tool pop-up menu

Expanded Grid/Nudge Display

When selected, the Expanded Grid/Nudge Display

Untargeted MIDI Editor window
option displays the Nudge selector in addition
to the Grid selector in the MIDI Editor window
MIDI Editor Window Menu
toolbar.
The MIDI Editor Window menu provides access
to MIDI Editor Window Display options and
Scrolling options.
Grid and Nudge selectors

616 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Selection Display Continuous (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with
Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2
When selected, the Selection Display option Only) The MIDI Editor window scrolls continu-
shows the Edit Selection Display in the MIDI Ed- ously past the playback cursor, which remains
itor window toolbar. in the center of the window. With this option,
playback is always based on the Timeline selec-
tion (unlike the Center Playhead Scrolling op-
tion).

Center Playhead (Pro Tools HD Only) The MIDI

Selection display
Editor window scrolls continuously past the
Track List Playhead, which is represented as a blue line in
the center of the window (or a red line when re-
When selected, the Track List option displays the
cording).
Track List in the MIDI Editor window.
Follow Edit Window When selected, the MIDI Ed-
Scrolling itor window follows the scrolling option se-
lected for the Edit window (Options > Edit Win-
The Scrolling submenu lets you select the scroll-
dow Scrolling).
ing options for the MIDI Editor window inde-
pendently of other MIDI Editor windows and
the Edit window. The scrolling options include: Customizable Toolbar
No Scrolling The MIDI Editor window does not You can customize the toolbar in MIDI Editor
scroll during or after playback. The playback windows by rearranging, and showing and hid-
cursor moves across the MIDI Editor window, ing the available controls and displays just like
indicating the playback location. in the Edit window or the Score Editor window.

After Playback The playback cursor moves Toolbar Display Options

across the MIDI Editor window, indicating the
playback location. When playback has stopped, To change the toolbar display options in a MIDI
the MIDI Editor window scrolls to the final play- Editor window toolbar:
back location.
1 Do one of the following:
Page The playback cursor moves across the • Click the MIDI Editor Window Toolbar
MIDI Editor window, indicating the playback menu.
location. When the right edge of the MIDI Edi-
– or –
tor window is reached, its entire contents are
• Right-click in the toolbar.
scrolled, and the playback cursor continues
moving from the left edge of the window. 2 From the pop-up menu, select or deselect any
of the following:
• Expanded Edit Tools
• Expanded Grid/Nudge Display
• Selection Display

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors 617

 Rearranging Controls and Displays MIDI Zoom In and Out Buttons

You can rearrange the controls and displays in Pro Tools provides MIDI Zoom In and Out but-
the MIDI Editor window toolbar just like in the tons in the upper-right corner of MIDI Editor
Edit window or the Score Editor window. windows. These controls function exactly the
same as the MIDI Zoom controls in the toolbar,
To rearrange controls and displays in a MIDI Editor and let you zoom in and out vertically on MIDI
window toolbar: notes.
„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) the controls or displays you want to move

and drag them to the location in the Toolbar MIDI Zoom
you want. In and Out
buttons

MIDI Editor Zoom Controls

Vertical and Horizontal Zoom In and Out
Buttons

In addition to the Zoom controls in the Toolbar,

Track List
Pro Tools provides horizontal and vertical zoom The Track List in MIDI Editor windows lets you
buttons in the lower-right corner of MIDI Editor show or hide MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary
windows. Input tracks in the MIDI Editor window. The
Track List settings are unique to each MIDI Edi-
Vertical Zoom Buttons Zoom the lane heights
tor window. However, the order of tracks in the
proportionally for Automation and Controller
Track List is global. Sorting or changing the
lanes.
order of tracks affects the Track List in every
Horizontal Zoom Buttons Zoom the Timeline just window.
like the Horizontal Zoom controls in the MIDI
Editor window toolbar. Track Show/Hide
Track Color Code
Track Type icon
Track name
Pencil Enable
Track List menu

Vertical Zoom
In and Out
buttons

Horizontal Zoom
In and Out Track List
buttons

618 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Track List Columns To show only selected MIDI, Instrument, and
Auxiliary Input tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
In MIDI Editor windows there are four columns
1 In the Track List, select the MIDI, Instrument,
for the Track List:
and Auxiliary Input tracks you want to show in
Show/Hide Indicates which tracks are shown or the MIDI Editor window.
hidden in the MIDI Editor window.
2 From the Track List pop-up menu, select Show
Track Color Displays the track color for each Only Selected Tracks.
track by type or by track.
To show all tracks of a single type (MIDI,
Name Displays the name for each track. Instrument, or Auxiliary Input) in a MIDI Editor
window:
Pencil Lets you enable a track for manually en-
„ From the Track List pop-up menu, choose
tering MIDI notes with the Pencil tool.
Show Only, and select the track type you want.

Track List Menu

To hide MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input
The Track List menu lets you show and hide tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input tracks in „ Disable the Eye in the Track List for tracks you

the MIDI Editor window (see “Showing and Hid- want to hide in the MIDI Editor window.
ing Tracks” on page 619).
To hide all (but one) MIDI, Instrument, and
The Track List menu also lets you sort tracks in
Auxiliary Input tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
the Track List by Name, Type, Edit Group, Mix
Group, or Voice (see “Sorting Tracks in the Track „ From the Track List pop-up menu, select Hide
List” on page 620). All Tracks.

All but the top MIDI or Instrument track in the

Showing and Hiding Tracks Track List are hidden. MIDI Editor windows re-
quire that at least one MIDI or Instrument track
To show MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input always be shown in the window.
tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
„ Enable the Eye in the Track List for tracks you To hide selected MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary
want to show in the MIDI Editor window. Input tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
1 In the Track List, select the MIDI, Instrument,
To show all MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input and Auxiliary Input tracks you want to hide.
tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
2 From the Track List pop-up menu, select Hide
„ From the Track List pop-up menu, select Show
Selected Tracks.
All Tracks.

To hide all tracks of a single type (MIDI,

Instrument, or Auxiliary Input):
„ From the Track List pop-up menu, choose Hide
Only, and select the track type you want.

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors 619

 Sorting Tracks in the Track List New Opens the New Track dialog.

You can sort tracks in the Track List by the fol- Rename Renames the selected track.
lowing criteria:
Duplicate Duplicates the selected track.
Name Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List
by Track Name. Split into Mono Splits the selected stereo Instru-
ment or Auxiliary Input track into two mono
Type Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List by tracks.
Track Type.
Delete Deletes the selected track.
Edit Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Track
List by Edit Groups. MIDI Real-Time Properties Opens the MIDI Real-
Time Properties window for the selected track.
Mix Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Track
List by Mix Groups. Open in New MIDI Editor Opens the tracks dis-
played in the current MIDI Editor window in a
Voice Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List new MIDI Editor window. The new MIDI Editor
by Voice allocations. window will be untargeted.

Open in Score Editor Opens the shown tracks in

Track List Right-Click Menu
the Score Editor window.
In addition to common track management com-
Open in MIDI Event List Opens the selected track
mands, the Track List Right-click menu shares
in the MIDI Event List.
commands with both the Track List pop-up
menu and the Notes Pane Right-click menu. Notation Display Track Settings Opens the Nota-
tion Display Track Settings window.
To access the MIDI Editor Track List Right-click
menu:
„ Right-click on any Track Name in the Track

List.
Group List
The Group List in MIDI Editor windows pro-
Track List Right-click Menu Options vides the same functionality as in the Edit win-
dow. You can create, edit, and delete Edit
The following options are available depending
Groups using the Group List in any MIDI Editor
on the track type (Auxiliary Input, Instrument,
window. The Group List is linked between the
or MIDI).
Edit window and all MIDI Editor windows.
Hide Hides the selected track.
For information on grouping tracks, see
Hide and Make Inactive Hides the selected track Chapter 12, “Grouping Tracks.”
and makes it inactive.

Make Inactive Makes the selected track inactive.

Export MIDI Exports the selected track as a MIDI

file.

620 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Timebase and Conductor Superimposed Notes View
Rulers The Notes pane in MIDI Editor windows lets you
Timebase and Conductor rulers in MIDI Editor view and edit MIDI notes superimposed from
windows function exactly the same as in the different MIDI and Instrument tracks such that
Edit window. However, the Edit window and you can easily edit multitrack arrangements in a
each MIDI Editor window can have a unique single constellation of color-coded notes. The
view of the Timeline in terms of which Time- Notes pane lets you edit MIDI notes much the
base and Conductor rulers are shown, and in same way as in Notes view on MIDI and Instru-
terms of zoom level and time location. ment tracks in the Edit window, except you can
edit MIDI notes on multiple MIDI and Instru-
ment tracks at the same time.

You can also view and edit MIDI notes in

Notation view in the Notes pane (see “Nota-
tion View” on page 626).

Figure 34. MIDI Editor window, Notes pane with five superimposed Instrument tracks

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors 621

 Color Coding MIDI Notes
You can color code MIDI notes by Track or by Velocity.

Color Coding by Track

When Color Coding by Track is enabled, tracks in the MIDI Editor are temporarily assigned one of
sixteen fixed colors, in the order they appear in the track list. See Figure 35 on page 622.

To Color Code MIDI notes by Track:

„ Enable the Color Code MIDI Notes By Track button.

Color Code MIDI Notes by Track enabled

Figure 35. MIDI Editor window, notes color-coded by Track

Color Coding by Velocity

When Color Coding by Velocity is enabled, MIDI notes are all the same red color (hue) on all tracks
displayed, and MIDI notes vary in color saturation (from a light red to a dark red) based on the Note
On velocity. Notes with low velocities are lighter in color and those with high velocities are darker.
See Figure 36 on page 623.

To Color Code MIDI notes by Velocity:

„ Enable the Color Code MIDI Notes By Velocity button.

622 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Color Code MIDI Notes By Velocity enabled

Figure 36. MIDI Editor window, notes color-coded by Note On velocity

No Color Coding

When neither Color Coding by Track nor Color Coding by Velocity are enabled, notes are drawn in
the MIDI Editor in as the same color they are in the Edit window—using the color coding options as
set in the Track Color Coding settings in the Display Preferences.

No Color Coding enabled

Figure 37. MIDI Editor window, no color coding

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors 623

 Editing MIDI Notes • Click the Pencil column in the Track List to
pencil-enable the track you want.
You can edit any note on any track shown in the
Notes pane. You edit MIDI notes in the Notes 2 MIDI tracks and 1 Instrument track shown
pane the same way as in Notes view for MIDI
pencil-enabled track
and Instrument tracks in the Edit window, ex-
cept that notes from different tracks are super-
imposed.

For more information on editing MIDI

notes, see Chapter 29, “MIDI Editing.”

Manually Inserting MIDI Notes

Using the Pencil tool, you can manually insert
MIDI notes to any pencil-enabled track shown
“Blad Pad Midi” track pencil-enabled
in the Notes pane. If only one track is viewed in
the MIDI Editor window, that track will auto- 2 With the Pencil tool, click at a time and pitch
matically be pencil-enabled. If multiple super- location to insert a MIDI note on the pencil-en-
imposed tracks are shown in the Notes pane, abled track with the default Note On velocity
MIDI notes will be inserted on the pencil en- and the selected Default Note Duration.
abled tracks only.

For more information on manually insert-

ing MIDI notes, see “Inserting MIDI Notes”
on page 580.

To insert MIDI notes on a specific track in the

Notes pane:
1 Do one of the following:
• Select the track you want pencil-enabled
from the Track Edit selector in the Toolbar. Inserting a MIDI note on track “Inst 3”

To pencil-enable multiple contiguous

tracks, Shift-click in the Pencil column of
the range of tracks you want. To pencil-en-
able multiple discontiguous tracks, Control-
Selecting a track for editing click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac)
in the Pencil column of any additional
Only tracks that are currently shown in the tracks. Alt-click (windows) or Option-click
MIDI Editor window are available in the (Mac) to pencil-enable all tracks. Manually
Track Edit selector pop-up menu. inserted notes are written to all pencil-en-
abled tracks.
– or –

624 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Notes Pane Right-Click Menu Cut

The Notes Pane Right-click menu provides sev- The Cut command cuts the current Edit selec-
eral useful commands for editing, exporting, tion.
and viewing MIDI data.
Copy
To access the MIDI Editor Right-click menu: The Copy command copies the current Edit se-
„ Right-click anywhere in the Notes pane. lection.

Notes Pane Right-Click Menu Options Paste

The Paste command pastes the clipboard to the

Tools
current Edit selection or at the current Edit cur-
The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools sor location. Any MIDI notes already present at
relevant to the Score Editor. the same location are overwritten.

Zoomer Selects the Zoomer tool. Merge

Trimmer Selects the Trimmer tool. The Merge command pastes the clipboard to the
current Edit selection or at the current Edit cur-
Selector Selects the Selector tool.
sor location and merges the pasted data with
Grabber Selects the Grabber tool. any MIDI notes already present at the same lo-
cation.
Scrubber Selects the Scrubber tool.
Clear
Pencil Selects the Pencil tool.
The Clear command clears (deletes) the current
Smart Selects the Smart tool. Edit selection.

Zoomer Tools Lets you select Normal Zoom or

Separate
Single Zoom.
The Separate command lets you separate MIDI
Pencil Tools Lets you select any of the Pencil
notes at the Edit cursor location.
tools.
Consolidate
Insert
The Consolidate command lets you consolidate
The Insert submenu lets you insert key changes,
selected multiple consecutive MIDI notes of the
meter changes, and chord symbols at the loca-
same pitch.
tion of the Edit cursor.

Key Inserts a key change. Mute Notes

The Mute Notes (or Unmute Notes) command lets

Meter Inserts a meter change.
you mute (or unmute) selected MIDI notes.
Chord Inserts a chord symbol.

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors 625

 MIDI Real-Time Properties
Notation View
Selecting the MIDI Real-Time Properties option
opens the MIDI Real-Time Properties window. The Notes pane in MIDI Editor windows can
also display MIDI notes in standard music nota-
Event Operations tion. In Notation view, each MIDI and Instru-
ment track is displayed independently, with one
The Event Operations submenu lets you select track per staff (see Figure 38 on page 627). In
any of the Event Operations windows (such as MIDI Editor windows, notation is displayed as a
Quantize or Change Velocity). continuous timeline and not in page view as in
the Score Editor window.
Open In New MIDI Editor
For information on editing notation, see
Selecting the Open In New MIDI Editor option
“Editing Notes” on page 644.
opens all shown tracks in a new MIDI Editor
window.
To enable Notation view:
„ Enable the Notation view button in the MIDI
Open In Score Editor
Editor window toolbar.
The Open In Score Editor option opens the shown
tracks in the Score Editor window.

Open in MIDI Event List

The Open In MIDI Event List option opens the se- Notation view enabled in a MIDI Editor window
lected track in the MIDI Event List.
– or –
Display Notation „ Right-click in the Notes pane and select

Notation View.
Selecting the Display Notation option changes
the MIDI Editor to Notation view. Deselecting Editing in Notation view in a MIDI Editor win-
this option reverts the MIDI Editor to Notes dow works the same way as in the Score Editor
view. window, but with the advantage of having ac-
cess to Velocity, Controller, and Automation
lanes.

Note that in Notation view, the Trimmer

tool functions as the Grabber tool when over
a note and as the Note Selector tool when
not over a note.

In Notation view, the Edit mode is

automatically set to Grid and cannot be
changed.

626 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Figure 38. MIDI Editor window, Notes pane in Notation view

Double Bar When the Double Bar option is disabled, there

will be a number of empty bars at the end of the
The Double Bar button is only available in Nota- last event in the session. The number of empty
tion view. When enabled, the Double Bar option bars is determined by the Additional Empty Bars In
shows the final double bar line in the MIDI Edi- The Score Editor setting in the MIDI Preferences
tor window. The double bar line is located at the page (Setup > Preferences). Disable the Double
end of the last MIDI region or event in the ses- Bar option to manually enter notes in the Score
sion. Editor after the last MIDI region or event in the
session.

Double Bar
Double Bar enabled in a MIDI Editor window

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors 627

 Notation View Right-Click Menu
Velocity, Controller, and
When in Notation view, the Notes Pane Right- Automation Lanes
click menu provides slightly different options
than when in Superimposed Notes view. MIDI Editor windows let you edit velocities,
MIDI controller data, and automation for all
In both views, the following options are avail- shown MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input
able: tracks in lanes under the Notes pane (see
• Tools Figure 39 on page 629). You can move and re-
• Insert size Automation and Controller lanes just like in
• Cut the Edit window.

• Copy When viewing multiple MIDI and Instrument

• Paste tracks, the velocities for notes on separate tracks
• Clear are superimposed in a single lane, just like notes
• Separate in the Notes pane. However, all other Controller
lanes are grouped by automation and controller
• Consolidate
type, and provide individual lanes for each
• Mute
shown track.
• MIDI Real-Time Properties
• Event Operations To show or hide lanes under the Notes pane:
• Open In New MIDI Editor „ Click the Show/Hide Lanes button.
• Open In Score Editor
• Open In MIDI Event List. To add lanes:
• Display Notation „ Click the Add Lane button.

In Notation view, the additional Notation Display

To remove lanes:
Track Settings option is available in the Right-
click menu. Select this option to open the Nota- „ Click the Remove Lane button.
tion Display Track Settings dialog and configure
the display settings for tracks in Notation view. To change the Automation or Controller type for a
For information on the Notation Display Track lane:
Settings dialog, see “Notation Display Track Set- „ Click the Automation or Controller Type se-
tings” on page 641. lector and select the Automation or Controller
type you want.

628 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Show/Hide lanes

Velocity lane
(2 tracks superimposed)

Remove lane
Add lane

Controller/Automation
Type selector

Paired Automation
lanes for separate
tracks
Figure 39. Velocity, Controller, and Automation lanes for two stereo Instrument tracks

Chapter 30: MIDI Editors 629

630 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 31: Score Editor

The Score Editor window lets you view, edit, arrange, and print MIDI from your session as music
notation. MIDI notes are transcribed in real-time whether you record, import, draw (with the Pencil
tool), or Step Enter MIDI.

Default Note Duration

Default Note Velocity
Play MIDI Notes While Editing
Mirrored MIDI Editing Score Editor menu
Link Edit and Timeline Selection
Double Bar
Edit tools Cursor location Grid selector Selection Target

Page controls Zoom controls

Track List

Figure 40. Score Editor window

Chapter 31: Score Editor 631

 Opening the Score Editor Window Edit Tools
To open the Score Editor window: The Edit tools in the Score Editor window func-
tion much the same as in the Edit window, but
„ Choose Window > Score Editor. with a few differences for editing music nota-
tion.
Press Alt+Start+“=” (Windows) or
Option+Control+“=” (Mac) to show the
Score Editor window. Zoomer
Use the Zoomer tool to zoom in and out around
To open the Score Editor window with a single
MIDI or Instrument track shown: a particular area in the score.

1 Ensure that there is no Edit selection. The Zoomer tool provides two modes:

2 Right-click the Track name of an unselected Normal Zoom The Zoomer tool remains selected
track in the Edit or Mix window, or in the Track after zooming.
List of the Edit, Mix, or MIDI Editor window.
Single Zoom The previously selected Edit tool is
3 From the Right-click menu, choose Open In automatically reselected after zooming.
Score Editor.
Press the F5 key to select the Zoomer tool
To open the Score Editor window with the current and toggle between Normal and Single
Edit selection shown: Zoom modes.
1 In the Edit window or in a MIDI Editor win-
dow, make an Edit selection on one or more Also see “Score Editor Zoom Controls” on
tracks that includes what you want shown in page 640
the Score Editor window.
Normal Zoom Mode
2 Right-click the Edit selection and choose Open
In Score Editor.
To zoom around a certain point in the score:
If the Score Editor option is selected as the 1 Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select
“Double Clicking a MIDI Region Opens” Normal Zoom mode.
setting in the MIDI Preferences page, you
2 Click once with the Zoomer tool at a location
can double-click a MIDI region to open it in
within the score. The score is zoomed in by one
the Score Editor.
level and is centered around the zoomed loca-
tion.

3 To zoom back to the previous level, Alt-click

(Windows) or Option-click (Mac) with the
Zoomer tool.

632 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To marquee zoom to a particular area of the score: Trimmer
1 Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select The Trimmer tool lets you lengthen or shorten
Normal Zoom mode. the duration of a note.
2 Drag in the score, making a marquee selection
Press the F6 key to select the Trimmer tool.
of the area to which you want to zoom.

Note Selector
Use the Note Selector tool to select notes on one
or more staves in the Score Editor window. Se-
lected notes highlight blue. Selected notes can
be deleted, moved, transposed, and processed
(using Event Operations).

Press the F7 key to select the Note Selector

tool.

The Note Selector tool makes a range

selection that only includes MIDI notes and
Marquee zooming with the Zoomer tool
velocities. It does not include any other
The zoomed area fills the entire Edit window. MIDI data, such as program changes or
continuous controller data.
Single Zoom Mode
Grabber
Single Zoom mode returns you to the previously
selected tool after a zoom has been performed. Use the Grabber tool to select one or more notes.
You can also use the Grabber tool to move single
For example, when using the Pencil tool you can
notes, or all selected notes, to a different pitch or
select the Single Zoomer tool, and once the
time location.
Zoom operation has been performed, Pro Tools
automatically switches back to the Pencil tool. Press the F8 key to select the Grabber tool.
Single Zoom is identified with an arrow to the
Pencil
right of the Zoomer icon. (Normal Zoom mode
does not show the arrow.) Use the Pencil tools to insert, select, move, or
delete notes. The various Pencil tools differ in
To use Single Zoom mode: how they draw note durations, repeated notes,
and velocities, but function in the same fashion
„ Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and se-
as drawing notes on tracks in Notes view in the
lect Single Zoom mode.
Edit window or in a MIDI Editor window.

Chapter 31: Score Editor 633

 To select a Pencil tool: Triangle
„ Click the Pencil tool pop-up menu and select
The Triangle Pencil tool lets you draw a series of
the Pencil tool you want. MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities os-
cillate between the defined Default Note Veloc-
Press the F10 key to select the current Pencil
ity and 127 in a triangle pattern. The duration of
tool. Press the F10 key repeatedly to cycle
each note is determined by the current Grid
through the different Pencil tools.
value.
The following Pencil tools are available in the
The duration is determined by the selected De-
Score Editor:
fault Note Duration (see “Default Note Dura-
tion” on page 635).
Free Hand
The start time for each note is determined by the
The Free Hand Pencil tool lets you draw single
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 636).
notes of varying duration.

Note velocities are determined by the Default Square

Note Velocity setting (see “Default Note On Ve-
The Square Pencil tool lets you draw a series of
locity” on page 635).
MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities al-
The minimum duration of the note is deter- ternate between the defined Default Note Veloc-
mined by the selected Default Note Duration ity and 127 in a square pattern. The duration of
(see “Default Note Duration” on page 635). each note is determined by the current Grid
value.
Line
The duration is determined by the selected De-
The Line Pencil tool lets you draw multiple fault Note Duration (see “Default Note Dura-
notes of the same pitch and duration. tion” on page 635).

Note velocities are determined by the Default The start time for each note is determined by the
Note Velocity setting (see “Default Note On Ve- selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 636).
locity” on page 635).
Random
The duration is determined by the selected De-
fault Note Duration (see “Default Note Dura- The Square Pencil tool lets you draw a series of
tion” on page 635). MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities
change randomly within the range between the
The start time for each note is determined by the defined Default Note Velocity and 127 in a
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 636). square pattern. The duration of each note is de-
termined by the current Grid value.

The duration is determined by the selected De-

fault Note Duration (see “Default Note Dura-
tion” on page 635).

The start time for each note is determined by the

selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 636).

634 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Default Note Duration Link Timeline and Edit Selection
The Default Note Duration selector lets you de- When this button is enabled, the Timeline and
fine the default note duration for manually in- Edit selections are linked. When it is disabled,
serted notes. you can make Timeline and Edit selections inde-
pendently of one another.
To define the Default Note Duration:
„ From the Default Note Duration selector, se-

lect a note value. Select the Follow Grid option if

you want the Default Note Duration to use the
Link Timeline and Edit Selection
selected Grid value.
Link Timeline and Edit Selection enabled in the Score
If you want dotted note values, also select the Editor window
Dotted option.
Mirrored MIDI Editing
If you want triplet note values, also select the
Triplet option. Mirrored MIDI Editing lets you edit MIDI re-
gions and have your edits apply to every copy of
Default Note Duration selector the same MIDI region. This can be particularly
useful when editing looped MIDI regions.

In Mirrored MIDI Editing mode, the Mirrored

MIDI Editing button flashes Red once as an edit
Selecting the Default Note Duration is made to alert you that your edit is being ap-
plied to more than one region.
Default Note On Velocity
To enable Mirrored MIDI Editing, do one of the
The Default Note On Velocity setting lets you following:
define the default Note On velocity for manu-
ally inserted notes. „ Select Options > Mirror MIDI Editing.
– or –

Play MIDI Notes When Editing „ Select the Mirrored MIDI Editing button in

the Edit window, MIDI Editor window, or Score

When enabled, the Play MIDI Notes When Edit-
Editor window.
ing option causes MIDI notes to sound when
you insert them with the Pencil tool or drag
them with the Grabber tool.

Mirrored MIDI Editing

Mirrored MIDI Editing disabled in the Score Editor

window
Play MIDI Notes When Editing

Play MIDI Notes When Editing enabled in the Score

Editor window

Chapter 31: Score Editor 635

 To disable Mirrored MIDI Editing, do one of the Cursor Location
following:
The Cursor Location display provides informa-
„ Deselect Options > Mirror MIDI Editing.
tion about the current cursor location in
– or – Bars|Beats|Ticks and pitch.
„ Disable the Mirrored MIDI Editing button in

the Edit window, MIDI Editor window, or Score Cursor Location

Editor window.

If Mirrored MIDI Editing mode is disabled,

and you edit notes of looped regions in
Notes view, the edit flattens the loop. Simi-
larly, editing region groups separates the re-
gion groups.
Cursor Location indicator in the Score Editor window
Double Bar
Grid
When enabled, the Double Bar option shows
the final double bar line in the Score Editor win- The Grid selector lets you define the Grid value
dow. The double bar line is located at the end of for MIDI notes inserted and displayed in the
the last MIDI region or event in the session. En- Score Editor window.
able the Double Bar option when you are ready
to print the score. To set the Grid value for the Score Editor window:
„ From the Grid Value pop-up menu, select a
When the Double Bar option is disabled, there
will be a number of empty bars at the end of the note value.
last MIDI region in the session. The number of If you want dotted note values, also select the
empty bars is determined by the Additional Empty Dotted option.
Bars In The Score Editor setting in the Pro Tools
MIDI Preferences (Setup > Preferences). Disable If you want triplet note values, also select the
the Double Bar option to manually enter notes Triplet option.
in the Score Editor after the last MIDI region.

Double Bar

Double Bar enabled in the Score Editor window

Setting the Grid value

636 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Inserting Notes on the Grid Score Editor Window Menu
When inserting MIDI notes with the Pencil tool The Score Editor Window menu provides access
(using the Line, Triangle, Square, or Random to the Expanded Edit Tools, Selection Display,
shapes), the Grid value determines the Note On Track List, and Scrolling options.
location and the Default Note Duration value
determines the note duration (see “Default Note Expanded Edit Tools
Duration” on page 635).
When selected, the Expanded Edit Tools option
For example, if the Default Note Duration is set displays all of the relevant Edit Tools in the
to quarter notes and the Grid is set to half notes, Score Editor window toolbar.
drawing with the Line Pencil tool creates alter-
When this option is not selected, only the icon
nating quarter notes and quarter note rests.
for the selected Edit tool is displayed. Any of the
other Edit tools can be selected from the Edit
Tool pop-up menu.

Selection Display

When selected, the Selection Display option

Inserting notes on the Grid
shows the Edit Selection Display in the MIDI Ed-
If the selected Grid value is shorter than the De- itor window toolbar.
fault Note Duration, the Grid value determines
both the Note On location and note duration
for notes inserted with the Pencil tool. For ex-
ample, if the Default Note Duration is set to
quarter notes and the Grid is set to eighth notes,
Selection display
drawing with the Line Pencil tool creates a se-
quence of eighth notes. Track List

When selected, the Track List option displays the

Score Editor Window Target Track List in the Score Editor window.

When the Target is enabled for the Score Editor

Scrolling
window, navigating the Edit window automati-
cally navigates the Score Editor window as well. The Scrolling submenu lets you select the scroll-
For example, if in the Edit window you navigate ing options for the Score Editor window inde-
to bar 32, beat 3 in a MIDI track, when you view pendently of the Edit window and any MIDI Ed-
the Score Editor window it too will show the itor windows. The scrolling options include:
same location.
No Scrolling The Score Editor window does not
When the Target is disabled, the Score Editor scroll during or after playback. The playback
does not update to show the current Edit win- cursor moves across the Edit window, indicating
dow selection or Edit cursor location. the playback location.

Chapter 31: Score Editor 637

 After Playback The playback cursor moves Toolbar Display Options
across the Score Editor window, indicating the
playback location. When playback has stopped, To change the toolbar display options in the Score
the Score Editor window scrolls to the final play- Editor window toolbar:
back location. 1 Do one of the following:

Page The playback cursor moves across the • Click the Score Editor Window Toolbar
Score Editor window, indicating the playback menu.
location. When the right edge of the current – or –
page shown in the Score Editor window is • Right-click in the Toolbar.
reached, it scrolls to the next page and the play-
back cursor continues moving from the left edge 2 From the pop-up menu, select or deselect any
of the window. of the following:
• Selection Display
Follow Edit Window When selected, the Score Ed-
• Expanded Edit Tools
itor window follows the scrolling option se-
lected for the Edit window (Options > Edit Win-
dow Scrolling).
Rearranging Controls and Displays

For Pro Tools|HD systems, the Continuous To rearrange controls and displays in a MIDI Editor
and Center Playhead scrolling options are window toolbar:
not available in the Score Editor window. If „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

the Score Editor window is set to the Follow (Mac) the controls or displays you want to move
Edit Window scrolling option and the Edit and drag them to a new location in the Toolbar.
window is set to either the Continuous or
Center Playhead scrolling options, the Score
Editor window scrolls by page.
Track List
The Track List lets you show and hide MIDI and
Customizable Toolbar Instrument tracks in the Score Editor. It also pro-
vides access to the Notation Display Track Set-
You can customize the toolbar in the Score Edi-
tings and Score Setup (see “Notation Display
tor window by re-arranging, and showing or
Track Settings” on page 641 and “Score Setup”
hiding the available controls and displays just
on page 643).
like in the Edit window or MIDI Editor windows.
To show or hide the Track List in the Score Editor
window:
„ From the Score Editor Window menu, select

or deselect Track List.

638 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Showing and Hiding Tracks To show only selected MIDI and Instrument tracks
in the Score Editor:
Use the Track List to show and hide MIDI and
1 In the Track List, select the MIDI and Instru-
Instrument tracks as staves in the score.
ment tracks you want to show in the score.

To show MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score 2 From the Track List pop-up menu, select Show
Editor: Only Selected Tracks.
„ Enable the Eye in the Track List for tracks you

want to show in the score. To hide MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score
Editor:
„ Disable the Eye in the Track List for tracks you

want to hide in the score.

To hide all MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score

Editor:
„ From the Track List pop-up menu, select Hide
All Tracks.

To hide selected MIDI and Instrument tracks in the

Score Editor:
1 In the Track List, select the MIDI and Instru-
ment tracks you want to hide in the score.

2 From the Track List pop-up menu, select Hide

Selected Tracks.

Partial Score: Violin I and Violin II shown; all other

tracks are hidden

To show all MIDI and Instrument tracks in the

Score Editor:
„ From the Track List pop-up menu, select Show

All Tracks.

Chapter 31: Score Editor 639

 Page Controls Score Editor Zoom Controls
The Score Editor window provides controls for In addition to the Zoomer tool, the Score Editor
navigating forward and backward by page. The provides Zoom In and Out buttons in the lower
current page number is displayed in the lower- right hand corner of the window. It also pro-
left corner of the window. vides a Zoom selector that lets you zoom to a
preset percentage or page size. When using these
Zoom controls, the Score Editor zooms around
the current Edit selection.

Page Forward Zoom In

Page Back Zoom Out
Current Page Display Zoom selector
Score Editor Zoom controls
Score Editor Page controls
To zoom in one level:
To display the next page of the score:
„ Click the Zoom In button.
„ Click the Page Forward button.

To zoom out one level:

To display the previous page of the score:
„ Click the Zoom Out button.
„ Click the Page Back button.

To zoom to a preset percentage:

To display any specific page of the score:
1 Click the Zoom selector.
1 Click the Current Page display.
2 From the Zoom pop-up menu, select the zoom
2 Type the page number for the page you want
percentage.
to view.

3 Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac).

640 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Notation Display Track
Settings
The Notation Display Track settings determine
how individual MIDI and Instrument tracks ap-
pear in the Score Editor. You can set the Clef,
Display Quantization, and whether or not to
display the track at “concert pitch” or as a trans-
posing instrument (such as a B-flat tenor sax).

Selecting a zoom percentage from the Zoom pop-up

menu

To zoom to a page size:

1 Click the Zoom selector.

2 From the Zoom pop-up menu, select the page

size.

Zoom to Page Sizes

The Zoom pop-up menu provides the following

page sizes:

Fit Page Width Zooms so that the width of one Notation Display Track Settings
page fits in the Score Editor window.
To configure the Notation Display Track settings:
Fit Page Height Zooms so that the height of the 1 Do one of the following:
page fits in the Score Editor window. • From the Track menu in the Score Editor,
Fit Page Zooms so that an entire page fits in the select Notation Display Track Settings.
Score Editor window. • Right-click in the Score Editor and select
Notation Display Track Settings.
Fit 2 Pages Zooms so that two pages fit horizon- • Double-click a Clef on a Staff.
tally in the Score Editor window.
2 From the Track pop-up menu, select the MIDI
or Instrument track whose Notation Display Set-
tings you want to change.

3 Configure the settings.

4 Repeat the preceding steps for other MIDI and

Instrument tracks as necessary.

Chapter 31: Score Editor 641

 Notation Display Track Settings
Options

Track
From the Track pop-up menu, select the track
you want to configure.

Clef
From the Clef pop-up menu, select the Clef you
want for the selected track from the following Notation Display Track Settings window, Attributes tab
options:
Follow Globals
• Grand Staff
• Treble Clef When the Follow Globals option is selected, the
track attributes use the global attributes settings
• Bass Clef
(see “Globals” on page 643). This option is en-
• Alto Clef abled for all tracks by default.
• Tenor Clef
Display Quantization
Display Transposition
The Display Quantization setting lets you select
From the Key pop-up menu, select the key of the quantization grid for the display of MIDI
Transposition for the track. For instruments that notes in music notation. MIDI notes in
transpose from another octave, you can also ad- Pro Tools still maintain their original start time
just the Octave slider. For example, for a Bass and duration, but this setting affects what note
Clarinet track, select the Key of B-flat and set the values are displayed. The notation display is
Octave slider to +1. This way, when you print quantized to the nearest select note value.
the Bass Clarinet part, the player will be able to
read the part and concert pitch will sound cor- Straighten Swing
rectly a major ninth below where the part is
When enabled, the Straighten Swing option
written.
causes “swung” notes to be displayed as straight
notation. For example, a run of swung eighth
Attributes notes will be displayed as straight eighth notes.
The Attributes tab lets you specify the notation
Allow Note Overlap
display quantization settings for the selected
track. If the Clef is set to Grand Staff, you can also Pro Tools only displays a single rhythmic line on
set the Split Point to divide notes between the a single staff. When two notes that start at dif-
treble and bass clefs. ferent times overlap, the first note will be trun-
cated when the second note begins. If the Allow
Note Overlap option is enabled, Pro Tools dis-
plays the full length of overlapping notes using
tied notes.

642 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Split Point Score Setup Window Options
When the Clef for the selected track is set to
Grand Staff, the selected Split Point setting deter-
mines at which pitch the notes are placed in ei-
ther the upper or lower staff of the Grand Staff.

Automatic When selected, Pro Tools splits notes

between the upper and lower staves of the
Grand Staff based on logical note groupings.

Fixed When selected, you can specify a particu-

lar pitch at which to split notes between the up-
per and lower staves of the Grand Staff.

Globals
The Globals tab provides the same settings as the
Attributes tab (see “Attributes” on page 642). You
can select which tracks follow the settings in the
Globals tab in the Attributes tab for each track.

Score Setup
The Score Setup window lets you set up the page
layout and staff spacing. You can enter the Title
and Composer for the score. You can also select
Score Setup window
what elements of the score to display. Changes
to the Score Setup update instantly in the Score Information
Editor.
Title Enter the Title for the score. This appears at
To open the Score Setup, do one of the following: the top of the first page.

„ Choose File > Score Setup. Composer Enter the Composer for the score.
„ From the Tracks menu in the Score Editor win-
This appears in the upper right-hand corner of
dow, select Score Setup. the first page.

„ Right-click in the Score Editor window and se-

Display
lect Score Setup.
The Display options determine which score ele-
ments you want displayed in the score. Deselect
the elements you do not want displayed in the
score.

Chapter 31: Score Editor 643

 Title and Composer Select to display the Title Layout
and Composer on the score.
Page Size Select the page size (Letter, Legal, Tab-
Page Numbers Select to display Page Numbers at loid, or A4).
the bottom of each page.
Portrait Select to set the page orientation to Por-
Bar Numbers Select to display Bar Numbers at trait.
the beginning of each system above the top
staff. Landscape Select to set the page orientation to
Landscape.
Track Names Select to display Track Names for
each staff at the beginning of the score. Staff Size Enter the Staff Size.

Chord Symbols Select to display chord symbols Page Margins Enter the size for the top, bottom,
in the score. left, and right page margins.

Chord Diagrams Select to display Chord Dia- Inches Select to enter Stave Size and Page Mar-
grams (guitar tablature) in the score (see “Chord gins in inches.
Symbols and Diagrams” on page 649). Millimeters Select to enter Stave Size and Page
Margins in millimeters.
Disable the Chord Diagrams option when
printing charts and lead sheets where you
just want to see chord symbols.
Editing Notes
Spacing
MIDI note editing in the Edit window, MIDI Ed-
Between Staves Enter the spacing you want be- itor windows, and the Score Editor window all
tween staves. affect the same MIDI data. When editing in one
window, your edits are reflected in all other win-
Between Systems Enter the spacing you want
dows.
between systems.
The Score Editor provides simple score editing
On pages where the music is vertically justi-
tools for entering, moving, and transposing
fied, the distance between staves and systems
MIDI notes as music notation:
will be larger than the numbers specified.
• The Trimmer tool lets you lengthen or shorten
Below Title and Composer Enter the spacing you the duration of notes.
want between the Title and Composer and the
• The Note Selector tool lets you make object se-
first staff of the score.
lections of notes in the score.
Below Chord Symbols and Diagrams Enter the • The Grabber tool lets you select and move
spacing you want between Chord Symbols and notes to another time or pitch location on the
Diagrams and the top stave of each system. same track.
• The Pencil tool lets you insert notes and move
them to another time or pitch location on the
same track.

644 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Selecting Notes To transpose a single note:

You can use either the Note Selector tool or the 1 Click the Grabber tool.

Grabber tool to select notes on one or more 2 Drag the note you want to transpose up or
staves. down.

To select notes on one or more staves with the

Note Selector tool:
1 Click the Note Selector tool.

2 Drag in the score to highlight the notes you

want to select. Transposing a note with the Grabber tool

To transpose all selected notes:

1 Click the Grabber tool.

2 Drag around the notes you want to Transpose

Selecting notes with the Note Selector tool to select them.
To make a marquee selection on one or more 3 Drag any of the selected notes up or down to
staves with the Grabber tool: transpose them.
1 Click the Grabber tool.

2 Drag in the score to highlight the notes you

want to select.

Transposing selected notes with the Grabber tool

Moving Notes
Use the Grabber tool to move selected notes
from one time location to another time location
on the same staff. When moving notes in the
Selecting notes with the Grabber tool
Score Editor, the underlying MIDI notes main-
Transposing Notes tain their position relative to the Grid.

You can use the Grabber tool or the Pencil tool To move notes to another time location:
to manually transpose a note up or down. You
1 Click the Grabber tool.
can also use the Transpose Event Operation
(Event > Event Operations > Transpose) to trans- 2 If you want to move more than one note, drag
pose selected notes. around the notes you want to move to select
them.

Chapter 31: Score Editor 645

 3 Drag any of the selected notes to another time 5 With the Free Hand Pencil tool, do any of the
location on the same staff. following:
• Single-click at the time location and pitch
you want to enter a single note of the se-
lected Default Note Duration.

Moving selected notes with the Grabber tool Entering a single note with the Pencil tool

– or –
You can also Nudge notes in the Score Editor • Click at the time location and pitch you
by the currently selected Grid value. want and drag to the right to increase the
duration of the note. Release the mouse
Inserting Notes when you have the duration you want.
Use the Pencil tool to manually insert notes in
the Score Editor. When you insert a note, the
Score Editor automatically places it on the Grid
and creates rests where appropriate.

You can also enter notes by recording MIDI,

importing MIDI from a file, or using Step Input
(Event > Event Operations > Step Input). Entering a single longer note with the Pencil tool

To manually insert multiple notes of the same

To manually insert a note:
pitch:
1 Select the Default Note Duration setting you
1 Select the Default Note Duration setting you
want (see “Default Note Duration” on
want (see “Default Note Duration” on
page 635).
page 635).
2 Select the Grid setting you want (see “Grid”
2 Select the Grid setting you want (see “Grid”
on page 636).
on page 636).
3 Select the Default Note On Velocity (see “De-
3 Select the Default Note On Velocity (see “De-
fault Note On Velocity” on page 635).
fault Note On Velocity” on page 635).
4 Click the Pencil tool and select Free Hand.

646 Pro Tools Reference Guide

4 Click the Pencil tool and select any of the fol- Tools
lowing shapes:
The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools
• Line
relevant to the Score Editor.
• Triangle
• Square Zoomer Selects the Zoomer tool.

• Random Note Selector Selects the Note Selector tool.

5 Click at the time location and pitch you want
Grabber Selects the Grabber tool.
and drag to the right. Repeated notes of the se-
lected Default Note Duration are entered on the Pencil Selects the Pencil tool.
selected Grid. The Note On velocities for each
note are determined in part by the Default Note Insert
On Velocity setting and the selected Pencil tool
The Insert submenu lets you insert key changes,
shape (see “Pencil” on page 633).
meter changes, and chord symbols into the
score at the location of the Edit cursor.

Key Inserts a key change.

Meter Inserts a meter change.

Chord Inserts a chord symbol.

Entering multiple note of the same pitch with the Line Cut
Pencil tool
The Cut command cuts the current Edit selec-
Rests tion.

The Score Editor automatically adds rests as nec-

Copy
essary. Rests cannot be moved or inserted man-
ually. The Copy command copies the current Edit se-
lection.

Paste
Score Editor Right-Click Menu
The Paste command pastes the clipboard to the
The Score Editor Right-click menu provides sev-
current Edit selection or at the current Edit cur-
eral useful commands for editing, exporting,
sor location. Any MIDI notes already present at
and formatting the score and MIDI data.
the same location are overwritten.

To access the Score Editor Right-click menu: Merge

„ Right-click anywhere on the score.
The Merge command pastes the clipboard to the
current Edit selection or at the current Edit cur-
sor location and merges the pasted data with
any MIDI notes already present at the same lo-
cation.

Chapter 31: Score Editor 647

 Clear
Key Changes
The Clear command clears (deletes) the current
Edit selection. You can add, edit, and delete Key Signatures in
your score. Key Signatures affect the note spell-
Event Operations ing of MIDI notes in the score. For example,
MIDI note number 58 (“B-flat 3”) is B-flat in F
The Event Operations submenu lets you select major, but it is A-sharp in B major.
any of the Event Operations windows (such as
Quantize or Change Velocity). You can also add and delete Key Signatures
in the Key Signatures ruler in the Edit win-
Open in MIDI Editor dow or in any MIDI Editor window.
Choosing the Open in MIDI Editor option opens
To add a Key Signature:
the tracks shown in the Score Editor in a MIDI
Editor window. 1 With the Note Selector, Grabber, or Pencil
tool, Right-click at the location in the score
Open in MIDI Event List where you want to change key and select Insert >
Key Change.
The Open In MIDI Event List option opens the se-
lected track in the MIDI Event List. 2 In the Key Change dialog, select the mode
(major or minor), the key, its location and range,
Notation Display Track Settings and how you want it to affect pitched tracks.

Choosing the Notation Display Track Settings op- 3 Click OK.

tion opens the Notation Display Track Settings

The selected Key Signature is displayed in the
dialog (see “Notation Display Track Settings” on
score and the note spellings for notes after the
page 641).
key change are updated accordingly.

Score Setup
To edit a Key Signature:
Choosing the Score Setup option opens the 1 With the Grabber tool, double-click the Key
Score Setup dialog (see “Score Setup” on Signature you want to edit.
page 643).
2 Enter values in the Key Change dialog and
Send to Sibelius click OK.

Choosing the Send to Sibelius option command

To delete a Key Signature:
sends the score exactly as it appears in the Score
„ With the Grabber tool, Alt-click (Windows) or
Editor window to Sibelius notation software (see
“Exporting Scores” on page 651). Option-click (Mac) the Key Signature you want
to delete.
Print Score

Choosing the Print Score command prints the

score (see “Printing Scores” on page 651).

648 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 3 Select a note value for the number of clicks to
Meter Changes sound in each measure. For a dotted-note click
value, select the dot (.) option in addition to the
You can add, edit, and delete Meters in your
note value.
score. Meter changes affect the number of bars
in the score (and in your session). When chang- For some meters, it may be desirable to use
ing meter, notes are not moved, but the barlines a dotted value for the click. For instance, if
will be redrawn. using a meter of 6/8, a dotted quarter note
click (yielding two clicks per measure) is
You can also add and delete Meters in the
generally more suitable than a straight
Meter ruler in the Edit window and in MIDI
eighth note click (six clicks per measure).
Editor windows.
4 Click OK to insert the new meter.
To add a Meter change:
1 Do one of the following: To edit a Meter change:
• Choose Event > Time Operations > Change
1 With the Grabber tool, double-click the Meter
Meter.
event you want to edit.
– or –
2 Enter values in the Meter Change dialog and
• With the Note Selector, Grabber, or Pencil
click OK.
tool, Right-click at the location in the score
where you want to change key and select
To delete a Meter change:
Insert > Meter Change.
„ With the Grabber tool, Alt-click (Windows) or
2 In the Meter Change dialog, do the following:
Option-click (Mac) the Meter event you want to
• Enter the Location and Meter for the meter delete.
change.

Chord Symbols and Diagrams

You can add, edit, and delete chord symbols and
chord diagrams (guitar tablature) in your score.
Chord symbols have no effect on MIDI data.
Also, chord symbols are not included when ex-
porting MIDI data from Pro Tools to a MIDI file,
but they are included when exporting to a Sibe-
lius file (.sib) or when using the Send to Sibelius
Meter Change dialog
command.
– and –
You can also add and delete chord symbols
• If you want the inserted meter event to fall
in the Chord Symbol ruler in the Edit window
cleanly on the first beat of the nearest mea-
and in MIDI Editor windows. However,
sure, select the Snap To Bar option.
Chord Diagrams (guitar tab) are only
displayed in the Score Editor window.

Chapter 31: Score Editor 649

 To insert a chord symbol: The selected chord symbol is placed above the
top staff in the system.
1 With the Note Selector, Grabber, or Pencil
tool, Right-click at the location in the score
chord symbol
where you want to add a chord symbol and se-
lect Insert > Chord.

2 In the Chord Change dialog, select the name chord diagram

for the root of the Chord from the Chord selec-
tor (such as D).

Chord Quality
Chord selector selector Bass selector

Chord symbol in the score

To edit a chord symbol:

1 With the Grabber tool, double-click the chord
symbol you want to edit.

2 Make changes in the Chord Change dialog,

and click OK.

To move a chord symbol:

„ With the Grabber tool, drag the chord symbol

to a new location.

To delete a chord symbol:

„ With the Grabber tool, Alt-click (Windows) or

Option-click (Mac) the chord symbol you want

Chord Diagrams
to delete.
Chord Change dialog

3 Select the quality from the Chord Quality se- To display or hide chord symbols in the score:
lector (such as major or minor). „ In the Score Settings dialog (File > Score

4 Select the bass note of the chord from the Bass

Setup), enable or disable the Chord Symbols op-
selector (such as B-flat for an inverted G minor tion.
chord).
To display or hide chord diagrams (guitar tab) in
5 Select a Chord Diagram (guitar tablature) from the score:
the available options.
„ In the Score Settings dialog (File > Score

6 Click OK. Setup), enable or disable the Chord Diagrams op-

tion.

650 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Exporting Scores Printing Scores
Pro Tools lets you export the score from your Pro Tools lets you print the score from your
session as a Sibelius (.sib) file. You can then Pro Tools session. The score will be printed ex-
open your score in Sibelius as transcribed by actly as it appears in the Score Editor window.
Pro Tools, edit the notation in Sibelius, and Configure the Score Setup and show or hide any
print the score and parts from Sibelius. MIDI and Instrument tracks. Only those tracks
that are shown in the score will be printed.
Sibelius 5.x or higher is required to open .sib
files exported from Pro Tools. To print the score from your Pro Tools session:

To export a score from Pro Tools: 1 Open the Score Editor window and configure
your score.
1 Configure the score for your session in Score
Editor window. 2 Choose File > Print Score.

2 Choose File > Export > To Sibelius. 3 Configure the Print dialog as necessary and
click OK (Windows) or Print (Mac).
3 Select a destination and click Save.

Press Control+P (Windows) or Command+P

To send the score from your Pro Tools session to (Mac) to print the score.
Sibelius, do one of the following:
1 Configure the score for your session in the
Score Editor window.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose File > Send to Sibelius.
– or –
• Right-click in the Score Editor and choose
Send to Sibelius.

Pro Tools exports all Instrument and MIDI

tracks shown in the Score Editor to Sibelius as a
.sib file and launches Sibelius if it is installed on
your computer. You can then further edit the
notation in Sibelius and print the score or parts
from Sibelius.

Chapter 31: Score Editor 651

652 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 32: MIDI Event List

The MIDI Event List displays a detailed list of all

events in a single MIDI or Instrument track. The Mute data for MIDI and Instrument tracks
events are displayed with text and numbers, al- is not displayed in the MIDI Event List.
lowing you to precisely edit their location,
length, and event values. Opening the MIDI Event List

Number of Events MIDI Event List menu To open the MIDI Event List, do one of the
Track selector Target following:
„ Choose Event > MIDI Event List.
– or –

„ Right-click a MIDI or Instrument track name

in the Mix or Edit window, or in the Track List.

Press Alt+Equal (Windows) or

Option+Equal (Mac) to open the MIDI
Event List.

Track Selector
The Track selector both indicates the currently
displayed MIDI or Instrument track and can be
MIDI Event List used to choose a different MIDI or Instrument
track to be displayed.
Events in the MIDI Event List can be copied and
pasted, selected, or deleted. Any MIDI event (ex-
Number of Events
cept Sysex data) can be inserted and edited in
the list. Certain MIDI event types can be hidden The number of MIDI events on the selected
with the View Filter. track are displayed at the top of the MIDI Event
List.
Unlike playlists in the Edit window, you can
insert and display polyphonic aftertouch in
the MIDI Event List.

Chapter 32: MIDI Event List 653

 Target
The Target button for the MIDI Event List deter-
Playback cursor
mines whether or not the MIDI Event List fol-
lows the Edit cursor and Edit selections in the
Edit window and MIDI Editor windows. For ex- double-click
ample, when the Target is enabled, the Events to edit
simultaneous
shown in the MIDI Event List update to show MIDI events
the event in the Edit selection in the Edit win-
dow. When the Target is disabled, the MIDI
Event List shows the same events regardless of
changes to the Edit selection in other windows.

MIDI Event List Menu MIDI Event List columns

Event Column Displays the event type, indicated

The MIDI Event List menu contains commands
by an icon, and associated event values.
and options for the MIDI Event List (see “MIDI
Event List Options” on page 660). Length/Info Column Displays the end point or
length for notes, depending on which option is
Columns in the MIDI Event List selected in the Options pop-up menu. Also dis-
played are the names for continuous controller
Information for the events in the MIDI Event
events and program changes.
List is displayed in the following three columns:

Start Column Displays the start location, using View Filter for MIDI Event List
the Main Time Scale, for each event. Locations
You can use the View Filter to specify which
can also be displayed in the Sub Time Scale
event types are displayed in the MIDI Event List.
when the Show Sub Counter option is selected
This can help you zero in on only the events you
in the Options pop-up menu.
want to affect; it also protects MIDI events from
The playback cursor appears as a blue arrow (red, being edited or deleted. Events not displayed in
when tracks are record-enabled) in the Start col- the MIDI Event List still play back.
umn.
The View Filter can be set to display “all” mes-
When several events reside at the same location, sages, “only” the specified messages, or “all ex-
the location is only indicated for the top event, cept” the specified messages.
with the others dimmed. The dimmed locations
can be edited by double-clicking them.
When inserting an event type that has been
filtered from the MIDI Event List, that event
type will no longer be filtered.

654 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Example: To filter the display of aftertouch and Navigating in the MIDI Event List
System Exclusive Messages in the MIDI Event
List: You can use the Tab and Arrow keys to move
through the MIDI Event List. You can also locate
1 In the MIDI Event List, choose View Filter from
to the Edit start point, or any other specified lo-
the MIDI Event List menu.
cation.
With the MIDI Event List as the front-most
window, press Control+F (Windows) or To move through the MIDI Event List, do any of the
Command+F (Mac) to open the MIDI Event following:
List View Filter dialog. • Double-click to edit a value.
• Press Tab or the Down Arrow to move to the
2 In the MIDI Event List View Filter dialog, se-
next event (with or without the edit field se-
lect the All Except option.
lected).
• Press Control+Tab (Windows) or Option+Tab
(Mac) or the Up Arrow to move to the previ-
ous event (with or without the edit field se-
lected).
• With an edit field selected, press the Right Ar-
row to move to the next edit field to the right.
• With an edit field selected, press the Left Ar-
row to move to the next edit field to the left.

To keep the last event selected, press Shift while

moving to the next or previous event.

To go to the Edit start point:

„ In the MIDI Event List, choose Scroll To Edit
MIDI Event List View Filter dialog Selection from the MIDI Event List menu.
3 Select the options for Mono Aftertouch, Poly-
phonic Aftertouch, and System Exclusive. Leave all To go to a specific location in the MIDI Event List:
other messages deselected. 1 In the MIDI Event List, choose Go To from the
MIDI Event List menu.
When using the All Except option, the selected
events are not displayed. Conversely, when us-
With the MIDI Event List as the front-most
ing the Only option, only the selected events are
window, press Control+G (Windows) or
displayed.
Command+G (Mac) to open the Go To dialog.
4 Click OK.

Chapter 32: MIDI Event List 655

 2 In the Go To dialog, choose a format from the
Time Scale pop-up menu. Inserting Events in the MIDI
Event List
You can insert events in the MIDI Event List by
choosing an event type from the MIDI Event
List menu. Following are several examples of in-
serting events in the MIDI Event List.

To insert a note in the MIDI Event List:

1 From the MIDI Event List menu, select Insert >
Note.

With the MIDI Event List as the front-most

Go To dialog window, press Control+N (Windows) or
3 If using Time Code (Pro Tools HD and Command+N (Mac) to Insert a note.
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit
2 Enter the location, pitch, attack (Note On)
or DV Toolkit 2 only), you can select the Use
and release (Note Off) velocities, and length for
Subframes option.
the new note. To move between the Event Entry
4 Enter the location you want to go to, then fields, use the Left and Right Arrow keys.
click OK.

The following items from the MIDI Event List

menu affect navigating in the MIDI Event List:
• When the Page Scroll During Playback op-
tion is selected, the MIDI Event List scrolls
Pitch Release velocity
during playback.
Attack velocity
• When Scroll During Edit Selection is selected,
the MIDI Event List is scrolled automati- Event Entry fields for note
cally when the Edit selection changes in When a field is selected, enter a value with any
the Edit window. of the following methods:
• Enter the value on the numeric keypad.
• Drag up or down to scroll to the value.
• Play the note on your MIDI controller key-
board, then press Enter (Windows) or Re-
turn (Mac) on the alphanumeric keyboard
to confirm the value.

With the Start field selected, you can auto-

matically enter the location of another event
already in the track by clicking that event.

656 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 Do one of the following: When a field is selected, enter a value with any
• To insert the note and remain in Event of the following methods:
Entry mode, press Enter on the numeric • Enter the value on the numeric keypad.
keypad. • Press the Up or Down Arrow to scroll to the
• To insert the note and exit Event Entry value.
mode, press Enter (Windows) or Return • While pressing Control (Windows) or
(Mac) on the alphanumeric keyboard. Command (Mac), drag up or down to scroll
• To exit Event Entry mode, without insert- to the value.
ing the note event, press Escape on the • Play the controller event on your MIDI
alphanumeric keyboard. controller keyboard, then press Enter (Win-
dows) or Return (Mac) on the alphanu-
To insert a controller event in the MIDI Event List: meric keyboard to confirm the value.
1 From the MIDI Event List menu, choose Insert
With the Start field selected, you can auto-
> Controller.
matically enter the location of another event
With the MIDI Event List as the front-most already in the track by clicking that event.
window, press Control+L (Windows) or
3 Do one of the following:
Command+L (Mac) to Insert a controller
• To insert the controller event and remain
event.
in Event Entry mode, press Enter on the
2 Enter the location, controller “type” number, numeric keypad.
and controller value for the new event. The con- • To insert the controller event and exit
troller name is displayed in the Length/Info col- Event Entry mode, press Enter (Windows)
umn, to the right of the controller value. To or Return (Mac) on the alphanumeric key-
move between the Event Entry fields, use the board.
Left and Right Arrow keys. • To exit Event Entry mode, without insert-
ing the controller event, press Escape on
the alphanumeric keyboard.

To insert a program change in the MIDI Event List:

1 From the MIDI Event List menu, choose Insert
Controller number Controller name > Program Change.
Controller value
With the MIDI Event List as the front-most
Event Entry fields for controller event window, press Control+P (Windows) or
Command+P (Mac) to Insert a program
change event.

2 Enter the location for the new event.

Chapter 32: MIDI Event List 657

 3 Enter a Program Change number and Bank Se- Inserting Another Event
lect value (if necessary). The program change
name is displayed in the Info column. After inserting an event, you can easily insert
another event of the same type. The event type
to be inserted is indicated at the bottom of the
Insert menu.

Example: After inserting a note, to insert another,

do one of the following:
Program number Program name
„ From the MIDI Event List menu, select Insert >
Controller 32 value
Another Note.
Controller 0 value

Event Entry fields for program change With the MIDI Event List as the front-most
window, press Control+M (Windows) or
You can click in the Length/Info column to
Command+M (Mac) to Insert a note.
open the Program Change window (for details,
see “Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes)”
on page 596). When the option for Insert At Playback Lo-
cation is enabled (see “MIDI Event List Op-
With the Start field selected, you can auto- tions” on page 660), you can use the key-
matically enter the location of another event board shortcuts for inserting “another”
already in the track by clicking that event. event to insert events on-the-fly.
4 Do one of the following:
• To insert the program change and remain
in Event Entry mode, press Enter on the Editing Events in the MIDI
numeric keypad. Event List
• To insert the program change and exit Events in the MIDI Event List can be edited, se-
Event Entry mode, press Enter (Windows) lected, deleted, and copied and pasted.
or Return (Mac) on the alphanumeric key-
board. To edit an event in the MIDI Event List:
• To exit Event Entry mode, without insert-
1 Do one of the following:
ing the program change, press Escape on
the alphanumeric keyboard. • Double-click the event field you want to
edit.
– or –
• To edit a selected event, press Control+En-
ter (Windows) or Command+Enter (Mac).

658 Pro Tools Reference Guide

2 Enter a new value with any of the following To select noncontiguous events in the MIDI Event
methods: List:
• Enter the new value on the numeric key- „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

pad. (Mac) each event.

• While pressing Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac), press the Up or Down Arrow to To deselect an event in the MIDI Event List:
scroll to a new value. „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
• While pressing Control (Windows) or (Mac) the selected event.
Command (Mac), drag up or down to scroll
to a new value. Notes selected in the MIDI Event List can be
• Play the new note or controller value on modified by any of the commands in the
your MIDI controller keyboard, then press Event Operations window (see Chapter 39,
Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac) on the al- “Event Operations”).
phanumeric keyboard to confirm.
Deleting Events in the MIDI Event
3 Do one of the following:
List
• To enter the new event value and move to
another field or event, use the Arrow keys. To delete an event in the MIDI Event List:
• To enter the new value and remain in Edit
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the
Entry mode, press Enter on the numeric
event you want to delete.
keypad.
• To enter the new value and exit Edit Entry To delete a selection of events in the MIDI Event
mode, press Enter (Windows) or Return List:
(Mac) on the alphanumeric keyboard.
1 Select the events you want to delete by either
• To exit Edit Entry mode without entering
dragging in the Start column, or by Shift-click-
the new value, press Escape on the alpha-
ing each event.
numeric keyboard.
2 To view only the events you want to delete,
use the View Filter (see “View Filter for MIDI
Selecting Events in the MIDI Event Event List” on page 654). Events not displayed
List cannot be deleted.

To select a range of events in the MIDI Event List, 3 Do one of the following:
do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Clear to delete all selected
„ Click the event at the beginning of the selec- events.
tion and drag to the ending event. – or –
– or – • Press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (Mac)
on the alphanumeric keyboard.
„ Shift-click the event at the beginning of the

selection, then Shift-click the ending event.

Chapter 32: MIDI Event List 659

 Copying and Pasting Events in the
MIDI Event List MIDI Event List Options
The MIDI Event List menu provides the follow-
To copy and paste events in the MIDI Event List: ing options:
1 Select the events you want to copy in the
Show Sub Counter Displays event times in the
MIDI Event List.
Sub Time Scale.

Go To Opens the Go To dialog, where you can

specify a location, based on any of the sup-
ported Time Scales, to which the Edit insertion
point is moved.

Scroll To Edit Selection Scrolls the MIDI Event

List to the Edit start point or Edit insertion
point.

Page Scroll During Playback Scrolls the MIDI

Event List during playback.

Show Note Length Displays note lengths, instead

of note end times, in the Length/Info column of
the MIDI Event List.
Selecting in the MIDI Event List

2 Choose Edit > Copy. Show Note End Time Displays note end times,
instead of note lengths, in the Length/Info col-
3 Do one of the following: umn of the MIDI Event List.
• To paste the material at an existing event’s
location, click the event in the MIDI Event Insert Provides a submenu of options that let
List. you insert any type of MIDI event.

– or – Insert At Edit Location Defaults the location for

• To paste the material at any location, inserted events defaults to the Edit start point or
choose Go To from the Options menu in Edit insertion point.
the MIDI Event List, enter the location
Insert At Playback Location Lets you insert
where you want to paste, and click OK.
events in the MIDI Event List in real time while
4 Choose Edit > Paste. The events from the Clip- listening to the session playback.
board are pasted, replacing any existing events
already there. Insert At Playback Location With Grid Snaps the
location for events inserted in real time to the
To paste events without overwriting other grid.
events, use the Merge Paste Special
command. View Filter Opens the View Filter dialog, where
you can specify which events are displayed in
the MIDI Event List (see “View Filter for MIDI
Event List” on page 654).

660 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Part VII: Arranging

661
662
Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key,
and Chords

In Pro Tools, editing and arranging is typically

done on tracks against a fixed Timeline. Timebase Rulers and
Conductor Rulers
Regions and events can be anchored to points in
absolute time, or relative time, as measured on
the session’s Timeline. The Timeline includes
two different types of rulers for measuring time:
Timebase rulers and Conductor rulers.

The Timebase rulers can measure time in two

different ways: sample-based time (absolute
time) and tick-based time (relative time). For ex-
ample, the Minutes:Seconds ruler measures ab-
solute time and the Bars|Beats ruler measures
relative time. All rulers displayed

The relative time of the Bars|Beats ruler is deter- Timebase Rulers

mined in part by tempo and meter. Tempo,
Meter, and Key Signature rulers reside in Con- Any or all of the following Timebase rulers can
ductor tracks. Tempo and meter events affect be displayed at the top of the Edit window and
the timing of tick-based tracks, and also provide in MIDI Editor windows:
the tempo and meter map for the Bar:Beat grid
Bars|Beats Displays the Time Scale in bars and
and Click. You can edit tempo events in the
beats. Use this Time Scale if you are working
Tempo ruler or Tempo Editor.
with musical material that must align with bars
Key changes can affect MIDI notes when apply- and beats. The Bars|Beats Time Scale is relative
ing transposition. You can edit key and key and is affected by the session’s tempo and meter
changes in the Key Signature ruler. map.

Pro Tools also provides a Markers ruler for

Memory Locations. For more information,
see Chapter 34, “Memory Locations.”

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 663

 Secondary Time Code Ruler (Pro Tools HD and
To ensure your tracks align with the bars Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or
and beats in your session, record with a click DV Toolkit 2 Only) A secondary time code ruler,
(see “Recording with a Click” on page 348). labeled Time Code 2, lets you reference video
Material that is recorded without listening frame rates in the Timeline that are different
to a click can still be aligned to bar and beat from the session Time Code rate. However, you
boundaries in Pro Tools with the Identify cannot Spot to the Time Code 2 ruler and it can-
Beat command (see “Identify Beat Com- not be set as the Main Time Scale. The secondary
mand” on page 689), or with Beat Detective time code ruler can be set to show any Pro Tools
(see Chapter 28, “Beat Detective”). supported frame rate. The Time Code 2 ruler can
also display the following additional frame
Minutes:Seconds Displays the Time Scale in rates:
minutes and seconds. As you zoom in farther
• 50 FPS
with the Zoomer tool, the Time Scale begins to
• 59.94 FPS
display tenths, hundredths, and thousandths of
a second. The Minutes:Seconds Time Scale is ab- • 59.94 FPS Drop
solute. • 60 FPS
• 60 FPS Drop
Time Code (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with
Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Feet+Frames (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with
Only) Displays the Time Scale in SMPTE frames. Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2
The Time Code Rate and Session Start time are Only) Displays the Time Scale in feet and frames
set from the Session Setup window. The Time for referencing audio-for-film projects. The
Code Time Scale is absolute, based on the frame Feet+Frames time display is based on the 35 mil-
rate. limeter film format. The Feet+Frames Time Scale
is absolute, based on the frame rate.
Pro Tools supports the following frame rates:
• 23.976 FPS Samples Displays the Time Scale in samples.
• 24 FPS This format is very useful for high-precision
sample editing. The Samples Time Scale is abso-
• 25 FPS
lute, based on the sample rate.
• 29.97 FPS
• 29.97 FPS Drop In addition to providing a timing reference for
• 30 FPS track material, the Timebase rulers are also used
to define Edit selections for track material, and
• 30 FPS Drop
Timeline selections for record and play ranges.

With the Selector tool, drag in any Time-

base ruler to select material across all tracks
in the Edit window or MIDI Editor window.
To include the Conductor tracks in the selec-
tion, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac)
while dragging.

664 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Conductor Rulers To change the display order for the rulers:
„ Click a ruler’s name and drag up or down to
Any or all of the following Conductor rulers can
be displayed: the new location.

• Markers
To copy the range selection from a Conductor ruler
• Tempo (and Tempo Editor) to make an Edit selection in the top track in the
• Meter Edit window (or in the Notes pane in MIDI Editor
• Keys (and Key Signature Staff) windows):

• Chords „ Press Start+; (semicolon) (Windows) or

Control+; (semicolon) (Mac).

The Meter and Tempo rulers indicate changes in
meter and tempo within the Session. The Key
Ruler View Selector
Signature ruler indicates changes of key. The
Chord Symbols ruler shows chord markers. The The Timebase and Conductor rulers can also be
Markers ruler displays markers to important configured with the Ruler View selector.
track locations.
Click the Ruler View selector
For more information on Memory Location
markers, see Chapter 34, “Memory Locations.”

To display all rulers:

„ Select View > Rulers > All.

To remove a ruler from the display, do one of the

following:
„ Option-click the ruler’s name (to the left of

the ruler display).

– or –

„ Choose View > Rulers, and deselect a ruler

option.
Ruler View selector in the Edit Window.
To display only the Main Time Scale in the
Timebase ruler:
„ Select View > Rulers > None (“Main Time Scale”

on page 666.)

To add a specific ruler to the display, such as the

Markers ruler, for instance:
„ Select View > Rulers > Marker.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 665

 Main Time Scale
While all Timebase rulers can be displayed si-
multaneously in the Edit and MIDI Editor win-
dows, there is only one that represents the Main
Time Scale. This ruler is also called the Main
Timebase ruler.

The Main Time Scale determines the time for- Main Counter selector (in the Edit window)
mat used for: „ If a Timebase ruler is displayed, click its name

• The Main Counter in the Transport so it becomes highlighted.

• The Main Counter at the top of the Edit
Setting the Main Time Scale to the timebase
window or MIDI Editor window
currently displayed in the Sub Counter
• Start, End, and Length values
switches the two Time Scales, setting the
• Pre- and post-roll amounts Sub Time Scale to the previous timebase of
• Grid and Nudge values the Main Time Scale.

The Main Time Scale can be set to the following

formats:
• Bars|Beats
• Minutes:Seconds
• Time Code (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE
with DV Toolkit 2 only)
• Feet+Frames (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools Switching the Main Time Scale from Bars|Beats to
Min:Sec
LE with Complete Production Toolkit or
DV Toolkit 2 only) Navigating with the Main Counters
• Samples
The Main Counters (at the top of the Edit win-
dow and in the Transport window) provide a
Setting the Main Time Scale convenient way to navigate to a specific time lo-
cation.
To set the Main Time Scale, do one of the
following: The Main Counter indicator in the
„ Click a Main Counter selector (located at the Transport window only displays when the
top of the Edit or Transport window (when it is Transport is set to display Counters.
set to display Counters) and select a Time Scale.
To navigate with a Main Counter:
1 Click in a Main Counter.

2 Type in a location.

3 Press Enter (Windows or Mac) or Return (Mac)

to automatically navigate to a new location.

666 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The Sub Counter
Tick-Based Timing
Below each Main Counter is a Sub Counter that
can be shown or hidden. The Sub Counter pro- Pro Tools is a sample-based program with an in-
vides an additional timing reference. ternal MIDI resolution of 960,000 pulses per
quarter note (ppq). However, when the Time
To show (or hide) the Sub Counter in the Edit Scale is set to Bars|Beats, the display resolution
window: in Pro Tools is 960 ppq and the Timebase is tick-
based.
„ From the Main Counter selector, select (or de-

select) the Show Sub Counter option. In the Bars|Beats Time Scale, Pro Tools is
tick-based (960 ticks to a quarter note),
To show the Sub Counter in the Transport window: which means that some amount of sample-
„ From the Transport Window menu, ensure rounding may occur when placing events at
that the Counters and Expanded Transport op- certain locations (see “Sample Rounding
tions are enabled. and Edit Operations” on page 670).

When working in Bars|Beats, you will often

To set the Time Scale for the Sub Counter:
want to specify tick values for a number of oper-
„ Click the Sub Counter selector and select a ations, including:
Time Scale. • Placing and spotting regions
• Setting lengths for regions or MIDI notes
• Locating and setting play and record ranges
(including pre- and post-roll)
• Specifying settings in the Quantize and
Change Duration pages of the Event Oper-
ations window
Sub Counter selector (in the Edit window)
• Setting the Grid and Nudge values

When the Main Time Scale is set to

Bars|Beats, and you are using tempo
changes, set the Linearity Display Mode to
Linear Tick Display (see “Changing the Lin-
earity Display Mode” on page 682). This
will keep the Bars|Beats ruler fixed (at the
selected zoom level) and sample-based rul-
ers such as Minutes:Seconds will scale to fit
any tempo changes while bar lengths re-
main constant.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 667

 The following table lists the number of ticks for On sample-based MIDI and Instrument tracks,
each of the main note sizes: all MIDI events in the track have an absolute lo-
cation on the absolute Timeline (for example,
Note Value Normal Dotted Triplet on the Sample or Minutes:Seconds Timebase
ruler). MIDI events stay fixed to the sample
1/2 note 1920 2880 1280
time, regardless of where tempo or meter
1/4 note 960 1440 640 changes occur in a session.

1/8 note 480 720 320

Tick-Based Audio and MIDI
1/16 note 240 360 160
Tick-based audio is fixed to the relative time of
1/32 note 120 180 80 the Bars|Beats Timebase ruler, and moves rela-
tive to the sample Timeline when tempo and
1/64 note 60 90 40
meter changes occur. However, MIDI and Elastic
Audio events, and tick-based audio regions
Tick- and Sample-Based (non–Elastic Audio) respond differently to
Timebases tempo changes in respect to duration. MIDI
note events and Elastic Audio regions change
Pro Tools lets you set any track timebase to ei-
their duration when tempo is adjusted, while
ther sample-based or tick-based.
non–Elastic Audio audio regions do not. Tempo
Audio tracks in Pro Tools are sample-based by changes affect only the location of the begin-
default. This means that audio regions and ning (or sync point) of each audio region in a
events are located at specific sample locations, tick-based (non–Elastic Audio) audio track.
and they do not move from that location if the
You can select whether a track is sample-based
tempo changes in the session—even though
or tick-based when it is created, or change time-
their bar and beat locations do change.
bases later.
MIDI and Instrument tracks in Pro Tools are
tick-based by default. This means that MIDI re- To have all new tracks default to tick-based,
gions and events are located at a specific bar and enable the New Tracks Default to Tick
beat locations, and they do not move from that Timebase option in the Editing Preferences.
location if the tempo changes in the session—
Tick-Based Elastic Audio
even though its sample location does change.
Tick-based Elastic Audio tracks automatically
Sample-Based Audio and MIDI apply Real-Time (or Rendered) Elastic Audio
processing (TCE) when changing tempo. For
With a sample-based audio track, all audio re-
more information, see “Tempo Changes and
gions in the track have an absolute location on
Tick-Based Elastic Audio Tracks” on page 674.
the absolute Timeline (for example, on the Sam-
ples or Minutes:Seconds Timebase ruler). Audio
stays fixed to the sample time, regardless of any
tempo or meter changes occur in a session.

668 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Switching Timebases Alternate Playlist Timebases

All Pro Tools tracks can be switched between be- When you change a track’s timebase, you can
ing sample-based or tick-based. choose to apply the timebase change to that
track only, or to the active Playlist and all alter-
Track height affects how various track controls nate playlists for that track.
appear in the Edit window. The Timebase selec-
tor, which is used for switching a track’s time- To configure a timebase change to affect
base, is only visible in Medium or larger track timebases of all playlists in a track:
heights.
„ Click the Timebase selector (or Track Height

Selector) and enable the Selection Changes Alter-

To switch the timebase of a track, do one of the
nate Playlists option.
following:
„ If the track’s height is set to Medium or larger,
Groups
click the Timebase selector for the track and se-
lect the timebase. The Timebase selector icon When you change the timebase for an audio
changes to reflect your choice. track that is part of an active Edit group, all the
tracks in the group will change to the same time-
.

base.

Audio Region Location

In tick-based audio tracks, the location of an au-
Timebase selector Timebase selector dio region is determined by the region’s start
(samples) (ticks) point, unless the region contains a sync point.

Track Timebase selector on a track with a Medium If the region contains a sync point, the sync
height point determines where the audio region is fixed
– or – to the grid.

„ If the track’s height is set to Small (or smaller),

Marker Location
click the Track Height selector and select the
timebase from the Track Timebase submenu. When creating markers and Selection Memory
Locations, you can specify whether they have an
Absolute (sample-based) or Bar|Beat (tick-based)
reference. For more information, see “Bar|Beat
and Absolute Reference” on page 706.

Track Height pop-up menu

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 669

 Sample Rounding and Edit Operations The Song Start Marker can be moved, but it can-
not be deleted.
When audio material in Pro Tools is sample-
based, some amount of sample-rounding may The position of the Song Start Marker can
occur with some edits when the Main Time also be changed in the Time Operations
Scale is set to Bars|Beats. This is most evident window, see “Move Song Start” on
when you need audio regions to fall cleanly on page 699.
the beat (as when looping) and notice that the
material is sometimes a tick or two off. With a To move the Song Start Marker by dragging:
few simple precautions, this can be avoided. „ In the Tempo ruler with any Edit tool, drag

the Song Start Marker left or right.

To ensure that selections are precise aligned to
the grid for looping, copying, duplicating, or re-
peating, consider the following:
‹ If you use the Selector tool, enable Grid mode
and select the appropriate grid value (such as
sixteenth notes). Dragging the Song Start Marker

‹ For the greatest accuracy, type the selection If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the Song Start
Start and End points in the Event Edit area. Marker moves in increments of the current Grid
‹ Do not select the material with any of the
value.
Grabber tools (or by double-clicking with the Se-
To move the Song Start Marker only, with-
lector tool).
out moving any tick-based data, press
Start+Shift (Windows) or Control+Shift
(Mac) while dragging. When dragging the
Song Start Marker Song Start Marker only, dragging is con-
strained to whole bar increments only.
The Song Start Marker defines the initial tempo
for Bar|Beat-based material. New sessions open To edit the initial tempo in the Song Start Marker:
with a default tempo of 120 BPM.
1 In the Tempo ruler, double-click the Song Start
When a new session is created, the Song Start Marker.
Marker has no associated meter event. A meter 2 In the Change Tempo dialog, enter a new BPM
event is added automatically at the Song Start if value.
you add another meter event anywhere else on
the Meter ruler. 3 Click OK.

Song Start Marker

Song Start Marker

670 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Current Tempo
Tempo
As tempo events are encountered during play-
The Tempo ruler lets you edit Tempo events one back, the session’s current tempo is displayed in
at a time or according to tempo curves. You can the Transport window.
edit tempo visually in the Tempo Editor, or
make precise changes in tempo using the Tempo
Operations window.
Current Tempo indicator

To set the default session tempo, see “Set-

ting the Session Meter and Tempo” on
page 351. Current Tempo displayed in Transport window

You can use Beat Detective to generate

Inserting Tempo Events
Bar|Beat markers (tempo map). For more in-
To insert a tempo event:
formation, see “Generating Bar|Beat Mark-
ers with Beat Detective” on page 560. 1 Click in the Tempo ruler where you want to
insert the tempo event.

When working with tempo changes and 2 Click the Add Tempo Change button at the
tick-based material, set the Linearity Dis- left of the Tempo ruler.
play Mode to Linear Tick Display.

Tempo Events
Tempo events can be assigned to the Song Start
Marker to replace the default tempo (of 120 Add Tempo Change button
BPM), and they can be inserted anywhere else 3 In the Tempo Change window, enter the Lo-
within the session to change tempo. cation and BPM value for the tempo change.

In Manual Tempo mode, the Tempo track is

ignored and the session plays at the tempo
defined in the Transport window, see “Us-
ing Manual Tempo Mode” on page 352.

To display the Tempo ruler:

„ Select View > Rulers > Tempo.

Tempo Change dialog

4 To place the inserted tempo event cleanly on

the first beat of the nearest measure, select the
Snap To Bar option.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 671

 5 To base the BPM value on something other To delete a tempo event:
than the default quarter note, select a different
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the
note value.
tempo event (the cursor changes to a Grabber
6 Click OK. The new tempo event is inserted and with a “–”).
appears in the Tempo ruler.
To copy and paste several tempo events:
1 With the Selector tool, drag in the Tempo ruler
to select the range of bars that includes the
tempo events.

Inserted tempo event

Each tempo event has a small green triangle

next to it that indicates its location. These trian-
gles can be dragged to move the tempo event,
Tempo events selected
and they can be double-clicked to edit the
tempo event.
Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while
dragging to select across all Conductor
Editing and Moving Tempo Events
tracks.
Existing tempo events can be moved, edited, de-
2 Choose Edit > Copy.
leted, copied, and pasted.
3 Click in the Tempo ruler at the point where
To move a tempo event by dragging: you want to paste the tempo events.
„ In the Tempo ruler, drag the triangle for the
4 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip-
tempo event left or right. board are pasted from the insertion point, re-
placing any existing tempo events.

To extend an Edit selection in a track to the Tempo

ruler:

Dragging a tempo event 1 With the Selector or Grabber tool, make a

Timeline selection.
If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged event
snaps to the current Grid value. 2 Shift-click in the Tempo ruler.

To edit a tempo event: To select all tempo events:

1 In the Tempo ruler, double-click the tempo „ Double-click with the Selector tool in the

event. Tempo ruler.

2 In the Tempo Change window, enter a new

Location or BPM value for the tempo event.

3 Click OK.

672 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To clear a range of selected tempo events: To set the Manual Tempo by tapping on an external
MIDI keyboard:
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the
current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. 1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport
window, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls.
2 Drag with the Selector tool in the Tempo ruler
to select the tempo events you want to remove. 2 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the MIDI
tab.
3 Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected
tempo events. 3 Ensure that Use MIDI to Tap Tempo is selected.

4 In the Transport window, click the Tempo

Tap Tempo Ruler Enable (Conductor) button so it becomes
unhighlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual
You can manually set the tempo for a Pro Tools Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in
session by tapping on your computer keyboard. the Tempo track are ignored.
You can also use a connected MIDI keyboard to
tap tempo. 5 Click in the Tempo field so it becomes high-
lighted and tap in the tempo by playing a note
To set the Manual Tempo by tapping on a computer repeatedly at the new tempo on your MIDI key-
keyboard: board controller.

1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport To compute the new tempo, Pro Tools averages
window, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls. the last eight (or fewer) taps to determine the
2 In the Transport window, click the Tempo correct tempo. The computed BPM value ap-
Ruler Enable (Conductor) button so it becomes pears in the Transport’s Tempo field.
unhighlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual
Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in Tempo and Automation Drift
the Tempo track are ignored.
(With Sample-Based Regions on Tick-Based
Tracks Only)

Tempo field When a track is sample-based, the track’s auto-

mation playlist is unaffected by changes in
Tempo Ruler Enable button
tempo. This means that automation is always
Manual Tempo mode aligned with any sample-based audio on the
track with sample accuracy.
3 Click in the Tempo field so it becomes high-
lighted and tap the “T” key on your computer When a track is tick-based, the automation
keyboard repeatedly at the new tempo. breakpoints change to match the changes in
tempo.
You can apply the new tempo to the entire
session by changing the default tempo of the Generally, when applying tempo changes with
Song Start Marker. See “Song Start Marker” tick-based MIDI and Elastic Audio, this is desir-
on page 670. able. In fact, you will probably want to set all of
the tracks in your session that contain automa-
tion to tick-based. This way any tempo changes
affect all tick-based track automation and track

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 673

 material equally. However, when working with
sample-based (non-Elastic) audio on tick-based Using many smaller regions...
tracks, tempo changes affect the start location of
audio regions, but not their duration.

Since the length of each sample-based audio re-

gion in a track is unaffected by changes in
tempo, existing automation data is not aligned
...keeps audio aligned with automation changes.
with the audio after a tempo change is made to
a tick-based audio track.

When tempo changes on a tick-based audio track...

Tempo changes applied to small sample-based regions

on a tick-based track

To break an audio region into smaller re-

gions, use Beat Detective. For more informa-
tion, see Chapter 28, “Beat Detective.”
Tempo at 120 bpm
No Elastic Audio
Tick-based
You can also separate regions at transients
...automation gets out of sync with audio. or based on the current grid resolution. For
more information, see “Separate Com-
mands” on page 496

Tempo Changes and Tick-Based

Elastic Audio Tracks
Regions on tick-based, Elastic Audio-enabled
Tempo at 146 bpm tracks apply Time Compression and Expansion
Tempo changes applied to (non-Elastic) audio regions (TCE) based on tempo changes. For simple
tempo changes, regions on tick-based Elastic Au-
Minimizing Automation Drift
dio-enabled tracks automatically conform to
In general, automation drift is more pro- match the new tempo. Tempo changes do not
nounced with larger sample-based audio re- affect sample-based, Elastic Audio-enabled
gions. By creating many small regions, the ef- tracks. In Figure 41 below, the first two-bar re-
fects of automation drift can be minimized, gion is at its native tempo of 120 bpm. The sec-
because the start points of each subsequent re- ond two-bar region has been conformed to the
gion changes as the tempo changes. When tempo change of 100 bpm. Since the second re-
tempo is decreased, automation expands. When
tempo is increased, automation contracts.

674 Pro Tools Reference Guide

gion has been warped to remain two-bars long Conform to Tempo
at the slower tempo, it displays the Region Warp
indicator in the upper right-hand corner of the Pro Tools lets you conform regions on Elastic
region. Audio-enabled tracks (both sample- and tick-
based) to the session tempo. If necessary, the
Conform to Tempo command analyzes the se-
lected regions to determine its tempo and dura-
tion (in bars and beats), and then applies Elastic
Audio processing to conform the region to
match the session tempo.

Figure 41. Tempo conformed audio, linear tempo

change To conform a region to the session tempo:
1 Select the region you want to conform to the
For tempo curves, such as an accelerando or ri-
session tempo.
tardando, Tempo Event Warp markers are auto-
matically created corresponding to each tempo 2 Do one of the following:
event, and the region conforms accordingly. • Choose Region > Conform to Tempo.
Figure 42 below shows a region in Warp view.
– or –
Notice how the audio conforms to the tempo
curve. • Right-click the region you wan to conform
to tempo and select Conform to Tempo.

Pro Tools analyzes the region’s entire file for

Elastic Audio events and tempo. If a tempo is de-
tected, and a duration in bars and beats is deter-
mined, the region conforms automatically to
the session tempo. If a tempo and duration is
not detected (such as with a region that is a sin-
gle drum hit or with a long region with no clear
tempo), the region is not conformed to the ses-
sion tempo.

Figure 42. Tempo conformed audio, tempo curve

You can also use telescoping warp in Warp
view to manually conform a long region to
Tempo Event-generated Warp markers cannot the session tempo. See “Telescoping Warp”
be edited. They only show where the audio has on page 780.
been warped in order to conform to tempo
changes.
Conform to Tempo can only be applied to
If you change the track timebase from ticks regions and cannot be applied to region
to samples, any Tempo Event–generated groups. To conform region groups to the
Warp markers convert to regular, editable tempo you must first ungroup the region
Warp markers. group, then apply Conform to Tempo to the
underlying regions, and then regroup those
regions.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 675

 Alternate Playlists Zooming and Scrolling in the Tempo
Editor
Alternate playlists on Elastic Audio-enabled,
tick-based tracks are only affected by tempo
To zoom in vertically in the Tempo Editor:
changes. Otherwise, alternate playlists are not
affected by editing Warp or Event markers in the „ Click the Tempo Editor Zoom In button (“+”).
main playlist.
To zoom out vertically in the Tempo Editor:
„ Click the Tempo Editor Zoom Out button

Graphic Tempo Editor (“–”).

The Tempo Editor, a resizeable window beneath

the Tempo ruler in the Edit Window, lets you
view and edit tempo information graphically. Scroll bar

Tempo Editor
Zoom In and Out
buttons
The Tempo Editor is an expansion of the Tempo
ruler, opening in the rulers section of the Edit Tempo Editor Zoom buttons and scroll bar
Window.
To scroll vertically in the Tempo Editor, do any of
the following:
„ Click the Scroll Up Arrow to scroll up.
Tempo Editor expand/collapse triangle
Tempo Resolution „ Click the Scroll Down Arrow to scroll down.
Tempo Density
Add Tempo Change „ Drag the Scroll bar up or down.
Tempo events

Editing Tempo Events in the Tempo

Editor
Tempo events in the Tempo Editor can be edited
with any of the following methods:
‹ Individual tempo events can be dragged with
any of the Grabber tools to adjust their location
Tempo Editor
or value.
‹ A group of selected tempos can be scaled up or
To display the Tempo Editor, do one of the
down with the Trimmer tool.
following:
‹ New tempo events can be drawn in with the
„ Select View > Rulers > Tempo, then select
Pencil tool to replace existing ones.
View > Rulers > Tempo > Tempo Editor.
‹ Tempo events can be copied and pasted,
– or –
nudged, and shifted.
„ Click the Tempo Editor expand/collapse

triangle.

676 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Drawing Tempo Events Selecting Tempo Resolution (BPM Rate)

Tempo events can be drawn in the Tempo Editor The Tempo Editor lets you specify the beat note
using the Pencil tool. value for tempo events by changing the Tempo
Resolution. The beat note value selected for the
Tempo Resolution is usually based on the meter.
For example, in 4/4 the beat is a quarter note
and in 6/8 the beat is (usually) a dotted-quarter
note.
These tool shapes
are not functional
in the Tempo Editor.

Pencil tool shape pop-up menu

Tempo Resolution selector and pop-up menu
Free Hand The Free Hand shape draws freely ac-
cording to the movement of the mouse. The To select the Tempo Resolution (BPM rate) for
shape is reproduced as a series of steps according Pencil tool edits, do one of the following:
to the Tempo Edit Density setting. (For more in-
„ Click the Tempo Resolution selector and se-
formation, see “Selecting Tempo Edit Density”
lect the appropriate note value from the pop-up
on page 678.)
menu. The Tempo Resolution for tempo events
Line The Line shape draws in a straight line from created by drawing with the Pencil tool are set to
click to release. Tempo values change in steps the specified note value for the BPM rate.
according to the Tempo Edit Density and Reso- – or –
lution.
„ Click the Tempo Resolution selector and se-

Parabolic The Parabolic shape draws the best lect Follow Metronome Click. The Tempo Resolu-
possible curve to fit your freehand drawing. The tion for tempo events created by drawing with
shape is reproduced as a series of steps according the Pencil tool automatically mirror the click
to the Tempo Edit Density setting. values set by meter events in the Meter ruler.

S-Curve The S-Curve shape draws a best possible A tempo curve can have different BPM values if
fit of an S-Curve to your freehand drawing. The there are meter click changes within the selected
shape is reproduced as a series of steps according range.
to the Tempo Edit Density setting.
Because it can be unnecessarily complicated
The Triangle, Square, and Random Pencil to set meter events separately for each Tempo
tool shapes do not apply to tempo events. event, Digidesign recommends selecting
Follow Metronome Click in most cases.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 677

 Curve Adjustment Mode
Quarter note click Dotted-quarter click
Immediately after you draw new tempos using
the Pencil tool, a tempo curve appears in blue,
outlining the newly created tempo graph. Blue
adjustment handles on the curve let you adjust
the shape and size of the new tempo graph.
Tempo curve with different click values
Tempo Curve Adjustment Handles
Selecting Tempo Edit Density

The Tempo Editor lets you specify the density of

tempo events created in the Tempo ruler when
you draw a tempo curve with the Pencil tool.

Tempo curve adjustment

Tempo Edit Density selector and pop-up menu All the new tempo events under the curve
will change as you move the Tempo Curve
To select the Tempo Edit Density for Pencil tool Adjustment Handles. To adjust the curve
edits:
shape without the track data adjusting im-
„ Click the Tempo Edit Density selector and se- mediately, press Start (Windows) or Control
lect a time value from the pop-up menu. Tempo (Mac) while adjusting the curve. Tempo
events created by drawing with the Pencil tool events will change to fit the new curve when
are placed in the Tempo ruler at the specified you release the mouse button.
density.
The blue adjustment handles are only active un-
Pressing Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) til a new tool is selected or a new command is
before drawing a pencil line conforms executed.
already created tempo events to the drawn
line rather than creating new tempo events.

678 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Grabbing Tempo Events
The Grabber tools let you create new tempo set-
tings by dragging tempo events in the Tempo
Editor.

Selecting a single tempo event

To Select a tempo curve in the Tempo Editor:

„ Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool,

triple-click on a horizontal tempo line in the

curve that you want to select.
Using a Grabber tool to change a tempo event

To change the tempo of a tempo event:

„ With the Grabber tool, drag a tempo event up

or down.

To adjust the location of the tempo change:

„ With the Grabber tool, drag a tempo event to

the left or right.

Selecting a tempo curve
To remove a tempo event:
Extending Tempo Selections
„With the Grabber tool, Alt-click (Windows) or
Option-click (Mac) the tempo event. You can extend Tempo selections to the next or
the previous tempo event.
Selecting Tempo Events
To extend a tempo selection:
You can easily select a single tempo event, or an
1 With the Selector tool, select a range of tempo
entire tempo curve within the Tempo Editor.
events.

To Select a tempo event in the Tempo Editor: 2 Do one of the following:

„ Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, • Press Shift+Tab to extend the selection to
double-click between two tempo events. The the next tempo event.
first event is selected. – or –
• Press Shift+Control+Tab (Windows) or
Shift+Option+Tab (Mac) to extend the se-
lection to the previous tempo event.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 679

 Using the Trimmer Tool 3 With the Trimmer tool, click within the se-
lected area, and drag up or down. Dragging up
The Trimmer tool lets you scale all the tempo increases the tempo values of the selection in
events of the session, or within a Timeline selec- BPM; dragging down decreases them.
tion. The Trimmer tool also lets you stretch a re-
gion of tempo events to cover a longer or shorter
area in the Timeline.

To scale all the session’s tempo events with the

Trimmer tool:
1 Open the Tempo Editor.

2 With the Trimmer tool, click above any tempo

event and drag up or down. Dragging up in-
Changing selected tempo events with the Trimmer tool
creases the tempo values for all tempo event in
BPM; dragging down decreases them. To adjust the rate of tempo change over absolute
time with the Trimmer tool:
1 Open the Tempo Editor.

2 With the Selector tool, select the area you

want to edit.

3 With the Trimmer tool, click either the start or

end handle for the selected range, and drag up
or down. The BPM values for tempo events scale
accordingly and tempo events scale over a
Changing all tempo events with the Trimmer tool
longer or shorter amount of absolute time.
To scale selected tempo events with the Trimmer
tool:
1 Open the Tempo Editor.

2 With the Selector tool, select the area you

want to edit.

Adjusting the rate of tempo change with the Trimmer

tool

680 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To scale the duration of tempo changes with the To copy and Paste tempo events in the Tempo
Trimmer tool: Editor:
1 Open the Tempo Editor. 1 Open the Tempo Editor.

2 With the Selector tool, select the area you 2 With the Selector tool, select the area you
want to edit. want to copy.

3 With the Trimmer tool, click at the start or end 3 Choose Edit > Copy.
of the selection, and drag horizontally. Tempo
4 Click in the Tempo Editor at the point where
events do not change in terms of actual BPM
you want to paste the tempo events.
values, but they are scaled over a longer or
shorter amount of absolute time. 5 Choose Edit > Paste. Your copied selection is
pasted from the insertion point, replacing any
existing tempo events.

To nudge a selection in the Tempo Editor:

1 Open the Tempo Editor.

2 With the Selector tool, select the area you

want to nudge.

3 Do one of the following:

Scaling the duration of selected tempo events with the
Trimmer tool • On the numeric keypad, press Plus (+) to
move the selected tempo events forward by
Moving, Cutting, Pasting and Nudging in the the Nudge value.
Tempo Editor
– or –
To move a selected group of tempo events in the • Press Minus (–) to move the selection back
Tempo Editor: by the Nudge value.
1 Open the Tempo Editor.

2 With the Selector tool, select the area you

want to move.

3 With any Grabber tool, click on any selected

tempo event and drag horizontally to move the
tempo events to a new location.

Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while

dragging to move a copy of the tempo
events.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 681

 Linear Tick Display The display of tempo events
Changing the Linearity Display is tick-based and tempo event Bar|Beat locations
Mode remain constant after the tempo curve is drawn
and all sample-based events move against bar
The Timeline can be viewed in either a Linear
beat locations in the Timeline. When working
Tick (relative) scale or a Linear Sample (absolute)
on any tick-based material, such as MIDI notes
Time Scale. MIDI and Instrument tracks, audio
or Elastic Audio events, make sure that Linear
tracks, and Tempo curves can appear and func-
Sample Display is selected. This is especially true
tion very differently depending on the timebase
if you will be making tempo changes, but want
display settings.
the bars and beats to remain fixed in the Time-
line.

Drawing tempo events using the Linear

Sample Display causes Bar|Beat based
material to move. This can make it difficult
to work on tick-based material. Digidesign
recommends that you use Linear Tick
Display when drawing tempo changes.

To change the timebase display:

„ Click the Linearity Display Mode selector and

select a timebase from the pop-up menu.

Linearity Display Mode selector and pop-up menu
Tempo Edit Density and Linearity Display Mode
The Linearity Display Mode pop-up menu deter-
mines whether the Tempo Editor displays When the Tempo Edit Density setting (in the
tempo events in an absolute (samples) timebase Tempo Editor) and the Linearity Display Mode
or a relative (ticks) timebase. setting are both set to either a Bars|Beats Time
Scale or to an absolute Time Scale, Tempo edits
Linear Sample Display The display of the Time- appear evenly spaced. When the Tempo Edit
line is sample-based and the location of tick- Density setting and the Linearity Display Mode
based events (like Bars and Beats) shift after a setting are set so that one is set to an absolute
tempo curve is drawn. That is, as you change Time Scale and the other is set to a Bars|Beats
tempo, the location of bars and beats move Time Scale, the number of Tempo edits appear
against the fixed sample-based Timeline (such as to increase or decrease over time (against abso-
Minutes:Seconds). When working with sample- lute time).
based material, such as when you are tracking or
mixing, make sure that Linear Sample Display is
selected. This is especially true if you intend to
align the tempo and meter map to sample-based
events.

682 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To open a specific Tempo Operations window
Tempo Operations Window page:

The Tempo Operations window lets you define „ Choose Event > Tempo Operations, followed by

tempo events over a range of time (or measures). one of the Tempo Operations page commands
The time range is specified in the time format (such as Constant).
chosen for your Main Time Scale. In addition,
If the Tempo Operations window is already
the Tempo Operations window lets you:
open, you can select any of the pages from
• Fit a specific number of Bars|Beats into a
the pop-up menu at the top of the window.
precise time range.
• Create tempos that speed up or slow down, To open the last active Tempo Operations window
both linearly and over various curves. page:
• Scale and stretch existing tempos. „ Choose Event > Tempo Operations > Tempo Op-

erations Window.
The Tempo Operations window is not avail-
able in Manual Tempo mode. Press Alt+2 (Windows) or Option+2
(Mac) on the number keypad to open the
The Tempo Operations window has six pages,
Tempo Operations window and display
one for each type of tempo operation.
the last active Tempo Operations page.
Constant Lets you create a constant tempo over
To define tempo events over a range of time:
a selected range of time.
1 Make a selection in the Timebase or in a track.
Linear Lets you create tempos that change
2 Choose Event > Tempo Operations > Tempo Op-
evenly over a selected range of time.
erations Window.
Parabolic Lets you create tempos that accelerate
3 Select a Tempo Operation page from the pop-
or decelerate following a tempo curve that
up menu at the top of the Tempo Operation
changes the tempo more rapidly or less rapidly
window.
over the selection time.
4 Change the settings for the page you have
S-Curve Lets you create tempos that accelerate or chosen, as necessary.
decelerate following a tempo curve with a defin-
able breakpoint that determines mid-curve 5 Do one of the following:
times and tempo values. • Click Apply.

Scale Lets you scale tempos within the selection – or –

by a percentage amount. • Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac) to
automatically apply the values and close
Stretch Lets you select a region of tempo events the window.
and apply them to a larger or smaller selection
area.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 683

 Constant Resolution (Advanced Option) Lets you select the
BPM note value for your tempo setting.
The Constant page lets you create a constant
tempo over a selected range of time. Selecting “Follow Metronome Click” will set
the tempo BPM note value to mirror the
click value set in the meter markers.

Density (Advanced Option) Lets you specify the

density of the tempo change events written to
the Tempo ruler.

Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the

previous tempo setting that was in effect at the
selection end point is preserved after the selec-
tion. If unselected, the last tempo event created
by the tempo operation continues to the end of
the session, or until the next tempo event be-
yond the selected range.
Constant page (Advanced Option)

Advanced When the Advanced checkbox is se- Linear

lected, the selection range changes to the Main
Time Scale format, and additional and modified The Linear page lets you create tempos that
options become available. change evenly over a selected range of time.

Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates either

the tempo, or the selection end time.

Selection Start and End Specifies the start and

end point for the tempo change in Bars|Beats.
When an Edit selection is made, the Start and
End fields will display the selection boundaries.

End Time (Advanced Option) Displays the selec-

tion end time. When the Main Time Scale is set
to Bars|Beats, the end time is displayed in the
Sub Time Scale. When the Main Time Scale is set
to any absolute timebase, the end time is calcu-
lated and displayed in Bars|Beats. Changing the Linear page (Advanced Option)
end time value causes the tempo to change.
Advanced When the Advanced checkbox is se-
Tempo Specifies the tempo, in beats per minute lected, the selection range changes to the Main
(BPM), to apply to the selected range. Time Scale format, and additional and modified
options become available.

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Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates either Parabolic
the selection end time, the start tempo, or the
end tempo. The Parabolic page lets you create tempos that
accelerate or decelerate by following a tempo
Selection Start and End Displays the start and curve, which changes the tempo more rapidly or
end points for the tempo change in the cur- less rapidly over the selection time.
rently selected Main timebase. When an Edit se-
lection is made, the Start and End fields will dis-
play the selection boundaries. Changing start or
end values changes the selection range.

End Time (Advanced Option) Displays the abso-

lute time for the selection end. When the Main
Time Scale is set to Bars|Beats, the end time is
displayed in the Sub Time Scale. When the Main
Time Scale is set to any absolute timebase, the
end time is calculated and displayed in
Bars|Beats. Changing the end time value causes
the tempo to change.

Tempo Start and End Displays the tempo, in

beats per minute (BPM), for the start and end
points of the selected range. Changing the
Parabolic page (Advanced Option)
tempo causes the end time value to change.
Advanced When the Advanced checkbox is se-
Resolution (Advanced Option) Lets you select the lected, the selection range changes to the Main
BPM note value for your tempo setting. Time Scale format, and additional and modified
options become available.
Selecting “Follow Metronome Click” will set
the tempo BPM note value to mirror the Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates the se-
click value set in the meter markers. lection end time, the start tempo, the end
tempo, or the curvature of the tempo change.
Density (Advanced Option) Lets you specify the
density of the tempo change events written to Selection Start and End Displays the start and
the Tempo ruler. end points for the tempo change in the cur-
Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the rently selected Main timebase. When an Edit se-
previous tempo setting that was in effect at the lection is made, the Start and End fields will dis-
selection end point is preserved after the selec- play the selection boundaries. Changing start or
tion. If unselected, the last tempo event created end values changes the selection range.
by the tempo operation continues to the end of
the session, or until the next tempo event be-
yond the selected range.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 685

 End Time (Advanced Option) Displays the abso- S-Curve
lute time for the selection end. When the Main
Time Scale is set to Bars|Beats, the end time is The S-Curve page lets you create tempos that ac-
displayed in the Sub Time Scale. When the Main celerate or decelerate by following a tempo
Time Scale is set to any absolute timebase, the curve with a definable breakpoint that deter-
end time is calculated and displayed in mines mid-curve times and tempo values.
Bars|Beats. Changing the end time value causes
the tempo to change.

Tempo Start and End Displays the tempo, in

beats per minute (BPM), for the start and end
points of the selected range. Changing the
tempo causes the end time value to change.

Curvature Specifies and displays a numerical and

graphic representation of the tempo curve. Neg-
ative numbers indicate a more rapid tempo
change at the beginning of the time range, and
positive numbers indicate a more rapid tempo
change at the end of the time range. This value
can be set with the Curvature slider.

Resolution (Advanced Option) Lets you select the

BPM note value for your tempo setting.

Selecting “Follow Metronome Click” will set S-Curve page (Advanced Option)
the tempo BPM note value to mirror the
Advanced When the Advanced checkbox is se-
click value set in the meter markers.
lected, the selection range changes to the Main
Density (Advanced Option) Lets you specify the Time Scale format, and additional and modified
density of the tempo change events written to options become available.
the Tempo ruler.
Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates either
Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the the selection end time, the start tempo, the end
previous tempo setting that was in effect at the tempo or the curvature of the tempo change.
selection end point is preserved after the selec-
tion. If unselected, the last tempo event created Selection Start and End Displays the start and
by the tempo operation continues to the end of end points for the tempo change in the cur-
the session, or until the next tempo event be- rently selected Main timebase. When an Edit se-
yond the selected range. lection is made, the Start and End fields will dis-
play the selection boundaries. Changing start or
end values changes the selection range.

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Start and End Time (Advanced Option) Displays Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the
the absolute time for the selection end. When previous tempo setting that was in effect at the
the Main Time Scale is set to Bars|Beats, the end selection end point is preserved after the selec-
time is displayed in the Sub Time Scale. When tion. If unselected, the last tempo event created
the Main Time Scale is set to any absolute time- by the tempo operation continues to the end of
base, the end time is calculated and displayed in the session, or until the next tempo event be-
Bars|Beats. yond the selected range.

Tempo Start and End Displays the tempo, in

beats per minute (BPM), for the start and end Scale
points of the selected range. Changing the
The Scale page lets you scale tempos within the
tempo causes the end time value to change.
selection by a percentage amount.
Curvature Specifies and displays a numerical and
graphic representation of the tempo curve. Neg-
ative numbers indicate a more rapid tempo
change at the start and end of the of the time
range, with a low rate of change around the
midpoint. Positive numbers indicate a low rate
of change near the start and end of the selected
range, with rapid tempo change around the
midpoint. This value can be set with the Curva-
ture slider.

Mid Point Specifies the Main Time Scale location

for the curve mid point. This value can be set
with the Mid Point slider.
Scale page (Advanced Option)
Mid Tempo Specifies the tempo at the mid point.
This value can be set with the Mid Tempo slider. Advanced When the Advanced checkbox is se-
lected, the selection range changes to the Main
Resolution (Advanced Option) Lets you select the Time Scale format, and additional and modified
BPM note value for your tempo setting. options become available.

Select “Follow Metronome Click” will set Calculate (Advanced Option) In combination
the tempo BPM note value to mirror the with settings chosen in the Scale pop-up menu,
click value set in the meter markers. the Calculate pop-up menu lets you calculate
the selection end time, the average tempo, the
Density (Advanced Option) Lets you specify the
start tempo, or the end tempo.
density of the tempo change events written to
the Tempo ruler.

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 Scale (Advanced Option) In combination with Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the
settings chosen in the Calculate pop-up menu, previous tempo setting that was in effect at the
the Scale pop-up menu lets you scale all tempos, selection end point is preserved after the selec-
the start tempo, or the end tempo. tion. If unselected, the last tempo event created
by the tempo operation continues to the end of
Scaling all tempos scales each tempo in the se- the session, or until the next tempo event be-
lected range equally. Scaling the start tempo yond the selected range.
scales the tempos unevenly, scaling the first
tempo event the most, scaling each consecutive
tempo event less until the end tempo which is Stretch
not scaled. Scaling the end tempo scales the
The Stretch page lets you select a region of
tempos unevenly, scaling the last tempo the
tempo events and apply them to a larger or
most, scaling each previous tempo event less
smaller selection area.
until the start tempo which is not scaled.

Selection Start and End Displays the start and

end points for the tempo operation in the cur-
rently selected Main timebase. When an Edit se-
lection is made, the Start and End fields will dis-
play the selection boundaries. Changing start or
end values changes the selection range.

Start and End Time Displays the absolute time

for the selection start and end points. When the
Main Time Scale is set to Bars|Beats, times are
displayed in the Sub Time Scale. When the Main
Time Scale is set to any absolute timebase, times Stretch page (Advanced Option)
are calculated and displayed in Bars|Beats.
Advanced When the Advanced checkbox is se-
Average Tempo Displays the Average Tempo, in lected, the selection range changes to the Main
beats per minute (BPM), across the selected Time Scale format, and additional and modified
range. Changing the Average Tempo changes options become available.
the Scale percentage.
Selection Start and End Specifies the range of
Scale Displays the percentage by which the tempo events that you want to modify. When
tempo is scaled, in beats per minute (BPM), an Edit selection is made, the Start and End
across the selected range. Changing Scale fields will display the selection boundaries.
changes Average Tempo.
Stretch To End Specifies a new end point for the
region to which you want to apply the selected
tempo events. Changing the end point causes
the Stretch percentage to change.

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Stretch To Start (Advanced Option) Specifies a Bar|Beat Markers
new start point for the region to which you
want to apply the selected tempo events. Bar|Beat Markers look similar to tempo events,
Changing the end point causes the Stretch per- but instead have small blue triangles to indicate
centage to change. their location.

Stretch Specifies the percentage of time for the

the selected tempo events to cover.

Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the

previous tempo setting that was in effect at the
Bar|Beat Marker
selection end point is preserved after the selec-
tion. If unselected, the last tempo event created Choosing Bar|Beat Markers or Tempo
by the tempo operation continues to the end of Events
the session, or until the next tempo event be-
yond the selected range. Because tempo events are tick-based, and
Bar|Beat Markers are sample-based, they cannot
be mixed. If a session contains tempo events
and you attempt to insert Bar|Beat Markers, ex-
Identify Beat Command isting tempo events are converted to Bar|Beat
The Identify Beat command lets you establish a Markers (and vice versa).
tempo/meter map for audio that was recorded
Tempo events can also be manually converted
without a click, or for imported audio with un-
to Bar|Beat Markers and vice versa. When con-
known tempos.
verting between Tempo events and Bar|Beat
The Identify Beat command analyzes a selection Markers, some amount of sample rounding may
range (usually with a distinct number of beats or occur.
measures) and calculates its tempo based on the
specified meter. In doing this, Bar|Beat Markers To use either tempo events or Bar|Beat Markers:
for the calculated tempo are inserted and appear 1 Press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)
in the Tempo ruler at the beginning and end of and click the Add Tempo Change button.
the selection; in addition, meter events are in-
serted into the Meter ruler. 2 Select either Tempo Events or Bar|Beat Markers
from the pop-up menu.
Use Beat Detective to generate Bar|Beat
Markers within a selection that includes
rhythmic changes on beats or sub-beats. For
more information, see Chapter 28, “Beat
Detective.”
Tempo ruler pop-up menu

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 689

 Identifying Beats

Identifying the beat of a one-bar drum loop and

creating Bar|Beat Markers for it:
1 Place a one-bar drum loop at the beginning of
an audio track.

2 Select View > Rulers > Samples. This ensures

that the selected audio material will be sample-
accurate.
Bar|Beat Markers inserted
3 Select the audio region with the Time Grabber
When working with a selection, the Identify Beat
tool and choose Event > Identify Beat.
command only calculates a single tempo for the
4 In the Bar|Beat Markers dialog, specify the selected range. If the tempo varies from measure
start and end locations for the inserted Bar|Beat to measure, or beat to beat, you’ll need to use
Markers. Since this example deals with a one-bar the Identify Beat command for each tempo vari-
loop, enter 1|1|000 and 2|1|000. ance (making sure to accurately define a precise
selection range or beat location for the tempo
change).

To accurately define tempos for a range of audio

with the Identify Beat command, make certain
that the initial selection represents an accurate
length of bars and beats. You may want to first
loop the selection on playback to see if it plays
accurately (see “Loop Playback Mode” on
page 338). To avoid drift, and remain sample-ac-
curate, select the audio material with the Time
Scale set to Samples rather than Bars|Beats.

When identifying beats, select as large an

Identify Beat dialog
area as possible. For example, if you
5 If necessary, specify a time signature for the have a four-bar-long audio file you want to
start and end range. identify, select the entire four bars instead
of just one bar, in order to minimize round-
6 Click OK to automatically calculate the new
ing errors (see “Sample Rounding and Edit
tempo and insert the necessary Bar|Beat Markers
Operations” on page 670).
and meter events. Any existing tempo and
meter events residing within the selection are
deleted.

690 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Dragging Bar|Beat Markers When dragging a tempo event:
• The tempo event is placed at a new bar and
Bar|Beat Markers can be dragged to new loca-
beat location. The sample and SMPTE loca-
tions so they can align with audio regions that
tions for the event are updated as well.
have been moved, or so that they can align to a
slightly different point within an audio region. • The BPM value for the dragged tempo event
This results in neighboring MIDI data being ad- remains constant, as do any other tempo
justed to align with the new tempo map. events in the session.
• Neighboring MIDI events and audio regions
Because Bar|Beat Markers are sample-based and
on tick-based tracks, along with the ruler,
tempo events are tick-based, they behave differ-
shrink or expand as necessary to adjust for the
ently when you drag them in the Tempo ruler.
new tempo location.

When dragging a Bar|Beat Marker:

Editing Bar|Beat Markers
• Its BPM value is recalculated along with the
Bar|Beat Marker to its immediate left. Bar|Beat A Bar|Beat Marker can be edited to redefine its
Markers to the right of the dragged marker re- bar and beat location, which also redefines the
main unchanged. start or end point of the range being analyzed
• Its bar and beat location is dragged with the for tempo. This is different from dragging a
Bar|Beat Marker. If the Bar|Beat Marker was Bar|Beat Marker.
originally placed at 3|1|000, it remains there
(unless it is edited).
• Its sample and SMPTE locations change, as
calculated for by the new tempo for the
Bar|Beat Marker.
• Neighboring MIDI events, along with the
Bars|Beats ruler, shrink or expand as necessary
to adjust for the new tempo.
Edit Bar|Beat dialog

To edit a Bar|Beat Marker:

1 In the Tempo ruler, double-click the Bar|Beat
Marker.

2 In the Edit Bar|Beat dialog, enter a new Loca-

tion for the Bar|Beat Marker.

3 Enter a new Time Signature.

4 Click OK.
Dragging a Bar|Beat Marker

To delete a Bar|Beat Marker:

„ With the Grabber tool, Alt-click (Windows) or

Option-click (Mac) the Bar|Beat Marker.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 691

 Inserting Bar|Beat Markers One at Current Meter
a Time As meter events are encountered during play-
Sample-Based Material with Varying Tempos back, the session’s current meter is displayed in
the Transport window.
You can insert Bar|Beat Markers one at a time by
setting an Edit insertion point (instead of mak-
ing a selection) before using the Identify Beat
current meter
command. The ability to identify each beat, one
at a time, is especially useful when working with
sample-based material with varying tempos.
Current meter displayed in Transport window
For instance, if you have a measure that acceler-
ates slightly, you can insert a Bar|Beat Marker on
each beat so the tempo is accurately reflected.
Inserting Meter Events

To insert a meter event:

1 Do one of the following:
• Choose Event > Time Operations > Change
Meter.
• Click the Add Meter Change button at the
right of the Meter ruler.

Bar|Beat Markers on each beat

After the Bar|Beat Markers are inserted, further

Add Meter Change
adjustments in the tempo map are possible by
dragging each of the Markers, as necessary, to
align with the associated beat within the audio. Add Meter Change button\

• With the Grabber, Start-click (Windows) or

Control-click (Mac) at the location where
Meter Events you want to insert the event.

You can change meter in the Meter ruler, or

make precise meter changes in the Time Opera-
tions window.

Meter events can be inserted at the beginning of Manually inserting a meter event
a session to replace the default meter (of 4/4),
and they can be inserted anywhere within the
session for additional meter changes.

To display the Meter ruler:

„ Select View > Rulers > Meter.

692 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 • Double click the meter display in the Trans- 4 Click OK to insert the new meter event. The
port window. new meter event is inserted and appears in the
Meter ruler.

current meter

Current meter displayed in Transport window Inserted meter event

2 In the Meter Change window, do the follow- Each meter event has a small yellow triangle
ing: next to it that indicates its location. These trian-
• Enter the Location and Meter for the meter gles can be selected for copying and pasting, and
change. they can be double-clicked to edit the meter
– and – event.

• If you want the inserted meter event to fall

cleanly on the first beat of the nearest mea- Editing Meter Events
sure, select the Snap To Bar option. Existing meter events can be edited, deleted,
copied, and pasted.

To edit a meter event:

1 In the Meter ruler, double-click the meter
event.

2 In the Meter Change dialog, enter a new Loca-

tion or Meter for the event.

3 Click OK.
Meter Change window
To delete a meter event:
3 Select a note value for the number of clicks to
sound in each measure. For a dotted-note click „ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

value, select the dot (.) option. meter event.

For some meters, it may be desirable to use

a dotted value for the click. For instance, if
using a meter of 6/8, a dotted quarter note
click (yielding two clicks per measure) is
generally more suitable than a straight
eighth note click (six clicks per measure).

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 693

 To copy and paste several meter events: Partial Measures
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the
As necessary, Pro Tools will create a partial mea-
current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. sure to accommodate the inserted meter event.
2 Drag in the Meter ruler to select the range that When a meter event is preceded by a partial
includes the meter events. measure, the meter event is displayed in italics
in the Meter ruler.
If the beginning of the selection includes a
meter event, press Control (Windows) or Com-
mand (Mac) so the Selector tool appears.

Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while

Partial measure of 4/4
dragging to select across all Conductor tracks.
Partial measures can also occur when pasting
3 Choose Edit > Copy.
meter events to locations other than the first
4 Click in the Meter ruler at the point where you beat of a measure.
want to paste the meter events.
To insert meter events while avoiding par-
5 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip- tial bars, use the Change Meter command in
board are pasted from the insertion point, re- the Time Operations window. See “Change
placing any existing meter events. Meter” on page 695.

To extend an Edit selection in a track to the Meter

ruler:
Time Operations
1 Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, se-
The Time Operations window lets you:
lect a track range.
• Change Meter
2 Shift-click in the Meter ruler.
• Insert Time
Shift-click again in the Meter ruler to remove it • Cut Time
from the selection. • Move Song Start

To select all meter events: To open a specific Time Operations window:

„ With the Selector tool, double-click in the „ Choose Event > Time Operations, followed by

Meter ruler. one of the Time Operations commands (such as

Change Meter).
To clear a range of selected meter events:
If the Time Operations window is already
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the
open, you can select any Time Operation
current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
from the pop-up menu at the top of the win-
2 Drag in the Meter ruler to select the meter dow.
events you want to remove.

3 Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected

meter events.

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To open the last active Time Operations window: Starting at Bar Sets the bar where the meter
change is added. Meter changes made in the
„ Choose Event > Time Operations > Time Opera-
Change Meter page can only be made at the be-
tions Window.
ginning of a bar.
Press Alt+1 (Windows) or Option+1
Apply Change To Lets you apply the meter
(Mac) on the number keypad to open the
change to the selected range, to the end of the
Time Operations window and display the
session, or until the next bar.
last active Time Operations window.
Change The Change fields let you specify the
Change Meter number of bars of the new meter that you want
to have replace the selected range.
Change Meter lets you specify complex meter
changes for Bar|Beat-based material. You can en- Pro Tools automatically calculates the nearest
ter meter changes at a particular bar, make a whole bar number, or you can specify a number
meter change over a selected area of time, or add of bars to be affected. Time is inserted or deleted,
meter changes sequentially one bar at a time. in whole bar increments, at the end of the selec-
tion, as necessary on all affected tracks when
you override the calculated range.

Realign
The Realign controls let you choose which items
to realign after a meter change has been made.
You can choose to realign meter events, or
choose to realign meter and tempo events, tick-
based markers and tracks, and also all or none of
the sample-based markers and tracks.

Meter Ruler Only Applies the meter change and

realigns only the Meter ruler. All other rulers
Change Meter window and tracks are unaffected.

Options for the Change Meter command include: Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord Rulers, all Tick-
Based Markers and Tracks, and Sample-Based
New Meter Lets you specify a new time signa- Markers and Tracks Applies the meter change
ture. The first field lets you enter the number of and realigns the Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord
beats (up to 99) in a measure, and the second rulers, and all tick-based markers and tracks. Us-
field lets you enter the note length that counts ing the pop-up menu, you can also choose to re-
as one beat. align All or No sample-based markers and tracks.
Time is inserted or deleted as needed at the end
Click Lets you specify the note value that will
of the selection to preserve the alignment of ma-
trigger the metronome click. For example, if an
terial following the selection.
eighth note is chosen, a click is played for every
eighth note, regardless of tempo.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 695

 Change Meter Examples 4 Select Until the Next Bar from the Apply Change
To pop-up menu.
To change the meter over a range of bars:
5 Click Apply to enter the new meter and to
1 Do one of the following: move the insertion point to the end of the new
• Drag with the Selector tool to select a range measure.
of bars to change.
6 Specify a new meter and click setting for the
– or – next measure.
• To have the meter change apply until the
7 Repeat steps 5–6 for every additional meter
next meter event, click where you want the
change you want to insert.
meter change to begin with the Selector
tool. The meter change will be made at the
beginning of the nearest bar. Insert Time
2 Choose Event > Time Operations > Change Insert Time lets you insert an amount of blank
Meter. time (silence) into Conductor rulers, MIDI
tracks, and audio tracks.
3 Specify a new meter and click setting.
Pro Tools will automatically set the selection op-
tions to fit the new meter to the selected range
as closely as possible, adding or subtracting
beats a necessary.

4 Select To Selected Range in the Apply Change

pop-up menu.

5 Select which rulers and tracks you want to re-

align after meter changes have been made.

6 Click Apply.

To add a series of meter changes, one measure at

a time:
Insert Time window
1 Do one of the following:
Options for the Insert Time command include:
• With the Selector tool, click where you
want the meter change to begin. The meter Start, End, and Length Sets the start and end
change will be made at the beginning the points for the selection, and the selection
nearest bar. length.
– or –
Set Meter If your Main Time Scale is Bars|Beats,
• Enter the first measure number in the Start-
Set Meter lets you specify a new meter for the in-
ing At Bar field.
serted time. The selection is quantized to the
2 Choose Event > Time Operations > Change nearest bars, and the previous meter is inserted
Meter. after the selection. If your Main Time Scale is
sample-based, Set Meter is not available.
3 Specify a new meter and click setting.

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Realign Using the pop-up menu, you can also choose to
insert time into All or No sample-based markers
The Realign settings let you select which items and tracks. If All is selected and the selection in-
shift (occur later) when time is inserted, as fol- cludes any audio regions on sample-based
lows: tracks, the selected portions of the audio regions
• If your Main Time Scale is set to Bars|Beats, are separated at the Start point, and the new re-
you can choose to realign meter events only, gion containing the previous selection is shifted
or choose to realign a combination of Meter to the end point.
and Tempo rulers, all tick-based markers and
tracks, and your choice of sample-based Insert Time Example
tracks.
• If your Main Time Scale is set to an absolute To insert four empty measures of 4/4 time into a
timebase (such as Min:Secs), you can choose session:
to independently realign conductor events, 1 Set the Main Time Scale to Bars|Beats.
tick-based markers and tracks, and your
2 Choose Event > Time Operations > Insert Time.
choice of sample-based tracks.
3 Enter the measure where you want to insert
Meter Ruler Only If your Main Time Scale is
the measures in the Start field.
Bars|Beats, you have the option to insert time
into the Meter ruler only. Meter events after the 4 Enter four measures in the Length field.
start point of the selection are shifted past the
5 Select the Realign option for Meter, Tempo,
end point by the length of time selection.
Key, and Chord Rulers, Tick-Based Markers and
If your Main Time Scale is sample-based, Realign Tracks and All Sample-Based Markers and Tracks.
Meter Ruler Only is not available. 6 Click Apply.

Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord Rulers, Tick-Based

Markers and Tracks, and Sample-Based Markers
and Tracks Lets you insert time into the Meter,
Tempo, Key, and Chord rulers, and all tick-based
markers and tracks. Events after the start point
of the selection are shifted past the end point by
the length of time inserted.

If the Timeline selection includes any audio re-

gions on tick-based tracks, the audio regions are
separated at the Start point, and the new region
containing the previous selection is shifted to
the end point.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 697

 Cut Time Meter Ruler Only If your Main Time Scale is
Bars|Beats, you have the option to remove time
Cut Time lets you cut a specified amount of time from the Meter ruler only. Meter events within
(both Timebase and track data) from Conductor the selection are removed, and meter events
rulers, MIDI tracks, and audio tracks. that occur after the end point of the selection
are shifted to the selection start point.

If your Main Time Scale is sample-based, Realign

Meter Ruler Only is not available.

Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord Rulers, Tick-Based

Markers and Tracks, and Sample-Based Markers
and Tracks Cuts time and realigns the Meter,
Tempo, Key, and Chord rulers, and all tick-based
markers and tracks.

If the time selection includes any tick-based re-

gions, the selected area of the regions is deleted,
and regions following the selection are shifted
Cut Time window forward.
Options for the Cut Time command include:
Using the pop-up menu, you can also choose to
Start, End, and Length Sets the start and end cut time from All or No sample-based markers
points for the selection, and the selection and tracks. If All is selected and the selection in-
length. cludes any audio regions on sample-based
tracks, the selected area of the regions is deleted,
and regions following the selection are shifted
Realign
forward.
The Realign controls let you choose which items
shift when time is cut, as follows: Cut Time Example
• If your Main Time Scale is set to Bars|Beats,
you can choose to realign meter events only, To cut thirty seconds of time from a session:
or choose to realign a combination of Meter 1 Set the Main Time Scale to Minutes:Seconds.
and Tempo rulers together, all tick-based
markers and tracks, and your choice of sam- 2 Choose Event > Time Operations > Cut Time.

ple-based tracks. 3 With the Selector tool, click at the beginning

• If your Main Time Scale is set to an absolute of the area that you want to cut.
timebase (such as Min:Secs), you can choose
4 Enter thirty seconds (0:30.000) in the Length
to independently realign conductor events,
field.
tick-based markers and tracks, and your
choice of sample-based tracks. 5 Select the Realign option for Meter, Tempo,
Key, and Chord Rulers, all Tick-Based Markers and
Tracks and All Sample-Based Markers and Tracks.

6 Click Apply.

698 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Move Song Start Move
Move Song Start lets you redefine the location of The Move controls let you choose which items
the Song Start Marker. shift when the Song Start is moved, as follows:

Song Start Only Moves the Song Start Marker

only.

Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord Rulers, all Tick-

Based Markers and Tracks, and Sample-Based
Markers and Tracks Moves the Song Start
Marker, events in the Meter, Tempo, Key, and
Chord rulers, all tick-based markers and tracks,
and your choice of all or no sample-based mark-
ers and tracks.

Move Song Start Example

To move the Song Start Marker to 15 seconds on

Move Song Start window
the Timeline:
Options for the Move Song Start command in- 1 Choose Event > Time Operations > Move Song
clude: Start.
Timebase Lets you precisely redefine the posi- 2 Select Minutes:Seconds from the Timebase
tion of the Song Start Marker measured by any pop-up menu.
supported timebase.
3 In the Move Song Start To field, enter
Move Start To Sets the location for the Song “0:15:000” to move the song start forward by 15
Start Marker in the chosen timebase. seconds.

Renumber Song Start To When enabled, this lets 4 If you want to renumber the bars so that the
you set the Song Start Marker to any bar num- Song Start Marker sits at a different bar, select
ber. the Renumber Song Start option, and enter the
bar number.

5 Select whether you want to move All or No

sample-based markers and tracks.

6 Click Apply.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 699

 Key Signature Ruler
Renumbering Bars
The Key Signature ruler lets you add, edit, and
You can use the Renumber Bars command to re- delete key signatures. You can use key signatures
number all bars in the session, effectively chang- to indicate key and key changes in your
ing the bar locations for all regions, meter and Pro Tools session. Key signatures can also be
tempo events while leaving their position in- used for certain diatonic functions, such as
tact. In doing so, however, the SMPTE and sam- transposing in key or constraining pitches to the
ple locations of the session data are not specified key.
changed.

To renumber bars:
1 Choose Event > Renumber Bars.

2 Specify the bar you want to renumber, along

with the new bar number, then click Renumber. Key Signature ruler

To view the Key Signature ruler, do one of the

following:
„ Select View > Rulers > Key Signature.
– or –

„ From the Ruler View selector in the Edit win-

Renumber Bars dialog dow, select Key.

You can also show or hide the Key Signature

Key Signatures Staff for the Key Signatures ruler.

The Key Signature ruler lets you add key signa- To view the staff for the Key Signature ruler:
tures to Pro Tools sessions. Key signatures can be
1 Show the Key Signature ruler.
imported and exported with MIDI data. This is
especially useful when exporting MIDI se- 2 Do one of the following:
quences for use in notation programs like Sibel- • Select View > Rulers > Key Signature Staff.
ius. The default key signature is C major.
– or –
For information on exporting MIDI to Sibe- • Click the Show/Hide triangle on the Key
lius, see “Exporting Sibelius Files” on Signature ruler.
page 305.

700 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Changing Key Signatures Key Change Dialog
You can add, edit, or delete key signatures. The Key Change dialog lets you specify the
mode (major or minor), the key (from seven
To add a key signature: flats to seven sharps), the range affected (for ex-
ample, from Bar 1 to the next key change), and
1 Place the cursor in the Timeline where you
whether or not MIDI notes on pitched tracks are
want to add a key signature.
transposed or constrained to key (see “Pitched
2 Do one of the following: Tracks” on page 702). The Key Change dialog
• Choose Event > Add Key Change. opens whenever you add or edit a Key Signature
marker.
– or –
• Click the Plus (+) button in the Key Signa-
ture ruler.

3 In the Key Change dialog, select the mode

(major or minor), the key, its location and range,
and how you want it to affect pitched tracks.

4 Click OK.

To edit a key signature:

1 Double-click the Key Signature marker in the
Key Change dialog
Key Signature ruler.
Major Keys Displays the major keys from seven
2 Make changes in the Key Change dialog. flats to seven sharps.
3 Click OK.
Minor Keys Displays the minor keys from seven
flats to seven sharps. Pro Tools only applies the
To delete a key signature, do one of the following:
natural minor mode.
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

Key Signature marker in the Key Signature ruler. Sharps Lets you select any of the sharp keys to
seven sharps and C major (or A minor).
– or –
Flats Lets you select any of the flat keys to seven
„ Make a selection in the Key Signature ruler
flats and C major (or A minor).
that includes the key signature you want to de-
lete and choose Edit > Clear or press Delete. From Lets you specify where to place the Key Sig-
nature marker in Bars|Beats.

To Lets you specify to where you want the key

change to take effect: to the next Key Signature
marker, to a selection, or to the end of the ses-
sion.

Snap to Bar Snaps the Key Signature marker to

the barline.

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 701

 Edit Pitched Tracks Enabling the Edit Pitched Pitched Tracks
Tracks option lets you transpose existing MIDI
notes on Pitched tracks up or down, either dia- Pitched tracks are MIDI or Instrument tracks
tonically or chromatically based on the key that can be affected by transpositions due to key
change, or constrain pitches to the new key. For changes (including constrain to key). MIDI and
more information on Pitched tracks, see Instrument tracks are “pitched” by default.
“Pitched Tracks” on page 702. However, if you have MIDI or Instrument tracks
assigned to drum machines or samplers, you do
Transpose When the Edit Pitched Tracks option not want those tracks to be affected by key
is enabled, lets you transpose existing MIDI changes because of key mappings. You can dese-
notes on Pitched tracks up or down, diatonically lect the Pitched option for specific MIDI and In-
or chromatically. For example, if the session is strument tracks so that they will not be affected
in C major and you are adding a key change to D by key changes.
minor, select Edit Pitched Tracks, Transpose,
Up, and Diatonically to transpose notes on To select (or deselect) Pitched tracks:
Pitched tracks up a whole step and then lower
„ Click the track’s Playlist selector and select (or
the third, sixth, and seventh scale degrees by a
deselect) the Pitched option.
half step. The sequence C, D, E is transposed to
D, E, F (natural, rather than sharp as happens
when transposing chromatically).

When transposing diatonically, chromatic

notes are maintained when changing key. For
example, when changing key from C major to E
major, the note B-flat is transposed to D-natural.
This lets you maintain “blue-notes” when
changing keys and applying diatonic transposi-
tion. Pitched enabled in Playlist selector

Constrain Pitches To Key When the Edit Pitched

Tracks option is enabled, lets you constrain
pitches to the notes of the new key. This means
that any diatonic pitches of the old key on
Pitched tracks that are not in the new key are in-
dividually transposed to the nearest diatonic
pitch of the new key. For example, when chang-
ing from C major to D major, the sequence C, D,
E, F, G changes to C-sharp, D, E, F-sharp, G.

Constraining pitches to key also constrains any

chromatic pitches to the new diatonic scale. For
example, when changing from C major to D ma-
jor, the sequence C, D, D-sharp, E changes to C-
sharp, D, D, E.

702 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Importing Key Signatures
Chord Symbols
When importing MIDI (or session data with
MIDI), you can select whether or not to import The Chord Symbols ruler lets you add chord
any key signatures stored in MIDI files. symbols to Pro Tools sessions in the Edit win-
dow and in MIDI Editor windows. You can also
add chord symbols and diagrams in the Score
Import MIDI
Editor (“Chord Symbols and Diagrams” on
The Import MIDI dialog includes the Import Key page 649).
Signature from MIDI File option. When selected,
Chord symbols have no effect on MIDI data.
key signatures (if present) are imported into
Also, chord symbols are not included when ex-
Pro Tools with any other MIDI data.
porting MIDI data from Pro Tools to a MIDI file,
but they are included when exporting to a Sibe-
lius file (.sib) or when using the Send to Sibelius
command.

Chord Symbols Ruler

The Chord Symbols ruler lets you add, edit, and
delete chord symbols. You can use chord sym-
bols to indicate the chord changes in your
Pro Tools session.

Chords ruler
Add Chord Symbol
Chord Symbol markers

Import MIDI dialog

Import Session Data

The Import Session Data dialog includes the Im- Chord Symbols ruler
port Key Signature/Chord Map option. When se-
lected, key signatures (if present) and chord To view the Chord Symbols ruler, do one of the
markers (if present) are imported into the cur- following:
rent session with the imported session data. „ Select View > Rulers > Chord Symbols.
– or –

„ From the Ruler View selector in the Edit win-

dow or in a MIDI Editor window, select Chords.

Import Session Data

Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 703

 To add a chord symbol: Chord Change Dialog
1 Place the cursor in the Timeline where you
The Chord Change dialog lets you specify a
want to add a chord symbol. commercial chord symbol and chord diagram
2 Do one of the following: (guitar tab) to place in the Chords ruler or on the
• Place the cursor in the timeline, then click score in the Score Editor. The Chord Change di-
the Plus (+) button in the Chords ruler. alog opens whenever you add or edit a Chord
marker.
– or –
• While pressing the Start key (Windows) or Chord selector Chord Quality Bass Note
selector selector
Control (Mac), move the cursor into the
Chords ruler (where the cursor changes to
the Grabber with a “+”) and click at the lo-
cation where you want to place the chord
symbol.

3 In the Chord Change dialog, select the name

for the root of the chord, the chord quality, the
bass note of the chord, and the chord diagram
(chord diagrams are only displayed in the Score
Editor).

4 Click OK.

To change a chord symbol:

1 Double-click the Chord Symbol marker in the
Chord Symbol ruler.

2 Make changes in the Chord Change dialog. Chord Diagrams

3 Click OK. Chord Change dialog

Chord Select the name for the root of the Chord

To move a chord symbol: (such as D).
„ Drag the Chord Symbol marker to a new time
Chord Quality Select the chord quality from the
location.
selector (such as major or minor).

To delete a chord symbol, do one of the following: Bass Select the bass note of the chord (such as B-
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the flat for a G minor chord in first inversion).
Chord Symbol marker in the Chords ruler.
Chord Diagram Select the chord diagram for gui-
– or – tar tablature.
„ Make a selection in the Chords ruler that in-
To show or hide chord symbols and diagrams
cludes the chord symbols you want to delete
in the Score Editor, select or deselect the cor-
and choose Edit > Clear or press Delete.
responding option in the Score Setup dialog.

704 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 34: Memory Locations

Properties of Memory Locations

Memory Locations and
Markers When creating a new Memory Location (see
“Creating Memory Locations” on page 707) you
Memory locations provide a powerful way to are prompted to define its Time Properties and
navigate your session while editing and arrang- General Properties.
ing. These can be markers to specific points in
the Timeline, Edit selections, or even a set of
track display settings that can be recalled.

Each session can save up to 999 Memory Loca-

tions that can be used to recall:
• Markers to important locations in the ses-
sion
• Edit selections across one or more tracks
• Record and play ranges, along with pre-
and post-roll times
• Track settings that include Show/Hide sta-
tus, Track Heights, and zoom values
• Edit and Mix Groups enables
• Window Configurations

Memory Locations are viewed and sorted in the

Memory Locations window, where they can be
recalled by clicking the Memory Location. Memory Locations window

Chapter 34: Memory Locations 705

 Time Properties Selection Recalls an Edit selection or edit cursor
location whose reference can be either Bar|Beat
Under Time Properties, a Memory Location can (tick-based) or Absolute (sample-based). A Selec-
be set to Marker, Selection, or None. This deter- tion Memory Location lets you store Edit selec-
mines the type of Memory Location that is cre- tions, for one or more tracks, that you return to
ated. Each of these three Memory Location types often within a session. If the Timeline and Edit
can also save any combination of General Prop- Selections are linked, a Selection Memory Loca-
erties. tion can recall record and play ranges.
Marker Recalls a Timeline location whose refer-
Only contiguous selections can be saved
ence can be either Bar|Beat (tick-based) or Abso-
with Memory Locations. Noncontiguous se-
lute (sample-based). When recalling a Marker
lections, made with the Object Grabber tool,
Memory Location, the playback cursor moves to
will be recalled as if the selections were
the Marker’s location and the start and end
made with the Time Grabber tool.
times in the Transport window are also updated.
If the Timeline and Edit Selections are linked, None Recalls no Time Properties and is therefore
the edit cursor also moves to the Marker loca- referred to as a General Properties Memory Loca-
tion. tion.

Markers appear in the Markers ruler with a thin

Bar|Beat and Absolute Reference
yellow line extending down through all tracks
in the Edit window (to assist in arranging and The Reference pop-up determines whether the
aligning track material). You can click a Marker Marker or Selection Memory Location is
in the Markers ruler to recall its location along Bar|Beat or Absolute. When set to Bar|Beat, the
with its stored General Properties. Memory Location is tick-based and its bar and
beat location remains constant if the tempo is
changed—though its relation to the absolute
sample location changes accordingly.

When set to Absolute, the Memory Location is

sample-based and its bar and beat location shifts
if the tempo is changed—though its sample lo-
cation remains constant, along with its relation
to audio material.

Markers in the Markers ruler

Bar|Beat Marker (left) and Absolute Marker (right)

In the Markers ruler, Markers that are Bar|Beat

appear as yellow chevrons, and Markers that are
Absolute appear as yellow diamonds.

706 Pro Tools Reference Guide

General Properties Comments
All three types of Memory Locations (Marker, All three types of Memory Locations (Marker,
Selection, and None) can store and recall any Selection, and None) can store and recall com-
combination of the following General Proper- ments. You can enter a maximum of 255 char-
ties: acters to describe the Memory Location. You can
also edit comments previously entered.
Number Change the number to overwrite an ex-
isting Memory Location, or to reorder Memory See “Creating Memory Locations” on
Locations in the Memory Locations window. page 707 and “Editing Memory Locations”
on page 710 for more information.
Name Enter a descriptive name for each memory
location.
Creating Memory Locations
Zoom Settings Recalls the horizontal, audio,
Memory Locations can be created in different
and MIDI zoom values for audio, MIDI, and In-
ways, based on the type of Memory Location.
strument tracks.
When creating Memory Locations, the next
Pre/Post Roll Times Recalls pre- and post-roll
available number is assigned to it (1–999). This
times (but not whether they are enabled). This
number is used in recalling the Memory Loca-
property can be stored with a Selection Memory
tion from the numeric keypad.
Location to recall record and play ranges along
with pre- and post-roll.
To create a Marker Memory Location:
Track Show/Hide Recalls which tracks are hid- 1 Configure any session settings you will save
den. Use this property to display groups of with the Marker Memory Location, such as
tracks for editing and mixing. zoom settings, pre- and post-roll times,
Show/Hide status for tracks, Track Heights, and
Track Heights Recalls all Track Heights. Use this
Edit and Mix Group enables.
option along with Zoom Settings to recall edit
environments that are suited for particular 2 If necessary, enable Options > Link Timeline and
tasks, such as editing down to the sample level Edit Selection.
or trimming MIDI notes.
3 Ensure that the Markers ruler is displayed
Group Enables Recalls which Edit and Mix (View > Rulers > Markers).
Groups are enabled. This option is helpful in re-
calling groups for particular edit and mixing op-
erations, such as muting all drum tracks or fad-
ing a stereo pair.

Window Configuration Recalls a specific Window

Configuration. This option is helpful in recall-
ing specific Window Configurations to facilitate
editing or mixing tasks. For more information
on Window Configurations, see “Window Con-
figurations” on page 142.

Chapter 34: Memory Locations 707

 4 Do one of the following: To create a Selection Memory Location:
• Click with the Selector tool in any track or 1 Configure any session settings you will save
ruler at the location where you want to with the Selection Memory Location, such as
place the Marker. To place a Marker at the zoom settings, pre- and post-roll times,
beginning of a region, select the region Show/Hide status for tracks, Track Heights, and
with the Time Grabber tool. Click the Add Edit and Mix Group enables.
Marker/Memory Location button (or press
Enter on the numeric keypad). 2 Select a range of material in one or more
tracks.

3 Do one of the following:

• Press Enter on the numeric keypad.

Add Marker/Memory Location

– or –
• From the Memory Locations Window
Marker/Memory Location button menu, choose Add Memory Location.
– or – 4 In the New Memory Location dialog, select
• While pressing the Start key (Windows) or the Selection option and set the Reference to ei-
Control (Mac), move the cursor into the ther Bar|Beat or Absolute.
Markers ruler (where the cursor changes to
5 Enter a Name for the new Memory Location
the Grabber with a “+”) and click at the lo-
cation where you want to place the Marker. and select any General Properties you want to
save with it.

6 Click OK. The Selection Memory Location is

created and appears in the Memory Locations
window.

To create a General Properties Memory Location:

Manually inserting a Marker
1 Configure any session settings you will save
5 In the New Memory Location dialog, select
with the Selection Memory Location, such as
the Marker option and set the Reference to ei-
zoom settings, pre- and post-roll times,
ther Bar|Beat or Absolute.
Show/Hide status for tracks, Track Heights, and
6 Enter a Name for the new Marker and select Edit and Mix Group enables.
any General Properties you want to save with
2 Press Enter on the numeric keypad.
the Marker.
3 In the Memory Location dialog, select the
7 Click OK. The Marker is created and appears in
None option.
the Markers ruler, and in the Memory Locations
window. 4 Enter a Name for the new Memory Location
and select any General Properties you want to
save with it.

708 Pro Tools Reference Guide

5 Click OK. The General Properties Memory Lo- 5 When the location is reached, press Enter on
cation is created and appears in the Memory Lo- the numeric keypad. A Marker is automatically
cations window. created and appears in the Markers ruler.

In the New Memory Location dialog, you Auto-created Markers are named with increasing
can Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click numbers, for example, “Marker 1,” “Marker 2,”
(Mac) any General Property to enable or and “Marker 3.”
disable all properties. You can also Control-
When the Default To Marker option is deselected,
click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac)
new Memory Locations default to whatever type
any property to toggle its state and the state
was last created. Therefore, if a Selection Mem-
of all other General Properties.
ory Location was created last, it will be the type
Creating Memory Locations On-the-Fly that is created on-the-fly. In this case, the name
for the created Memory Location is based on the
When the Auto-Name Memory Locations When start of the Edit selection using the time format
Playing option is enabled in the Editing Prefer- for the Main Time Scale (such as “2|2|305” or
ences page, Memory Locations can be created “0:02.658”).
during playback, without opening the New
Memory Location dialog. This option can also When Use Separate Play and Stop Keys op-
be selected from the Memory Locations Win- tion is enabled in the Operation Preferences
dow menu. page, it overrides using the Enter key to add
Memory Location markers. When this op-
This capability is useful if you want to mark cer- tion is enabled, press Period (.) and then En-
tain locations while listening during a record ter on the numeric keypad to add a Memory
pass, or if you want to mark frame locations Location marker. The new marker is created
while viewing a video scene. when you press Enter.

To create a Marker during playback:

1 From the Memory Locations Window menu,
select Default To Marker. This ensures that new
Memory Locations default to being Markers.

2 From the Memory Locations Window menu,

select Auto-Name Memory Locations.

3 For inserted Markers to have a Bar|Beat refer-

ence, make sure to set the Main Time Scale to
Bars|Beats.

4 Click Play in the Transport.

Chapter 34: Memory Locations 709

 Recalling Memory Locations Editing Memory Locations
Memory Locations can be recalled from the Memory Locations can be renamed, edited, de-
Memory Locations window and from the nu- leted, and copied and pasted.
meric keypad. Additionally, Memory Location
Markers can be recalled by clicking them in the To rename a Memory Location:
Markers ruler.
1 Do one of the following:
• In the Memory Locations window, double-
To recall a Memory Location:
click the Memory Location to open the Edit
1 Select Window > Memory Locations to display Memory Location dialog.
the Memory Locations window. • In the Marker ruler, double-click the
2 If recalling a Selection Memory Location that Marker to open the Edit Memory Location
defines a record or play range, ensure that Op- dialog and relocate the insertion point at
tions > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is selected. the marker location.
• In the Marker ruler, Start-click (Windows)
3 Do one of the following:
or Control-click (Mac) the Marker to open
• In the Memory Locations window, click the the Edit Memory Location dialog without
Memory Location to recall it. locating the insertion point at the marker
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to location.
Classic, press the Memory Location num-
2 Enter the new name for the Memory Location,
ber followed by Period (.).
and click OK.
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to
Transport or Shuttle, press Period (.), the
To redefine the General Properties stored with a
Memory Location number, and Period (.)
Memory Location:
again.
1 Make changes to the session’s zoom settings,
When recalling a Memory Location from pre- and post-roll times, Show/Hide status of
the numeric keypad, the Memory Locations tracks, Track Heights, or Group Enables.
window does not need to be open.
2 Do one of the following:
To recall a Marker from the Markers ruler: • In the Memory Locations window, double-
click the Memory Location to open the Edit
1 Select View > Rulers > Markers to display the
Memory Location dialog.
Markers ruler.
• In the Marker ruler, double-click the
2 Click the Marker you want. The playback cur- Marker to open the Edit Memory Location
sor locates to the Marker and any General Prop- dialog and relocate the insertion point at
erties stored with the Marker are recalled. the marker location.
• In the Marker ruler, Start-click (Windows)
Even if the Markers ruler is not displayed,
or Control-click (Mac) the Marker to open
Markers can be recalled from the Memory Lo-
the Edit Memory Location dialog without
cations window, or from the numeric keypad.
locating the insertion point at the marker
location.

710 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 In the Memory Location dialog, select the To move a Marker by dragging:
General Properties you want to save with the
„ In the Markers ruler, drag the Marker left or
Memory Location.
right.
4 Enter a name for the Memory Location and
If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged event
click OK.
snaps to the current Grid value. If using Spot
mode, the Spot dialog opens.
To change a Memory Location from one type to
another:
To align a Marker to a different location:
1 Do one of the following:
1 If necessary, select Options > Link Timeline and
• In the Memory Locations window, double-
Edit Selection.
click the Memory Location to open the Edit
Memory Location dialog. 2 Do one of the following:
• In the Marker ruler, double-click the • In any of the Timebase rulers, click with the
Marker to open the Edit Memory Location Selector tool at the new location.
dialog and relocate the insertion point at – or –
the marker location.
• Click in the playlist for any track. To align
• In the Marker ruler, Start-click (Windows) the Marker to the start of a region, select
or Control-click (Mac) the Marker to open the region with the Time Grabber tool.
the Edit Memory Location dialog without
locating the insertion point at the marker 3 In the Memory Locations window or the
location. Markers ruler, Start-click (Windows) or Control-
click (Mac) the Marker Memory Location that
2 In the Memory Location dialog, select either
you want to redefine.
Marker, Selection, or None as the Memory Loca-
tion type. 4 Enter a name for the Marker and click OK.

3 Enter a name for the Memory Location and

Deleting Memory Locations
click OK.

To delete a Memory Location, do one of the

To change the Selection stored with a Memory following:
Location:
„ Select the Memory Location and choose De-
1 Select View > Rulers > Markers to display the
lete Memory Location from the Memory Loca-
Markers ruler.
tions Window menu.
2 Select a range of material in one or more – or –
tracks.
„ In the Memory Locations window, Alt-click
3 In the Memory Locations window, Right-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the Memory
(Windows) or Control-click (Mac) the Memory Location.
Location that you want to redefine.

4 Enter a name for the Memory Location and

click OK.

Chapter 34: Memory Locations 711

 To delete all Memory Locations, do one of the To extend an Edit selection in a track to the
following: Markers ruler:
„ Choose Delete All from the Memory Locations 1 Using the Selector or Grabber tool, select a
Window menu. track range.
– or – 2 Shift-click in the Markers ruler.

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

Shift-click again in the Markers ruler to remove
click (Mac) any Memory Location in the Mem- it from the selection.
ory Locations window.
To select all Markers in the Markers ruler:
To delete a Marker from the Markers ruler:
„ With the Selector tool, double-click in the
„Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the Markers ruler.
Marker.

Copying Marker Memory Locations

Memory Locations Window
To copy and paste a range of Markers: In the Memory Locations windows, Memory Lo-
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cations are listed with assigned number, name,
current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. and View Filter icons. Locations can be recalled
or edited from this window.
2 Drag in the Tempo ruler to select the range of
measures that includes the Markers. Memory Locations Window menu
View Filter icons
If the beginning of the selection includes a
Marker, press Control (Windows) or Command
(Mac) so the Selector tool appears.

Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while

dragging to select across all Conductor
tracks.

3 Choose Edit > Copy.

Memory Locations window with View Filter icons
4 Click in the Markers ruler at the point where
you want to paste the tempo events. To recall a Memory Location from the Memory
Location window:
5 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip-
board are pasted from the insertion point, re- „ Click the Memory Location.
placing any existing Markers.
With the Numeric Keypad mode set to
Classic, press the Memory Location number
followed by Period (.). With the Numeric
Keypad mode set to Transport or Shuttle,
press Period (.), the Memory Location
number, and Period (.) again.

712 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Memory Locations Commands and
Main Time Scale
Options Sub Time Scale

You can select viewing and sorting options,

along with commands for creating and remov-
ing Memory Locations, from the Memory Loca-
tions Window menu.

Main/Sub Counters in the Memory Locations window

You can click at the top of the Main Time Scale

column for a pop-up menu that lets you change
the Main Time Scale.

Memory Locations Window menu

View Filter Submenu Provides commands to

show or hide specific memory location proper-
ties:
• Show Icons
• View Markers
• View Selections Memory Locations Window, selecting the Main Time
Scale
• View Locations with Zoom Info
• View Locations with Pre/Post Roll Info Show Sub Counter When selected, a column ap-
pears in the Memory Locations window that dis-
• View Locations with Track Show/Hide Info
plays the locations based on the Sub Time Scale
• View Locations with Track Height Info
for Markers, and the start times for Selection
• View Locations with Group Info Memory Locations. General Property Memory
• View Locations with Window Configura- Locations display nothing in this column.
tion Info
You can click at the top of the Sub Time Scale
• Show Markers Only
column for a pop-up menu that lets you change
• View All
the Sub Time Scale.
Show Main Counter When selected, a column
Show Comments When selected, a column ap-
appears in the Memory Locations window that
pears in the Memory Locations window that dis-
displays the locations based on the Main Time-
plays the comments for each of the Markers.
scale for Markers, and the start times for Selec-
tion Memory Locations. General Property Mem-
ory Locations display nothing in this column.

Comments in the Memory Locations window

Chapter 34: Memory Locations 713

 Sort by Time When selected, Markers are sorted Auto-Name Memory Location When selected,
by their order in the Timeline, followed by Se- Memory Locations are created automatically
lection and General Properties Memory Loca- without encountering the New Memory Loca-
tions, which are listed in the order in which tion dialog. If the Default To Marker option is se-
they were created. lected, a Marker Memory Location is auto-cre-
ated. Otherwise, the Memory Location type is
When Sort by Time is deselected, all Memory Lo- determined by whatever type (Marker, Selec-
cations are listed in the order of their assigned tion, or None) was created last.
numbers.

New Memory Location Choose this command to View Filter Icons

create a new Memory Location.
When Show Icons is selected in the Memory Lo-
Edit <Name> Opens the Edit Memory Location cations pop-up menu, the Memory Locations
dialog for the selected Memory Location. You window provides an icon-based “View Filter”
can also double-click a Memory Location in the that lets you show or hide Memory Locations
Memory Locations window to edit it. based on the properties they contain. To show
or hide Memory Locations containing a specific
Clear <Name> Clears the selected Memory Loca- property, click the appropriate icon.
tion, but does not remove its slot. Subsequent
Memory Locations are not renumbered. Marker Zoom Show/Hide Window Configuration
Settings Track Heights
Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac)
a Memory Location in the Memory Loca-
tions window to clear it.

Delete All Deletes all Memory Locations. The Pre- and Post-Roll
Active Groups
Selection
next Memory Location you add starts at slot Memory Location
number 1.
Memory Locations View Filter icons
Insert Slot Before <Name> Adds a new, empty If an icon is disabled (grayed out), all Memory
Memory Location slot above the selected Mem- Locations associated with that property are hid-
ory Location, and renumbers all subsequent den. However, if a Memory Location contains
Memory Locations. other properties for an icon that is enabled, it is
still displayed. When a view icon is enabled, it
Delete <Name> Slot Deletes the selected Mem-
appears in color. When it is disabled, it appears
ory Location, and renumbers all subsequent
gray.
Memory Locations.
In addition, the View Filter provides a useful ref-
Default To Marker When selected, new Memory
erence for which properties are stored in each
Locations default to Markers, though in the New
Memory Location (indicated by a row of icons
Memory Location dialog you can still define the
for each Memory Location).
new Memory Location as one of the other types.

714 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions

Regions are placed according to the current Edit

Placing Regions in Tracks mode:

Once you have created a region, it appears in the • In Shuffle mode, existing track regions are slid
Region List. From the Region List you can drag it as necessary to make room for the new region.
to a track to add to an existing arrangement of • In Spot mode, you are prompted by the Spot
regions, or you can create a new track and start dialog to enter a location for the dragged re-
adding regions from scratch. The exact place- gion (see “Spotting Regions” on page 722).
ment of regions in a track depends on whether
• In Grid mode, the dragged region snaps to the
the Edit mode is set to Shuffle, Slip, Spot, or Grid
nearest Grid boundary.
(see “Edit Modes” on page 445).
You can temporarily disable Grid mode
For information on locating regions in the
while dragging a region by holding down the
Region List by typing the first few letters of
Control key (Windows) or Command key
their name, see “Keyboard Selection of Re-
(Mac) after clicking with the mouse.
gions” on page 216.
• In Slip mode, the regions are placed exactly
To place a region in a track:
where they are dropped in the destination
1 In the Region List, select the region or regions track.
you want to place.
Timeline Drop Order
2 Drag the selected regions from the Region List
to a location in a track. The Timeline Drop Order option in the Region List
menu sets whether tracks dragged from the Re-
If dragging multiple regions, the regions are
gion List are dropped sequentially in a single
placed on adjacent tracks left to right or on mul-
track or spread across multiple tracks, as follows:
tiple tracks from top to bottom depending on
the selected Timeline Drop Order option (see Top to Bottom When enabled, regions spread
“Timeline Drop Order” on page 715). If drag- across multiple destination (drop) tracks or on
ging a stereo audio region, it must be placed in a new tracks (when dragging to the area below the
stereo track or in two mono tracks. last track or to the Track List).

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 715

 Left to Right When enabled, regions are placed To place multiple items across multiple existing
sequentially in a single destination (drop) track tracks:
or on a new track (when dragging to the area be- 1 From the Region List menu, choose Timeline
low the last track or on to the Track List). Drop Order > Top to Bottom.

To set the Region List Drop Order: 2 Select multiple items in the Region List and
drop them in the playlist of a compatible track
„ Choose Region List > Timeline Drop Order, and at the target location. When the cursor is over a
then Top to Bottom or Left to Right. compatible destination, the region outlines ap-
pear at the location.
To drag and drop multiple items from the Region
List to multiple new tracks:
To drag and drop multiple items from the Region
1 From the Region List menu, choose Timeline List to a single track:
Drop Order > Top to Bottom. 1 From the Region List menu, choose Timeline
2 Search and sort the Region List to configure Drop Order > Left to Right.
the order in which items will be placed. 2 Search and sort the Region List to configure
3 Select multiple items in the Region List and do the order in which items will be placed.
one of the following: 3 Select multiple items in the Region List and do
• To create new tracks and place items to a one of the following:
specific location, drop items at the location • To create a new track and spot the first item
along the area below the last track. to a specific location, drop at the location
– or – in the area below the last track shown in
• To create new tracks and have items placed the Edit window.
at the start of the session, drop the items on • To create a new track and have the first
the Track List. item placed at the start of the session, drop
the items on the Track List.
• To place items in an existing track, drop the
items in the Edit playlist for the track.

A new track created by dropping multiple Region List

items with Timeline Drop Order set to Left to Right
mode

New tracks after dropping multiple Region List items,

with Timeline Drop Order set to Top to Bottom mode

716 Pro Tools Reference Guide

If the selected items include mixed types of re- To place the end of a region at the Edit insertion
gions (such as audio and MIDI, or region groups point:
and MIDI) the appropriate track types will be 1 With the Selector tool, click in the track at the
created and each corresponding item will be time location where you want to place the end
placed in them. Similarly, if the selected items of the region.
include multiple formats (mono, stereo, or
other) new tracks of each format will be created 2 Do one of the following:
and those regions placed in them. • While pressing Control+Start (Windows) or
Command+Control (Mac), drag the region
from the Region List, or from another
Placing Regions at the Edit track, to the destination track.
Insertion Point
– or –
You can drag a region from the same track, from • If the region is already in the track, Con-
another track, or from the Region List, and align trol-Start-click (Windows) or Command-
its start, end, or sync point to the Edit insertion Control-click (Mac) the region with the
point. This technique is useful in post produc- Time Grabber tool.
tion since it lets you set an Edit selection point
during playback or while stopped and then
To place the sync point of a region at the Edit
quickly place sound effects at the edit insertion insertion point:
point.
1 With the Selector tool, click in the track at the
With Pro Tools HD, when the Scrolling op- time location where you want to place the sync
tion is set to Center Playhead, regions snap point of the region.
to the playhead, instead of the Edit inser-
2 Do one of the following:
tion point.
• While pressing Start+Shift (Windows) or
To place the start of a region at the Edit insertion Control+Shift (Mac), drag the region from
point: the Region List, or from another track, to
the destination track.
1 With the Selector tool, click in the track at the
time location where you want to place the start – or –
of the region. • If the region is already in the track, Shift-
Start-click (Windows) or Shift-Control-
2 Do one of the following:
click (Mac) the region with the Time Grab-
• While pressing the Start key (Windows) or
ber tool.
Control (Mac), drag the region from the Re-
gion List, or from another track, to the des-
tination track.
– or –
• If the region is already in the track, Start-
click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) the
region with the Time Grabber tool.

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 717

 Aligning Region Start Points 3 Do one of the following:
• Control-Start-drag (Windows) or Com-
The start, end, and sync point of one region can
mand-Control-drag (Mac) a region from
be aligned to the start of a different region on
the Region List to another track.
another track.
– or –
With Pro Tools HD, when the Scrolling op- • If the region is already in the track, Con-
tion is set to Center Playhead, region start, trol-Start-click (Windows) or Command-
end, and sync points align to the playhead. Control-click (Mac) the region you want to
move with the Time Grabber tool.
To align the start points of regions on different
tracks: The end point of the second region is aligned to
1 With the Time Grabber tool, select the region the start of the first region.
you want to align to by clicking it.
To align the sync point of a region to the start of
2 If the Scrolling option is set to Center Play- another region (on a different track):
head (Pro Tools HD only), move the playhead to
1 With the Time Grabber tool, select the region
the start of the selected region. For details, see
“Moving the Playhead” on page 337. you want to align.

2 If the Scrolling option is set to Center Play-

3 Do one of the following:
head (Pro Tools HD only), move the playhead to
• Start-drag (Windows) or Control-drag
the start of the selected region (see “Moving the
(Mac) a region from the Region List to an-
Playhead” on page 337).
other track.
3 Do one of the following:
– or –
• If the region is already in the track, Start- • Start-Shift-drag (Windows) or Control-
click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) the Shift-drag (Mac) a region from the Region
region you want to move with the Time List to another track.
Grabber tool. – or –
• If the region is already in the track, Start-
The start point of the second region is aligned to
Shift-click (Windows) or Control-Shift-
the start of the first region.
click (Mac) the region you want to move
with the Time Grabber tool.
To align the end point of a region to the start of
another region (on a different track): The sync point of the second region is aligned to
1 With the Time Grabber tool, select the region the start of the first region.
you want to align to by clicking it.

2 If the Scrolling option is set to Center Play-

head (Pro Tools HD only), move the playhead to
the start of the selected region (see “Moving the
Playhead” on page 337).

718 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Sliding Regions To shuffle regions:
1 Enable Shuffle mode (see “Edit Modes” on
A region or group of selected regions (on the
same track or on multiple tracks) can be slid page 445).
with the Time Grabber tool to new locations or 2 Drag a mono region from the Region List to an
to other tracks. This feature is useful in post pro- empty track. The region snaps to the beginning
duction applications where the timing of audio of the track.
events such as sound effects and dialog need to
3 Drag a second region from the Region List to
be spotted to music, film, or video.
the same track, somewhere in the middle. The
Sliding regions is affected by whether the cur- start point for the second region snaps to the
rent Edit mode is set to Shuffle, Slip, Spot, or end of the first region.
Grid (see “Edit Modes” on page 445).
4 With the Time Grabber tool, drag the second

You can slide a copy of a region to another region to the beginning of the track.
location or track by pressing Alt (Windows)
Pro Tools “shuffles” the position of the two re-
or Option (Mac) while dragging.
gions. The second region now occurs first, yet
the two still cling together.
To retain a region’s time location when
5 Experiment more with Shuffle mode by drag-
dragging to another track, press the Start key
ging additional regions to the track and rear-
(Windows) or Control (Mac) while drag-
ranging them.
ging.
Locked regions (see “Locking Regions” on
Shuffling Regions page 730), and all regions occurring after the
locked region, are not displaced when other
In Shuffle mode, you can move regions freely neighboring regions are moved in Shuffle mode.
within a track or onto another track, but their If there is not enough room to place or duplicate
movement is constrained by other regions. That a region in front of a locked region, the insertion
is, if you place several regions in a track, their area is disabled.
start and end points automatically snap to each
other. You can then “shuffle” their order, but If you place a region while in Slip mode and
you cannot separate them from each other and switch to Shuffle mode, Pro Tools preserves the
you cannot make them overlap as in Slip mode. relative timing and position of the slipped re-
In Shuffle mode, adding another region to the gion, and any space between it and other
beginning of a track moves all subsequent re- regions.
gions to the right by the length of the region
added. With certain workflows, it is important to
exclude Shuffle mode in order to ensure that
regions stay time-aligned while editing.
Shuffle Lock prevents you from inadvert-
ently entering Shuffle mode by disabling all
key commands and control surface switches
for Shuffle mode. For more information, see
“Shuffle Lock” on page 445.

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 719

 Shuffling Multiple Tracks and To move one or more regions, or the Edit selection,
Multichannel Regions with one of the Grabber tools:
1 Make a selection.
Selections across multiple tracks or on multi-
channel tracks can be shuffled. Unlike shuffling 2 With one of the Grabber tools (Time, Separa-
regions on a single track, any partially selected tion, or Object), drag the selection to the new lo-
regions are cut and moved along with the cation.
dragged region. This lets you retain only the ma-
terial that corresponds to the dragged region. Time Grabber and Object Grabber

If you are moving audio data, the Time Grabber

and Object Grabber tools overlay only the audio
data on the destination track.

Shuffling this region cuts this channel

Shuffling multichannel regions

Moving Regions with the Grabber

Tools Moving a selection with the Time Grabber
Use the Grabber tools to move one or more re-
gions, or the Edit selection, to another location.
The Grabber tools cut the selection and paste it
to the new location.

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac)

when clicking and dragging the selection
with a Grabber tool to copy the selection
rather than cut it.

720 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Separation Grabber To snap to the preceding region on a track:

The Separation Grabber replaces the entire se- 1 Do one of the following:
lected range on the destination track Timeline. • With the Time Grabber, select a region.
– or –
• With the Selector, select an area in a track
that contains whole regions. The regions
do not need to be adjacent.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Edit > Snap To > Previous.
– or –
• Right-click the region or Edit selection and
choose Snap to Previous.

The selected region snaps to the preceding re-

gion on the track so that the two regions are
“butt-spliced.”

Moving a selection with the Separation Grabber

To snap to the next region on a track:

Snapping to the Preceding or Next 1 Do one of the following:

Region on a Track • With the Time Grabber, select a region.

A region—or an Edit selection including one or – or –

more regions on the same track or on multiple • With the Selector, select an area in a track
tracks—can snap to the end of the preceding re- that contains whole regions. The regions
gion or to the beginning of the following region do not need to be adjacent.
using the Snap to Next or Snap to Previous com- 2 Do one of the following:
mands. This is useful for “butt splicing” adjacent
• Choose Edit > Snap To > Next.
regions on a track.
– or –
• Right-click the region or Edit selection and
choose Snap to Next.

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 721

 The selected region snaps to the following re- To slip regions:
gion on the track so that the two regions are
1 Enable Slip mode (see “Edit Modes” on
“butt-spliced.”
page 445).

2 Drag a region from the Region List to an

empty track.

3 Drag a second region from the Region List to

the same track, somewhere in the middle. The
second region is placed wherever you release it.
It does not snap to the first region as in Shuffle
mode.

4 Drag the regions to different locations within

the track to get a feel for moving them in Slip
mode. Try placing the second region so that it
slightly overlaps the first region. Play back the
results.

Spotting Regions
Spot mode is useful for sessions in which you
Snapping a region to the next region in a track
want to spot regions to precise locations based
on any of the Time Scales. This is useful when
You can also use the Snap To commands performing post production tasks. In Spot mode
with an Edit selection that includes multi- you can spot a region by specifying a SMPTE
ple regions on one or more tracks. frame (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with DV
Toolkit 2 only) or bar and beat location, by cap-
Slipping Regions turing an incoming time code address, or by us-
ing the region’s time stamps.
In Slip mode, regions can be moved with the
Time Grabber tool freely within a track, or onto
For even quicker spotting, if you are using
other tracks. In this mode, it is possible to place
VITC, use the Auto-Spot Regions command
a region so that there is space between it and
to spot a region to the current SMPTE frame
other regions in a track. When the track is
location with the Time Grabber tool. For
played back, this space is silent. It is also possible
more information, see “Auto-Spotting Re-
to move a region so that it overlaps or com-
gions” on page 1030.
pletely covers another region.

722 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To spot a region: • Click one of the up arrows next to Original
Time Stamp or User Time Stamp to enter
1 Enable Spot mode (see “Edit Modes” on
the associated values into the currently se-
page 445).
lected field.
2 Do one of the following: • If you are using an external SMPTE time
• Drag a region from the Region List, or drag code source, click the down arrow next to
audio files or sessions from a DigiBase the Current Time Code display—or press
browser, to an existing track. Equal (=) on the numeric keypad—to cap-
– or – ture an incoming time code address.
• Click a region already in a track with the 6 Click OK. The region is moved to the new lo-
Time Grabber tool. cation specified for its start, end, or sync point.
3 In the Spot dialog, select a time format from If a region does not have a sync point defined,
the Time Scale pop-up menu. the Sync Point field in the Spot dialog functions
the same as the Start field.
Each of the fields in the Spot dialog are dis-
played in the chosen Time Scale.
For more information on using SMPTE with
Pro Tools, see Chapter 47, “Working with
Synchronization.”

Right-Click Commands for Spotting Regions

You can use Right-click commands with a key

combination to spot regions in a track.

In lower versions of Pro Tools, Right-click-

ing in a region with the Grabber tool would
spot the region to a selection.

To spot a region to a selection:

1 Click or drag with the Selector tool to locate
Spot dialog
the cursor or make a selection in the track where
4 With Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with Com- you want to spot the region.
plete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, if the
2 Control-Right-click (Windows) or Command-
Time Scale is set to Time Code, select the Use
Right-click (Mac) the region and choose any of
Subframes option to display subframes in the
the following from the pop-up menu:
fields for improved accuracy.
• Move Region Start to Selection Start
5 Do one of the following: • Move Region Sync to Selection Start
• Click in the field for Start, Sync Point, or • Move Region End to Selection Start
End and type in a new location. Changing
one of these locate points automatically
updates the other locate points.

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 723

 Region Time Stamps Sliding Regions in Grid Mode
When a region is created, it is time stamped rel- Grid mode provides several useful capabilities
ative to the SMPTE start time specified for the for sliding and moving regions in track playlists.
session. This Original Time Stamp is perma- This mode is especially useful for lining up re-
nently stored with the region and cannot be gions at precise intervals, as when working with
changed. If a region is ever moved, it can easily a session that is bar- and beat-based. Grid
be placed at its original position from the Spot boundaries, depending on the Main Time Scale,
dialog. can be based on frames, bar and beat values,
minutes or seconds, or a number of samples.
When the Original Time Stamp for a region is
initially set, this same location is also used to de- Grid mode also provides two operational modes,
fine the region’s User Time Stamp. Absolute and Relative. These modes control how
the Grid is applied (see “Absolute and Relative
Unlike the Original Time Stamp, the User Time
Grid Mode” on page 725).
Stamp can be redefined with the Time Stamp
command in the Region List menu (see “Time To temporarily suspend Grid mode and
Stamping” on page 1031). switch to Slip mode while dragging a region,
hold down the Control key (Windows) or
Time Stamps in DigiBase Command key (Mac).
Columns are provided in DigiBase browsers for
Setting Up the Grid
both the Original and User Time Stamps.
When the Draw Grid in Edit Window option is
Time Stamps and Matches enabled in the Display Preferences page, vertical
Grid lines appear in the Edit window.
Regions with identical User Time Stamps appear
together in the Matches submenu in the Right- Grid lines in the Edit window can also be en-
click menu when auditioning takes (see “Select- abled and disabled by clicking the Timebase
ing Alternate Takes on a Track” on page 383). ruler name after it becomes highlighted.

724 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Defining the Grid Value Absolute and Relative Grid Mode
In addition to affecting the placement of re- Grid mode can be applied in Absolute or Rela-
gions, the Grid value also constrains Timeline tive mode.
and Edit selections, and determines how the Re- ‹ In Absolute Grid mode, moving any region
gion > Quantize to Grid command works. snaps the region start to Grid boundaries. If a re-
gion’s start point falls between beats, and the
To set the Grid value: Grid is set to 1/4 notes, dragging the region will
1 Do one of the following: snap its start time to the nearest 1/4 note (the
• From the View > Main Counter menu, select current absolute Grid value).
the Time Scale for the Grid value. ‹ In Relative Grid mode, regions can be moved

– or – by Grid (or Nudge) units. If a region’s start point

falls between beats and the Grid is set to 1/4
• To keep the Main Time Scale and use a dif-
notes, dragging the region will be constrained to
ferent time format for the Grid, deselect Fol-
1/4 notes, preserving the region’s relative posi-
low Main Timebase in the Grid value pop-up
tion to the nearest beat.
menu.

2 Do one of the following: To select Absolute or Relative Grid mode:

• From the Grid value pop-up menu, select „ Click the Grid mode selector and select Abso-
the time value for the Grid boundaries. lute Grid or Relative Grid.

To temporarily suspend Grid mode and

switch to Slip mode while dragging a region,
hold down the Control key (Windows) or
Command key (Mac).

To place or move a region while in Grid mode:

1 Configure the Grid value (see “Defining the
Grid Value” on page 725).

2 Do one of the following:

• Drag a region from the Region List to an ex-
isting track.
– or –
• With the Time Grabber tool, drag a region
already in a track to a new location.
Grid value pop-up menu showing Bars|Beats

– or – The region’s start point snaps to the closest Grid

boundary. If the region has a sync point defined,
• To define a Grid based on the session’s
the sync point snaps to the Grid boundary.
Markers, selections, and region boundaries,
select Regions/Markers from the Grid value
pop-up menu.

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 725

 Replace Region Dialog
Replacing Audio Regions
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)

Use the Replace Region function to replace mul-

tiple instances of an audio region in a playlist
with another region. This is useful in post pro-
duction if you use a sound effect, room noise, or
atmosphere region many times in a session, and
later decide to replace one or all of the original
regions with a different region.

This is also useful in music production if you

want to replace a certain loop or sample (for ex-
ample, a drum beat) with a new one. You can
use this compositionally, if you know the tempo
of a section or session, to create a scratch piece
with “rough” regions of the correct length, and
later replace them with “final” regions of the
same length.

To replace regions by dragging and dropping:

1 Select a region in a track’s playlist that you
want to replace. The selection can extend be-
yond the region’s end point, to include material
from the replacement region that is longer than
the original region. Replace Region dialog

2 Control-Shift-drag (Windows) or Command- The following options are available in the Re-
Shift-drag (Mac) the replacement region from place Region dialog:
the Region List to the selected region. The Re-
place Region dialog opens. Replace: Original Region Only Replaces only the
selected region with the replacement region
Control-Shift-drag (Windows) or Com- dragged from the Region List.
mand-Shift-drag (Mac) any region from the
Region List to any unselected region on a
track to open the Replace Region dialog
without first making a selection.

3 Configure the Replace Region dialog (see “Re-

place Region Dialog” on page 726).

4 Click OK.

726 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Replace: All Instances of the Original Region Re- Region matching uses all specified Match crite-
places all instances of the selected region that fit ria. For example, if you select Start Position and
the On criteria with the replacement region End Position, all regions from the same original
from the Region List. audio file as your selection with the same origi-
• On This Track: replaces regions that fit the nal start and end times will be replaced.
Match criteria and are on the same track as
Fit Region Using The: Original Region Length If
the original region.
the replacement region is smaller than the orig-
• On All Tracks: replaces regions that fit the inal region, the region is placed in the playlist
Match criteria for all tracks in the session. and any remaining audio from the original re-
• On Within the Selection: replaces regions gion is removed.
that fit the Match criteria within the cur-
rent selection. If the replacement region is larger than the se-
lection, it is placed in the playlist and trimmed
Replace: All Regions That Match Original Re- to fit within the length of the original region.
gion’s Replaces all regions that fit the Match cri-
teria and the On criteria with the replacement Fit Region Using The: Original Selection
region from the Region List. Length When the playlist selection extends be-
• Start Position: replaces all regions that have yond the original region, the replacement re-
the same original start time as the selected gion (if larger than the original region) is
region. This includes regions that may have trimmed to fit within the selection.
been auto-created when trimming end Fit Region Using The: Replacement Region
points. Length The replacement region is placed in its
• End Position: replaces all regions that have entirety, regardless of the length of the original
the same original end time as the selected region or selection.
region. This includes regions that may have
been auto-created when trimming start Replacing Regions from the Region List
points.
The Replace Regions command is also available
• Name: replaces all regions that come from
in the Region List menu. To use this command,
the same audio file and have been renamed
make sure there is a region selected in a track
to the same name
and a different (replacement) region selected in
• On This Track: replaces regions that fit the
the Region List.
Match criteria and are on the same track as
the original region.
• On All Tracks: replaces regions that fit the
Match criteria for all tracks in the session.
• On Within the Selection: replaces regions
that fit the Match criteria within the cur-
rent selection.

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 727

 To replace regions using the Region List menu:
1 Select a region in a track to be replaced.
Sync Points
The placement of regions in Grid and Spot mode
2 Do one of the following:
can be based on the definition of a region sync
• Right-click the replacement region in the
point. Sync points are used when a specific
Region List and choose Replace Regions
point within a region must be aligned to the
from the pop-up menu.
Grid or to a particular SMPTE or bar/beat loca-
• Select the replacement region in the Region tion. This capability is important in placing mu-
List and choose Replace Regions from the sic and sound effects for film and video work.
Region List menu. (If the Region List Selec-
tion Follows Edit Selection preference is en- For example, suppose you had an audio region
abled, Control-click (Windows) or for a door slam that included the creak of the
Command-click (Mac) the selected region door closing, the actual slam, and the reverb of
to deselect it, then Control-click (Win- the slam. Using a sync point for the slam sound
dows) or Command-click (Mac) the re- in the region lets you spot it to a specific time in
placement region to select it, and then the session.
choose Replace Regions from the Region
List menu.) To define a region sync point:

3 Configure the Replace Region dialog (see “Re- 1 Enable Slip mode (see “Edit Modes” on
place Region Dialog” on page 726). page 445).

4 Click OK. 2 Do one of the following:

• With the Selector tool, click at the point in
Replace Region and Multichannel the region where you want the sync point.
Tracks – or –

The Replace Region command supports drag- • Press the Down Arrow key while playing
ging multichannel regions from the Region List back.
to multichannel tracks, provided they are the 3 Choose Region > Identify Sync Point. A small
same channel format. For example, you can re- down arrow appears at the bottom of the region,
place a selected stereo region in a stereo audio with a vertical, light gray line indicating the lo-
track with another stereo region from the Re- cation of the sync point.
gion List. However, you cannot replace it with
two mono audio regions. Additionally, you can-
not replace regions in multiple mono tracks
with multichannel regions.

sync point
Sync Points

728 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To change the location of a sync point: Dragging Sync Points
„ With the Selector tool, click at a point in a re-
You can drag a sync point to another position in
gion and choose Region > Identify Sync Point. The the audio region.
new location is identified as the sync point for
the region. To set the sync point by dragging:

You can also move the location of a sync 1 If you want the sync point to snap to the cur-
point by clicking and dragging it. See “Drag- rent Grid value, enable Grid mode (see “Edit
ging Sync Points” on page 729. Modes” on page 445).

2 Select the Time Grabber tool.

Removing Sync Points
3 Drag the sync point to a new location.
To remove a sync point, do one of the following:
„ Select the entire region and choose Region > Scrubbing Sync Points
Remove Sync Point.
While viewing an audio waveform can be a good
– or – way to set a sync point, a waveform display may
„ Choose the Time Grabber tool, then Alt-click
not always reveal the desired spot in the audio
(Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the sync point material. By scrubbing while moving the sync
to delete it. point over an audio waveform, you can listen
for the exact location to place the sync point.

Displaying Sync Points

Sync points in audio regions may displayed or
hidden.

To disable the display of sync points in audio

regions:
„ Deselect View > Region > Sync Point. Sync Point Scrub cursor

Scrubbing a Sync Point

To enable the display of sync points in audio
regions: To scrub while dragging the sync point:

„ Choose View > Region > Sync Point. 1 If you want the sync point to snap to the cur-
rent Grid value when you finish scrubbing, set
the Edit mode to Grid (see “Edit Modes” on
page 445).

2 Select the Scrubber tool.

3 Drag the sync point to a new location. The

sync point scrubs the audio as you move it.

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 729

 The Shift command works the same regardless of
Shift Command the Edit mode. For example, adjacent regions
are overlapped in Shuffle mode, the Spot dialog
Use the Shift command to move track material
does not appear when in Spot mode, and shifted
forward or back in time by a specified amount.
material does not snap to the Grid when in Grid
The Shift command can operate on selections,
mode.
regions, MIDI notes, MIDI controller data, and
automation breakpoints.

To shift a selection or region: Locking Regions

1 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, select In many cases you may want to “lock” regions
the track material you want to shift. The selected or region groups to a specific time location to
material can reside on multiple tracks. keep them from being moved inadvertently.
2 Choose Edit > Shift. In the Shift dialog, select You may also want to protect them from being
whether the data will be moved Earlier or Later. inadvertently edited. Pro Tools provides two dif-
ferent commands for locking regions: Edit lock-
3 Click in one of the Timebase fields to specify ing and Time locking.
the amount by which the material will be
shifted. Entering a value in one Timebase field
automatically updates the others. Edit Locking Regions
If you have a region or group of regions that you
want to protect from being inadvertently edited,
you can Edit lock them. Regions that are Edit-
locked cannot be edited (such as cutting, delet-
ing, separating, or trimming) or moved to a dif-
ferent time location. Copied edit-locked regions
can be pasted to any other track or time loca-
tion, but the copy will also be Edit-locked at the
new time location.

To Edit lock (or unlock) a region:

1 With the Time Grabber, select the region or re-
Shift dialog
gions to Edit lock (or unlock). The regions can
4 If you want to shift material with greater pre- reside on multiple tracks.
cision, select the Use Subframes option.

5 Click OK. The material is shifted earlier or later

by the specified amount.

If a portion of a region was selected, new regions

are created from the selection and from any ma-
terial outside of the selection.

730 Pro Tools Reference Guide

2 Choose Region > Edit Lock/Unlock. gion to another track). Time-locked regions can
also be deleted. When separating a Time-locked
Press Control+L (Windows) or Com- region, any new regions will also be locked to
mand+L (Mac) to Edit lock or unlock the se- their time locations.
lected region.
To Time lock (or unlock) a region:
1 With the Time Grabber, select the region or re-
gions to Time lock (or unlock). The regions can
reside on multiple tracks.

2 Choose Region > Time Lock/Unlock.

Edit Lock icon Press Shift+T to Time lock or unlock the se-
lected region.
Edit-locked audio region

When Edit-locked, a small Edit Lock icon ap- When Time-locked, a small Time Lock icon ap-
pears in the region and it cannot be moved, de- pears in the region and the region cannot be
leted, or edited. If you attempt to perform edits moved, but it can be edited or even deleted.
on a locked region, Pro Tools alerts you (see “Al-
lowing Editing of Edit-Locked Regions” on
page 732).

In Shuffle mode, Edit-locked regions, and all re-

gions occurring after the locked region, are not
displaced when other neighboring regions are
Time Lock icon
moved.
Time-locked audio region
On tick-based Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, Edit-
In Shuffle mode, Time-locked regions, and all re-
locked regions conform to tempo changes, but
gions occurring after the locked region, are not
not other Elastic Audio processing (such as
displaced when other neighboring regions are
Quantize or manual warping) can be applied.
moved.

Time Locking Regions On tick-based Elastic Audio-enabled tracks,

Time-locked regions conform to tempo changes,
For regions that you want to lock to a particular but not other Elastic Audio processing (such as
location in a track (a beat, SMPTE frame, or sam- Quantize or manual warping) can be applied.
ple location), you can lock it in place so it can-
not be moved accidentally. Time-locked regions
cannot be moved. However, they can be edited
in ways that do not move the region to a differ-
ent time location (such as separating, trimming,
AudioSuite processing, or even moving the re-

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 731

 Allowing Editing of Edit-Locked
Regions Stripping Silence from
Regions
If you attempt to edit an Edit-locked region,
Pro Tools warns you and prompts you to Cancel Strip Silence analyzes audio selections—across
or Allow the edit. If you allow an edit that keeps multiple tracks—and removes (or extracts) any
any part of the region intact, the region remains areas of silence, dividing the selection into
locked. smaller regions and removing the silent areas.

You can use Strip Silence to strip (remove) si-

lence from a region, or instead, extract the audio
Muting/Unmuting Regions and keep the silence. Getting rid of silent areas is
useful when preparing to compact audio (see
Choosing the Mute/Unmute Region command
“Compacting an Audio File” on page 507). Strip
mutes playback of a selected region. Choosing
Silence automatically separates the selection
the command a second time unmutes the re-
into separate regions, which is useful if you
gion. Regions that are muted become dimmed
want to quantize audio to musical values, or lo-
to indicate their status.
cate sound effects to SMPTE locations.

The Strip Silence Window

The Strip Silence window contains the following
controls that let you set the parameters by
which silence is defined when using Strip Si-
Muted audio region (middle)
lence. Adjusting these controls causes rectangles
To mute or unmute a region or regions: to temporarily appear in the selection (see
1 With the Time Grabber, select the region or re- Figure 43 on page 734), indicating areas of si-
gions you want to mute or unmute. The regions lence that will be affected by the Strip, Extract,
can even reside on multiple tracks. or Separate commands.

2 Choose Region > Mute/Unmute. When muted,

regions are dimmed.

Strip Silence window

732 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Strip Threshold Sets the amplitude threshold Auto-Naming for Strip Silence
(from –48 dB to 0 dB) for Strip Silence. Audio
falling below this threshold is considered silence The Rename button in the Strip Silence window
and removed. Audio above the threshold is re- opens the Rename Selected Regions dialog,
tained and defined as new regions. which determines how regions are named when
stripping silence command. The dialog remem-
Minimum Strip Duration Sets the minimum dura- bers your previous settings, which can be
tion (from 0 to 10,000 ms) that the material be- cleared by clicking the Clear button.
low the threshold must last to be considered si-
lence. Use this control to avoid countless small
regions that may occur within a selection.

Region Start Pad Specifies a time value to be

added to the beginning of each new region cre-
ated with Strip Silence. This is useful for preserv-
ing musical material that falls below the thresh-
old, such as the breath before a vocal phrase, or
the finger slide before a guitar chord. Rename Selected Regions dialog

Region End Pad Specifies a time value to be ap- Name Specifies the base name for regions cre-
pended to the end of each new region created ated with Strip Silence.
with Strip Silence, thereby preserving the nu-
Number Specifies the number at which sequen-
ances in the decay of the material.
tial auto-numbering starts.
Strip Clears the detected silence, but leaves the
Zeros Specifies the number of zeroes that occur
regions containing audio on the track.
before the appended auto numbers.
Extract Clears the audio and leaves the silent
Suffix Specifies text appended to the end of the
portions of the track (in other words, an “in-
name, after the auto numbering.
verse” strip silence feature that is ideal for gener-
ating room tone or ambience to use elsewhere). For example, if you set these naming options to:

Rename Opens the Rename Selected Regions di- • Name = SFX

alog (see “Auto-Naming for Strip Silence” on • Auto Number Start = 23
page 733). • Leading Zeros = 1
• Suffix = .Reel1
Separate Separates regions based on the bound-
aries detected by Strip Silence. The names generated for regions created by Strip
Silence would be:
• SFX023.Reel1
• SFX024.Reel1
• SFX025.Reel1
• SFX026.Reel1
• SFX027.Reel1

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 733

 Using Strip Silence 5 To retain material before and after the new re-
gions, adjust the settings for Region Start Pad
To strip silence from an audio selection: and Region End Pad.

1 Select one or more audio regions.

2 Choose Edit > Strip Silence.

Press Control+U (Windows) or Com-

mand+U (Mac) to open the Strip Silence
Attack to be padded Decay to be padded
window.

3 To set the naming scheme for regions created

with Strip Silence, click Rename to open the Re-
name Selected Regions dialog. For details, see
“Auto-Naming for Strip Silence” on page 733.
Strip Silence, padding region start and end points
4 In the Strip Silence window, adjust the set-
tings for Strip Threshold and Minimum Strip Du- 6 Once the Strip Silence rectangles encompass

ration (Min Strip) until Strip Silence rectangles the audio that you want to keep, press the Strip
appear in the selection. button.

The material defined as silence is removed from

the selection and new regions are created, which
also appear in the Region List.

Strip Silence is nondestructive and does not re-

move audio data from parent audio files. In ad-
Figure 43. Strip Silence rectangles dition to the Undo command, you can use the
For finer resolution on these controls, press Heal Separation command to restore stripped
Control (Windows) or Command (Mac) while material.
adjusting them.
Strip Silence works with stereo and multi-
channel tracks, and keeps their audio re-
gions phase-coherent.

734 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To extract audio from an audio selection using
Strip Silence: Inserting Silence
1 Make an Edit selection. The Insert Silence command is a simple and con-
2 Choose Edit > Strip Silence.
venient way to insert silence on audio, MIDI,
and Instrument tracks. This command lets you
3 To set the naming scheme for regions created make a selection on a track (or tracks) and insert
with Strip Silence, click Rename to open the Re- precisely that amount of silence.
name Selected Regions dialog (see “Auto-Nam-
ing for Strip Silence” on page 733). The Insert Silence command also affects
markers in any selected Conductor Rulers
4 In the Strip Silence window, adjust the set-
(such as the Tempo or Meter rulers).
tings for Strip Threshold and Minimum Strip Du-
ration (Min Strip) until the Strip Silence In Shuffle mode, all data on the track is shuffled
rectangles appear in the selection. later in the track by an amount equal to the se-
5 Click the Extract button.
lection.

All audio above the designated threshold is de- In Grid mode, the Insert Silence command
leted and the “silent” portions of the track are works just like the Clear command.
left. Shuffle Mode When inserting silence on multi-
ple tracks in Shuffle mode, the following condi-
To separate regions using Strip Silence: tions apply:
1 Make an Edit or Timeline selection. ‹ If any track is displayed as audio or MIDI data,

2 Choose Edit > Strip Silence. the selected duration of silence is inserted into
the audio or MIDI data and all underlying auto-
3 To set the naming scheme for regions created mation data on all selected tracks. All subse-
with Strip Silence, click Rename to open the Re- quent regions are shuffled by the amount of
name Selected Regions dialog (see “Auto-Nam- silence inserted. On MIDI tracks, only notes that
ing for Strip Silence” on page 733). are selected from the beginning are affected, so
4 In the Strip Silence window, adjust the set- if you have selected the tail of a note and you In-
tings for Strip Threshold and Minimum Strip Du- sert Silence, the note will remain unchanged.
ration (Min Strip) until the Strip Silence ‹ If all selected tracks are displayed as automa-
rectangles appear in the selection. tion data, the selected range is cleared of auto-
mation data only of the type visible on each
5 Click the Separate button.
track. Regions are not shuffled. Instead, a blank
New regions are created based on the bound- gap appears equal to the length of the selection.
aries detected by Strip Silence. ‹ If all selected tracks are displayed as automa-
tion data, press the Start key (Windows) or Con-
trol (Mac) while choosing the Insert Silence
command to inserts silence on all automation
playlists for all selected tracks. Regions are not
shuffled.

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 735

 Slip Mode When inserting silence on multiple
tracks in Slip mode, the following conditions Duplicating Regions
apply:
The Duplicate command copies a selection and
‹ If any track is displayed as audio or MIDI data, places it immediately after the end of the selec-
the selected range is cleared of audio or MIDI tion. Though this is similar to using Copy and
data and all underlying automation data on all Paste, Duplicate is more convenient and faster,
selected tracks. particularly when working with data on multi-
‹ If all selected tracks are displayed as automa- ple tracks.
tion data, silence is inserted only into the auto-
To make more than one copy of a selection, use
mation type visible on each track.
the Repeat command (see “Repeating Regions”
‹ If all selected tracks are displayed as automa- on page 737). You can also loop regions (see
tion data, press the Start key (Windows) or Con- “Region Looping” on page 739).
trol (Mac) while choosing the Insert Silence
command to insert silence on all automation As with the Copy and Paste commands, certain
playlists for all selected tracks. rules apply when duplicating material on multi-
ple tracks (see “Editing Across Multiple Tracks”
To insert silence into a track: on page 443).

1 Make a selection in a track or tracks. The

To duplicate a selection or region:
length of the selection determines the duration
of the silence inserted. 1 If working with material that is bar- and beat-
based, such as loops, set the Main Time Scale to
2 Choose Edit > Insert Silence. Bars|Beats.
In Shuffle mode, Pro Tools inserts the selected 2 If you want to constrain the selection to the
amount of silence. In the process, it splits the re- current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
gions at the beginning of the insertion point,
3 Make an Edit selection.
and moves the new regions later in the track by
an amount equal to the length of the selection. 4 Choose Edit > Duplicate. The material is placed
immediately after the selection’s end point.

Press Control+D (Windows) or Com-

mand+D (Mac) to Duplicate any selected
regions.

In Shuffle mode, the duplicated data is placed

directly after the end of the selection. Regions
occurring after it slide to accommodate the du-
plicated material. In Slip mode, the duplicated
material overlaps any adjacent data.

736 Pro Tools Reference Guide

When using Duplicate (or Repeat) with MIDI To repeat a selection or region:
notes that were selected with the Time Grabber
1 If working with material that is bar- and beat-
tool, material is always duplicated one measure
based, such as loops, set the Main Time Scale to
later, and is merged with existing track material
Bars|Beats.
(instead of replacing it).
2 If you want to constrain the selection to the

Duplicating Audio current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.

3 Make an Edit selection.

When using Duplicate (or Repeat) for audio that
must fall cleanly on the beat (such as rhythmic 4 Choose Edit > Repeat. In the Repeat dialog, en-
loops), it is important that you select the audio ter the number of times you want the material
material with the Selector tool, or by typing in to repeat, then click OK.
the start and end points in the Event Edit area. If
you select an audio region with the Time Grab-
ber tool (or by double-clicking it with the Selec-
tor tool), the material may drift by several ticks
because of sample-rounding.

If, on the other hand, you want to Duplicate (or

Repeat) audio that is not bar- and beat-based, set Repeat dialog
the Time Scale to any format except Bars|Beats.
This ensures that the duplicated audio material Press Alt+R (Windows) or Option+R (Mac)
has the correct number of samples and is accu- to open the Repeat dialog for any selected
rately placed. regions.

The material is placed immediately after the se-

lection’s end point, and duplicated the specified
Repeating Regions number of times.
The Repeat command is similar to Duplicate, but
In Shuffle mode, the repeated data is placed di-
lets you specify the number of times the selected
rectly after the end of the selection. Regions oc-
material is duplicated.
curring after it slide to accommodate the re-
As with the Copy and Paste commands, certain peated material. In Slip mode, the repeated
rules apply when repeating material on multiple material overlaps any subsequent data.
tracks (see “Editing Across Multiple Tracks” on
page 443).

You can repeatedly paste copied data until it

completely fills a selection (see “Repeat To Fill
Selection” on page 443).

You can also loop regions (see “Region Looping”

on page 739).

Chapter 35: Arranging Regions 737

738 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 36: Region Loops and Groups

Looped regions (all iterations) display a Loop

Region Looping icon in the lower, right corner or each loop iter-
ation.
Pro Tools lets you loop audio regions, MIDI re-
gions, and region groups. Looping regions is an
Looped region
easy and powerful way to repeat a single region
on a track or regions across tracks for composing
Source region Loop iterations
and arranging. Looping regions provides more
flexibility than the Repeat and Duplicate com-
mands.

Looped regions repeat the source region as

many times as specified in the Region Looping
dialog, or enough to fill the specified Loop
Length (such as 30 seconds or until the next re- Loop icons
gion on the track). The source region is the origi- Looped region
nal region selected for looping. Loop iterations
are all looped regions following the source re-
Looping a region does not loop any automa-
gion. In cases where a specific number of repeti-
tion associated with the source region. Use
tions has not been indicated, the last loop itera-
the Copy Special and Paste Special Repeat
tion is truncated to fill to the end of the
To Fill Selection commands to copy auto-
selection or specified Loop Length.
mation for the source loop to all loop itera-
Once looped, the looped region can be edited tions (see “Automation and Looped Re-
much like a region group. For example, selecting gions” on page 742).
and moving a looped region selects and moves
the source region and all its loop iterations to-
gether.

Chapter 36: Region Loops and Groups 739

 Creating Looped Regions 3 In the Region Looping dialog, do one of the
following:
You can create looped regions using the Loop
• Select the Number of Loops option and enter
command or using the Loop Trimmer tool.
the number of times to loop the region.
For information on using the Loop Trimmer • Select the Loop Length option and enter the
tool, see “Loop Trimmer Tool” on duration according to the main timebase. If
page 462. the duration is not an exact multiple of the
source loop’s duration, the last loop itera-
To loop a region: tion will be truncated.
1 Select an audio or MIDI region, or region • Select the Loop Until End of Session or Next
group. Region option. The looped region will be re-
peated until the end of the session, or until
You can also select regions across tracks for the next region on the track. If necessary,
looping. the last loop iteration will be truncated to
fit.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Region > Loop. 4 To add a crossfade at the loop point, select the
Enable Crossfade option. To edit the loop cross-
– or –
fade, do the following:
• Right-click the region you want to loop and
• Click the Settings button.
select Loop.
• Configure the Loop Crossfades.
• Click OK.

Region Looping dialog

Press Control+Alt+L (Windows) or

Command+Option+L (Mac) to open the
Region Looping dialog.

Loop Crossfade dialog

For information on working with crossfades,

see Chapter 26, “Fades and Crossfades.”

5 In the Region Looping dialog, click OK.

740 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To unloop a looped region: Editing Looped Regions
1 Select the looped region.
Looped regions can be edited as a group (all loop
2 Do one of the following: iterations together) or as individual regions
• Choose Region > Unloop. (each loop iteration). For example, selecting a
looped region with the Grabber tool selects the
– or – entire loop (the source region and all its loop it-
• Right-click the region you want to unloop erations), but clicking the Loop icon of one of
and select Unloop. the loop iterations selects only that one itera-
3 Do one of the following:
tion.

• Click Remove to unloop and remove all Moving a looped region moves the source re-
loop iterations except the first full loop it- gion and all its loop iterations together as a
eration (source region). group. Loop iterations cannot be moved inde-
– or – pendently of their source region. If you move or
• Click Flatten to unloop and create individ- paste another shorter region over a looped re-
ual regions from each loop iteration. gion the loop is continued after the new region.
The parts of a separated looped region can be ad-
Region Ungroup functions on loops the justed independently.
same as using the Unloop command and
choosing Flatten. Manually warping any part of a looped re-
gion in Warp view separates only that iter-
To unloop and ungroup a selection down to its ation from the looped region.
individual regions:
To select a looped region as a group (all loop
1 Select a looped region that contains one or iterations), do one of the following:
more region groups.
„ With the Grabber tool or Smart Tool, single-

2 Choose Region > Ungroup All. click the looped region.

– or –
Unlooping and Flattening Looped Regions with
Separate Regions Menu Commands „ With the Selector tool, double-click the

looped region.
The Separate Regions commands (At Selection,
On Grid, and At Transients) automatically unloop The source region and all its loop iterations are
and flatten looped regions before separating. selected.

Chapter 36: Region Loops and Groups 741

 To select an individual source region or loop If the source region is extended to the left by us-
iteration, do one of the following: ing the Trimmer tool to change the total length
„ With the Grabber tool or Smart Tool, single-
of the looped region, the source region is moved
click the Loop icon of the source region or loop earlier in the Timeline and loop iterations fill in
iteration. up to the point where the last original loop iter-
ation ended. If the trim to the left is part of the
– or –
source region’s length, the source region is not
„ With the Selector tool, single click the Loop moved and a partial loop iteration is created to
icon and drag to the left until the region is se- the left of the source region. This is a powerful
lected. feature that lets you make quick changes to your
arrangement by using partial loops as upbeats,
or by extending looped sound effects or ambi-
ence earlier in a film score.

To trim a looped region to the selection:

1 Use the Selector tool to make an Edit selection
Loop icon including some or all of the looped region.
A single selected loop iteration 2 Choose Edit > Trim Region and one of the Trim

Tabbing to Transients and Region Boundaries Region commands (To Selection, To Fill Selection,
Start to Fill Selection, or End to Fill Selection).
With Tab to Transients enabled you can tab
both to transients and region boundaries in a
looped region. Normal Tab (Tab to Transients
Automation and Looped Regions
disabled) tabs to the start and end boundaries of Looping an audio region does not loop any au-
the entire looped region. For more information, tomation associated with the source region. This
see “Tabbing to Transients” on page 484. lets you apply automation across an entire
looped region. For example, you may want to
Trimming Looped Regions have a long volume fade across part or all of a
looped region that is independent of any one
Trimming looped regions can be done using the
single loop iteration.
Trimmer tool, the Loop Trimmer tool, or one of
the Trim Region commands. The Loop Trimmer You can also repeat automation on each loop it-
tool trims the entire looped region. The Trim- eration. For looped audio regions, use the Copy
mer tool trims only the individual loop iteration Special and Paste Special Repeat to Fill Selection
while increasing or decreasing the number of commands to copy and paste any or all automa-
loop iterations to fill the total length of the tion data from the source region to some or all
looped region. of its loop iterations.

For information on trimming looped regions

using the Loop Trimmer tool, see “Loop
Trimmer Tool” on page 462.

742 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To copy and paste automation from the source Region groups can be placed on tracks alongside
region to loop iterations: standard regions, and edited using many of the
1 Select the source region. same editing techniques as regular regions. Cer-
tain edits to a region group will apply to all re-
2 Choose Edit > Copy Special and one of the Copy gions contained by the region group, such as Cut
Special commands (All Automation, Pan Automa- or Delete. Other edits only apply to the bound-
tion, or Plug-in Automation), depending on what aries of the region group and do not affect the
automation you want to copy. underlining regions, such as Trim.

Each region group is saved with the session as a

Region Group file (.rgrp). Region group files can
be exported from and imported into different
Pro Tools sessions.
Selected Pan automation for Special Copy
Region groups are especially useful for:
3 Select the entire looped region.
• Grouping tick-based audio regions that have
4 Choose Edit > Paste Special > Repeat to Fill Se- been separated into many small regions, such
lection. as with individual hits of a drum pattern.
Many such small regions can easily be created
with Beat Detective or the Separate Region At
Transients command, or imported as REX or
ACID files.
Pan automation Special Paste to Fill Selection • Grouping parts and sections of your session to
facilitate composition and arranging. For ex-
ample, grouping the regions of a brass section
Region Groups during the chorus to copy it to the next cho-
rus.
A region group is a collection of any combination
of audio and MIDI regions that looks and acts Region groups are completely independent
like a single region. Region groups are essen- of and unique from Mix and Edit Groups.
tially containers holding one or more regions.
Region groups can be created on a single or on
Editing Elastic Properties is disallowed for
multiple adjacent audio, MIDI, and Instrument
region groups.
tracks. Region groups let you “nest” multiple re-
gions into “macro” regions for groove and
tempo manipulation, editing, and arranging. Region groups are not supported on audio
tracks set to Playlists view. Changing an
audio track to Playlist View automatically
ungroups any region groups on the track.

Chapter 36: Region Loops and Groups 743

 Creating Region Groups

To create a region group:

1 Select one or more regions on one or more
tracks. (For more information on multitrack re-
gion groups, see “Multitrack Region Groups” on
Region Group icon
page 745).
A region group on an audio track and in the Region List

Region Group Timebase Format

Region groups are created in the same timebase

format (samples or ticks) as the tracks on which
Selecting regions to be grouped on a single audio track
they are created. Multitrack region groups can
The size of the selection determines the size of include both sample-based and tick-based
the region group. The selection can start and tracks.
end on any region boundary, empty space, or
even in the middle of a region. Selections start-
ing or ending within a region will separate the
region at the selection boundary when you cre-
ate a region group. Region groups created from
object-based selections include all selected and
unselected regions between the first and last se-
lected region on the track. Audio Region Group icon

2 Do one of the following: A region group on an audio track

• Choose Region > Group.
– or –
• Right-click the Edit selection and choose
Group.

Press Control+Alt+G (Windows) or

Command+Option+G (Mac) to group
selected regions. MIDI Region Group icon

A region group on a MIDI track

The Group and Ungroup Region menu
commands apply to any Edit selection
Region groups can be created from empty
regardless of the current Track View.
selections. This can be useful when working
The region group appears as one region with the in Shuffle mode to preserve the gaps between
region groups icon in the lower left corner. Re- regions.
gion groups also appear in the Region List.

744 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Ungrouping Regions To regroup a region group:
1 Select any region from the ungrouped region
To ungroup a region group: group.
1 Select a region group.
2 Choose Region > Regroup.
2 Do one of the following:
Press Control+Alt+R (Windows) or
• Choose Region > Ungroup.
Command+Option+R (Mac) to regroup
– or – selected regions that were formally part of a
• Right-click the Edit selection and choose region group.
Ungroup.
If you used the Ungroup All command, the Re-
Press Control+Alt+U (Windows) or group command recreates all previous nested re-
Command+Option+U (Mac) to ungroup gion groups.
selected region groups.
3 If you regrouped an ungrouped region group
The region group disappears, revealing all un- that was used more than once in the session, do
derlying regions and any nested region groups. one of the following when the Change All dialog
When there are multiple nested region groups, opens.
the Ungroup command will ungroup the front- • Choose Modify to apply your changes to all
most top-layer region group only, preserving other instances of the same region group.
any underlying region groups. – or –
• Choose Copy to create a copy and apply
To ungroup a region group (and include all of its
your changes only to the copied region
nested region groups):
group.
1 Select a region group.

2 Choose Region > Ungroup All. Multitrack Region Groups

Multitrack region groups (region groups created
Regrouping Regions
across multiple tracks) are useful for grouping
The Regroup menu command undoes the last Un- parts (such as multi-miked drum tracks), and for
group command and regroups all the individual composing and arranging. Multitrack region
regions as a region group. This lets you ungroup groups can be created across any combination of
a grouped region, edit its underlying regions, audio, MIDI, and Instrument tracks, and can in-
and regroup it to continue working on higher- clude either or both tick-based or sample-based
level composition and arranging. tracks.

Multitrack region groups work much like single-

track region groups. Multitrack region groups
appear as a single object across adjacent tracks.

Chapter 36: Region Loops and Groups 745

 To create a multitrack region group:
Multitrack region groups create nested
1 Select regions across multiple adjacent tracks.
region groups of multiple regions by track
before grouping them across tracks.

The Regroup command supports multitrack

region groups.

Separated Multitrack Region Groups

You can insert, move, hide, or delete tracks in
multitrack region groups, but it may break the
Selecting regions to be grouped across multiple tracks region group. A separated region group displays
a break in the Region Group icon. Separated re-
2 Choose Region > Group.
gion groups will continue to function as a single
region group, but the separated icon indicates
that the region group displayed is somehow in-
complete or separated across nonadjacent
tracks.

Region Group icon

Multitrack region group

Separated Region Group icon

Region group separated by deleting a track

Mixed Region Group icon

Mixed multitrack region group (sample- and tick-based

audio, and tick-based MIDI)

746 Pro Tools Reference Guide

A region group is separated when you do any of Region Groups on Tick-Based
the following: Tracks
• Insert a track within a multitrack region
When changing tempos, region groups on tick-
group.
based tracks adjust their length by adjusting the
• Move a track that is part of a multitrack region position of all enclosed regions accordingly.
group so that it is no longer adjacent with the This can be useful for arranging rhythmic mate-
other tracks of the region group. rial and for playing back region groups imported
• Hide a track that is part of a multitrack region from REX and ACID files.
group.
• Delete a track that is part of a multitrack re-
gion group.
• Change the tempo of a mixed sample-based
and tick-based region group.
• Record into a region group.
• Change playlists on a track that is part of a
multitrack region group.
• Change to Playlists view.
• Apply manual warping in Warp view.

There may be situations where you want sepa-

A region group on a tick-based audio track at 120 BPM
rated region groups. For example, if you use the
and at 160 BPM
same accompaniment on verses one and two of
a song, you can group the parts of verse one and Changing Region Group Timebase
copy them as a region group for verse two, but
still have a continuous vocal track in the middle The timebase format of a region group can be
of those region groups. changed by:
• Changing the track’s timebase.
If you want to delete a track and keep the
– or –
region group intact, first ungroup the region
• Dragging the region group to a track with a
group, then delete track, and then Regroup
different timebase.
the region group. The region group will be
recreated intact, but without the deleted Changing the timebase creates a copy of the
track. original region group. Both region groups (the
original and the copy) appear in the Region List,
but they have different timebases.

Chapter 36: Region Loops and Groups 747

 Converting Samples to Ticks Editing Region Groups
When dragging a region group from a sample- Region groups are edited in much the same way
based track to a tick-based track, the length of as regular regions: They can be named, moved,
the region group does not change. This is be- cut, copied, pasted, trimmed, muted, locked,
cause region groups are converted from samples and so on. However, there are a few significant
to ticks after they are moved into tick-based differences between editing regular regions and
tracks. The length of the region group only region groups.
changes with subsequent tempo changes. If ap-
propriate, change the local tempo on the tick- Editing MIDI Region Groups
based track to match the tempo of the sample-
based region group before moving a sample- If a MIDI region within a region group is modi-
based region group to a tick-based track. fied in any way, a new region copy is created
and placed over of the region group. For exam-
Converting Ticks to Samples ple, if you record, draw in a new note, edit MIDI
controller data, or quantize a Timeline selection,
When dragging a region group from a tick-based
a new region is created over the region group.
track to a sample-based track, the length of the
region group does not change unless it is moved
Editing Audio Region Groups
to another time location with a different tempo.
This is because region groups are converted from Certain audio editing commands create new re-
ticks to samples after they are moved into the gions over region groups. To use these com-
sample-based tracks. mands and maintain the region group, ungroup
the region group, perform the edit, and then re-
Multitrack Region Groups with Sample- and group the region group.
Tick-Based Tracks
The following edit commands create new re-
Multitrack region groups can include both sam-
gions over region groups:
ple-based and tick-based tracks. However,
changing the tempo separates the region group • AudioSuite processing of a grouped region re-
between sample-based tracks and tick-based sults in a new region over the region group.
tracks. • Consolidating a selection of a grouped region
creates a new audio file and region over the re-
gion group.
• Recording into a region group creates a new
audio file and region over the region group.
• Pencil tool waveform redraw results in a new
region over the region group.

A multitrack region group separated across sample-

based and tick-based tracks after changing tempo

748 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Tabbing to Transients and Region Boundaries Recording
With Tab to Transients enabled, the Tab key When recording audio or MIDI, new regions are
moves the Location Cursor to transients and re- created over (in front) of region groups instead
gion boundaries within a region group. of being included in the region group. To record
into a region group, first ungroup the region
With Tab to Transients disabled, the Tab key
group, then record, and then regroup the region
moves the Location Cursor to region group
group. The region group will be recreated intact
boundaries only (and the sync point, if present).
with the newly recorded material.
For more information, see “Tabbing to
Transients” on page 484. Fades and Crossfades on Region
Groups
Trimming Region Groups
Region groups can have fades and crossfades just
Trimming region groups with the Standard like regular regions. Fades only apply to audio
Trimmer tool works the same way as trimming regions. In addition to crossfading between re-
regular regions, regardless of whether you are gion groups, you can also crossfade between re-
trimming a single-track region group or a multi- gion groups and regular audio regions.
track region group.

Trimming a region group does not trim the un-

derlying regions, but rather trims the region
group boundaries. All underlying regions retain
their original length and location. This is true
for all underlying audio and MIDI regions, and
nested region groups. If you trim the region
group shorter, underlying regions may not be
heard on playback because they are outside the
region boundaries of the trimmed region group. Two adjacent multitrack region groups with crossfades
on the audio tracks, but not on the MIDI track
When trimming region groups with the TC/E
Trimmer tool, it applies only to audio or MIDI Ungrouping a region group removes any
regions, depending on which region type in the region group level fades or crossfades. Fades
group you trim, and creates a new region over and crossfades are restored by the Regroup
the region group. command.

If you ungroup regions after trimming a region

group in (shorter), audio regions falling outside Region groups that contain regions with
of the bounds of the current region group are fades are not allowed on Elastic Audio-
trimmed to fit the region group boundary or re- enabled tracks.
moved.

Chapter 36: Region Loops and Groups 749

 Region group files do not store the following:
When changing tempo with region groups
• Automation
on tick-based tracks, you may need to Un-
• Plug-ins
group, redo or create new fades, and then
Regroup in order to maintain the fades. • Track routing
• Meter map
• Region List information
For information on working with fades and
crossfades in Pro Tools, see Chapter 26, For information importing and exporting
“Fades and Crossfades.” region groups, see “Importing and Exporting
Region Group Files” on page 305.
Importing and Exporting Region
Group Files
Pro Tools can export and import region groups
as region group files (.rgrp) to do any of the fol-
lowing:
• Separate region group metadata from audio
files to avoid unnecessary file copy opera-
tions when exporting audio region groups
composed from multiple source files
• Export MIDI data as part of a region group
• Create multitrack loops

Region group files store the following metadata:

• References to all audio files within the re-
gion group
• Region names and relative location in
tracks
• Embedded fades and crossfades
• Region group names and format (single or
multitrack)
• All MIDI data present in the region group
(such as notes, controllers, Sysex, and so
on)
• Track names
• Elastic Audio Warp markers and TCE factor
• Region timebase (samples or ticks)
• Sync points
• Loops
• Tempo map

750 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Part VIII: Processing

751
752
Chapter 37: AudioSuite Processing

This chapter explains the use of AudioSuite

plug-ins in Pro Tools. AudioSuite plug-ins are The AudioSuite Menu
used to process and modify audio files on disk.
AudioSuite plug-ins are accessed through the
AudioSuite processing applies non-real-time, or
AudioSuite menu. Plug-ins can be organized in
rendered, audio processing to selected audio re-
the AudioSuite menu in Pro Tools by Flat List
gions in your Pro Tools session. Depending on
(with plug-ins in alphabetical order), Category,
how you configure an AudioSuite plug-in, it will
Manufacturer, or Category and Manufacturer.
either alter the original source audio file or cre-
ate an entirely new audio source file. For more information, see “Plug-in Menu
Organization” on page 877.
For information on individual AudioSuite
plug-ins included with Pro Tools, see the To open the AudioSuite Plug-in window:
DigiRack Plug-ins Guide.
1 Make an Edit selection that includes the audio
TDM and RTAS plug-ins process audio playing region, or regions, you want to process.
back or through a track. These plug-ins are non- 2 From the AudioSuite menu, select the Plug-in
destructive and real time. For information on you want.
using real-time plug-ins (as well as hardware in-
serts) on tracks, see Chapter 41, “Plug-in and
Hardware Inserts.”

Selecting and AudioSuite plug-in

Chapter 37: AudioSuite Processing 753

 AudioSuite Plug-in Selector
The AudioSuite Window
From this menu you can select any AudioSuite
When you select a plug-in from the AudioSuite plug-in installed in your Plug-ins folder. Plug-
menu, the AudioSuite window appears. From ins are listed in the Plug-in selector pop-up
this floating window you can access and edit the menu according to the Organize Plug-ins Menu By
controls for the selected AudioSuite plug-in. setting in the Display Preferences page.

AudioSuite window, EQ III 1-Band shown

Plug-in menu (flat list, non-category view)

AudioSuite Window Header Selection Reference

The AudioSuite Window header provides con- This menu aims the selected process at either re-
trols for changing AudioSuite plug-ins and set- gions selected in an audio track or playlist, or at
ting presets, and how AudioSuite processing will regions selected in the Region List.
be applied.
When you select a region on-screen (in either a
Use in Playlist button track/playlist or the Region List) Pro Tools nor-
Selection Reference Librarian menu mally selects both occurrences of the region.
Plug-in selector
Since you may not want to process both, this
menu provides a convenient means of limiting
the AudioSuite process to regions selected in one
or the other.
File Mode selector
Process Mode selector Compare
Settings Select
Next Setting
Previous Setting
Selection Reference pop-up menu (Invert plug-in shown)
AudioSuite window header
Playlist Applies AudioSuite processing to regions
on the Timeline (playlists on audio tracks). Pro-
cessed regions also appear in the Region List.

754 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Region List Applies AudioSuite processing only File Mode Selector
to selected regions in the Region List. Processing
is not be applied to regions on the Timeline This menu lets you select whether or not the Au-
(playlists on audio tracks). dioSuite plug-in will process the selected audio
destructively or nondestructively, and how the
If the Use In Playlist option is enabled in original files will be modified.
addition to Region List being selected in the
Selection Reference pop-up menu, the pro-
cessing will be applied to the selected region
in both the playlist and the Region List.
File Mode pop-up menu (Invert plug-in shown)
Use In Playlist Button
There are three options:
This button determines whether AudioSuite
processing will replace all instances of the se- Overwrite Files Processes the selected regions de-
lected regions everywhere in the session, or only structively, overwriting the original audio. Not
the occurrences of the regions that are currently all AudioSuite plug-ins can be used destruc-
selected. tively.

Use In Playlist Off When Use in Playlist is dis- Create Individual Files Processes the selected re-
abled, a new, processed version of the selected gions nondestructively, creating a new audio
region will be added to the Region List. No orig- file for each region. The new audio files are
inal regions will be replaced or overwritten any- added to the session, leaving the original source
where in the session. audio files in the Region List unchanged.
(Whether the processed audio is added to the
Use In Playlist On, Reference = Region
current playlist or only to the Region List, is de-
List When Use in Playlist is enabled and the Se-
termined by the Selection Reference setting.)
lection Reference pop-up menu is set to Region
List, all copies of the selected region will be re- Create Continuous File Processes the selected re-
placed everywhere in the session. gions nondestructively and creates a new audio
file consisting of the selected regions consoli-
Use In Playlist On, Reference = Playlist When
dated into a single, unbroken region. This mode
Use in Playlist is enabled and the Selection Refer-
is particularly useful if you are assembling a
ence is set to Playlist, only regions selected in
composite track from multiple takes. This mode
tracks in the Edit window will be replaced. If the
is not available when the Selection Reference is
session includes other copies of the region used
set to Region List.
in other playlists, those copies of the original,
unprocessed region will not be replaced. The Create Continuous File option is not
available with some time domain plug-ins.
If the Selection Reference pop-up menu is set
To achieve a similar result, use the Dupli-
to Region List, the Use in Playlist button
cate plug-in to consolidate regions processed
will automatically be disabled to ensure
with these plug-ins.
that you do not accidentally replace every
occurrence of the region in a session.

Chapter 37: AudioSuite Processing 755

 Process Mode Selector Plug-in Settings Menu Lets you copy, paste, save,
and import plug-in presets.
If you have made a selection that includes mul-
tiple regions, this pop-up menu lets you specify Plug-in Librarian Menu Recalls settings files (pre-
whether AudioSuite processing is performed on sets) saved in the plug-in’s root settings folder or
a region-by-region, or entire-selection basis. in the current session’s Settings folder.

Next (+) and Previous (–) Setting Buttons Lets

you select the next or previous plug-in setting
from the Plug-in Librarian menu.

Process Mode selector (Invert plug-in shown)

You will lose the current plug-in settings if
they are not saved before you use the Next
Region by Region Analyzes each region in a se- and Previous Setting buttons. Always save
lection individually, rather than over the entire your plug-ins settings as presets using the
multi-region selection as a whole. Plug-in Settings menu.

Entire Selection Uses the entire selection for Plug-ins Settings Select Button Accesses the
analysis. All regions will be analyzed and pro- Plug-in Settings dialog, which lists the presets
cessed relative to the entire selection. for the current plug-in. From this list, you can
select a new preset, or audition a series of pre-
AudioSuite Plug-in Preset Controls sets.

Most AudioSuite plug-ins let you load and save Compare Toggles between the original saved
presets (plug-in settings files). However, some plug-in preset and any changes you have made
AudioSuite plug-ins, such as DC Offset Removal to it so you can compare them.
or Duplicate, do not provide Preset controls
since they have no parameter controls. Other AudioSuite Controls
Plug-in Settings menu In addition to the standard AudioSuite controls
Librarian menu that are common to all AudioSuite plug-ins,
there are a number of special-purpose controls
found only on certain plug-ins:
Compare
Settings Select Chan/Track Process Mode Selector
Next Setting
Previous Setting If you have made a selection that includes re-
AudioSuite Preset controls gions from multiple tracks, the Normalize
AudioSuite plug-in (as well as some third-party
AudioSuite plug-ins) lets you choose whether
For more information about plug-in presets,
you want to perform processing on a channel-
see “Plug-in Presets” on page 886.
by-channel/track-by-track, or an all-channel/all-
Plug-in Selector Lets you select any AudioSuite tracks basis using the Chan/Track Process Mode
plug-in installed on your system. selector.

756 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Peak On Each Chan/Track Analyzes and pro- Channel Mode Button
cesses each selected track individually. If you ap-
The Channel Mode button lets you process con-
ply the Normalize plug-in to multiple tracks or a
tiguous channels within a selected region as
multichannel track in Peak On Each Chan/Track
though they were mono or stereo tracks (and in
mode, each channel or track will be normalized
some cases greater-than-stereo tracks), regard-
independently, without regard to the other se-
less of the type of tracks they occupy.
lected tracks.
Mono Mode Processes each contiguous channel
Peak On All Chans/Tracks Uses all currently se-
within a selected region as a separate mono
lected channels and tracks for analysis. If you
track. For example, a region comprised of six
apply the Normalize plug-in to a multichannel
mono tracks would be processed as six mono
track or multiple tracks in Peak On All
tracks.
Chans/Tracks mode, the tracks will be analyzed
as a single entity and regions will be normalized Stereo Mode Processes each contiguous pair of
relative to the averaged peak level within all se- channels within a selected region as a stereo
lected channels and tracks. track. When applied to an odd number of chan-
nels, the plug-in processes the last odd, unpaired
Find Level Button
channel as mono, using the left channel settings
For some gain processing plug-ins, the Find Level of the stereo plug-in. If you want the last track to
button can be found next to the Process button be processed in stereo, you must select an addi-
in the AudioSuite Plug-in Window footer. It can tional track to pair it with—an empty one if nec-
analyze a selection without actually processing essary.
it. For example, using the DigiRack Gain plug-
in, you can use the Find Level button to deter- For example, a region comprised of two mono
mine the maximum peak level on a track at a tracks would be processed as a stereo track, with
specific gain value before you process the audio. the first mono track processed as the left chan-
nel and the second mono track processed as the
Key Input Selector right channel.

Selects a track/bus to be used to trigger process- Multi Mode Processes each set of three or more
ing. In order to use this feature, the key input contiguous channels within a selected region as
source audio must occur at the same time as the a multichannel greater-than-stereo track, with
target audio. Side-chain input is monophonic. the number of selected channels determining
See “Side-Chain Input” on page 885. the type of track. For example, five contigu-
ously-selected channels would be processed as a
Side-chain inputs for plug-ins have no effect 5.0 track, while seven contiguously-selected
on AudioSuite processes when the Selection channels will be processed as a 7.1 track.
Reference is set to Region List.
Multi mode is available only for certain
plug-ins, such as Dynamics III.

Chapter 37: AudioSuite Processing 757

 AudioSuite Window Footer ‹ In Mono mode, only the first channel of any
selected multichannel region will be previewed.
The AudioSuite Window footer provides con-
‹ If you are processing using Region-by-Region
trols for previewing and applying AudioSuite
mode, the Preview function will preview only
processing.
the first region within a multi-region selection.
Preview button Preview volume To hear all selected regions, temporarily select
Preview Level meters Create Continuous File from the File Mode menu
before previewing.

Preview Volume
Bypass button Process button
The Preview Volume control lets you adjust the
AudioSuite window footer
volume for previewing AudioSuite processing.
Preview
To adjust the volume for previewing AudioSuite
The Preview button lets you audition the effect processing:
of a plug-in before you process the audio. By ad- 1 Click the Preview Volume control.
justing the plug-in controls while you listen to
this audio preview, you can fine-tune the effect. 2 In the resulting pop-up fader, drag up to in-
Not all AudioSuite plug-ins support previewing. crease the preview volume and drag down to de-
crease the preview volume.
The Preview function routes audio to the spe-
cific outputs selected for the Audition Path setting
in the Outputs page of the I/O Setup dialog.
Make sure you have configured this option cor-
rectly for your system or you may not be able to
hear previewed audio.

For more information on using the I/O

Setup dialog to configure your system’s Adjust the volume for previewing AudioSuite processing
audio outputs, see “Audition Paths” on
Preview Volume Level Meters
page 75.
The Preview Volume Level meters display the
Before you previewing AudioSuite processing,
levels for previewed AudioSuite processing. This
be aware that:
can help you watch for clipping in the processed
‹ The performance of the Preview function de- signal.
pends on the speed of your CPU. Faster comput-
ers preview AudioSuite effects better than slower Bypass
computers.
When Bypass is enabled, the selected audio is
‹ Regardless of how many tracks and regions are
auditioned without AudioSuite processing. The
currently selected, the Preview button will audi-
Bypass button applies only to previewing. It
tion only the first selected stereo track or the
does not affect actual AudioSuite processing.
first selected pair of mono tracks.

758 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Process Undoing AudioSuite Processing

Clicking the Process button begins AudioSuite If you have processed an audio selection nonde-
processing of the selected audio. Processing can structively, the Undo and Redo commands let
occur during playback (though it may take you undo the selected AudioSuite process. You
slightly longer). Processed files are auto-named can undo or redo an AudioSuite process during
with the region or audio file’s name and include audio playback.
an acronym for the chosen AudioSuite process.
Undo is not available when a plug-in is
New files are written to the hard disk specified configured for destructive editing since the
for that track in the Disk Allocation dialog, or to process has already overwritten the source
the same drive as the original file if the region is audio file.
not currently on a track. See “Automatic File
Naming of AudioSuite-Processed Audio” on Automatic File Naming of AudioSuite-
page 759. Processed Audio

When new audio files are created as a result of

Multichannel Processing AudioSuite processing, Pro Tools will auto-name
Most DigiRack AudioSuite plug-ins can process these files according to the type of plug-in used.
up to 48 channels of audio simultaneously. The name of the region determines the prefix,
while the type of AudioSuite plug-in determines
When processing multiple regions of the suffix.
different formats (mono and multichannel
surround, for example), all channels will be Automatic file naming follows these rules:
processed according to the channel format ‹ New regions are named beginning with the re-
of the AudioSuite plug-in. Mono AudioSuite gion name, followed by an abbreviation of the
plug-ins can process stereo regions and current AudioSuite process, followed by stan-
stereo AudioSuite plug-ins can process dard Pro Tools file and region numbering.
mono regions.
‹ If a plug-in’s File Mode is set to Overwrite Files,
the original region’s name will not be changed.
‹ If a plug-in’s File Mode is set to Create Individ-
ual Files, the resulting regions will have an ab-
breviated version of the plug-in name appended
to them.

Chapter 37: AudioSuite Processing 759

 Selecting Tracks for Delay or Reverb
Using AudioSuite Plug-ins Processing
AudioSuite plug-ins can be applied to whole re- Because some AudioSuite effects such as delay
gions, partial regions, or selections that are and reverb add additional material to the end of
made up of whole and partial regions across one the selected audio, it is important that you make
or more tracks. a selection that is longer than the original source
material so that the plug-in can write it to the
When audio selected in the Edit window in-
audio file. If you select only the original mate-
cludes partial regions, the regions will automat-
rial, without leaving additional space at the end,
ically be split into two or more regions when
any reverb decay or delay that occurs after the
they are processed. Processing is applied only to
end of the region will be cut off.
the selection, leaving other regions unchanged.
To compensate for this, place the region in a
Processing a locked region will cause the re-
track and select the audio plus an amount of
gion to become unlocked, and processing a
blank space at the end of the region equal to the
muted region will cause it to become un-
amount of delay or reverb decay that you have
muted.
added in the plug-in. The plug-in will then have
Only audio files on locally connected hard space at the end of the region in which to write
drives can be processed with AudioSuite plug- the final delay or decay. If you select more time
ins. You cannot process audio files on remote than needed, you can trim it after applying Au-
hard drives over a network (unless it is a Unity dioSuite processing.
network).
To process audio with an AudioSuite plug-in:
1 Do one of the following:
Selecting Tracks for AudioSuite
Processing • Make an Edit selection of the audio you
want to process.
Because AudioSuite processes are performed on
– or –
the specific regions that you select, it is impor-
tant that you select only those regions, or parts • Select audio regions in the Region List that
of regions, you actually want to process. you want to process.

2 Choose an AudioSuite plug-in from the

When processing a single audio channel
AudioSuite menu.
with an AudioSuite plug-in, make sure that
the plug-in is set to Mono mode, if available. 3 Adjust the plug-in controls for the effect you
want. These settings determine how the file is
processed and what effect the processing has on
the original regions.

760 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Follow these guidelines: The selected audio is processed according to the
• To process the selected region only in the specified settings. Pro Tools appends an acro-
track in which it appears, select Playlist for nym to the region name indicating the Audio-
the Selection Reference. Alternatively, if Suite process that has been applied. Any new au-
you want to process the selected region in dio files appear in the Region List.
the Region List only, select Region List.
• If you want to process and update every oc- Using AudioSuite Plug-ins in
currence of the selected region throughout Stereo
your session, enable the Use In Playlist but-
ton (and also select Region List as the Selec- Some AudioSuite plug-ins can be used in either
tion Reference). Alternatively, if you do not mono or stereo. If you plan to use them in ste-
want to update every occurrence of the se- reo, consider the following:
lected region, deselect the Use In Playlist ‹ To process a mono track and obtain a stereo
button. result, select the track or region plus an empty
• To configure the plug-in for destructive track or region. Then set the plug-in to Stereo
processing, select Overwrite Files for the File mode and select the Sum Inputs button (if
Mode. This will overwrite and permanently present) to center the dry signal. When you pro-
modify the original source audio files. cess the audio, the result will be two tracks or re-
• Alternatively, to configure the plug-in for gions that represent the right and left channels
nondestructive processing, select Create In- of the processed audio. You should then pan
dividual Files for the File Mode. This will cre- these tracks hard right and hard left in your mix.
ate new audio files that have been ‹ If you set a plug-in to Stereo mode, then select
processed with the AudioSuite plug-in set- an odd number of Pro Tools tracks for process-
tings and leave the original source audio ing (as opposed to an even number), the plug-in
files untouched. will process the selected tracks in pairs, in stereo.
• If you have selected multiple regions for However, the last odd, unpaired track will be
processing and want to create a new file processed as mono, using the left channel set-
that connects and consolidates all of these tings of the stereo plug-in. If you want the last
regions together, select Create Continuous track to be processed in stereo, you must select
File for the File Mode. an additional track to pair it with—an empty
one if necessary.
4 Click the Preview button to audition the Audi-
oSuite processing of the selected material. For more information, see “Channel Mode
5 Make any further adjustments to the plug-in
Button” on page 757.
controls if necessary.

6 When you are satisfied with the results, click

the Process button.

Chapter 37: AudioSuite Processing 761

762 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 38: Elastic Audio

Elastic Audio provides track-based Real-Time Working with Loops

and Rendered Time Compression and Expan-
If you work with loops, Elastic Audio lets you
sion (TCE) and region-based pitch shifting
preview your loops in DigiBase browsers at their
(transposition). Pro Tools Elastic Audio uses ex-
native tempo (BPM) or at the session tempo
ceptionally high-quality transient detection al-
(BPM). You can even preview the loop while the
gorithms, beat and tempo analysis, and real-
session is playing back. When you find the loop
time TCE and pitch shifting processing algo-
you like, drag it from the browser and drop it
rithms. Elastic Audio lets you quickly and easily
into the session. The loop automatically con-
transpose the pitch of audio regions and tempo
forms to the session tempo map and Bar|Beat
conform (beat match) audio to the session’s
grid. You can then further manipulate its timing
Tempo map. It also provides an unprecedented
and also transpose the region to match the pitch
degree of control over transient detection and
of other loops in your session.
TCE processing on an event-by-event basis.

With Elastic Audio, Pro Tools analyzes entire au- Correcting Performances
dio files for transient events. For example, an
Elastic Audio lets you quantize audio to tighten
event can be a drum hit, a sung note, or chord
up a performance or even manually re-align that
played by a guitar. These detected events can
one note that was played just a little late. Or,
then serve as control points for warping the au-
you might decide that the performance is excel-
dio. Pro Tools can warp (TCE) audio events au-
lent, but just a little under tempo. Tick-based
tomatically, such as automatically conforming
Elastic Audio automatically warps audio to con-
audio to the session tempo or quantizing audio
form to tempo changes. When you change your
events, or you can warp audio manually using
tracks to tick-based and increase the session
standard editing tools in Warp view.
tempo, the audio automatically time com-
Elastic Audio is useful in several common work- presses to match.
flows: working with loops, correcting perfor-
mances, remixing, sound design and special ef- Remixing
fects, and film scoring. Elastic Audio lets you quickly beat match an en-
tire song to the session tempo and Bar|Beat grid.
You can also transpose regions to match pitch.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 763

 Sound Design and Special Effects
Example Elastic Audio
Use Elastic Audio to achieve special effects with
Workflow
extreme or widely variable TCE or pitch manip-
ulation. Use the Varispeed algorithm to achieve In this workflow, you will be introduced to some
tape-like effects for speed and pitch change. common Elastic Audio tasks for working with
loops:
Film Scoring • Create and configure a new session for this
If you are scoring a film scene, use Elastic Audio workflow.
to fit the music to the required duration. You • Locate and preview a loop in DigiBase at
can even use tempo changes to achieve accele- the session tempo.
randos and ritardandos. • Import the loop at the session tempo on a
tick-based, Elastic Audio-enabled track.
Remember, when using tempo adjustments
• Change the session tempo to change the
for sessions that include multiple cues,
tempo of the region on tick-based, Elastic
tempo changes may affect the time code
Audio-enabled tracks.
position of other cues later on the Timeline.
• Quantize the audio to apply a Groove Tem-
plate to the rhythm.
Elastic Audio is not recommended for pull- • Transposition the region to match the
up and pull-down workflows. Use the pitch of the imported audio to other audio
Session Setup window real time pull-up or and MIDI in the session.
pull downs, or the presets included with
DigiRack Time Shift or X-Form AudioSuite Create and configure a new session:
plug-ins.
1 Create a new Pro Tools session.

2 Set the session’s Main Timebase ruler to

Bars|Beats.

3 Be sure to display the Tempo and Meter rulers.

4 Use the default tempo of quarter-note equals

120 BPM.

764 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Locate and preview a loop in DigiBase at the 7 Notice that if the loop was sample-based to be-
session tempo: gin with, the column to the left of the file name
1 Open the Workspace (Window > Workspace). initially indicates that DigiBase is analyzing the
file. When the analysis is done a check mark ap-
2 Navigate to the folder where you keep your pears in that column, the file’s Duration is now
drum loops. Double-click the folder name to measured in Bars and Beats instead of Minutes
open a volume browser of just the folder’s con- and Seconds, the Sample-based icon is replaced
tents. by the Tick-based icon, and the detected tempo
3 Select the loop you want to preview. of the file is displayed in the Tempo column.

Sample-based Tick-based
Audition Paths for previewing are selected file icon file icon Detected
Elastic Audio
Duration tempo
in the I/O Setup window (Choose Setup > Analysis icon
I/O and click the Output tab).

4 Click the Preview button to preview the loop

at its native tempo.

Audio Files Conform

Preview button to Session Tempo button

Elastic Audio controls and indicators in DigiBase

8 Repeat the preceding steps to preview other

loops at the session tempo.

Preview and Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo

buttons in a DigiBase browser Import the loop at the session tempo:

5 Click the Audio Files Conform to Session 1 Make sure that the Audio Files Conform to

Tempo button so that it highlights. Session Tempo button is still highlighted. This
ensures that the file will be imported as a tick-
6 Click the Preview button again and the file based, Elastic Audio region and can be con-
previews at the session tempo. formed to the session tempo.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 765

 2 Drag and drop the loop from the browser to 4 A new tick-based audio track is created with
the Track List in the session’s Edit window. the Default Elastic Audio plug-in enabled (see
Figure 1).
If All Files is selected as the Drag and Drop
From Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo 5 Since you chose to not import the file’s origi-

option in the Processing Preferences page, nal tempo, you will notice that the loop con-
you can also drag and drop audio files from forms to the tempo map and Bar|Beat grid of the
the Desktop and they are imported as tick- session. A Warp indicator appears in both the re-
based Elastic Audio. gion in the track and in the Region List. Also in
the Region List, notice that there are two re-
3 One of the following occurs: gions. One is the sample-based whole file region
• If there are no tracks in the session and the (the imported source file) and the other is the
file is tick-based, you are prompted to ei- tick-based Elastic Audio–processed copy. See
ther import the tempo from the file or use Figure 2 on page 767.
the session tempo. To keep the session
You can also conform regions on Elastic
tempo and have the loop conform to the
Audio-enabled tracks to the session tempo
session tempo, click Don’t Import.
using the Conform to Tempo command (see
– or – “Conform to Tempo” on page 675).
• If there are tracks in the session, the file is
imported and automatically conformed to
the session tempo.

New tick-based,
Elastic Audio–enabled
track

Figure 1. Dragging and dropping a tick-based audio file from a DigiBase browser to the Track List

766 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Warp indicators

Sample-based whole-file Tick-based Elastic Audio–processed

region region

Figure 2. Imported tick-based audio file with Elastic Audio processing

Change the session tempo to change the tempo of 5 Set any other options.
the region:
6 Click Apply.
1 Change the tempo from the default 120 BPM
to 110 BPM (see “Tempo” on page 671). 7 In Figure 3 below, notice that the audio has
been quantized according to the selected
Groove Template. In Warp view, you can see
that Warp markers have been added at every
Event marker near the Quantize Grid and were
used to apply quantization to those events.

Transpose the audio region down a whole-tone:

1 Select the region on the Elastic Audio-enabled
Changing the default tempo track.

2 Notice that since the region is on a tick-based, 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
Real-Time Elastic Audio-enabled track it auto-
3 Select the Transpose By option.
matically conforms to the new tempo.
4 Enter “–2” semitones.
Quantize audio to apply a Groove Template: 5 Click Apply.
1 Select the region on the tick-based, Real-Time
Elastic Audio-enabled track.

2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize.

3 In the What to Quantize section, make sure

Elastic Audio Events option is selected.

4 From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select a

Groove Template.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 767

 Figure 3. Quantized audio events (Warp markers) in Warp view

768 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To enable Elastic Audio on a track:
Elastic Audio Tracks 1 Create a new audio track or choose an existing
Any audio track in your Pro Tools session can be audio track.
Elastic Audio enabled. Elastic Audio tracks can
2 Click the track’s Elastic Audio Plug-in selector,
be either sample- or tick-based. Sample-based
and select the Elastic Audio plug-in appropriate
Elastic Audio-enabled tracks let you apply real-
to your track material and the results you want
time or rendered Elastic Audio processing by ed-
from the pop-up menu: Polyphonic, Rhythmic,
iting in Warp view, applying Quantize, and us-
Monophonic, Varispeed, or X-Form (see “Elastic
ing the TCE Trimmer tool. However, only tick-
Audio Plug-ins” on page 774).
based Elastic Audio tracks also automatically ap-
ply Elastic Audio processing based on tempo
changes in the session.

To have all new tracks be tick-based, enable

the New Tracks Default To Tick Timebase
option in the Editing preferences.

When creating new tracks by dragging and

dropping audio from a DigiBase browser, if
the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
option is enabled, Pro Tools creates tick-
based Elastic Audio-enabled tracks regard- Elastic Audio Plug-in pop-up menu
less of whether the Elastic Audio analyzed
Any audio regions on the track temporarily go
file is tick-based or sample-based. If the Au-
offline while they are analyzed and come back
dio Files Conform to Session Tempo option
online when the analysis is finished. The wave-
is not enabled, Pro Tools creates regular
form for audio regions that are offline for Elastic
sample-based tracks.
Audio analysis appears grayed out.

When recording to a real-time Elastic Audio-en-

With Pro Tools HD, Elastic Audio is disal-
abled track, once recording is stopped, the
lowed on voiced tracks. Use dynamic voice
newly recorded audio temporarily goes offline
allocation for tracks on which you want to
while it is analyzed and comes back online as
use Elastic Audio. (Pro Tools LE only sup-
soon as the analysis is finished.
ports dynamic voice allocation, and cannot
specifically allocate individual voices.)

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 769

 3 From the track’s Elastic Audio Plug-in pop-up Alternate Playlists
menu, select Real-Time Processing or Rendered
Disabling Elastic Audio on a track affects all
Processing for Real-Time or Rendered Elastic Au-
playlists on the track. All playlists on the track
dio processing.
are committed or reverted depending on which
Elastic Audio processing can be Real-Time option you choose.
or Rendered. Real-Time Elastic Audio pro-
cessing is immediate, but it is more de- Creating New Tracks with Elastic Audio
manding of system resources. Rendered Enabled
Elastic Audio processing is non-real-time,
New tracks are created with Elastic Audio auto-
but is less demanding of system resources. If
matically enabled in the following cases:
you are working on a system with limited re-
sources, use Rendered Elastic Audio process- • When the Enable Elastic Audio On New
ing. For more information, see “Real-Time Tracks option is enabled in the Processing
and Rendered Elastic Audio Processing” on Preferences page (see “Elastic Audio Op-
page 773. tions” on page 279).
• When dragging and dropping tick-based,
To disable Elastic Audio on a track: Elastic Audio analyzed files from DigiBase
1 From the track’s Elastic Audio Plug-in selector, browsers to the Track List or empty space in
select None – Disable Elastic Audio. the Edit window with the Audio Files Con-
form to Session Tempo option enabled (see
2 If the track had any Elastic Audio-based pro- “Elastic Audio on Import” on page 282).
cessing, you are prompted to Cancel, Revert, or
• When dragging and dropping REX or ACID
Commit.
files from the Desktop (if either REX and
Cancel Leaves Elastic Audio enabled on the ACID Files Only or the All Files option is en-
track. abled for the Drag and Drop from Desktop
Conforms to Session Tempo setting in the
Revert Removes any Elastic Audio processing, Processing Preferences page) or a DigiBase
reverts regions on the track to their original du- browser (if the Audio Files Conform to Ses-
ration, and disables Elastic Audio on the track. sion Tempo button is enabled) to the Track
List or empty space in the Edit window (see
Commit Renders and commits any Elastic Audio
“Importing ACID and REX Files” on
processing on the track, writes new files to disk,
page 285).
and disables Elastic Audio on the track.

Committed Regions

Regions that are committed, either by disabling

Elastic Audio on a track or by moving a region to
a track without Elastic Audio enabled, are writ-
ten to disk as new audio files. These new audio
files include the audio in the region, plus any
fades, and also an additional 5 seconds of audio
before and after the region, if available.

770 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Elastic Audio Track Controls Elastic Audio Track Views
Audio tracks provide controls for enabling Elas- There are two special Track Views for Elastic Au-
tic Audio, selecting the Elastic Audio plug-in, dio-enabled tracks: Warp and Analysis.
and selecting whether Real-Time or Rendered
Elastic Audio processing.

Real-Time or
Elastic Audio Rendered
Plug-in selector Processing
indicator
Elastic Audio
Plug-in button Track View pop-up menu

Elastic Audio Track controls Warp View

Elastic Audio Plug-in Selector Selects the Elastic
Warp view lets you manually “time warp” (Elas-
Audio plug-in for Elastic Audio processing (see
tic Audio process) audio. In Warp view you can
“Elastic Audio Plug-ins” on page 774). You can
create and edit Warp markers. If you are using
also use the Elastic Audio Plug-in selector to dis-
Elastic Audio to correct the timing of a perfor-
able Elastic Audio processing, and to select ei-
mance, or to achieve special effects, work in
ther Real-Time or Rendered processing (see
Warp view.
“Real-Time and Rendered Elastic Audio Process-
ing” on page 773). For detailed information on working in
Warp view, see “Editing in Warp View” on
Elastic Audio Plug-in Button Displays the name
page 778.
of the selected Elastic Audio plug-in. Click the
Elastic Audio Plug-in button to open the Elastic
Analysis View
Audio Plug-in window (see “Elastic Audio Plug-
ins” on page 774). Analysis view lets you edit detected Event mark-
ers. In most cases you will not need to use Anal-
Real-Time or Rendered Processing ysis view. However, with material that does not
Indicator Lights when Elastic Audio processing is
have clear transients, you may want to work in
real-time and dims when Elastic Audio process-
Analysis view to add or relocate Event markers,
ing is rendered (see “Real-Time and Rendered
or to delete erroneous Event markers. For exam-
Elastic Audio Processing” on page 773).
ple, when using Elastic Audio to correct the tim-
ing of a performance, you may need to add,
move, or remove Event markers in Analysis view
to achieve the highest quality Elastic Audio pro-
cessing.

For detailed information on working in

Analysis view, see “Editing in Analysis
View” on page 785.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 771

 Analyzed files in which no tempo was detected
Elastic Audio Analysis are treated as sample-based files. If there is only
a single transient in the file (such as with a sin-
When recording, pasting, moving, or importing
gle snare hit), no tempo will be detected. Also,
un-analyzed audio to an Elastic Audio-enabled
longer files that contain tempo changes or ru-
track, or when enabling Elastic Audio on an ex-
bato, or that do not contain regular periodic
isting audio track, Pro Tools automatically ana-
rhythmic patterns will probably not have a de-
lyzes the audio for transient events. In Wave-
tected tempo and will be treated as sample-
form view, the waveform initially appears
based files.
grayed out because regions go offline during
Elastic Audio analysis. Once the analysis is com-
plete, the audio comes back online. Elastic Au- Event Confidence
dio analysis is file-based, which means that even Transient events are detected with a certain de-
if you are only working with a small region of a gree of confidence. The level of confidence is
large file, the entire audio file is analyzed. based on the relative clarity of transients.
Elastic Audio analysis detects transient events in For example, a drum loop is likely to have clear,
the audio file. These transient events are indi- sharp transients. These will be detected with a
cated by Event markers. Event markers are dis- high degree of confidence. However, a legato vi-
played in both the Warp and Analysis track olin melody may not have clear, sharp tran-
views. Elastic Audio analysis also calculates the sients, so transients will be detected with a lower
native tempo of the analyzed audio file and its degree of confidence.
duration in bars and beats.
Note that peak amplitude is not the most
Elastic Audio analysis data (detected events,
important measure for event confidence.
tempo, and duration in Bars|Beats) is stored with
The clarity of transients is measured in part
the file. In DigiBase browsers, analyzed audio
by the spectral transition from one moment
files are indicated by a check mark to the left of
to the next. This tends to favor higher fre-
the file name, and these files display their dura-
quency content in terms of event confidence.
tion in Bars|Beats, their timebase as ticks, and
For example, changing the Event Sensitivity
their native tempo in BPM.
in the Elastic Properties window for a se-
lected drum loop results in the clearer tran-
Tempo Detection sients of the higher frequency hi-hat hits
Elastic Audio analysis does its best to detect a having more event confidence than the less
regular tempo for all analyzed audio. Any audio well defined transients of the lower fre-
containing regular periodic rhythm can be suc- quency kick drum hits even though kick
cessfully analyzed for tempo and duration in drum hits have a higher peak amplitude.
bars and beats. Analyzed files in which a tempo
was detected are treated as tick-based files. Tick-
based files can be conformed to the session
tempo for preview and import.

772 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Pro Tools is very aggressive with its transient de-
tection in order to detect every possible audio Real-Time and Rendered
event. Consequently, it is possible to have erro- Elastic Audio Processing
neously detected events. These events will be
Real-Time Elastic Audio processing means that
analyzed with a low degree of confidence and
any changes to Elastic Audio processing—
can be filtered out by lowering the Event Sensi-
whether it be a tempo change or a manual TCE
tivity in the Elastic Properties window (see
warp, or pitch shifting—take effect immedi-
“Event Sensitivity” on page 789). Filtering out
ately. However, Real-Time Elastic Audio process-
any false transients can result in higher quality
ing can be very demanding on your system’s re-
Elastic Audio processing.
sources. Consequently, you may want to use
Conversely, for material with few clear tran- Rendered Elastic Audio processing in some
sients, Elastic Audio analysis may not accurately cases. With Rendered Elastic Audio processing,
detect audio events, and those detected may be when you make a change to Elastic Audio pro-
detected with a low level of confidence. You can cessing, any affected audio regions temporarily
relocate or add Event markers where necessary go offline, a new “rendered” audio file is gener-
in Analysis view (see “Editing in Analysis View” ated, and any affected audio regions come back
on page 785). online.

For example, a slow synth pad may not have In rendered mode, any change you make is
clear transients and detected Event markers may rendered using the original source audio to
be incorrectly located or may have not been de- avoid generational loss from multiple subse-
tected at all. In Analysis view, you can relocate, quent edits.
remove, and add Event markers as necessary
(such as where the chord changes). Accurately To set an Elastic Audio track to Real-Time or
locating Event markers yields better results Rendered:
when applying Elastic Audio processing. 1 Click the track’s Elastic Audio Plug-in selector.

When processing non-rhythmic audio (such 2 From the pop-up menu, select an Elastic Au-
as legato strings) with the Polyphonic plug- dio plug-in.
in, reducing the number of Event markers 3 From the pop-up menu, select one of the
often yields better sounding results. You can following:
either manually remove Event markers in
• Real-Time Processing
Analysis view (see “Editing in Analysis
View” on page 785) or lower the Event Sen- – or –
sitivity setting in the Elastic Properties win- • Rendered Processing
dow for the region you want to process (see
“Elastic Properties Window” on page 787). Select Real-Time processing for tick-based
Elastic Audio processing (such as tempo
changes). Rendered audio processing can be
useful for sample-based Elastic Audio
processing or if you need to save system
resources.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 773

 Elastic Audio Region Warp
Clip indicators indicators

Elastic Audio Region Clip indicator

Elastic Audio Plug-in selector and pop-up menu

Elastic Audio Plug-ins
To toggle between Real-Time and Rendered Pro Tools provides several algorithms for real-
Elastic Audio processing, Control-Start-click time and rendered track-based Elastic Audio pro-
(Windows) or Command-Control-click cessing. The selected Elastic Audio plug-in deter-
(Mac) the Elastic Audio Plug-in button. mines how the audio is processed. Each plug-in
uses different algorithms for Elastic Audio pro-
About Rendered Files cessing. Different algorithms are better suited to
different types of audio. Select the plug-in
Pro Tools creates temporary files for Rendered
whose algorithm is appropriate to the material
Elastic Audio processing. These files are kept in
on the track you want to process.
an auto-created Rendered Files folder in the ses-
sion folder. Once you commit Rendered Elastic Elastic Audio plug-ins have their own selector
Audio processing to a track, a new file is written that is only available in the Edit window. You
to disk in the Audio Files folder, and the tempo- cannot insert Elastic Audio plug-ins on track in-
rary rendered file from which it was created is serts.
deleted from the Rendered Files folder.
Elastic Audio plug-ins provide few to no adjust-
Region Clip Indicator able parameters. The adjustable controls, if any,
are available in the Elastic Audio Plug-in win-
(Rendered Processing Only)
dow. Elastic Audio plug-in parameters cannot be
Since Rendered Elastic Audio processing is not automated.
real-time, it does not report clipping due to Elas-
tic Audio processing in the Elastic Audio plug-in To open an Elastic Audio Plug-in window:
window. Instead, when clipping occurs due to „ Click the Elastic Audio Plug-in button.
Rendered Elastic Audio processing, the region
displays an Elastic Audio Processing Clip indica-
tor just to the left of the Warp indicator.

To avoid clipping on playback, lower the Input Elastic Audio

Gain for the region in the Elastic Properties win- Plug-in button

dow (see “Elastic Properties Window” on Elastic Audio plug-in button

page 787).

774 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Elastic Audio Plug-in Window Controls Plug-ins Settings Select Button Accesses the
Plug-in Settings dialog, which lists the presets
The Elastic Audio Plug-in window provides a set for the current plug-in. From this list, you can
of controls in the window header that are com- select a new preset, or audition a series of pre-
mon to all Elastic Audio plug-ins. sets.

Plug-in selector Librarian menu Compare Toggles between the original saved
Clip Target
Track selector Settings menu plug-in settings and any changes you have made
LED button
to it so you can compare them.

Clip LED Lights red to indicate clipping in the

Elastic Audio processing. Clipping can occur
when time compressing audio. If clipping oc-
curs, you can lower the Input Gain in the Elastic
Properties window (“Input Gain” on page 790),
or attenuate the Default Input Gain in the Pro-
cessing Preferences page (see “Elastic Audio Op-
tions” on page 279).
Compare button
Plug-ins Settings Select button
Next Setting button You can undo any Elastic Audio processing and
Previous Setting button apply an appropriate amount of AudioSuite
Elastic Audio plug-in controls Gain reduction, and then try the Elastic Audio
processing again. The Clip LED only functions
Track Selector Lets you access any other audio for Real-Time Elastic Audio processing; it does
track in the session. not function for Rendered Elastic Audio process-
ing. For Real-Time Elastic Audio plug-ins, the
Plug-in Selector Lets you select any Elastic Audio
Elastic Audio plug-in button on the audio track
plug-in or disable Elastic Audio.
also turns red to indicate clipping.
Plug-in Settings Menu Lets you copy, paste, save,
and import plug-in presets. For Rendered Elastic Audio processing, clip-
ping is indicated by the appearance of the
Plug-in Librarian Menu Recalls Elastic Audio Elastic Audio Processing Clip indicator on
plug-in settings files (presets) saved in the plug- the region (see “Region Clip Indicator” on
in’s root settings folder or in the current ses- page 774).
sion’s Settings folder.
Target Button When multiple Elastic Audio
Next (+) and Previous (–) Setting Buttons Lets Plug-in windows are open, clicking this button
you select the next or previous preset from the selects that plug-in as the target for any com-
Plug-in Librarian menu. puter keyboard commands. Deselecting the Tar-
get button lets you open another targeted Elastic
You will lose the current plug-in settings if Audio Plug-in window.
they are not saved before you use the Next
and Previous Setting buttons. Always save
your plug-in settings as presets using the
Plug-in Settings menu.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 775

 Polyphonic
Recommended
Type of Material
The Polyphonic plug-in is a general, all-purpose Window Size
algorithm that is effective with a wide range of
General purpose 30–40 ms
material. For complex loops and multi-instru-
ment mixes, use the Polyphonic plug-in. The Percussive 20 ms or lower
Polyphonic plug-in supports region-based pitch
Pads and other legato 60 ms or higher
shifting. material

The Polyphonic plug-in is the default plug-

in for previewing and importing from Digi- Rhythmic
Base browsers or the Region List.
The Rhythmic plug-in is best suited to material
with clear attack transients, such as drums. The
Rhythmic plug-in supports region-based pitch
shifting.

Elastic Audio plug-in: Polyphonic

Follow

Selecting the Follow option enables an envelope Elastic Audio plug-in: Rhythmic
follower that simulates the original acoustics of Decay Rate
the audio being stretched. Click the Follow but-
ton to enable or disable envelope following. The Decay Rate control determines how much
of the decay from a transient is heard in the pro-
Window cessed audio when time stretching. When the
Rhythmic plug-in is selected, any gaps between
The Polyphonic plug-in provides a single con- transients resulting from time stretching are
trol for adjusting the analysis window size for filled in with audio. The Decay Rate determines
TCE processing. Experiment with adjusting the how much of this audio is heard by applying a
Window size for different types of material until fade out rate. Adjust the Decay Rate up to 100%
you achieve the best results. The following table to hear the audio that is filling the gaps created
provides some recommended Window sizes for by the time stretching with only a slight fade, or
different types of material. adjust down to 1.0% to completely fade out be-
tween the original transients.
If you frequently work with distinct types of
material, you may want to find the best
Window settings for each type of material
and save them as plug-in settings for quick
and easy recall.

776 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Monophonic Varispeed
The Monophonic plug-in is best suited to mono- Use the Varispeed plug-in to link time and pitch
phonic material where you want to keep the for- changes for tape-like speed change effects, and
mant relationships intact, such as with vocals. post production workflows. The Varispeed plug-
The Monophonic plug-in is also well suited to in provides no plug-in specific controls.
monophonic instrumental lines, such as a bass
track. The Monophonic plug-in provides no
plug-in specific parameters.

Elastic Audio plug-in: Varispeed

Try using Varispeed with Quantize on drum

Elastic Audio plug-in: Monophonic loops for some interesting effects.

Elastic Audio pitch shifting is not supported X-Form

with the Monophonic algorithm. (Rendered Only)

The X-Form Elastic Audio plug-in is a modified

The Monophonic plug-in analyzes pitch as
version of Digidesign’s standalone X-Form Au-
well as peak transients in order to provide
dioSuite processing plug-in (based on the Ra-
higher quality TCE to pitched material.
dius® algorithm from iZotope). The X-Form
Consequently, analysis for the Monophonic
Elastic Audio plug-in is for Rendered Elastic Au-
algorithm takes longer than for the Poly-
dio processing only and cannot process in real-
phonic, Rhythmic, and Varispeed algo-
time or as an AudioSuite plug-in. It provides the
rithms. Also, when switching from another
highest quality time compression algorithms for
Elastic Audio plug-in to Monophonic,
music production, sound design, and audio loop
Pro Tools reanalyzes any audio on the track
applications.
to collect the extra analysis data.

Elastic Audio plug-in: X-Form

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 777

 Quality
Editing in Warp View
Select either Maximum or Low (Faster) from the
Quality pop-up menu. Maximum is the slowest In Warp view, you can manually “time warp”
processing algorithm, but provides the highest (TCE) audio to correct or adjust the timing of a
quality results. Low (Faster) produces relatively performance, or create special effects. In Warp
good results and is much faster than the Maxi- view, you can add, move, and delete Warp
mum setting. markers. Warp markers are used to fix a specific
point in the audio (typically a detected transient
Formant event) to a specific point in the Timeline. In this
way, you can apply detailed and nuanced
For audio material with clear formants, enable “warping” (TCE) of audio events.
Formant to preserve the formant shape of audio
when applying TCE processing. Warp view is only available for Elastic
Audio-enabled tracks.
Audio with a fundamental pitch has an
overtone series, or set of higher harmonics. To display Warp view:
The strength of these higher harmonics cre-
1 Click the Elastic Audio-enabled track’s Track
ates a formant shape, which is apparent if
View selector.
viewed using a spectrum analyzer. The over-
tone series, or harmonics, have the same 2 Select Warp from the Track View pop-up menu.
spacing related to the pitch and have the
same general shape regardless of what the
Elastic Audio Markers in Warp
fundamental pitch is. It is this formant
View
shape that gives the audio its overall char-
acteristic sound or timbre. When pitch Three types of markers are visible in Warp view:
shifting audio, the formant shape is shifted Event markers, Warp markers, and Tempo
with the rest of the material, which can re- Event–generated Warp markers. Use Event
sult in an unnatural sound. Keeping this markers and Warp markers as control points for
shape constant is critical to formant correct applying Elastic Audio processing.
pitch shifting and achieving a natural
sounding result.

Event marker
Warp marker Tempo Event
Warp markers

Figure 4. Elastic Audio markers in Warp view

778 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Event Markers In Warp view, you can add, relocate (without
warping), and delete Warp markers. You can
Event markers indicate detected (or manually
also move a Warp marker to apply Elastic Audio
created) audio events. Event markers are only
processing (see “Warping Audio” on page 780).
displayed in Warp view and Analysis view. In
Warp view, Event markers appear as gray verti-
To add a Warp marker:
cal lines that do not fully extend to the top and
bottom of the track. With the Grabber tool in „ In Warp view, do one of the following:
Warp view, you can drag Event markers to apply • With the Pencil tool, click anywhere in the
various kinds of warping depending on whether region to add a Warp marker at that loca-
or not Warp markers are present in the region as tion. If you click on an Event marker, a
well. In Warp view, you cannot add, relocate, or Warp marker is created on top of the Event
delete Event markers. Use Analysis view to edit marker.
Event markers (see “Editing in Analysis View” • With the Grabber tool, Start-click (Win-
on page 785). dows) or Control-click (Mac) anywhere in
the region to add a Warp marker at that lo-
The display of Event markers is dependent
cation. If you click on an Event marker, a
on Horizontal Zoom. If you are zoomed out
Warp marker is created on top of the Event
too far, Event markers are not displayed.
marker.
To see Event markers, zoom in.
• With the Grabber tool, if no Warp markers
Warp Markers are present in the region, or if Warp mark-
ers are only present prior to the location
Warp markers anchor the audio to a specific where you want to add a new Warp marker,
point in the Timeline. Warp markers are only double-click an Event marker to add a Warp
displayed in Warp view. In Warp view, a Warp marker on top of the Event marker.
marker appears as a thick black vertical line with
• With the Grabber tool, double-click any-
a triangle at its base.
where in the region where an Event marker
To better understand how Warp markers work, is not present to add a Warp marker at that
think of the audio region as a rubber band, the location.
Timeline as a ruler, and Warp markers as pins. • With the Grabber tool, single-click any
Warp markers can be used to pin a specific point Event marker prior to another existing
of the rubber band (the audio) to a specific point Warp marker in the region to add a Warp
on the ruler (the Timeline). If you pin down one marker on top of that Event marker.
point of the rubber band to one point on the • With any Edit tool, Right-click anywhere in
ruler, use a second pin to pin down another the region and select Add Warp Marker from
point of the rubber band to another point on the pop-up menu to add a Warp marker at
the ruler, and then place a third pin equally be- that location. If there is an Edit selection,
tween them on the rubber band, but fix it to a Warp markers are added at the selection
point on the ruler closer to the second pin, the start and end.
rubber band will be stretched (or expanded) be-
tween the first and middle pins, and relaxed (or
compressed) between the middle pin and the
last pin.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 779

 To relocate a Warp marker (without applying Tempo Event–Generated Warp Markers
warping):
Tempo Event–generated Warp markers are not
„ With the Grabber or the Pencil tool, Start- editable and are only displayed to indicate
click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) and drag where Elastic Audio processing has been applied
a Warp marker to a new location. to conform the audio to Tempo Events. You will
only see Tempo Event–generated Warp markers
To delete a Warp marker: on tick-based tracks.
„ In Warp view, do one of the following:
If you change the track timebase from ticks to
• With the Grabber tool, double-click a Warp
samples, any Tempo Event–generated Warp
marker.
markers convert to regular, editable Warp mark-
• With the Grabber or the Pencil tool, Alt- ers.
click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) a
Warp marker. For more information, see “Tempo Changes
• With any Edit tool, Right-click a Warp and Tick-Based Elastic Audio Tracks” on
marker and select Remove Warp Marker from page 674.
the pop-up menu.
Warping Audio
To delete all Warp markers in a selection:
In Warp view, you can manually warp audio in
1 In Warp view, make an Edit selection that in- three specific ways: Telescoping Warp, Accor-
cludes only the Warp markers you want to de- dion Warp, and Range Warp.
lete (and none of the Warp markers you want to
keep). Automation does not follow manual warp-
ing of audio regions, including TCE trim-
2 Do one of the following:
ming and quantization of Elastic Audio.
• Press Delete or Backspace on your com- However, automation does follow tempo
puter keyboard. changes on tick-based tracks.
– or –
• With any Edit tool, Right-click the Edit se- Telescoping Warp
lection and select Remove Warp Marker from Telescoping Warp can be applied to any audio
the pop-up menu. region before or after a Warp marker as long as
no other Warp marker precedes or follows it ac-
cordingly. The audio can be on a sample- or tick-
based track. Telescoping Warp is especially use-
ful for adjusting audio files to match the session
tempo map and Bar|Beat grid.

780 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To apply Telescoping Warp to a region: Workflow Example
„ In Warp view, do one of the following:
Beat match a song to the session tempo and
• With the Grabber tool, drag any Event Bar|Beat grid using Telescoping Warp:
marker that is after the last Warp marker in
1 Make sure the Main Timebase ruler is set to
the region to the left or right to Telescope-
Warp the audio that is after the Warp Bars|Beats.
marker in or out. If no Warp marker is 2 Set the default tempo and meter.
present in the region, one is created auto-
3 Select Grid mode.
matically at the region start. The region
start remains anchored to its location on 4 Import a song, or any other longer audio file
the Timeline. from a DigiBase browser.
– or – 5 Make sure that Elastic Audio is enabled on the
• With the Grabber tool, Alt-click (Windows) track.
or Option-click (Mac) and drag any Event
6 Select Warp view.
marker that is before the first Warp marker
in the region to the left or right to Tele- 7 Make sure there are no Warp markers present
scope-Warp the audio that is before the on the region. If necessary, delete any exisiting
Warp marker in or out. If no Warp marker is Warp markers.
present in the region, one is created auto-
8 With the Pencil tool, add a Warp marker at the
matically at the region end. The region end
remains anchored to its location on the bar 1 downbeat location within the region.
Timeline. 9 With the Grabber tool, drag the single Warp
marker to the bar in the Timeline where you
before warping want the downbeat of the audio file to start.

10 Drag the Event marker on the downbeat of

bar 2 of the region to Telescope warp the audio
such that the Event marker matches the corre-
sponding bar number in the Bars|Beats ruler.

11 If the region’s tempo varies, add a Warp

after warping marker to the next downbeat location at the
tempo change and repeat the preceding steps.

Telescoping Warp with the region start fixed

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 781

 Accordion Warp Range Warp
Accordion Warp applies Elastic Audio process- Range Warp applies Elastic Audio processing be-
ing on both sides of a singe Warp marker in a re- tween two fixed points in a region. To apply
gion. This lets you expand or compress the au- Range Warp, there must be at least two Warp
dio equally on both sides of a fixed point. markers present in the region.
Accordion warp is useful for audio files where
the downbeat occurs in the middle of the re- To apply Range Warp within a region:
gion.
1 In Warp view, add a Warp marker at the first
point that you want to fix to the Timeline.
To apply Accordion Warp to a region:
2 Add another Warp marker to the end point
1 In Warp view, add a single Warp marker at the
that you want to fix to the Timeline.
point in the region that you want to remain
fixed on the Timeline. 3 With the Grabber tool, drag an Event marker
between the two Warp markers to the left or
2 With the Grabber tool, drag any Event marker
right. A Warp marker is added on top of the
that is before or after the single Warp marker to
Event marker and the audio is compressed or ex-
the left or the right.
panded on either side of the clicked and dragged
marker while the audio outside the bounding
before warping
markers remains unaffected.

before warping

after warping

after warping

Accordion Warping a region around a fixed point

Applying Range Warp between two Warp markers in a

region

782 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Range Warp with an Edit Selection Elastic Audio processing is only applied to the
audio between the bounding Warp markers and
Pro Tools lets you apply Range Warp between
the first and last Warp markers in the Edit Selec-
bounding Warp markers, but keeps the timing
tion. All audio between the first and last Warp
intact between other Warp markers within an
markers in the Edit Selection maintain their rel-
Edit selection.
ative timing.

To apply Range Warp with an Edit Selection: Individual Range Warp

1 In Warp view, add a Warp marker at the first
Individual Range Warp applies warping to a sin-
point that you want to fix to the Timeline.
gle audio event in relation to the adjacent audio
2 Add another Warp marker to the end point events.
that you want to fix to the Timeline.
To apply Individual Range Warp:
3 Add any number of Warp markers in between.
1 In Warp view, with the Grabber tool, Shift-
4 With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection
click a Warp marker or an Event marker. If not
that includes the Warp markers in between the
already present, Warp markers are automatically
bounding Warp markers.
created on the adjacent Event markers.
5 With the Grabber tool, drag any of the Warp
2 Drag to the left or right to warp the clicked
markers within the Edit Selection to the left or
event.
the right.
before warping
before warping

after warping
after warping

Applying Individual Range Warp

Applying Range Warp to a selection between bounding
Warp markers

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 783

 Warped Regions Out of Range Processing
Regions that have been warped either manually Pro Tools lets you apply extreme amounts of
or automatically by tempo change, quantiza- Elastic Audio processing. However, at such ex-
tion, or pitch shifting display a Warp indicator tremes, it is possible to go out of the selected
in the upper right-hand corner of the region. Elastic Audio plug-in’s processing range. When
This indicator is visible in any track view. Since this happens, it is possible that not every sample
unwarped regions can reside on Elastic Audio- will be processed correctly and you may encoun-
enabled tracks, regions on Elastic Audio-enabled ter audio drop outs.
tracks do not necessarily display the Warp indi-
cator. The Warp indicator only indicates that The valid range for Elastic Audio TCE processing
Elastic Audio processing has been applied to a is 1/4x to 4x for all Elastic Audio plug-ins except
region. X-Form, which supports 1/8x to 8x. TCE less
than or greater than these ranges is effectively
Warp
“out of range.”
indicator
When out of range processing occurs, the sec-
tion of the audio region that is out of range
turns red. You can still apply Elastic Audio pro-
Warp indicator in a region in Waveform view
cessing, but you are warned by the color change
Displaying the Warp Indicator that the TCE factor is out of the normal range of
Elastic Audio processing.
The Warp indicator for Elastic Audio regions can
displayed or hidden.

To toggle the display of the Warp indicator in

Elastic Audio regions:
„ Select or deselect View > Region > Processing
TCE Factor
State. out of range

Red indicates that the TCE Factor is out of range

The TCE Factor in the Elastic Properties

window supports extreme ranges from
1–9999%. However anything outside of
25–400% will be “out-of-range” and will
be displayed in red.

784 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Removing Region Warping
Editing in Analysis View
If you have applied any warping to a region, you
can remove warping and revert the region to its In Analysis view, you can add, move, promote,
original duration. This can be useful if you are and delete Event markers. Usually, Pro Tools ac-
not satisfied with the results and want to revert curately detects all the transient events (Event
to the pre-warped region. Warp markers are not markers) in an audio file and you will not need
deleted when applying the Remove Warp com- to work in Analysis view. However, Pro Tools
mand, but any warping is undone. may not accurately detect every audio event or
may erroneously detect audio events with some
To remove region warping: types of audio material. This is especially true for
audio without clear transients, such as legato
1 Select the region for which you want to re- strings, melismatic vocals, or soft synth pads.
move warping.
Use Analysis view to manually correct the pres-
2 Do one of the following:
ence and location of Event markers. The accu-
• Choose Region > Remove Warp. rate identification of audio events yields the best
– or – results when applying Elastic Audio processing.
• With any Edit tool, Right-click the region
and select Remove Warp from the pop-up To display Analysis view:
menu. 1 Click the Elastic Audio-enabled track’s Track
View selector.
Remove Warp can only be applied to re-
gions and cannot be applied to region 2 Select Analysis from the Track View pop-up
groups. To unwarp region groups you must menu.
first ungroup the region, then apply Remove
Warp to the underlying regions, and then Analysis view is only available for Elastic
regroup those regions. Audio-enabled tracks.

Edit Groups and Warp Editing In Analysis view, you can only edit Analysis
markers using the Edit tools. You cannot
Elastic Audio-enabled tracks can be included in
use the Edit tools for any region editing.
Edit Groups. For Elastic Audio-enabled tracks
Switch to Warp or Waveform views for
that are part of an Edit Group, applying Elastic
region-based editing capabilities with the
Audio processing on one track likewise applies it
Edit tools.
to all other tracks within that Edit Group.

If corresponding Warp markers are not already When manually editing Analysis markers,
present on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks that are Pro Tools writes temporary Elastic Audio
part of an Edit Group, new Warp markers are analysis files (.aan) to the session’s
created on those tracks when you add or move a Rendered Files folder. Any unused tempo-
Warp marker on any track that is part of the Edit rary analysis files are purged when you
Group. close the session.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 785

 Adding Event Markers Promoting Event Markers
Event markers are detected with relative degrees
To add an Event marker:
of confidence (between 1% and 100%). You can
„ In Analysis view, do one of the following: filter out extraneous Event markers by adjusting
• With the Pencil tool, click at the location the Event Sensitivity setting in the Elastic Prop-
where you want to add an Event marker. erties window; event markers with the least con-
• With the Grabber tool, double-click at the fidence are filtered out first. However, some sig-
location where you want to add an Event nificant events may not be recognized with a
marker. high degree of confidence. In this case, you may
• With the Grabber tool, Start-click (Win- want to promote the Event marker to ensure
dows) or Control-click (Mac) at the loca- that it is not filtered out when reducing the
tion where you want to add an Event Event Sensitivity setting. Promoted Event mark-
marker. ers, like manually created or moved Event mark-
ers, have 100% confidence.
• With any Edit tool, Right-click at the loca-
tion where you want to add an Event
To promote an Event marker:
marker and select Add Event Marker from
the pop-up menu. „ In Analysis view, with the Grabber or Pencil

tool (or with the Smart Tool in the bottom half

of the track), single-click the Event marker you
want to promote.

Promoted Event markers look the same as

Adding an Event marker with the Pencil tool detected Event Markers. To see all Event
markers that have 100% confidence, reduce
Moving Event Markers the Event Sensitivity setting in the Elastic
Properties window (see “Event Sensitivity”
To move an Event marker: on page 789).
„ In Analysis view, do one of the following:
• With the Pencil tool, drag the Event marker
to a new location.
– or –
• With the Grabber tool, drag the Event
marker to a new location.

Moving an Event marker

786 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Deleting Event Markers
Elastic Properties
To delete an Event marker:
Each region on an Elastic Audio-enabled track
„ In Analysis view, do one of the following: has specific Elastic Audio properties (such as
• With the Pencil tool, Alt-click (Windows) tempo, meter, TCE factor, Input Gain, and Pitch
or Option-click (Mac) the Event marker Shift).
you want to delete.
The Elastic Properties window lets you view and
• With the Grabber tool, Alt-click (Windows) change the properties for selected regions. For
or Option-click (Mac) the Event marker example, you can reduce the Input Gain for
you want to delete. Elastic Audio processing to avoid clipping that
• With the Selector tool, make an Edit selec- can occur during processing.
tion that includes any Event markers you
want to delete and press Delete or Back- From the Elastic Properties window, you can
space on your computer keyboard. also filter Event markers for Elastic Audio re-
• With the Selector tool, make an Edit selec- gions on tick-based tracks. Filtering Event mark-
tion that includes any Event markers you ers can result in better quality Elastic Audio pro-
want to delete, Right-click the selection, cessing of material with ambiguous transients.
and choose Remove Event Marker from the
pop-up menu. To view the Elastic Properties for a region:
1 Select a region on an Elastic Audio-enabled
track. The track can be either sample- or tick-
based.

2 Do one of the following:

Deleting an Event marker with the Pencil tool • Choose Region > Elastic Properties.
– or –
Edit Groups and Event Editing • Right-click the region and choose Elastic
Elastic Audio-enabled tracks can be included in Properties.
Edit Groups. For Elastic Audio-enabled tracks
Press Alt+5 (Windows) or Option+5 (Mac)
that are part of an Edit Group, editing Event
on the numeric keypad to open the Elastic
markers on one track likewise applies to all other
Properties window.
tracks within that Edit Group.
Elastic Properties Window
The Elastic Properties window displays informa-
tion about Elastic Audio processing and analysis
for one or more regions. You can also use the
Elastic Properties window to adjust Elastic Audio
processing and analysis data.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 787

 There are different Elastic Properties available in To change the Source Length of a region:
the Elastic Properties window, depending on
1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the re-
whether the track is tick-based or sample-based.
gion.
If the track is sample-based, a reduced set of Elas-
tic Audio Properties are displayed. 2 Do one of the following:
• Type the correct bar, beat, and tick values
in the Source Length field.
• If the duration was incorrectly analyzed as
being half the duration of the source file,
click the x2 button.
• If the duration was incorrectly analyzed as
being twice the duration of the source file,
click the 1/2 button.

Changing the duration of a region on an

Elastic Properties, tick-based Elastic Audio-enabled track using the TCE
Trimmer tool updates the Source Length in
the Elastic Properties window.

Source Tempo (Tick-Based Tracks Only)

The Source Tempo property displays the average

tempo of the source file, which is calculated
based on the detected transient events and the
length of the file. If the tempo of the source file
Elastic Properties, sample-based was analyzed incorrectly, you can change it.
Region
To change Source Tempo of a region:
The Region property displays the name of the re-
1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the re-
gion and indicates whether or not the region is
on a tick or sample-based track. If more than gion.
one region is selected, the number of selected re- 2 Select the correct note value for the beat from
gions is displayed. If regions on both tick and the Tempo Resolution pop-up menu. For exam-
sample-based tracks are selected, only the re- ple, if the source file is in 5/8, select 1/8 note.
duced set of properties are displayed.
3 Do one of the following:

Source Length (Tick-Based Tracks Only) • Type the tempo in the Source Tempo field.
• If the tempo was incorrectly analyzed as be-
The Source Length property displays the length
ing half the tempo of the source file, click
of the region based on the source file in bars and
the x2 button.
beats. If the length of the source file was ana-
lyzed incorrectly, you can change it. • If the tempo was incorrectly analyzed as be-
ing twice the tempo of the source file, click
the 1/2 button.

788 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Meter (Tick-Based Only) The Event Sensitivity acts like a threshold for
showing only the transient events that were de-
Elastic Audio analysis does not calculate meter
tected with a high degree of confidence. In
and assumes all files are in 4/4. If you work with
Warp or Analysis track views you will see the
meters other than 4/4, use the Meter property to
number of Event markers decrease or increase as
correctly identify the source meter.
you lower or raise the Event Sensitivity.

To change Meter of a region: Lowering the event sensitivity can help reduce
1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the re-
the number of erroneously detected transients.
gion. In turn, this can result in better sounding Elastic
Audio processing. Pro Tools preserves the de-
2 Click in the Meter nominator field and type tected transients when applying TCE in order to
the correct number of beats per measure. For ex- avoid flamming and granulation of the tran-
ample, if the region is in 3/4, type 3. sients. Consequently, false transients are also
3 Click the Meter denominator field and type
preserved and the resulting sound quality can be
the correct note value. For example, if the meter less than desirable. If you are working with au-
is in 6/8, type 8. dio material that does not have clearly defined
transients, you may want to lower the Event
TCE Factor Sensitivity in the Elastic Properties, or you may
want to even edit the Event markers in Analysis
The TCE Factor property displays the percentage view.
of change applied to the source file. On tick-
based tracks, this property is display only and If lowering the Event Sensitivity results in filter-
cannot be edited. On sample-based tracks, you ing out important Event markers, you can pro-
can change the TCE Factor to apply TCE to the mote those Event markers in Analysis view (see
region. The percentage of the TCE factor is al- “Promoting Event Markers” on page 786).
ways calculated in relation to the source file.
For REX files, Pro Tools converts the slices
The TCE Factor value turns red when Elastic Au-
as Events with 100% confidence. Conse-
dio processes exceeds the valid range (see “Out
quently, setting the Event Sensitivity from
of Range Processing” on page 784).
99% to 1% does not filter out any events
Event Sensitivity based on slices. However, if you set the
Event Sensitivity to 0%, all markers are fil-
The Event Sensitivity property lets you filter tered out regardless.
Event markers based on the analysis confidence
level. The confidence level for any detected
When you change the Event Sensitivity
transient event is based, in part, on the clarity of
property, Pro Tools writes temporary fil-
the transient. For example, if the file is a drum
tered Elastic Audio analysis files (.aan) to
loop, loud accented hits will be analyzed with a
the session’s Rendered Files folder. Any un-
higher degree of confidence than a soft, unac-
used temporary filtered analysis files are
cented hit.
purged when you close the session.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 789

 Reset
Elastic Audio Region-Based
Click the Reset button to reset event analysis
Pitch Shifting
data for the region to match the original file.
The Event Sensitivity property is reset to 100%. (Polyphonic, Rhythmic, and X-Form Only)

In addition to Pro Tools Elastic Audio time com-

Input Gain
pression and expansion capabilities, you can
It is possible to encounter clipping when time also change the pitch of whole audio regions in
compressing audio. Real-Time Elastic Audio semitones and cents in the range of +/– 2 oc-
plug-ins provide a Clip indicator to let you know taves.
when clipping has occurred and the Elastic Au-
dio plug-in button turns red. Rendered Elastic Elastic Audio pitch transposition is not sup-
Audio regions display a Clip indicator on the re- ported with the Monophonic algorithm.
gion when clipping has occurred (see “Region However, if you switch to the Monophonic
Clip Indicator” on page 774). plug-in after pitch shifting with another
plug-in, the pitch metadata for the region is
If you encounter clipping when processing Elas- maintained.
tic Audio, use the Input Gain property to atten-
uate the gain of the audio signal before it is pro-
Elastic Audio pitch transposition cannot be
cessed.
applied to looped regions or region groups.
Pitch Shift (Polyphonic, Rhythmic, and X-Form
To pitch shift a region:
Only)
1 Make sure the region, or regions, you want to
The Pitch Shift property lets you pitch shift pitch shift are on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks
whole regions on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks (using the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, or X-Form al-
using the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, and X-Form gorithm).
plug-ins. You apply real-time or rendered pitch
shifting in semitones and cents by +/– 2 octaves. 2 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the
audio region you want to pitch shift. Only re-
gions that are completely selected will be af-
fected.

3 Open the Elastic Properties window for the re-

gion.

4 Adjust the Pitch Shift settings up (“+”) or down

(“–”) by an amount in semitones and cents.

790 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 4 Do one of the following:
• Adjust the Transpose By settings by an
amount in semitones and cents.
– or –
• Adjust the Transpose From and To settings
by an amount in Semitones and Cents.

The Transpose All Notes To and the Trans-

pose In Key settings can only be applied to
MIDI notes. When only audio regions are
Elastic Properties window
selected, these options are unavailable.
To transpose the pitch of an audio region in the
Transpose window: 5 Click Apply.

1 Make sure the region, or regions, you want to

Transpose are on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks
Varispeed and Pitch Shifting
(using the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, or X-Form al- When using the Varispeed algorithm, pitch
gorithm). transposition and time compression/expansion
2 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the are always linked. If you apply pitch transposi-
audio region you want to transpose. Only re- tion to an audio region using the Polyphonic or
gions that are completely selected will be af- Rhythmic algorithms, that transposition data is
fected. stored in the metadata for the region. Conse-
quently, if you then switch to Varispeed, change
3 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose. the TCE factor, and then switch back to the orig-
inal Elastic Audio algorithm, the region will re-
vert to the original amount of pitch shifting
while maintaining the amount of time compres-
sion/expansion applied by the Varispeed algo-
rithm.

Removing Region Pitch Shifting

If you have applied any pitch shifting to a re-
gion, you can remove pitch shifting and revert
the region to its original pitch. This can be use-
ful if you are not satisfied with the results and
want to revert to the pre–pitch shifted region.
Event Operations, Transpose

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 791

 To remove region pitch shifting:
1 Select the region for which you want to re-
move warping.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Region > Remove Pitch Shift.
– or –
• With any Edit tool, Right-click the region
and select Remove Pitch Shift.

Remove Pitch Shift can only be applied to

regions and cannot be applied to region
groups. To remove pitch shifting from re-
gion groups you must first ungroup the re-
gion, then apply Remove Pitch Shift to the
underlying regions, and then regroup those
regions.

AudioSuite Processing and

Elastic Audio Regions
Real-Time Elastic Audio processing is non-de-
structive. However, since AudioSuite plug-ins
process the entire region and write a new audio
file (or actually apply destructive processing),
when applying AudioSuite processing to regions
on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, any Elastic Au-
dio processing is rendered first, the rendered file
is then processed by AudioSuite, and the result-
ing new audio file is analyzed for Elastic Audio
processing.

792 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Moving Elastic Audio Between Tracks
Pro Tools analyzes, conforms, and commits audio in different ways when moving audio regions be-
tween tracks with Elastic Audio enabled and tracks without Elastic Audio enabled. Table 39 on
page 793 shows the different results for moving regions between real-time Elastic Audio-enabled
tracks, Rendered Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, and audio tracks without Elastic Audio.

Table 39. Moving Elastic Audio between tracks

From To Result

Real-time Elastic Rendered Elastic Render region with destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-
Audio–enabled track Audio–enabled track in

Real-time Elastic audio track (no Elastic Render region with source track’s Elastic Audio plug-in
Audio–enabled track Audio) and commit the region to the destination track

Rendered Elastic Real-time Elastic Apply real-time Elastic Audio processing using the desti-
Audio–enabled track Audio–enabled track nation track’s Elastic Audio plug-in

Rendered Elastic audio track (no Elastic Commit to track

Audio–enabled track Audio)

Audio track (no Elastic Real-time Elastic Calculate Elastic Audio analysis and apply real-time
Audio) Audio–enabled track Elastic Audio processing using the destination track’s
Elastic Audio plug-in

Audio track (no Elastic Rendered Elastic Calculate Elastic Audio analysis and render the region
Audio) Audio–enabled track using the destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-in

Pitched Elastic audio track (no Elastic Render region pitch shift with source track’s Elastic
Audio–enabled track Audio) Audio plug-in and commit the region to the destination
track

Regions that are committed, either by disabling Elastic Audio on a track or by moving a region to a
track without Elastic Audio enabled, are written to disk as new audio files (see “Committed Regions”
on page 770.)

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 793

 Microfades
Fades and MicroFades
Real-time Elastic Audio processing is not com-
Fades and Elastic Audio Processing pletely deterministic. Consequently, depending
on where you start playback, the part of a region
When applying fades to warped regions (regions being played might actually be a few samples
that have been processed by Elastic Audio), the longer or shorter. When fades or crossfades are
audio selected for the fade is first rendered and applied to warped regions, the audio waveform
then the fade is generated based on the rendered at the boundary between the (real-time) region
audio file. While you can create fades and cross- and the (rendered) fade may not actually be con-
fades on regions on Elastic Audio-enabled tinuous.
tracks, neither Real-Time nor Rendered Elastic
Audio processing can be applied to fades. Con- For example, if there are two butt-spliced re-
sequently, fades always retain their absolute du- gions on a Real-Time Elastic Audio-enabled
ration and fades must be recalculated after any track, Elastic Audio processes them separately
Elastic Audio processing has been applied to the even though they are contiguous on the track.
underlying audio. As a result, the audio may not really be contigu-
ous after Elastic Audio processing and there may
For example, if you change the session tempo, a be an audible pop when playing back across the
region on a tick-based Elastic Audio-enabled transition between the two regions.
track will change its duration (in minutes and
seconds) to match the new tempo, but any fades To help compensate, Pro Tools applies micro-
that are part of that region do not change dura- fades to region boundaries on Real-Time Elastic
tion. The underlying audio is processed to Audio-enabled tracks. Microfades are small real-
match the tempo change, then it is rendered, time fades at region boundaries intended to mit-
and then the fade is regenerated. Even though igate artifacts across region boundaries, or be-
the underlying audio changes, the absolute du- tween an Elastic Audio processed region and a
ration of the fade does not. rendered Fade file. Microfades are very short;
they are only about 1.5 milliseconds long (64
In Warp view, you will notice that Event mark- samples at 44 kHz, 128 samples at 96 kHz, and
ers never appear in fades and that Warp markers 256 samples at 192 kHz).
cannot be added within fades. As a general rule,
apply fades to regions on Elastic Audio-enabled Approximate Waveforms
tracks only after you have finished any manual
warp editing. Another consequence of Real-Time Elastic Au-
dio processing is that the drawing of the wave-
Region groups that contain regions with forms is only approximate. For example, if you
fades are not allowed on Elastic Audio-en- bus record a Real-Time Elastic Audio processed
abled tracks. track, you will notice that the Waveform on the
source track does not necessarily exactly match
the recorded track. However, be assured that
what you hear is an accurate rendition of the
Real-Time Elastic Audio processing even if the
waveform drawing on the source track is only
approximate.

794 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Default Input Gain Lets you attenuate the signal
Elastic Audio Preferences input to Elastic Audio plug-ins by 0 to –6 dB for
preview and import. If you experience clipping
The Elastic Audio settings in the Processing Pref-
due to Elastic Audio processing during preview
erences page determine which Elastic Audio
or after import, you may want to set the Default
plug-in is used for preview and import, and
Input Gain to slightly attenuate the audio signal
whether or not new tracks are created with Elas-
input for Elastic Audio processing. This prefer-
tic Audio enabled using the selected default
ence also applies to any audio imported to an
plug-in.
Elastic Audio-enabled track.

If you commit any regions on a track (by dis-

abling Elastic Audio on the track) that were im-
ported with Input Gain, their region-based In
put Gain is reset to 0.

The Elastic Properties window inherits the De-

Elastic Audio preferences
fault Input Gain preference. To apply further re-
Default Plug-in Lets you select any Real-Time gion-based Input Gain for Elastic Audio process-
Elastic Audio plug-in as the default plug-in for ing, select the region and adjust the Input Gain
previewing and importing Elastic Audio. The se- setting in the Elastic Properties window (see
lected default Elastic Audio plug-in is also used “Elastic Properties Window” on page 787).
when new tracks are created with Elastic Audio
enabled. The Elastic Audio Plug-in selector in Enable Elastic Audio on New Tracks When se-
DigiBase browsers inherits the selected Default lected, new tracks are created with Elastic Audio
Plug-in setting. Likewise, changing the selected enabled. The selected default Elastic Audio plug-
plug-in in DigiBase browsers updates the se- in is used.
lected Default Plug-in setting in the Processing
If the Enable Elastic Audio on New Tracks
Preferences page.
option is selected, you may want to also
select the New Tracks Default to Tick Time-
base option in the Editing Preferences page.

Chapter 38: Elastic Audio 795

796 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 39: Event Operations

To open a specific Event Operations window page:

Event Operations Window „ Choose Event > Event Operations, followed by

The Event Operations window provides com- one of the Event Operations (such as Quantize).
mands to transform groups of MIDI notes to af-
fect pitch, timing, and phrasing. The Quantize
and Restore Performance Event Operations can
also be applied to audio region start times (or
sync points) and Elastic Audio events. The
Transpose Event Operation can also be applied
to whole regions on Elastic Audio-enabled
tracks.

The Event Operations window has nine pages,

one for each Event Operations command.
• Quantize
• Restore Performance
• Flatten Performance
• Change Velocity
• Change Duration
• Transpose
• Select/Split Notes
• Input Quantize Event Operations window (Quantize page shown)
• Step Input To open the last active Event Operations window
page:
The Event Operations window can be left open,
This provides quick access to apply a command „ Choose Event > Event Operations > Event Oper-

or try out different options for a particular com- ations.

mand.
To open the Event Operations window, press
You can also apply quantize, duration, Alt+3 (Windows) or Option+3 (Mac).
delay, and transpose to MIDI nondestruc-
tively using MIDI Real-Time Properties. See
“MIDI Real-Time Properties” on page 604.

Chapter 39: Event Operations 797

 ‹ Changing a value for a particular control
If the Event Operations window is already (such as the Swing Percentage in the Quantize
open, you can select any of the pages from window), automatically enables the control.
the pop-up menu at the top of the window.

To apply an Event Operations command, do one of

the following: Quantize
„ Click Apply or press Enter on the numeric key- The Quantize command can be applied to MIDI
pad. This applies the command and leaves the notes, audio regions, and Elastic Audio events.
window in the foreground. For MIDI, quantization adjusts MIDI note loca-
– or – tions and durations so that timing is improved,
or so that a particular rhythmic “feel” is
„ Press Enter on the alphanumeric keyboard
achieved. For audio regions, quantization ad-
(Windows) or Return (Mac). This applies the
justs the start times (or sync points) of audio re-
command and closes the window.
gions. For Elastic Audio, quantization adjusts to
When using the Event Operations window the location of detected transient events and ap-
and MIDI Real-Time Properties at the same plies Elastic Audio processing accordingly.
time, Event Operations are applied to the
The Quantize Event Operations window lets you
actual MIDI data. MIDI Real-Time
apply Grid Quantize based on rhythmic values
Properties continue to applied on top of the
(such as 1/16 note) or using Groove Quantize
actual MIDI data.
based on Groove Templates. Slightly different
options are provided for Grid Quantize and
To undo a command in the Event Operations
window: Groove Quantize.

„ Choose Edit > Undo. The Quantize Event Operation and Quantize to Grid
commands can both be used to quantize re-
Using the Event Operations Window gions. However, each command also has a spe-
cific additional use.
Use the following methods to configure options
in the Event Operations window: Use the Quantize to Grid command (Region >
Quantize to Grid) to adjust the start points (or
‹ To move forward and back through the vari-
sync points) for selected regions. The Quantize to
ous fields, press Tab or Shift+Tab.
Grid command can be applied to both MIDI and
‹ Increment or decrement selected fields with
audio regions (see “Quantizing Regions to Grid”
the Up and Down Arrow keys. Press and hold on page 505).
these keys to scroll quickly through the values.
The Quantize Event Operation, on the other
‹ Drag up or down in a selected field to scroll to
hand, can be applied to MIDI notes and Elastic
a new value.
Audio events individually in addition to audio
‹ Press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)
region start times (or sync points). Some notes
while adjusting sliders for finer resolution. or events may be moved back in time, others
‹ For selected pitch and velocity fields, play a forward. For MIDI notes only, some may be
note on your MIDI controller keyboard to auto- shortened, some lengthened, and some more
matically enter it. drastically affected than others.

798 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To select Groove Quantize:
You can also quantize MIDI input, see “In-
„ From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select
put Quantize” on page 820.
a groove template.

The settings in the Quantize window are

saved with each session. To store your fa-
Grid Quantize
vorite settings for use in future sessions, The Quantize window can apply Grid Quantize
save them as part of a session template (see when a specific rhythmic value is selected in the
“Session Templates” on page 123). Quantize Grid pop-up menu. When a groove
template is selected in the Quantize pop-up
To open the Quantize window:
menu, Groove Quantize can be applied. For in-
„ Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize. formation on Groove Quantize, see “Groove
Quantize” on page 804.
Press Alt+0 on Windows or Option+0 on
Mac to open the Quantize window.
What to Quantize
The What to Quantize settings determine what
aspects of any selected MIDI notes are quan-
tized: Note Ons (attacks), Note Offs (releases), or
both. You can also select whether to quantize
audio regions or Elastic Audio events. Depend-
ing on what type of track material is selected,
not all options will be available. If only MIDI is
selected, the Audio Regions and Elastic Audio
Events options are unavailable. If only audio is
selected, the Note On, Note Off, and Preserve Note
Duration options are not available.

Note On When selected, MIDI note start points

are quantized.

Note Off When selected, MIDI note end points

are quantized.

Preserve Note Duration When selected, MIDI

note durations are preserved.
Event Operations window, Quantize
When deselected with the Note On option se-
To select Grid Quantize:
lected, note end points are not moved.
„ From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select

a note value. When deselected with the Note Off option se-
lected, note start points are not moved.

Chapter 39: Event Operations 799

 If the options for both Note On and Note Off are Elastic Audio Events When selected in the What
selected, the Preserve Note Durations option is to Quantize pop-up menu, Quantize is applied
unavailable. to detected transient events within the Edit se-
lection on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks. Quanti-
Figure 5 shows how MIDI notes are adjusted by zation can be applied to mixed selections of
the different What To Quantize options. MIDI notes and Elastic Audio events. Warp
before quantize
markers are created automatically on top of
Event markers nearest the quantize grid. Quan-
tize then uses these Warp markers to apply
quantization.

Quantize Grid
Quantize Grid Pop-Up Menu Determines the beat
boundaries to which MIDI notes, Elastic Audio
events, and audio region start points are aligned.
Any size from whole notes (1/1) to sixty-fourth
notes (1/64), including dotted and triplet values,
can be selected for the Grid size.

Relative Grid mode does not affect the

Quantize Grid.

Tuplet Select the Tuplet option to quantize ac-

cording to irregular note groupings, such as
quintuplets (5 in the time of 4). The Quantize
Grid for tuplets is calculated from the note size
selection and the Tuplet value. For example, if
Figure 5. What To Quantize examples an sixteenth note equals 240 ticks, quintuplet
sixteenth notes with 5 in time of 4 would yield a
Audio Regions When selected in the What to
Grid size of 192 ticks or (240 ticks/5)*4.
Quantize pop-up menu, Quantize is applied to
region start times (or sync points if present) for Offset Grid By Offsets the Quantize Grid forward
selected audio regions. MIDI regions are not af- or back in time by a specified number of ticks.
fected. Typically, you will only want to apply Use this option to achieve a pushed feel (by us-
quantization to sliced audio regions or region ing positive values) or a laid back feel (by using
groups (such as imported REX files or regions negative values).
created using the Separate Regions at Transients
command or Beat Detective). Quantization can To Quantize just the backbeats, set the
be applied to mixed selections of MIDI notes Quantize Grid to half-notes with an Offset
and audio regions. of 960 ticks.

800 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Randomize When selected, MIDI notes, Elastic Figure 6 shows the Quantize Grid set to quarter
Audio events, and audio regions are moved ran- notes with the Include Within option set to
domly forward or back in time (after the Quan- 50%. In this example, only the MIDI Note Ons
tize occurs). For example, with the Quantize and MIDI Note Offs falling within the shaded
Grid set to eighth notes and Randomize set to area (equivalent to an eight note area around
50%, notes and events are placed up to a 32nd each beat) are quantized.
note before or after the beat boundary. The Ran-
domize setting also affects note durations (if Re-
leases is selected).

Options
Additional Quantize options include:
Figure 6. Include Within option
Swing When selected, every other Grid bound-
Exclude Within When selected, MIDI Note Ons
ary is shifted by the specified percentage value
and MIDI Note Offs, Elastic Audio events, and
(0–300) to achieve a “swing” feel. A Swing value
audio regions are not quantized if located
of 0% yields no swing, while 100% yields a trip-
within the specified percentage of the Quantize
let feel. Settings above 100% progressively nar-
Grid. Use this option to preserve the feel of
row the swing until the maximum of 300%, at
events close to the beat, while correcting others
which every other Grid boundary is moved to
that are drastically away from the beat.
the next Grid point.

Every other Grid point

Figure 7 shows the Quantize Grid set to quarter
0% Swing
(480 ticks) shifted by swing notes with the Exclude Within option set to
25%. In this example, MIDI Note Ons and MIDI
Note Offs falling within the shaded area (equiv-
alent to a sixteenth note area around each beat)
are not quantized.

100% Swing
(640 ticks)
100% Swing, eighth note Grid

Include Within When selected, MIDI Note Ons

and MIDI Note Offs, Elastic Audio events, and
audio regions are only quantized if located Figure 7. Exclude Within option
within the specified percentage of the Quantize
Strength When selected, MIDI notes, Elastic Au-
Grid. Use this option to clean up downbeats
dio events, and audio regions are moved a per-
without affecting notes that are “swung” or
centage toward the Quantize Grid. Lower per-
wildly off the beat.
centages preserve the original feel of the events,
higher percentages align the notes more tightly
to the Grid.

Chapter 39: Event Operations 801

 Grid Quantize Examples Quantizing While Preserving the
Original “Feel”
The following examples illustrate some of the
more common uses for Grid Quantize. You can quantize less strictly, to preserve the
original feel of your recorded MIDI and audio
If you intend to loop playback while quantizing, tracks.
you may want to deselect Options > Link Time-
line and Edit Selection. This ensures that the To quantize while preserving the original feel:
play range does not change when selected
events are moved in the course of quantizing 1 Select the range of MIDI notes, Elastic Audio

and undoing. events, or audio regions to be quantized.

2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize.

After quantizing, you can use Restore Per-
formance to revert to the original version 3 Under What to Quantize, select the Note On
(see “Restore Performance” on page 810.) option for quantizing MIDI notes. To also quan-
tize MIDI note durations, select the Note Off op-
Straight Quantize tion. If you are quantizing audio, select Audio
Regions or Elastic Audio Events from the pop-up
To quantize to a straight sixteenth note feel: menu.
1 Select the range of MIDI notes, Elastic Audio 4 From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select
events, or audio regions to be quantized. the note value you want to use.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize. 5 Ensure that the other options for Tuplet, Off-

3 Under What to Quantize, select the Note On set Grid By, and Swing are not selected.
option for quantizing MIDI notes. To also quan- 6 Select the Exclude Within option with a value of
tize MIDI note durations, select the Note Off op- 10–15%.
tion. If you are quantizing audio, select Audio
Regions or Elastic Audio Events from the pop-up 7 Select the Strength option with a value of

menu. 70–80%.

4 From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select 8 Ensure that the remaining Quantize options

sixteenth notes (1/16). Make sure that the other are deselected.
options for Tuplet, Offset Grid By, and Swing are 9 Click Apply.
not selected.
10 Audition the change. If the desired effect is
5 Ensure that the remaining Quantize options not achieved, undo the edit and experiment
are deselected. with different values for Exclude Within and
6 Click Apply. Strength.

802 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Quantizing with Swing Quantizing with Randomize
If you are working with MIDI hi-hats or bass If quantized events sound too mechanical or
lines or audio equivalents, you may want to ap- “on the beat,” use the Randomize option in the
ply more of a swing feel when quantizing. Quantize window to make them sound more
natural.
To quantize with an eighth note swing feel:
To “humanize” the rhythmic feel of events:
1 Select the range of MIDI notes, Elastic Audio
events, or audio regions to be quantized. 1 Select the range of MIDI notes, Elastic Audio
events, or audio regions to be quantized.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize.
3 Under What to Quantize, select the Note On
option for quantizing MIDI notes. To also quan- 3 Under What to Quantize, select the Note On
tize MIDI note durations, select the Note Off op- option for quantizing MIDI notes. To also quan-
tion. If you are quantizing audio, select Audio tize MIDI note durations, select the Note Off op-
Regions or Elastic Audio Events from the pop-up tion. If you are quantizing audio, select Audio
menu. Regions or Elastic Audio Events from the pop-up
menu.
4 From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select
eighth notes (1/8). 4 From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select
the note value you want to use.
5 Select the Swing option with the Swing per-
centage you want: 5 Select the Randomize option and enter a value
• For a light swing, use 12%. of 5%.
• For a tighter swing-like groove, use 24%. 6 Click Apply.
• For a true “triplet-like” swing feel, use
7 Audition the change. If the desired effect is
50–75%.
not achieved, undo the edit and experiment
6 Ensure that the options for Tuplet, Offset Grid with different Randomize percentages.
By, and Randomize are not selected.

7 Click Apply. Experimenting with Quantize

8 Audition the change. If the desired effect is When using the Quantize command, you may
not achieved, undo the edit and experiment have to experiment with many of the controls
with different Swing percentages. to achieve the results you want. Try different
values for Include Within and Exclude Within, and
Strength; these controls determine which notes
are affected and how drastically they are
changed. Additionally, use the Randomize op-
tion, which adds a percentage of randomness to
the quantize, to make tracks sound less “me-
chanical.”

Chapter 39: Event Operations 803

 Groove Quantize Groove Templates
In the Quantize window, you can apply Groove Groove templates (such as DigiGroove tem-
Quantize when a groove template is selected in plates) are “quantization maps” derived from
the Quantize Grid pop-up menu. Groove quan- real musical performances. The rhythmic char-
tize adjusts MIDI note locations and durations, acter of each performance is analyzed and stored
Elastic Audio events, and audio regions accord- as a groove template. Groove templates can be
ing to a groove template rather than a strict quan- used to transfer the feel of a particular perfor-
tization grid. Groove templates extract the par- mance to MIDI notes (Timing, Duration, and
ticular rhythmic feel of a recorded audio or Velocity), Elastic Audio events, and audio re-
MIDI performance so that is can be applied to gions.
another MIDI sequence or audio selection. Digi-
DigiGroove templates can be created using Beat
Groove templates can be generated using Beat
Detective. Beat Detective analyzes an audio se-
Detective.
lection for transient peaks according to a de-
fined threshold and maps the rhythmic rela-
tionships to a 960 parts per quarter note (ppq)
template. Beat Detective can also analyze a MIDI
selection for Note Ons and velocities to generate
groove templates. These template can then be
used with Groove Quantize, as well as with Beat
Detective.

For information on Beat Detective and

creating groove templates, see Chapter 28,
“Beat Detective.”

DigiGroove templates are also available from

Digidesign and third-party manufacturers.

Numerical Sound’s Feel Injector Templates

(960 ppq) are supported in Pro Tools, but
DNA Groove Templates (192 ppq) are not.

Quantize options with a groove template selected

804 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Quantize Grid For example, if an event was played at Bar
1|1|060 (a 16th note), and the corresponding
Quantize Grid Pop-Up Menu Determines which template event is at 1|1|073, a slider value of
groove template to use for quantization. All 100% results in the event being shifted to
groove template files in the Grooves folder are 1|1|073 (a slider value of 200% shifts the note to
available in the Quantize Grid pop-up menu. 1|1|086).
The directory path for the Grooves folder is: The default value for the Timing slider is 100%.
• On Windows: C:\Program Files\
Digidesign\Pro Tools\Grooves Duration Enable to influence the durations of
• On Mac: Applications/Digidesign/ the selected MIDI notes. The Duration option
Pro Tools/Grooves does not apply to audio selections. At a setting
of 100%, durations are changed to match the
If you organize your groove templates in sub- current groove template. Set to 200%, durations
folders in the Groove folder, they appear as sub- increase and decrease based on the ratio of the
menus in the pop-up menu. Once you have se- original duration of the selected notes and the
lected a groove template, specific information durations in the template.
about the template’s meter and duration (in
bars) is displayed under the pop-up menu. The default value for the Duration slider is
100%.
Show Comments The Comments field displays
any comments saved with the groove template Beat Detective does not extract duration in-
from Beat Detective. The Comments field can- formation from audio performances.
not be edited in the Quantize page, but can be DigiGroove templates created using Beat
edited when saving a groove template from the Detective contain a fixed duration value that
Groove Quantize page. is 50% of the selected template resolution
(see “Defining a Beat Detective Selection” on
Pre-Quantize Enable to hard quantize the se- page 552).
lected MIDI notes to a sixteenth-note grid before
applying Groove Quantize. Velocity Enable to influence the velocities of the
selected MIDI notes. The Velocity option does
not apply to audio selections. If the slider is set
Options
to 0% there is no change to the selected veloci-
Timing Enable to apply Groove Quantize to the ties, a setting of 100% sets all velocities to match
selected MIDI notes, Elastic Audio events, or au- the current groove template. A velocity setting
dio regions. Use the slider to change the amount of 200% typically results in over-exaggerated ve-
of quantization applied to the selection. If the locities—loud notes increasing and soft notes
slider is set to 0%, there is no change in timing. decreasing in volume.
A setting of 100% moves notes to the underly-
ing template locations. If the slider is set to For example, if two adjacent notes have equal
200%, events move to a tick location that is velocities of 80, and the two corresponding tem-
twice the difference between the original event plate velocities are 70 and 90, setting the slider
location and the position of the referenced tem- to 200% changes the velocities to 60 and 100.
plate event.
The default value for the Velocity slider is 100%.

Chapter 39: Event Operations 805

 Slider Settings Applying Groove Templates
To Save the groove template with the current Groove templates can be of any length and can
Options Slider Settings: be applied to any number of bars. Typically, you
will apply groove templates to selections of the
1 In the Quantize window, select Recall with
same bar length and meter. However, groove
Template if you want to restore all Groove Quan-
templates can be applied to different meters—
tize Options to the settings that are saved with
for example, a groove template in 6/8 can be ap-
the current template
plied to a selection in 4/4. Also, it is not neces-
2 Click the Save button. sary to start on the downbeat when making a se-
lection to apply a groove template.
3 Enter or edit any comments you want to save
with the template.
To apply Groove Quantize:
4 Do one of the following:
1 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the
• Click the Save button to save the groove MIDI notes, Elastic Audio events, or audio re-
template with the current Options Slider gions you want to Groove Quantize.
Settings.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize.
– or –
3 Select a groove template from the Grid Quan-
• Click the Save As button to make a copy of
the groove template with the current Op- tize pop-up menu.
tions Slider Settings. In the resulting Save 4 Enable Timing, Duration, and Velocity, and ad-
dialog, enter a name for the copy and click just their sliders to the percentages you want.
Save.
5 If desired, enable Pre-Quantize.
Slider settings can be lost if any of the following
6 Click the Apply button.
operations are performed without saving the
settings first:
• Another Event Operations window is se-
lected.
• The Event Operations window is closed.
• You switch to another groove template.

806 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Figure 8. A DigiGroove template (derived from the audio shown) applied to a series of sixteenth-notes with Timing
and Velocity both set to 100%

Mapping Groove Templates Template Mapping for Equal Meters And Odd
Numbered Bars
Pro Tools applies groove templates relative to
the song start. For example, a two-bar groove If a two-bar groove template is applied to a selec-
template repeats starting at every odd-num- tion of one bar of the same meter, only the first
bered bar in the session (bar 1, 3, 5, 7…). bar of the template is used. If the selection does
not encompass bar boundaries, for example
1|2|000 to 2|1|000, the groove template only
modifies the selected notes.
2-bar 2-bar 2-bar 2-bar
groove groove groove groove
template template template template 4/4 1-bar selection

2-bar groove template, repeating template grid 4/4 bar 1 4/4 bar 2 (not used)

Groove template
Applying 2-bar groove template to a 1-bar selection,
odd numbered bar

Chapter 39: Event Operations 807

 Template Mapping for Equal Meters And Even If the Groove Template contains more beats
Bars than the selection on a track, such as a one-bar
template in 6/4 being applied to a two-bar selec-
If a selection starts on an even bar, only the ap-
tion in 4/4, only uses the appropriate number of
propriate portion of the groove template will be
beats.
used. For example, if the selection is two bars
long and starts on an even bar, the template ap-
plies bar 2 before bar 1.
4/4 1-bar selection

4/4 1-bar selection

4/4 bar 1 (not used) 4/4 bar 2

6/4 bar 1 (beats 3–6
not used)

Groove template
Applying a 2-bar groove template to a 1-bar selection, Groove template
even numbered bar
Applying a 1-bar groove template in 6/4 to a 1-bar
Template Mapping for Unequal Meters selection in 4/4

In cases where the Groove Templates and track Behavior for Mixed Meters
selections are based on different meters, the If the selection contains mixed meters, the
template will be repeated or truncated to match groove template will always be mapped so that
the number of beats in the selection. the downbeats are aligned. For example, if the
Groove Template consists of one-bar of 4/4 and
For example, if the Groove Template contains
it is being applied to a selection of one-bar of 4/4
fewer beats than the selection, such as a one-bar
followed by a bar of 7/16 and one-bar of 5/8, the
template in 6/8 being applied to a one-bar selec-
downbeat of the Groove Template is aligned
tion in 4/4, the template repeats to make up the
with the downbeats in the selection and only
difference.
uses the appropriate number of beats from the
Groove Template.

4/4 1-bar selection

6/8 bar 1 6/8 bar 1 repeated

(beats 3–6
not used)

Groove template
Applying a 1-bar groove template in 6/8 to a 1-bar
selection in 4/4

808 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 audio regions without applying TCE, and is es-
pecially useful when working with “one-shot”
3-bar selection of changing meters regions (single-event regions) such as sliced re-
gions or region groups.

Use Restore Performance to undo quantiza-

4/4 bar 1 (not used) tion of audio and MIDI. See “Restore Perfor-
mance” on page 810.

4/4 bar 1 To quantize Elastic Audio events:

1 Select the audio you want to quantize on Elas-
tic Audio-enabled tracks. (Audio not on Elastic
4/4 bar 1
Audio-enabled tracks will not be quantized.)

2 Choose Events > Event Operations > Quantize.

Groove template
3 In the Quantize window, select Elastic Audio
Applying a 1-bar groove template in 4/4 to a 3-bar
Events from the What to Quantize pop-up
selection in different meters
menu.

You can reset the groove template grid by 4 Set the Quantize Grid and Options settings.
adding a new meter marker (it can be the
5 Click Apply.
same meter). The groove template will
restart at the meter marker regardless of the The Warp and Event markers closest to the
measure number or whether or not the meter Quantize Grid are quantized accordingly. TCE is
has actually changed. applied between these markers and all other
markers maintain their position relative to the
Quantizing Elastic Audio Quantize Grid.

Pro Tools lets you apply Quantize to Elastic Au- before quantizing
dio events as well as MIDI notes. Quantize can
be applied to Event and Warp markers closest to
the quantize grid on Elastic Audio-enabled
tracks, regardless of whether they are sample- or
tick-based. When quantizing, Event markers
closest to the quantize grid are promoted to after quantizing
Warp markers and all Warp markers closest to
the quantize grid are quantized based on the
Quantize settings.

Quantization can also be applied to region start

times (or sync points) on all audio tracks, Quantized Elastic Audio Events in Warp view
whether they are Elastic Audio-enabled, or sam-
ple- or tick-based. This lets you quickly quantize

Chapter 39: Event Operations 809

 Quantizing Audio Regions Quantizing Mixed Selections
Pro Tools lets you quantize audio region start You can apply Quantize to both MIDI notes and
times (or sync points) using the Quantize opera- audio regions, or both MIDI notes and Elastic
tion. Audio region start times (or sync points) Audio events at the same time. However, you
are quantized to the nearest quantize grid value. cannot apply Quantize to both audio regions
(non-Elastic Audio) and Elastic Audio events at
To quantize audio regions: the same time.

1 Select the audio regions you want to quantize.

Quantizing region groups only adjust the Restore Performance

location of the region group start (or sync
point). To quantize the underlying sliced The Restore Performance command reverts all se-
regions in a region group, you must first lected MIDI notes to their original state (when
ungroup, then quantize, and then regroup. first recorded or manually inserted), even after
For more information on region groups, see the session has been saved, or the Undo queue
“Region Groups” on page 743. has been cleared. Restore Performance can also
be applied to quantized Elastic Audio Events or
2 Choose Events > Event Operations > Quantize. quantized audio regions.
3 In the Quantize window, select Audio Regions
from the What to Quantize pop-up menu.

4 Set the Quantize Grid and Options settings.

5 Click Apply.

The region start times (or sync points if present)

are quantized according to the quantize settings.

before quantizing
Event Operations window, Restore Performance page

The Restore Performance command can be

undone.

The following MIDI note, Elastic Audio Event,

after quantizing
and audio region attributes can be restored:

Timing (Quantization) Restores the original start

times of the selected notes, audio regions, and
Elastic Audio Events. For MIDI only, this
changes the durations of selected notes if the Du-
Quantized audio regions
ration option is not enabled.

810 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Duration Restores the original durations of the Any changes made through the Quantize, Change
selected notes. If the Timing (Quantization) option Duration (MIDI only), Change Velocity (MIDI
is not enabled, the start times of selected notes only), or Transpose commands are undone and
are not restored and the end times are affected. the original “performance” is restored. Also, any
Duration has no effect on audio. MIDI notes that were recorded with Input
Quantize enabled are restored (see “Input Quan-
Velocity Restore the original velocities of the se- tize” on page 820).
lected notes. Velocity has no effect on audio.
Restore Performance does not undo cut, cop-
Pitch Restores the original pitches of the se-
ied, pasted, or otherwise manually moved
lected notes and pitch shifted Elastic Audio re-
MIDI notes, audio regions, or Elastic Audio
gions.
events.

To restore the original time, duration, velocity, or

pitch for selected MIDI notes, audio regions, or Restore Performance does not undo Dura-
Elastic Audio Events: tion changes made by trimming the start of
1 Select the MIDI notes, audio regions, or Elastic a note. Trimming the start of a note essen-
Audio Events you want to restore. tially changes the note’s timing, and there-
fore is treated by Pro Tools the same as if it
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Restore Per- were manually moved.
formance.

3 Select which performance attributes to re-

Removing Input Quantize
store. Restore Performance can be used to remove
4 Click Apply. quantization on input for MIDI notes. For exam-
ple, if you recorded a performance with Input
Quantize on, you can still restore the perfor-
mance as it was actually played.

For information on Input Quantize, see “In-

put Quantize” on page 820.

Chapter 39: Event Operations 811

 Velocities can also be edited manually with the
Flatten Performance Pencil and Grabber tools (see “Manually Editing
MIDI Notes” on page 582).
The Flatten Performance command “locks in” the
current performance for selected notes, creating
a new “restore to” state for the specified note at-
tributes when using Restore Performance.

Event Operations window, Flatten Performance page

The Flatten Performance command can be

undone.

To flatten the performance:

1 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the Event Operations window, Change Velocity page
MIDI notes you want to flatten.
You can also change velocity nondestruc-
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Flatten Per-
tively in real-time using MIDI Real-Time
formance to open the Flatten Performance page.
Properties. See “MIDI Real-Time Proper-
3 Select the note attributes to flatten. (For de- ties” on page 604.
scriptions of these attributes, see “Restore Per-
formance” on page 810).
Velocity values usually affect the loudness
4 Click Apply. of MIDI notes. Depending on how velocity is
mapped with any MIDI instrument, veloci-
ties may also affect other aspects of an in-
strument’s sound (such as filter cutoff, en-
Change Velocity velopes, and modulations).
The Change Velocity command automatically ad-
justs Note On (attack) and Note Off (release) ve- The settings in the Change Velocity window
locities for selected MIDI notes. Use it to make are saved with each session. To store your
notes louder or softer, or to create crescendos or favorite settings as the default for use in fu-
decrescendos. ture sessions, save them as part of a session
template (see “Session Templates” on
page 123).

812 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Note On Applies the Change Velocity options to value of 64, and with Randomize enabled and set
the MIDI Note On. to a value of 50%, the resulting velocities will be
anywhere between 48 and 80 (+/– 25% of the
Note Off Applies the Change Velocity options to velocity value).
the MIDI Note Off.
To randomize selected velocities without applying
While there are options for adjusting both
any other Change Velocity options:
the Note On (attack) and Note Off (release)
velocities for notes, most MIDI devices ig- 1 Enable the Scale By option and set it to 100%.
nore release velocity information. To see if
2 Enable Randomize and set the amount of ran-
your instrument supports release velocities,
domization you want.
refer to the manufacturer’s documentation.
3 Click Apply.
Set All To Sets all velocities to the specified value
(1–127). Velocity Ranges
Add Adds to existing velocity values by the spec- The valid range for MIDI note velocities is
ified amount (1–127). 1–127. The Change Velocity command will
never result in moving velocities outside this
Subtract Subtracts from existing velocity values
range; 1 is always the lowest and 127 is always
by the specified amount (1–127).
the highest. This means that you can encounter
Scale By Scales all velocities by a percentage situations where the Change Velocity command
amount (1–400%). has no effect on a particular note.

Change Smoothly Allows velocities to change For example, if a note with a velocity 64 is scaled
smoothly from one value to another over time. by 200%, the new velocity would be 127. At-
tempting to scale or increase the velocity any
Change Smoothly by Percentage Allows veloci- further yields no further change.
ties to change smoothly from one percentage
value to another over time.
Fading Velocities
The curve for this change can be adjusted
(+/– 99) to affect how gradually the change oc- To change velocities smoothly over time:
curs. 1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be edited.

Limit To When selected, restricts the Change Ve- 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Change Ve-
locity command to a minimum and maximum locity.
range after the selected Change Velocity option
3 Select the Change Smoothly option with the
has been applied (and also after any randomiza-
range set from 127 to 0.
tion has been applied).
4 Click Apply.
Randomize When selected, the selected Change
Velocity option is randomized by the specified
percentage value after the selected Change Ve-
locity option has been applied. For example,
with the Set All To option enabled and set to a

Chapter 39: Event Operations 813

 Preserving Existing Velocity Relationships
Change Duration
To partially preserve the existing velocity rela-
tionships and still achieve velocity fades, use the The Change Duration command adjusts dura-
option for Change Smoothly by Percentage. tions for selected MIDI notes. Use it to affect the
Figure 9 illustrates the difference between the articulation of the selected notes by making
two Change Smoothly options. them more staccato or legato.

Original velocities

After Change Smoothly by Percentage, 100% to 20%

After Change Smoothly, from velocity of 100 to 10

Figure 9. Change Smoothly by Percentage
Event Operations window, Change Duration
Scaling Velocities
The settings in the Change Duration page
Many times existing note velocities already have are saved with each session. To store your
the relationship between them that you want, favorite settings as the default for use in fu-
but are either too soft or too loud overall. In ture sessions, save them as part of a session
these instances, use the Scale By option. template (see “Session Templates” on
page 123).
For example, to make velocities 20% louder:
1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be edited.
You can also change note duration nonde-
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Change Ve- structively in real-time using MIDI Real-
locity. Time Properties. See “MIDI Real-Time
Properties” on page 604.
3 Select the Scale By option with the percentage
value set to 120.

4 Click Apply.

814 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Set/Add/Subtract/Scale Option Change Continuously Option

Set All To Sets all durations to a length specified The Change Continuously option lets you change
in quarter notes and ticks. the duration of notes continuously in ticks or by
percentage. Adjust the Curve slider to modify
Add Adds to the durations by a specified number the shape of the change.
of quarter notes and ticks.
Change Continuously in Ticks Allows note
Subtract Subtracts from the durations by a spec- lengths to change smoothly from one duration
ified number of quarter notes and ticks. to another over time. Duration values are speci-
Scale by Shortens or lengthens durations based fied in quarter notes and ticks.
on a percentage value (1–400%). Change Continuously by Percentage Allows note
lengths to change smoothly from one percent-
Legato
age value to another over time.
Enable the legato option to add legato to the
The curve for this change can be adjusted
MIDI selection. Select Gap or Overlap from the
(+/– 99) to affect how gradually the change oc-
Legato pop-up menu and enter the gap or over-
curs.
lap in beats and ticks.
Limit Range When selected, restricts the Change
Remove Overlap Duration command to a minimum and maxi-
The Remove Overlap option removes any note mum range (in quarter notes and ticks).
overlap for all notes of the same pitch. This Randomize When selected, the Change Duration
command is different from Legato in that non- command is randomized by the specified per-
overlapping notes of the same or different centage value. For example, using “Set all to”
pitches remain unchanged. To create a gap be- with a value of 480 ticks, along with a Random-
tween previously overlapping notes, enter the ize value of 50%, yields durations anywhere be-
gap in beats and ticks. tween 360 and 600 (+/– 25% of the duration
value).
Transform Sustain Pedal To Duration

The Transform Sustain Pedal To Duration option Change Duration Examples

extends the length of all notes that are sounding
when the sustain pedal (controller 64) is down To make notes more staccato:
(64 to 127) to the point when the sustain pedal 1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be edited.
goes up (0 to 63). Enable the Delete Sustain Pedal
Events option to convert sustain pedal events to 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Change Du-
note durations. Converting sustain pedal events ration.
to note duration can greatly simplify editing
Press Alt+P on Windows or Option+P on
while maintaining the desired performance ef-
Mac to open the Change Duration window.
fect. For example, if a sustain pedal down event
is deleted while editing, the subsequent MIDI 3 Select the option for Scale By with a percent-
performance looses its legato effect. age value of 50.

Chapter 39: Event Operations 815

 4 Click Apply. The durations for the selected The Transpose command can also be applied to
notes are reduced by 50%. whole regions on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks
using the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, or X-Form
With this option you may have to experiment plug-ins.
with the percentage value to achieve the desired
effect. For information on Transposing Elastic Au-
dio regions, see “Elastic Audio Region-
To make notes more legato: Based Pitch Shifting” on page 790.
1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be edited.

2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Change Du-

Elastic Audio pitch transposition is not sup-
ration. ported with the Monophonic algorithm.

3 Select the Legato option.

Elastic Audio pitch transposition cannot be
4 From the Legato pop-up menu, select Overlap. applied to looped regions or region groups.
5 Enter 0|000 for the amount of overlap.

6 Click Apply.

The end points for the selected notes are ex-

tended to the start point of the next note,
thereby eliminating the space between each
note.

Transpose
While the Grabber tools can be used to manu-
ally transpose individual MIDI notes, or small
groups of notes, the Transpose command can be
Event Operations window, Transpose
used for entire MIDI tracks and regions. One of
the more common uses for Transpose is to Transpose By (Octaves) Transposes selected
change the key for your MIDI tracks. You can MIDI notes by up to +/– 10 octaves, or trans-
define an Edit Group for MIDI tracks that you poses selected Elastic Audio regions up to +/– 2
want to transpose, making sure to exclude any octaves.
drum tracks from the group so they aren’t trans-
posed. You can even transpose in key. Transpose By (Semitones) Transposes selected
MIDI notes up or down chromatically by up to
You can also transpose MIDI notes nonde- +/–127 semitones, or transposes selected Elastic
structively in real-time using MIDI Real- Audio regions up or down chromatically by up
Time Properties. See “MIDI Real-Time to +/– 48 semitones (4 octaves).
Properties” on page 604.

816 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Transpose (From and To) Transposes selected 3 Select the Transpose By option.
MIDI notes, or selected Elastic Audio regions, by
4 Enter a value of –1 octave.
semitones, as expressed by the difference be-
tween the source and destination pitches. Trans- 5 Click Apply.
posing from C3 to F#3, for example, transposes
the notes up by an augmented fourth (six semi- To transpose selected notes in key:
tones).
1 Select the MIDI notes you want to transpose.
Transpose All Notes To Transposes all selected 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
notes to the same pitch. Use the slider or the
number entry box to enter the pitch to which to 3 Select Transpose in Key.
transpose all selected notes. This option is not 4 Adjust the slider (or type a number) for the
applicable to Elastic Audio regions. number of scale steps (+ or –) by which you want
to transpose the selection. For example, to trans-
Transpose In Key Transposes selected notes in
pose down a third, enter “–2.”
key up or down by scale steps (based on the Key
Signature ruler). This option is not applicable to 5 Click Apply.
Elastic Audio regions.
To transpose an Elastic Audio region:
To transpose MIDI notes:
1 Make sure the region, or regions, you want to
1 If you will be transposing a group of tracks, en- Transpose are on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks.
able the Edit Group.
Elastic Audio pitch transposition is not sup-
2 Select the MIDI notes you want to transpose.
ported with the Monophonic algorithm.
3 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
2 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the
Press Alt+T (Windows) or Option+T (Mac) audio region you want to transpose. Only re-
to open the Transpose window. gions that are completely selected will be af-
fected.
4 Select the Transpose option (By, From and To,
3 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
All Notes To, or In Key).
4 Do one of the following:
5 Set the corresponding pitch fields.
• Adjust the Transpose By settings by an
With any pitch field selected, play a note on amount in semitones and cents.
your MIDI controller to automatically enter it as
– or –
the pitch value.
• Adjust the Transpose From and To settings
6 Click Apply. by an amount in Semitones and Cents.

To transpose all notes on a track down by an The Transpose All Notes To and the Trans-
octave: pose In Key settings can only be applied to
MIDI notes. When only audio regions are
1 With the Selector tool, double-click in the
selected, these options are unavailable.
track to select all of its MIDI notes.

2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose. 5 Click Apply.

Chapter 39: Event Operations 817

 Other Criteria
Select/Split Notes
Velocity Enable the Velocity option to specify a
The Select/Split Notes window provides a com- range of velocities for selecting or splitting
plete set of tools to select and split MIDI notes notes. Enter minimum and maximum veloci-
based on a wide variety of criteria. Additional ties.
tools are provided to specify whether selected
data is copied to the clipboard or to new tracks, Duration Enable the Duration option to specify a
whether the data is split to multiple new tracks range of durations (in beats and ticks) for select-
or a single destination, and more. ing or splitting notes. Enter minimum and max-
imum durations.

Position Enable the Position option to select or

split all notes that fall into a range of relative
beat and tick locations within each bar. The
minimum value determines the start of the
range, the maximum value sets the end of the
range.

Action

Select Notes Selects MIDI notes based on the

specified criteria.

Split Notes: The Clipboard Copies the selected

data to the clipboard only.

Split Notes: A New Track Copies all selected data

to a single, new track. If the selection includes
multiple tracks, that same number of tracks are
Event Operations window, Select/Split Notes
created. The new tracks duplicate the original
Pitch Criteria track type (Instrument or MIDI).

All Notes Selects all notes. Split Notes: A New Track per Pitch Copies all se-
lected data to multiple new tracks (one new
Notes Between Selects a range of notes between
track for each pitch). New tracks zoom to single-
the specified upper and lower note. Values for
note display. If the selection includes multiple
the notes can be entered in pitch (C1–G8) or
tracks, each track has its data split separately.
MIDI note numbers (0–127).
Include All Continuous MIDI Data Includes all
Top Selects the highest note or notes in each
continuous MIDI data, including pitch bend
chord.
and aftertouch, on the entire track, without any
Bottom Selects the lowest note or notes in each restriction on time selection.
chord.

818 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Selecting and Splitting Notes Selecting a Pitch Range of Notes
A common use for Select/Split Notes is to select
To select and split notes:
a single note for the entire length of a region or
1 Do one of the following: track. This is especially useful if you want to se-
• With the Grabber or Selector tool, select lect a note in a MIDI drum track (such as a hi-
the range of MIDI notes that contains the hat), and affect it over the selected time range
notes. with the Quantize, Groove Quantize, Transpose, or
– or – Change Duration command.

• To affect all the MIDI notes on a track, click

To select only the hi-hats in a General MIDI drum
in the track with the Selector tool, so that it
track:
contains a flashing edit cursor.
1 Do one of the following:
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Select/Split
• With the Grabber or Selector tool, select
Notes.
the range of MIDI notes that contains the
3 Configure the Pitch Criteria. notes.

4 Configure the Other Criteria (Velocity, Dura- – or –

tion, and Position). • To affect all the MIDI notes on a track, click
in the track with the Selector tool, so that it
5 Enable the Select or Split option.
contains a flashing edit cursor.
6 From the Split Notes pop-up menu, select Copy
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Select/Split
or Cut.
Notes.
7 If splitting notes, select the Copy or Cut to des-
3 Select the Notes Between option with the note
tination.
range set to F#1 and F#1 (if the MIDI Note Display
8 If splitting notes, enable the Include All Contin- setting in the MIDI Preferences page is set to
uous MIDI Data option. Enabling this option in- Standard Pitch).
cludes all controller data associated with the
split notes in newly created tracks. Leave this For a General MIDI drum kit, the closed hi-hat is
option unchecked to split only note data to new assigned to MIDI note number 42 (F#1 at Stan-
tracks. dard Pitch). If the hi-hat for your drum kit is as-
signed to a different note, make sure to specify
9 Click Apply. it.

Any Real-Time Properties associated with the 4 Click Apply.

track or regions are copied to new tracks created
by Select/Split Notes. You can also select all notes of a specific
pitch on a track using the mini-keyboard.
For more information, see “Selecting MIDI
Notes” on page 582.

Chapter 39: Event Operations 819

 Selecting Notes in a Chord
Input Quantize
Another use for Select/Split Notes is to select
only the upper or lower notes in a chord. Many When Input Quantize is enabled, all recorded
times you may only want to affect the upper or MIDI notes are quantized automatically.
lower notes in a chord—for example, to increase
velocities or transpose pitches.

To select only the bass notes in a chord:

1 Do one of the following:
• With the Grabber or Selector tool, select
the range of MIDI notes that contains the
notes.
– or –
• To affect all the MIDI notes on a track, click
in the track with the Selector tool, so that it
contains a flashing edit cursor.

2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Select/Split

Notes.

3 Select the Bottom option and leave the num-

ber of notes set to 1.

4 Click Apply. Event Operations window, Input Quantize

In order for notes to be considered a chord,

Use Input Quantize for drum machine style
their start times must be within thirty-two
loop recording (see “Loop Recording in MIDI
ppq ticks of each other.
Merge Mode” on page 399).

To enable Input Quantize:

1 Choose Event > Event Operations > Input Quan-
tize.

2 In the Input Quantize page, select Enable Input

Quantize.

3 Configure the other options in the Input

Quantize page. (For more information on the
Quantize options, see “Quantize” on page 798.)

4 When finished, close the Event Operations

window.

820 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Step Input When Step Input is enabled, each previ-
ously record-enabled MIDI or Instrument
Step Input lets you use a MIDI controller to en- track is taken out of record enable, and if
ter notes individually, one step at a time. This the Default Thru Instrument preference is
gives you precise control over note placement, defined, it is disabled.
duration, and velocity. With MIDI step input
you can also create musical passages that might 4 Choose the MIDI or Instrument track for step
be difficult to play accurately, or at a fast tempo. entry from the Destination track pop-up menu.

5 Choose the note value you want to enter from

the Step Increment section.

6 Play a note or chord on your MIDI instru-

ment. This enters the note and moves to the
next step of the insertion point.

To increase a note’s length while using Step Input:

1 Play and hold a note on your MIDI instru-
ment.

When a note is being held on the MIDI key-

board, Next Step changes to read “Incre-
ment.”

2 Choose the note value that you would like to

add and press the Increment button.

Release the note on your MIDI keyboard to

move to the next step insertion point.
Step Input window

Use Step Input to enter MIDI notes in the Step Input Controls
Score Editor or in MIDI Editor windows.
The Step Input page has the following controls:
To enter MIDI notes with Step Input (using an
Enable When selected, adds MIDI events to the
external MIDI device):
destination track when you play your external
1 Make certain your external MIDI device is MIDI keyboard. Additionally, each previously
properly connected and working with Pro Tools. record-enabled MIDI track is taken out of record
enable.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Step Input.

3 Select the Enable option. If a Default Thru Instrument is defined in the

MIDI Preferences page, it is disabled when Step
Input is enabled, and is re-enabled when Step
Input is no longer disabled.

Chapter 39: Event Operations 821

 Destination Lets you select the destination track Enable Numeric Keypad Shortcuts When se-
for the Step Input from a pop-up list of all the lected, Step Input options can be selected from
MIDI tracks in your session. the numeric keypad. See “Numeric Keypad
Shortcuts” on page 823.
Step Increment
Undo Step, Next Step, and Redo Step
The options in the Step Increment section let
you set the spacing and duration of MIDI events Use the Undo Step and Next Step buttons to do
entered using the Step Input operation. You can the following:
select any size from whole notes to sixty-fourth • Move the step insertion point, by either re-
notes (including dotted values). moving the previous note or by advancing
the insertion point by the Step Increment
Tuplet Lets you input irregular note groupings value.
(such as triplets or quintuplets). The tuplet
• Lengthen and shorten notes that are being
length is calculated from the note spacing selec-
held on the MIDI controller, by adding or
tion and the Tuplet values. For example, an
removing Step Increment values. The Step
eighth note equals 480 ticks, so tuplet eighth
Increment value can be changed mid-note
notes with 3 in time of 2 would yield a note
to create a note with a hybrid note length.
spacing of 320 ticks (480 ticks / 3 * 2).
Use the Redo Step button to sequentially redo
Note Length Lets you select the note length as a
any previously undone steps.
percentage of the spacing value. For example, an
eighth note equals 480 ticks, so an eighth note Undo Step When the previous note has been re-
with an 80% duration would be 384 ticks long. leased from the MIDI keyboard, and the inser-
tion point has moved forward to the next note,
Undo Step removes the entire last note.

When a note is being held on the MIDI key-

board, Undo Step changes to read “Decrement,”
and removes the last Step Increment length that
was added to the held note.
100% 80% 120%
Next Step (or Increment) When no note is being
Note length percentages
held on the MIDI keyboard, Next Step moves the
Options insertion point by the Step Increment value, es-
sentially inserting a musical rest.
Use Input Velocity When selected, MIDI notes
are recorded using the velocity that you play on When a note is being held on the MIDI key-
your MIDI keyboard. board, Next Step changes to read “Increment”
and adds the Step Increment value to the held
Set Velocity To When selected, MIDI notes are
note, increasing its length by the Step Incre-
recorded with the velocity that you specify in
ment value.
the Velocity field. This value can be set with the
Velocity slider.

822 Pro Tools Reference Guide

While the note is being held, the Step Increment Numeric Keypad Shortcuts
value can be changed, allowing you to create
notes of any musical length. When Enable Numeric Keypad Shortcuts is se-
lected, you can apply many of the controls in
Redo Step Reinserts the last note that was re- the Step Input page, as well as several selection
moved by the Undo Step operation. controls, using your computer’s numeric key-
pad.
Triggering the Undo Step, Next Step, or Redo Step :

Buttons
Step Input Shortcuts Key
The Undo Step, Next Step, and Redo Step buttons
Whole note 1
can be set to be triggered by an external MIDI
synth, drum pad, or other controller. 1/2 note 2

1/4 note 4
To set Undo Step, Next Step and Redo Step MIDI
triggers: 1/8 note 5

1 Place the Edit insertion on a track at the loca- 1/16 note 6

tion where you want to enter the first MIDI
1/32 note 7
note.
1/64 note 8
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Step Input.
Dotted note . (decimal key)
3 Locate the button you want to assign a MIDI
event to, and click in the field below the button. Toggle Tuplet on/off 3

4 Play the MIDI event you want to use as a trig- Next step Enter
ger.
Undo step 0
If you use a continuous controller as a trig- Nudge forward +
ger (such as Pitch Bend), you should make
certain to use an extreme controller value to Nudge back –
avoid erroneous data input. Select Main Counter =

5 Press Enter to confirm the MIDI trigger assign- Edit Selection indicators /
ment.

Chapter 39: Event Operations 823

824 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Part IX: Mixing

825
826
Chapter 40: Basic Mixing

In addition to the final mixdown, mixing tasks Format Compatibility Monitoring Check stereo
can occur any time during a session. This chap- mixes for compatibility with mono playback
ter covers Pro Tools mixing, including audio sig- systems, and multichannel surround mixes for
nal flow, output and bus paths, sends, and sig- compatibility with stereo playback systems. (see
nal routing for submixing and mixdown. the Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide).

During mixing, real-time plug-ins and hardware

inserts provide effects and signal processing (see
Chapter 41, “Plug-in and Hardware Inserts”). Metering and Calibration
Meters provide a visual display of signal levels.
They tell whether signal is getting to a channel,
Mixing Concepts and how loud or soft a signal is relative to (above
or below) “0.”
Mixing involves making decisions about ele-
ments such as volume levels, panning, and ef- By calibrating all your equipment to standard
fects in your studio. While you can control reference levels, a consistent level can be
many variables in your studio (such as speakers achieved (and metered) among different record-
and room acoustics), you cannot control the lis- ing devices in a studio, throughout a facility, or
tening environment in which your final mix throughout an entire production chain. For ex-
will be heard. The following tips will help you ample, a level of –18 dBFS coming out of a DAT
make your mix sound as good as possible to as deck should play and meter at –18 dBFS in
many listeners as possible: Pro Tools.

Alternate Speakers and Reference

Monitoring Listen to your mixes on a variety of
Calibrating Audio Interfaces
different speakers to gauge how well the mix (Pro Tools|HD with 192 I/O Only)
will translate to different playback systems.
If you are using a Pro Tools|HD system with a
Reference Mixes Make audio CDs and MP3-en- 192 I/O audio interface, use the Calibration Ref-
coded files of rough mixes and audition them erence Level option (in the Operation Prefer-
outside the studio in different listening environ- ences page) to set the reference level when
ments. Pro Tools is in Calibration mode.

For instructions on calibrating a 192 I/O

Audio Interface, see the 192 I/O Guide.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 827

 Audio Tracks
Signal Flow by Track Type
Audio tracks play audio from disk, record audio
Pro Tools provides the following track types: to disk, and monitor input signals when record-
• Audio enabled or in TrackInput monitoring mode. In-
• Auxiliary Input serts on audio tracks are pre-fader. Sends on au-
• Master Fader dio tracks can be pre- or post-fader.
• MIDI Mono and stereo audio tracks are available on
• Instrument all Pro Tools systems.
• VCA Master (Pro Tools HD only)
Multichannel audio tracks and surround mixing
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and In- formats are supported by Pro Tools HD only.
strument tracks can route audio. MIDI and In-
Source: any mono, stereo, or
strument tracks can route MIDI data. Source multichannel audio file, playing
or Input back from disk
VCA Master tracks do not pass audio or MIDI Input: while record-monitoring or
in TrackInput monitoring mode
data, but do affect controls on other tracks. See
Inserts
“VCA Master Tracks” on page 832. (plug-ins or
hardware
inserts)
Tracks can be identified in the Mix window by Sends, pre-fader
their Track Type icon.

Track Type icons Input Record

Solo Mute

Volume

Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master, MIDI,

and Instrument tracks

For information on creating tracks, see Sends, post-fader

“Creating Tracks” on page 164.

Panner

Output
Main Output
+ Additional Outputs
Audio track audio signal flow

828 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Auxiliary Input Tracks Common Uses for Auxiliary Inputs

Auxiliary Input tracks provide the same signal Auxiliary Inputs can be used to:
routing options as audio tracks, except that their • Apply real-time plug-ins or an external pro-
input must come from an internal bus or hard- cessor to a submix, using the Auxiliary In-
ware input. Inserts on Auxiliary Inputs are put as an effects return (such as reverb or
pre-fader. bus line compression)
• Input audio from external MIDI instru-
ments and other audio sources into the
Input Source: bus or
hardware input path mix, to monitor or route to audio tracks for
recording to disk (such as from the audio
Inserts outputs of a MIDI synthesizer)
(plug-ins or
hardware • Consolidate volume control of any submix
inserts) Sends, pre-fader
under a single fader
• Mix multiple outputs from an instrument
plug-in (such as Digidesign Structure,
Solo Mute Strike, or Transfuser)

Volume To route an Auxiliary Input:

1 Click the Input Path selector of the Auxiliary
Input and choose an input or bus path.

2 Click the Output Path selector of the Auxiliary

Sends, post-fader Input and choose an output or bus path.

3 Adjust the Auxiliary Input fader to set the re-

turn volume.
Panner
See the submix examples in “Signal Routing
for Monitoring and Submixing” on
Output page 853.
Main Output
+ Additional Outputs
Auxiliary Input track audio signal flow

Auxiliary Input tracks are used as inputs for au-

dio from external MIDI instrument and other
sources, as well as to submix internal bus and
output paths. They can be fully automated.
When using Auxiliary Input tracks as inputs for
external sources, adjust the source output levels
to achieve proper recording levels.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 829

 Master Fader Tracks Master Faders provide up to five post-fader in-
serts and no sends. Also, Master Fader tracks do
Master Fader tracks control the master output not have Pan sliders, or Mute and Solo buttons.
levels of output and bus paths. When assigned
to an active output or bus path, they provide If you absolutely must have a pre-fader in-
post-fader effects processing and master level sert on your Master Fader signal, set up an
control for a main mix, headphone and cue Auxiliary Input before the Master Fader.
mixes, stems, effects sends, and other signal
routing applications. Master Faders support all Common Uses for Master Faders
track formats supported on your Pro Tools sys- Master Faders can be used to:
tem.
• Control and process output mixes
• Monitor and meter an output (such as a bus
Input (source) determined by or hardware output) to guard against clip-
output assignment (of other
tracks) ping
Volume • Control submix levels
• Control effects sends levels
• Control submaster (bussed tracks) levels
• Apply dither or other inserts to an entire
mix

Use Master Faders to control submix levels, send

Inserts, level masters, and other outputs. Master Faders
post-fader
(plug-ins or
can control either audio interface outputs or in-
hardware) ternal busses. A Stereo Master Fader controls the
level of a pair of outputs. Master Faders do not
consume any of your system’s audio processing
Output power.
Main Output
+ Additional Outputs To use a Master Fader as a stereo master volume
control:
Master Fader track audio signal flow
1 Create a stereo Master Fader track.
Unlike inserts on audio tracks and Auxiliary In-
puts, Master Fader inserts are post-fader. This 2 Set the outputs of all audio tracks in the ses-
lets you insert a dither plug-in, or similar plug- sion to the main output path (for example, out-
in, on your master mix, and affect its processing puts 1–2 of your primary audio interface) and set
with the Master Fader level. For more informa- the panning for each track.
tion, see “Dither” on page 866.
3 Set the output of the Master Fader to the main
output path.

830 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Master Fader Meters Instrument Tracks
Meters on Master faders always show post-fader Instrument tracks provide the same audio signal
levels, regardless of the Pre-Fader Metering set- routing options as Auxiliary Input tracks, except
ting in the Options menu. that their input must come from an instrument
plug-in inserted on that Instrument track, or
Master Faders and Paths from a bus or hardware input.
Master Faders can be assigned to main or sub-
paths as defined in the I/O Setup. Multiple Mas- Input Instrument plug-in,
internal bus, or
ter Faders cannot be assigned to the same path. hardware instrument
Inserts
(plug-ins or
Active and Inactive Master Faders hardware
inserts)
Sends, pre-fader
When a Master Fader track is inactive, its associ-
ated plug-ins, I/O assignments, and their re-
Record
sources are made inactive. (MIDI only)
Solo/Mute
When a Master Fader output assignment (path
assignment) is made inactive, the Master Fader Volume
no longer controls the master gain of that path.

When you duplicate a Master Fader track, the

duplicated track’s assignment will be inactive.
Sends, post-fader

Panner

Output

Main Output
+ Additional Outputs

Instrument track audio signal flow

Instrument tracks are used as inputs for instru-

ment plug-ins, and other sources (including in-
ternal busses). They can be fully automated.
When using an Instrument track as an input for
an external source, adjust the output level at the
source to achieve proper recording level.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 831

 Common Uses for Instrument Tracks VCA Master Tracks
By playing back MIDI from or through an In- (Pro Tools HD Only)
strument track you can control and monitor the
VCA Master tracks emulate the operation of
audio from:
voltage-controlled amplifier channels on analog
• Instrument plug-ins, such as software syn- consoles, where a VCA channel fader would be
thesizers or samplers. used to control, group, or offset the signal levels
• External MIDI instruments, such as synthe- of other channels on the console.
sizers and samplers
VCA Master tracks do not pass audio, so they do
To route audio from an external MIDI instrument to not have inputs, outputs, inserts or sends. A Mix
an Instrument track: group is assigned to a VCA Master track, which
appears in the VCA track’s Group Assignment
1 Click the Input Path selector of the Instru-
selector. The controls of the tracks in that Mix
ment track and choose the corresponding hard-
group, called the slave tracks, are modified by
ware input for your external MIDI instrument.
the controls on the VCA Master.
2 Click the Output Path selector of the Instru-
ment track and choose an output or bus path.
Group Assignment
3 In Instruments view, click the MIDI Input se- selector

lector, and assign a device and channel from the

pop-up menu to record and control the external
MIDI instrument.
TrackInput Record
4 In Instruments view, click the MIDI Output se- Solo Mute
lector, and assign the port and channel for the
external MIDI instrument from the pop-up Volume
menu.
Level meter
5 Adjust the Instrument fader to set the volume.

For information on assigning MIDI input

VCA Track Type indicator
and output for Instrument tracks, see “As-
signing MIDI Input and Output for Instru-
VCA Master track
ment Tracks” on page 188.

For information inserting plug-ins on

tracks, see “Inserting Plug-ins on Tracks”
on page 876.

832 Pro Tools Reference Guide

VCA Slave Track Control Indications VCA Master Track Controls
Unlike VCAs on traditional analog consoles, The controls on a VCA Master track affect the
VCA Master tracks in Pro Tools directly affect corresponding controls on the slave tracks in its
their slave tracks, so that the controls on each assigned Mix group. VCA Master tracks have the
slave track always show their actual values: following controls:
• The output level of each slave track is indi-
cated by the position of its fader. Volume
• The solo, mute, record enable, and TrackIn- The VCA Volume fader controls the Volume
put status of each slave track are indicated fader on audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument,
by the corresponding controls on the track. Master Fader, and other VCA Master tracks in a
VCA-controlled group. (Volume faders on MIDI
This ensures that even when a VCA Master track
tracks are not affected.) Volume faders on slave
is not visible, the true state of its slave tracks is
tracks move to show the composite level, or the
accurately displayed.
level on each track resulting from the position
of the VCA Master Volume fader.
VCA Slave Track Controls and Group Behavior

When a group is assigned to a VCA Master, the Mute

VCA-modifiable controls (Volume, Mute, Solo,
The VCA Mute button controls the mute state of
Record Enable and TrackInput) on its slave
audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, MIDI, and
tracks, by default, do not follow any grouped be-
other VCA Master tracks in a VCA-controlled
havior that may be set in the Attributes page of
group. Muting a VCA-controlled group does not
the Groups dialog. This lets you control the out-
change the underlying mute state of slave
put levels of the group’s member tracks while re-
tracks. (Mute buttons on slave tracks that were
taining the ability to adjust individual member
previously unmuted show an implicit mute.)
track levels.

Slave tracks can be set to follow normal grouped Solo

behavior. See “Assigning Groups to VCA Mas-
The VCA Solo button controls the solo state of
ters” on page 834.
audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, MIDI, and
other VCA Master tracks in a VCA-controlled
Common Uses for VCA Master Tracks
group.
By grouping tracks in a Mix group and assigning • Soloing a VCA Master will implicitly mute
that group to a VCA Master track, you can: all tracks except its slave tracks, thereby in-
• Control the output levels of all the VCA directly soloing the slave tracks.
group’s member tracks without the need to • Soloing a VCA Master will clear any explicit
bus them to an Auxiliary Input track or to solos on its slave tracks, leaving them indi-
the same output path rectly soloed, and implicitly mute all other
• Create multiple, nested VCA groups and tracks.
control the output levels of multiple sub- • Explicitly soloing a slave track while its
mixes at the same time VCA Master track is soloed will override the
• Automate a submix by automating its VCA VCA Master solo.
Master track

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 833

 Record Enable The channel format of level meters on the VCA
Master is set according to the channel formats of
The VCA Record Enable button toggles the
its slave tracks, as follows:
Record Enable status of only those audio, Instru-
• If all slave tracks are the same channel for-
ment, and other VCA tracks that have already
mat (mono, stereo or a multichannel for-
been record-enabled individually. You can then
mat), the number of level meters on the
toggle record enable on and off for those tracks
VCA Master track is identical to that of the
using the VCA Master Record Enable.
slave tracks.

To temporarily force all slave tracks to toggle their • If the slave tracks are different formats, the
record enable status: number of level meters on the VCA Master
track is set to one.
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

Record Enable button on the VCA Master.

Record Enable, TrackInput and Slave
TrackInput Tracks

The VCA TrackInput button toggles the input When a slave track is record-enabled (the Record
monitor status of only those audio tracks in a Enable button is lit) or set to Input Only mode
VCA-controlled group that are record-enabled. (the TrackInput button is lit), its automation is
You can toggle input monitor status for those temporarily turned off, and its Volume fader is
tracks using the VCA Master TrackInput button. no longer affected by the VCA Master.

To temporarily force all slave tracks to toggle their Assigning Groups to VCA Masters
input monitoring status:
An existing Mix group can be assigned to a VCA
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the Master, or a new Mix group can be assigned to a
VCA Master TrackInput button on the VCA Mas- VCA Master while it is being created. Only one
ter. group can be assigned to a VCA Master at a time.
A VCA Master cannot control a group that in-
Level Meter cludes itself.
On VCA Master tracks, level meters indicate the
highest level occurring on any of its individual To assign an existing group to a VCA Master:
tracks, not a summed level of all slave tracks. „ Click the Group Assignment selector on the

VCA Master track and choose an available group

from the pop-up menu.

Assigning an existing group to a VCA Master

834 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To assign a new group to a VCA Master:
1 While creating a new group, select Mix or
Inserts
Mix/Edit as the Group type. Pro Tools lets you insert up to ten inserts (A–E
and F–J) on each audio, Auxiliary Input, Master
2 In the Group dialog, choose an available VCA
Fader, or Instrument track. Each insert can be ei-
Master track from the VCA pop-up menu.
ther a software plug-in insert or a hardware insert,
or an instrument plug-in.
Track Membership in Multiple VCA Groups

It is possible for a single slave track to be a mem- Inserts provide the following features:
ber of more than one VCA-controlled group. In • Plug-ins and hardware inserts route the signal
this case, the contribution of all VCA Master from the track through the effect of your
Volume faders is summed on the slave track. choice, and automatically return it to the
Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and TrackInput fol- same track.
low the same rules for enabling or disabling
• Hardware inserts send and return the signal to
slave tracks.
corresponding input and output channels of
an audio interface, which can be connected to
Allowing Grouped Behavior of VCA outboard effects.
Slave Track Controls
• Some Instrument plug-ins (such as Transfuser)
When a track is a VCA slave track, its Volume, accept audio from the track input (letting you
Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and TrackInput con- use them as processing plug-ins.
trols follow VCA functions, and normally do • Inserts on audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instru-
not follow Mix group behavior. ment tracks are pre-fader.
However, these slave track controls can be set to • Inserts on Master Faders are post-fader.
allow Mix group behavior in addition to their • Inserts can be bypassed or made inactive.
VCA functions.
• Most plug-in controls are fully automatable.
To allow grouped behavior of VCA-related controls
See Chapter 41, “Plug-in and Hardware In-
on slave tracks:
serts” for details about using plug-ins and
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Mix- inserts.
ing tab.
Track Output Format and Plug-ins
2 In the Automation section, deselect the Stan-
dard VCA Logic for Group Attributes option. Pro Tools supports mono, multi-mono, stereo,
and multichannel plug-ins (Pro Tools HD with
3 Click OK.
Surround Mixer only).
Volume, Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and Track-
Because inserts process in series, changing the
Input are made available as Mix group attributes
plug-in format can alter the channel format. For
in the Group dialog.
example, inserting a mono-to-stereo plug-in on
a mono Auxiliary Input changes the signal path
from that plug-in through the rest of the track.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 835

 This restricts all hardware inserts or plug-ins af- Window View Selectors
ter the stereo plug-in to be stereo-in/stereo-out
Both the Edit window and Mix window provide
plug-ins (or the supported multichannel for-
Window View selectors to configure their views.
mat).

Plug-in Formats
Pro Tools supports mono and stereo plug-ins,
including the following three types of plug-in
paths:
• mono-in/mono-out
• mono-in/stereo-out
• stereo-in/stereo-out

Pro Tools HD sessions running with the Sur-

round mixer also support 3–8 channel multi-
mono and multichannel plug-ins.

Views in the Mix and Edit Edit Window View selector

Windows
The Mix and Edit windows can be configured to
show or hide various mixing controls, using
menu commands or view selectors.

Most of these views are available in both win-

dows, unless noted.

Mix Window
View selector

Mix Window View selector

836 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Displaying Views Comments View Shows any text entered as com-
ments in the Track Name/Comments dialog. For
To display all views in the Mix or Edit window, do more information, see “Naming Tracks” on
one of the following: page 166.
„ Select View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) > All.
– or –

„ Click the Mix Window View selector (or Edit

Window View selector), and select All.

To display none of the views in the Mix or Edit

window, do one of the following:
„ Select View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) >

None. Comments View

– or –
Comments View in the Mix and Edit windows
„Click the Mix Window View selector (or Edit
Window View selector), and select None. Mic Preamps View (Pro Tools HD Only) Shows
controls in each track for the Digidesign PRE.
To show or hide available views in the Mix and Edit For detailed information, see the PRE Guide.
windows, do one of the following:
„ Choose View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) and

select or deselect one of the view types (such as

Comments).
– or –

„ Click the Mix Window View selector (or Edit

Window View selector), and select or deselect Mic Preamps View

one of the view types (such as Comments). Instruments View Shows MIDI controls on In-
strument tracks (MIDI Input selector, MIDI Out-
put selector, MIDI volume, MIDI pan, and MIDI
mute).

Instruments View

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 837

 Inserts View (Inserts A–E and Inserts F–J) Shows Click on the volume or pan indicators in the
inserts (software plug-ins and hardware I/O in- Edit window I/O View to adjust the volume or
serts) in each track. For more information, see pan controls with a pop-up fader.
“Configuring Inserts View in the Mix and Edit
Windows” on page 844.

Sends View (Sends A–E and Sends F–J) Shows

send assignments in each track. Deselect to hide.
For more information, see “Configuring Sends
View in the Mix and Edit Windows” on
page 844.

I/O View Volume pop-up fader (Edit window)

Inserts (A–E) View

Inserts (F–J) View

I/O View Pan pop-up slider (Edit window)

Sends (A–E) View
Real-Time Properties View (Edit Window
Only) Shows controls for Real-Time Properties
for MIDI and Instrument tracks. For more infor-
Sends (F–J) View
mation on Real-Time Properties, see “MIDI Real-
Time Properties” on page 604.
I/O View

Views in the Mix window

I/O View (Edit Window Only) Shows Input and

Output selectors, and Volume and Pan indica- Real-Time Properties View (Edit window)
tors in each track.

I/O View (Edit window)

838 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Delay Compensation View (Mix Window on
Pro Tools HD Only) The Delay Compensation Audio Input and Output Paths
View displays the total amount of plug-in (TDM
Pro Tools lets you configure the physical input
and RTAS) and hardware insert delay on each
and outputs of your audio interfaces and also in-
track, lets you apply a user offset of track delay,
ternal bus paths and subpaths in the I/O Setup
and displays the total amount of delay that
dialog and the Hardware Setup dialog. These
Pro Tools applies to each track. The Delay Com-
hardware inputs and outputs, and internal bus
pensation View can be shown or hidden in the
paths can be assigned as inputs and outputs on
Mix Window.
audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, and Master
Fader tracks.

Delay indicator
User Offset Input Audio Path
Track Compensation Input Path selectors determine the source input
indicator
for audio, Auxiliary Input, and (optionally) In-
Delay Compensation View strument tracks. Track inputs can be set from
hardware inputs or internal bus paths or sub-
Delay values can be specified in either samples
paths. For detailed information on assigning
or milliseconds, as selected in the Operation
track inputs, see “Assigning Audio Inputs” on
Preferences page. For more information on De-
page 180.
lay Compensation, see “Delay Compensation”
on page 860. Hardware input and bus paths can be configured
in the I/O Setup. For more information, see
Track Color View Shows track color in each
Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”
track. For detailed information, see “Color Cod-
ing for Tracks, Regions, Markers, and Groups” You can also define what physical ports are
on page 193. routed to Pro Tools input ports in the Hardware
Setup dialog. For more information, see “Con-
Hiding Views in the Edit Window figuring Pro Tools System Settings” on page 42.

You can quickly hide View columns in the Edit

window using the mouse with keyboard modi-
fier.

To hide a View column in the Edit window:

„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) at

the top of the column you want to hide (Mic

Pre, Comments, Instrument, Inserts A–E, Inserts
F–J, Sends A–E, Sends F–J, I/O, Real-Time Proper-
ties, or Track Color).

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 839

 Output Audio Path Output Windows
Track Output Path selectors route the post-fader Output windows provide the essential track
signals to the assigned output or bus paths. The mixing controls (such as track panning and vol-
Output Path selector routes the main track out- ume), as an alternative to Mix and Edit window
put to the chosen main or sub-path. Tracks can views. Multichannel Output and Send windows
be routed directly to hardware output or inter- also provide expanded Panner views, and other
nal bus paths and subpaths for submixing (main surround-specific controls. See Chapter 46,
or sub-paths). “Surround Panning and Mixing.”

The track format (mono, stereo, or multichan- Output windows are useful in large sessions to
nel) determines the available main and sub-path leave important tracks in an anchored location,
choices for track output. For detailed informa- unaffected by Mix and Edit window (or control
tion on assigning track outputs, see “Assigning surface) banking. See “Output Windows for
Audio Outputs” on page 180. Tracks and Sends” on page 849.

When audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and

Multiple Output Assignments
Instrument tracks are created, their mono, ste-
reo, or greater-than-stereo multichannel format Pro Tools audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instru-
is defined: ment tracks can be assigned to multiple output
• Mono tracks can be assigned to any available paths. Assigning to multiple paths is an efficient
mono, stereo, multichannel main and sub- way to route an identical mix to other discrete
paths. outputs, for simultaneous monitor feeds, head-
phone mixes, or other situations where a paral-
• Stereo tracks can be assigned to any available
lel mix is needed.
mono, stereo, or multichannel main and sub-
paths.
To assign a track to multiple outputs:
• Multichannel tracks (Pro Tools HD only) can
1 Assign a main output path by selecting it from
be assigned to any mono path, or path of the
the track’s Output Path selector.
same number of channels (for example, an
LCRS track can be assigned to a mono or LCRS 2 Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac)
path). an additional output path in the track’s Output
Path selector. The newly selected output desti-
nation is added as an additional output.

Alt-Start-click (Windows) or Option-Con-

trol-click (Mac) to add the assignment to all
tracks, or Alt-Shift-Start-click (Windows) or
Option-Shift-Control-click (Mac) to add to
all selected tracks.

840 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Display of Multiple Output Assignments Inactive Outputs and DSP Resources

When a track is assigned to multiple output Making a track output inactive silences the out-
paths, the Output Path selector denotes multi- put, while retaining all automation and playlist
ple assignment status and active/inactive status data. Inactive outputs do not consume resources
with the following indicators: for TDM mixer connections, but any assigned
• A plus sign (+) indicates that the track has plug-ins on the track continue to use their re-
multiple output assignments. quired DSP resources. RTAS plug-ins require
CPU resources, and TDM plug-ins use the DSP
available on Pro Tools|HD cards.

You can free up DSP of an unused plug-in by

making its track inactive, or by making just the
Indication of multiple output assignments plug-in inactive.
• In the Output Path selector menu, all cur-
See “Active and Inactive Items” on page 19,
rently assigned track outputs are checked to
and “Making Inserts Inactive” on page 875
indicate they are active for the current track.
for more information.
• An asterisk (*) indicates that one or more cur-
rently assigned outputs is Inactive. About the “No Output” Option
Track outputs can be set to No Output. Assigning
a track output to No Output causes any panning
automation associated with the track to be lost.
Indication of multiple output assignments with at least
one inactive output Tracks assigned to No Output will not be audible,
but they do not free their associated DSP re-
Inactive Outputs sources.

An output path can be made inactive, either glo-

bally in the I/O Setup dialog (affecting all tracks
assigned to that path), or locally per assignment
(only affecting that output on that audio track
Auxiliary Input track, or Instrument track).

When opening sessions, outputs will be made

inactive automatically if the required hardware
or other resources are not available.

Inactive outputs retain all associated automa-

tion playlists. Edits made in the session also af-
fect the inactive track’s output automation play-
lists.

See “Making Tracks Inactive” on page 192.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 841

 Assigning Sends to Tracks
Sends
Pro Tools lets you insert up to ten sends (A–E To add a send to a track:
and F–J) on each audio track, Auxiliary Input, or 1 Make sure Sends View is enabled in the Mix or
Instrument track. Edit window (see “Views in the Mix and Edit
Windows” on page 836 for information).
Sends provide the following features:
2 Click the Send selector on the track and
• Sends can be set as pre- or post-fader.
choose a path from the pop-up menu.
• Send level, pan, mute, and LFE controls can be
configured to follow Groups.
• Send level, send mute, and send pan (for ste-
reo and multichannel sends) are fully autom-
atable. See “Automating Sends” on page 915.
• Send controls can be displayed and edited
from the Mix or Edit windows, or in their own
output windows.
• Sends can be assigned to available output and
bus paths (main or sub-paths), in mono or ste-
reo, or any of the supported multichannel for-
mats for surround mixing.
Assigning a send to a stereo bus path
• Each send can have multiple assignments (for
example, to available output and bus paths).

To be audible in Pro Tools, sends must be re-

turned to the mix through an Auxiliary Input,
audio track, or Instrument track. The sends can
then be monitored and processed through an
Auxiliary Input (or Instrument track), recorded
to audio tracks, and bounced to disk. (Bouncing
and mixdown are explained in Chapter 43,
“Mixdown.”)

842 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The send can be a mono or stereo (or any of the To change the default setting for sends:
supported multichannel formats for surround
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Mix-
mixing) output or bus path.
ing tab.

2 Do one of the following:

• Select Sends Default to “–INF.”
– or –
• Deselect Sends Default to “–INF” and new
sends will default to unity gain (0 dB).

3 Do one of the following:

• Select Send Pans Default to Follow Main Pan.
– or –
• Deselect Send Pans Default to Follow Main
Pan to have panning control over the sends
independent of the panning on the track’s
main output path.

To remove a send from a track:

„ Click the Sends button on the track and

choose No Send from the pop-up menu.

Send window (stereo)

3 Set the output level of the send in the Send Send Formats
window by doing one of the following:
Mono and Stereo Sends When you click the
• Adjust the Send Level fader. Sends button on a track, you can choose from a
– or – list of mono or stereo output or bus paths.
• Set the send level to unity gain (0 dB) by
Multichannel Sends (Pro Tools HD Only) When
Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking
you click the Sends button on a track, you can
(Mac) the Send Level fader.
choose from a list of multichannel output or bus
When you create a new send, its initial output paths.
level depends on the setting of the Sends Default
to –INF preference. Send Path Choices

Pans for sends can be linked to the panning on The choices available in track Send selectors in-
the track’s main output path by enabling the clude bus and output paths.
Send Pans Default To Follow Main Pan preference.
The names, format, and channel mapping
of busses and output paths can be custom-
ized in the I/O Setup dialog. See “Creating
New Paths” on page 65.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 843

 Internal Mix Busses Pro Tools HD provides 128 Configuring Sends View in the Mix
busses and Pro Tools LE provides 32 busses for and Edit Windows
routing signals internally. Internal bus paths are
useful for submixing and processing with plug- Audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, and Instrument
ins. Bus paths are defined in the I/O Setup dia- tracks include two sets of Sends Views: Sends
log, and are available in all supported channel A–E (sends 1–5) and Sends F–J (sends 6–10). The
formats (mono, stereo, or multichannel, as sup- View menu provides separate options for view-
ported on your system). ing these sends in the Mix and Edit windows.

Hardware Outputs Hardware sends are often used To display sends in the Mix window:
for headphone cue mixes, or for sending signals
„ Select any of the following:
to external effects processors. Sends do not auto-
matically return audio as do hardware inserts. • View > Mix Window > Sends A–E.
• View > Mix Window > Sends F–J.

Configuring Inserts View in the To display sends in the Edit window:

Mix and Edit Windows
„ Select any of the following:
Audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, Master tracks, • View > Edit Window > Sends A–E.
and Instrument tracks include two sets of inserts
• View > Edit Window > Sends F–J.
Views: Inserts A–E (inserts 1–5) and Inserts F–J
(inserts 6–10). The View menu provides separate
options for viewing each of set of inserts in the Sends View Options
Mix and Edit windows. Sends are displayed in the Mix and Edit window
according to the Sends A–E View and Sends F–J
To display inserts in the Mix window: View options. Each Send View has six view
„ Select any of the following: choices: Assignments View and five individual
• View > Mix Window > Inserts A–E. Send Views (A–E or F–J).

• View > Mix Window > Inserts F–J.

To display inserts in the Edit window:

„ Select any of the following:
• View > Edit Window > Inserts A–E.
• View > Edit Window > Inserts F–J.

844 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Assignments View Individual Send Views (A–J)

This is the default Sends View, showing all five Individual Send Views (such as Send A) provide
of the Sends A–E or Sends F–J sends on all tracks send level, pan, and mute controls for a single
displayed in the Mix and Edit windows. send across all tracks.

Send A, Assignment View

multichannel stereo no assignment

pre-fader post-fader

Send A View, with different types of send assignments

Send selectors (A–E)
Send controls can be adjusted directly from
these Send Views. Sends can also be opened for
control or metering in Send windows. See “Out-
put Windows for Tracks and Sends” on
page 849.

To display the controls for an individual send

across all tracks:
1 If sends are not currently visible on your
Assignments View, no sends (left) and with an assigned
send (right) tracks, select View > Mix Window (or Edit Win-
dow) > Sends A–E (or Sends F–J).
In Assignment View, send controls are adjusted
from Send windows. See “To view a different 2 Do one of the following:
track Output or Send window:” on page 849. • Select View > Sends A–E (or Sends F-J) and
select one of the individual Send Views
To show all send assignments: (such as Send A).
1 If sends are not currently visible on your – or –
tracks, select View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) • In Assignment View, Control-click (Win-
> Sends A–E (or Sends F–J). dows) or Command-click (Mac) the Send
Assignment selector.
2 Do one of the following:
• Select View > Sends A–E > Assignments or
View > Sends F–J > Assignments.
– or –
• When displaying sends in an individual
Send View (such as Send A View), Control-
click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac)
the Send selector and select Assignments.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 845

 To clear a send meter’s Clip indicator:
„ Click the Clip indicator.

Send Assignment selectors To clear all meters, do one of the following:

„ Option-click any Clip indicator.

„ Choose Track > Clear All Clip Indicators.

„ Press Alt+C (Windows) or Option+C (Mac).

In Assignment View, edit sends by opening

Sends Views, A–E set to “A” and F–J set to “Assignments” their Output windows. See “Output Win-
dows for Tracks and Sends” on page 849.
Editing Sends in the Mix and Edit
Windows (Individual Send Views) Send Status Display
Individual Send Views (such as Send A) display When displaying all controls for an individual
all the controls of an individual send in the sends, the Send status is visible directly in the
sends area of the Mix and Edit windows. These Mix or Edit windows.
views provide full access to all controls for that
send on all tracks. In Assignment View, Send status is displayed as
follows:

Send selector Send Assignment button

• By default, the Send button is gray, to indicate
Send Pan
that it is unmuted.
Send level
Pre/Post Fader button • The Send button text is red when the send has
Send meter
Send Mute button clipped.

Send A View, with mono send shown • The Send button is blue when the send is
muted.
Send level and mute can follow Mix groups, to
adjust multiple send controls from a single set of • The Send button is lit whenever a send’s win-
controls. dow is open.

Unmuted Clipped Muted Window is open

(red text) (blue) (lit Send)
Individual Send Views and Meters
When you display the controls for an individual
send, you also have the option of displaying
send level meters.

Send level meters show peak values and indicate

clipping that occurs while the meter is displayed Indication of Send mute, clipping, and window status
(if a send clips any time before its meter is dis-
played, this is not shown). If you are using a If you use a control surface (such as D-Control or
slower computer, hiding send level meters can 003) with Pro Tools, colored outlines around
improve screen redraw times. sends, inserts, and outputs indicate the current
controller focus.

846 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Inactive Sends To toggle sends in the same position (A–J) and
assigned to the same path on all tracks active or
Sends can be made inactive. Inactive sends free inactive:
their DSP and mixer resources, while retaining
„ Control-Start-Alt click (Windows) or Com-
their position in track Sends View. Inactive
mand-Control-Option click (Mac) a send button
sends do not output audio. However, Inactive
in the position you want to toggle.
sends retain all related automation playlists. In
addition, edits made to regions on tracks with
To toggle sends in the same position (A–J) and
inactive sends can still affect the sends automa- assigned to the same path on all selected tracks
tion playlists. active or inactive:

When opening sessions, sends will automati- „ Control-Start-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or

cally be made inactive if the required hardware Command-Control-Option-Shift-click (Mac) a

or other resources are not available. send button in the position you want to toggle.

Active Inactive send Inactive track

send
(plain text)
(italicized and
grayed out)
(entire track is italicized
and grayed out)
Moving or Copying Sends
Sends can be moved or copied to other tracks, or
to other positions on the same track by drag-
ging. Sends can be dragged to create new sends
at the destination, or dragged onto existing send
assignments to replace them.

Sends can be moved and copied to tracks with

compatible send formats (mono, stereo, or
other). Pro Tools alerts you when you try to
move or copy a send to an incompatible destina-
tion. (For more information, see “Send Format
Display of inactive sends
and Track Compatibility” on page 848).
To make a send inactive, do one of the following:
„Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command- To move a send:
Control-click (Mac) on the Send assignment. „ Click the send name and drag it to a new po-

– or – sition in the original track or in a different track.

„ Make the Track inactive. See “Making Tracks

To copy a send:
Inactive” on page 192.
„ Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) the

send to a new position.

Moving or copying a send maintains all routing

assignments, automation, level/pan/mute set-
tings, and output format.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 847

 Send Format and Track Compatibility Linking Send Pan and Main Pan
Sends can only be copied to other tracks with a
Controls
compatible send output format (mono, stereo, You can link pan controls of individual Sends to
or other). In addition, the following conditions the Main pan controls of their corresponding
apply when moving or copying sends among tracks. This can help you quickly setup cue mix
tracks: (headphone mix) or effects processing bus rout-
• When copying a stereo send from a mono ing.
track to a stereo track, Send pan automation
(if any) will be dropped without warning.
• When copying a stereo send from a stereo
track to a mono track, the left Send pan auto- Follow Main Pan button

mation data is retained and the right side data

is dropped. A warning dialog appears for you
to confirm or cancel this destructive opera-
tion.
Linking Send Pan to Main Pan
• When moving or copying a send and replac-
Linked Send pan controls appear in light gray.
ing an existing send, all automation on the
existing send will be replaced. A warning dia-
To link a Send’s Pan controls to the Main Pan
log appears for you to confirm or cancel this
controls of a track:
destructive operation.
1 Click the Send Assignment button for the
Send you want to link to open the Send window.
Copying Track Settings to Sends
2 In the Send window, click the FMP (Follow
(Pro Tools HD Only)
Main Pan) button.
Sometimes you need send settings to match the
settings in the track itself—for example, to pro- To change the default FMP (Follows Main Pan)
vide a headphone mix based on the main mix. setting for newly created Sends:
You can copy the current values or the entire au- 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Mix-
tomation playlist from selected tracks to any of ing tab.
their sends.
2 Under Setup, select or deselect the Send Pans
For more information, see “Copying Track Default to Follow Main Pan option.
Automation to Sends” on page 916.

848 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To open a Send window:
Output Windows for Tracks „ Click the Send Assignment button in the Mix
and Sends or Edit window.
Track outputs and sends can be opened for dis-
play and editing in dedicated windows.
• Track Output windows provide track fader,
pan, automation, solo, and mute controls.
• Send windows provide send level, pan, auto-
mation, and mute controls.
• Standard Output and Send window controls
provide additional routing, assignment, and
display settings.

To open a track Output window:

„ Click the Output Window button in the chan-
nel strip.

Opening a Send window

To view a different track Output or Send window:

„ Click an Output Window button, or Send As-

signment button, in the Mix or Edit window.

If a similar Output window was already open

with a highlighted Target icon (red, lit), the
newly selected send will open in its place.

Opening a track Output window

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 849

 Opening Multiple Output Windows Panner Linking
Multiple track and Send windows can be dis- Stereo outputs provide two panning controls,
played simultaneously using either of the fol- one for each side of the left/right pair. Multi-
lowing methods. channel outputs provide a multichannel pan-
ner.
To open additional Output windows:
The Output window provides controls to link
„ Shift-click any Output Window button or channels for precise panning of stereo and mul-
Send Assignment button. tichannel tracks.

To set a window to remain open when opening In the linked state, all sides match changes to
additional Output windows: any other side’s Pan control. This is Absolute
„ Make sure the Target is disabled. Link mode. To mirror panning changes, see “In-
verse Linked Panning” on page 851.
Target enabled Target disabled
When unlinked, Pan controls are completely in-
dependent of each other.

Inverse icon
Link icon

Unlinked (left), linked (middle), front inverse linked

(right) Send windows

To enable linking:
„ Enable the Link icon.

To unlink an output for independent panning:

„ Deselect the Link icon.

Multiple Send windows

For additional information, see “Targeted Win-

dows” on page 852.

850 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Inverse Linked Panning Standard Selector Controls in
When linked and set to Inverse mode, panning
Output Windows
moves are inverted or reversed in the other All Output windows provide standard selectors
channels. for path, automation, and other controls in the
top area of the window (the Output Editor area).
Inverse panning reflects one side’s location and
direction in the other side. For example, when
Track selector Target
enabled for Front Inverse, if you pan one side of
Output View
a stereo track output from right to left, the other Path selector selector
Inverse Pan
side will exactly mirror that movement and pan Automation Safe
button Link
left to right.
Output window standard controls
Front Inverse linking is available on all systems.
Rear Inverse, and Front/Rear Inverse linking are
available on Pro Tools|HD systems only, and Track selector Target
Send selector
only appear as options on multichannel plug- Path selector Pre/Post Fader
ins and panners/output windows. Automation Safe Follow Main Pan
Link Inverse Pan

Link
Front Inverse Send window standard controls

Track Selector Provides access to any audio

Front/Rear Inverse
track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader in the ses-
sion.
Rear Inverse

Link and Inverse selectors (multichannel track) Output View Selector Provides access to other
outputs (track and send) in the track, if any, dis-
To enable inverse linking:
playing the selected output in the current win-
1 Enable the Link icon. dow.
2 Select an Inverse mode.
Send View Selector (Send Window Only) Pro-
vides access to other sends on the track.

Output Path Selector Allows you to assign the

Output path for the current track or send.

Pre/Post Fader button (Send Window Only) De-

termines whether the send is pre- or post-fader.

Automation Safe Protects track and send level,

pan, and other controls from automation over-
writes by placing them in Automation Safe
mode. See Chapter 42, “Automation” for more
information.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 851

 Inverse Pan Reflects one side’s panning location Track Fader, Pan Controls, and Solo,
and direction in the other side (for example, Mute, and Automation Controls
left- and right-channel Pan controls).
Output windows provide the associated track’s
Link and Unlink Lets you link and unlink left and Volume fader, Pan controls, Solo and Mute
right (or other) outputs in stereo (or multichan- switches, and Automation Mode selector. Use
nel). Unlinked mode provides discrete adjust- these to adjust or automate the controls of the
ment of individual sides, or channels. When Output window.
linked, all changes affect all channels. See “Pan-
ner Linking” on page 850. Targeted Windows
Target Identifies the target of plug-in settings When lit (red), the Target indicates its window is
commands. Also sets the current window for “targeted,” and the next window opened of the
display of Output windows. See “Targeted Win- same type replaces the current display (unless it
dows” on page 852. is opened as an additional window with the
Shift modifier). When unlit, the target is gray,
Path Meter View Opens the path Meter View.
and the current window anchors to its current
These meters display levels of the selected path
contents and location on-screen. Opening addi-
(not the levels of the track or send).
tional windows does not affect anchored win-
dows.
Path Meter
View button

To set an open Send window as the target window:

„ Click the Target, so that it is lit (red).

Plug-in windows have additional features

related to the Target (such as Focus of Set-
tings commands). See “The Plug-in Win-
dow” on page 880.

Using Output Windows

Send meter Path
meters Output windows provide standard Pro Tools
track, send, Target, and other controls.
Path Meter
selector
To move to a different track:
„ Click the Track selector and choose a track

from the pop-up menu.

Path Meter View in a Send window
To reassign output:
„ Click the Output Path selector and select a

path from the pop-up menu.

852 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To display the controls for a different send on the To use an Auxiliary Input track to monitor and mix
same track: external audio sources:
„ Click the Send View selector and select the 1 Connect the audio outputs of your audio
send. source (such as a MIDI synthesizer or tape out-
put) to available inputs on your Pro Tools audio
To assign a different send to the same track: interface.

„ Click the Send selector and choose an output 2 If necessary, configure the I/O Setup dialog for
or bus path from the pop-up menu. the input paths you plan to use (see Chapter 6,
“I/O Setup.”)
To add an additional output assignment to the
3 Use an existing or create a new Auxiliary Input
current send:
track with a channel format that corresponds to
„ Press Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) while the channel format of your audio source (mono,
selecting an additional output path from the stereo, or multichannel).
Send selector (or Output Path selector.
4 Set the input of the Auxiliary Input track to
the corresponding input path.

Signal Routing for Monitoring 5 Assign the track output to the appropriate
path or paths for monitoring.
and Submixing
6 Adjust the Auxiliary Input fader to mix the au-
The bussing and mixing features in Pro Tools
dio input.
support many possibilities for submixing and
monitoring, including the ability to:
• Monitor and mix playback of audio tracks Monitoring and Mixing Audio with
with audio inputs or with MIDI instruments Instrument Tracks
• Bus submixes for effects processing or moni- Use Instrument tracks to monitor and mix audio
toring (including headphone or “cue” mixes) from instrument plug-ins or external MIDI in-
struments in a Pro Tools mix.
• Mix submixes with Master Faders

To use an Instrument track to monitor and mix the

Monitoring and Mixing Audio with output of an instrument plug-in:
Auxiliary Input Tracks 1 Use an existing or create a new Instrument
Use Auxiliary Input tracks to monitor and mix track.
audio from external sources, such as MIDI in- 2 Choose View > Mix Window > Instruments to
struments, tape, or microphone inputs, in a show the MIDI controls of the Instrument track.
Pro Tools mix.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 853

 3 Select an instrument plug-in from the first In- 7 If you are controlling the Instrument plug-in
sert selector on the Instrument track (such as from the Instrument track, you can also mix us-
Digidesign’s Xpand2). ing the MIDI Volume and Pan controls in the In-
strument View.

MIDI Input selector MIDI Mute For information on configuring audio and
MIDI Output selector MIDI signal routing for controlling and
MIDI Volume control
MIDI Velocity meter
MIDI Pan control monitoring ReWire client applications, see
Instrument plug-in the DigiRack Plug-ins Guide.

To use an Instrument track to monitor and mix

audio from an external MIDI instrument:
Audio Input selector
Audio Output (set to no input) 1 Connect the audio outputs of your external
selector
MIDI instrument (such as a MIDI synthesizer) to
available inputs on your Pro Tools audio inter-
face.

2 If necessary, configure the I/O Setup dialog for

the input paths you plan to use (see Chapter 6,
“I/O Setup.”)

3 Connect the MIDI input and output of your

external MIDI instrument to available MIDI in-
put and output ports on your MIDI interface.

4 If necessary, configure the MIDI Studio Setup

(Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio).

5 Use an existing or create a new Instrument

track with a channel format that corresponds to
Instrument track configured to control and monitor an the channel format of your audio source (mono,
instrument plug-in (Digidesign Xpand2) stereo, or multichannel).
4 The virtual MIDI node (port) for the instru- 6 Choose View > Mix Window > Instruments to
ment plug-in should be automatically selected show the MIDI controls of the Instrument track.
for the Instrument track’s MIDI Output. If not,
7 Set the audio input of the Instrument track to
select the MIDI channel and corresponding port
the corresponding input path.
for the instrument plug-in from the MIDI Out-
put selector. 8 In the Instrument track’s Instrument View, set
the MIDI output to the corresponding MIDI
5 Assign the track audio output to the appropri-
port connected to the MIDI input of your exter-
ate path or paths for monitoring.
nal MIDI instrument.
6 Adjust the Instrument track fader to mix the
audio input.

854 Pro Tools Reference Guide

9 Assign the track output to the appropriate To monitor and mix audio from an Instrument plug-
path or paths for monitoring. in with multiple audio outputs:
1 Use an existing or create a new Instrument

MIDI Input selector

track.
MIDI Mute
MIDI Output selector
MIDI Volume control 2 Choose View > Mix Window > Instruments to
MIDI Velocity meter
MIDI Pan control show the MIDI controls of the Instrument track.
Audio Input selector
Audio Output (set to no input) 3 Select a multi-output instrument plug-in from
selector
the first Insert selector on the Instrument track
(such as Digidesign Transfuser).

4 The virtual MIDI node (port) for the instru-

ment plug-in should be automatically selected
for the Instrument track’s MIDI Output. If not,
select the MIDI channel and corresponding port
for the instrument plug-in.

5 In the plug-in window, assign the individual

audio outputs of the plug-in.

6 Create an Auxiliary Input track for each out-

put of the plug-in. Make sure the channel for-
mat of the Auxiliary Inputs corresponds to the
channel format of the plug-in outputs (mono,
stereo, or multichannel).
Instrument track configured to control and monitor an
external MIDI instrument (Yamaha TG-77 shown) 7 Set the inputs of the Auxiliary Input tracks to
receive the individual outputs of the plug-in.
10 Adjust the Instrument track fader to mix the
audio input. 8 Assign the outputs of the Auxiliary Input
tracks to the appropriate path or paths for mon-
11 If you are controlling the external MIDI in-
itoring.
strument from the Instrument track, you can
also mix using the MIDI Volume and Pan con-
trols in the Instrument View.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 855

 9 Adjust the Auxiliary Input faders to mix the Discrete Submix Output
individual outputs of the plug-in.
Pro Tools lets you discretely route source audio
through a submix. This is preferred for dither or
Instrument plug-in
other mastering processing, where you do not
want unprocessed audio heard in addition to
the processed signals. Use track outputs (not
sends) to assign tracks to a bus path for discrete
Inputs from submixing. In this arrangement, the balance of
plug-in outputs
processed and unprocessed signal is controlled
by plug-in wet/dry settings.

To create a discrete submix:

1 Set the output of the tracks you want to in-
clude in the submix to a stereo bus path.

2 Pan each track.

3 Choose Track > New.

4 Specify the track type (Aux Input) and format

(stereo), then click Create.
Instrument plug-in with multiple outputs routed to
Auxiliary Input tracks
5 Set the input of the Auxiliary Input to the
same bus path to which you assigned all contrib-
Creating a Submix uting tracks.
A submix is created by routing multiple audio 6 Set the output of the Auxiliary Input track to
sources to a common bus or output path. This your main stereo mix outputs (typically, outputs
“submixes” the sources to a single path that can 1–2).
be returned to an Auxiliary Input, where the
submix can be processed with plug-ins or exter- 7 Set the Auxiliary Input Track level.
nal effects processors. 8 To process the submix, assign a plug-in or
hardware insert on the Auxiliary Input.
Audio is routed to a submix by assigning any
combination of sends and track output to avail- 9 Set the controls of the plug-in. The plug-in By-
able bus or output paths. pass and Wet/Dry controls (if available) deter-
mine the amount of effect heard.
Submixing with Track Outputs or Sends
The contributing track faders control the bal-
You can use both track outputs and sends to ance within the submix. The Auxiliary Input
route audio for submixing, depending on track controls the output levels of all tracks
whether you want a discrete or send and return routed to it.
submix.
You can apply mix automation to the volume,
pan, mute, and send level, send pan, and send
mute controls of the Auxiliary Input.

856 Pro Tools Reference Guide

You can also bounce a submix to disk to free up 9 From the Auxiliary Input track’s Output Path
the voices for use by other tracks. See selector, select an output path (main outputs).
Chapter 43, “Mixdown” for more information.
Adjust the individual track faders to balance the
dry (unprocessed) tracks. With the send set to
Send and Return Submixing for Effects
pre-fader, the amount of effect is controlled by
Processing
the level of the Send Level fader or the Auxiliary
When you are submixing for reverb, delay, and Input Volume fader. If the send is post-fader, the
similar effects processing, use sends to achieve Send Level fader follows volume level.
traditional send/return bussing. You can use a
real-time plug-in or a hardware insert as a shared
Effect (plug-in or hardware)
resource for all tracks included in a submix. The Insert
wet/dry balance in the mix can be controlled us-
ing the track faders (dry level) and Auxiliary In-
put fader (effect return, or wet, level). Send to effect bus

Controls level of send

See Chapter 41, “Plug-in and Hardware In- to effects bus
serts” for more information.
Input set to send bus path
To create an effects return submix with a plug-in or Output set to main mix outs
hardware insert:
1 Assign each track’s main output to your main
mix outputs.

2 On the source tracks, assign a send (mono or

stereo) and select a mono or stereo bus path
from the Send selector. Configure the sends for
pre- or post-fader, as needed.
Controls level of effect return
3 Choose Track > New.
Controls level of dry signal
4 Specify the track type (Aux Input) and format
(stereo), then click Create.

5 From the Auxiliary Input track’s Input Path se-

lector, select the send bus path.
Send/return setup for a plug-in or hardware insert
6 Solo safe the track so that if you solo another
track that uses the effects send, you won’t mute
the effects return (see “Solo Safe Mode” on
page 191).

7 Assign a plug-in or hardware insert on the

Auxiliary Input.

8 Set the effect to “100% wet,” and set any other

controls.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 857

 Send and Return Submixes with The amount of effect is controlled by the level of
External Devices the Send Level fader or the Auxiliary Input Vol-
ume fader.
To create an effects return submix with an
external device:
1 Assign each track’s main output to your main
mix outputs.

2 Assign a send (mono or stereo) and set the

Send to external device
send destinations on the source tracks to the
Controls level of send
output path connected to the external device. to external device
Configure the sends for pre- or post-fader, as
needed. Input set to device’s return
Output set to main mix outs
3 Choose Track > New.

4 Specify the track type (Aux Input) and format

(stereo or mono), then click Create.

5 From the Auxiliary Input track’s Input Path se-

lector, select the input path connected to the ex-
ternal device.

6 From the Auxiliary Input track’s Output Path Controls level of effect return
selector, select an output path (main outputs).
Controls level of dry signal
7 Adjust the individual track faders to balance
the dry (unprocessed) tracks.

Send/return setup for an external device

858 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Creating Monitor Submixes Adjust the Auxiliary Input track fader to control
the volume for the monitor mix.
Route track sends to one or more Auxiliary Input
tracks to monitor submixes in a studio environ-
ment. You can monitor the main mix in the
control room on one or more pairs of audio out-
puts while you route a submix to another pair of
audio outputs for a headphone or “cue” mix for
the “talent.” For example, you may want to pro-
vide the bassist with a submix of the drums and
their own track for overdubbing a new bass part.

With cue mixes, when recording overdubs it

is recommended that there be no inserts (or
at least only inserts with very low delays) on
the record track to avoid any unnecessary
latency in the monitoring signal path.

To create a monitor submix:

1 Assign each track’s main output to your main
mix outputs.

2 Assign a send (mono or stereo) and set the

send destinations on the source tracks to the
output path connected to the external device.
Configure the sends for pre- or post-fader, as
needed.

3 Choose Track > New. Drum submix for monitoring

4 Specify the track type (Aux Input) and format Creating a Master Send Level Control
(stereo or mono), then click Create.
A Master Fader can control the overall level of
5 From the Auxiliary Input track’s Output Path bus and output paths.
selector, select the output path (not the main
outputs) for monitoring the mix. To create a Master send level control:
1 Choose Track > New.

2 Specify the track type (Master Fader), and

mono, stereo, or any of the supported multi-
channel formats for surround mixing.

3 Click Create.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 859

 4 Do one of the following:
• Set the output of the Master Fader to the Delay Compensation
same path that you are using to send to an (Pro Tools HD Only)
Auxiliary Input track.
Pro Tools provides automatic Delay Compensa-
• Set the output of the Master Fader to match
tion for managing DSP delays from plug-in and
the path that you have chosen for your ef-
hardware inserts, and mixer routing (bussing
fects send.
and sends). With Delay Compensation enabled,
You can then adjust send levels to balance the Pro Tools maintains phase coherent time align-
source tracks, and use the Master Fader as a mas- ment between tracks that have plug-ins with dif-
ter level control for the entire submix. fering DSP delays, tracks with different mixing
paths, tracks that are split off and recombined
Soloing Tracks in a Submix within the mixer, and tracks with hardware in-
serts.
Soloing any tracks implicitly mutes all other
tracks, including Auxiliary Inputs. Solo-safing To maintain phase coherent time alignment,
an Auxiliary Input prevents this implicit muting Delay Compensation should always be enabled
and lets the Auxiliary Input continue to pass au- during playback and mixing. Delay Compensa-
dio when its source tracks are in Solo. tion should also be used in most recording situ-
ations.
To solo safe an Auxiliary Input:
„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
Enabling Delay Compensation
(Mac) the Solo button on the Auxiliary Input
To enable Delay Compensation:
track.
„ Select Options > Delay Compensation.
To solo an individual track that is part of a group:
When Delay Compensation is enabled, the De-
„ Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) lay Compensation status indicator in the Edit
the Solo button. Window Toolbar is displayed.

Generating Stereo Output from a Mono

Send/Return
You can use an Auxiliary Input to generate a ste-
reo output from a mono send. Set the send des-
tination to a mono Auxiliary Input track and Delay Compensation indicator
place a mono to stereo plug-in on the Auxiliary
Input. The output of the Auxiliary Input be- If desired, the Delay Compensation View for
comes stereo. tracks can be displayed in the Mix Window (see
“Delay Compensation View” on page 862).
To create a “stereo” effect from a mono source,
you must use reverb, delay, or other time do-
main effects.

860 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Configuring Delay Compensation Delay Compensation Limit
Engine The Delay Compensation limit is displayed in
The amount of Delay Compensation available samples in the Delay Compensation Engine
for your session is set in the Playback Engine. pop-up menu in the Playback Engine dialog.
The total amount of delay due to inserts and This is the maximum amount of Delay Compen-
mixer routing for the entire session is displayed sation available for the session. This value is dif-
in the Session Setup window. ferent depending on the session sample rate and
which Delay Compensation Engine option is se-
There are three settings in the Playback Engine lected.
dialog to dedicate DSP resources for Delay Com-
pensation:
System Delay
None Allocates no DSP resources for Delay Com- Pro Tools adds the exact amount of delay to
pensation. each track necessary to make that particular
Short Allocates minimum DSP resources of De- track’s delay equal to the total System Delay.
lay Compensation for each channel. This is the The total system delay is the longest delay re-
most efficient setting for Pro Tools|HD Accel ported on a track, plus any additional delay
systems. For sessions with only a few plug-ins caused by mixer routing.
that do not induce too much DSP-based delay, The System Delay is shown in the Session Setup
this setting should be sufficient. window (Session > Setup). Reference the re-
Long Allocates maximum DSP resources for De- ported System Delay to monitor whether or not
lay Compensation for each mixer channel. For you are close to exceeding the Delay Compensa-
sessions with a lot of plug-ins resulting in a large tion limit.
amount of DSP-induced delay, select this set-
ting.

To configure the Delay Compensation Engine:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the Delay Compensation Engine pop-up System Delay

menu, select a Delay Compensation setting. System Delay in Session Setup window

3 Click OK.

Delay Compensation Time Mode

Delay values can be specified in either samples
or milliseconds, as selected with the Delay Com-
pensation Time Mode setting in the Operation
Preferences page.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 861

 Delay Compensation View The display color indicates reported track delay,
as follows:
The Delay Compensation View displays the to-
tal amount of plug-in (TDM and RTAS) and Green Indicates that track delay reporting is en-
hardware insert delay on each track, lets you ap- abled and the track does not exceed the avail-
ply a user offset of track delay, and displays the able amount of Delay Compensation.
total amount of delay that Pro Tools applies to
Orange Indicates that this is the track reporting
each track. The Delay Compensation View can
the longest plug-in and hardware insert delay in
be shown or hidden in the Mix Window.
the session.

Red Indicates that the amount of plug-in and

hardware insert delay on the track exceeds the
Delay indicator available amount of Delay Compensation (see
User Offset field “Delay that Exceeds the Compensation Limit”
Track
Compensation on page 863).
indicator
Delay Compensation View Gray Track delay report is bypassed.

Delay Compensation view only shows the User Offset (+/–) Field
insert delay for each track. To view the com- This field lets you adjust track delays manually
plete system delay, including mixer delays, while Delay Compensation is enabled. The User
see System Delay in the Session Setup win- Offset is in addition to or subtraction from the
dow (see “System Delay” on page 861). amount of delay applied by Track Compensa-
tion. The User Offset is useful for the following
To view Delay Compensation information:
cases:
„ Select View > Mix Window > Delay Compensa-
• For manually time-aligning a track if a
tion. plug-in is incorrectly reporting its delay.
• For adjusting the timing “feel” of a track.
Delay Compensation View Indicators
and Field The color of the values in this field indicate User
Offset status, as follows:
Delay (dly) Indicator
White Indicates that the User Offset is enabled
The Delay (dly) indicator reports the total plug- on the track and the User Offset compensation
in (TDM and RTAS) and hardware insert delay value is applied to the track.
on the track.
Gray Indicates that the User Offset is disabled on
The Delay indicator’s report to Pro Tools Delay the track and the User Offset compensation
Compensation Engine can be bypassed when value is not applied.
Delay Compensation is enabled. This is useful
for manually time-aligning a track when the to-
tal delay on a track exceeds the Delay Compen-
sation limit. See “Delay that Exceeds the Com-
pensation Limit” on page 863.

862 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To change track delay using the User Offset field: Blue (Audio Tracks Only) Indicates that Delay
Compensation is force-enabled on the track.
1 In the Delay Compensation View, click in the
When the track is record-enabled or TrackInput-
User Offset edit field.
enabled, Delay Compensation is not suspended
2 To set your delay value (in samples or millisec- and remains enabled (see “Overriding Sus-
onds depending on your current preferences), pended Delay Compensation” on page 864).
do one of the following:
Red Indicates that the track delay exceeds the
• Enter a positive number (with or without
available amount of Delay Compensation and
the “+” modifier) for a positive delay (later
no Delay Compensation is applied to the track
in time) or negative number (with the “–”
(see “Delay that Exceeds the Compensation
modifier) for a negative delay (earlier in
Limit” on page 863).
time).
• Drag in the User Offset field to scroll to a Gray Indicates that Delay Compensation for the
new value. For finer resolution, Control- track is bypassed and no delay is applied to the
drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Mac). track.
• Press the Up and Down Arrow keys to in-
crease or decrease the numerical values. Delay that Exceeds the Compensation
3 Press Enter.
Limit
When the total delay on a track exceeds the to-
To bypass the user delay: tal available amount of available Delay Com-
„ Start-Control-click (Windows) or Command-
pensation (selected in the Playback Engine dia-
Control-click (Mac) the User Offset field. The log), no Delay Compensation is applied on that
user-defined delay appears grayed out and does track. Any audio on that track will no longer be
not apply to the track. properly time-aligned and will be out of phase.
Both the Delay indicator and Track Compensa-
Track Compensation (cmp) Indicator tion indicator turn red to show that the track de-
lay exceeds the Delay Compensation limit. The
This indicator shows the amount of Delay Com- maximum available Delay Compensation is ap-
pensation Pro Tools applies to each track. plied to all other tracks.
The display color indicates the amount of Delay However, you can manually compensate for de-
Compensation applied, as follows: lay on tracks that exceeds the Delay Compensa-
tion limit.
Green Track compensation is enabled and the
track does not exceed the Delay Compensation
limit. The amount of Delay Compensation
shown in the indicator is applied to the track.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 863

 To compensate for delay that exceeds the Overriding Suspended Delay Compensation
compensation limit, do one of the following:
You can override the automatic suspension of
„ If the Delay Compensation Engine setting in Delay Compensation on record-enabled tracks,
the Playback Engine is set to Short, change the but you may introduce latency in the signal
setting to Long. path by the amount of Delay Compensation.
– or – This latency may be acceptable depending on
the recording source.
„ If the Delay Compensation Engine is already

set to Long, do the following: In certain dubbing workflows you may want
• Bypass the reported delay for the track by to cascade bus recordings to multiple tracks.
Start-Control-clicking (Windows) or Com- In these cases you should be sure to override
mand-Control-clicking (Mac) the Delay in- the automatic suspension of Delay Com-
dicator. The track information is grayed out pensation on the recording tracks.
once it is bypassed.
To apply Delay Compensation to tracks where
– and –
Delay Compensation was suspended:
• Manually nudge any audio data on the
„ Start-Control-click (Windows) or Command-
track earlier by the amount of delay re-
Control-click (Mac) the Track Compensation in-
ported in the track’s Delay indicator.
dicator. Track delay is applied to the track and
the Track Compensation indicator displays in
Low Latency Monitoring During
blue.
Recording
When an audio track is armed for recording Delay Compensation on Auxiliary
(record-enabled), TrackInput-enabled, Destruc- Inputs
tivePunch-enabled, or punched in, the track’s
Delay Compensation on Auxiliary Inputs can be
Delay Compensation is automatically sus-
bypassed to let you monitor outside sources
pended (and the Track Compensation indicator
(such as the audio tracks of a slaved video deck)
displays 0). This provides low-latency monitor-
with minimal latency, while still reporting the
ing on those track outputs.
track’s delay.
Tracks that are not record enabled still apply De-
lay Compensation. Pro Tools automatically To bypass an Auxiliary Input’s Delay
compensates for any timing discrepancies be- Compensation:
tween the recorded material and the delay-com- „ Start-Control-click (Windows) or Command-
pensated mix. When the track is played back Control-click (Mac) the Track Compensation in-
(with both record-enable and TrackInput dis- dicator. The reported track delay will be zero,
abled) it is correctly time-aligned with the other and will appear grayed out.
delay-compensated tracks.

864 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Delay Compensation for MIDI the processed audio play early. The steps to pre-
vent this and keep audio time-aligned depend
When Delay Compensation is active, a MIDI on the type of track on which the plug-in re-
event that is recorded to sound “in time” with sides.
delay-compensated material actually is recorded
late by the length of total delay in effect. To keep audio time-aligned when recording using a
MIDI controlled plug-in on an audio track:
To compensate, MIDI events are shifted back in
time by the total session delay following each „ Start-Control-click (Windows) or Command-

MIDI recording pass. Control-click (Mac) the Track Compensation in-

dicator for the audio track to apply Delay Com-
Low-Latency Recording with Virtual pensation.
MIDI Instruments
To keep audio time-aligned when recording using a
When a MIDI or Instrument track that is routing MIDI controlled plug-in on an Auxiliary Input:
MIDI data to an instrument plug-in is record-en-
1 Start-Control-click (Windows) or Command-
abled, Pro Tools automatically suspends Delay
Control-click (Mac) the Track Compensation in-
Compensation through the main outputs of the
dicator for the Auxiliary Input to bypass Delay
audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Instrument track
Compensation.
on which the instrument plug-in is inserted. This
allows for latency-free monitoring of the instru- 2 Enter the total system delay into the User Off-
ment plug-in during recording. set field.

Delay Compensation for virtual MIDI in-

struments works only when all MIDI and Configuring Cue Mixes with Delay
audio connections take place inside Compensation
Pro Tools. While Pro Tools does not If you already have a Pro Tools session that uses
suspend Delay Compensation when you are various plug-in inserts and mixer routing, you
using ReWire to connect software synthesiz- will most likely want to have Delay Compensa-
ers and samplers in other ReWire client ap- tion enabled. However, if you want to record
plications (such as Reason), Pro Tools can- overdubs with a recording artist, “the talent,”
not account for any latency within the you will need to configure monitoring mixes
ReWire client itself. (headphone or “cue” mixes).

MIDI and Audio Processing Plug-ins Use sends to bus cue mixes to audio output
Some audio processing plug-ins (such as Digide- paths for headphone monitoring by the talent.
sign’s Bruno and Reso) and many instrument In addition to the main mix, which will monitor
plug-ins let you process audio while allowing in the control room, route track sends to one or
MIDI data to control processing parameters. more additional audio output paths tracks for
When you record enable a MIDI or Instrument cue mix monitoring. Using sends lets you con-
track that is controlling an audio processing figure different mixes from the main mix for cue
plug-in, the track the plug-in is inserted on will
go into low-latency mode, effectively making

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 865

 mix monitoring. For example, when recording a
guitarist, they may want to hear themselves Dither
more in the cue mix than you will want to hear
Dither is used to minimize quantization artifacts
in the main mix.
when reducing the bit depth of an audio signal,
for example, from 24-bit to 16-bit. Quantization
Example configuration using sends for cue mixes:
artifacts are most apparent when a signal is near
1 Assign each track’s main output to your main the low end of its dynamic range, such as during
mix outputs. a quiet passage or a fade-out.

2 Assign a send (mono or stereo) for each track Dither minimizes quantization artifacts by in-
and set the send outputs to output paths 3 and 4 troducing very low-level random noise to a sig-
on your audio interface. nal, which smooths out the distortion that can
3 Enable the FMP (Follow Main Pan) button on
result when the signal’s bit depth is reduced.
all of the sends so that the cue mix has the same With dither there is a trade-off between signal-
panning as the main mix. to-noise performance and less-apparent distor-
4 Set all of the sends to unity and to post-fader. tion. Proper use of dither lets you get better sub-
This lets you use the same mix for the talent, but jective performance when reducing the bit
also lets you boost (or attenuate) the level of the depth of audio.
talent’s signal in the cue mix by adjusting the
send level as needed. Dither in Pro Tools
5 Choose Track > New.
There are several ways dither can be used in
6 Specify the track type (Main Fader) and format Pro Tools. Each has a specific application within
(stereo), then click Create. the various operations that could benefit from
using dither.
7 From the Master Fader track’s Output Path se-
lector, select output paths 3 and 4 for monitor- Dither Plug-ins for Mixdown Whenever you are
ing the mix. mixing down or bouncing to disk and your des-
tination bit depth is lower than 24-bit, insert a
8 Adjust the Master Fader track’s fader to control
dither plug-in on a Master Fader that controls
the overall volume for the cue mix.
the output mix. You can use real-time dither
With Delay Compensation enabled, it is plug-ins from Digidesign or third-party manu-
recommended that you do not use any in- facturers.
serts on any Auxiliary Input or Master
For important information on using dither
Fader tracks you may be using to control the
when mixing down or bouncing to disk, see
cue mix volume. Also, you should avoid us-
“Dithering” on page 960.
ing inserts on any record tracks. (Some low
latency inserts may be acceptable depend- For more information on Dither plug-ins, see
ing on the talent’s preference.) the DigiRack Plug-ins Guide.

9 Repeat the preceding steps for additional cue

mixes on additional outputs on your audio in-
terface as necessary.

866 Pro Tools Reference Guide

AudioSuite Dither Some AudioSuite plug-ins can Dithered Mixer Plug-ins (Pro Tools HD Only)
automatically apply dither when processing.
Digidesign has developed a mixer that provides
You can select this option in the Processing Pref-
all of the benefits of the standard Stereo Mixer
erences page.
and Surround Mixer plug-ins, but also provides
The Use AudioSuite Dither option enables a pre- uncorrelated dither on any summed output.
set, noise-shaped dither for the following Digi- There are two Mixer plug-ins that feature dither
Rack AudioSuite plug-ins: with noise shaping: Stereo Dithered Mixer and
• Gain Surround Dithered Mixer.

• Normalize For more information on using the Dithered

• Smack! Mixer plug-ins, see the Pro Tools|HD
• Sonic NoNOISE Setup Guide.

For more information on AudioSuite Dither, Noise Shaping

see the DigiRack Plug-ins Guide.
Noise shaping can further improve audio perfor-
Dither in Fades and Crossfades In the Fades dia- mance and reduce perceived noise inherent in
log (Edit > Fades > Create), the Use AudioSuite dithered audio. Noise shaping uses filtering to
Dither option enables a preset, noise-shaped shift noise away from frequencies in the middle
dither. of the audio spectrum (around 4 kHz), where
the human ear is most sensitive.
For more information on using the Dither in
fades and crossfades, see “Use Dither” on Noise Shaping is available in the Digidesign
page 517. Dither and POW-r Dither plug-ins.

Dither on Export and Import When you export For more information on using Noise Shaping,
audio to a lower bit depth, or when you import see the DigiRack Plug-ins Guide.
an audio file into a session that is at a lower bit
depth than the file, a preset, noise-shaped dither
is applied.

For more information about the application

of dither on export, see “Exporting Audio”
on page 287.

For more information about the application

of dither on import, see “Bit Depth Conver-
sion and Dithering” on page 277.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 867

 Using an Ethernet Control Using a MIDI Control Surface
Surface with Pro Tools with Pro Tools
Digidesign offers several Ethernet-based control MIDI Control Surfaces add hands-on control to
surface options for Pro Tools. many Pro Tools functions, allowing you to ad-
just faders and knobs, activate transport con-
Digidesign D-Control and D-Command trols, or edit plug-in parameters.
(Pro Tools HD Only)
Digidesign Command|8
D-Control and D-Command tactile worksur-
faces are part of Digidesign’s ICON, a flexible, Command|8 is Digidesign’s compact USB-based
integrated system that extends the functionality MIDI control surface for Pro Tools systems.
of Pro Tools.
For complete instructions on connecting
Digidesign C|24 and configuring Command|8, see the
(Pro Tools HD and LE Only) Command|8 Guide.

C|24 is a dedicated control surface that provides Other MIDI Control Surfaces
access to nearly all Pro Tools recording, mixing,
editing, signal routing, plug-in control, and au- Pro Tools supports MIDI control surfaces from
tomation features. CM Labs (such as MotorMate and MotorMix),
and Mackie (such as Mackie Control and HUI),
as well as other control surfaces that support the
Enabling an Ethernet Control MotorMix and HUI controller personalities.
Surface in Pro Tools

To enable an Ethernet control surface in Pro Tools: MIDI Control Surface

Personalities
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the Ether-
net Controllers tab. MIDI Control Surface Personalities are files that al-
low Pro Tools to communicate with the MIDI
2 Select Enable.
control surface. When you install Pro Tools,
3 If your Ethernet control surface consists of these files are installed by default in the Con-
more than one unit, select the units in numeri- trollers folder inside the Pro Tools application
cal order as you want them arranged left to folder. If the files are not present, run the
right. Pro Tools installer to install the personality files.

4 Click OK.

For more information, see the documentation

that came with your Ethernet control surface.

868 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Connecting a MIDI Control Surface Enabling a MIDI Control Surface in
Pro Tools
If your Pro Tools hardware includes MIDI ports,
you can connect a MIDI control surface directly
To enable a MIDI control surface in Pro Tools:
to your system. If it does not include MIDI ports,
you will need to use a MIDI Interface, such as 1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the MIDI
the Digidesign MIDI I/O or M-Audio Controllers tab.
MIDISPORT). USB MIDI control surfaces (such 2 Choose your MIDI control surface device
as the Command|8) and FireWire control sur- name from the Type pop-up menu.
faces (such as the 003) do not require an addi-
tional MIDI connection to your computer. 3 Choose the MIDI control surface’s source port
from the Receive From pop-up menu.
To connect a (non-USB or FireWire) MIDI control 4 Choose a destination port from the Send To
surface:
pop-up menu.
1 Using a standard 5-pin MIDI cable, connect
5 If your MIDI control surface has more than
the MIDI Out port on your MIDI control surface
eight channel strips, or if you are using multiple
to the MIDI In port on your Pro Tools hardware
devices of the same type in series, choose the ap-
or MIDI interface.
propriate number of channel strips from the
1 Using a standard 5-pin MIDI cable, connect pop up menu under #Ch’s.
the MIDI In port on your MIDI control surface
to the MIDI Out port on your Pro Tools hard-
ware or MIDI interface.

2 If you have a multi-port MIDI interface, note

which MIDI port the control surface is con-
nected to.

Configuring Your System for a

MIDI Control Surface
MIDI control surface (Command|8) enabled
A MIDI Control Surface is configured in the
same way as any other MIDI device in Pro Tools, 6 Click OK.
using MIDI Studio Setup (Windows) or Audio
You can configure additional MIDI control sur-
MIDI Setup (Mac).
faces (up to a total of four) by repeating the
For complete instructions on configuring above steps. Make sure that none of the control
your MIDI studio, see the Setup Guide that surfaces are assigned to the same MIDI source
came with your system. and destination ports or channels in the
Pro Tools Peripherals dialog.

Chapter 40: Basic Mixing 869

 Enabling the MIDI Control Surface as an
Input Device
You must ensure that the MIDI control surface is
enable as an input device in Pro Tools.

To enable a MIDI control surface as an input

device:
1 Choose Setup > MIDI > Input Devices.

2 Select the source port that you selected in the

Receive From pop-up menu in the MIDI Control-
lers page of the Peripherals dialog.

Enabling a MIDI input device

3 Click OK.

If you want to prevent control surface MIDI data

from reaching Pro Tools, you can deselect its
source port in the MIDI Input Enable window.

870 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware
Inserts

Pro Tools provides up to ten unity-gain inserts Plug-in Inserts Plug-in inserts are software in-
on each audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, serts that process audio material on a track in
and Instrument track. Audio, Auxiliary Input, real time. For example, the DigiRack EQ, com-
and Instrument track inserts are pre-fader, and pressor, and delay plug-ins supplied with your
Master Faders inserts are post-fader. Pro Tools system can be used as real-time plug-
in inserts.
Insert selector
For more information about the plug-ins in-
Insert button cluded with your Pro Tools system (as well
as those that can be purchased separately),
see the DigiRack, Digidesign, Pro Tools Cre-
ative Collection, Bomb Factory, and TL
Labs Plug-ins Guides.
Insert button and selector on a track
Additional real-time plug-ins are available from
An insert can be either a software DSP plug-in or
Digidesign and from many third-party develop-
a hardware insert. A Pro Tools insert routes the
ers.
signal from the track to a plug-in or external
hardware effect of your choice and automati- For information about optional Digidesign
cally returns it to the same track. Inserts do not and third-party plug-ins, visit the Digi-
alter the original audio source files, but process design website (www.digidesign.com).
audio in real time, during playback. You can
permanently apply real-time effects to tracks by Hardware I/O Inserts Hardware I/O inserts can
recording or bouncing the effect to disk (see route audio through an external device con-
Chapter 43, “Mixdown” for more information). nected to parallel inputs and outputs of an au-
dio interface. You can process the audio material
on a track with a hardware insert in real time.

Hardware I/O insert

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 871

 Insert paths require audio interface inputs and can be controlled from the Auxiliary Input
outputs, and are determined by the I/O Setup track. Using sends and other signal routing fea-
configuration of your system. tures helps maximize your system’s processing
power.
General Information
For examples of send and return busses and
When more than one insert is used on a track, other submixing setups, see “Signal Routing
they are processed in series. Each effect is added for Monitoring and Submixing” on
to that of any previous plug-ins or inserts (flow- page 853.
ing from top to bottom in the Mix window In-
serts View, and left to right in the Edit window Insert Formats
Inserts View).
Mono Inserts Used on mono tracks. Inserts that
Inserts on audio tracks and Auxiliary Inputs and occur on a track after a stereo insert are automat-
Instrument tracks are pre-fader. You can cause ically used in stereo as well.
clipping if you boost their gain to extremes, es-
pecially on tracks recorded at high amplitude. Stereo Inserts Used on stereo tracks. A stereo
Watch on-screen metering for indication of clip- hardware I/O insert sends the signal to an in-
ping. (Inserts on Master Faders are post-fader.) put/output path.

Mono In/Stereo Out Plug-in Inserts Used to re-

Using Inserts for Effects Processing turn a stereo effect from a mono source. Certain
plug-ins (such as D-Verb) let you generate stereo
Inserts can be used in two ways:
output from a mono channel. A track made into
On Single Tracks An insert can be applied to an stereo in this way has panning controls for each
individual audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, channel of the stereo signal. Any inserts that oc-
or Instrument track. cur on a track after a stereo insert are automati-
cally used in stereo as well.
With in-line inserts, you control the amount of
Multi-Mono Plug-in Inserts Used on stereo or
effect by adjusting the balance (or the wet/dry
greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks when a
mix) controls of the plug-in or external device.
multichannel version of the plug-in is not avail-
As Shared Resources An insert can be used as a able. Controls for all channels are linked by de-
shared resource in a send-and-return arrange- fault so that you can adjust them in tandem.
ment, by bussing signals from several tracks to You can unlink controls for independent adjust-
an Aux Input, and then applying the insert to ment using the Master Link button. See “Link-
that track. You can then control the send level ing and Unlinking Controls on Multi-Mono
for each track, and the overall level of the effect Plug-ins” on page 897.

872 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Multichannel Plug-in Inserts Used on stereo and Depending on your Pro Tools software, plug-ins
greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks. On real-time plug-ins can be used as follows:
greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks, the
controls for all channels are generally linked to- Pro Tools HD
gether. • Both TDM and RTAS plug-ins can be used on
audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and In-
Relinking may cause automation to be lost.
strument tracks.
See “Linking and Unlinking Controls on
Multi-Mono Plug-ins” on page 897 With Pro Tools HD, RTAS plug-ins placed
on Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and In-
Plug-in Formats strument tracks will use additional voices
There are three plug-in formats supported by and may introduce extra latency based on
Pro Tools (TDM, RTAS, and AudioSuite), two of the HW Buffer Size. For more information,
which can be used as real-time inserts, as fol- see “Voice Usage and Total Latency for
lows: RTAS Plug-ins” on page 874.

TDM Plug-ins Used with Pro Tools HD systems, Pro Tools LE

these plug-ins rely on the processing power of • RTAS plug-ins can be used on audio, Auxiliary
DSP on Pro Tools|HD system cards. Input, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks.

RTAS Plug-ins Similar to their TDM counter- For tips on maximizing RTAS performance,
parts, but unlike TDM plug-ins, they rely on and see “Configuring Pro Tools System Set-
are limited by the host processing power of your tings” on page 42.
computer.

AudioSuite Plug-ins Non-real-time (rendered),

file-based processing plug-ins for Pro Tools.

For information on using AudioSuite plug-

ins in Pro Tools, see Chapter 37, “Audio-
Suite Processing.”

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 873

 Voice Usage and Total Latency for Furthermore, one additional voice is used for
RTAS Plug-ins each occurrence of any of the following condi-
tions when using voices for RTAS plug-ins on a
(Pro Tools HD Only)
track:
With Pro Tools HD, the initial insert of an RTAS • When you use the external key side-chain
plug-in may cause additional latency, and will of an RTAS plug-in on that track
take up two additional voices per channel (one • When you select multiple track outputs for
voice for input and one voice for output) in the that track (one voice used for each output)
following conditions:
• When you select an AFL/PFL Path output in
• When inserted on an Auxiliary Input or the Output tab of the I/O Setup dialog (one
Master Fader track voice used for each channel)
• When inserted on an Instrument track that
does not contain an instrument plug-in When you use Pro Tools 6.9.x or lower to
• When inserted after a TDM plug-in on any open a session originally created with
kind of track Pro Tools 7 or later, any RTAS plug-ins in-
serted on Auxiliary Input or Master Fader
For example, the initial insert of an RTAS plug- tracks—or after TDM plug-ins on any kind
in on a mono Auxiliary Input track uses two of track—will become inactive.
voices (one channel with two voices), while the
initial insert of that plug-in on a stereo Auxiliary Viewing Inserts
Input track uses four voices (two channels with
two voices each). Both the Mix and Edit windows can be config-
ured to show or hide inserts A–E and F–J. Plug-in
Subsequent RTAS plug-ins on the same track do windows provide complete access to plug-in
not take up additional voices unless a TDM controls.
plug-in is inserted between other RTAS plug-ins.

Avoid inserting TDM plug-ins between

RTAS plug-ins on any kind of track—this
causes unnecessary voice usage and may
cause additional latency.

Audio tracks that have active RTAS plug-in in-

serts cannot be explicitly voiced. The voice allo-
cation must be set to Dynamic or Off.

874 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To show (or hide) inserts, do one of the following: Indicating the Controller Focus
„ In the Mix window (or Edit window), select
For most control surfaces, only one plug-in can
View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) > Inserts A–E be focused at a time. ICON worksurfaces can
or Inserts F–J. have up to four plug-ins focused at once (using
the EQ and Dynamics controls, and Custom
Faders on your worksurface).
Inserts (A–E) View
The current controller focus, if any, is indicated
with a color outline around its name:

Inserts (F–J) View

Focus outline

Sends (A–E) View

Controller focus

Sends (F–J) View Making Inserts Inactive

Plug-in and hardware inserts can be made inac-
I/O View tive to free up their resources for other uses.
When a plug-in insert is inactive it retains its as-
signment, position, and related automation
playlists. However, it will not pass audio and
inserts and Sends in the Mix window
does not consume any DSP or TDM resources.
– or –
When opening sessions, inserts will automati-
„Select Inserts A–E or Inserts F–J from the Edit cally be made inactive in any of the following
Window or Mix Window View selector. situations:
• The system has insufficient DSP resources.
Display of Plug-in Window Status
• A plug-in is not installed.
In the Mix and Edit window, the plug-in button
• A plug-in type is not available (RTAS or TDM).
and selector display the currently inserted plug-
in, its bypass state (see “Bypassing Plug-ins” on • Opening the session results in plug-in type
page 897), focus status, and window status. substitutions. This can happen if the type is
available but substituting would result in an
unsupported condition, such as opening a ses-
Lit plug-in name
sion containing a TDM plug-in for which an
RTAS version is unavailable.

Indication of open plug-in window

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 875

 To make an insert inactive, do one of the following: Inactive Hardware Inserts
„ Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-
Inactive hardware inserts retain their assign-
Control-click (Mac) the Insert button. ments, but do not pass audio and do not con-
„ Right-click the Insert button and select Make sume any DSP resources.
Inactive.
Hardware inserts do not provide a bypass
„ Make the track inactive. See “Making Tracks control. You can use the inactive feature
Inactive” on page 192. whenever you need to mute or bypass a
hardware insert.
To toggle inserts in the same position on all tracks
active or inactive:
„ Control-Start-Alt click (Windows) or Com- Inserting Plug-ins on Tracks
mand-Control-Option click (Mac) an Insert but-
To use a real-time plug-in, insert it on a track.
ton in the position you want to toggle.
Plug-ins cannot be inserted or removed dur-
To toggle inserts in the same position on all ing recording.
selected tracks active or inactive:
„ Control-Start-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or To insert a plug-in on a track:
Command-Control-Option-Shift-click (Mac) an 1 Make sure the Inserts (A–E or F–J) View is
Insert button in the position you want to toggle. shown in the Mix or Edit window.

2 Click the Insert selector on the track and select

Inactive Plug-in Inserts
the plug-in that you want to use. (See “Plug-in
Inactive plug-in inserts retain all associated au- Formats” on page 873 for related information.)
tomation playlists. In addition, any edits made
in the session affect the plug-in automation
playlists. You cannot record automation or ad-
just the controls for an inactive plug-in.

Inactive Active
(italicized) (plain text)

Inserting a TDM plug-in

Display of inactive plug-ins
To remove an insert from a track:
„ Click the Insert selector and choose No Insert.

Display of inactive Plug-in window

876 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Ordering Recommendations
You can insert a plug-in on a track by drag-
ging one of its Plug-ins Settings (.txf) files When combining RTAS and TDM plug-ins on an
from a DigiBase browser onto an available audio track, use one of the following two strate-
track Insert position in the Mix window. See gies based on your recording needs:
“Dragging and Dropping Plug-in Settings • To ensure that RTAS plug-ins stay active when
Files” on page 891. you record enable a track or use TrackInput
monitoring, order all TDM plug-ins before
Ordering RTAS and TDM Plug-ins on RTAS plug-ins.
Audio Tracks – or –
(Pro Tools HD Only) • To conserve voices and minimize processing
With Pro Tools HD, when RTAS and TDM plug- latency, order all RTAS plug-ins before TDM
ins are combined on an audio track, Auxiliary plug-ins.
Input, or Master Fader, the order in which they
are inserted produces different results:

RTAS Plug-ins Grouped Before TDM Plug-ins No

Plug-in Menu Organization
additional voices will be used, and no process- You can customize how plug-in lists (plug-in
ing latency will occur. RTAS plug-ins will be by- menus) are organized in the Insert selector and
passed when Record Enable or TrackInput mon- Plug-in selector.
itoring is enabled for that track.
Use the Organize Plug-in Menus By setting in the
RTAS Plug-ins Grouped After TDM Plug-ins Each Display Preferences page to organize plug-in
initial insert of an RTAS plug-in after a TDM menus in a Flat List (with plug-ins in alphabeti-
plug-in on a track will cause processing latency, cal order), or by Category, Manufacturer, or Cate-
and will use voices as described in “Voice Usage gory and Manufacturer.
and Total Latency for RTAS Plug-ins” on
page 874. RTAS plug-ins will stay active while “Organize Plug-in Menus By” Setting
Record Enable or TrackInput monitoring is en-
Flat List Organizes plug-ins in a single list, in al-
abled for that track.
phabetical order.
As a rule, always group plug-ins of the same
Category Organizes plug-ins by process category
type together, especially if inserting RTAS
(such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with indi-
after TDM plug-ins. Otherwise, additional
vidual plug-ins listed in the category submenus.
voices may be unnecessarily used.
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 cate-
gory designated by their developers, appear in
the Other category. Plug-ins can appear in more
than one category.

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 877

 Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins by their manu-
facturer (such as Bomb Factory, Digidesign, and
Trillium Lane Labs), with individual plug-ins
listed in the manufacturer submenus. Plug-ins
that do not have a Manufacturer defined will ap-
pear in the “Other” manufacturer folder.

Plug-ins organized by category (using the Insert

selector)

Plug in categories include:

• EQ
• Dynamics
• Pitch Shift
• Reverb Plug-ins organized by Manufacturer (using the Insert
• Delay selector)

• Modulation Most Digidesign-distributed third-party plug-ins

• Harmonic will be grouped under Digidesign when this op-
• Noise Reduction tion is enabled.

• Dither If no plug-ins by a certain manufacturer are

• Sound Field installed on your system, the subfolder
• Instrument named for that manufacturer will not ap-
• Other pear in the menu.
• Effects
Category and Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins
The Effects subfolder organizes special effects, in two levels of menus. The top menus display
multi-effect processors, and other plug-ins. All plug-ins by process category (such as EQ, Dy-
plug-ins that specify their plug-in category as an namics, and Delay), with individual plug-ins
“Effects” type will be displayed within the Ef- listed in the category submenus. The bottom
fects subfolder. menus display plug-ins by manufacturer (such
as Bomb Factory, Digidesign, and Trillium Lane
If no plug-ins within a certain category are Labs), with individual plug-ins listed in the
installed on your system, the subfolder manufacturer submenus.
named for that category will not appear in
the menu. To select how plug-ins are organized:
1 Open or create a session.

2 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click Display.

878 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 Click the Organize Plug-in Menus By pop-up To set a default plug-in:
menu, and select one of the view options.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.
4 Click OK.
2 Under Setup, choose a plug-in from the De-

The Organize Plug-in Menus By setting is saved fault EQ or Default Dynamics pop-up menu.
with Pro Tools preferences (it is not saved with 3 Click OK to close the Preferences window.
the Pro Tools session file).

Control Surface Support

Plug-in Favorites
To find a plug-in faster, a plug-in can be desig-
Digidesign control surfaces with multi-color
nated as a favorite. Favorite plug-ins are shown at
LCDs (such as D-Control) indicate plug-ins as
the top of the plug-in menu.
follows:
• Plug-in categories (such as EQ) and plug-in When a plug-in becomes a favorite, it is still
manufacturers (such as Digidesign) are in- shown in its plug-in category and its name ap-
dicated in yellow (amber) text. pears in bold.
• Specific plug-ins located in the plug-in sub-
folders (such as EQ III in the EQ subfolder)
are indicated in green text.
Favorite plug-ins
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 categories
plug-in folder as a single list of plug-ins.

Default EQ and Dynamics Plug-ins

Menu display of favorite plug-ins
You can set a default EQ plug-in and Dynamics
plug-in, which places them at the top of the In- To designate a plug-in as a favorite:
sert selector pop-up menu on-screen, and first in „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
the list of menu choices when assigning inserts (Mac) the Insert selector and select a plug-in to
on ICON worksurfaces. designate it as a favorite.

To change the status of a plug-in favorite:

„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) the Insert selector and select a plug-in fa-

vorite that you no longer want designated as a
favorite.

When selecting the plug-in favorite to change,

you can select the plug-in from the list of favor-
ites at the top of the plug-in menu, or in its plug-
Default plug-in display in the Insert selector menu in category (where the plug-in appears in bold).

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 879

 Moving and Duplicating The Plug-in Window
Plug-in and Hardware Inserts The Plug-in window appears whenever you click
You can move or duplicate an insert by dragging a plug-in’s Insert button on a track. This floating
it to a different position on the same track or a window lets you edit the adjust the controls of
different track. Inserts that are moved or dupli- any real-time plug-in insert in use on a track.
cated retain their original settings and automa-
Insert selector
tion.

Plug-ins cannot be moved or duplicated Insert button

during recording.

To move an insert:
„ Drag the insert to a new insert location.
Insert button and selector on a track

Track Preset Plug-in Mapping

controls controls controls
Effect Clip
Auto button Bypass LED

Moving a plug-in

Dragging an insert on top of an existing in-

sert will replace it and any automation.

To duplicate an insert:
„ Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) the

insert to a new insert location. Duplicated plug-

Automation Safe Convert
in inserts retain their original settings and auto- plug-in
mation. Target
button
You can also duplicate Sends. See “Moving Plug-in window (mono 1-Band EQ III shown)
or Copying Sends” on page 847
Track Controls

Track selector

Insert Position selector

Plug-in selector

Track controls in the plug-in window

880 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Track Selector Accesses any track in the session Preset Controls
except MIDI, VCA, and Video tracks.
Plug-in Settings menu
Insert Position Selector Accesses any insert on
the current track.
Plug-in Librarian menu
Plug-in Selector Lets you select any real-time
Compare button
plug-in installed in the Plug-ins folder (that is
created when you install Pro Tools).
Settings Select
Key Input Selector Lets you select audio on a par- Next Setting
Previous Setting
ticular input or bus and route it to trigger the
plug-in. This selector only appears on plug-ins Preset controls in the plug-in window
that feature side-chain processing. Key inputs Plug-in Settings Menu Lets you copy, paste, save,
are monophonic. and import plug-in settings.

Plug-in Librarian Menu Recalls plug-in presets

(plug-in settings files saved in the plug-in’s root
settings folder or in the current session’s Set-
Key Input selector
tings folder). See “Plug-in Presets” on page 886.
Key Input selector (Dyn III Compressor/Limiter shown)
Next (+) and Previous (–) Setting Buttons Let
MIDI Node Display Shows MIDI node informa- you select the next or previous preset from the
tion for MIDI-enabled plug-ins. MIDI nodes are Librarian menu.
virtual connections from Pro Tools to software
instruments and other MIDI-enabled plug-ins. You will lose the current settings if they are
MIDI nodes are useful for routing multiple MIDI not saved before you use the Next and Pre-
tracks to different channels of a single virtual vious Setting buttons. Always save your
MIDI device. MIDI node numbers are also dis- plug-in settings as a preset using the Plug-in
played in a track’s MIDI Output selector. The Settings menu.
MIDI node indicator only appears in plug-ins
Plug-ins Settings Select Button Accesses the
that can receive MIDI.
Plug-in Settings dialog, which lists the presets
for the selected plug-in. From this list, you can
audition and select plug-in presets.

MIDI node indicator

Compare Toggles between the original saved
plug-in settings and any changes you have made
MIDI node display (Transfuser shown) to it so you can compare them.

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 881

 Automation Controls Parameter Menu When in Learn mode, lets you
select a parameter on the plug-in for mapping. If
Auto button
you click a parameter in the plug-in window
while in Learn mode, this menu shows the
name of the parameter.

Additional Plug-in Controls

Automation Safe button Plug-in Bypass button

Automation controls in the plug-in window
Clip indicator
Auto Button Lets you enable individual plug-in Target button
controls for automation recording. See “Auto-
mating Plug-ins” on page 916.

Automation Safe When enabled, prevents exist- Convert Plug-in selector

ing plug-in automation from being overwritten. Plug-in Map controls in the plug-in window

Effect Bypass Button Disables the currently dis-

Plug-in Map Controls played plug-in. This lets you compare the track
with and without the effect.
When a supported control surface is declared in
Pro Tools, Plug-in Map controls appear in the Convert Plug-in Selector Lets you convert the in-
plug-in window. sert from a TDM plug-in to an RTAS plug-in of
the same type (or vice-versa). This feature can
Map Options menu only be used on plug-ins that are available in
both TDM and RTAS formats.
Map Presets menu
Clip LED Lights red to indicate if any meter in a
Learn button
plug-in has clipped (not available on all plug-
ins). The Plug-in Clip LED follows Pro Tools set-
Parameter menu tings for clip indication.
Plug-in Map controls in the plug-in window
Target Button When multiple Plug-in windows
Map Options Menu Lets you create, rename, are open, clicking this button selects that plug-
save, delete, import, export, and set default in as the target for any computer keyboard com-
plug-in maps. mands. For more information, see “Targeted
Windows” on page 852.
Map Presets Menu Lets you choose from avail-
able custom Plug-in Maps for the plug-in.

Learn Button Puts the plug-in in Learn mode,

where you can map plug-in parameters to a con-
trol surface.

882 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Multi-Mono Controls Opening Multiple Plug-in Windows
Pro Tools normally displays a single plug-in
Link Enable buttons
window from which you can adjust the controls
of any session plug-in. You can also open addi-
Master Link button tional Plug-in windows for specific plug-ins.
Channel Selector Once you begin working with multiple plug-in
windows, you will need to click the Target but-
Plug-in window (multi-mono 1-Band EQ shown) ton on the plug-in whose controls you want to
Master Link Button When enabled, links the adjust using keyboard commands.
controls on all channels of a multi-mono plug-
in so that they can be adjusted in tandem. To open an additional plug-in window:
„ In the Mix window, Shift-click the Insert but-
Link Enable Buttons Let you selectively link or
ton of a plug-in. The new plug-in window opens
unlink the controls of specific channels of a
untargeted.
multi-mono plug-in. Each square represents a
speaker channel. The Master Link button must
be disabled to use the Link Enable buttons. See To open plug-in windows for each channel of a
multi-mono plug-in:
“Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-
Mono Plug-ins” on page 897. „ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

Channel selector in the Plug-in window of a

Channel Selector Accesses a specific channel plug-in insert.
within a multichannel track for plug-in control
editing. This menu appears only on multi-mono To close all currently open plug-in windows:
plug-ins inserted on tracks with more than one
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the
channel. Shift-clicking this selector opens a sep-
arate Plug-in window for each channel of the close box of any currently open plug-in window.
multichannel track on which the plug-in is in-
serted. Plug-in Window Controls
All plug-ins provide standard Pro Tools controls
Opening Plug-in Windows for track and insert selection, bypass, and other
controls, in addition to the EQ, dynamics, and
To open a plug-in window: other processor-specific controls.
„ Click the plug-in button in Inserts view in the

Mix or Edit window. To select a different plug-in on the same track:

„ Click the Insert selector and select another
By default, each plug-in you open will appear in
the same location as a currently open plug-in, plug-in from the pop-up menu.
replacing it in the same window location.
To choose a different track:
„ Click the Track selector and select another

track from the pop-up menu.

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 883

 Target Window and Settings Shortcuts Editing Parameters Using a Mouse
When multiple plug-in windows are open, a You can adjust rotary controls by dragging hori-
highlighted target indicates the target window. zontally or vertically. Parameter values increase
Pro Tools keeps a single plug-in target window. as you drag upward or to the right, and decrease
Opening a new plug-in opens it as the new tar- as you drag downward or to the left.
get window, in the same location. In addition,
the plug-in target window is also the focus of Keyboard Shortcuts
keyboard shortcuts for plug-in settings. ‹ For finer adjustments, Control-drag (Win-
dows) or Command-drag (Mac) the control.
‹ To return a control to its default value, Alt-
Editing Plug-in Controls click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the con-
trol.
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 edit- Editing Parameters Using a Computer
ing specific plug-ins, see the plug-in’s documen- Keyboard
tation. You can use your computer keyboard to edit
plug-in controls.
For information about the specific controls
of each of the DigiRack plug-ins (installed If multiple Plug-in windows are open, Tab and
with Pro Tools), refer to the DigiRack Plug- keyboard entry remain focused on the plug-in
ins Guide. Additional free plug-ins (and that is the target window.
paid plug-in options) that can be installed
with Pro Tools are documented in the The plug-in target window is the focus of
Pro Tools Creative Collection Plug-ins keyboard shortcuts for plug-in settings. To
Guide, the Bomb Factory Plug-ins Guide, make a plug-in the target for any computer
the Digidesign Plug-ins Guide, the TL Labs keyboard commands (including key short-
Plug-ins Guide. cuts), click the plug-in’s Target button in its
Plug-in window.
To adjust a plug-in control:
To change control values with a computer
1 Begin audio playback so that you can hear the
keyboard:
control changes in real time.
1 Click or Navigate to the control text field that
2 Adjust the controls of the plug-in for the effect
you want to edit to activate the field.
you want.
To move forward through the different con-
3 Close the Plug-in window to save the most re-
trol fields, press the Tab key. To move back-
cent changes.
ward, press Shift+Tab.

884 Pro Tools Reference Guide

2 Change the value by doing one of the follow-
ing. Side-Chain Input
• To increase a value, press the Up Arrow on The side-chain input is the split-off signal used
your keyboard. by a plug-in's detector to trigger dynamics pro-
• To decrease a value, press the Down Arrow cessing, and is generally drawn internally from
on your keyboard. the input signal. However, some plug-ins let you
• Type the value. switch between internal and external side-chain
processing.
In fields that support values in kilohertz,
typing “k” after a number value will multi- With external side-chain processing, a plug-in's
ply the value by 1,000. For example, type detector is triggered by an external signal (such
“8k” to enter a value of 8,000. as a separate reference track or audio source)
known as the key input.
3 Do one of the following to confirm the value:
A typical use for external side-chain processing
• Press Enter on the numeric keyboard to in-
is to control the dynamics of one audio signal
put the value and remain in keyboard edit-
using the dynamics of another signal (the key
ing mode.
input). For example, a kick drum track could be
– or – used to trigger gating of a bass track to tighten it
• Press Enter on the alpha keyboard (Win- up, or a rhythm guitar track could be used to
dows) or Return (Mac) to enter the value gate a keyboard pad.
and leave keyboard editing mode.
Side-Chain Filters
To clear all clip indicators in the session, including
plug-in clipping: Some plug-ins feature key high-pass and low-
pass filters. These controls let you define a spe-
„ Press Alt+C (Windows) or Option+C (Mac). cific frequency range in the side-chain signal
with which to trigger the plug-in effect. A com-
mon production technique is to use these con-
Plug-in Automation and Safe trols to filter a drum track so that only specific
high frequency sounds (such as a hi-hat) or low
All real-time plug-ins can be fully automated, frequency ones (such a tom or a kick) trigger the
and support all Pro Tools Automation modes effect.
(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 “Auto-
mating Plug-ins” on page 916).

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 918).

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 885

 Using a Key Input for External Side-
Chain Processing Plug-in Presets
Pro Tools makes it easy to create your own li-
To use a key input for external side-chain
brary of plug-in settings, or presets. Using the
processing:
Plug-in Settings menu, you can copy, paste,
1 Click the plug-in’s Key Input selector and se- save, and import these settings from plug-in to
lect the input or bus carrying the audio you plug-in, or from session to session.
want to use to trigger the plug-in.
Once you create and save settings files to disk
(and tell Pro Tools where to find them by assign-
ing to a root folder) they appear both in the Plug-
in Librarian menu and in the Plug-in Settings di-
alog. They also appear as plug-in settings files
(.txf) in DigiBase browsers.

You can use the Plug-in Settings dialog to

audition and select plug-in settings (see
Selecting a Key Input “Plug-in Settings Dialog” on page 889).
2 Click the External Key to activate external
side-chain processing. Plug-in Settings Menu
3 Press the Spacebar to begin playback. The Use the Plug-in Settings menu commands to
plug-in uses the input or bus that you chose as a save, copy, paste, and manage plug-in settings as
key input to trigger its effect. presets (plug-in settings files).

4 During playback, do any of the following to

fine-tune key input triggering:
• To hear the audio source you have selected
to control the key input, enable Side-Chain
Listen or Key Listen (depending on the
plug-in). When finished, disable Side-
Chain Listen/Key Listen to resume normal
plug-in monitoring.
• To filter the key input so that only specific Plug-in Settings menu
frequencies trigger the plug-in, use the fil- Plug-in Settings menu commands include:
tering controls (if available) to select the
frequency range. Save Settings Saves the current settings. This
command overwrites any previous version of
5 Adjust the plug-in’s Threshold control (if
the preset.
available) and other controls as needed.
Save Settings As Saves the current settings as a
new preset under a different name.

886 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Copy Settings Copies the current plug-in set- Set Root Settings Folder Selects a location or
tings. You can then apply these settings to the root folder for saving and importing presets. This
same type of plug-in on a different track by root settings folder must be named “Plug-in Set-
choosing the track in the Plug-in window and tings.” Use this command only if you want to
pasting the settings with the Paste Settings com- choose a location other than the default Plug-in
mand. Settings folder.

Paste Settings Pastes plug-in settings copied The default location for the Root Plug-in Set-
with the Copy Settings command. tings folder is as follows:

Import Settings Imports a plug-in settings file Windows Program Files\Common Files\
(.tfx) from a location other than the Root Set- Digidesign\DAE\Plug-in Settings
tings folder or Session folder.
Mac Library/Application Support/
Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes Digidesign/Plug-in Settings
the current plug-in settings file (.tfx) from disk.
To save plug-in settings to any location
Lock Settings File Prevents the current preset other than the default Plug-in Settings
from being overwritten by the Save command. folder, you must first create a folder named
If you attempt to save any changes to the plug- “Plug-in Settings” in the new location and
in settings, you will be prompted to save them then save to that folder.
using a different name or disk location.

Set As User Default Defines the current preset as

Choosing a Destination for
the User Default for the selected plug-in. Settings
Before you save plug-in settings, select their des-
Settings Preferences tination folder.

The Settings Preferences submenu provides

To select a destination folder:
commands for configuring preferences for sav-
ing and importing presets. They include: „ From the Plug-in Settings menu, choose Set-

tings Preferences > Save Plug-in Settings To, and

Set Plug-in Default To Sets the default preset to select Session Folder or Root Settings Folder.
either Factory Default (the standard default set-
ting for that plug-in) or User Default (your cus- If you selected Root Settings Folder, Pro Tools
tom setting). saves to the default Root Plug-in Settings folder
unless you have specified a different location for
Save Plug-in Settings To Selects the folder where the Root Settings folder.
presets (plug-in settings files) are saved. If you
select Session Folder, the settings are saved in a To select a different Root Settings folder:
folder named “Plug-in Settings” within the cur-
1 From the Plug-in Settings menu, choose Set-
rent Session folder. If you select Root Settings
tings Preferences > Set Root Settings Folder.
Folder, the settings are saved in the folder you
specified with the Set Root Settings Folder com- 2 Select the folder you want to use as your Root
mand. folder and click Select.

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 887

 Creating Subfolders for Settings To import a preset:

To make it easier to find specific types of set- 1 Choose Import Settings from the Plug-in Set-

tings, you can subdivide settings files by creat- tings menu.

ing subfolders for them. 2 Locate the settings file you want to import
and click Open. Pro Tools loads the setting and
To create a settings subfolder: copies it to the root destination folder.
1 From the Plug-in Settings menu, choose Save
Settings. To copy plug-in settings:
„ Choose Copy Settings from the Plug-in Set-
2 Click the New Folder button and type a name
for the subfolder. tings menu.

3 Name the preset and click Save. The plug-in Press Control+Shift+C (Windows) or Com-
settings file is saved within the subfolder. mand+Shift+C (Mac) to copy plug-in set-
tings.

Managing Presets To paste plug-in settings:

Use the Plug-in Settings menu to manage plug- 1 Open the destination plug-in.
in presets.
2 Choose Paste Settings from the Plug-in Set-
Unlinked multi-mono plug-ins have specific tings menu.
rules for settings. See “Linking and Unlink-
Press Control+Shift+V (Windows) or Com-
ing Controls on Multi-Mono Plug-ins” on
mand+Shift+V (Mac) to paste plug-in set-
page 897.
tings.
To save a preset:
To create a custom User Default preset:
1 Choose Save Settings from the Plug-in Settings
1 Create and save a plug-in settings file.
menu.
2 Select Set As User Default from the Plug-in Set-
2 Type a name and click OK. The setting appears
tings menu.
in the Plug-in Librarian menu.

Press Control+Shift+S (Windows) or Com- To make a plug-in default to your custom preset:
mand+Shift+S (Mac) to save plug-in set- „ From the Plug-in Settings menu, select Set-
tings. tings Preferences > Set Plug-in Default To > User
Setting.
To load a plug-in preset:
„ Choose the name of the preset from the Plug-
Changing Presets with the Next (+) and
in Librarian menu. Previous (–) Setting Buttons
These buttons let you select the next or previous
preset in the Plug-in Librarian menu.

888 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To change plug-in presets using the +/– buttons: The Plug-in Settings dialog includes the follow-
ing:
„ Click the Plus (+) or Minus (–) buttons to se-

lect the next or previous preset. The next (or pre- Folder This pop-up menu lets you switch be-
vious) preset is enabled, and the Plug-in tween presets located in root or session folders
Librarian menu changes to show the name of (and any available subfolders).
the new preset.
Patch Field This field displays the name of the
You will lose the current plug-in settings if active (highlighted) preset.
they are not saved before you use the Next
and Previous Setting buttons. Always save Increment Patch Every X Sec This option lets
your plug-in settings to the selected Root you audition plug-in presets in series by auto-
Settings folder. matically scrolling through them for a specified
number of seconds.
Editing Settings on Unlinked Multi-
Mono Plug-ins To change plug-in presets using the Plug-in
Settings dialog:
When a multi-mono plug-in is unlinked, im-
porting, copying, pasting, or bypassing settings 1 Click the Settings Select button.

affects only the currently selected channel. 2 Do one of the following:

• Select a preset from the dialog list.
Plug-in Settings Dialog – or –
The Plug-in Settings dialog lists the presets for • Use the Arrow keys to scroll through the
the current plug-in type. From this list, you can available presets.
audition and select presets.
To switch between plug-in settings subfold-
Use the Folder pop-up menu at the top of the ers, press Control (Windows) or Command
Plug-in Settings dialog to switch between plug- (Mac) and use the Up/Down Arrow keys.
in settings subfolders, or root and session set-
3 Click Done.
tings folders.

Auditioning Plug-in Presets

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

To audition plug-in presets:

1 Click the Settings Select button.

2 From the dialog list, click a preset—the start-

ing point from which you will scroll through
Plug-in Settings dialog the settings files.

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 889

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

4 Select the Increment Setting option.

After the specified number of seconds, Pro Tools

selects the next preset.

5 When you are finished auditioning presets, do

one of the following:
• Click Done to stop incrementing patches,
and to close the Plug-in Settings dialog.
Searching for plug-in settings files
– or –
• Deselect the Increment Patch option to stop 3 To further narrow your search, type all or part
incrementing patches and keep the Plug-in of the name of the plug-in settings file you want.
Settings dialog open. Then select the preset 4 Click Search.
you want and click Done.
5 To sort your search by Plug-in Name or Man-
ufacturer, click the corresponding column title.
DigiBase and Plug-in Settings
Files
DigiBase browsers recognize plug-ins settings
files (.txf) as a known Type and lets you drag and
drop them to Pro Tools plug-in windows and In-
serts. You can also search for plug-in settings by
type.

Searching for Plug-in Settings Files

Plug-in settings files found in the Workspace browser
To search for plug-in settings files: and sorted by Plug-in Name

1 In the Workspace browser, click the Search

icon. With DigiBase Pro (Pro Tools HD and
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production
2 Select Plug-in Settings File from the Kind pop- Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 only), you can cre-
up menu. ate catalogs of specific plug-in settings that
you work with frequently to streamline your
workflow. For more information on Digi-
Base Pro Catalogs, see “DigiBase Pro Cata-
logs” on page 265.

890 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Dragging and Dropping Plug-in Settings Files

You can insert a plug-in with a specific plug-in

settings file, as well as change plug-in settings of
inserted plug-ins by dragging and dropping
plug-in settings files from a DigiBase browser,
Windows Explorer, or the Mac Finder.

To insert a plug-in by drag and drop:

„ Drag and drop a plug-in settings file from a

DigiBase browser, Windows Explorer, or the Mac

Finder to an Insert in the Mix (or Edit) window.

Dragging and dropping a plug-in settings file to a plug-in

Plug-in Mapping
Pro Tools lets you customize the arrangement of
plug-in parameter controls on supported con-
trol surfaces. You can save these customized
plug-in maps as presets and export them for use
across different sessions and systems.

Dragging and dropping a plug-in settings file to an

Insert
Plug-in Learn Mode

Plug-ins can be put into Learn mode, from

To change a plug-in preset by drag and drop:
which any automatable plug-in parameter can
„ Drag and drop a plug-in settings file from a
be mapped to a channel strip encoder, switch, or
DigiBase browser, Windows Explorer, or the Mac (in Flip mode) fader on the control surface.
Finder to the plug-in window. The plug-in set-
tings file must be for the same plug-in name. For Plug-in Map Presets
example, you cannot replace a 1-Band EQ 3 with
a plug-in setting for 4-Band EQ 3. A map for a plug-in can be saved and recalled for
any plug-in of the same type.

You can save multiple map presets for a single

plug-in, and switch between maps at any time
during a session.

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 891

 You can also use multiple map presets on differ- ICON surfaces The following have a separately
ent instances of a plug-in at the same time. This mappable encoders and switches with the fol-
is useful for virtual instrument plug-ins with lowing page sizes:
multiple configurations, or for multi-user work- • D-Control®
flows on large systems.
• Custom Faders display 6 rows (pages) of
You can set a custom plug-in map to be the de- 8 encoders and switches at a time
fault map for a plug-in, so that the same map is • Channel strips display 1 column (page) of 6
used for all default instances of that plug-in. encoders and switches at a time
• D-Command
Plug-in Map Files
• Custom Faders display 2 rows (pages) of
Plug-in maps can be exported (as .pim files) for 8 encoders and switches at a time
use in other sessions and on other systems with • Channel strips display 1 column (page) of 6
a similar type of control surface (8-fader surface, encoders and switches, 2 at a time
24-fader surface, or ICON surface).
Plug-in Mapping is not supported with
Control Surface Mapping ProControl.

When you create a custom plug-in map, its pa-

rameters are arranged in pages that correspond If you import a plug-in map that was cre-
to the controls on the control surface. The size ated on a different type of control surface, it
of a page depends on the type of control surface. will appear as an inactive choice in the Map
Each custom plug-in map allows up to 200 pages Presets menu.
of mapped parameters.
Plug-in Map Controls
Plug-in mapping is stored according to the fol-
lowing types of control surfaces: When a supported control surface is declared in
Pro Tools, Plug-in Map controls appear in the
8-Fader Surfaces The following have a page size plug-in window.
of 8 mappable encoders/switches:
• 003 Map Options menu
• Digi 002
• Command|8
Map Presets menu
• M-Audio Axiom Pro Learn button

24-Fader Surfaces The following have a page

size of 24 mappable encoders/switches: Parameter menu

• C|24 Plug-in Map controls in the plug-in window

• Control|24 Map Options Menu Lets you create, rename,

save, delete, import, export, and set default
plug-in maps.

Map Presets Menu Lets you choose from avail-

able custom Plug-in Maps for the plug-in.

892 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Learn Button Puts the plug-in in Learn mode, To put a plug-in into Learn mode, do one of the
where you can map plug-in parameters to a con- following:
trol surface. „ Click the Learn button in the plug-in window.

Parameter Menu When in Learn mode, lets you – or –

select a parameter on the plug-in for mapping. If
„ From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
you click a parameter in the plug-in window
New Map.
while in Learn mode, this menu shows the
name of the parameter.
To take a plug-in out of Learn mode, do one of the
Plug-in Map controls can be shown or hidden. following:
„ Click the active Learn button in the plug-in

To show (or hide) Plug-in Map controls: window.

„ Select (or deselect) View > Plug-in > Map Con- „ Close the plug-in window.
trols.
„ Click the Learn button in a different plug-in

window.
Creating Plug-in Maps
Plug-ins are automatically taken out of
This section covers creating plug-in maps on the Learn mode when moved to a different
following control surfaces: insert position, made inactive, or converted
• C|24 between TDM and RTAS formats.
• Control|24
• 003 Creating and Editing Plug-in Maps
• Digi 002
To create a custom map of plug-in parameters:
• Command|8
1 Open the plug-in whose mapping you want to
For details on plug-in mapping for D-Con- customize.
trol and D-Command, see the D-Control
2 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in
Guide and D-Command Guide.
is focused on the control surface, but with a
blank page of controls, ready for mapping.
Putting a Plug-in into Learn Mode
3 In the plug-in window, click the plug-in pa-
When you first put a plug-in into Learn mode, a
rameter you want to map. The parameter name
new plug-in map is created (with the default
appears in the Parameter menu.
name “Custom Map”), and the plug-in is fo-
cused on the control surface, but with a blank
page of controls, ready for mapping.

Only one plug-in can be in Learn mode at a

time.

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 893

 4 On the control surface, do one of the follow- 3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in
ing: is focused on the control surface.
• Turn the encoder or press the channel Se- 4 Do the following for each parameter mapping
lect switch where you want to map the pa- you want to remove:
rameter.
• Make sure the Parameter menu displays No
– or – Control.
• If the control surface is in Flip mode, move – and –
the fader or press the channel Select switch
• On the control surface, page to the encoder
where you want to map the parameter.
or switch where you want to remove the
5 Repeat steps 3-4 for each parameter you want mapping, and turn the encoder or press the
to map. switch.

6 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode. 5 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode.

To change parameter mapping in a plug-in map:

Managing Plug-in Maps
1 Open the plug-in whose custom map you
You can save plug-in maps as presets for reuse
want to change.
on the same Pro Tools system, or export them
2 Choose the map you want to change from the for use on other Pro Tools systems with a similar
Map Preset pop-up menu. control surface.
3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in
is focused on the control surface. Saving Plug-in Maps

4 Do the following for each parameter mapping Plug-in maps are saved as global preferences on
you want to change: a Pro Tools system, so they are available to all
• In the plug-in window, click the new plug- sessions created on the system.
in parameter you want to map. The param-
When you create a map for a plug-in, that map
eter name appears in the Parameter menu.
becomes available to all other plug-ins of the
– and – same type and channel format.
• On the control surface, page to the encoder
If you want to map the same plug-in in dif-
or switch where you want to change the
ferent channel formats (such as mono, ste-
mapping, and turn the encoder or press the
reo and 5.1 surround) you need to create a
switch.
separate plug-in map for each format.
5 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode.
To save a copy of a custom plug-in map:
To remove parameter mapping from a plug-in map: 1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to
1 Open the plug-in whose custom map you copy.
want to change. 2 Choose the map you want to copy from the
2 Choose the map you want to change from the Map Presets pop-up menu.
Map Preset pop-up menu.

894 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose To delete all plug-in maps from the system:
Save Map As.
1 Open any plug-in in the session.
4 Enter a name for the plug-in map.
2 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
5 Click OK. The new copy becomes the active Delete All Maps.
plug-in map.
3 Click Delete.

To rename a custom plug-in map:

Setting a Custom Plug-in Map as the
1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to re- Default Map
name.
You can set a custom plug-in map as the default
2 Choose the map you want to rename from the map for a plug-in, instead of the Factory Default
Map Presets pop-up menu. map.
3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
When you set a custom plug-in map as the de-
Rename Map.
fault, it applies across the entire session. All in-
4 Enter a new name for the plug-in map. stances of that plug-in that were set to the Fac-
tory Default map, or to another custom default
5 Click OK.
map, change to the new default.

Deleting Plug-in Maps If you change parameter mapping in the custom

plug-in map that has been set as the default, the
From the plug-in window, you can delete indi- changes will propagate to all instances of the
vidual plug-in maps. plug-in using that default.
You can also delete all custom plug-in maps on
When you export a plug-in map, the default
the system, reverting all plug-ins to their Factory
map setting for that plug-in is also exported.
Default plug-in maps.
When that map is imported, the default set-
ting is also updated, and all instances of the
On D-Control and D-Command systems,
plug-in change to the new default.
when you delete all plug-in maps, you are
also deleting all Custom Fader Plug-in
How Default Plug-in Map Settings are Stored
mappings. For more information, see the
D-Control Guide or D-Command Guide. Default map settings are stored as global (sys-
tem-wide) Pro Tools preferences, so they are ap-
To delete a custom plug-in map: plied to all sessions that you subsequently open
1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to de- or create on that system.
lete.
If you plan to work with the same plug-in
2 Choose the map you want to delete from the mapping on multiple sessions, back up your
Map Presets pop-up menu. settings by exporting all plug-in maps on a
regular basis and saving the .pim file with
3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
your sessions.
Delete Current Map.

4 Click Delete.

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 895

 To set a custom plug-in map as the default plug-in When exporting plug-in maps, you can choose
map: to save individual map files for each plug-in, or
1 Open the plug-in whose default plug-in map a single map file containing all the plug-in maps
you want to change. for the system.

2 Choose the map you want to use as the new On D-Control and D-Command systems,
default from the Map Presets pop-up menu. when you export all plug-in maps, you are
also exporting Custom Fader Plug-in map-
3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
ping to the same file. For more information,
Set As Default.
see the D-Control Guide or D-Command
Guide.
Hiding Default Plug-in Map Pages
To export an individual plug-in map:
When you create a custom plug-in map, its pa-
rameters are arranged in pages that correspond 1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to ex-
to the groups of controls that appear on a con- port.
trol surface.
2 Choose the map you want to export from the

When you page through the controls for a plug- Map Presets pop-up menu.
in on a control surface, the pages for custom 3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
plug-in maps appear first, and the pages for the Export Current Plug-in Map.
Factory Default map appear after the custom
pages. 4 Choose a location for the map file.

5 Click Save.
You can hide the Factory Default pages of a
plug-in, so that only the custom pages appear
To export all plug-in maps in the system to a single
on the control surface. This applies to all in-
map file:
stances of the plug-in.
1 Open any plug-in in the session.
To hide the Factory Default pages of a plug-in map: 2 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
1 Open the plug-in whose default plug-in map Export All Plug-in Maps.
pages you want to hide.
3 Choose a location for the map file.
2 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
4 Click Save.
Hide Factory Default Pages.

To import a map file:

Exporting and Importing Plug-in Maps
1 Open the plug-in where you want to import a
Plug-in maps can be exported as .pim files for use plug-in map.
on other Pro Tools systems.
2 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
Import Plug-in Maps From File.

3 Locate the plug-in map (.pim) file you want to

import.

4 Click Open.

896 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Bypassing Plug-ins Linking and Unlinking Controls
Plug-ins can be bypassed from their Plug-in win-
on Multi-Mono Plug-ins
dow, or from the Mix and Edit window Inserts When a multi-mono plug-in is used on a stereo
View. track or greater-than-stereo multichannel track
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
When a plug-in insert is bypassed, the In-
Production Toolkit Only), the controls are
sert selector in the Mix window changes its
linked by default. Adjusting the Gain control on
color to blue for easy visual reference. If
one channel, for example, will adjust it for all
some, but not all channels of an unlinked
channels.
multi-mono plug-in are bypassed, the Insert
selector appears purple. You can unlink multi-mono plug-in controls on
specific channels of a track and edit them inde-
To bypass a plug-in, do one of the following: pendently. You can also selectively link the con-
„ Click the Plug-in window’s Effect Bypass but- trols of specific channels.
ton.
Link Enable buttons
– or –

„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

Master Link button
(Mac) the plug-in’s Insert button in the Mix or
Channel Selector
Edit window.
Channel selector and Link controls (shown with Link
When a plug-in is bypassed, its Insert button disabled)
turns blue. If only some of the channels of a
multi-mono plug-in are bypassed, its Insert but- To unlink controls on a multi-mono plug-in:
ton turns purple. „ Deselect the Master Link button.

bypassed (blue) not bypassed

To access controls for a specific channel:
„ Select the channel from the Channel selector.

To link the controls of specific channels:

1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al-
ready deselected.

Indication of bypassed plug-in state

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 897

 2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels 4 Make sure the insert path is set to the correct
whose controls you want to link. For example, format (mono, stereo, or other).
on plug-ins that do provide discrete LFE controls
5 Map inserts in the Channel Grid as needed.
from the LFE Enable button, you can link all
Insert and Output paths have special rules re-
channels except the LFE by highlighting the
garding channel mapping (see “Valid Paths and
icons representing the five full-range speakers in
Requirements” on page 71).
a multi-mono plug-in.

Assigning Hardware Inserts

To assign an external hardware insert to a track:

All channels linked except the LFE „ Select an insert from the track Insert selector.

Using Hardware Inserts

You can connect external devices, such as reverb
or effects processors, to your Pro Tools system
and use them as hardware inserts on individual
tracks or on submixes.

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 out-
puts on your system. For example, a hardware Selecting a hardware I/O insert
insert being supplied by outputs 7–8 needs to be
returned to hardware inputs 7–8.

Delay Compensation can be applied to

Hardware Inserts. See “H/W Insert Delay
Hardware Insert window
Compensation” on page 77.

To define a hardware insert: Bypassing Hardware Inserts

1 Choose Setup > I/O, then click the Inserts tab. Hardware inserts do not provide a bypass con-
trol. To monitor playback without a hardware
2 Select an insert path, or click New Path to cre-
insert, either set it to Inactive, remove it by reas-
ate a new Insert path.
signing it to No Insert, or use a bypass switch on
3 Double-click the Path Name to enter a custom the hardware device itself. (See “Making Inserts
path name for the insert. Inactive” on page 875 for more information.)

898 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Connecting and Integrating To set up a digital send to an external device from
External Devices a Pro Tools|HD system:
1 Do one of the following:
Pro Tools can create dedicated connections to
external analog or digital devices. The number • On a 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O,
and type of connections depends on what kind 96i I/O, or 888|24 I/O, choose Setup > Hard-
of system you have. ware, choose the peripheral, format, and
clock format, and set the channel pair to
Digital.
To connect an external device to a Pro Tools
system: • On an 882|20 I/O or 1622 I/O, choose Setup
> Hardware, choose the peripheral, and set
1 Connect an unused output (or pair of outputs
Channel 1–2 input to Digital.
for a stereo device) of your Pro Tools system to
an input of the external signal processor. 2 Select Internal from the Clock Source pop-up
menu.
2 Connect the output of the external signal pro-
cessor to an unused input (or pair of inputs for a 3 Click OK.
stereo device) of your Pro Tools system.
To set up a digital send to an external device from
3 Define what physical ports are routed to
a 003, 003 Rack+, 003 Rack, Digi 002, or Digi
Pro Tools input and output ports, as appropri- 002 Rack system:
ate, in either the Hardware Setup dialog or
I/O Setup dialog. 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine and choose
the peripheral.
4 Define output, input, or insert paths as appro-
priate in the I/O Setup dialog. 2 Do one of the following:
• If the external device is connected to the
If you plan to use a device as an insert, be sure to S/PDIF RCA jacks, deselect S/PDIF Mirror-
connect the device to matching inputs and out- ing. (When S/PDIF Mirroring is on, digital
puts on your system. For example, to use out- output at the S/PDIF RCA jacks exactly mir-
puts 7–8, the insert has to use inputs 7–8 also. rors the output of analog Channels 1–2.)
• If the external device is connected to the
For additional information on connecting
Optical ports, choose a format (most likely
external devices, refer to your Pro Tools
S/PDIF for an effects device) from the Opti-
Setup Guide.
cal Format pop-up menu.
Connecting Effects Units Digitally 3 Choose Internal from the Clock Source pop-up

If you want to use the digital inputs and outputs menu.

on your Pro Tools system as effects sends and re- 4 Click OK.
turns to a digital effects device, Pro Tools should
5 Optionally, configure the I/O Setup dialog
be the clock master in most cases. Set your digi-
tal effects device to accept an external digital with new path names for effects routing.
clock so that it synchronizes to Pro Tools.

Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts 899

 5 Configure input routing of the digital source,
If you set the Optical Format to S/PDIF, using the Input and Output pop-up menus, if
Pro Tools will watch the Optical port for necessary.
any audio input, and ignore any audio in-
put on the S/PDIF RCA jacks. 6 Click OK to close the Hardware Setup dialog.

003, 003 Rack+, 003 Rack, Digi 002, or

Using External Clock Sources (for Digi 002 Rack Systems
Recording and Monitoring)
Pro Tools can receive external clock from the
When recording or monitoring, Pro Tools can
Optical input or S/PDIF input.
synchronize to an external clock source. Op-
tions for external clock vary according to the
To select an external clock source for 003,
type of Pro Tools system you are using. 003 Rack+, 003 Rack, Digi 002, or Digi 002 Rack
system:
Pro Tools|HD Systems
1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
Pro Tools|HD systems can receive external clock
2 Set the Clock Source to match the type of in-
through any of the digital inputs on any
put.
Pro Tools|HD I/O (including AES/EBU, S/PDIF,
and Optical). 3 If you select Optical, make sure the Optical For-
mat matches the type of optical input you are
With an expanded Pro Tools|HD system that in-
sending to your Pro Tools system.
cludes Legacy interfaces (such as the 888|24
I/O), connect to the digital input on Channels If you set the Optical Format to S/PDIF,
1–2 of the Legacy audio interface in order to Pro Tools will watch the Optical port for ex-
clock from them. Legacy I/Os only support ternal clock, and ignore any clock input on
44.1 kHz and 48 kHz sample rates. the S/PDIF RCA jacks.

To determine correct card order and audio Mbox 2 Pro, Mbox 2, and Mbox Systems
interface connections, refer to the
Pro Tools|HD Setup Guide. Pro Tools can receive external clock from the
S/PDIF input on these interfaces.
To select an external clock source for a
Pro Tools|HD system: To select an external clock source for an Mbox 2
Pro, Mbox 2, or Mbox system:
1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
2 Select the appropriate Pro Tools|HD I/O in or-
der to display its settings in the Main page. 2 Select SPDIF (Windows) or SPDIF/RCA (Mac)
from the Clock Source pop-up menu.
3 If necessary, enable the appropriate Digital
Format (if you have not already done so, accord- 3 Click OK.
ing to the instructions in your Setup Guide or I/O
Guide). Your digital input device must be connected
and powered on for Pro Tools to synchro-
4 Set the Clock Source to match the type of nize to it. If your input device is not powered
input. on, leave the Clock Source set to Internal.

900 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 42: Automation

Pro Tools features dynamic automation of mix-

ing controls on each of the track types. You can Automation QuickStart
write automation moves and view them in real
Pro Tools provides many options for recording,
time during playback of your session. You can
replacing, and editing automation data.
also edit automation data with the same tech-
niques you use to edit audio and MIDI data. The basic steps for automation recording are:
• Enable the automation type that you want to
Automation Accuracy with record (volume, pan, mute, send level, send
Control Surfaces pan, send mute, or plug-in automation).
Digidesign Control Surfaces Digidesign’s D-Con- • Put the appropriate tracks in an automation
trol, D-Command, ProControl, C|24, Con- writing mode (Write, Touch, or Latch, or a
trol|24, and Command|8 control surfaces (as Trim mode).
well as the 003 and Digi 002 integrated audio • If you are automating a plug-in, enable the in-
and MIDI interfaces with control surfaces for dividual plug-in controls to be automated.
Pro Tools LE) support the automation features
in Pro Tools. Digidesign control surfaces provide • Automation Safe any plug-ins, outputs, or
10-bit resolution, or 1,024 steps of fader resolu- sends that have existing automation data that
tion. Pro Tools interpolates this input to 24-bit you want to protect from being overwritten.
resolution on playback, resulting in extremely • Begin playback to begin automation record-
accurate and smooth fader automation. ing, and adjust controls as needed. Pro Tools
remembers all moves performed on enabled
For details on using Digidesign control sur- controls.
faces to create mix automation, refer to your
Digidesign control surface guide. To edit automation once it has been recorded,
you can:
MIDI Control Surfaces Most MIDI control sur-
• Repeat the above steps to write new automa-
faces have 7-bit resolution, or 128 steps.
tion over the previous data.
Pro Tools interpolates this input to 24-bit reso-
lution on playback, resulting in accurate and • Graphically edit the automation data in the
smooth fader automation. Edit window.
• Cut, copy, paste, or delete automation data
(certain restrictions apply).

Chapter 42: Automation 901

 On VCA Master tracks (Pro Tools HD only),
Automation Playlists these parameters include:

Each Pro Tools track contains a single automa- • Volume

tion playlist for each automatable parameter. • Volume Trim
• Mute
On audio tracks, these parameters include:
• Volume You can display and edit each of these automat-
• Volume Trim (Pro Tools|HD only) able playlists individually from Pro Tools, even
during playback.
• Pan
• Mute In addition, on MIDI and Instrument tracks you
• Send Level can display and edit other continuous MIDI
• Send Level Trim (Pro Tools|HD only) controller data (such as mod wheel, breath con-
troller, foot controller, or sustain) in a similar
• Send Pan
manner. For more information on editing MIDI
• Send Mute
data, see “Continuous Controller Events” on
• Plug-in controls page 592.

On Auxiliary Input tracks, these parameters in-

clude: Automation Playlists with Audio
• Volume and MIDI Regions
• Volume Trim (Pro Tools|HD only) Pro Tools handles audio regions and their auto-
• Mute mation playlists differently from MIDI regions
• Pan and their automation playlists.

On Master Faders, these parameters include:

Audio Tracks
• Volume
• Volume Trim (Pro Tools|HD only) On audio tracks, automation data resides on a
separate playlist from audio data and regions.
On MIDI tracks, these parameters include: Each edit playlist on an audio track shares the
• MIDI Volume same automation data.
• MIDI Pan
• MIDI Mute

On Instrument tracks, these parameters include:

• Volume (audio)
• Volume Trim (audio) (Pro Tools|HD only)
• Mute (audio)
• Pan (audio)

902 Pro Tools Reference Guide

MIDI and Instrument Tracks Multiple Edit Playlists and Audio
On MIDI tracks and Instrument tracks, all con-
Track Automation
troller automation data except for MIDI Mute All edit playlists on a single audio track share the
data, or audio mute (Instrument tracks only), is same automation data. When you record or edit
stored in the MIDI region that contains it. Each automation data in an audio track, the automa-
edit playlist on the track is separate, and repre- tion data is stored in the track’s corresponding
sents a distinct performance, complete with automation playlist so it can be edited with, or
controller automation. independently from, its associated audio re-
gions.
MIDI Mute data is independent of the MIDI
data in a MIDI region. This lets you mute MIDI continuous controller data always
playback of individual MIDI or Instrument follows region editing, with the exception of
tracks in Pro Tools without altering the mute. See “MIDI and Instrument Tracks”
controller data. on page 903 for more information.

‹ When you copy or cut audio data from a track

Trim Automation Playlists
while it is in Waveform view, the underlying au-
Separate Trim automation playlists are available tomation data is cut or copied with it.
for Volume trim and Send Level trim. Volume
‹ If you paste audio data from other locations or
trim is available on all track types except MIDI
tracks into an edit playlist, you may change the
tracks. Send Level trim is available on audio
underlying automation data on the track.
tracks only.
‹ When you trim regions using Edit > Trim, the
Each Trim automation playlist shows the posi- underlying automation data remains un-
tion of the Trim fader with yellow breakpoint changed.
automation that can be edited. For more infor-
mation on Trim playlists, see “Trim Mode” on For more information, see “Editing Auto-
page 906 and “Viewing Automation” on mation” on page 927.
page 910.
Duplicating Tracks for Playlist Editing

The Duplicate Track command provides a conve-

nient way to make a working copy of a track to
experiment with routing, plug-ins, and automa-
tion. This protects the original track and its au-
tomation data from being edited or overwritten.

For more information on duplicating tracks

command, see “Duplicating Tracks” on
page 168.

Chapter 42: Automation 903

 “After Write Pass, Switch To” Option
Automation Modes
You can set Pro Tools to automatically change
Automation modes control how a track’s auto- to Touch mode or Latch mode, or remain in
mation data is written and played back. Each Write mode after the completion of an automa-
track provides an Automation Mode selector for tion pass in Write mode.
selecting the track’s Automation mode.
To set the Automation mode after a Write pass:
Off Mode 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.

Off mode turns off automation for all automat- 2 Under Automation, select an After Write Pass,
able parameters: Switch To option (Touch, Latch, or No Change).
• Volume
3 Click OK to close the Preferences window.
• Pan
• Mute
Touch Mode
• Send volume, pan, and mute
• Plug-in controls Touch mode writes automation only while a
fader or switch is touched or clicked with the
• MIDI volume, pan, and mute
mouse. When the fader is released, the writing
In Off mode, automation data for these parame- of automation stops and the fader returns to any
ters is ignored during playback. All other MIDI previously automated position, at a rate deter-
controller data is sent. mined by the AutoMatch and Touch Timeout
settings. See “Automation Preferences” on
Automation can be switched from Off to an- page 908.
other Automation mode during playback or
record. In Touch mode, certain control surfaces start
writing automation as soon as you touch them.
These include touch-sensitive fader controllers,
Read Mode such as Digidesign’s D-Control, D-Command,
Read mode plays any automation that was pre- ProControl, C|24, Control|24, 003, Digi 002,
viously written for a track. Command|8, or the Mackie HUI.

With other control surfaces in Touch mode,

Write Mode writing of automation does not begin until the
fader hits the pass-through point, or the previ-
Write mode writes automation from the time
ously automated position. Once you reach the
playback starts to the time it stops, erasing any
pass-through point with the fader, or a non-
previously written automation for the duration
touch sensitive rotary control, writing of auto-
of the automation pass.
mation begins and continues until you stop
AutoMatch can be applied to a Write automa- moving the fader.
tion pass. See “AutoMatch Time” on page 909.

904 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Latch Mode To enable AutoJoin from Pro Tools:
1 Choose Window > Automation.
Latch mode works in the same way as Touch
mode, writing automation only if you touch or 2 Click the AutoJoin button.
move a control. However, unlike Touch, writing
of automation continues until you stop play-
back or “punch out” of the automation pass by
changing the Automation mode to Read or
Touch.

AutoMatch can be applied to a Latch automa-

tion pass. See “AutoMatch Time” on page 909.

Latch mode is particularly useful for automating

Pan controls and plug-ins on non-touch sensi-
tive rotary controls, since it does not time out
and revert to its previous position when you re-
lease a control. AutoJoin button

See also “Writing Automation to the Start,

End, or All of a Track or Selection” on
page 938.
AutoJoin Enable button in the Automation window

AutoJoin with Latch Mode

See your control surface guide for details on
(Pro Tools HD Only) using Join and AutoJoin with a control surface.
Pro Tools provides two different methods to re-
sume writing automation on controls that were
active at the point where the transport stopped:

AutoJoin Lets you automatically resume writing

automation in Latch mode.

Join Lets you manually resume writing automa-

tion in Latch mode. Join is available only with
Digidesign-supported control surfaces.

Chapter 42: Automation 905

 AutoJoin Indicator Touch/Latch Mode
After a Latch automation pass with AutoJoin en- (Pro Tools HD Only)
abled, the AutoJoin indicator appears in the
Touch/Latch Automation mode places a track’s
Pro Tools Edit window.
Volume control in Touch mode and all other au-
tomatable controls in Latch mode.

In Touch/Latch mode, the Volume control fol-

lows Touch behavior, writing automation when
touched and returning to previously written lev-
els when released.

All other controls follow Latch behavior, writing

automation when touched and continuing until
playback stops, or until you punch out of writ-
ing automation.

AutoJoin indicator
AutoJoin indicator in the Edit window

The AutoJoin indicator is a vertical line that sig-

nifies the point where the last automation pass
was stopped, and the point where the “join” will
automatically occur on all tracks that were writ-
Selecting Touch/Latch mode
ing during that previous pass. When automa-
tion writing is resumed from this point, the line
disappears.
Trim Mode
(Pro Tools HD Only)
To use Join or AutoJoin to resume writing
on controls that were writing when the Pro Tools HD can adjust (or trim) existing track
transport stopped, restart the transport be- volume and send level automation data in real
fore the AutoJoin indicator. time. Pan, mute and plug-in automation cannot
be trimmed in this manner. Trim mode works in
combination with the other Automation modes
(Read, Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch, and Write)
and is useful when you want to preserve all of
your volume automation moves, but need to
make levels a bit louder or softer to balance a
mix.

906 Pro Tools Reference Guide

When writing automation in Trim mode, fader Read Trim
moves write relative rather than absolute values.
In Read Trim mode, Volume and Send level
The existing automation data is changed by the
Trim faders are disengaged from the main auto-
amount of increase or decrease (or the delta
mation playlist and follow any existing Trim au-
value) indicated by the faders.
tomation. You can move a Trim fader during
When Trim mode is enabled, non-trimmable playback to audition new trim values, but no au-
controls behave in the same manner as in the tomation is written. When the Trim fader is re-
standard Automation modes, with the excep- leased, it returns to any previously written Trim
tion of Write/Trim mode, where non-trimmable automation values.
controls operate as in Touch mode.
If a track does not contain Trim automation,
you can move a Trim fader during playback to
Trim Automation Modes audition new trim values, but no automation is
When a track is in a Trim automation mode (ex- written. The Trim fader retains its position until
cept for Trim Off) its main Volume faders and all the track is removed from Trim mode, or if you
Send level faders are displayed in yellow. When manually coalesce the Trim level.
trimming, a track’s Volume indicator or Send
When this mode is enabled, non-trimmable
Level indicator shows the delta value being writ-
controls (all controls other than track volume
ten rather than the absolute value.
and send level) behave as if they are in regular
Behavior of the Trim Automation modes also Read mode—no automation data is written.
depends on the Coalesce Trim Automation pref-
erence setting. See “Coalescing Trim Automa- Touch Trim
tion” on page 937. In Touch Trim mode, Volume and Send level
Trim faders are disengaged from the main auto-
Trim Off
mation playlist and follow any existing Trim au-
Trim Off turns off reading and writing of all au- tomation. When a Trim fader is touched, writ-
tomation (main and trim) for a track. All auto- ing of Trim automation begins. When the fader
mation moves are ignored during playback. is released, writing stops and the fader returns to
Trim faders are temporarily set to zero when a any previously written Trim automation values.
track is set to Trim Off mode.
The rate of the fader’s return to previous trim
Depending on the Coalesce Trim Automation values is determined by the AutoMatch Time
preference setting, changing a track to Trim Off specified in the Automation Preferences page.
can coalesce Trim automation on that track. See See “AutoMatch Time” on page 909 for more in-
“Coalescing Trim Automation” on page 937. formation.

Automation can be switched from Trim Off to When this mode is enabled, non-trimmable
another Automation mode during playback or controls (all controls other than track volume
record. and send level) behave as if they are in regular
Touch mode—they follow the previously writ-
ten automation until touched. When they are
touched, their absolute positions are written un-
til the control is released or until playback stops.

Chapter 42: Automation 907

 Latch Trim
The “After Write Pass, Switch To” prefer-
In Latch Trim mode, Volume and Send level ence affects Write Trim mode. After an au-
Trim faders are disengaged from the main auto- tomation pass in Write/Trim mode, tracks
mation playlist and follow any existing Trim au- automatically switch to the Trim mode ver-
tomation. When a Trim fader is touched, writ- sion of the setting specified by this prefer-
ing of Trim automation begins. Writing of Trim ence.
automation continues until playback stops, or
until you punch out of writing automation.

When this mode is enabled, non-trimmable Automation Preferences

controls (all controls other than track volume Pro Tools gives you several options for control-
and send level) behave as if they are in regular ling the writing and playback of automation
Latch mode—they follow the previously written data.
automation until touched. When they are
touched, their absolute positions are written un-
To display Automation preferences:
til playback is stopped.
„ Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.
Touch/Latch Trim

In Touch/Latch Trim mode, Volume and Send

level faders are disengaged from the main auto-
mation playlist and follow any existing Trim au-
tomation. The main Volume Trim fader follows
Touch Trim behavior, and Send level Trim fad-
ers follow Latch Trim behavior.

Write Trim

In Write Trim mode, as soon as playback begins,

writing of Trim automation begins for Volume
and Send levels, and continues until playback
stops, or until you punch out of writing automa-
Mixing Preferences page
tion.

When Write Trim mode is enabled, non-trim- For detailed information on Pro Tools Au-
mable controls (all controls other than track vol- tomation preferences, see “Mixing Prefer-
ume and send level) are not in Write mode, but ences” on page 90.
behave as if they are in regular Touch mode (no
automation is written unless a control is
touched). This is to prevent the controls from
overwriting all of their automation data on ev-
ery pass in Write Trim mode.

908 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Send Levels and Trim Mode setting in the Automation Preferences page.
When using high amounts of thinning, the re-
(Pro Tools HD Only)
sulting automation may differ noticeably from
You can set Pro Tools to exclude Send levels the original automation moves. Thinning only
from Trim mode, so that only the Main Volume applies to audio tracks, and does not affect MIDI
goes into Trim when a track is put into Trim tracks. For instructions, see “Thinning Automa-
mode. This gives you more flexibility in setting tion” on page 925.
Send levels while in Trim mode.

1 To exclude Send levels from Trim mode: AutoMatch Time

1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing. AutoMatch Time is the amount of time it takes
for a fader to return (by ramping up or down) to
2 Under Automation, deselect Include Sends in
the level of automation still on the track as the
Trim Mode.
automation pass ends. This time value is set in
Any uncoalesced automation on a Send will the Automation Preferences page (see “Automa-
still coalesce when the other automation on tion Preferences” on page 908).
its track is coalesced, even if “Include Sends
AutoMatch is automatically applied to all Touch
in Trim Mode” is deselected.
mode passes, and can be applied to Latch or
3 Click OK. Write passes.

The AutoMatch Time also determines the rate at

Smoothing which delta values written with the Trim will re-
turn to 0 dB (delta value of zero).
When you perform automation moves (includ-
ing Trim moves) with a continuous control, The AutoMatch feature works with continuous
Pro Tools records the move as a series of very controls (such as Volume or Pan) by ramping
small steps, resulting in a staircase pattern with their values back to previously automated levels.
many breakpoints. Smoothing intelligently re- There are some stepped controls (for example,
solves this staircase pattern into a single, the EQ type in the 1-band EQ plug-in) that pro-
smooth ramp from one breakpoint to the next. vide more than two discrete steps over their op-
(Smoothing does not apply to switched controls erational range. AutoMatch has no effect on
such as mutes or plug-in bypasses.) With these controls.
smoothing enabled, the resulting automation
data is often a more accurate representation of
Automation Follows Edit Option
actual automation moves.
When disabled, automation events are not af-
fected by edits to audio or MIDI notes. When en-
Thinning
abled, automation events are affected by edits to
Thinning automatically reduces the overall audio or MIDI notes.
number of breakpoints in an automation playl-
ist (including Trim playlists) in order to improve To disable Automation Follows Edit:
system performance. The amount of thinning
„ Choose Options > Automation Follows Edit.
applied is determined by the Degree of Thinning

Chapter 42: Automation 909

 Automation Safe Track Views
Outputs, sends, and plug-ins can be placed in You can view automation data by type by select-
Automation Safe mode. In Automation Safe ing the corresponding Track View.
mode, any automation associated with an Out-
put window (such as track or send level, pan- To display an automation playlist in the Track
ning, or mute), or plug-in on that track, is pro- View:
tected from being overwritten while automating „ Click the Track View selector and select from
other items on that track. the automation type you want to view.

Automation Safe enabled

Automation Safe enabled send

Automation Safe mode suspends automation re-

cording for the selected track output, send, or
plug-in that is enabled. You can also suspend au-
tomation recording and playback session-wide
from the Automation window. See “Enabling Displaying a standard automation playlist
and Suspending Automation” on page 922.

Viewing Automation
Pro Tools creates a separate playlist in the Edit
window for each type of automation in a track,
including a playlist for each type of Trim auto-
mation. This data can be viewed and edited in
the same way as audio and MIDI data. You can
either change Track Views to show the automa-
tion you want, or you can reveal an Automation
Displaying Trim automation playlists
lane under the track regardless of its Track View.

You can easily toggle between different

Track Views. See “Changing Track Views”
on page 172.

Trim automation playlist

910 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Automation and Controller Lanes To change the Automation or Controller type for a
lane:
In the Edit window, you can view automation
„ Click the Automation/Controller Type selec-
and controller data under a track (regardless of
tor and select the Automation or Controller type
the selected Track View). Each track provides
you want.
Automation and Controller lanes that let you
edit track automation and controller data with-
out changing the Track View. You can edit auto-
mation and controller data in lanes exactly the
same way that you do in different automation
and controller Track Views.

Show/Hide
Lanes button
Remove Lane
Add Lane Selecting the Automation type for a lane

To replace all Automation and Controller lanes

Automation Type under the track with a single lane of the specified
selector automation or controller type:
Revealing an Automation lane
1 Right-click the Show/Hide Lanes button.
Automation and Controller lanes can be shown
2 Select the Automation or Controller type you
or hidden. You can also add and remove lanes.
want.
These lanes always remain under the track, but
you can resize and reorder lanes independently
of one another.

To show or hide Automation lanes under the main

track view:
„ Click the Show/Hide Lanes button.

To add a lane:
„ Click the Add Lane button.

To remove lanes: Right-click menu for selecting a single Automation or

Controller lane
„ Click the Remove Lane button.

Chapter 42: Automation 911

 To resize the height of all Automation and To display the Trim automation playlist along with
Controller lanes for a track, do one of the main automation playlist on tracks:
following:
„ Select View > Automation > Trim Playlist.
„ Right-click on the vertical zoom scale just to
the right of the track controls and select the Volume
Trim
height from the pop-up menu. data
– or – Volume
data
„ Drag the bottom line of any given Lane Con-

trols column up or down. The cursor changes to Display of Trim automation in a main Volume playlist
indicate that you can resize the lane.
Displaying the Composite
Press Start+Up/Down Arrow key (Win-
Automation Playlist
dows) or Control+Up/Down Arrow key
(Mac) to increase or decrease height of any
(Pro Tools HD Only)
lane that contains the Edit cursor or an Edit If automation is not set to coalesce after every
selection. automation pass, you can display a composite
automation playlist that shows the contribution
To resize the height of a single Automation or
of the Trim automation to the main Volume or
Controller lane for a track:
Send Level automation data. This composite
„ Press Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) while
playlist display cannot be directly edited.
selecting the Lane Height setting.
The composite playlist is shown in both the
To reorder lanes: main automation playlist and the Trim automa-
tion playlist.
„ To reorder lanes on-screen, drag the lane con-

trol section to new positions in the Edit window.

To display the composite playlist:
„ Select View > Automation > Composite Playlist.
Displaying Trim Automation Along
with the Main Playlist Volume
(Pro Tools HD Only) Trim
data
The appearance of Trim automation depends on
how it is set to be coalesced. See “Coalescing Composite
Trim Automation” on page 937. playlist

If automation is not set to coalesce after every

automation pass, you can display Trim automa-
Volume
tion data along with the main Volume or Send data
level automation data in the same automation
Display of Trim automation and the composite playlist
view. This Trim automation display cannot be in a main Volume playlist
directly edited.

912 Pro Tools Reference Guide

AutoMatch Indicators
There are triangular AutoMatch indicators at the
bottom left of each channel strip in the Mix
window. When lit, these indicate the direction
the fader will automatically move when Auto-
Matching.

AutoMatch indicator
Automation window

3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-

Triangular AutoMatch indicators on a channel strip tion Mode selector on each of the tracks you
want to automate, and set the Automation
mode. For the initial automation pass, select
Writing Automation Write.

You can write automation for all automatable

controls by moving those controls during play-
back.

To write automation on tracks:

1 Choose Window > Automation.

2 Make sure the automation type is write-en-

abled. Setting the Automation mode of a track

4 Start playback to begin writing automation.

5 Move the controls you want to automate

(such as a track volume fader).

6 When you have finished, stop playback.

Chapter 42: Automation 913

 After the first automation pass, you can write In this initial state, only a single automation
additional automation to the track without breakpoint appears at the beginning of each au-
completely erasing the previous pass by choos- tomation playlist. If you move the control with-
ing Touch mode or Latch mode. These modes out writing automation, this breakpoint will
add new automation only when you actually move to the new value.
move a control. (See “Automation Modes” on
page 904.) You can permanently store the initial position
of an automatable control by doing any of the
following:
To write additional automation to a previous pass:
• Place the track in Write mode and press Play
1 Enable Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
to write a few seconds of automation data to
tion.
the track
2 In the Edit window, make a selection or place
• Manually place a breakpoint on the automa-
the cursor in the location where you want to
tion playlist somewhere after the initial break-
start writing automation.
point. (See “Graphical Editing of Automation
3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa- Data” on page 928 for more information.)
tion Mode selector on each of the tracks you
want to automate, and set the Automation
Automating Switched Controls
mode to Touch or Latch mode.
When automating switched controls (such as
4 Start playback to begin writing automation.
mutes, plug-in bypasses, or switched controls on
5 Move the controls you want to automate. plug-ins) Pro Tools treats them as touch sensi-
tive controls. Automation data is written for as
6 When you have finished, stop playback.
long as the switch or button for that control is
If you write automation in Touch mode pressed or touched.
with Loop Playback enabled, writing of au-
For example, if you have just written a series of
tomation will automatically stop at the end
mute on/off states on a track in quick succes-
of the looped selection. At the beginning of
sion, the manual method for clearing this auto-
each successive loop, you can then touch or
mation data would require you to move to the
move the control again to write new data.
Edit window, choose automation playlist for
Mute, select the mute automation data, and de-
Storing an Initial Control Position
lete it. In Pro Tools, this can be done automati-
When you create a new audio, Auxiliary Input, cally.
VCA Master, MIDI, or Instrument track, it is au-
tomatically placed in Read mode. Even though
the track is in Read mode, you can set the initial
position of any automatable control, and it is
saved with your session.

914 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To automate a switched control (such as the Mute Setting Switched Controls for
button): Momentary Behavior
1 Perform another automation pass on the
In some cases, such as when overwriting or ex-
track.
tending Mute automation, you may want to
2 When you reach the location of the mute state momentarily write automation for a control by
you want to remove, press and hold down the holding it down, and not have the control latch.
switched control (such as the Mute button).
To set switched controls for momentary behavior:
When playback gets to the first muted sec-
1 Choose Options > Preferences and click Mixing.
tion, the Mute button becomes highlighted.
2 Deselect Latching Behavior for Switch Controls in
3 As long as the button is held down, Pro Tools
“Touch.”
overwrites the underlying data on the track with
the current state of the switch (on or off) until 3 Click OK to close the Preferences window.
playback is stopped.
Automating Sends
Automating Switched Controls in Touch
Mode Pro Tools provides automation of send level,
send mute, and send pan (for stereo and multi-
When automating switched controls (including channel sends only). This makes it easy to con-
mute, plug-in bypass, and any switched control trol effect levels and placement during mix-
on a plug-in) in Touch mode, these controls will down with great precision.
latch in their current state after they are
touched. Send level and mute can also be configured to
follow groups.
However, to preserve any automation for that
switched control later in the Timeline, this To automate a send level, mute or pan:
latched behavior ends if either of the following
1 In the Automation window, make sure the au-
occurs:
tomation type is write-enabled (send level, send
• If an existing automation breakpoint is en-
mute, send pan).
countered, Pro Tools stops writing automa-
tion at that point. 2 In the Mix or Edit window, set the Automa-

• If you stop playback or punch out of writ- tion mode for each track containing sends you
ing automation before reaching an existing want to automate. For each track, click the Au-
automation breakpoint, Pro Tools Au- tomation Mode selector and set the Automation
toMatches to the underlying automation mode. For the initial automation pass, choose
state. Write mode.

3 If sends are not currently visible on your

tracks, select View > Mix Window (or Edit Window)
> Sends A–E (or Sends F–J).

Chapter 42: Automation 915

 4 To display send controls, do one of the follow-
ing:
• Click the send to open the Output window
for the send that you want to automate.
– or –
• Select View > Sends A–E (or Sends F–J) and
select one of the individual views (such as
Send A).

5 Start playback to begin writing automation.

6 Move the controls you want to automate.

7 When you have finished, stop playback.

Send level, mute, and pan can also be con-

Copy To Send dialog
figured to follow Mix Groups. See “Automa-
tion Preferences” on page 908 for informa- 3 In the Copy to Send dialog, do any of the fol-
tion. lowing:
• Select Current Value to copy the current set-
Copying Track Automation to Sends tings of the corresponding controls.
(Pro Tools HD Only) • Select Automation to copy the entire auto-
mation playlist for the corresponding con-
There may be times where you want a track’s trols.
send settings or automation to mirror the set-
tings or automation in the track itself, for exam- 4 Select the controls you want to copy.
ple, when creating a headphone mix based on 5 Select the sends to which to copy the automa-
the main mix, or when an effect level needs to tion, and click OK.
follow the levels in a main mix. You can copy
the current settings or the entire automation When overwriting automation, Pro Tools
playlist for the selected controls to the corre- presents a confirmation dialog. To suppress
sponding playlist for the send. this dialog, press Alt (Windows) or Option
(Mac) while clicking OK.
To copy a track’s settings or automation to one of
its sends: You can undo the results of the Copy to Send
command.
1 Select the tracks you want to edit by clicking
on the track names to highlight them.
Automating Plug-ins
2 Choose Edit > Automation > Copy to Send.
You can automate changes to virtually all plug-
in controls. Automating a plug-in is slightly dif-
ferent from other automation procedures, be-
cause you must enable individual plug-in con-
trols for automation.

916 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To enable plug-in controls for automation: To automate a plug-in:
1 Open the Plug-in window for the plug-in you 1 In the Plug-in Automation Enable window,
want to automate. make sure plug-in automation is enabled for the
controls you want to automate.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the Automation Enable button in the 2 In the Mix or Edit window, for each track con-
Plug-in window. taining plug-ins you want to automate, click the
Automation Mode selector and set the Automa-
tion mode. For the initial automation pass, se-
Automation Enable button
lect Write.

3 Start playback to begin writing automation,

and move the controls you want to automate.

4 When you have finished, stop playback.

Accessing the Plug-in Automation dialog

– or – Enabling Automation for Individual

• Control-Alt-Start-click (Windows) or Com- Plug-in Parameters
mand-Option-Control-click the Track View
You can enable individual plug-in controls di-
selector in the Edit window.
rectly from the Plug-in window.
3 In the plug-in automation dialog, choose the
controls to automate and click Add. If there are To enable a plug-in parameter from the plug-in
multiple plug-ins on the same track, you can se- window:
lect from among them by clicking their buttons 1 Make sure the plug-in window is open for the
in the Inserts section of this dialog. plug-in you want to automate.

2 Control-Alt-Start-click (Windows) or Com-

mand-Option-Control-click (Mac) the control
for the parameter.

Enabling plug-in automation for individual parameters

Plug-in automation dialog

4 Click OK to close the Plug-in Automation

dialog.

Chapter 42: Automation 917

 Enabling Automation for All Plug-in Color coding for automated plug-in parameters
Parameters
Touch,
Automation
Off Read Latch,
To enable all plug-in parameters: Mode:
Write
1 Make sure the plug-in window is open for the
No Control none Green Red
plug-in you want to automate. Surface
2 Control+Alt+Start-click (Windows) or Com- Control none Blue Yellow
mand+Option+Control-click (Mac) on the Auto Surface
button at the top of the plug-in window.
Record Safing Plug-in Automation
Automatically Enabling Plug-ins for
You can protect plug-in automation from being
Automation
overwritten by using Automation Safe mode.
You can set Pro Tools to automatically enable all
controls of a plug-in for automation when you To enable plug-in safe mode:
first add the plug-in to your session.
1 Open a plug-in.

To automatically enable all plug-in controls for 2 Click the Safe button so that it is highlighted.
automation:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.

2 Select Plug-in Controls Default to Auto-Enabled.

3 Click OK to close the Preferences window. Safe enabled

Automation Safe enabled plug-in

Color Indication of Automation Mode
for Plug-in Parameters
AutoMatching Controls
In the Plug-in window, the controls for plug-in (Pro Tools HD Only)
parameters highlight in different colors to indi-
cate whether or not a control is automated in
what automation mode. The color also is differ-
ent depending on whether or not a parameter is
being controlled by a control surface (such as D-
Command or Command|8). AutoMatch button

The following table shows the color coding for

automated plug-in parameters, with and with-
AutoMatch button in the Automation window
out a control surface.

918 Pro Tools Reference Guide

AutoMatching All Controls To AutoMatch all controls of one automation type:
„ In the Automation window, Control-click
You can AutoMatch all currently writing con-
trols to their existing automation levels. (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the button
for the automation type (Volume, Pan, Mute,
To AutoMatch all currently writing controls: Plug-in, Send level, Send pan, or Send mute).

1 Choose Window > Automation.

AutoMatching Individual Controls
2 Make sure the automation types you want to
(D-Control and D-Command Only)
AutoMatch are write-enabled.
On ICON worksurfaces, you can invoke Au-
3 Start playback.
toMatch on individual controls or control types
4 When you reach a point in the track where on single channels.
you want to return control to their previously
written values, click the AutoMatch button in To AutoMatch all controls of a type on a channel:
the Automation window.
„ Hold Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)

All currently writing controls stop writing auto- and press any of the following in the Channel
mation and return to any previously written val- Strip Mode controls for the track whose controls
ues according to the AutoMatch Time setting in you want to AutoMatch:
the Mixing preferences. • Inserts
• Sends
AutoMatching Individual Tracks • Pan
• Dyn (D-Control only)
You can invoke AutoMatch on individual tracks.
All controls currently writing automation on • EQ (D-Control only)
the track stop writing and return to existing au-
tomation levels. To AutoMatch a pan control or the controls for an
individual insert or send:
To AutoMatch all controls on a track: 1 Press the switch in the Channel Strip Mode

„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click controls to display the Pan controls or the top
(Mac) the Automation Mode selector on the level of Inserts or Sends for the channel.
track. 2 Hold Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)
and press the Rotary Encoder Select switch for
AutoMatching Individual Automation the control you want to AutoMatch:
Types • For Sends, the Send level, pan, and mute
will AutoMatch.
You can invoke AutoMatch on individual auto-
mation types across a session. • For Inserts, all automated controls will Au-
toMatch.
• For Pan, all pan sliders on the channel will
AutoMatch.

Chapter 42: Automation 919

 To AutoMatch all controls for a plug-in displayed in 6 While the transport is stopped, touch or move
the Dynamics or EQ section: the controls you want to start writing at the be-
„ Hold Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)
ginning of the automation pass. When at least
and press the Auto switch in the Dyn or EQ sec- one control on a track is primed, the Automa-
tion of the console. tion Mode selector displays in red.

Priming Controls for Writing

Automation in Latch Mode
Automation
(Pro Tools HD Only) Mode
selector
If a track is in Latch or Touch/Latch automation
mode, you can prime individual controls for
writing automation while the transport is
stopped. This Latch Prime capability lets you pre-
pare for an automation pass before starting play-
back.
Automation mode indicator before (left) and after
To prime controls for writing automation in Latch priming of latched controls (right)
mode while the transport is stopped:
7 Start playback. All primed controls begin writ-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing. ing automation at their primed values.

2 Under Automation, select Allow Latch Prime in 8 Stop playback to finish the automation pass.
Stop. All tracks are taken out of their Latch Prime
state.
3 Click OK to close the Preferences window.

4 In the Automation window, make sure the You can use the Write to Punch command
controls you want to automate are write-en- at the end of your automation pass to write
abled. the current value back to the start of the
pass.
5 Click the Automation Mode selector on the
track where you want to write automation and Taking Tracks and Controls Out of Latch
do one of the following: Prime
• Choose Latch mode to allow priming of all
You can take individual tracks or automation
automation-enabled controls on the track.
types out of their Latch Prime state before or
– or – during an automation pass.
• Choose Touch/Latch mode to leave the
‹ When you take a track or automation type out
main Volume fader in Touch mode and al-
of Latch Prime before starting playback, it stays
low priming of all other automation-en-
in Latch mode but the corresponding controls
abled controls.
are not primed to write when playback starts.

920 Pro Tools Reference Guide

‹ When you take a track or automation type out To take all selected tracks out of Latch Prime, do
of Latch Prime during an automation pass, the one of the following:
corresponding controls AutoMatch to their cur- „ Alt-Control-Shift-click (Windows) or Option-
rently written values. Command-Shift-click (Mac) the Automation
‹ If you AutoMatch a control that is in a Latch Mode selector on a track.
Prime state, the control will no longer be – or –
primed.
„ Alt-Shift-click (Windows) Option-Shift-click

To take a track out of Latch Prime: (Mac) the AutoMatch button in the Automation
window.
„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) the Automation Mode selector on the

To take an automation type out of Latch Prime on
track. all tracks, do one of the following:

The selector button unbolds to indicate that the „ In the Automation window, Control-click

track is no longer primed. (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the button

for the automation type (Volume, Pan, Mute,
To take all tracks out of Latch Prime, do one of the Plug-in, Send level, Send pan, or Send mute).
following:
„ Alt-Control-click (Windows) or Option-Com-

mand-click (Mac) the Automation Mode selec-

tor on a track.
Automation
– or – type buttons

„ Click the AutoMatch button in the Automation

window.

AutoMatch button

AutoMatch button in the Automation window Automation types in the Automation window

Chapter 42: Automation 921

 Rolling Through Automation Punch
Points in Latch Prime Enabling and Suspending
Automation
After you prime controls for writing automation
while the transport is stopped, you can set From the Automation window, you can enable
Pro Tools to automatically punch in at that or suspend writing for the following types of au-
point after issuing a back and play command, or tomation across all tracks:
after rolling back and locking to time code. • Volume
• Volume trim
To set Pro Tools to automatically punch in
• Pan
automation writing on a track:
• Mute
1 Locate the cursor where you want to punch in
• Plug-in
automation.
• Send level
2 Prime controls for writing while the transport • Send level trim
is stopped. (See “Priming Controls for Writing
• Send pan
Automation in Latch Mode” on page 920.)
• Send mute
3 In the Automation window, click the AutoJoin
button. Automation can be suspended or enabled dur-
ing playback (without having to stop the Trans-
4 In the Automation window, click the Capture port).
button and then click the Punch Capture button.
The AutoJoin marker (a vertical red line) appears
Suspending Automation on All Tracks
on-screen at the punch point.

To suspend automation on all tracks:

1 Choose Window > Automation.

2 Do one of the following:

• To suspend writing of all automation on all
Capture button
tracks, click the Suspend button.
Punch Capture button
– or –
Capture and Punch Capture buttons in the Automation • To suspend writing of a specific type of au-
window tomation on all tracks, click the button for
5 Issue a Back and Play command, roll back the that automation type (volume, mute, pan,
external machine to before the punch in point, plug-in, send level, send mute, or send
or enable pre-roll. pan).

6 Start playback. When the transport reaches

the punch-in point, automation writing begins.

922 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To suspend automation for individual controls on a
track:
Suspend button 1 In the Edit window, set the Track View selector
to show the automation playlist for the control
you want to suspend.

2 Do one of the following:

• To suspend writing and playback of auto-
mation for only the displayed control,
Control-click (Windows) or Command-
click (Mac) the control name in the Track
View selector.
• To suspend writing and playback of auto-
mation for all controls, Control-Shift-click
(Windows) or Command-Shift-click (Mac)
the name of any control in the Track View
Automation window selector.
• To suspend writing and playback of auto-
To suspend Trim automation on all tracks
mation for a specific control on all tracks,
(Pro Tools HD only):
Control-Alt-click (Windows) or Command-
„ In the Automation window, Command-click Option-click (Mac) the name of the control
(Mac) or Control-click (Windows) the Suspend in the Track View selector.
button.
To suspend Trim automation for individual controls
The Suspend button highlights yellow to indi-
on a track (Pro Tools HD only):
cate that Trim automation is suspended.
1 In the Edit window, set the Track View selector

Suspending Automation for Individual to show the automation playlist for the Trim
Controls control you want to suspend (Volume Trim or
Send level Trim).
You can suspend automation for one or more
2 Do one of the following:
controls. When a control is suspended, its con-
trol name is italicized in the Track View selector. • To suspend only the displayed Trim control
on a single track, Control-click (Windows)
Suspending automation from the Edit win- or Command-click (Mac) the control name
dow obeys Edit groups. To suppress grouped in the Track View selector.
behavior, hold Start (Windows) or Control – or –
(Mac) while suspending a control.
• To suspend the displayed Trim control on
all tracks, Control-Alt-click (Windows) or
Command-Option-click (Mac) the control
name in the Track View selector.

Chapter 42: Automation 923

 Viewing Automation Enable Automation Window Buttons
Status ‹ When an automation type is writing automa-
tion on any track in the session, the correspond-
Track Automation Mode Selectors ing button in the Automation window displays
‹ When a track is enabled for automation but bold red text.
not writing automation, the Automation mode ‹ When an automation type is enabled but is
selector shows the mode in normal red text. not writing anywhere in the session, the corre-
‹ When any control on a track is writing auto- sponding button in the Automation window
mation, the Automation mode selector shows displays normal red text.
the mode highlighted in red.

Enabled

Not Enabled

Automation window showing possible automation

states

Automation Enable Guidelines

The following rules determine whether automa-
Automation Mode selector showing enabled state (left) tion is enabled for a track:
and writing state (right)
‹ Although Pro Tools shows a single Automa-
tion mode for each track, all automatable con-
trols associated with that track are not
necessarily in the same Automation mode.
‹ If automation is globally suspended in the Au-
tomation window, all automatable controls be-
have as if they were in Off mode, regardless of
the track’s current Automation mode.
‹ If automation for a control is suspended by
Control-clicking (Windows) or Command-click-
ing (Mac) its name in the Track View selector,
that control behaves as if it were in Off mode, re-
gardless of the track’s current Automation
mode.
‹ If automation for a control is suspended in the
Automation window, that control behaves as if
it is in Read mode when the track is in a record-
able Automation mode (Touch, Latch, or Write
mode).

924 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 All automation data within the selection is re-
Deleting Automation moved for all automation playlists on that track,
regardless of whether automation is write-en-
Automation data takes the form of a line graph
abled for those controls.
with editable breakpoints. The easiest way to re-
move automation in a track or selection is to
manually delete breakpoints from the automa- Clearing Trim Automation
tion playlist. (Pro Tools HD Only)
Removing data in this manner is different from If Trim automation has not been coalesced on a
using the Cut command, which creates anchor track, you can clear it. When you clear Trim au-
breakpoints at the boundaries of the remaining tomation, automation breakpoints on all Trim
data. For details, see “Cutting, Copying, and playlists are deleted and all Trim faders are reset
Pasting Automation” on page 932. to zero.
To remove automation data, display the auto-
mation playlist you want to edit by selecting it To clear Trim automation:
from the Track View selector, or by revealing it 1 Select the track where you want to clear the
in an Automation lane, and do one of the fol- Trim automation.
lowing:
2 Do one of the following:

To remove a single breakpoint: • Choose Track > Clear Trim Automation.

– or –
„ With the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool, Alt-
click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the • Right-click the track name and choose
breakpoint. Clear Trim Automation.

To remove several breakpoints at once:

„ Use the Selector tool to select a range that Thinning Automation
contains the breakpoints, and press Backspace
Pro Tools writes a maximum density of automa-
(Windows) or Delete (Mac).
tion data during an automation pass in the form
of breakpoints. Since Pro Tools creates ramps be-
To remove all automation data of the displayed
tween breakpoints, it may not need all of the
type:
captured points to create a sonically accurate
„ Click with the Selector tool in the track and representation of the automation moves that
choose Edit > Select All, then press Backspace you have made. Each breakpoint takes up space
(Windows) or Delete (Mac). in memory allocated for automation, so thin-
ning data can maximize system efficiency and
To remove all automation for all automation performance.
playlists on a track:
Pro Tools provides two different ways to thin
1 Use the Selector tool to select a range of data
automation data and remove unneeded break-
to be removed.
points: the Smooth and Thin Data After Pass op-
2 Press Start+Backspace (Windows) or Con- tion and the Thin Automation command.
trol+Delete (Mac).

Chapter 42: Automation 925

 Using Smooth and Thin Data After Pass
Drawing Automation
When this option is selected in the Mixing Pref-
erences page, Pro Tools automatically thins the Use the Pencil tool to create automation events
automation breakpoint data after each automa- for audio and MIDI tracks by drawing in any au-
tion pass. tomation or MIDI controller playlist, including
Trim automation if it has not been coalesced.
In the default settings for new sessions, the
Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option is se- The Pencil tool can be set to draw a series of au-
lected, with the Degree of Thinning setting set to tomation events with the following shapes:
Some. In most cases, this setting yields optimum
Free Hand Draws freely according to the move-
performance while providing an accurate repro-
ment of the mouse. In audio tracks, the shape
duction of your automation moves.
has the number of breakpoints needed to
If you select None for the Degree of Thinning set- smoothly interpolate and reproduce the auto-
ting, Pro Tools writes the maximum possible mation shape. In MIDI tracks, the shape is repro-
number of breakpoints. You can still perform duced as a series of steps, according to the reso-
thinning at any time with the Thin Automation lution setting in the MIDI Preferences page.
command. For more information on smoothing
Line Draws a straight line. In audio tracks, the
automation data, see “Smoothing” on page 909.
line has a single breakpoint at either end. In
MIDI tracks, the controller value changes in
Using the Thin Automation Command steps according to the resolution setting in the
The Thin Automation command lets you selec- MIDI Preferences page.
tively thin areas in a track where automation Triangle Draws a sawtooth pattern that repeats
data is too dense. You can use the Undo com- at a rate based on the current Grid value. In au-
mand to audition the results of thinning (com- dio tracks, the pattern has a single breakpoint at
paring thinning and not thinning) before you each extreme. In MIDI tracks, the controller
apply it permanently. value changes in steps according to the resolu-
tion setting in the MIDI Preferences page. Am-
To use the Thin Automation command: plitude is controlled by vertical movement of
1 In the Edit window, click the Track View selec- the Pencil tool.
tor to display the automation type you want to
Square Draws a square pattern that repeats at a
thin, or reveal the corresponding Automation
rate based on the current Grid value. Amplitude
lane.
is controlled by vertical movement of the Pencil
2 With the Selector tool, highlight the automa- tool.
tion data you want to thin. To thin all automa-
tion of the selected type in the track, click with Random Draws a random pattern of levels that
the Selector tool in the track and choose Edit > change at a rate based on the current Grid value.
elect All. Amplitude is controlled by vertical movement
of the Pencil tool.
3 Choose Edit > Automation > Thin (Pro Tools HD)
or Edit > Thin Automation (Pro Tools LE) to thin The Parabolic and S-Curve Pencil shapes
the selected automation. are not available for editing automation.

926 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Using Pencil Tool Shapes The illustrations below show the same MIDI
controller automation drawn with different
You can draw automation for audio as well as Pencil tool resolution settings.
MIDI tracks. For example, use the Triangle pat-
tern to control continuous functions, or the
Square pattern to control switched functions
such as Mute or Bypass.

Since the Pencil tool draws these shapes using

the current Grid value, you can use it to perform
panning in tempo with a music track, or on
frame scene changes when working in post pro- MIDI Data drawn with resolution of 10 ms
duction.

For more information on MIDI continuous

controller data, see “Continuous Controller
Events” on page 592.

Resolution of MIDI Controller Data

When using the Pencil tool to draw MIDI auto-
mation, the data is drawn as a series of discrete MIDI Data drawn with resolution of 100 ms
steps. You can control the resolution (or den- For better performance, consider selecting a
sity) of these steps to help manage the amount smaller value for MIDI controls that need higher
of MIDI data sent for a given MIDI controller resolution (such as MIDI volume), and a larger
move. value for controls that may not require a high
resolution (such as Pan).
To set the resolution for the Pencil tool:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click MIDI.

2 Enter a value for Pencil Tool Resolution When Editing Automation

Drawing Controller Data. The value can range
For all tracks in a session, Pro Tools provides sev-
from 1 to 100 milliseconds.
eral ways to edit automation data—including
3 Click OK to close the Preferences window. Trim automation if it has not been coalesced
(Pro Tools HD only). You can edit automation
data graphically by adjusting breakpoints in any
automation playlist. You can also cut, copy, and
paste automation data in the same manner as
audio and MIDI data.

Chapter 42: Automation 927

 Graphical Editing of Automation Using the Pencil Tool
Data The Pencil tool lets you create new breakpoints
Automation data takes the form of a line graph by clicking once on the graph line. Alt-click
with editable breakpoints. By dragging these (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) breakpoints
breakpoints, you can modify the automation with the Pencil tool to remove them.
data directly in the Edit window and MIDI Edi-
tor windows. When you drag an automation
breakpoint up or down, the change in value is
numerically or textually indicated.

Automation
breakpoint value
Using the Pencil tool to delete a breakpoint
Automation breakpoint

Using the Trimmer Tools

The Trimmer tools let you adjust all selected
breakpoints up or down by dragging anywhere
within that selection.

Using the Grabber tool to create a new breakpoint

Dragging an automation breakpoint to the left

or right adjusts the timing of the automation
event.

To view the breakpoint automation type on any Using the Trimmer tool to move breakpoints
track, either select the corresponding Track
View or reveal the corresponding Automation or Editing Automation Types
Controller lane under the track.
Each automatable control has its own automa-
tion playlist, that can be displayed by choosing
Using the Grabber Tools it from the Track View selector. “Viewing Auto-
mation” on page 910.
The Grabber tools lets you create new break-
points by clicking on the graph line, or adjust
existing breakpoints by dragging them. Alt-click Editing Volume Automation
(Windows) or Option-click (Mac) breakpoints
Drag a breakpoint up or down to change the vol-
with a Grabber tool to remove them.
ume (dB value). Drag a breakpoint to the left or
right to adjust the timing of the volume change.

Using the Grabber tool to create a new breakpoint

Track volume automation

928 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Editing Pan Automation Editing Stepped Control Automation
Drag a breakpoint down to pan right, and up to Automation for certain controls (such as MIDI
pan left. Drag a breakpoint to the left or right to controller values or plug-in settings) appears as a
adjust the timing of the panning moves. stepped pattern on the breakpoint line. Drag a
breakpoint up or down to a different step to
change to a new control value. Drag a break-
point to the left or right to adjust the timing of
the stepped control change.

Track Pan automation

Editing Mute Automation

Stepped control automation
Drag the breakpoint down to mute a section.
Drag a breakpoint up to unmute the section. Editing Automation Breakpoints
Drag a breakpoint to the left or right to adjust
To edit automation breakpoints, display the au-
the timing of the mute.
tomation playlist for the control you want to
edit by selecting it from the Track View selector,
then do one of the following:

To create a new breakpoint:

„ Click with the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool
Track mute automation
on the line graph.

To edit one breakpoint:

„ Click an existing point on the line graph with

the any Grabber tool and drag it to a new posi-

tion.

To clear one breakpoint:

„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac)

with any Grabber tool.

Chapter 42: Automation 929

 To edit several breakpoints at once: Constrain New Breakpoints to Next or
„ Use the Selector tool to select a range in the
Previous Automation Value
automation playlist that contains the break- New automation breakpoints can be con-
points, and do one of the following: strained and written to the same value as the
• To move the breakpoints earlier or later in next or previous breakpoint.
the track, press the Plus key (+) to nudge
them later (to the right) or the Minus key Original automation

(–) to move them earlier (to the left). The

breakpoints move by the current Nudge
value.
• To adjust the breakpoint values, click with
any of the Trimmer tools in the selection
and drag the breakpoints up or down.

When you use a Trimmer tool to edit a se-

lection containing breakpoints, new anchor After write to next breakpoint
breakpoints are created before and after the
selected area. To suppress creation of an-
chor breakpoints, press Alt (Windows) or
Option (Mac) while using a Trimmer tool. After write to previous breakpoint

Constraining and writing new breakpoints (at Marker 1)

To edit all breakpoint values in a region:
„ Click in the region with any of the Trimmer Writing a new breakpoint to the next or pre-
tools and drag the breakpoints up or down. vious automation value is accomplished us-
ing any Grabber tool, but is not supported
with the Smart Tool.

To write a new breakpoint to the next automation

value:
„ Press and hold Alt+Shift (Windows) or Op-

tion+Shift (Mac) while writing a breakpoint (by

clicking with any Grabber tool in a track’s auto-
mation playlist).

To write a new breakpoint to the previous

automation value:
„ Press and hold Control+Alt (Windows) or

Command+Option (Mac) while writing a break-

point (by clicking with any Grabber tool in a
track’s automation playlist).

930 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Editing Automation on Stereo and
Multichannel Tracks
Stereo and multichannel tracks display a single
automation playlist per track. Only one playlist
for volume and mute is available for the stereo
or multichannel track.

Plug-in Automation Playlists on Stereo and

Multichannel Tracks

Some multichannel plug-ins provide a single set

of automatable controls for all channels in a
track. Other multichannel plug-ins and all
multi-mono plug-ins provide a single set of con- multi-mono
trols for all channels when linked, or discrete plug-in unlinked

controls for each channel when unlinked. Refer Selecting an automation lane for an unlinked multi-
to your plug-in guide for more information. mono plug-in control

For multi-mono plug-ins, automation playlists Editing Automation on Grouped

for each individual channel can be displayed Tracks
and edited when the plug-in is unlinked, and
the track is in showing Automation lanes. When you edit automation on an audio track
that is a member of an active Edit Group, the
To view and edit the individual playlists of a multi- same type of automation is also edited on all
mono plug-in: tracks that are part of that group. This occurs
even if the playlist for that type of automation is
1 Unlink the plug-in.
not currently displayed on the other grouped
2 Select the automation playlist from the Track tracks.
View selector or reveal it in an Automation lane
under the track. Examples
‹ If you create new automation breakpoints on
a grouped track (with the Pencil tool or any
Grabber tool), other members of the group have
breakpoints placed relative to that track.
‹ If you move automation on a grouped track
(with any of the Trimmer tools), other members
of the group have their breakpoints trimmed rel-
ative to that track. This lets you trim entire sec-
tions of a mix.

Chapter 42: Automation 931

 (of continuous controls, such as Volume faders
or pans) or state (of switched or stepped con-
trols, such as Mutes) of the automation data
both inside and outside the selection.

The following illustrations show the difference

between cutting and deleting automation data.
In Figure 10, a track is set to display volume au-
tomation, and a range of automation data is se-
lected.

Trimming automation on an active grouped track

To individually edit a automation for a member of a

group without affecting the other members, do Figure 10. Selecting automation data
one of the following:
If the Cut command is chosen, anchor break-
„ Press the Start key (Windows) or Control
points are created at each end of the selection,
(Mac) while you perform the edit.
and the automation slope on either side of the
cut data is preserved, as shown in Figure 11.
Cutting, Copying, and Pasting
Automation
Cutting automation data is different from delet-
ing it, and yields different results (although both
change the existing automation data). Copying
automation leaves the original automation data Figure 11. After cutting the automation data
intact.
If the data is deleted by pressing Backspace
You delete automation data by selecting a range (Windows) or Delete (Mac), the automation
of breakpoints and pressing Backspace (Win- data is removed, and automation values span
dows) or Delete (Mac). See “Deleting Automa- the gap between pre-existing breakpoints, as in
tion” on page 925 for details. Figure 12.

You cut automation data by selecting a range of

breakpoints from an automation playlist and se-
lecting the Cut command.

When you cut automation data and when you

paste it into a new location, anchor breakpoints
Figure 12. After deleting the automation data
are added to the beginning and end points of
the data. This is done to preserve the true slope

932 Pro Tools Reference Guide

In addition, if cut or copied data is pasted else- To edit all automation types on an Auxiliary Input
where in a track, breakpoints are created at the or Master Fader track, do one of the following:
end points of the pasted data to preserve its „ Make an Edit selection that includes at least
“neighboring” (incoming and outgoing) auto- one audio or MIDI track that is displayed in its
mation value and slope, as shown in Figure 13. main format.
– or –

„ Press Control while cutting or copying the au-

tomation data.

For additional flexibility, you can use play-

Figure 13. After pasting the automation data in lists or the Duplicate Track command to
another location work nondestructively on a copy of the edit
data.
Editing and Track Views
Audio, MIDI, and Instrument tracks each have a Tips for Cutting, Copying and Pasting
Track View that acts as the Master View for pur- ‹ On audio tracks, when you are in Waveform
poses of editing. When the Master View is dis- View and cut or copy a section of the waveform,
played, any edits performed on the track apply any automation data associated with the wave-
to all data in the track. form is also cut or copied.
‹ On audio tracks, when you are in Waveform
The Master Views are:
View and cut audio data from a track also con-
• Audio tracks: Blocks and Waveform
taining automation data, breakpoints are auto-
• MIDI and Instrument tracks: Blocks, Re-
matically created at the boundaries of the
gions, and Notes
remaining automation data.
For example, when an audio track is set to ‹ On audio tracks, pasting waveform data also
Waveform or Blocks, cutting, copying and past- pastes any associated automation data.
ing affects the audio data and all types of auto-
‹ On Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, or Instru-
mation data on that track. If the track is set to
ment tracks, only the displayed automation
show Pan automation, only the Pan data is af-
data is cut or copied. To cut or copy all automa-
fected.
tion data on these types of tracks, press Control
When a selection includes multiple tracks, if any while cutting or copying.
of those tracks is in its Master View, all data on ‹ In tracks where an automation playlist con-
all selected tracks is affected. tains no data (when there is only a single break-
point at the very beginning of the track), if you
cut data, no new breakpoints are created.
‹ In cases where regions overlap (such as when
moving regions in Slip mode) and an overlap-
ping region is removed, any overlapped automa-
tion breakpoints are lost.

Chapter 42: Automation 933

 ‹ If cut or copied data contains a type of auto- Plug-in Automation Cuts only the plug-in auto-
mation not currently on the target track, mation that is shown.
Pro Tools prompts you before allowing you to
paste the data. Copy Special
‹ Cut or copied automation data for plug-ins or The Copy Special commands let you copy just
sends that do not exist on the target track is ig- automation data from the current selection
nored when pasted. (without associated audio or MIDI notes) and
place a copy of it in memory to paste elsewhere,
Cut, Copy, Clear, and Paste Special as follows:
Commands
All Automation Copies all automation or MIDI
Four “special” commands—Cut Special, Copy controller data whether it is shown or not.
Special, Paste Special, and Clear Special—sim-
plify the tasks involved with moving or clearing Pan Automation Copies only pan automation or
different types of automation data and MIDI MIDI pan data whether it is shown or not.
controller data between tracks, sends, and plug-
Plug-in Automation Copies only the plug-in auto-
ins. These commands let you
mation that is shown.
• Edit automation and MIDI controller data
only (without associated audio or MIDI Paste Special
notes).
The Paste Special commands let you paste auto-
• Edit automation and MIDI controller data
mation data into another region (without affect-
without having to change Track Views
ing associated audio or MIDI notes) in the fol-
In addition, the Paste Special command lets you lowing ways:
copy one data type to another (for example, Left
Merge Lets you add the pasted data to any exist-
Pan data into the Right Pan playlist)
T ing automation data of the same type in the des-
You cannot paste MIDI controller data to tination selection. This can be useful for consol-
automation data nor automation to MIDI. idating MIDI data from several tracks into a
single MIDI track. For example, you like the
Cut Special pitch bend on the synth trombones and want to
apply it to the synth guitar.
The Cut Special commands let you cut just auto-
mation data from the current selection (without Repeat to Fill Selection Pastes multiple itera-
associated audio or MIDI notes) and place it in tions of the automation data to the entire selec-
memory to paste elsewhere, as follows. Choices tion range. If you select an area that is not an ex-
include: act multiple of the copied region size, the
remaining selection area is filled with a trimmed
All Automation Cuts all automation or MIDI con-
version of the original selection. This lets you
troller data whether it is shown or not.
easily create drum loops and other repetitive ef-
Pan Automation Cuts only pan automation or fects. Before the data is pasted, Pro Tools
MIDI pan data whether it is shown or not. prompts you to specify a crossfade to smooth
transitions between regions.

934 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To Current Automation Type Pastes the automa- For this special paste mode to function, the fol-
tion data or MIDI controller data from the clip- lowing must be true:
board to the selection as current automation • Every track selected for pasting must be cur-
type or MIDI controller. This lets you copy auto- rently displayed as automation data.
mation from any type to any other type. For ex-
ample, you can copy a Left Pan automation to – and –
Plug-in automation. Or, you can copy MIDI vol- • There must be only one automation playlist
ume data and paste it to MIDI pan. on the Clipboard for each target track. (The
Special Paste command cannot copy multiple
Clear Special automation playlists for each track.)

The Clear Special commands let you clear just You cannot interchange automation data
automation data from the current region, as fol- between audio and MIDI tracks, or between
lows: continuous controls (such as faders or pans)
and switched or stepped controls (such as
All Automation Clears all automation or MIDI
mute or MIDI controllers).
controller data whether it is shown or not.

Pan Automation Clears only pan automation or To paste data into a different automation playlist:
MIDI pan whether it is shown or not. „ Press the Start key (Windows) or Control

(Mac) when choosing Edit > Paste.

Plug-in Automation Clears only the plug-in auto-
mation that is shown.
Glide Automation
Special Paste Function for Automation (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Data Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)

Normally, when you copy and paste automation The Glide Automation commands let you manu-
data, it is pasted in an automation playlist of the ally create an automation transition (or glide)
exact same type (for example, Left Pan data is from an existing automation value to a new one,
pasted into the Left Pan playlist). over a selected area.

However, there may be times when you want to When gliding multiple parameters at the
paste from one data type to another (for exam- same time, such as with the Surround Pan-
ple, Left Pan data into the Right Pan playlist). ner or plug-ins, use the Edit > Automation >
Glide to All Enabled option.
The Special Paste command lets you copy one
data type to another.
For MIDI automation, Glide To commands
If you want to paste automation or MIDI con- only apply to MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and
troller data only (without its associated audio or MIDI Mute. MIDI parameters cannot use
MIDI notes), use the Paste Special command. the Write To commands.

Chapter 42: Automation 935

 To apply a Glide Automation to the current Glide Automation Considerations
automation parameter type:
When Glide Automation is applied to automa-
1 In the Automation window, make sure the au-
tion data, it behaves as follows:
tomation type is write-enabled.
• When a selection is made, automation break-
2 Click the Track View selector to choose the au- points are written at the start and end points
tomation type you want to automate. of the Glide Automation. The automation
3 Drag with the Selector tool in the track to se-
value at the start of the selection is the start
lect the area you want to write the glide to. point of the Glide Automation and the end of
the selection is the end point of the Glide Au-
4 Change the automation parameter to the tomation. The Glide Automation that is cre-
value you want at the end of the selection. For ated between the two is based on the length of
example, to glide automation volume to –Infin- the selection and the end value that is se-
ity, move the Volume fader to –Infinity. lected.
5 Choose Edit > Automation > Glide to Current. • If automation breakpoints follow the selec-
tion, they are not changed, but the value se-
You can also press Alt+Forward Slash (/) lected for the end of the selection is written
(Windows) or Option+Forward Slash (/) from the end point up until the next break-
(Mac). point.

To do a Glide Automation to all current enabled • If no automation breakpoints follow the selec-
parameters: tion, the value selected for the end of the se-
lection is written to the end of the track.
1 In the Automation window, make sure the au-
tomation types are write-enabled. • If no selection is made, a breakpoint is written
to the current location, and the value selected
2 In each track you want to automate, click the
for the Glide Automation is written to the
Track View selector and select from the pop-up
next breakpoint.
menu the automation type you want to auto-
mate.

3 With the Selector tool, drag horizontally to in-

Trimming Automation
clude all the tracks you want to automate in a se-
lection (drag vertically to define the time range). (Pro Tools HD Only)

4 In each track you want to automate, change If you have already written automation, you can
the automation parameter to the value you modify automation data for track volume and
want at the end of the selection. send levels in real time by using Trim mode.
When a track is trim-enabled, you are not re-
5 Choose Edit > Automation > Glide to All Enabled.
cording absolute fader positions, but relative
You can also press Alt+Shift+Forward Slash changes in the existing automation. See “Trim
(/) (Windows) or Option+Shift+Forward Mode” on page 906 for more information.
Slash (/) (Mac).

936 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To enable Trim mode: 3 Click the Automation Mode selector and se-
lect Trim.
„ In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
tion Mode selector of the track where you want 4 Start playback, and adjust the Volume or Send
to trim automation, and select Trim. levels.

5 Stop playback to finish the Trim pass.

Coalescing Trim Automation

You can set Pro Tools to commit, or coalesce,
Trim automation to the main automation play-
list by the following methods:

After Every Pass Trim moves are automatically

applied when the transport is stopped at the end
of an automation pass. Trim automation playl-
Enabling Trim mode ists are cleared, and Trim faders are returned to
zero.
When a track’s Trim mode is enabled, its Vol-
ume and Send Level faders turn yellow, and its On Exiting Trim Mode Trim moves are stored sep-
Automation Mode selector is outlined in yellow. arately in the Trim automation playlist until
This outline appears solid if the track is trim-en- they are coalesced. Trim automation is automat-
abled, and flashes whenever trimming is occur- ically coalesced on a track only when you take
ring on the track’s volume or send levels. the track out of Trim mode. You can repeat an
automation pass, edit Trim automation manu-
ally on any of the Trim playlists, or clear Trim
Writing Trim Automation
automation before coalescing with this method.
The writing of Trim automation depends on
how it is set to be coalesced. See “Coalescing Even when automation is set to coalesce on
Trim Automation” on page 937. If automation exiting Trim mode, you can use the
is not set to coalesce after every automation Coalesce Trim Automation command to
pass, Trim automation moves are written to a commit Trim moves at any time.
separate Trim playlist.
Manually Trim moves are stored separately in
the Trim automation playlist until they are coa-
To trim track Volume or Send levels:
lesced. With this setting, the only way to coa-
1 In the Automation window, make sure the au- lesce Trim moves is with the Coalesce Trim Auto-
tomation type (Volume or Send level) is write- mation command. You can repeat an
enabled. automation pass, edit Trim automation manu-
2 Click the Automation Mode selector of the
ally on any of the Trim playlists, or clear Trim
track where you want to write automation and automation before coalescing with this method.
choose the automation mode (Touch, Latch,
Touch/Latch, or Write).

Chapter 42: Automation 937

 To set the method by which Trim Automation is The Trim automation is applied to the main au-
coalesced: tomation playlist, Trim automation playlists are
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing. cleared, and Trim faders are returned to zero.

2 Under Coalesce Trim Automation, select one

of the following:
• After Every Pass
Writing Automation to the
• On Exiting Trim Mode
Start, End, or All of a Track or
• Manually
Selection
(Pro Tools HD Only)
To coalesce Trim automation on a track when
exiting Trim mode: Pro Tools lets you write current automation val-
ues from any insertion point forward (or back-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.
ward) to the end (or beginning) of a track or Edit
2 Under Coalesce Trim Automation, select On selection in a track, or to an entire track or Edit
Exiting Trim Mode. selection, while performing an automation pass.

3 Click OK to close the Preferences window.

4 Make sure the Pro Tools transport is stopped.

5 On the track where you want to coalesce Trim

automation, click the Automation Mode selec-
tor and deselect Trim.

The Trim automation is applied to the main au-

Automation Write to
tomation playlist, Trim automation playlists are Start/End All buttons
cleared, and Trim faders are returned to zero.

If transport is playing and you are writing

automation, you cannot directly enter or
exit Trim mode. You must AutoMatch be-
fore exiting Trim mode. This prevents any
abrupt jumps in automation values.
Write Automation to Start, End, and All buttons in the
To manually coalesce Trim automation on a track: Automation window
1 Select the track where you want to coalesce The standard Write Automation to Start, All, or End
the Trim automation. commands do not operate when the Pro Tools
2 Do one of the following: transport is stopped. It only affects automation
for those parameters that are currently write-en-
• Choose Track > Coalesce Trim Automation.
abled and currently writing automation data.
– or –
• Right-click the track name and choose Coa-
lesce Trim Automation.

938 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Optionally, Write Automation to Start, All, and End 5 Make sure you are actively writing on the ap-
can be configured to always be applied automat- propriate track if you are in Latch or Touch
ically. See “Writing Automation to the Start, mode.
End or All of a Track or Selection on Stop” on
6 When you reach a point in the track or selec-
page 940.
tion that contains the automation data you
For MIDI automation, the Write To com- want to apply, click the Write Automation to Start,
mands only apply to MIDI Volume, MIDI All, or End button in the Automation window.
Pan, and MIDI Mute. MIDI parameters 7 Stop playback.
cannot use the Write To commands.
The current values of all write-enabled automa-
Requirements for Standard Write tion at that point are written to the correspond-
Automation Commands ing area of the track/selection.

For automation data to be written for a specific

parameter, the associated track must be in one
Write to Start, End or All and Trim Mode
of the following Automation modes and meet While in Trim mode, it is also possible to write
the following conditions: trim delta values for track volume and send lev-
els to the start, end or all of a track or Edit selec-
Latch Mode The control for the parameter must
tion.
be changed (touched) during the automation
pass.
To write current trim delta values to the start, end,
Touch Mode The control for the parameter must or all of a track or selection:
be changed (touched). 1 Choose Window > Automation.

Write Mode All controls on that track must be in 2 Make sure the automation type (track volume
Write mode. or send level) is write-enabled.

This command can be undone. 3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
tion Mode selector of the track you want to trim
To write current automation values to the start, automation, and select Trim. The track Volume
end, or all of a track or Edit selection: and Send Level faders turn yellow.

1 Choose Window > Automation. 4 Do one of the following:

2 Make sure that the automation type is write- • Click in a track at an insertion point.
enabled. – or –

3 Do one of the following: • Drag with the Selector tool to select a por-
tion of the track.
• Click in a track at an insertion point.
– or – 5 Click Play to begin playback.

• Drag with the Selector tool to select a por-

tion of the track.

4 Start playback.

Chapter 42: Automation 939

 6 When you reach a point in the track or selec- To configure Write on Stop modes to disable after
tion that contains the trim setting (delta value) an automation pass:
you want to apply, click the Write Automation to 1 Choose Window > Automation.
Start, All, or End button in the Automation win-
dow. 2 Click to enable one of the Write On Stop
modes (Start, All, End).
7 Stop playback.
The enabled Write on Stop arrow appears in
The relative changes to the track volume and blue.
send levels at that point are written to the corre-
sponding area of the track/selection. To configure Write on Stop modes to remain
enabled after an automation pass:
Writing Automation to the Start, 1 Choose Window > Automation.
End or All of a Track or Selection
2 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) one
on Stop of the Write On Stop buttons (Start, All or End)
The Automation window provides options for to enable the Write On Stop mode.
writing automation on any automation playlist
The enabled Write on Stop arrow appears in red.
(including Trim playlists) after a valid automa-
tion pass has been performed.

The Write Automation to Start, End, or All

Writing Automation to the
modes can be configured to disable or remain
enabled after a valid automation pass.
Next Breakpoint or to the
Punch Point
See “Requirements for Standard Write Automa-
(Pro Tools HD Only)
tion Commands” on page 939.
While performing an automation pass,
Pro Tools lets you write current automation val-
ues from the current insertion point forward to
the next automation breakpoint, or back to the
punch point (the location in the track where au-
tomation writing started).
‹ Write Automation to Next Breakpoint lets you
update automation within a track without over-
writing automation located earlier or later in the
Timeline, and without having to define a selec-
Automation Write On tion before editing automation.
Stop buttons
‹ Write Automation to Punch Point lets you fill
back an automation value within a track after
finding the right level or setting during an auto-
mation pass, without having to go back and re-
Write On Stop controls in the Automation window peat the pass.

940 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Like the standard Write Automation to Start, End, 6 When you reach a point in the track where
and All commands, the Write Automation to Next you want to apply the current settings, click the
Breakpoint and Write Automation to Punch Point Write Automation to Next Breakpoint button.
commands do not operate when the Pro Tools
transport is stopped. They only affect automa-
tion for those parameters that are currently
write-enabled and currently writing automation
data.

For MIDI automation, the Write To com-

mands only apply to MIDI Volume, MIDI
Pan, and MIDI Mute. Other MIDI parame- Write to Next Breakpoint
ters cannot use the Write To commands. button

Optionally, the Write Automation to Next Break- Write to Next Breakpoint

on Stop
point and Write Automation to Punch Point com- button
mands can be configured to be applied automat-
ically after a valid automation pass has been
performed. See“Writing Automation to the Next
Write To Next Breakpoint buttons in the Automation
Breakpoint or to the Punch Point on Stop” on
window
page 942.
7 Stop Playback.
Write Automation to Next Breakpoint and
Write Automation to Punch Point have the The current values of all controls being written
same requirements as Write Automation to at that point are written up to the next break-
Start, End and All commands. See “Writing point.
Automation to the Start, End, or All of a
Write Automation to Next Breakpoint re-
Track or Selection” on page 938.
mains enabled after a valid automation
To write current automation values to the next pass. Unlike standard Write Automation
breakpoint: commands, it cannot be configured to dis-
able after an automation pass.
1 Choose Window > Automation.

2 Make sure that the automation type is write- To write current automation values back to the
automation punch point:
enabled.
1 Choose Window > Automation.
3 Click in a track to define an insertion point.
2 Make sure the automation type is write en-
4 Start playback.
abled.
5 Make sure you are actively writing on the ap-
3 Click in a track to define an insertion point.
propriate track if you are in Touch, Latch, or
Touch/Latch mode. 4 Start playback.

5 Make sure you are actively writing on the ap-

propriate track if you are in Touch, Latch, or
Touch/Latch mode.

Chapter 42: Automation 941

 6 When you reach a point in the track where 5 Start playback.
you want to apply the current settings, click the
6 When you reach a point in the track where
Write Automation to Punch Point button.
you want to apply the current trim values, click
the Write Automation to Next Breakpoint but-
ton in the Automation window.

To write current trim values to the punch point:

1 Choose Window > Automation.

2 Make sure that the automation type (track vol-

ume or send level) is write-enabled.
Write to Punch Point
button 3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
Write to Punch Point tion Mode selector and select Trim. The track
on Stop
button Volume and Send Level faders turn yellow.

4 Click in a track to define an insertion point.

5 Start playback.

Write To Punch Point buttons in the Automation window 6 When you reach a point in the track where
The current values of all write-enabled parame- you want to apply the current trim values, click
ters are written back to the point where the first the Write Automation to Punch Point button in
control began writing automation. the Automation window.

Write To Next Breakpoint or Punch Writing Automation to the Next

Point and Trim Mode Breakpoint or to the Punch Point
While in Trim mode, it is also possible to write
on Stop
trim values for track volume and send levels to The Automation window provides an option for
the next written breakpoint or back to the auto- automatic Write Automation to Next Break-
mation punch-in point. point on Stop or Write Automation to Punch
Point on Stop.
To write current trim values to the next breakpoint
or to the punch point: Write Automation to Next Breakpoint
1 Choose Window > Automation.
remains enabled after a valid automation
pass. Unlike standard Write Automation
2 Make sure that the automation type (track vol- commands, it cannot be configured to
ume or send level) is write-enabled. disable after an automation pass.
3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
tion Mode selector and select Trim. The track
Volume and Send Level faders turn yellow.

4 Click in a track to define an insertion point.

942 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To configure Write Automation to Next Breakpoint
on Stop: Guidelines for “Write To”
1 Choose Window > Automation. Commands
2 Click the Write Automation to Next Break- (Pro Tools HD Only)
point on Stop button or the Write Automation
to Punch Point button. Using “Write To” Commands
When this option is enabled, automation writ-
During Playback
ing will be performed automatically forward to You can carry out any of the Write Automation To
the next breakpoint after a valid automation commands without stopping the Pro Tools
pass has been performed. transport. On supported control surfaces, the
corresponding “Write To” button flashes until
To configure Write Automation to Punch Point on you stop the transport.
Stop:
While the Pro Tools transport is moving, issuing
1 Choose Window > Automation.
Write Automation To commands affects writing of
2 Click the Write Automation to Punch Point automation in the following ways:
on Stop button. • Write to Start/Selection Start: Currently
writing controls continue writing automa-
When this option is enabled, automation writ-
tion
ing will be performed automatically back to the
• Write to All/Selection: Currently writing
automation punch-in point after a valid auto-
controls (except controls in Write mode)
mation pass has been performed.
punch out of writing automation
• Write to End/Selection End: Currently writ-
ing controls (except controls in Write
mode) punch out of writing automation
• Write to Next Breakpoint: Currently writ-
ing controls (except controls in Write
mode) punch out of writing automation
• Write to Punch point: Currently writing
controls continue writing automation

For MIDI automation, the Write To com-

mands only apply to MIDI Volume, MIDI
Pan, and MIDI Mute. MIDI parameters
cannot use the Write To commands.

Chapter 42: Automation 943

 Applying “Write To” Commands to
Selected Tracks Overwriting or Extending
Mute Automation
The Write Automation To commands normally ap-
ply to all tracks currently writing automation. It (Pro Tools HD Only)
is possible to apply these commands to selected Pro Tools lets you overwrite or extend an exist-
tracks only. ing mute event in real time, without changing
the current mute state.
To apply any of the “Write Automation To”
commands to currently selected tracks: A mute event can be overwritten when the auto-
1 Select the tracks where you want to apply the mation pass begins before the first mute event
Write To commands. and ends after the second event. In this case, the
current on/off state of the mute is maintained.
2 Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or Option-Shift-
click the corresponding “Write Automation To”
button.

Supressing Warnings when Using

“Write To” Commands Original mute automation
(mute off, mute on, mute off)
When you carry out any of the Write Automation
To commands (except Write to Next Break-
point), Pro Tools posts a dialog warning that au-
tomation values will be changed in the session.
You can suppress these warnings.

To suppress “Write To” warning dialogs:

1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing. Mute on event overwritten
Overwriting a mute automation event
2 Under Automation, select Suppress Automa-
tion “Write To” Warnings.

944 Pro Tools Reference Guide

A mute event can be extended when the auto- To overwrite a mute state on one or more tracks:
mation pass begins before an on or off event and
1 Choose Window > Automation.
stops before the end of the second event.
2 Make sure Mute is write-enabled.

Original mute automation

(mute off, mute on, mute off)
Mute automation
enabled

Mute off event extended (up to automation pass end)

Extending a mute automation event

Mute Overwrite/Extend is supported in Touch Mute enable button in the Automation window
and Latch mode, as follows:
3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
Touch Mode Writes the current state as long as tion Mode selector of the track where you want
the Mute button is held. to overwrite the mute state, and set the Automa-
tion mode to Touch or Latch mode.
Latch Mode Writes the current state until you
stop or AutoMatch out. To overwrite mute states on multiple tracks,
set all tracks to the same Automation mode.

4 In each track you want to automate, click the

Track View selector and select mute.

5 Place the cursor before the start of the mute

event you want to overwrite.

Example: Place cursor here, before start of mute event

Placing the cursor before the start of a mute event

6 Start playback.

Chapter 42: Automation 945

 7 Press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac) 3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
and the track Mute button before the start of the tion Mode selector of the track you want to au-
mute event you want to overwrite. tomate, and select Touch or Latch mode.

To overwrite mute states on multiple tracks, To extend mute states on multiple tracks,
press Alt+Control (Windows) or Op- set all the tracks to the same Automation
tion+Command (Mac) and the Mute button mode.
on one of the tracks to be automated.
4 In each track you want to automate, click the
8 After the end of the second mute event, re- Track View selector and select mute.
lease the key and the Mute button.
5 Place the cursor before the start of the mute

With Touch mode, you have to hold the event you want to extend.
Mute button for the duration of the write.

Example: Place cursor here, before start of mute event

Placing the cursor before the start of a mute event

Example: Stop automation pass here, after end of mute event
6 Start playback.
Stopping automation after the end of a mute event
7 Press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)
9 When you have finished the automation pass,
and the track Mute button before the start of the
stop playback.
mute event you want to extend.

To extend mute states on multiple tracks,

press Alt+Control (Windows) or Op-
tion+Command (Mac) and the Mute button
on the track.
Mute on state overwritten
8 Before the end of the second mute event, re-
Example of mute state overwritten
lease the key and the Mute button.
To extend a mute state on a track:
If you extend past the subsequent on or off
1 Choose Window > Automation. event, the entire event will be changed.
2 Make sure mute is write-enabled.

946 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 For MIDI automation, the Write To, Trim
To, and Glide To commands only apply to
MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and MIDI Mute.
MIDI parameters cannot use the Write To
commands.
Example: Stop automation pass here, before end of mute event
For more information on cutting, copying, and
Stopping automation before the end of a mute event
pasting automation data within a session, see
9 When you have finished the automation pass, “Writing Automation to the Start, End, or All of
click Stop. a Track or Selection” on page 938.

To write snapshot automation:

1 In the Automation window, make sure that
the parameters you want to edit are write-en-
abled. Deselect any parameters whose automa-
tion you want to preserve.
mute off state extended (up to automation pass end)

Example of mute state extended 2 In the Edit window, click the Track View selec-
tor to show the automation you want to edit.

3 Write a breakpoint in the playlist if none cur-

Creating Snapshot rently exists, as follows:
Automation • Place the cursor in the playlist (or make an
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Edit selection), then choose Control+For-
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) ward Slash (/) (Windows) or Com-
mand+Forward Slash (/) (Mac).
Pro Tools lets you write automation data values
for multiple parameters in a single step. You can – or –
write snapshot automation in two ways: • Select the Grabber tool and click anywhere
in the playlist.
To a Selection Automation data is written to the
Timeline selection (as well as the Edit selection if 4 Do one of the following:

linked). Anchor breakpoints are placed just be- • Select an area in the track’s playlist (or
fore and after the selection so that data outside within multiple tracks) where you want to
the selection is not affected. apply the automation.
– or –
To a Cursor Location Automation data is written
at the insertion point. After the insertion point, • Place the cursor at an Edit insertion point.
the automation ramps to the next breakpoint
value, or if no breakpoints exist, remains at the
newly written value for the remainder of the ses-
sion.

Chapter 42: Automation 947

 5 Adjust the controls you want to automate. Writing Snapshot Automation over
You can also change a plug-in preset. Existing Automation Data
6 Choose Edit > Automation and do one of the When you move the playback cursor, the auto-
following: mated controls in Pro Tools update to reflect the
• To write the current value to only the cur- automation data that is already on the track. To
rently displayed automation parameter, keep the settings you have made for a snapshot,
choose Write to Current. you can suspend automation parameters to pre-
– or – vent them from updating.

• To write the current settings for all automa-

To write snapshot automation over existing data:
tion parameters enabled in the Automation
window, choose Write to All Enabled. 1 In the Automation window, make sure that
the automation parameters you want to edit are
Adding Snapshot Automation to Empty write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose
Automation Playlists automation you want to preserve.

2 Adjust the controls for the parameters you

When you use a Write Automation command on
an automation playlist with no previously writ- want to automate.
ten automation data, the selected value is writ- 3 Click the Automation Mode selector and se-
ten to the entire playlist and not just the se- lect Off mode for the tracks where you want to
lected area. apply the automation.

This is because a playlist with no automation 4 With the Selector, select the range where you
data contains only a single automation break- want to apply the automation.
point that corresponds to the current position of
5 Choose Edit > Automation and select one of the
the control for the parameter. The position of
following from the submenu:
the breakpoint is updated whenever the param-
eter value is changed. • To write the current value to only the auto-
mation parameter currently displayed in
If you do not want the Write Automation com- the Edit window, choose Write to Current.
mand to write the selected automation value to – or –
the entire playlist, you can:
• To write the current settings for all automa-
• Anchor the automation data by placing the tion parameters enabled in the Automation
cursor at the end of the session (or any other window, choose Write to All Enabled.
end point) and choosing Write to Current.
6 Click the Automation Mode selector and se-
– or – lect Read mode for the tracks you want to play
• Click with any Grabber tool on each side of back with automation.
the selection.

This lets the Write Automation command write

only to the selected area.

948 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Capturing Automation and Applying it 8 Choose Edit > Automation and select one of the
Elsewhere following from the submenu:
• To write the current value to only the auto-
The Write Automation commands can also be
mation parameter currently displayed in
used to capture automation states at specific lo-
the Edit window, choose Write To Current.
cations in a track and apply them to other loca-
tions in the track. – or –
• To write the current settings for all automa-
To capture and apply automation: tion parameters enabled in the Automation
Enable window, choose Write To All Enabled.
1 In the Automation window, make sure that
the automation parameters you want to edit are 9 Click the Automation Mode selector and se-
write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose lect Read mode for the tracks you want to play
automation you want to preserve. back with automation.

2 Click the Automation Mode selector and se-

lect Read mode for the tracks that have automa- Snapshot Automation and
tion you want to capture. Trimming of Automation Data
3 Ensure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit Se- Pro Tools lets you use trim values as snapshots
lection is selected. and apply the relative changes (delta values) to
4 With the Selector tool, select the location
the selected automation by using the Trim Auto-
where you want to capture automation. All au- mation command. This works in much the same
tomated controls update to reflect the automa- way as the Write Automation command, except
tion at that location. (If you make a selection, that it writes delta values instead of absolute val-
the controls update to reflect the automation at ues to automation data.
the beginning of the selection.) You can use trim values in writing snapshot au-
5 In each track you want to apply the captured tomation to any automatable parameter.
automation, click the track’s Automation Mode
selector and set the Automation mode to Off. To create a snapshot of relative changes in
automation data:
6 With the Selector tool, select the location
1 In the Automation window, make sure that
where you want to apply the automation.
the automation parameters you want to edit are
7 Enable the automation parameters previously write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose
suspended. automation you want to preserve.

2 Select the area of the track you want to edit.

All automated controls update to reflect the au-
tomation at the beginning of the selection.

3 Move the controls for the parameter up or

down by the amount you want to change the
data.

Chapter 42: Automation 949

 4 Choose Edit > Automation and do one of the
following: It is not necessary for the Allow Latch Prime
in Stop preference to be enabled for Preview
• To write the current delta value to only the
to put a control into Latch Prime.
currently displayed automation parameter,
choose Trim to Current.
Previewing New Automation
– or –
Values
• To write the current delta value for all auto-
mation parameters enabled in the Automa- To preview a new automation value for a control:
tion window, choose Trim to All Enabled.
1 Make sure the track where you want to pre-
view the value is enabled for automation
(Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch or their correspond-
Previewing Automation ing Trim modes).
(Pro Tools HD Only) 2 Make sure the automation type you want to
preview is enabled in the Automation window
Automation Preview mode lets you audition
(Volume, Pan, Mute, Send level, Send pan, Send
changes to a mix and compare them to existing
mute, or Plug-in).
automation values without committing them to
the automation playlist. 3 Click the Preview button in the Automation
window. The button lights green to indicate that
When you put Pro Tools in Automation Preview
Preview mode is active.
mode, you can preview values for automation-
enabled controls on any track that is in a writ-
able automation mode.

While in Automation Preview mode, when you

touch or move a control, it isolates the control,
disengaging it from its automation playlist. The
control stops reading or writing automation, al-
lowing you to freely audition changes.

When you have found a level or state that you

want to use, you can then commit or punch the
previewed value to the automation playlist for
the isolated controls.
‹ If you punch during playback, the automa- Punch
Preview Preview
tion mode is set to Latch and writing begins at
the preview value.
Preview controls in the Automation window
‹ If you punch while the transport is stopped,
the automation mode is set to Latch and the 4 To isolate a control, touch or move an auto-
control is primed at the preview value. mation-enabled control.You can isolate controls
during playback or while the transport is
stopped.

950 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The Automation Mode indicator on the track To isolate all write-enabled controls on all selected
lights green to indicate that at least one of its tracks:
controls is isolated, and the Punch Preview but- „ Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or Option-Shift
ton in the Automation window lights to indi- click (Mac) the Preview button.
cate a preview value is available to punch.

5 Start playback and adjust the isolated control Suspending Preview Mode
to audition the changes.
You can temporarily suspend Preview mode, al-
lowing you to toggle between preview values
Taking Controls Out of Isolated and existing automation.
State
You can take controls out of their isolated state To suspend Preview mode:
without leaving Preview mode. „ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) the Preview button.

To take all controls on a track out of their isolated
state, do one of the following:
Punching Preview Values
„ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
(Mac) the automation mode selector on the After you have isolated a control and auditioned
track. a new value, you can punch (write) the value to
the automation playlist.
– or –

„ Change the track automation mode to Read or To punch a preview value to the automation
Off. playlist:
„ Click the lit Punch Preview button.
To take all controls of an automation type out of
their isolated state:
„In the Automation window, disable the auto-
Preview Mode and “Write To”
mation type.
Commands
The Write Automation To commands work as fol-
lows with Preview mode:
Isolating Multiple Controls
In some cases, such as when starting a new mix, Before Punching Preview Values The Write Auto-
you may want to isolate multiple controls at the mation To commands (except Write to Next Break-
same time. point) can be used to extend previewed values.
The Write Automation To command will only ap-
To isolate all currently write-enabled controls: ply to isolated controls. Pro Tools remains in
Preview mode.
„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

Preview button. After Punching Preview Values The Write Automa-

tion To commands (except Write to Next Break-
point) can be used to extend the punched value
in the same manner as other automation.

Chapter 42: Automation 951

 Capturing Automation Values
Capturing Automation
You can capture the current automation values
(Pro Tools HD Only)
of actively writing controls.
You can capture current automation values at
one location in a session and quickly apply To capture automation values:
them in another location with the Capture and 1 Make sure all tracks whose automation values
Punch Capture commands. The Capture com- you want to capture are in a write-enabled state
mand temporarily stores the value of all controls (Write, Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch or Latch).
currently writing automation, and the Punch
Capture commands writes those stored values to 2 Make sure the automation types you want to

all enabled automation types. capture are enabled in the Automation window
(Volume, Pan, Mute, Send level, Send pan, Send
‹ ICON Systems allow for the capture of up to
mute, or Plug-in).
48 different values, or snapshots.
3 Start playback. When you reach a location
‹ All other systems allow for the capture of a
where you want to capture the current automa-
single value.
tion states, click the Capture button in the Auto-
mation window.

The Punch Capture button in the Automation

window lights to indicate a captured value is
available to punch.

Punching Captured Automation

Values
After automation values are captured, they can
be punched (written) to another location in the
track. Any tracks set to Read or Off are unaf-
fected.
‹ If you punch during playback, the automa-
Punch
Capture Capture tion mode of any track set to Touch is set to Latch
and writing begins at the captured value.
Capture controls in the Automation window
‹ If you punch while the transport is stopped,
the automation mode of any track set to Touch is
set to Latch and the control is primed at the cap-
tured value.

952 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To punch captured automation values: Punching Automation Values for
1 Move to a location where you want to apply All Controls
the captured automation states. You can do this
You can punch all captured automation values
during playback or while the transport is
to another location on their corresponding
stopped.
tracks (except those tracks with their Automa-
2 Click the Punch Capture button in the Auto- tion Mode set to Off).
mation window to apply the captured automa-
tion states. The captured states are applied to all To punch the automation values of all controls:
automation types that are currently enabled in „ When you reach a location where you want to
the Automation window. apply the captured automation states, Alt-click
(Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the Punch
Capturing Automation Values for Capture button. Any track set to Read or Touch
All Controls are set to Latch. Any tracks set to Off are unaf-
fected.
You can capture the state of all automatable
controls (except on tracks with their Automa- To punch the automation values of all controls on
tion Mode set to Off) in a session, regardless of selected tracks only:
whether they are currently writing automation.
„ When you reach a location where you want to

apply the captured automation states, Alt-Shift-

To capture the automation values of all controls:
click (Windows) or Option-Shift-click (Mac) the
„ When you reach a location where you want to Punch Capture button. Any selected tracks set to
capture the current automation states, Alt-click Read or Touch are set to Latch. Any selected
(Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the Capture tracks set to Off are unaffected.
button.

To capture the automation values of all controls on

Capture and Trim Mode
selected tracks only: The Capture and Punch Capture commands
„ When you reach a location where you want to work with Trim automation in the same way as
capture the current automation states, Alt-Shift- regular automation. Pro Tools saves Trim status
click (Windows) or Option-Shift-click (Mac) the when capturing, so if you attempt to punch cap-
Capture button. tured Trim values while displaying a non-Trim
automation playlist, Pro Tools will automati-
cally apply the values to the corresponding Trim
playlist.

Chapter 42: Automation 953

 Punch Capture and “Write To” The affected controls are isolated and updated
Commands to the captured values. The Punch Preview but-
ton in the Automation window lights to indi-
After issuing a Punch Capture command, the af- cate the preview value is available to punch.
fected controls are writing automation (in Latch
mode), so any of the Write Automation To com- 6 Start playback and adjust the isolated control
mands can be used to extend the punched value to audition the changes.
in the same manner as other automation. 7 When you are ready to punch the preview
value to the automation playlist, click the lit
Capture and Preview Mode Punch Preview button.

Loading Captured Values into Preview Capturing Values While in Preview

Mode
You can preview and modify captured automa-
tion values in Preview mode before punching When you are in Preview mode, you can capture
the values to the automation playlist. the values of isolated controls and apply them
elsewhere on a track. By capturing preview val-
To capture an automation value and use it to ues, you can leave the underlying automation
preview: unchanged at the place where you capture.

1 Make sure the track where you want to pre- On ICON systems, you can use preview mode to
view the value is enabled for automation capture multiple snapshots without changing
(Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch or their correspond- automation.
ing Trim modes).

2 Make sure the automation type you want to To capture a preview value:
preview is enabled in the Automation window 1 Activate Preview mode and isolate a control.
(Volume, Pan, Mute, Send level, Send pan, Send (See “Previewing New Automation Values” on
mute, or Plug-in). page 950).
3 Capture an automation value that you want to 2 Start playback and adjust the isolated control
preview in another location on a track. (See to audition the changes.
“Capturing Automation Values” on page 952.)
3 When you are ready to capture preview value,
4 Go to a location where you want to preview click the Capture button in the Automation
the captured automation states, and click the window.
Preview button in the Automation window.
The Punch Capture button in the Automation
5 Click the Punch Capture button.
window lights to indicate a captured value is
available to punch.

954 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Excluding VCA Slave Tracks from
VCA Master Track Automation VCA Master Automation
(Pro Tools HD Only)
When you are writing automation on a VCA
Master track, the corresponding moves will ap-
Displaying Automation on VCA pear on the composite automation playlist of
Master Tracks each of its slave tracks. If you want to exclude a
slave track from an automation pass, write-en-
The following controls on VCA Master tracks
able the slave track for automation.
can be automated and have separate automa-
tion playlists:
To exclude a slave track from VCA Master track
• Volume automation pass:
• Volume trim
1 Write-enable the VCA Master track for auto-
• Mute mation (Write, Touch or Latch mode).

These automation playlists follow the same be- 2 Write-enable the slave track you want to ex-
havior as automation playlists on other track clude for automation (Write mode).
types. For more information on Volume trim au-
3 Make sure other slave tracks that you want to
tomation, see “Trimming Automation” on
include in the pass are not write-enabled for au-
page 936.
tomation.

4 Start playback.
Displaying the Composite
Automation Playlist on Slave 5 Move the fader on the VCA Master track.
Tracks 6 Stop playback.
When a track is a VCA slave, you can display a
Automation is written on the excluded slave
composite automation playlist that shows the
track such that the fader moves on the VCA
contribution of the VCA Master to the Volume
Master track are canceled out, and the fader on
or Mute automation data on the slave track. This
the excluded slave track does not move on sub-
composite playlist reflects the actual position of
sequent playback.
the Volume fader on the slave track.The com-
posite playlist display cannot be directly edited.
included slave
To display the composite playlist on VCA slave
tracks:
excluded slave
„ Select View > Automation > Composite Playlist.
VCA Master
Volume
automation
playlist
Composite Automation for excluded VCA slave track, canceling
playlist VCA Master automation
Viewing composite automation on a VCA slave track

Chapter 42: Automation 955

 Coalescing VCA Automation To coalesce automation from a VCA Master to all
of its slave tracks and delete the VCA Master
There are several ways to commit, or coalesce, track:
the contribution of a selected VCA Master
1 Select the VCA Master track whose automa-
track’s Volume and Mute automation to the au-
tion you want to coalesce.
tomation playlists of its slave tracks.
2 Choose Track > Delete.

Clearing the VCA Master

The composite Volume level and Mute state are
You can use a VCA Master to write grouped au- committed to each of the slave tracks.
tomation, coalesce the VCA automation to all of
This action cannot be undone.
the slave tracks, and clear the automation on the
VCA Master. The coalesced tracks will play back
Removing a Slave Track from a VCA
exactly as they did when they were in the VCA
Group
group.
You can remove an individual slave track from a
To coalesce automation from a VCA Master to all VCA group, which commits the VCA automa-
of its slave tracks and retain the VCA Master: tion to that track, leaving the VCA Master and
1 Select the VCA Master track whose automa- the other slave tracks untouched. The coalesced
tion you want to coalesce. slave track plays back exactly as it did when it
was in the VCA group.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Track > Coalesce VCA Master Auto- To coalesce automation from a VCA Master to an
mation. individual slave track:
– or – 1 Do one of the following:
• Right-click the VCA Master track name and • Choose Modify Groups from the Group List
choose Coalesce VCA Master Automation. menu.
• Click the Group ID indicator on the track
The composite Volume level and Mute state are
and choose Modify.
coalesced to each of the slave tracks. The VCA
Master Volume fader is reset to zero, the VCA • Right-click the Group name in the Group
Mute is set to unmuted, and any automation on List and choose Modify.
the VCA Master is cleared. 2 In the Groups dialog, select the VCA-con-
trolled group that includes the slave track.
Deleting the VCA Master
3 In the Groups dialog, click Tracks and remove
You can temporarily use a VCA Master to write the slave track from the group.
grouped automation, then coalesce the VCA au-
4 Click OK.
tomation to all of the slave tracks by deleting
the VCA Master. The coalesced tracks will play The slave track is removed from the VCA group,
back exactly as they did when they were in the and the composite Volume level and Mute state
VCA group. are coalesced to the track.

956 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Duplicating a Slave Track Coalescing Automation Across an Edit
Selection
When you duplicate a slave track without dupli-
cating its group assignments, the VCA automa- You can commit VCA automation across an Edit
tion is coalesced to the duplicate track. The coa- selection in a VCA Master track, without com-
lesced duplicate plays back exactly as if it were mitting the automation on the entire length of
in the VCA group. the track.

To coalesce automation from a VCA Master to a To coalesce automation in an Edit selection on a

single slave track by duplicating the track: VCA Master track:
1 Select the slave track whose automation you 1 Select the VCA Master track whose automa-
want to coalesce. tion you want to coalesce.

2 Choose Track > Duplicate. 2 Make an Edit selection in the VCA Master
track that includes the range of automation you
3 In the Duplicate Track dialog, deselect Group
want to coalesce.
Assignments.
3 Do one of the following:
4 Click OK.
• Hold Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) and
The composite Volume level and Mute state are choose Track > Coalesce VCA Master Automa-
coalesced to the duplicate track. The original tion.
slave track is preserved, and the VCA group is – or –
unchanged.
• Hold Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) and
Right-click the VCA Master track name and
choose Coalesce VCA Master Automation.

The composite Volume level and Mute state are

committed to each of the slave tracks over the
Edit selection. The VCA Master Volume is set to
zero, the VCA Mute state is set to unmuted, and
any automation on the VCA Master is cleared
for the selected area only.

Chapter 42: Automation 957

958 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 43: Mixdown

Pro Tools lets you mix down by recording a mix Selecting Audio for Loops,
to new audio tracks or by bouncing a mix to disk. Submixes, and Effects
Recording to Tracks This is the process of sub- Both Bounce to Disk and recording to tracks op-
mixing and recording the submix to new audio erate on the current Timeline or Edit selection, if
tracks, as you would any other track input sig- one exists. This makes it easy to turn multitrack
nals. This method requires available tracks, selections into mono, stereo, or multichannel
voices, and bus paths to accommodate the sub- loops. Submixes, stems, and other specialized
mix and the new tracks. While recording to types of mixes can also be recorded (or
tracks, you can manually adjust mixer or other “printed”) to disk using either method, or
controls. played out to another recording, transfer, or ar-
chiving medium.
Record to new tracks if you want to adjust mixer
controls during the mixdown. Printing effects to disk is the technique of per-
manently adding real-time effects, such as EQ or
Bouncing to Disk The Bounce to Disk command
reverb, to an audio track by bussing and record-
lets you write a final mix, create a new loop,
ing it to new tracks with the effects added. The
print effects, or consolidate any submix to new
original audio is preserved, so you can return to
audio files on disk. This method lets you write
the source track at any time. This can be useful
all available voices to disk without holding any
when you have a limited number of tracks or ef-
in reserve.
fects devices.
Any available output or bus path can be selected
AudioSuite plug-ins provide another option
as the bounce source. Sample rate, bit depth,
for writing (or “printing”) a plug-in effect to
and other conversion processes can be applied
disk. For more information, see Chapter 37,
during or after the bounce. Though you can
“AudioSuite Processing.”
hear the bounce being created in real time, you
cannot adjust mixer or other controls while
bouncing to disk.

Use Bounce to Disk if you need to convert the

bounced files, or if you do not want to manually
adjust mixer controls during the mixdown.

Chapter 43: Mixdown 959

 Dithering Bounce to Disk

Dither can significantly improve audio quality Bouncing to disk does not apply dither when re-
when reducing the bit depth of digital audio. ducing bit depth. To apply dither when bounc-
ing to disk, you should insert a dither plug-in as
When to Use a Dither Plug-in the last processor in the signal path on a Master
Fader assigned to the bounce source audio out-
You should use a dither plug-in in any situation put path.
where you are reducing bit depth, for example,
when mixing down to a 16-bit file with the Using a dither plug-in on a Master Fader is pref-
Bounce to Disk command, or when sending erable to an Auxiliary Input because Master
your final mix to an external digital device that Fader inserts are post-fader. As a post-fader in-
records at 16-bit resolution. sert, the dither plug-in can process changes in
Master Fader level.
A dither plug-in is necessary even when mixing
down to 16-bit from a 16-bit session. Even If you do not use a dither plug-in on your
though 16-bit sessions use 16-bit files, they are bounce source path, and you choose to convert
still processed at higher internal bit depths. to a lower resolution during or after bouncing to
disk, the resulting file will be converted by trun-
• Pro Tools|HD systems use 24-bit audio input
cation.
and output signal paths, and internal 48-bit
mixing and processing
• Pro Tools LE and M-Powered systems use 24-
Using Dither on an Output Mix
bit audio input and output signal paths, and Pro Tools includes real-time dither plug-ins that
internal 32-bit floating point processing for improve 16-, 18-, or 20-bit performance and re-
mixing and audio processing duce quantization artifacts when reducing the
bit depth of an output mix.
For this reason, whether you are working with a
24-bit session or a 16-bit session, the following
To use a dither plug-in on an output mix:
are recommended:
1 Choose Track > New and create a (stereo) Mas-
• When mixing down to a 16-bit destination,
ter Fader track.
use a dither plug-in on the main output.
• When bus recording a submix to a track in the 2 Set the output of the Master Fader to the out-
same session, do not use a dither plug-in on put or bus path you want to bounce.
the destination track. 3 Assign the outputs of all audio tracks in the
• When mixing down to a 24-bit destination, session to the same path you selected in step 2.
do not use a dither plug-in on the main The Master Fader now controls the output levels
output. of all tracks routed to it.

• When mixing down to an analog destination 4 On the Master Fader, insert a dither plug-in as
with any 24-bit capable interface, do not use a the last processor in the signal chain.
dither plug-in on the main output.
5 In the dither plug-in window, choose an out-
• During normal recording and playback, by- put Bit Resolution and Noise Shaping setting.
pass any dither plug-in on the main output.

960 Pro Tools Reference Guide

6 Do one of the following:
• Play back the session to record (or “lay- Bus Recording to Tracks
back”) Pro Tools output to lower bit-rate You can create a submix in your Pro Tools ses-
media (such as a DAT). sion and bus record it to available tracks in the
– or – same session. This technique lets you add live
• Choose File > Bounce To > Disk. In the input to the mix, as well as adjust volume, pan,
Bounce to Disk dialog, select the appropri- mute, and other controls during the recording
ate bit depth (such as 16-bit for CD audio). process. You can also use this technique instead
Before being converted by the Bounce to of Bounce to Disk to create mixed tracks directly
Disk command, the signal is processed ac- in your Pro Tools session.
cording to the resolution and noise shap-
ing settings in the dither plug-in inserted Voice Requirements
on the Master Fader. Recording a submix to new tracks requires an
available voice for each track that you want to
For information about Digidesign dither
record. Make sure you have enough voices avail-
plug-ins, refer to the DigiRack Plug-ins
able to play back all tracks that you want to
Guide.
record and enough voices available to record the
destination tracks.
Sample Rate Conversion and Bit Depth
Reduction In contrast, the Bounce to Disk command lets
If you want to do both a sample rate conversion you bounce all available voices to disk without
and a bit depth reduction when mixing down, holding any in reserve, but you cannot manu-
first convert the sample rate while maintaining ally change any controls during the bounce. For
the higher bit depth, and then reduce the sam- more information, see “Bounce to Disk” on
ple rate-converted file to the lower bit depth, us- page 962.
ing a dither. By keeping the higher bit depth
For information about voice management,
when performing the sample rate conversion,
see “Track Priority and Voice Assignment”
you ensure the highest possible audio quality.
on page 182.

With Pro Tools HD, RTAS plug-ins placed

on Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and In-
strument tracks will use additional voices
and may introduce extra latency based on
the H/W Buffer Size. For more information,
see “Voice Usage and Total Latency for
RTAS Plug-ins” on page 874.

To record a submix to a track:

1 Apply any plug-ins or external processors you
want to add to your audio tracks or Auxiliary In-
puts before you record.

Chapter 43: Mixdown 961

 2 Set the main channel output of the tracks you
want to include in the submix to a bus path. If Bounce to Disk
you are using stereo or multichannel tracks, set
The Bounce to Disk command lets you mix down
the panning of each track.
with all available voices on your system. Since it
3 Make sure Loop Record is not enabled. records to separate audio files, you do not have
to reserve any tracks for a bounce.
4 Choose Track > New and create one or more
mono, stereo, or multichannel audio tracks. Pro Tools bounces are done in real time, so you
hear audio playback of your mix during the
5 If you are recording in stereo, pan the new ste-
bounce process (though you cannot adjust it).
reo track (or two mono tracks) hard left and
right. You can use the Bounce to Disk command to cre-
6 Set the input of each destination track to ate and automatically import loops, submixes,
match the bus path from which you are record- or any audio into your session. You can use it to
ing. create a final mono, stereo, or multichannel
master, in any of several audio file formats.
7 Set the output of your new tracks to your main Bounce to Disk provides conversion options for
output path. sample rate, bit resolution, and format.
8 Ensure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit Se-
When you bounce a track to disk, the bounced
lection is selected.
mix includes the following:
9 Select audio to record. The start, end, and
Audible Tracks All audible tracks that are routed
length of the recording can be based on the cur-
to the output which is selected as the source of
sor location or Timeline and Edit selections.
the bounce are included in the bounce. Any
• Selection-based recording automatically
muted tracks are not included in the bounce. If
punches in and out of recording at the se-
you solo one or more tracks, only the soloed
lection start and end. Be sure to include
tracks are included in the bounced mix.
time at the end of a selection for reverb
tails, delays, and other effects. Automation All read-enabled automation is
• If you do not make a selection, recording played back and incorporated in the bounced
will begin from the location of the play- mix.
back cursor. Recording will continue until
Inserts and Sends All active inserts, including
you press Stop.
real-time plug-ins and hardware inserts, are ap-
10 Record enable the new tracks and click plied to the bounced mix.
Record in the Transport.
Selection or Track Length If you make a selec-
11 Click Play in the Transport to begin record- tion in a track, the bounced mix will be the
ing the submix. length of the selection. If there is no selection in
12 If recording a selection of audio, recording any track, the bounce will be the length of the
will stop automatically. If performing an open- longest audible track in the session.
ended recording, click Stop, or punch out of re-
cording.

962 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Time Stamp Information Bounced material is au-
tomatically time stamped so that you can drag it Bounce Options
into a track and place it at the same location as
When you use the Bounce to Disk command,
the original material. For more information
you can configure several file options.
about time stamping, see “Time Stamping” on
page 1031.

Bounced Files Are Delay-Compensated

Pro Tools compensates for any bus and plug-in

delays due to a bounce. This means that if a
bounced file is imported back into a session, and
placed directly in time against the source mix, it
is time-aligned with the original source mix.

Record-Enabled Tracks and TrackInput-Enabled

Tracks Cannot Be Bounced

Pro Tools does not allow you to bounce tracks

that are either record-enabled or in Input Only
monitoring mode.

To Bounce to Disk: Bounce to Disk dialog, with conversion and options

enabled
1 Make a Timeline selection to define the range
to be bounced. Help
2 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk. The Help button opens a display-only dialog that
3 Configure the Bounce options (see “Bounce describes the Bounce to Disk features.
Options” on page 963).

4 Click Bounce. Bounce Source

Select any mono, stereo, or multichannel output
Bouncing with Mute Frees Assigned or bus path as the source for the bounce. All cur-
Voice (Pro Tools HD Only) rently active output or bus paths as defined in
the I/O Setup dialog are available as the Bounce
When bouncing sessions that include muted
Source.
tracks, enabling “Mute Frees Assigned Voice”
can, in some instances, increase the number of
To set the bounce source:
tracks that can be successfully bounced. See
“Mute Frees Assigned Voice” on page 192. „ Select an output or bus path from the Bounce

Source selector.

Chapter 43: Mixdown 963

 Enforce Avid Compatibility QuickTime
Creates frame-accurate edits, wraps the files as QuickTime is Apple’s multimedia audio file for-
OMFI (unless File Type is MXF), and limits the mat. Pro Tools does not directly support this
sample rate options to 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. type of file in its sessions. To use a QuickTime
Dither without noise shaping will be applied to audio file within Pro Tools, use the Import Audio
files being exported from 24-bit to 16-bit. command. The QuickTime format is popular for
attaching to emails, to simplify long-distance
project review and approval. Many popular mul-
File Type timedia applications also support QuickTime.
Selects the (creator) type for the bounced files.
Windows Media
Sound Designer II (Windows Only)
(Mac Only)
Windows Media formatted files can contain au-
This was the native format for older Mac-based dio, video, or script data stored in Windows Me-
Pro Tools systems. Select this to use the bounced dia Format. A Windows Media Format file may
audio with any Digidesign application for Mac. have an .asf, .wma, or .wmv file name exten-
sion.
BWF (Broadcast .WAV Format)
MXF (Material Exchange Format)
This was the native format for older Windows-
based Pro Tools systems, but is now supported (Pro Tools with DigiTranslator 2.0 Only)
on Windows and Mac. To use a BWF (.WAV) file MXF is a media file format that includes both
in Pro Tools, you can drag and drop from the Di- video and audio files, and is designed for the in-
giBase browser, Windows Explorer or Mac terchange of audio-visual material with associ-
Finder, or a folder, or you can use the Import Au- ated data and metadata. It was designed for im-
dio command. Files in this format do not have to proving file-based interoperability between
be converted to be used in Pro Tools. servers, workstations, and other content cre-
ation devices.
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format)
AAF and OMF sequence format files can refer to
To use an AIFF file in Pro Tools, you can drag MXF media files, or have MXF media files em-
and drop from the DigiBase browser, Windows bedded within them. Pro Tools with DigiTrans-
Explorer or Mac Finder, or you can use the Im- lator 2.0 supports AAF embedded sequences.
port Audio command. Files in this format do not
have to be converted to be used in Pro Tools. See the DigiTranslator Guide for more in-
formation.

964 Pro Tools Reference Guide

MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) When you export or bounce to MP3 format, you
can set the following options:
The MPEG-1 Layer 3 compression format (MP3)
is used for streaming and downloading audio Encoder Settings
over the Internet, and for playback on portable
devices. The MP3 Export Option is required to Encoder Speed Determines the audio quality of
use this file type. the bounced file. There are two options: Highest
Quality and Fastest Encoding Time.
The MP3 Export Option is available for pur-
chase from the online DigiStore at the Digi- The Highest Quality option can take up to five
design website (www.digidesign.com). times longer to process audio than the Fastest
Encoding option, so you should use it only when
the highest fidelity is essential and you have the
time to devote to the encoding process.

Constant Bit Rate (CBR) Encodes the file at a

single bit rate that you choose from the Constant
Bit Rate (CBR) pop-up menu. Because the bit rate
is fixed, the quality of the encoded audio will
vary depending on the nature of the material be-
ing compressed. The 128 kbit/s option is gener-
ally best for streaming over the Internet, since it
has predictable bandwidth requirements.

ID3 Tag Info Settings

MP3 Export Options
ID3 Tag Type The ID3 tag stores data about the
When you select this format, the Resolution pop- encoded audio file that is used by MP3 players to
up menu in the Pro Tools Output Options dia- display information about the file. Pro Tools
log is unavailable. The resolution is set by the supports three versions of this tag, in order to
encoder. provide backward compatibility with older MP3
players:
The sample rate chosen is given to the codec as
a base sample rate for operations. The actual • ID3 v1.0: Appears at the end of a streaming
sample rate of the resulting file is determined in MP3 file, so that tag information is only dis-
the MP3 Encoder Options dialog. For example, if played after software streaming is finished.
a base sample rate of 48000 Hz is chosen, the • ID3 v1.1: Same as version 1.0, but adds track
MP3 Encoder Options dialog will allow output number information to the tag.
streams in 48, 24, or 12 kHz, depending on en-
• ID3 v2.3: Appears at the front of a streaming
coding quality.
MP3 file, so that tag information is displayed
when streaming begins.

Chapter 43: Mixdown 965

 Mono (Summed) Creates a single disk file that is
While ID3 v2.3 is the current standard a summed mono mix of the current sources be-
MP3 format, not all MP3 players support ing monitored.
ID3 v2.3. Contact the developer of your
player software for compatibility informa- Before bouncing to disk, make sure your levels
tion. are below –3 dB to avoid clipping that occurs
when left and right signals exceed –3 dB below
Title/Artist/Album/Comment Type the title, art- maximum, or full code (0 dBFS).
ist, and other information for the MP3 file. This
information is displayed by many MP3 players. Multiple Mono Creates multiple mono files with
the same number of channels as the source
Genre Choose a genre for the file. This informa- path.
tion is displayed by many MP3 players, and can
• If the source output or bus path is stereo, two
appear in searchable catalogs and databases.
mono files will be created, and appended with
Track Number If you select ID3 tag type v1.1 or “.L” and “.R” suffixes on bounce.
v2.3, you can enter a CD track number for the • If a multichannel format is used (for example,
file. This information is displayed by many MP3 six-channel, 5.1), individual mono files will
players. be created for each member of the path. Files
will be appended with path suffixes according
Year Enter a year for the file. This information is
to the path definition in the I/O Setup dialog.
displayed by many MP3 players.
• If the source output or bus path is mono, the
Mac File Settings pop-up menu will switch from multiple mono
to mono, and will create one mono file (no
Mac File Type and Creator If you expect your file
summing of multiple sources).
to be used on a Mac, you can enter the Mac file
type and creator. This will allow users to double- Stereo Interleaved Creates a single, interleaved
click the file to open their MP3 player. file that contains all of the bounced streams
from the chosen output path. In an interleaved
Default Button stereo bounce, tracks assigned to odd-numbered
outputs are sent to the left channel, and tracks
To restore all settings in this dialog to their de-
assigned to even-numbered outputs are sent to
fault values, click Defaults.
the right channel.

Format Pro Tools also lets you bounce multichannel in-

terleaved files of any supported file type. This
This is the format for the bounced result. can simplify file management of mixes and
Choices are Mono (Summed), Multiple Mono, and projects for backup and archiving.
Stereo Interleaved.
Pro Tools does not support interleaved files na-
To set the format of the bounced file: tively. This means that they must be split into
multi-mono files on import (requiring addi-
„ Select a file format from the Format selector.
tional disk space).

966 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Resolution Sample Rate
This option lets you select between three differ- This option lets you save to any of several sam-
ent bit resolutions for the bounce conversion. ple rates. Choices are dependent on your
Pro Tools system and Digidesign audio inter-
Bounce to Disk does not apply dither when con- faces.
verting during or after a bounce to a lower reso-
lution (including when bouncing to 16-bit). Sample Rate Conversion Quality
When you need to create a lower resolution file,
use a dither plug-in, on a Master Fader assigned If you choose a sample rate that differs from the
to the bounce source path. This dithers the original sample rate of the session, the conver-
bounced file, before the Bounce to Disk conver- sion options become available. You can config-
sion truncates down to the final file resolution. ure the conversion quality, and schedule con-
(See “Dithering” on page 960.) version to occur during, or after, the bounce. See
“Sample Rate Conversion Quality Option” on
Resolution choices include the following: page 968 for more information.

8-Bit This resolution is often used in multimedia The following are the more common sample
applications. If the material you are working rates, and their applications. Higher sampling
with is relatively simple, you can use the rates will provide better audio fidelity for record-
Pro Tools “Squeezer” feature for optimal results. ing and playback, and also for processing with
See “Use Squeezer” on page 968 for details. dynamics, dither (with noise shaping), and ana-
log emulation plug-ins.
16-Bit This is the Compact Disc standard bit res-
olution. 192000 This is a supported sample rate for some
audio DVDs, and provides the highest quality
If your session is 16-bit, you should still use
audio fidelity with compatible audio interfaces
a dither plug-in on the output mix, because
(such as the 192 I/O).
all Pro Tools systems process audio inter-
nally at higher bit depths. 176400 You may want to work at a sample rate
of 176.4 kHz if the final delivery will be at
24-Bit This setting provides the highest resolu-
44.1 kHz (such as compact disc). This will pro-
tion. It is useful when you want to create a final
vide a slightly faster sample rate conversion to
mix without losing any resolution (for example,
44.1 kHz than from 192 kHz.
if you are delivering a final mix that will be
ready to master). 96000 This is a supported sample rate for DVD
audio and provides high-quality audio fidelity
To set the resolution of the bounced file: with compatible audio interfaces (such as the
192 I/O, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, 003, and Digi 002).
„ Select a bit depth from the Resolution

selector. 88200 You may want to work at a sample rate of

88.2 kHz if the final delivery will be at 44.1 kHz
(such as compact disc). This will provide a
slightly faster sample rate conversion to
44.1 kHz than from 96 kHz.

Chapter 43: Mixdown 967

 48000 This is a standard sample rate for Profes- loudness in the signal, and improved intelligi-
sional and DVD video, as well as some broadcast bility. If you are converting a more complex 16-
and recording label archiving, and is supported bit audio file to 8-bit resolution, test this option
by DA-88/98, DAT, and ADAT decks. before converting all of your material.

44100 This is the standard sample rate for com-

pact discs (CD), and is supported by DA-88/98, Convert During or After Bounce
DAT, and ADAT decks.
The Bounce to Disk dialog can perform any con-
Custom For a custom sample rate, click in the version options, including sample rate and bit
sample rate window and manually enter in a depth conversion, during a bounce or post-
value. bounce.

Pull-Up and Pull-Down Rates All available sample The following options are only available when
rates support pull-up and pull-down rates, or bouncing to a different file type, format, resolu-
other specialized rates. tion, or sample rate.

Convert During Bounce This option may take less

Sample Rate Conversion Quality time than Convert After Bounce, but does so at
Option the expense of plug-in automation playback ac-
curacy.
When you specify a different sample rate for a
bounced file (for example, when mixing a ses- Convert After Bounce The Convert After Bounce
sion recorded at 96 kHz to 44.1 kHz for release option, though it takes more time, offers the
on an audio CD), Pro Tools uses the Conversion highest level of plug-in automation accuracy
Quality option to determine the quality of sam- possible.
ple rate conversion used.

There are five possible settings, ranging from Import Into Session After Bounce
Low (lowest quality) to Tweak Head (highest The Import After Bounce option automatically
quality). The higher the quality of sample rate imports the newly bounced files into the Region
conversion, the longer it takes to convert the List so you can place them in tracks. If your
bounced file. newly bounced files are split stereo files (Multi-
ple Mono), they are listed together in the Region
Use Squeezer List.
(8-Bit Resolution Only) The Import After Bounce option is only
The Use Squeezer option uses a proprietary DSP available if the target file type and sample
algorithm specifically designed for performing rate for the bounce is the same as the file
8-bit conversion of simple source files such as type and sample rate of the current session,
voice-overs. It optimizes the dynamics of the au- and the target resolution (bit rate) is the
dio by preprocessing it using compression, lim- same or lower than the resolution of the ses-
iting, and gating before conversion to 8-bit res- sion. In addition, tracks bounced to a Stereo
olution. This results in greater apparent Interleaved file cannot be automatically im-
ported after a bounce.

968 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 8 If you want to bring the bounced file into your
Recording a Submix (with current session, select the Import After Bounce op-
Bounce to Disk) tion.

You can create a submix with the Bounce to Disk 9 Click Bounce.
command by muting tracks or bypassing inserts
10 Select a destination for the new audio file,
that are not part of the submix, and selecting
enter a name, and click Save.
the part of the session you want to bounce; or,
you could solo only the audio you want to Pro Tools bounces are done in real time, so you
bounce. hear audio playback of your mix during the
bounce process. You cannot adjust controls
You can also create a submix by recording to
while bouncing to disk.
new tracks. For details, see “Sample Rate Con-
version and Bit Depth Reduction” on page 961.
To bring bounced files back into tracks:

To bounce a submix to disk: 1 Do one of the following:

• If the newly bounced audio was automati-
1 Configure your submix using sends, Auxiliary
cally imported into the session, drag the
Inputs, and Master Faders. (See “Signal Routing
new files from the Region List to existing
for Monitoring and Submixing” on page 853.)
tracks in your session.
2 Do one of the following:
• To bounce the entire session, click Return If you bounced from a selection point, you
to Zero in the Transport window to go to can snap the file to the bounce point: Start-
the beginning of the session. drag (Windows) or Control-drag (Mac) the
region from the Region List to the destina-
– or – tion track.
• To bounce a portion of the session, enable
Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection, • If the bounced files are not available in the
and make a selection in the Edit window. Region List, import them into the session
with the Import Audio command, or drag
3 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk.
and drop the bounced files from a DigiBase
4 Configure bounce options and settings. browser.
• If you are placing multiple files, keep chan-
5 Verify the bit resolution for the bounced file
nels time-aligned with each other by Shift-
matches the bit resolution of the session.
selecting them in the Region List, and drag-
6 Verify the sample rate for the bounced file is ging them simultaneously into existing
supported by the session and the audio inter- tracks of the right format.
face.
2 When working with stereo tracks, set the Pan
7 If required, verify the file type and format for controls hard left and hard right.
the bounced file matches the file type and for-
3 Solo the track with the bounce on it.
mat of the session.
4 Click Play in the Transport to hear the results
of the bounce.

Chapter 43: Mixdown 969

 6 Do one of the following:
Final Mixdown • To bounce the entire session, click Return
In final mixdown, you create a mix that in- to Zero in the Transport to go to the begin-
cludes all your edits, automation, and effects ning of the session.
processing.
By default, the bounce will end at the last
audio waveform or MIDI note. To end the
To bounce a final mix to disk:
bounce sooner, make an Edit or Timeline
1 Adjust track output levels, and finalize any selection to define the end (and start) of the
mix automation for each track in the session. bounce.

2 Adjust any real-time plug-in and effects set- – or –

tings and their automation for each track in the
• To bounce a portion of the session, enable
session.
Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection,
3 Make sure that all of the tracks you want to in- and make a selection in the Edit window.
clude in the bounce are audible (not muted or
7 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk.
inactive).
8 Choose the source path you want to bounce.
4 Assign the output of each of the tracks you
want to include in your bounce to the same out- 9 Configure other Bounce to Disk settings as ap-
put or bus path. propriate. See “Bounce Options” on page 963.

5 Add dither (see “Dithering” on page 960). 10 Click Bounce.

11 Select a destination for the new audio file,

enter a name, and click Save.

970 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Mastering and Audio Compression
Mastering
Although audio compression is often an indis-
In the final mastering process, you might record pensable tool in analog recording, it can present
directly to disk, DAT, DVD, CD, stereo master- problems in the digital domain. If you compress
ing recorder, or a multitrack recorder (for sur- an input signal at a very high ratio, you create a
round mixes). signal that contains a much higher overall
power level compared to its transients. By re-
Once you have created a master of your session,
cording a number of such signals at the highest
you can transfer it to a portable medium for du-
possible level on multiple tracks, you create a
plication. You can transfer the master file to CD
scenario that is more likely to clip the mixed
or DAT to be used as a master for pressing com-
output signal.
pact discs.
High-power compressed signals, when mixed
Mastering to a Digital Recorder together, create an extremely high-level output.
This output may rise above the full-code level,
Although it is usually best to master sessions di- resulting in clipping.
rectly to hard disk, Pro Tools also lets you master
digitally, direct to any AES/EBU-equipped or To avoid this problem, watch the overall level of
S/PDIF-equipped digital recorder such as a DAT your program material—use a meter on a Master
deck. Fader, or use an external mastering deck’s
meters to help identify clipping. If you are mas-
24-Bit Input and Output tering to hard disk, avoid mixing full-code audio
signals together at unity or “0” level, as this in-
Pro Tools|HD systems support full 24-bit audio variably causes clipping.
input and output signal paths, with 48-bit inter-
nal mixing and processing, providing an addi- Mastering and Error-Correcting Media
tional 16 bits of headroom at the top of a chan-
nel’s dynamic range, and 8 bits at the bottom. Random access media (such as hard disks, opti-
You can exchange files with other 24-bit record- cal cartridges, Bernoulli cartridges or WORM
ing systems without any bit-depth conversion drives) can produce a true digital copy of your
(as long as they are in a compatible file format). data, because every bit value is maintained. Se-
quential media (such as DAT tapes) use error
Pro Tools LE systems support 24-bit input and correction schemes to fix the occasional bad
output, and uses 32-bit floating point mixing data that is received in a digital transfer. These
and processing internally. You can exchange corrections are deviations from the actual data,
files with other 24-bit recording systems with- and with successive reproductions, represent a
out any bit-depth conversion (as long as they subtle form of generation loss.
are in a compatible file format).
You can avoid this loss by creating and main-
taining masters on random-access digital media
(such as a hard drive) and transferring them to
sequential digital media (such as DAT tapes)
only as needed.

Chapter 43: Mixdown 971

 To configure Pro Tools for direct digital stereo
mastering:
1 Connect your digital recorder to your system’s
digital outputs. If your system has multiple dig-
ital outputs, use channel 1 and 2 of the audio in-
terface.

2 In Pro Tools, set the appropriate digital format

and output from the Hardware Setup dialog or
I/O Setup dialog. (See “Configuring Pro Tools
Hardware Settings” on page 50.)

3 Set the clock on the master device to slave to

Pro Tools digital clock, or to provide master
clock to Pro Tools. (See “Configuring Pro Tools
Hardware Settings” on page 50.)

4 On your digital recorder, choose the appropri-

ate digital format for the connections.

5 In Pro Tools, set all audio tracks you want to

your master outputs 1–2 path.

6 Click Return to Zero in the Transport to go to

the beginning of the session.

7 Press Record on your digital recorder.

8 Start playback of your session.

9 When your session has finished playing, stop

the digital recorder.

972 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Part X: Surround

973
974
Chapter 44: Pro Tools Setup for
Surround

Surround mixing is provided with Pro Tools HD

and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Pro Tools Audio Connections
Toolkit only. Pro Tools supports mixing in the for 5.1 Mixing
following multichannel (greater than stereo)
While all 5.1 mixing formats provide the same
formats: LCR, Quad, LCRS, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 6.1 and
speaker arrangement, there are three primary
7.1.
standards in use for the track layout of the indi-
This chapter explains how to set up and config- vidual channels that comprise the 5.1-format
ure Pro Tools sessions for multichannel mixing. multichannel mix.

For information on fundamental surround In the following table, it is assumed that sur-
concepts, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround round channels are mapped to outputs 1–6 of a
Concepts Guide. Pro Tools audio interface. Use channels 7–8 to
monitor a stereo mix for a stereo version, or for
cue mixes and monitoring.
Multichannel surround mixing is supported
with Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with Table 45. Track Layouts for 5.1 Formats
Complete Production Toolkit only. In this Formats Track Layout
chapter, all references to Pro Tools refer to 1 2 3 4 5 6
Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Film L C R Ls Rs LFE
Complete Production Toolkit. (Pro Tools
default)
or C24
For Pro Tools LE with Complete Production
Toolkit, depending on your Pro Tools LE SMPTE/ITU L R C LFE Ls Rs
for Dolby
device, you may not be able to monitor all Digital (AC3) or
available surround formats. For more Control|24
information, see the Complete Production
DTS L R Ls Rs C LFE
Toolkit Guide. or ProControl

Chapter 44: Pro Tools Setup for Surround 975

 To connect your audio interfaces for 5.1 format Custom Multichannel Paths
mixing and monitoring:
You can customize and redefine existing paths
1 Determine the 5.1 format and track layout
in the I/O Setup dialog. For more information,
you want to use. see “Custom Multichannel Paths” on page 978.
2 Connect the output channels of your audio
interface to the corresponding input channels of Importing Session Data
your monitoring system according to the assign- By using the Import Session Data command
ments listed in Table 45 on page 975. (File > Import > Session Data), you can import
tracks and media from other sessions plus their
If you use a Digidesign control surface, see
associated paths and track assignments. After
its guide for more information.
importing session data, you can use the
I/O Setup dialog to configure main and sub-
paths for the requirements of the session. For
Configuring Pro Tools for more information, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”
Multichannel Sessions
Configuring Pro Tools and sessions for multi- New Sessions and I/O Settings
channel mixing can be done in any (or all) of
When you create a new session, you can specify
the ways described in this section.
a surround format that you want to use as your
New Sessions I/O Setup. Default path configurations are pro-
vided as I/O Settings files, for stereo and sur-
You can create a new session and choose a sur- round mixing.
round mix I/O Settings file as the default
I/O Setup. See “New Sessions and I/O Settings” In order to see multichannel options in
on page 976. Pro Tools, the Surround Mixer plug-in must
be installed in the Plug-ins folder. This
Remixing Sessions in Surround (Importing plug-in can be installed with Pro Tools (see
Multichannel I/O Setups) the Setup Guide for your Pro Tools system).
If it is not installed, you can move it from
By creating or importing a surround mix I/O Set-
the Plug-ins (Unused) folder to the Plug-ins
tings file in the I/O Setup dialog, multichannel
folder.
paths can be made available in any stereo (or
other format) session. You can then reassign Once you create the new session, you can create
track routing from the original stereo paths to and import tracks, import audio, and assign sig-
multichannel paths. Inactive and active paths nal routing to set up your mix.
simplify reassignment. See “Importing Multi-
channel I/O Setups” on page 978.

976 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To create a new session for multichannel mixing: The surround presets preconfigure the I/O Setup
dialog for the new session with default 5.1 for-
1 Choose File > New Session.
mat main and sub-paths for outputs and busses.
2 Select the Create Blank Session option.

3 Select the Audio File Type, Sample Rate, and

Bit Depth.

New Session dialog, 5.1 Film Mix I/O setting selected

4 From the I/O Settings menu, select one of the

following options:
• 5.1 Film Mix Standard 5.1 format (film) output paths
• SMPTE/ITU
Surround Mix Settings Files
• DTS/ProControl Monitoring
The surround mix I/O Settings provide output
5 Click OK. and bus paths for three specific track layout
6 In the Save dialog, name the session, navigate standards in the new session. (For information
to the location where you want to save the new on inputs and insert paths, see “Default Input
session, and click Save. and Insert Paths with 5.1 Settings” on page 978.)
Settings Files and Track Layouts

5.1 Settings Track Layout

Film (Pro Tools Standard, and L C R Ls Rs LFE

C24 Monitoring)

SMPTE/ITU L R C LFE Ls Rs
(Control|24 Monitoring)

DTS (ProControl Monitoring) L R Ls Rs C LFE

Chapter 44: Pro Tools Setup for Surround 977

 All three 5.1 format I/O Settings (Film, To import a multichannel I/O Setup settings file:
SMPTE/ITU, or DTS) provide the following de-
1 Choose Setup > I/O.
fault output and bus paths for the new session:
2 Click Import Settings.
Default 5.1 Output Paths
3 Select the settings file (.pio) to import and
• One 5.1 main output path, with sub-paths click Open.
for 5.0 (no LFE), LCR, Left/Right (stereo),
4 If the current session has existing path defini-
and Center (mono).
tions that do not match those in the imported
– and – settings file, Pro Tools asks whether you want to
• One stereo main path with two mono sub- delete the existing paths or retain them and add
paths. the imported settings to your session.
• Click No to add new paths to your current I/O
Default 5.1 Bus Paths
Setup configuration.
• One 5.1 main bus path, with sub-paths for
• Click Yes to replace your current I/O Setup
5.0 (no LFE), left/right (stereo), LCR, and
configuration with the imported settings.
center (mono).
– and – 5 Click OK to close the I/O Setup.

• One stereo main path with two mono sub-

paths. Exporting I/O Settings
Exporting I/O Setup settings files lets you build a
Default Input and Insert Paths with 5.1 Settings library of multichannel setups for different
The 5.1 Mix settings files provide default stereo projects.
main paths and mono sub-paths for inputs and
inserts. If you need multichannel input paths or To export an I/O Setup settings file:
inserts, you can create them in the I/O Setup di- 1 Choose Setup > I/O.
alog (see “Custom Multichannel Paths” on
page 978). 2 Click Export Settings.

3 Name and Save your current I/O Settings.

Importing Multichannel
I/O Setups Custom Multichannel Paths
The I/O Setup dialog can import and export set- The I/O Setup dialog lets you create and custom-
tings files. Importing I/O Setup settings files is ize signal paths for any supported multichannel
useful when you want to remix a stereo session mixing format.
in surround. You can also use this feature to pre-
pare a session for transfer to a different Pro Tools Multichannel paths and sub-paths are mapped
system, or to simply save and exchange to inputs, outputs or internal busses in the
I/O Settings. Channel Grid. When you select a preset 5.1
I/O Settings file, default layout for the corre-
sponding multichannel format paths you create
will match the selected format’s track layout.

978 Pro Tools Reference Guide

In addition, the I/O Setup dialog, like the Main To define an LCRS path:
page of the Hardware Setup dialog, provides
1 Choose Setup > I/O, and click the Output tab.
controls for routing the physical inputs and out-
puts on your audio interface to available inputs 2 Click New Path.
and outputs in Pro Tools.
3 Select LCRS from the Path Format selector.

When creating 5.1 format paths, you can 4 Name the path LCRS.
specify the default track layout. See “De-
5 In the Channel Grid, click in the box below
fault Path Order for 5.1 Tracks” on
the first (left-most) audio interface channel for
page 980.
the path. Pro Tools automatically fills up the ad-
Remapping Channels jacent units to the right. If you click in the LCRS
row under channel 1, the LCRS path will be
The I/O Setup dialog and its Channel Grid also mapped across channels 1–4.
let you remap channels. This is especially useful
6 Select the new LCRS path and click New Sub-
to route channels within a multichannel path,
without having to repatch your audio interfaces. Path.

7 Name the new sub-path LCR and select LCR as

You can remap paths to any required configura-
the Path format. Click in channel 1 in the LCR
tion, limited only by your systems resources,
row to map the path.
and the I/O Setup dialog requirements for chan-
nel overlapping and naming (see “Valid Paths 8 Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and
and Requirements” on page 71 for more infor- create a stereo sub-path for front Left and front
mation). Right.

See also “Example Paths and Signal Rout- 9 Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and

ing for a Surround Mix” on page 990. create a mono sub-path for the Center channel.

10 Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and

Example LCRS Setup
create a mono sub-path for the Surround chan-
The following example shows one possible way nel.
to configure the I/O Setup dialog to mix in 4-
11 Click OK to close the I/O Setup.
channel LCRS format, with a 96 I/O.

5.1 Tracks, Formats, Mapping, and

Metering
Path definitions in I/O Setup determine how au-
dio is routed through, and metered on, your au-
dio interfaces.

Pro Tools internal (on-screen) metering of 5.1

Example LCRS output main and sub-paths
format paths always follows the Film track lay-
out:
For additional I/O Setup information, see L C R Ls Rs LFE
“Creating New Paths” on page 65.

Chapter 44: Pro Tools Setup for Surround 979

 Pro Tools track layout of 5.1 format audio tracks Default Path Order Selects the default track lay-
in the Edit window also conforms to the Film out (or, path order) for new 5.1 format (six-
layout (arranged top to bottom). See the illustra- channel) paths.
tion “5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering”
on page 981. Controller Meter Path Selects the path that will
be shown in Digidesign control surface output
In the I/O Setup dialog, you can route these sig- meters. See “5.1 Tracks, Formats, Mapping, and
nals out of your audio interfaces according to Metering” on page 979 for more information.
any track layout (such as DTS or SMPTE/ITU).
Audition Paths Selects the monitoring path for
previewing audio in the Region List, Import Au-
To re-map channels in a path:
dio dialogs, and DigiBase. Only outputs on your
„ Drag a channel to a new valid location in the
primary interface can be used as your Audition
Grid. Other channel assignments will move path.
(shuffle) to accommodate dragged channels.
New Track Default Output Selects the default
output path for all new tracks, for each sup-
ported track format.
Default I/O Selectors in I/O
Setup The New Track Default Output can be set to
bus paths, as well as output paths.
The Output page of the I/O Setup dialog pro-
vides selectors for setting I/O defaults in your AFL/PFL Path Selects where tracks are routed to
multichannel sessions. when they are soloed in AFL (After Fader Listen)
or PFL (Pre Fader Listen) Solo mode.

AFL/PFL Mutes (Output Path) Selects which out-

put is muted when AFL (After Fader Listen) or
PFL (Pre Fader Listen) Solo mode is enabled, and
a track is soloed.

Default Path Order for 5.1 Tracks

You can specify the default track layout for all
new 5.1 format paths you create.

To choose a new default 5.1-format path order

(track layout):
1 Choose Setup > I/O.

Default Path Order I/O Setup Options 2 Click the Output tab.

Default selectors in the I/O Setup dialog 3 Use the 5.1 Default Path Order setting to select
the track layout you want (Film, SMPTE/ITU, or
DTS/ProControl Monitoring.

980 Pro Tools Reference Guide

5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering

5.1 Format Tracks Track Meters Channel Map in I/O Setup

Film
(Pro Tools Standard,
and C24)
L C R Ls Rs LFE
L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE

same same
SMPTE/ITU L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
(Control|24 Monitoring) (top to bottom) (left to right)
L R C LFE Ls Rs
L R C LFE Ls Rs

DTS same same

(ProControl Monitoring) L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
L R Ls Rs C LFE

L R Ls Rs C LFE

Figure 14. Track layout of different 5.1 formats

Chapter 44: Pro Tools Setup for Surround 981

982 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Chapter 45: Multichannel Tracks and
Signal Routing

This chapter explains how to route audio in

Pro Tools for surround mixing. Multichannel Audio Tracks
Multichannel surround mixing is supported Multichannel audio tracks contain an individ-
with Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with ual channel for each signal in the track (for ex-
Complete Production Toolkit only. In this ample, a 5.1 track would have six channels for
chapter, all references to Pro Tools refer to left, center, right, left surround, right surround,
Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Com- and LFE).
plete Production Toolkit. Multichannel audio tracks can be:
Surround sessions typically include a combina- • Recorded directly into Pro Tools, using multi-
tion of mono, stereo, and multichannel audio, ple microphones or microphone arrays, or
Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and Instrument routed to appropriate multichannel Pro Tools
tracks, and inserts and busses. Input paths
• Imported from other Pro Tools sessions
Once the appropriate I/O Setup has been im-
ported or configured, audio, Auxiliary Input, • Edited, processed, and mixed in combination
Master Fader, and Instrument tracks can be with mono and stereo tracks
mixed in multichannel for surround using
Pro Tools mixing features.

Multichannel I/O and signal routing is deter-

mined by the paths defined in the I/O Setup di-
alog.
5.1 format multichannel audio track

5.1 format audio files and tracks conform to the

Film track layout standard. Regardless of path
mapping in the I/O Setup dialog, all 5.1 format
audio tracks and meters follow the Film stan-
dard track layout:
L C R Ls Rs LFE

Chapter 45: Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing 983

 Multichannel audio tracks are not required to Solo, Mute, and Gain in Multichannel
mix in multichannel formats. Mono, stereo, and Tracks and Paths
all supported track formats can be mixed using
Pro Tools track outputs and sends (see “Multi- Stereo and multichannel tracks consist of multi-
channel Signal Routing” on page 986). ple audio signals, linked together. By default,
multichannel tracks are linked and are con-
trolled by a single channel fader, and solo and
Placing Audio in Multichannel mute switches.
Tracks
For discrete control of signals, multichannel
You can drag audio files and regions from Digi- tracks can be converted into individual mono
Base browsers, the Region List, Windows Ex- tracks. For discrete level and phase adjustment,
plorer, or Mac Finder, or from other tracks, to you can insert and unlink a multi-mono Trim
place them in multichannel audio tracks. plug-in. Both of these techniques are explained
below.
To do so, the number of channels being dragged
must match the destination track format. For Once converted to mono, multichannel
example, you can only drag a stereo pair or two tracks cannot be relinked into their original
mono regions onto a stereo audio track. Simi- multichannel format. However, a multi-
larly, you can only place audio into an LCR track channel track can be reassembled by drag-
when you have selected three regions. With 5.1 ging the corresponding number of mono
tracks, you must select six mono files or regions. files (with the appropriate file suffixes) into
a multichannel track, although some auto-
When dragged into a multichannel track,
mation data may be lost. As an alternative,
audio files are placed from top to bottom in
record the submix of the mono tracks to disk
the exact order that they appear in the Re-
on a multichannel track.
gion List or playlist from which they came
(Top to Bottom must be selected for in the To convert a multichannel track into discrete
Region List menu > Timeline Drop Order). mono tracks:
For this reason, you may want to rename
1 Select the multichannel track.
audio files before dragging them, so that
they are placed in the preferred order. Re- 2 Choose Track > Split Into Mono.
name them so that sorting them By Region
Name in the Region List results in the pre- To have discrete control of gain on individual
ferred order. (For example, with a 5.1-for- channels of a multichannel track:
mat track, you can rename the audio tracks
1 Insert a multi-mono Trim plug-in on the mul-
so that the arrangement of the tracks corre-
tichannel track.
sponds to L, C, R, Ls, Rs, and LFE.)
2 Unlink the Trim plug-in by clicking the Link
icon so that it is unlit.

984 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 Use the Channel selector to display the con- Multiple Output Assignments and Track Format
trols for a channel, and adjust the gain.
When a track is assigned to more than one path
See “Linking and Unlinking Controls on of differing formats, the main output for that
Multi-Mono Plug-ins” on page 987 for track will match the format of the assigned path
more information. with the greatest number of channels.

Track and Output Formats Multiple Outputs and Automation Playlists

When you create new tracks, you specify mono, When a track has multiple output assignments,
stereo, or a supported multichannel format for Pro Tools sorts panning data appropriately for
the new tracks. each assigned path. For example, if you assign a
mono track to a stereo path and a 5.1 path si-
In the Mix and Edit windows, the track format multaneously, that track will have a 5.1 panner
of a track’s output is always visible by the num- in the Mix or Edit window. When you pan the
ber of track meters contained in its fader strip track, Pro Tools interprets the 5.1 panning
(for example, a single meter for mono tracks, a moves into stereo panning moves.
pair of meters for stereo tracks, and six meters
for 5.1 tracks). This provides a type of parallel mixing. You can
create a variety of mixes of differing formats all
Assigning track output determines the format of at the same time by routing your elements to
that output. For example, a mono track always multiple paths.
has a single track meter, even when assigned to
a stereo output path. If that same mono track is Control-Start-click (Windows) or Com-
assigned to a 5.1 output path, it's output will be mand-Control-click (Mac) any control in an
split among those six output channels, depend- Output window to show its automation
ing on the position of its panner. playlist in the Edit window and view any
pan automation.
Changing Format

Changing the output format for a given track

has several effects:
• The panner that appears in the track will
change to reflect the new output format.
• It may be necessary for one or more pan re-
lated automation playlists to be created or de-
leted.

Because changing the output format has these

effects, a warning dialog appears whenever you
change the output format of a track to a format
of fewer channels. Specifically, this will occur
whenever automation playlists will have to be
deleted.

Chapter 45: Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing 985

 Additional output assignments can be added by
Multichannel Signal Routing Start-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking
(Mac) the Selector tool and assigning another
To mix in a multichannel format, tracks are as-
path.
signed to multichannel paths.

Tracks can be mixed in surround using the fol-

Multichannel Sends
lowing two methods:
All track formats, including mono and stereo, let
• By setting a track main output to a multichan-
you assign one or more multichannel sends.
nel path.
This provides a multichannel panner in the
• By assigning a multichannel send to route au- Sends View. Sends are also useful to bus tracks
dio to a multichannel path. for multichannel plug-in processing.

Figure 15 shows a mono audio track with a 5.1

(6-channel) send (View > Sends A–E > Send A).

This channel’s main

output path is mono
(“Center music”). It Multichannel send panner
has a multichannel
send providing a multi-
channel panner

This channel’s output path Mono output format

is multichannel, so the
track provides a multi-
channel panner

Mono meter

Two different ways to configure tracks for multichannel

mixing

Figure 15. A mono audio track with a mono output

Multichannel Track Outputs format and a multichannel send
Tracks can be routed to multichannel output or
bus paths using the track’s Output Path selector.
This provides a multichannel panner and meter
in the Mix and Edit window I/O View.

986 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Pro Tools bussing and submixing features are Multi-Mono Plug-ins Are designed for use on ste-
available for all channel formats, from reo or greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks.
mono/stereo through 8-channel. For examples Multi-mono plug-ins are useful, or required, in
of multichannel monitoring, effects processing, the following situations:
and bussing, see “Mixing with Paths and Sub- • When a plug-in does not involve multichan-
Paths” on page 988. For mono and stereo mix nel correlated processing (for example, when
examples, see Chapter 40, “Basic Mixing.” applying EQ to select sides of a multichannel
signal)
Multichannel Auxiliary Inputs and • When you need to adjust signals within the
Master Faders multichannel track independently

A multichannel Auxiliary Input or Master Fader • When a plug-in does not support multichan-
is used as a return for the multichannel bus. nel formats
Sends are useful when you need to create an ad-
When a multi-mono plug-in is first inserted on a
ditional, independent mix simultaneously (per-
multichannel track, the plug-in controls are
haps of a distinct format), requiring dedicated
linked. You can unlink them for independent
fader, mute, solo, and automation controls.
adjustment. See “Linking and Unlinking Con-
You can assign Master Faders to main and sub- trols on Multi-Mono Plug-ins” on page 987 for
paths. Main paths must match the format of the more information.
Master Fader, and only one Master Fader can be
Multi-mono plugs-ins can also be inserted on
active and assigned to any single (active) main
stereo tracks, to apply unlinked plug-ins on the
or sub-path. A Master Fader cannot be assigned
left and right channels.
to a sub-path if its associated main path is al-
ready assigned on another Master Fader. See Multichannel Plug-ins Are designed for use on
“Master Fader Tracks” on page 830. stereo and multichannel tracks that require cor-
related processing, including stereo and multi-
Multichannel Instrument Tracks channel limiting, compression, and similar ef-
fects.
Multichannel tracks can be used to monitor and
route multichannel instrument plug-ins or mul-
Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-
tichannel external MIDI instruments.
Mono Plug-ins
When a multi-mono plug-in is used on a multi-
Mono, Multi-Mono and channel track of more than two channels, the
Multichannel Plug-ins controls are normally linked. Adjusting the
Plug-ins can be used in mono, multi-mono, or Gain control on one channel, for example, will
multichannel formats. adjust it for all channels.

For information about mono, stereo, and mono- If necessary, you can unlink plug-in controls on
in/stereo-out plug-ins, see Chapter 41, “Plug-in specific channels of a track and edit them inde-
and Hardware Inserts.” pendently. You can also selectively link the con-
trols of specific channels.

Chapter 45: Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing 987

 For example, to apply equal filter cutoffs to the To link the controls of specific channels:
Ls and Rs (surround) channels in a 5.1 mix, you
1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al-
could link enable just those channels in an un-
ready deselected.
linked, multi-mono EQ plug-in. Adjusting the
controls in the plug-in window for either chan- 2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels
nel (Ls or Rs) adjusts the other, linked channel whose controls you want to link.
as well.
For more information on using plug-ins, see

Master Link button

Paths in Surround Mixes

Because Pro Tools provides a flexible routing
and submixing environment, you can maximize
Link Enable buttons
Channel selector
your system’s available resources by first identi-
fying the elements that you want to pan dynam-
Channel selector and Link controls
ically and those that can be placed in certain
Channel Selector Accesses a specific channel channels only (see “Mixing with Paths and Sub-
within a multichannel track for plug-in parame- Paths” on page 988).
ter editing. This menu appears only on multi-
mono plug-ins inserted on tracks with more Once you have identified these elements in your
than two channels. session, you can use a combination of main and
sub-path assignments, and multichannel pan-
Master Link Button When enabled, links the ning.
controls on all channels of a multi-mono plug-
in so that they can be adjusted in tandem. Mixing with Paths and Sub-Paths
Link Enable Buttons Let you selectively link the It is rare that every track needs to be “flown” (ac-
controls of specific channels of a multi-mono tively panned in between more than a pair of
plug-in. Each square represents a speaker chan- speakers). In most situations, certain elements
nel. The Master Link button must be disabled to are placed in certain speakers and remain there,
use the Link Enable buttons. providing the foundation for a mix.

To unlink controls on a multi-mono plug-in: Figure 16 on page 989 illustrates an example of

how panning and signal routing can be com-
„ Deselect the Master Link button. It is lit when
bined in a multichannel mix. The following sec-
linked, unlit when unlinked.
tions describe how to organize your session and
signal routing to maximize the available re-
To access controls for a specific channel:
sources.
„ Select the channel from the Channel selector.
See “Extending Stereo Mixing Conventions
To open a plug-in window for all channels of a to Surround Mixing” on page 992 for re-
multi-mono plug-in: lated information.

„ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

Channel selector.

988 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Tracks routed to subpaths Tracks routed to main Auxiliary Input
5.1 surround path routed to main
5.1 surround path

Effect bus
routing

Outputs to
sub-paths

Outputs to main 5.1 path for surround panning

Figure 16. Using signal routing and sub-paths to mix in surround

When to Assign Multichannel Outputs fect.

„ Assign 5.1 paths only to those tracks that need
Elements that need to be heard in all speakers si-
to be panned to all six channels. multaneously can also be assigned to the multi-
channel output, whether or not they require ac-
For example, a sound effects track with a jet fly-
tive panning in the sound field.
over should be assigned a 5.1 path to be able to
fly the sound from front-to-back. In a music
mix, you can fly a solo instrument or make a
synth pad swirl around the room as a special ef-

Chapter 45: Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing 989

 When to Use Sub-Paths
„ To help simplify large sessions, use sub-paths
Example Paths and Signal
to route static (or, stationary) elements directly
Routing for a Surround Mix
to the output channel or channels. The examples that follow show how Auxiliary
Inputs, Master Faders, and other Pro Tools sig-
For example, film dialog is often mixed to the
nal routing features can be used for stem mixes,
center channel to anchor this essential sound el-
submixes, and similar project needs.
ement to the picture. Instead of assigning a six-
channel panner to dialog tracks and panning In these examples, music and effects are being
the tracks to the center speaker only, you can mixed for a trailer, in 5.1 surround. Separate
route the dialog track’s main output to a mono stem mixes (for music and for effects) are to be
(Center) sub-path. mastered to 8-track MDM.

Extending Stereo Mixing Conventions to

Surround Mixing Example Multichannel Paths
Stereo mixing sets the precedent for active and Signal routing is the key element in any
static panning, and surround mixing can bene- Pro Tools surround session. Signal routing is
fit from the same basic principles. configured and defined in the I/O Setup dialog.

Panning a sound back-and-forth between the Example Output Paths

left and right speakers is best used as a special ef-
fect. In a typical music mix, the basic tracks are Figure 17 shows output paths defined in the I/O
placed in the stereo sound field and remain Setup dialog of an example session that was cre-
there. ated on a Pro Tools|HD system with one 96 I/O
audio interface.
Surround mixes can become incoherent if too
many elements are continuously moving, For
special effects, some tracks can be panned dy-
namically, bouncing between speakers or sweep-
ing from one side to the other.

Figure 17. I/O Setup, example output paths

990 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Sub-paths have been defined for Mix, Music, Example Sub-Paths
and FX main output paths.
Sub-paths let you route to selective channels
Additional stereo output paths, with mono sub- within the multichannel surround output. In
paths, have also been defined for the remaining Figure 19, the Mix 5.1 bus has several sub-paths
channels. that show this.

Example Bus Paths

Figure 18 shows example bus paths.

Figure 19. I/O Setup, example sub-paths

5.0 Sub-Path The 5.0 path is a 5-channel sub-

path. Use this type of sub-path routing to con-
serve mixing resources with tracks you want to
keep out of the LFE channel.

LFE Path A custom LFE sub-path (“Lf”) has been

added to provide a discrete mono path for the
LFE channel.

Figure 18. I/O Setup, example bus paths

An LCR format path (“Dialog”) and two 5.1 for-

mat paths (“Music” and “FX”) have been de-
fined, each with several sub-paths.

Chapter 45: Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing 991

 Signal Routing Examples Extending Stereo Mixing Conventions to
Surround Mixing
The following examples show how main and
sub-paths can be used, using an example session Stereo mixing sets the precedent for active and
consisting of a 5.1 main mix, with music and ef- static panning, and surround mixing can bene-
fects stems (or submixes). fit from the same basic principles.

Panning a sound back-and-forth between the

Submix Stem Examples
left and right speakers is best used as a special ef-
Figure 20 shows a routing configuration for an fect. In a typical music mix, the basic tracks are
effects submix. Two tracks are routed to stereo placed in the stereo sound field and remain
bus sub-paths, while others are assigned to an there.
LCR and a mono bus sub-path. Two tracks (one
Surround mixes can become incoherent if too
mono, one stereo) are assigned to multichannel
many elements are continuously moving, For
busses for surround panning. A 5.1 Auxiliary In-
special effects, some tracks can be panned dy-
put assigned to the FX main bus path serves as a
namically, bouncing between speakers or sweep-
submixer.
ing from one side to the other.

Figure 20. FX stem

992 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Figure 21 shows a routing configuration for music tracks.

Figure 21. Music stem

Most of the music tracks in this example are LFE Examples

routed to the front left/right channels, using a
stereo sub-path. A 5.1 Auxiliary Input controls LFE tracks and other audio can contribute to the
the bus and stem output. LFE output in two ways:
• Using the LFE fader in Output windows. This
Multiple Output Assignments LFE signal is post-fader.

Multiple output assignments make it possible to – or –

configure a number of multi-format mixes. For • Using a custom sub-path to route channels
example, you can assign an additional stereo discretely.
output to tracks and create a stereo mix at the
same time as a 5.1 mix. For more information,
see “Multiple Output Assignments” on
page 840.

Chapter 45: Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing 993

 Figure 22 shows a channel Output window,
sending and metering to the LFE channel.
Main output
LFE fader to mono
LFE channel

Figure 23. Discrete LFE routing

Figure 22. LFE contribution from a stereo output LFE faders can follow Mix and Edit Groups.
For information, see “Selecting Group At-
Using the LFE fader, you can add any amount of
tributes” on page 207.
any multichannel path to the overall LFE out-
put. In the above example, the track’s Center
percentage has been turned off, and the LFE For instructions on how to create a sub-
fader has been raised to route it to the LFE chan- path, see “Custom Multichannel Paths” on
nel. page 978.

Figure 23 shows how a “traditional” LFE track LFE and Filtering

can be routed to only the LFE channel. This ex-
Pro Tools applies no filtering to LFE signals.
ample uses a custom-defined LFE sub-path to
Some delivery requirements may require filter-
the FX main bus path.
ing for the LFE track. For more information, see
the Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide.

994 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 46: Surround Panning and
Mixing

This chapter explains how to pan and mix in

surround with Pro Tools. Introduction to Pro Tools
Surround Panning
Multichannel surround mixing is supported
with Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with There are four different track panning methods
Complete Production Toolkit only. In this available:
chapter, all references to Pro Tools refer to • In the Edit window, using the reduced-height
Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Com- Panner Grid in the I/O View
plete Production Toolkit.
• In the Mix window, using the reduced-height
Multichannel mixing is supported on Panner Grid
Pro Tools|HD systems only. In this chapter, all • In the Output window, using the full-size
references to Pro Tools refer to Pro Tools|HD sys- Panner Grid
tems.
• Through pan automation editing
Before you can pan a track in surround, it must
Control surfaces provide additional panning op-
be assigned to an appropriate multichannel out-
tions. Refer to the documentation for your con-
put or bus path.
trol surface for more information.
The I/O Setup dialog defines the bussing and
output architecture of the Pro Tools multichan-
nel surround mixer. If you have not already
done so, it is recommended that you become fa-
miliar with main and sub-paths and the
I/O Setup dialog before starting multichannel
Pro Tools projects.

See Chapter 44, “Pro Tools Setup for Sur-

round” for more information on multichan-
nel configurations and I/O Setup options.
For multichannel signal routing, see
Chapter 45, “Multichannel Tracks and
Signal Routing.”

Chapter 46: Surround Panning and Mixing 995

 Mix and Edit Window Panner Grids Pan Location Cursor Color while Automating

In the Mix and Edit window, multichannel Pan- The Pan Location cursor is green when the track
ner Grids are displayed on tracks that have mul- is in Automation Read mode, red in an Automa-
tichannel track or send output assignments. tion Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch, or Write
modes, and yellow in Automation Off (or Auto-
To pan from the Mix or Edit window: mation Suspend) mode.

1 To pan in the Edit window, make sure I/O In Trim mode, the Volume fader and LFE fader
View is being shown (View > Edit Window > I/O). are yellow.
Panner Grids are always displayed in Mix win-
dow tracks that support panning. Output windows provide additional features
and controls (and a much larger Grid). For de-
2 Begin playback. tails, see “Output Windows” on page 996.
3 Drag in the appropriate multichannel track’s
Panner Grid in the Mix or Edit windows.
Output Windows
Drag to pan
Output windows provide panning controls
(called panners), as well as standard Pro Tools
controls, for tracks of all mix formats (from 3-
channel LCR through 8-channel 7.1).

For information on Output window standard

controls, see “Standard Controls” on page 997.
For information on Output window panning
controls, see “Surround Panner Controls” on
page 998.

Some of the features of Output windows in-

clude:
• X/Y (joystick-style) panning
• 3-Knob panning
Panning in the Track Grid
• Full Divergence and Center Percentage
The Pan Location cursor follows your move- control
ments as long as you hold down the mouse but-
• AutoGlide
ton. Movements are scaled so that, once you
• LFE feed
click to “grab” the Pan Location cursor, you do
not need to limit your movements to the small • Multichannel meters
Track Grid area. • Pro Tools target window support

Multiple panners can be opened simulta-

neously, or a single window can display the cur-
rent panner.

996 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To open an Output window:
„ Click the Output Window button (it’s the
Standard Controls
small fader at the right edge of the Output selec- All Output windows provide standard Pro Tools
tor for a track in the Mix or Edit window (I/O controls for routing, path assignment and other
View). track features. These controls are located at the
top of all Output, Send, Insert, and Plug-in win-
dows. Some controls are specific to the type of
window.

Show meters
Track selector Path selector Target icon

Output selector Automation Safe

Panner Control section

For details on these standard features, see

“Standard Selector Controls in Output Win-
dows” on page 851.
Opening a multichannel Output window
Track Fader, Solo, Mute, and Auto

For instructions on managing multiple Out- All Output windows provide track volume and
put windows, see “Output Windows for mute controls. You can adjust and automate
Tracks and Sends” on page 849. track volume, or mute, directly using these con-
trols. The larger fader and Mute button are
equivalent to those in the Pro Tools Mix win-
dow.

Chapter 46: Surround Panning and Mixing 997

 Surround Panner Controls
When assigned to tracks or paths with four or more channels, the Output window provides an X/Y
Grid for surround panning. The speakers associated with the panner’s multichannel format are dis-
played in their relative positions outside the Panner Grid. These speakers are also used as Snap Pan to
Speaker controls.

This section identifies all the controls and features found in Pro Tools multichannel panners.

Click to show meters

Snap Pan to Speaker icons

Pan Location LFE fader

cursor

X/Y Grid

Track Automation.
Panning Mode button Solo, and Mute

Position
Track fader and meter
(knob panners)

Center %

Divergence

Figure 24. Output window with a 5.1-format multichannel panner

998 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The X/Y Grid and Pan Location Position Controls
Cursor The Position controls let you set the positions of
The X/Y Grid is where multichannel panning the panner.
information is input and displayed. You can in-
put pan information using X/Y mode, 3-Knob
mode, or by entering numeric values in the Po-
sition data fields. You can also edit pan automa-
tion graphically in the Edit window.
Position and Center % controls

Front Displays and controls the current front X-

axis (left/right) position of the panner.

Rear Displays and controls the current rear X-

Pan Location axis (left/right) position of the panner. In de-
cursor fault X/Y Panning mode, Rear is linked to Front
position and cannot be controlled indepen-
X/Y grid dently.

F/R (Front/Rear) Displays and controls the cur-

rent Y-axis position of the panner.
X/Y Grid and Pan Location cursor

Multichannel panners default to X/Y mode. In

Center % Control
X/Y mode, the track’s current pan position is Center % controls how much of the signal is
represented by a green dot. This dot is the Pan routed to the center speaker. This lets you mix a
Location cursor, and its color indicates track au- track to the front with a phantom center (0%
tomation status using standard Pro Tools colors: Center value) or to three-channel (LCR) when
panning front.
Green The track is in automation Read mode.

Red The track is in automation Write, Touch, Divergence Controls

Latch, or Touch/Latch mode.
Divergence determines the width of the panned
Yellow The track is in automation Off mode (or signal with respect to neighboring speakers. (For
Automation Suspend) mode. more information, see the Pro Tools Sync & Sur-
round Concepts Guide). There are three Diver-
Panning Mode Button gence controls:

This button, located below the X/Y Grid, pro-

vides access to Surround panning modes (see
“Panning Modes” on page 1001).

X/Y mode icon

Panner Mode button set to X/Y mode

Chapter 46: Surround Panning and Mixing 999

 Front, Rear, and F/R Divergence Provide sepa- Multichannel Panner Linking
rate, automatable divergence control over front
speakers, rear speakers, and between front/rear, Stereo tracks with multichannel outputs provide
respectively. left and right multichannel panners. The Out-
put window provides controls to link the left
and right channels for precise panning.

When you create a stereo track that is routed to

a multichannel output, the following pan link-
age controls are active by default:
Divergence controls
• Link (links Left and Right pan controls)
• Front Inverse (inverts Left and Right pan
For examples of how divergence settings af-
control linkage across front)
fect output panning, see “Divergence and
• Rear Inverse (inverts Left and Right pan
Center Percentage” on page 1004.
control linkage across rear)
Snap Pan to Speaker Icons The Front/Rear Inverse pan control is unlinked
The Snap Pan to Speaker icons let you force the by default.
panner to the speaker’s location. For example,
Link
clicking on the upper left speaker moves the Pan Front Inverse
Location cursor to the upper left corner of the
X/Y Grid. Front/Rear Inverse

LFE Fader Rear Inverse

Stereo multichannel panner controls showing default

The LFE fader is only available in “.1” surround
linking
formats (5.1, 6.1, and 7.1).

LFE fader

The LFE fader determines how much of the cur-

rent track’s signal will be routed to the LFE chan-
nel. LFE faders in Track and Send windows can
follow groups. The Pro Tools LFE channel is al-
ways full-bandwidth. For more information on
how to use the LFE fader, see “LFE Faders in Mul-
tichannel Panners” on page 1005.

1000 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To enable a Panning Mode:
Panning Modes „ Click on the Panning Mode button in the Sur-

The Panning Mode button provides access to round Panner until the mode icon is displayed.
four panning modes: X/Y mode, Divergence Ed-
iting, 3-Knob mode, and AutoGlide mode. Pan-
X/Y Panning
ning controls can be automated in all four
modes.
To pan in X/Y mode:
1 Click on the Panning Mode button until the
X/Y mode icon is displayed.

X/Y mode icon

Panner Mode button set to X/Y mode

2 Drag the Pan Location cursor, or click any-

where in the Grid and drag to pan the track. The
location of the Pan Location cursor determines
the pan position of the signal. For example, to
pan something to the left rear speaker, move the
Pan Location cursor to the lower-left corner of
Panning Mode button
the Grid.
Panning Mode button (X/Y mode shown)
It is not necessary to click exactly on the Pan
Panning Modes
Location cursor. Clicking anywhere in the
X/Y Mode Joystick-style panning by dragging Grid will move the Pan Location cursor rel-
the Pan Location cursor within the X/Y Speaker ative to where you click or take over with a
Grid. See “X/Y Panning” on page 1001 for more hardware panner. Panning does not jump to
information. the click position.

3-Knob Mode Point-to-point panning, between

pairs of speakers. See “3-Knob Panning” on
page 1002 for more information.

Divergence Editing The divergence X/Y Grid can

be dragged to resize the divergence boundaries.
See “Divergence Editing Mode” on page 1005.

AutoGlide Mode Point-to-point panning from

the Pan Location cursor to a new destination
over a specified AutoGlide Time. See “AutoGlide
Mode” on page 1003 for more information. X/Y Panning

Chapter 46: Surround Panning and Mixing 1001

 To snap the Pan Location cursor to a location in 3-Knob Panning
the Grid:
Pro Tools provides 3-Knob mode as an addi-
„ Control-Shift-click (Windows) or Command-
tional way to input pan moves.
Shift-click (Mac) at the location in the X/Y Grid.
3-Knob mode lets you:
Grid Options and Shortcuts • Pan in straight lines, moving the Pan Location
Fine-Adjust Mode Hold down the Control key cursor using the Position rotary knobs with
(Windows) or Command key (Mac) for fine ad- full movement of front, rear, and front-rear
justment of all Panner controls. position.
– and –
Constraining to X or Y Movement Shift-drag the
Pan Location cursor to constrain its movement • Pan discretely between pairs of speakers.
to the X or Y direction.
For example, when panning front-left to rear-
Reset to Default Alt-click (Windows) or Option- right in 3-Knob mode, audio will be heard from
click (Mac) in the Panner Grid to reset all con- just those two speakers (assuming full diver-
trols to their default position. gence is in effect).

Snap Pan to Speaker Click one of the Snap Pan

to Speaker icons to force the panner to that
speaker location.

Display Automation in Edit Window Control- 3-Knob trajectory

Start-click (Windows) or Command-Control-
click (Mac) a control to display that control’s
playlist in the Edit window.

All Pan controls can be automated, includ-

ing pan position and divergence. See
Chapter 42, “Automation” for details. 3-Knob mode

Panning and metering in 3-Knob mode

By comparison, in X/Y mode a diagonal pan

may result in audio being heard in some or all
channels.

The difference is that 3-Knob mode pans dis-

cretely between the front and rear position of
the panning trajectory, while X/Y mode panning
takes place in the full 360° Panning Grid. Diver-
gence and Center Percentage are variable in
both Panning modes.

1002 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To enable 3-Knob Panning mode: AutoGlide Mode
„ Click on the Panning Mode button until the AutoGlide mode lets you quickly write Surround
3-Knob mode icon is displayed. Panner automation by clicking new locations in
the Surround Panner window, instead of manu-
ally moving the Surround Panner controls.
3-Knob mode icon

Panner Mode button set to 3-Knob mode When writing automation in AutoGlide
mode, the Pan Location cursor cannot be
The panner trajectory line appears across the dragged from its location.
Grid, extending from the front (X-axis) to the
rear (Y-axis). The time it takes to glide from point to point
(from the Pan Location cursor to the new desti-
To pan in 3-Knob mode: nation) is called the AutoGlide Time. This time
is set in the Mixing Preferences page and has a
1 Adjust the Front and Rear Position knobs to
range of 10 msec to 10000 msec (10 seconds).
set the trajectory line.

2 Rotate the Front/Rear Position knob to pan To set the AutoGlide Time
along the trajectory. The Pan Location cursor is
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Mix-
constrained to the white trajectory line.
ing tab.

To change the 3-Knob trajectory angles, do one of 2 Set the AutoGlide Time in the Automation
the following: section.
„ Drag either end point (Front or Rear) of the

trajectory line. To do an AutoGlide automation pass:

– or – 1 Click the Panning Mode button until the

AutoGlide mode icon is displayed.
„ Adjust the Front or Rear Position controls.

To change the current trajectory position (left-to-

right) and retain its current angles: AutoGlide mode icon

„ Drag the trajectory line (not its end points) to Panner Mode button set to AutoGlide mode
a new position. The Panning Mode button displays a slanted
dotted line that ends with a filled in dot (repre-
senting a cursor) at its top right corner.

2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-

tion Mode selector and select an Automation
mode for the track you want to automate.

3 Press Play to begin playback.

Chapter 46: Surround Panning and Mixing 1003

 4 Set a new destination for the cursor by doing
one of the following: Divergence and Center
• Click a Snap Pan to Speaker icon to glide to Percentage
its speaker location.
The Divergence and Center Percentage controls
– or – range from 0 to 100, and can be automated.
• Click in the pan window to glide to a spe- They are especially useful for ensuring audibility
cific location in the X/Y Grid. and coverage in large venues, and to increase
clarity of voices.
Snap Pan to
Speaker icons Front Divergence Controls divergence between
front speakers (X-axis only).

Pan Location Rear Divergence Controls divergence between

cursor
the rear speakers (X-axis only).

Front/Rear Divergence Controls divergence be-

tween front and rear (the Y-axis).

Center % (Percentage) Determines whether

AutoGlide mode
there is a discrete center image, a completely
phantom center image, or a variable amount in
Panning Mode button (AutoGlide mode shown) between.

The Pan Location cursor will begin to move to-

wards the new destination in the time it takes to Divergence
travel the AutoGlide Time. When the new desti-
In the Panner Grid, the current divergence val-
nation point is reached, a new breakpoint will
ues are displayed using a purple outline.
be written at the new location.

5 Repeat the previous step if you want to write

additional panning moves.

6 Stop the transport when finished.

Divergence display

Divergence controls

Divergence display and controls

1004 Pro Tools Reference Guide

By default, Pro Tools surround panners are 2 Drag in the Grid to resize the divergence
100% or fully divergent, meaning that a signal boundaries.
that is panned completely to one speaker will
only be audible in that speaker.
Center % (Percentage)
Lower divergence settings result in a progres-
Center Percentage controls whether there is a
sively wider source signal. When Divergence is
discrete center channel for the track or a phan-
less than 100%, tracks will be routed to neigh-
tom center channel.
boring speakers to some degree, even when the
Pan Location cursor is positioned next to a sin- Center Percentage Example
gle speaker.
In film and video production, the center chan-
nel often contains dialog. To enhance the clarity
of dialog, it is often beneficial to keep elements
such as music out of the center speaker. By re-
Pan Location ducing the Center Percentage on music tracks,
cursor
music panned to the front of the soundfield can
be panned to only the left and right speakers,
forcing them to have a variable phantom center
image.
Front
Divergence
To adjust Center Percentage:

Front Divergence at less than 100% for wider panning „ Adjust the Center Percentage knob as appro-
priate.
To adjust divergence:
„ Adjust the Front, Rear, and Front/Rear Diver- As you reduce the Center Percentage value, the
gence controls as necessary. center speaker at the top of the Grid becomes
less visible. At 0, the center speaker is com-
pletely invisible, reflecting the setting for fully
Divergence Editing Mode
phantom center.
In Divergence Editing mode, you can adjust the
divergence boundaries by dragging directly in
the Divergence Grid.
Center % set to 0 (no center speaker shown)
To adjust divergence graphically:
1 Click on the Panning Mode button until the
Divergence Editing icon is displayed. LFE Faders in Multichannel
Panners
The LFE fader controls how much of the track is
Divergence Editing icon
sent to LFE. LFE faders are only available when a
Panner Mode button set to Divergence Editing track is assigned to a path whose format sup-
ports LFE (5.1, 6.1, or 7.1).

Chapter 46: Surround Panning and Mixing 1005

 To mix to the LFE channel:
„Adjust the LFE fader in any “.1” surround for-
Pan Playlists
mat Output window. Multichannel panners have an automation
playlist for each position and divergence con-
For general information about LFE, sub trol.
channels, and related topics, see the
Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide. Pan automation can be drawn, edited, cut,
copied, and pasted from the Edit window.
LFE Faders and Groups For more information, see Chapter 42, “Au-
tomation.”
Track and send LFE faders can follow Mix and
Edit Groups by being enabled in the Group At-
tributes page in either the Create Groups or
Modify Groups dialog. LFE faders can be as- Surround Scope Plug-in
signed to follow groups as a global attribute or
The Surround Scope plug-in provides a 360°
on a group by group basis. See “Selecting Group
meter for metering multichannel paths during
Attributes” on page 207.
mixing.

LFE Enable 5.1 Format Track Layouts

Some multichannel plug-ins, including the mul- All 5.1-format meters (including those displayed
tichannel DigiRack Dynamics III Compres- in the Surround Scope meter, on tracks, and in
sor/Limiter, provide LFE Enable. This lets you Output windows and their Path Meter Views)
enable or bypass processing of the LFE channel are always arranged in the following order:
if present. L C R Ls Rs LFE

For more information on Pro Tools meter-

ing, see “5.1 Tracks, Formats, Mapping,
and Metering” on page 979.

To use the Surround Scope Plug-in:

„ On a multichannel Master Fader, click an In-
LFE Enable in the multichannel DigiRack Dynamics III sert button and select Multichannel TDM plug-in >
Compressor/Limiter
Sound Field > Surround Scope.
To process the LFE channel in a multichannel plug-
Surround Scope displays output levels in both a
in:
360° Grid, and in traditional LED meters.
„ Click to enable LFE Enable in supporting mul-

tichannel plug-ins. LFE Enable is highlighted For details on Surround Scope, refer to the
when LFE processing is enabled, and unhigh- Digidesign Plug-ins Guide.
lighted when LFE processing is bypassed.

When LFE Enable is unavailable, try using

the multi-mono version of the plug-in.

1006 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Part XI: Sync and Video

1007
1008
Chapter 47: Working with
Synchronization

Synchronization allows one system to output SMPTE Trigger Resolved with a SYNC
time code and the other device to chase (follow) Peripheral
that time code. Pro Tools is synchronized to
(Pro Tools HD Only)
other devices using SMPTE/EBU time code or
MIDI Time Code. You can use an optional Digidesign Synchroni-
zation peripheral (such as the SYNC HD) to re-
For more information on different solve Pro Tools recording and playback speed
SMPTE/EBU formats, and other concepts with any of the following clock reference
related to time code, refer to the Pro Tools sources while slaving Pro Tools to time code:
Sync & Surround Concepts Guide.
• LTC
• Video source
• House video reference (SD or HD)
Pro Tools Synchronization
• VITC
Options
• 1x Word Clock
There are several options for synchronizing • AES/EBU “null” clock
Pro Tools to an external source or using
• Pilot Tone
Pro Tools as the master device. Not all options
are available on all Pro Tools systems, as noted. • Bi-Phase

This enables long-term, high-fidelity synchroni-

SMPTE Trigger Only zation when all transports within the system are
resolved to this common synchronization
This solution is useful for short projects if both
source, or by resolving to any variations in in-
systems are extremely close in speed, but even
coming time code while slaving to time code.
the best systems will rarely stay perfectly syn-
chronized for longer than a couple of minutes.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1009

 SMPTE Trigger while Locking to an Unresolved Ext. Clock Output
Source
Pro Tools can be used as the master device in
SMPTE Trigger can be used with an optional your synchronization setup, where all other de-
SYNC peripheral or equivalent Digidesign-qual- vices are then slaved to Pro Tools Word Clock
ified device to resolve Pro Tools recording and output.
playback speed while slaving to LTC. This en-
ables long-term, accurate synchronization by re- With Pro Tools|HD systems, clock output can be
solving to any variations in incoming time code. configured for 1x Word Clock, or 256x Slave
SYNC peripherals also support VITC and Bi- Clock for Digidesign Legacy audio interfaces
phase/Tach positional reference. (such as the 888|24 I/O).

For more information on configuring

SYNC Peripheral Synchronization
Legacy audio interfaces, see the
Options
Pro Tools|HD Setup Guide.
By adding a Digidesign Synchronization periph-
To set Ext. Clock Output:
eral to your Pro Tools|HD system, you can use
Pro Tools as the master device in your synchro- 1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Hardware.
nization setup. All other devices are then slaved
2 Click the Ext. Clock Output pop-up menu and
to Pro Tools.
select an available signal.
You can use Pro Tools in conjunction with a 3 Click OK to close the Hardware Setup dialog
Synchronization peripheral to generate LTC, when you have finished.
MIDI Time Code, or MMC commands. When
the SYNC peripheral is reading incoming SMPTE If the Legacy Port is enabled (as opposed to
time code, it regenerates the time code through the Expansion Port) then the Ext. Clock
the LTC or MTC output connector. This signal Output automatically switches to
can be passed along to other slave devices. Slave Clock.

MachineControl™

Digidesign Synchronization peripherals also Session Setup Window

support Digidesign MachineControl software,
The Session Setup window lets you configure
which provides many specialized features for
various time code-related settings on your sys-
post production synchronization tasks includ-
tem. The window also includes display-only ar-
ing remote track arming, VTR emulation, serial
eas for session sample rate, file format, bit
time code, and other capabilities. (See the Ma-
depth, and pull up and pull down rates.
chineControl Guide for more information, or con-
tact your Digidesign dealer.) Pro Tools LE systems with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 support
For instructions on connecting an external
various time code–related settings (such as
synchronization peripheral to your Pro Tools
Time Code and Feet+Frame Timebase
system, refer to your Setup Guide. If you are
rulers). For a complete list, refer to the
using a SYNC peripheral, refer to its docu-
Complete Production Toolkit Guide or the
mentation.
DV Toolkit 2 Guide.

1010 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The Session Setup window is organized into To expand SYNC Setup & Session Offset section:
three sections. Session displays and settings are
„ Click the SYNC Setup & Time Code Offsets ex-
displayed at the top of the window. The SYNC
pand/collapse triangle.
Setup & Session Offsets section, and the Time
Code Settings section, can be shown or hidden The controls in this section configure settings of
using their dedicated expand/collapse triangles. Digidesign SYNC Peripherals. Settings are pro-
See Figure 25 on page 1011. vided for Clock and Positional Reference, Video
Ref Format, Video In Format, and Variable Speed
To show the Session Setup window: Override.
„ From a Pro Tools session, choose Setup >

Session. To show Time Code Settings section:

„ Click the Time Code Settings expand/collapse
Press Control+2 (Windows) or triangle.
Command+2 (Mac) to open the Session
Setup window. The controls in this section provide time code
generation and freewheel options, and separate
pull up and down selectors for audio and video
rates.

Clock Source Session displays

and settings
SYNC & Time Code
Offsets section

SYNC Setup settings External Time Code

Offset settings
Time Code Reader
Time Code Settings offset
section
Generator settings Pull Up/Pull Down
settings

Freewheel settings

Figure 25. Session Setup window with a SYNC Peripheral

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1011

 Session Displays and Settings External Clock Sources Depending on your
Pro Tools|HD audio interface, external Clock
Sample Rate Source options can include AES/EBU, S/PDIF,
S/PDIF Optical, ADAT Optical, TDIF, and Word Clock
This display indicates the sample rate for the (optional word clock rates are available at higher
current session. session sample rates). External sources can be
any multiple of the “base” rate. The base rate is
Bit Depth 44.1 kHz for 88.2 and 176.4 kHz sources. The
base rate is 48 kHz for 96 and 192 kHz sources. If
This display indicates the bit depth for the cur-
an external source is chosen and no valid sync
rent session.
clock is detected at the External Clock In, the
I/O reverts to Internal mode.
Audio Format
If a SYNC Peripheral is enabled in the
This display indicates the file format for files re-
Peripherals dialog, and is correctly
corded in the session.
connected in the Loop Sync chain, the
SYNC peripheral can be the Loop
Clock Source Master, and Pro Tools|HD audio
Use this menu to configure the system Clock interfaces will clock as Loop Sync slaves.
Source. You can choose between a SYNC periph-
eral, an internal clock source from a Digidesign For more information on external clock
peripheral, or an external clock source con- sources, refer to your SYNC peripheral
nected to a Pro Tools|HD audio interface. documentation.

Changes made to Clock Source in the System Delay

Hardware Setup dialog will be reflected in
the Session Setup window and vice versa. When Delay Compensation is enabled (Options
> Delay Compensation), this display indicates the
Clock Source Options total amount of delay (in samples) applied by
the system to compensate for plug-ins and
SYNC When using a SYNC Peripheral, Pro Tools
mixer routing delays.
receives its clock source from the SYNC periph-
eral. The SYNC Peripheral can in turn reference
an external clock source, selected in the SYNC
Session Start
Setup section of the Session Setup window. Use this field to specify a SMPTE start frame edge
location for your session. See “Setting a SMPTE
Internal In Internal mode, your system refer-
Session Start Time (Start Frame)” on page 1016.
ences your Digidesign peripheral’s internal
clock and plays back at the session’s sample rate.
Incoming Time (Current Time)
This display indicates incoming time code from
an external source (such as a VTR).

1012 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Time Code Rate
The Time Code Rate setting lets you set the
SMPTE time code rate for the current session.

Feet+Frame Rate
The Feet+Frame Rate setting lets you set the
Feet+Frame rates for sessions. Supported rates
include 23.976, 24, and 25 fps.
SYNC Setup
Set this rate to match the rate of the film projec-
Clock Reference This menu lets you set the
tor, or the video if the film projector speed is
Pro Tools clock reference.
taken into account. For example, doing a Tele-
cine transfer from a 24 fps film projector to ‹ When using a Digidesign Synchronization pe-

NTSC video would necessitate the projector run- ripheral, the Clock Reference selector lists all
ning at 23.976 fps. This is regardless of whether supported clock types for the Synchronization
the session is using pull down audio or not. peripheral.
‹ When using Pro Tools|HD systems without a

Time Code 2 Rate Synchronization peripheral, choices include

any currently-enabled digital format or source
The Time Code 2 Rate setting lets you set a sec-
available from your Pro Tools|HD I/O (such as
ondary frame rate that can be displayed in the
AES, S/PDIF, or 1x Word arriving at the
ruler alongside the main Time Code ruler. This
Pro Tools|HD interface’s Word Clock In port).
lets you reference frame rates in the Timeline
that are different from the session time code rate Positional Reference Sets the time code source
(also see “Timebase Rulers” on page 663). for Pro Tools to use for positional reference.

Video Ref Format Sets the video reference format

SYNC Setup and Time Code for a Synchronization peripheral.
Offsets
Video In Format Indicates the expected format at
(Pro Tools HD Only)
the Video In connector on a Synchronization
peripheral. At certain HD rates, a pop-up menu
Sync Setup
is provided for selecting a format.
The controls in the SYNC Setup section let you
Variable Speed Override (VSO) Requires a Digide-
\

configure SYNC peripheral settings, including

sign SYNC peripheral. When a SYNC peripheral
clock reference, positional reference, video refer-
is connected to a Pro Tools|HD system, the VSO
ence format, video input format, and Variable
controls are located in the SYNC Setup section
Speed Override (VSO).
of the Session Setup window.

Refer to your SYNC peripheral documentation

for instructions on using VSO to varispeed
Pro Tools playback.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1013

 Ref Present, Locked, and Speed Cal Indicators • SYNC HD
• Yellow Solid: SYNC HD is locked and the
The Ref Present, Locked, and Speed Cal indica-
clock reference is within 0.025% of the ex-
tors in the SYNC Setup section of the Session
pected rate
Setup window display synchronization status of
the SYNC peripheral. The Locked and Speed Cal • Yellow Flashing Fast: SYNC HD is locked
indicators reflect the state of the same LEDs on but the clock reference is between 0.025%
the front panel. and 4% faster than the expected rate
• Yellow Flashing Slow: SYNC HD is locked
but the clock reference is between 0.025%
and 4% slower than the expected rate
• Red Flashing Fast: SYNC HD is locked but
the clock reference is more than 4% faster
Ref Present, Locked, and Speed Cal Indicators
than the expected rate
Ref Present Indicator The Ref Present indicator • Red Flashing Slow: SYNC HD is locked but
lights when the Video Ref In connector is receiv- the clock reference is more than 4% slower
ing a valid video signal. than the expected rate

Locked Indicator The Locked indicator lights • Unlit: SYNC HD is not locked to the chosen
solid green when the SYNC peripheral is locked clock reference
to the selected clock reference. The Locked indi-
cator flashes yellow if the selected clock refer- External Time Code Offsets
ence source is missing or out of lockable fre-
In the External Time Code Offsets section,
quency range.
Pro Tools lets you compensate for devices that
Speed Cal Indicator This indicator shows the sta- are consistently offset by a fixed number of
tus of the incoming clock reference:, depending frames (such as some color–corrected video mas-
on the type of SYNC peripheral you are using: ters), or for material that starts at a different
time than the session.
• SYNC I/O
• Lit: SYNC I/O is locked and the clock refer- Pro Tools provides four different types of Exter-
ence is within 0.025% of the expected rate nal Time Code Offset settings. These offsets in-
• Flashing fast: SYNC I/O is locked but the clude:
clock reference is more than 0.025% faster • MMC (MIDI Machine Control)
than the expected rate • 9-Pin (Deck Control)
• Flashing slow: SYNC I/O is locked but the • Synchronization peripherals such as the
clock reference is more than 0.025% slower SYNC HD, SYNC I/O, or other peripherals
than the expected rate (such as MIDI interfaces that provide MIDI
• Unlit: Clock reference is not within 0.025% Time Code).
of the expected rate • Satellite (Pro Tools with Satellite Link or
Video Satellite)

Unique values can be defined for each of these

types of offsets, or you can link all to adjust in
unison.

1014 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Positive and negative offset values can be en- Time Code Settings
tered to offset Pro Tools time code display later
or earlier, respectively. Freewheel
If you are using the MachineControl option, ad- The choices in the Freewheel section let you
ditional options for External Time Code Offsets configure how Pro Tools will freewheel, or con-
are available. See the MachineControl Guide for tinue playback if time code is interrupted or cor-
more information. rupted. Use these options to protect against er-
rors that can occur if your SMPTE time code
To redefine the External Time Code offsets: source has “drop outs” or temporary lost signals.
1 Choose Setup > External Time Code Offset.
None No freewheel is applied.

Frames Sets a number of frames to freewheel,

from 1 to 120 frames. This value defaults to 8
frames, which is the recommended setting for
most applications.

Jam Sync Lets Pro Tools trigger synchronization

to incoming time code, and continue to play
Redefine External Time Code Offset dialog
back even if time code input is completely inter-
2 In the Redefine External Time Code Offset di- rupted. It can be useful if time code is damaged,
alog, enter the offset you want in the Desired or has been accidentally erased from your source
Time Code Position field. tape.
3 Click OK.
Pull Up/Down
Sample Offset (Sync Offset)
When Pro Tools is used in conjunction with a
This field lets you set a trigger offset for incoming SYNC peripheral, or a Digidesign-qualified
MIDI Time Code (anywhere from –100000 to third-party peripheral that supports pulled sam-
+100000 samples). This lets you create a perma- ple rates, this option lets you “pull up” or “pull
nent offset to fine-tune the point at which down” the current sample rate.
Pro Tools synchronizes relative to incoming
For general information, see the Pro Tools Sync &
time code. For example, a value of –50 makes an
Surround Concepts Guide. For more information
event in Pro Tools occur 50 samples before the
on applying pull factors in Pro Tools, see “Pull
same event in the incoming MIDI Time Code.
Up and Pull Down” on page 1018.
Use this to compensate for timing differences
between various SMPTE-to-MIDI Time Code
Remember, pull up and pull down are ap-
converters or analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog
plied differently in different workflows.
converters.
Make sure you check each project’s specific
workflow before you begin your work.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1015

 Selecting a SMPTE Format
Preparing to Work with SMPTE
The first step when preparing to work with To choose a SMPTE format:
SMPTE is to choose an appropriate SMPTE frame 1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session.
rate. Pro Tools supports all standard SMPTE
2 Choose a frame rate (SMPTE format) from the
frame rates. If you are working with SMPTE
Time Code Rate selector.
striped tape, it is important to know the frame
rate. In some cases, a SYNC peripheral can be 3 Enter the Time Code Freewheel frames (if any)
used to do this. in the designated box (see “Freewheel” on
page 1015).
For a full explanation of SMPTE frame
rates, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround
Concepts Guide. Setting a SMPTE Session Start
Time (Start Frame)
The Session Setup window also allows you to set
Configuring Pro Tools for a SMPTE Start Frame for your session. Video
SMPTE work tapes are rarely striped beginning at a
SMPTE frame address of 00:00:00:00. You can
Synchronization and MachineControl system
quickly enter a start time for your session based
settings are enabled in the Pro Tools Peripherals
on an appropriate frame number from your
dialog (Setup > Peripherals). These settings are
project tape. The Pro Tools SMPTE-related func-
system settings, and remain constant regardless
tions (such as Spot mode) will then use this
of the particular session you are working on.
value as their reference for the session’s start
Configure these settings before opening a ses-
point.
sion.

MachineControl is supported on Start Time When Striping Tape

Pro Tools|HD systems only.
If you are generating time code, it is a good prac-
Other settings are configured in the Session tice to stripe your time code beginning at
Setup window, such as the session Time Code 01:00:00:00 (subtracting time for the head for-
rate, the Feet+Frames rate, the session start mat, such as initial black, bars and tone, or
frame, and time display format. These settings logos). This prevents problems that can occur
are session-specific settings. These settings can with some synchronizers when the striped time
only be configured when a session is open. 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 Setup > Session.

2 Enter a SMPTE frame number in the Session

Start field.

1016 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To capture an incoming SMPTE address as the Redefining a Feet+Frames
session start time: Position
1 Click in the Session Start field. (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
2 Begin playback of the time code source. Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)

3 At the location where you want to capture the Use the Current Feet+Frames command to rede-
incoming value, press Equal (=) in the numeric fine the Feet+Frames position at the current in-
keypad. sertion point. The session start time is recalcu-
lated based on the new, relative Feet+Frames
4 Press Enter to accept the value. You can then
location.
edit the captured address. The session uses the
frame number you enter as its SMPTE start frame Typically, this command is used for integrating
when online. test tones, pre-roll, Academy leader, and similar
• If there are existing regions on the tracks pre-program material into Pro Tools sessions.
and you are changing the original SMPTE Redefining Feet+Frames does not redefine the
start frame to a later time (from session start time.
00:00:00:00 to 01:00:00:00, for example),
all existing regions on tracks will remain in To set a relative frame position for a session
their relative positions, but will start later (Feet+Frames):
by the time value added to the start frame. 1 With the Selector tool, click in a track (or
• If you are changing the session start time in make a selection) where you want to redefine
an open session in which tracks already ex- the position.
ist, a warning dialog appears when you
press Enter. Choose from one of two op- If your insertion or selection is not on a grid
tions: boundary, it will round to the closest
boundary.
Maintain Time Code Places the additional ses-
sion time at the start of the session, and keeps 2 Choose Setup > Current Feet+Frames Position.
existing regions in their original time code loca- 3 Enter a Feet+Frame position to correspond to
tions. the time code shown in the dialog.
Maintain Relative Position Places the additional 4 Click OK.
session time at the start of the session, and
maintains the relative position of existing re-
gions 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.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1017

 Redefining a Time Code Position To set the Main Time Scale to SMPTE Time Code,
do one of the following:
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) „ Choose View > Rulers > Time Code.
– or –
Use the Current Time Code Position command to
redefine the current time code position and ses- „ Click the Main Counter selector in the Edit

sion start time. By creating an insertion point window and select Time Code.
(or selection), and then entering the new time
code position for that location, the session start Pro Tools displays time code values in the cur-
time will be recalculated based on the new, rela- rently selected SMPTE frame rate.
tive Time Code location.
Sub Counter and Sub Time Scale
To redefine a current Time Code code position: Display
1 With the Selector tool, click in a track (or You can display a Sub Time Scale in the Sub
make a selection) where you want to redefine Counter. For example, if the Main Time Scale is
the position. set to Time Code, and you want to compare
SMPTE time to “wall clock,” when you are using
If your insertion or selection is not on a grid 29.97 Non-Drop frame rate, click the Sub
boundary, it will round to the closest Counter selector and select Min:Secs as the Sub
boundary. Time Scale.

2 Choose Setup > Current Time Code Position.

3 Enter a new SMPTE frame number in the dia-

log to correspond to the time code shown in the
Pull Up and Pull Down
dialog. Pro Tools supports up to 4% pull up and pull
4 Click OK.
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
Displaying Time in SMPTE Frames captured into the session).
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
When referring to 4% pull up and pull down,
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)
the precise percentages used in pull ups is
In Pro Tools, you can set the Main Time Scale to 4.167%. See Table 48 on page 1020.
Time Code (SMPTE) and this will be displayed in
While a Digidesign SYNC peripheral is not re-
the Main Counter. Though Pro Tools will still
quired in order to use the extended pull up and
synchronize to incoming SMPTE time code if
down options provided in Pro Tools, a SYNC pe-
the Time Scale is displayed in Bars|Beats, Min-
ripheral is the only device that can be controlled
utes:Seconds, or Feet.Frames, it is usually more
useful to use SMPTE time code as your reference.

1018 Pro Tools Reference Guide

from within Pro Tools, and that recalls and re- The choices available in these menus are also de-
stores pull factors automatically when a session termined by the Preferences and the Auto Match
opens. Other synchronization peripherals must Pull Factors option in the Time Code Rate menu.
be configured manually. See “Extended Pull Up and Pull Down” on
page 1019 and “Auto Match Pull Factors” on
Pull up and down settings do not affect time page 1019.
code generated by a SYNC peripheral.
Extended Pull Up and Pull Down
Configuring Pull Up and Pull Down
Preference and Session Setup Controls The Audio
To pull up or pull down audio or video: Rate Pull Up/Down setting offers all possible com-
1 Choose Setup > Session. binations of pull ups and pull downs for the au-
dio sample rate, regardless of the session frame
Press Control+2 (Windows) or Com- rate.
mand+2 (Mac) to open the Session Setup
window. In addition, if there is a QuickTime movie in the
Timeline, the video rate can be pulled up or
2 From the Time Code Settings section of the down by 0.1%, regardless of the session frame
Session Setup window, select a Pull Up/Down rate. Though not a recommended workflow, ear-
Rate. lier 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.
Session Setup window
Auto Match Pull Factors
Audio Rate Pull Up/Down Controls the audio
sample rate. See “Audio Sample Rate Pull Up and The Auto Match Pull Factors option is available
Down” on page 1020. from the session Time Code Rate menu in the
Session Setup window. When Auto Match Pull
Video Rate Pull Up/Down Controls the video
Factors is enabled, Pro Tools adjusts audio and
rate. See “Video Frame Rate Pull Up and Down”
video playback rates as needed to match any
on page 1021.
changes to the current session Time Code Rate.
The choices available in these menus are deter-
Auto Match Pull is applied relative to the current
mined by the session frame rate. Combinations
pull up setting. While enabled, if the session
can be applied by choosing from both menus.
frame rate is changed in such a way that the
4% pull factors are not available in 176.4 video would have to be pulled by an unsup-
and 192 kHz sessions. ported amount, the video remains unaffected.

This setting is latching, is not enabled by de-

fault, and its state is stored with the session.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1019

 Example of Auto Match Pull Factors For example, if audio was already being pulled
–0.1% when you changed the session Frame
The Auto Match Pull Factors option links audio
Rate from 29.97 to 24 fps, then the Audio Rate
and video pull factors when changing session
Pull Up/Down menu would switch to None.
frame rate.

For example, assume a Pro Tools session is set to Audio Sample Rate Pull Up and
a frame rate of 25 fps, the audio and video are Down
both playing with no pull ups, and Auto Match
Pull Factors is enabled. The Audio Rate Pull Up/Down setting applies pull
up or down factors to session audio record and
If you then change the session Frame Rate to playback. All pull rates are available, regardless
24 fps, both the Audio and Video Rate Pull set- of session frame rate.
tings would change by –4.0% (the appropriate
pull setting required by the change in frame See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on
rate). page 1019.

Auto Match-enabled pull factors are applied to Audio Rates and Pull Up/Down Options
any existing Audio Rate Pull Up/Down or Video
Rate Pull Up/Down settings. Table 48 lists actual sample rates of each pull up
and pull down option and combination
(rounded to the nearest whole Hz):

Table 48. Sample Rates at Pull Up and Pull Down Settings

Sample Rate
Pull Up/Down
44100 48000 88200 96000 176400 192000

+4.1667% 45983 50050 91967 100100 n/a n/a

and +0.1%

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

+4.1667% 45892 49950 91783 99900 n/a n/a

and –0.1%

+0.1% 44144 48048 88288 96096 176576 192192

–0.1% 44056 47952 88112 95904 176224 191808

–4.0% and 42378 46126 84757 92252 n/a n/a

+0.1%

–4.0% 42336 46080 84672 92160 n/a n/a

–4.0% and 42294 46034 84587 92068 n/a n/a

–0.1%

1020 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Video Frame Rate Pull Up and Higher Sample Rates and Pull Factors
Down 4% audio pull rates are not available in 176.4
The Video Pull Up/Down setting lets you change and 192 kHz sample rate sessions.
the frame rate of QuickTime movie playback in-
dependently from the audio pull-up/down rate. No Video Recording with Pull Ups

See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on (Avid Video Peripheral Required)
page 1019. Video may not be recorded to the Timeline if a
video pull up is selected. If the video track is
The choices available for Video Rate Pull
record-enabled while video pull ups are enabled,
Up/Down depend on the file format and frame
or if you attempt to set a video pull up rate while
rate of the QuickTime movie. Video pull rates
the video track is record-enabled, Pro Tools will
are saved with the session.
post a dialog and disallow video recording. To
proceed with digitization, reset the Video Rate
Effect of Using Pull Up or Pull Down
Pull Up menu to None.
The following sections describe how related
Pro Tools features are affected by pull up and
down rates.
Putting Pro Tools Online
Time Code Ruler To trigger playback or recording from an exter-
nal source, the Pro Tools Transport must be
Video pull up and down does not affect the Time
placed online. This tells Pro Tools to listen for in-
Code ruler. Be sure to set the session Frame Rate
coming time code.
to the correct frame rate for your project. For ex-
ample, if working with 24 fps video and you pull
To put the Pro Tools Transport online, do one of the
the video up by 4%, switch the session Frame
following:
Rate to 25 fps to keep the Time Code ruler
aligned. Similarly, if working with 24 fps video „ Choose Options > Transport Online.
that is pulled down by 0.1%, switch the frame – or –
rate of the session to 29.97.
„ Click the Online button in the Transport.
When working with 25 fps Avid media and the
video is set to pull down by 4%, set the session Press Control+J (Windows) or Command+J
Frame Rate to 24 fps. (Mac) to put the Transport Online.

Plug-ins

For proper operation at larger (4%) pull rates,

plug-ins must utilize sample clock instead of an
Clicking the Online button in the Transport
absolute time clock. All Digidesign plug-ins are
based on sample clock.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1021

 The Online button flashes while Pro Tools waits
for a SMPTE frame to trigger playback. When Generating Time Code
time code is received, playback begins and the
Using a SYNC peripheral, Pro Tools can generate
Online button becomes highlighted. The Edit
SMPTE and MIDI Time Code (MTC). Without a
Selection indicators in the Edit window, and the
SYNC peripheral, Pro Tools can only generate
Incoming Time field in the Session Setup win-
MTC. This lets Pro Tools function as a master
dow display the incoming time code.
synchronization source with other devices slave
to it (chase).
To take Pro Tools offline, do one of the following:
„ Deselect Options > Transport Online. To generate MIDI Time Code from Pro Tools:
– or – 1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the Syn-
chronization tab.
„ Deselect the Online button in the Transport

window. 2 From the MTC Generator Port setting, select the

MIDI output port on which you want to trans-
mit MIDI Time Code (MTC).
Recording Online
The Operation Preferences page contains two
options that affect how Pro Tools initiates re-
cording when online.

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 do not need to
make an insertion or selection in a track to des-
Selecting the MTC Generator Port
ignate a start point.
3 From the Transport Window menu (or the
Record Online at Insertion/Selection Makes on-
Edit Window menu), select Synchronization.
line recording begin wherever you have placed
the insertion point in a track. Recording then 4 Click the Gen MTC button so that it highlights.
continues until Pro Tools stops receiving time
code. If you make a Timeline selection,
Pro Tools will record online only for the length
of the selection.

Transport, Gen MTC enabled

5 Start playback.

1022 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To generate time code using a SYNC peripheral: 9 Select one of the following:

1 Connect the SYNC peripheral LTC Out to the • Gen MTC to generate MIDI Time Code.
SMPTE in connector on the devices you are slav- – or –
ing. If you are slaving a device that recognizes • Gen LTC to generate Linear Time Code.
MTC, connect the MTC OUT connector of the
SYNC peripheral to the MIDI IN connector of
the slaved device.

2 Make sure your SYNC peripheral is powered

on.

3 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Peripherals and Transport window, Synchronization options shown
click the Synchronization tab. 10 Start playback.

4 In the Digidesign Synchronization Device sec-

Pro Tools generates and outputs time code from
tion of the Synchronization page, select Enable the SYNC peripheral.
SYNC Peripheral.

5 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog. Limitations for SYNC Peripherals Locked to
Video Input or Video Reference
6 Choose Setup > Session, and choose the ap-
propriate frame rate for the Time Code Rate set- A SYNC peripheral cannot generate 30 fps,
ting. 24 fps, or 23.976 fps time code while it is locked
to a video clock signal. If you set Pro Tools to
If you change time code rates in the middle generate 30 fps time code while the SYNC pe-
of a session, many SMPTE-to-MIDI Time ripheral is locked to a video clock signal, the
Code converters need to be turned off and SYNC peripheral will actually generate at the
turned on again to be able to recognize the NTSC color standard 29.97 fps. Pro Tools can
new frame rate. generate time code at non-NTSC frame rates if
you use the internal clock or external word clock
7 In the SYNC Setup section of the Session Setup on the SYNC peripheral as a synchronization
window, choose a clock reference from the source.
Clock Reference selector. Not all clock choices
are available at all sample rates. See “External
Clock Sources” on page 1012.)

8 From the Transport Window menu (or the

Edit Window menu), select Synchronization.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1023

 To slave an external device to Pro Tools using
Using MIDI Machine Control MIDI Machine Control:

Pro Tools provides the capability to transmit lo- 1 Connect a MIDI Out port on your Pro Tools
cation information to external devices and to MIDI interface to an appropriate port on the
control their transports using MIDI Machine slave device.
Control (MMC). 2 Connect the MTC out from the slave device to
a MIDI In port on your Pro Tools MIDI Interface.
Controlling External Devices Using 3 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Peripherals and
MMC click the Synchronization tab.
Any device that supports MMC can be con- 4 Deselect Enable SYNC Peripheral if it is selected.
trolled directly from within Pro Tools, with ei-
ther the device or Pro Tools acting as clock mas- 5 From the MTC Reader Port pop-up menu, select

ter. the MIDI In port to which the slave device is

connected (the source of MTC information from
The external devices supported by Pro Tools im- the slave device).
plement “open loop” communications only. Be-
6 Click the Machine Control tab in the Periph-
cause of this, while Pro Tools is the Transport
erals dialog.
Master, any direct operation of the receiving de-
vice’s transport will not be communicated back 7 In the MIDI Machine Control (Master) sec-
to Pro Tools. Instead, you can use the Transport tion, select Enable.
pop-up to select the external device (MMC in
8 In the MIDI Machine Control (Master) sec-
the pop-up) and use the Pro Tools on-screen
tion, select the MIDI Out port to which the slave
transport controls to drive the device.
device is connected from the pop-up menu.
Pro Tools does not support remote track arming
of MMC-controlled external devices. You need
to manually arm tracks for recording on the ex-
ternal device.

Digidesign’s MachineControl option sup-

ports remote track arming for Sony 9-pin
and V-LAN enabled devices. See “Remote
Track Arming” on page 1028.

Selecting the MIDI Out port for MMC

Enabling MIDI Machine Control in
Pro Tools 9 Set the MMC ID number for which this infor-
mation will be sent in the “ID” field.
Pro Tools as MMC Master
When Pro Tools is the Master, it sends MMC
commands to the slave device and receives MTC
information back from the slave device.

1024 Pro Tools Reference Guide

MMC commands contain an ID number to Pro Tools as MMC Slave
identify which machine should respond to the
MMC command. There are 128 MMC ID num- When Pro Tools is the slave, it receives MMC
bers, from 0–127. The default of ID #127 is a spe- commands from the master device and sends
cial setting that transmits to all 128 MMC IDs. MTC information back to the slave device.
With a setting of 127, Pro Tools will transmit
In order for Pro Tools to receive MMC com-
MMC commands to all MMC IDs.
mands, the MMC source must be enabled in
10 Set a pre-roll time for your MMC slave device. the MIDI Input Enable dialog. For more in-
Pre-roll is needed to provide the device with suf- formation, see “Enabling Input Devices” on
ficient time to lock to the time code transmitted page 390
by Pro Tools. This value will vary depending on
the external device. If the pre-roll time is insuf- To slave Pro Tools to an external device using MIDI
Machine Control:
ficient, the device may not be ready to lock until
after the current time code position has passed. 1 Connect a MIDI In port on your Pro Tools
MIDI interface to an appropriate port on the
11 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
master device.
12 In the Pro Tools Transport window, choose
2 Connect a MIDI Out port on your Pro Tools
Transport = MMC.
MIDI Interface to the MTC in port on the master
device.

3 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session.

4 In the Time Code Settings section of the Ses-

sion Setup window, select Using MTC.

5 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the Syn-

Selecting Transport = MMC chronization tab.
Pro Tools will now be able to control the se- 6 Deselect Enable SYNC Peripheral if it is selected.
lected device’s transport and act as the clock
master. 7 From the MTC Generator Port pop-up menu, se-
lect the MIDI Out port to which the master de-
13 To have the Pro Tools transport chase the vice is connected (this the destination of MTC
playback location of the slave device, click the information from Pro Tools).
Online button in the Transport window.
8 Click the Machine Control tab in the Peripher-
als dialog.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1025

 9 In the MIDI Machine Control (Slave) section, To control external devices from the Pro Tools
select Enable. Transport:
„ Select either Pro Tools or MMC from the Trans-

port pop-up in the Pro Tools Transport window.

The selected item will act as Transport Master.

Machine Control page of the Peripherals dialog

10 Set the MMC ID number (channel) on which Selecting the Transport Master
this information will be received in the “ID”
• When the Transport Master is set to
field.
Pro Tools, the playback position is gov-
11 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog. erned by the on-screen cursor in Pro Tools.
• When the Transport Master is set to MMC,
Pro Tools will now respond to MMC commands
the playback position is governed by the
from the external device.
external device’s play position.

Operating MMC Devices with the MMC Transport Settings

Pro Tools Transport
When using MMC, you can set the following
You can use the Pro Tools Transport window as options for machine transport behavior in the
the remote controller for all your enabled de- Synchronization Preferences page.
vices (such as a nonlinear video deck). To do so,
set the enabled devices to listen to the address Machine Chases Memory Location When se-
you enter for MMC. The Transport window will lected, navigating to a specific location in a ses-
then drive the Pro Tools transport and any sion with a Memory Location causes a con-
slaved devices. nected transport to chase to that location.

Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When se-

lected, navigating to a specific location in a ses-
sion by moving the selection point or by scrub-
bing a track causes a connected transport to
chase to that location.

1026 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Taking a Device Offline
Setting Minimum Sync Delay
Use the Online pop-up menu in the Transport
Master selector to take a MIDI (or Machine) de- Lock-up time delay is the initial amount of
vice offline. prime time your system’s devices need to
achieve synchronization “lock.” This amount
To take a device offline: varies for each device. Pro Tools lock up delay is
set by entering a value for Minimum Sync Delay in
1 Click the Transport Master selector. the Synchronization preferences. The lowest
2 In the Transport, click on the Online pop-up value available is 15 frames. Find the shortest
menu and deselect the device (Machine or possible lock-up time that your equipment can
MIDI). Device choices depend on the current operate at consistently, and set this as the Mini-
Transport Master and which devices have been mum Sync Delay. On systems utilizing Digidesign
set up in Pro Tools. MachineControl, enabling the Use Serial Time
Code setting in the Session Setup window will
make machines lock up much faster. (Serial time
code requires both the SYNC peripheral and ex-
ternal devices to be locked to house video refer-
ence.)

To set a Minimum Sync Delay:

Online pop-up menu 1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the
Deselecting a device to take it offline Synchronization tab.
To bring a device back online, click and reselect 2 Enter a number of frames in the Minimum Sync
it in the Online pop-up menu. Delay field.

The Online pop-up menu will only display 3 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
devices that have been properly set up in
Pro Tools. Configuring Minimum Sync Delay for External
MMC Devices Locked to House Sync
To set up MIDI devices, see “Enabling MIDI
When controlling a house-synced device from
Machine Control in Pro Tools” on
Pro Tools through MMC, the device will first
page 1024.
lock to the MMC location and then align the
To set up machine devices, see the color framing. Within house sync code are 4
MachineControl Guide. frames for ensuring color frame lock. If the min-
imum 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 sce-
nario, you should set the Minimum Sync Delay to

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1027

 be more than the time required for color frame ‹ A specific location within a region, by clicking
lock. This is not a problem with a SYNC periph- with the Selector tool at that location, and
eral, which will drop out of lock until the color choosing Region > Identify Sync Point.
frame is locked. ‹ Sessions or tracks, dragged from a browser to
the session Timeline or Region List.

Remote Track Arming Spot Mode

Digidesign’s MachineControl option for In Spot mode, a region in a track can be quickly
Pro Tools allows you to remotely arm tracks on spotted by simply clicking it with the Time
supported 9-pin (or V-LAN for transport only) Grabber tool.
decks. Without MachineControl, Pro Tools does
not support remote track arming of external de- You can also drag a region from a DigiBase
vices. MachineControl lets Pro Tools act as the browser, or from the Region List, to a track while
master or slave to external Sony 9-pin (or V-LAN in Spot mode.
for transport only) machines, in addition to pro-
viding remote track arming from within
The Spot Dialog
Pro Tools.
The Spot dialog appears when you drag a region
Choose Setup > Machine Track Arming to a track or click a region with the Time Grab-
Profiles to configure your system, and ber tool in Spot mode. The numeric fields func-
choose Window > Machine Track Arming to tion as both data displays and editing controls
display the Machine Track Arming window. for the currently selected regions.

Information in these fields is displayed in

For information on remote track arming
SMPTE Time Code, Minutes:Seconds,
with MachineControl, see the
Feet.Frames, Samples, or Bars & Beats, depend-
MachineControl Guide.
ing on which Time Scale format is selected.

Spotting Regions to SMPTE

Frame Locations
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 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 Time Grabber
tool. Multiple regions can also be selected, and
Pro Tools will reference the first region in your Spot dialog
selection.

1028 Pro Tools Reference Guide

A highlighted numeric field indicates the cur- Capturing Time Code
rent active field for numeric entry editing. En-
tering a value in a field allows you to move a se- Pro Tools also allows you to easily capture frame
lected element to the time location that you locations on-the-fly in the Spot dialog by press-
enter. The Start, Sync Point, and End fields are ing the Equal key, or by clicking the Current Time
accessible when the Time Grabber tool is active. Code button while valid time code is being re-
Only the Start or End (depending on where you ceived by Pro Tools. With VITC, you can accu-
click the mouse) and Duration fields are active rately capture a paused or “crawling” VTR’s
when one of the Trimmer tools is active (see SMPTE location.
“Using the Trimmer Tools in Spot Mode” on When Time Code is selected for the Time Scale,
page 1030). pressing the Equal key captures the incoming
time code. When Bars|Beats is selected for the
To increase or decrease SMPTE values in
Time Scale, pressing the Equal key will capture
the Spot dialog by a specific number of
to the nearest measure.
frames, press Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the
numeric keypad, enter a number, and press Although Capture Time Code works with free-
the Enter key. running Linear Time Code (LTC) or VITC, frame
numbers of a paused frame can only be captured
Use Subframes Option with VITC.
A subframe is 1/100th of a frame. The Use Sub-
SYNC peripherals can read VITC. With
frames option enables you to use these smaller
MachineControl and a SYNC peripheral, you
units for greater accuracy. This command adds
can also read serial time code.
an additional time field in the SMPTE
hours:minutes:seconds:frames box, which ap- To use Remote mode with MachineControl,
pears as the far right time field when enabled. you will need an approved serial port. For a
Use a Period (.) to separate subframe values from complete list of currently approved ports, see
whole frames. www.digidesign.com.

To spot a region to a specific SMPTE frame:

1 Enable Spot mode.

2 Set the Main Time Scale to Time Code. (See

“Setting a SMPTE Session Start Time (Start
Frame)” on page 1016.)

Additional time field with “Use Subframes” enabled 3 Identify the SMPTE frame location where you
want to trigger playback of your region by paus-
Subframe measurements are not available ing your video deck on that frame.
in the Current Time field. 4 With the Time Grabber tool, click a region in
a track, or in the Region List, and drag it into a
track. The Spot dialog appears.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1029

 5 Enter the SMPTE frame location by doing one To Auto-Spot a region:
of the following:
1 Choose Options > Auto-Spot Regions.
• If you are using VITC, you can press the
Equal (=) key on the numeric keypad, or 2 If you are using VITC, identify the SMPTE

click Current Time Code to enter a paused frame location where you want to trigger play-
VTR’s current SMPTE location. back of your region by pausing your video deck
on that frame.
– or –
• If you are using LTC, when Time Code is se- 3 Click the region with the Time Grabber tool.

lected for the Time Scale, press the Equal The region will be automatically spotted to the
(=) key on the numeric keypad to capture current time code location (or machine loca-
the incoming time code. When Bars|Beats tion).
is selected for the Time Scale, press the
Clicking a region with any of the Trimmer
Equal key to capture the nearest measure.
tools will allow you to trim the region to the
6 If you recorded the region while online, you current time code location.
can use the Original Time Stamp button to recall
and enter the SMPTE frame location at which
Auto-spotted regions are spotted by their
the region was originally recorded. You can also
start times, unless you have identified a
access a user-defined Time Stamp by clicking the
Sync Point (see “Identifying a Synchroniza-
User Time Stamp button. See “Time Stamping”
tion Point” on page 1032). If the region con-
on page 1031 for more information.
tains a Sync Point, the region is spotted to it.
7 Click OK to close this dialog. The region spots
to the chosen SMPTE frame location. When the Using the Trimmer Tools in Spot
session is online, this frame number will trigger Mode
playback of the region.
You can use the Spot dialog to trim your regions,
including start/end/duration times and refer-
Auto-Spotting Regions encing incoming time code addresses. If you
The Pro Tools Auto-Spot Regions option simpli- click a region with any of the Trimmer tools in
fies the task of spotting regions even further. If Spot mode, the Spot dialog will appear, allowing
you are using VITC with this option enabled, or you to enter a value in the Start or End and Du-
MachineControl software, you can pause your ration fields to specify exactly where you want
video at an appropriate SMPTE frame location, to trim the region’s beginning or end. Use this
click a region with the Time Grabber tool, and to edit the length of a region to correspond to a
the region will be automatically spotted to the particular visual “hit point.”
current time code location.
Trimming a region that contains a sync point
You can also use MachineControl’s serial time (see “Identifying a Synchronization Point” on
code ability to auto-spot by enabling Machine- page 1032) does not affect the SMPTE location
Control and enabling serial time code in the pe- of the sync point, unless the region is trimmed
ripheral. past the sync point.

1030 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 When audio is first recorded, the User Time
Time Stamping Stamp will match the Original Time Stamp, but
you can change the User Time Stamp at any
Pro Tools time stamps every region recorded on-
time using the Time Stamp command. This fea-
line with the original SMPTE time at which au-
ture is particularly useful in post production sit-
dio was recorded. You can recall this original
uations where the SMPTE time code on video
SMPTE time for a region by clicking the Original
“work prints” often changes from one edit revi-
Time Stamp button in the Spot dialog.
sion to another.
You can also spot a region to a separate user-de-
fined SMPTE time stamp, defined using the Time To time stamp a region (or regions) with a new
Stamp command in the Region List menu. Once SMPTE frame number:
the region is time stamped using this command, 1 In a track, select the region that you want to
you can click the User Time Stamp button to re- time stamp.
spot a region to its user-defined SMPTE location.
2 From the Region List menu, choose the Time
Stamp command.
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 rep-
resents the time at which the region was origi-
nally recorded online with Pro Tools, and does
not necessarily reflect the region’s current
SMPTE location in a track.
User Time Stamp dialog

To show (or hide) Original Time Stamps in regions: 3 Enter a new SMPTE time by doing one of the
following:
„ Select (or deselect) View > Region > Original
Time Stamp. • Enter the numbers manually (with the help
of the arrow keys).
• Click the Current Time Code button (or press
Creating a User Time Stamp the Equal key), if you want to capture the
If you want to create a separate user-defined incoming time code address.
SMPTE time stamp, you can use the Time Stamp • Click the Current Selection button, if you
command in the Region List menu. This com- want to enter the start time of the current
mand lets you select a region (or regions) and re- on-screen selection.
define its SMPTE time stamp. The Original Time
4 Click OK to close this dialog.
Stamp and the User-Time Stamp are then stored
with your session.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1031

 This command can be used in “batch mode” to To create a sync point in a region:
set new time stamps for several regions at a time.
1 Do one of the following:
To do this, simply select several regions and
• Click with the Selector tool at the point in
choose the Time Stamp command. One after an-
the region that you want to synchronize to
other, a dialog will open for each region, allow-
a SMPTE frame location.
ing you to quickly enter new values.
– or –
Once entered, the user time stamps can be dis-
• Press the Down Arrow key while playing
played in all regions currently placed in tracks.
back.

To show (or hide) User Time Stamps in regions: 2 Choose Region > Identify Sync Point. The cur-
rent SMPTE time is automatically entered as the
„ Select (or deselect) View > Region > User Time
SMPTE location for the sync point. A small
Stamp.
down arrow appears at the bottom of the region,
with a vertical, light gray line indicating the lo-
cation of the sync point.
Identifying a Synchronization
Point
The Pro Tools Identify Sync Point command lets
you identify a specific point within a region for
Sync point
audio spotting purposes.
Sync Point in an audio region
Imagine the following sound effects spotting
scenario: You have a single sound effect that
consists of a creaky door slamming shut, fol- Troubleshooting SMPTE
lowed by a few seconds of ambient reverbera-
tion. The slam portion of the effect—which you
Synchronization
must precisely match to picture—occurs neither If you are having problems getting SMPTE syn-
at the very beginning of the audio file nor at the chronization to work properly, the following
very end. It is somewhere in the middle, making suggestions may help you troubleshoot and
it tough to spot. In this scenario, use the Identify solve common problems.
Sync Point command to create a point in the re-
gion and synchronize that point to a SMPTE Stripe SMPTE Before You Record
frame.
All tapes in your setup (both audio and video)
For more information on Sync Points, see must be striped with SMPTE Time Code before
“Sync Points” on page 728. 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 far-
ther and farther apart the longer they run.

1032 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The same problem occurs when audio is re- A Digidesign SYNC peripheral (and some third-
corded into Pro Tools without a resolved SMPTE party products) can be used to help determine
source (for example, if it was recorded before the frame rate.
current session). The audio cannot be accurately
synchronized with an analog tape recorder or 29.97 fps Non-Drop Rate Not Recognized
video tape deck, since the Pro Tools audio was
29.97 fps Non-Drop is a slightly slower version
not recorded referenced to the SMPTE time code
of 30 fps Non-Drop time code. When 29.97 fps
from the analog tape deck or video tape deck.
Non-Drop is used with color video, each video
frame matches up with each SMPTE frame with-
Resolve All Components of Your System
out having to use a drop-frame coding. This
When striping time code, make sure that the makes any frame number mathematics much
time code generator and the video record deck simpler, since no frame numbers are dropped.
are resolved to the same crystal reference. For
example, when striping 29.97 Drop Frame time Some hardware and software devices do not rec-
code onto a VTR, both the SMPTE generator and ognize 29.97 Non-Drop as a separate frame rate.
the VTR should be resolved to the same “black For example, any standard SMPTE-to MTC-con-
burst” or house sync generator. During play- verter does not explicitly recognize it. You must
back, the master deck should be resolved to set the convertor to expect 30 fps Non-Drop in-
“black burst” or house sync. stead. In fact, many devices that read SMPTE
work acceptably by reading 29.97 Non-Drop if
This convention provides compatibility for your they are set to expect 30 fps Non-Drop.
tape between the record and playback passes,
and when it’s played back in other facilities on Any SMPTE reader that uses the time code num-
different equipment. This also means that when bers to make real-time calculations (as Pro Tools
playing back a tape striped with time code, the does when it tries to trigger and synchronize to
playback deck should be resolved to the same SMPTE) also needs to know that the frame for-
synchronization rate as the record deck was re- mat is 29.97 and not 30 fps. Since Pro Tools al-
solved to at the time of the striping. When you lows this choice of frame rate this does not really
stripe time code using an audio transport, it pose a problem. The problem exists because
should be “free-running” and unresolved, but many users cannot readily distinguish 29.97
should be resolved with a house sync-referenced from 30 fps.
synchronizer during playback. Even though NTSC tapes only use 29.97, some
production companies will distribute video
Know the True Frame Rate on Your Media
work prints striped with 29.97 fps but mark
If you get your media from a production com- them as “30 fps NTSC,” by which they actually
pany instead of recording them yourself, be ab- mean 29.97 fps Non-Drop.
solutely sure that they indicate the SMPTE frame
By the time you get the tape, you may have no
rate used on the tape correctly. Several time code
idea what’s actually on it. Feeding 29.97 Non-
formats use the same frame count (such as
Drop to Pro Tools when it’s set for 30 fps Non-
23.976 fps and 24 fps) yet they run at slightly
Drop will result in timing errors of about 1.8
different frame rates per second.
frames per minute, causing audio playback to
trigger out of sync.

Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization 1033

 Use a Consistent Clock Source

When possible, media files should be played

back using the same sync reference signal they
were recorded with. This assures the closest
match between record and playback sample
rates.

1034 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 48: Working with Video in
Pro Tools

This chapter covers video features in Pro Tools. Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit
Differences between support for QuickTime, or DV Toolkit 2, Pro Tools LE with an Avid
Windows Media, and Avid video are noted video peripheral, and Pro Tools HD let you do
throughout. the following with video:
• Import multiple video files into the Time-
For detailed information on features that
line
apply specifically to working with Avid
• Select from multiple video playlists on each
video in Pro Tools, see the Avid Video
video track
Peripherals Guide.
• Mix multiple codecs in video tracks
• Organize, group, and edit video regions in
Introduction the Timeline much like audio regions
• Organize, group, and edit video regions
Pro Tools lets you do the following with video: with audio regions
• Create video tracks and import QuickTime • Manage video regions
and Windows Media video to the Timeline
• Undo multiple video operations
using menu commands or drag and drop
• Create multiple video tracks with Quick-
• Lock video tracks
Time, Windows Media, and Avid video in
• Extract audio from QuickTime or Windows the Timeline
Media video
• Scrub audio in tandem with video An Avid video peripheral is required to work
• View video in the Video window or output with Avid video.
it through a FireWire peripheral to an ex-
ternal monitor
• Bounce the video track to QuickTime or
Windows Media video

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1035

 Highest This setting gives QuickTime movie
QuickTime Movies Support in playback highest priority. In this mode,
Pro Tools Pro Tools disables screen activity and requires
you to use the Spacebar to stop playback. Use
Pro Tools supports the import, playback, and
this setting if you require uninterrupted Quick-
editing of QuickTime movies.
Time movie playback.

QuickTime Required Also see “Playing QuickTime DV Video to

an External Monitor Over FireWire” on
Quicktime must be installed if you plan to in- page 1055.
clude movie files, or import MP3 or MP4 (AAC)
files in your Pro Tools sessions. QuickTime for High Quality QuickTime Image
Windows is available as a free download from
When the High Quality QuickTime Image option is
the Apple website (www.apple.com).
enabled in the Operation Preferences page,
For information on which version of Quick- Pro Tools decompresses both fields of each in-
Time is compatible with your version of terlaced frame of QuickTime video. When view-
Pro Tools, visit the compatibility pages of ing a QuickTime movie in the Pro Tools Video
the Digidesign website at window, select this option to display the movie
www.digidesign.com/compatibility. at the highest possible resolution. Deselecting
this option can help improve performance if
your system experiences problems playing back
QuickTime Movie Playback a session with QuickTime video.
Performance Options
The Operation Preferences page provides three
Supported QuickTime Movies
options for QuickTime Playback Priority:
When working with someone who is preparing
Normal This setting gives no extra priority to QuickTime movies for use with Pro Tools, en-
movie playback over other screen update tasks sure that you communicate the following:
such as metering, moving faders, and so on. In
most cases you should use this setting. Consolidated and Referenced Media QuickTime
DV movies can be either complete (consoli-
Medium This setting gives QuickTime movie dated) Quicktime files (where media is copied
playback a higher priority relative to other into a Quicktime file) or Quicktime reference
Pro Tools screen update tasks. Use this setting if files (where just a small composition is in the
you experience inconsistent QuickTime movie Quicktime file which references the original DV
playback with the Normal setting. files).

Codec Requirements When exporting from

Avid, always use the Apple DV codec. Do not en-
able “Use Avid Codec” in the export dialog. If an
Avid-codec DV movie is imported into
Pro Tools, you cannot play it unless you have in-
stalled an Avid video peripheral.

1036 Pro Tools Reference Guide

DV Stream Movies Pro Tools does not support Windows Media Video File Caveats
audio from a DV Stream file. DV Stream files
contain the entire data stream that has been The following limitations apply to Windows
transferred or recorded over the FireWire cable Media video in Pro Tools.
from a camera. In this type of file, the audio and • Pro Tools cannot open Windows Media video
video data are stored in an interleaved fashion, files that require Windows Media File Digital
as opposed to a QuickTime file where audio and Rights Management (DRM) passwords to
video are stored separately. view.
• High-resolution Windows Media video files
See also “Exporting QuickTime DV from
play back accurately at normal speed on the
Avid” on page 1056.
Windows desktop or an external monitor
with a qualified DirectShow output device.
Limitations for Applying Pull-Ups However, due to processing requirements for
to QuickTime Movies in Sessions VC-1 decompression, Digidesign cannot guar-
Containing Avid Video antee accurate playback of video frames when
Applying a pull-up to QuickTime movies is dis- performing other transport commands (such
allowed if you also have Avid video in that ses- as scrubbing, looping, and off-speed play).
sion. You can only use video pull-up for sessions • Pro Tools does not support Windows Media
that do not contain Avid video. playback via Avid video peripherals.

Windows Media Video (VC-1 Before Starting Your Project

AP Codec) Support in Before you start any project that requires work-
Pro Tools ing with video, consider the following:
(Windows Vista Only)
Frame Rate Before receiving video, find out the
Pro Tools supports the import and playback of frame rate. Use this frame rate when setting the
Windows Media video files created using the frame rate of your Pro Tools sessions and when
VC-1 Advanced Profile codec. See your Win- capturing video.
dows documentation for detailed information
Creator Application and Codec Before receiving
about Windows Media video.
video as media files, find out the application
Though not prohibited, editing Windows and codec used to create those files. Then con-
Media video or adding multiple clips to the firm that you can play those files in Pro Tools. It
Timeline can lead to irregular video output is always a good idea to get a sample file in ad-
performance. vance.

QuickTime Movie Time Code Burn-in Before re-

ceiving QuickTime movies, request the time
code display to be “burned in” (superimposed) if
possible. This ensures that Pro Tools places the
file at the correct time code location in the
Timeline.

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1037

 Sufficient Space on Video Drives Ensure suffi- „ Use File > Import > Session Data to import a

cient space is available on separate dedicated session containing a video track.

video-only drives. Video files take up signifi-
cantly more space and bandwidth than audio, For more information, see “Importing Video
and must be kept on separate drives from audio into Pro Tools” on page 1043.
files to prevent performance problems.
To create a new video track with Pro Tools HD and
Separate Video-Only and Audio-Only Drives For Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or
best results, always use separate video-only and DV Toolkit 2, or with an Avid video peripheral:
audio-only drives. For complete information on 1 Choose Track > New.
hard drive requirements, visit the Digidesign
2 In the New Tracks dialog, do the following:
website at www.digidesign.com/compatibility.
• Select Video Track from the Track Type pop-
up menu.

Video Tracks – and –

• Enter the number of new video tracks.
Video tracks let you add or import video to the
Timeline, as follows: 3 Click Create.

• Pro Tools LE lets you add or import one video A new empty video track appears. Video tracks
track per session, with a limit of one video may appear slightly different depending on
playlist and one QuickTime or Windows Me- your system configuration or the type of video
dia video file on that track. added to a video track.
• Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, and
Pro Tools LE with an Avid video peripheral let
you add multiple video tracks to the Timeline,
with multiple video playlists and multiple
video files per track.

An Avid video peripheral is required to

import, play back, and edit Avid video. Empty video track

• Pro Tools with an Avid video peripheral lets Multiple Video Tracks in the
you mix QuickTime and Avid video tracks in Timeline
the Timeline (but not on the same video
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
track).
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or with an
Avid Video Peripheral Only)
To create a video track in Pro Tools LE, do one of
the following: You can add multiple video tracks to the Time-
„ Use File > Import to import a video file. line, but only one video track can be played back
at a time. This track is known as the main video
„ Drag a video file to the Timeline. track.

1038 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Multiple Video Track Playlists
Main Video Track
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or with an The main video track is the video track that is
Avid Video Peripheral Only) currently online, and will be played back with
any audio in the session.
Playlists provide an easy way of changing back
and forth between alternate versions of a video When the main video track is offline, you can
track. play back the audio in your session without
playing back the video. When the video is of-
You can perform all of the same operations with
fline, the Video Online button changes to gray
video playlists as you can with audio playlists,
so you can tell at a glance whether your video is
including:
offline or simply playing black fill.
• Duplicating a playlist
• Creating a playlist If no video track is currently online, the main
video track is the video track that was last on-
• Assigning a playlist to another video track
line.
• Renaming a playlist
• Deleting a playlist To select the main video track:

For more information, see Chapter 27, „ Click the Video Online button of any track

“Playlists.” that is offline (gray) to put it online (blue), mak-

ing that track the main video track.
Multiple Codecs on an Individual
Video Track
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Main video track
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or with an
Avid Video Peripheral Only)

A single video track can contain video regions

compressed with different video codecs of the Video Online button (offline and online, respectively)
same type of video. For example, you can add
QuickTime files that were compressed using
multiple codecs to the same video track.

However, once the first video file has been

added to a session, all additional video files
added to the Timeline must have the same video
frame rate as the first video file.

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1039

 Frames View Performance
Video Track Controls and
When using Frames View to view video content
Indicators
in the video track, your computer may exhibit
reduced or sluggish performance. If this hap-
Video Track View pens on your computer, hide the video track or
switch to Blocks View.
The video track can be viewed in Frames View or
in Blocks View, both of which display all video
region boundaries and metadata. Video frame Blocks View
images are displayed only in Frames View.
In Blocks View, video frames are replaced by col-
ored blocks.
When switching from Blocks mode to
Frames mode during playback, the video
track will not update to displaying frames
until playback is stopped.

To set the view for the video track:

Video track in Blocks View
„ On the video track, select Frames or Blocks
from the View Options pop-up menu.
Video Track Type Icons
Frames View A video track displays a QuickTime icon, Win-
dows Media icon, or an Avid icon depending on
In Frames View, video data is displayed as pic- the type of video added to it. No icon displays
tures in the video track. These pictures are com- when the video track is empty.
puted based on the video image, and scale ac-
cording to your track zoom and height settings. QuickTime Avid
They allow you to easily find a scene or se- icon icon
quence in the video track.

Video track in Frames View

Frames do not display properly if you change

Windows Media icon
zoom settings during playback. Black frames are
(Windows Vista only)
drawn until playback is stopped. You should
stop playback before changing zoom settings if
you want to view frames.

If video pull-up or pull-down is enabled, frames

do not change position. Video tracks displaying QuickTime, Windows Media,
and Avid icons

1040 Pro Tools Reference Guide

You can add any supported video to an empty To switch a video track online or offline:
video track, in which case the icon will update
„ Click the Video Online button of any track
and the video track will play back only that type
that is offline (gray) to put it online (blue), mak-
of video.
ing that track the main video track.

„ Click the Video Online button of the main

Differences in Video Tracks with Avid
Video video track to take it offline, and Pro Tools will
not output video.
When an Avid video peripheral (such as an
Avid Mojo SDI) is connected to your system and
powered on, the following conditions apply:
• All video tracks display a Video Output se-
Locking Video Tracks
lector, but only tracks containing Avid You can lock one or more video tracks to pre-
video display a Video Input selector. vent any video regions on those tracks from be-
• You can add Avid video to an empty video ing edited.
track.
When a video track is locked, Pro Tools restricts
• Only Avid video tracks contain a Record
all editing operations involving the track (ex-
Enable button.
cept for locking and unlocking video regions).
See the Avid Video Peripherals Guide for de- A locked video track displays a small lock to in-
tailed information on using the Record En- dicate that the video track has been locked and
able button and the controls in the I/O cannot be edited. (The lock does not appear if
View. the Track Height of the video track is set to
Mini.)
Video Online Button
To lock a video track:
The Video Online button lets you select the
main video track, switch that track online or of- 1 Select the video track or tracks you want to
fline, and see at a glance by color whether a lock.
video track is offline (gray) or online (blue).
2 Do one of the following:
• Start-click (Windows) or Control-click
(Mac) the name of any selected video track,
and select Locked.
– or –
• Right-click the name of any selected video
track, and select Locked.

Video track Video track Locking or unlocking a video track does not al-
offline online
ter the lock status of individual regions. If a re-
Video Online button (offline and online, respectively) gion was locked before you lock the track, the re-
gion will still be locked when you unlock the

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1041

 track. However, unlocking a region in a locked Video Engine Rate Indicator
track will not allow you to edit that region. It
will behave as if the region were locked until The Video Engine Rate indicator displays only
you unlock the track. in the main video track (whether it is online or
offline) and shows the video engine rate, which
You can Edit lock or Time lock individual is the number of video frames per second output
Video regions. For more information about by Pro Tools.
locking regions, see “Locking Regions” on
page 730.

Video Engine Rate Video Engine Rate

The video engine rate represents the number of

video frames output by Pro Tools per second,
Video Frame Rate
and is determined automatically by the frame
rate of the first video file added to a session. The Video Engine Rate indicator is normally
Video files subsequently added to the session black, but turns red if one of the following con-
must have the same video frame rate as the ditions are present:
video engine rate. • The video engine rate does not match the
session’s current Time Code Rate setting.
The video frame rate is displayed for each video
file in the DigiBase browsers, and the current – or –
video engine rate is displayed in the I/O View of • A pull-up has been applied to the video,
the main video track. causing the video engine rate to differ from
the session Time Code Rate.
See “Video Engine Rate Indicator” on
page 1042 for information on the Video The Time Code Rate is set in the Session
Engine Rate indicator in the I/O View. Setup window. For more information, see
“Session Setup Window” on page 1010.
The video engine rate is independent of the ses-
sion's time code rate, which determines the
number of frames displayed per second in grids, See “Pull Up and Pull Down” on page 1018
rulers, and counters. You can set the session for detailed information on using video
time code rate manually with the Time Code pull up and pull down.
Rate pop-up menu in the Session Setup window.
In order for the grids and rulers to align with the
actual frames of the video files in the Timeline,
the session's Time Code Rate setting should be
set to match the video engine rate.

1042 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Importing Video into Pro Tools In a DigiBase browser, you can designate
your audio drives to play or record audio but
Pro Tools provides the following methods of im- only transfer video, or vice versa. You may
porting video files into the Timeline, Region use these settings to ensure that your audio
List, and new or existing video tracks: and video are on the correct volumes. For de-
• Using the Import Video command (File > tailed instructions, see “Audio and Video
Import > Video) Volume Designators” on page 261.
• Dragging from the Region List to the Time-
line (Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE with Com- Importing Video into Pro Tools Using
plete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or the Import Video Command
Pro Tools LE with an Avid video peripheral
The Import Video menu command lets you
only)
choose one or more video files to import into
• Dragging from a DigiBase browser or from Pro Tools.
Windows Explorer or Mac Finder
• Using the Import Session Data command When you use this method to import video into
(File > Import > Session Data)—this lets you Pro Tools, the Video Import Options dialog ap-
import video from another Pro Tools ses- pears. This dialog contains multiple options for
sion, or from and AAF or OMF file, but not customizing how files are imported.
individual video files
To import video into Pro Tools using the Import
The video frame rate of the first video file Video command:
added to a session determines the session’s 1 Do one of the following:
video engine rate. Video files subsequently
• Choose File > Import > Video.
added to the session must have the same
video frame rate as the video engine rate. – or –
• Press Control+Alt+Shift+I (Windows) or
Command+Option+Shift+I (Mac).
In general, audio and video media should
be stored on separate dedicated drives. 2 In the Select Video File to Import dialog, select
When importing audio and video at the one or more video files.
same time by linking to media, however,
3 Click Open.
Pro Tools may copy both to the same drive.
To avoid performance problems, move the 4 Configure the Video Import Options dialog,
video to a video playback drive before and click OK to import video into Pro Tools.
importing the audio and video into your
session. See “Configuring Video Import Options” on
page 1044 for detailed instructions.

When you import MPEG-2 video into

Pro Tools, only the video portion of the file
is imported and the resulting video regions
cannot be edited.

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1043

 Importing Video into Pro Tools with Dragging Video Files from the
Drag and Drop Region List to the Timeline
You can drag and drop video files from a (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
DigiBase browser or from Windows Explorer or Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or with an
Mac Finder to the Timeline, a track, a Track List, Avid Video Peripheral Only)
or the Region List.
You can add video files to the Timeline by drag-
When you use this method to import video into ging and dropping directly from the Region List
Pro Tools, the Video Import Options dialog ap- to a video track.
pears. This dialog contains multiple options for
customizing how files are imported. To add video files to a video track by dragging
them from the Region List:
To import video into Pro Tools using drag and drop: 1 Select one or more video files in the Region
List.
1 Drag and drop one or more video files from a
DigiBase browser or from Windows Explorer or 2 In any Edit mode, drag the selected video files
Mac Finder to the Track List, Timeline, or an ex- to a blank area in the Timeline (to create a new
isting video track. video track) or an existing video track (to place it
within that track).
2 Configure the Video Import options, and click
OK to import video into Pro Tools.
Configuring Video Import Options
See “Configuring Video Import Options” on
page 1044 for detailed instructions. The Video Import Options dialog appears when
you import video into Pro Tools by using the
Importing Video into Pro Tools Using Import Video command or dragging video files
Import Session Data from a DigiBase browser or from Windows Ex-
plorer or Mac Finder.
You can use the Import Session Data command
to import video from other Pro Tools sessions or
(with DigiTranslator 2.0) from an AAF or OMF
sequence. Any video files you import must have
the same video frame rate as any video file al-
ready present in the session.

For information on importing session data,

see “Importing Session Data” on page 289.
For detailed information on importing AAF
or OMF sequences into Pro Tools, see the
DigiTranslator Guide.

Video Import Options dialog

1044 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Spot Displays the Spot dialog, which lets you
See “Bypassing the Video Import Options spot video to precise locations based on any of
Dialog” on page 1046 for details on the Time Scales.
bypassing the Video Import Options dialog
when dragging and dropping video files. Original Time Stamp (Avid Video Only) Places
Avid video in the Timeline at a time code loca-
Destination Section tion that corresponds to the timestamps from
the original source tape. With multiple video
The Destination section of the Video Import
files, this places all video files in the Timeline at
Options dialog lets you choose a general desti-
their respective original timestamps.
nation for imported video in Pro Tools.

Main Video Track The video file is imported di- Additional Video Import Options
rectly to the track that is currently online
Gaps Between Regions (Pro Tools HD and
(known as the main video track) and into the
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or
Region List. If no track is currently online, the DV Toolkit 2, or an Avid Video Peripheral
video file will be imported to the last existing Only) When you import more than one video
video track that was online. file into a track, they will be shuffled together by
default. This option lets you indicate the num-
New Track Each video file is imported into its
ber of seconds by which each video clip will be
own individual track and into the Region List.
separated when imported into the video track.
Region List (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with
Import Audio from File (QuickTime and Windows
Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or an
Media Video Only)
Avid Video Peripheral Only) Each video file is im-
When selected, the audio from the QuickTime
ported directly into the Region List, where it will
or Windows Media video file you are importing
be available to drag and drop into the Timeline.
will be extracted and placed into new mono or
stereo audio tracks in the Timeline. (Mono or
Location Pop-Up Menu
stereo audio with a sampling rate of 48 kHz or
If you do not select the Region List as a destina- lower are supported.) When unselected, only
tion in the Destination section, the Location the video portion of the video file will be im-
pop-up menu lets you choose precisely where in ported into Pro Tools.
the Timeline Pro Tools places imported video.
Remove Existing Video Tracks When selected, all
Session Start Places the video file at the start of existing video tracks will be deleted before
the session. Pro Tools imports video into the session.

Song Start Places the video file at the Song Start Remove Existing Video Regions When selected,
position. all existing video regions will be removed from
the Timeline and the Region List before
Selection Places the video file at the edit cursor Pro Tools imports video into the session (but left
position or within the selection (if one was on disk). This option is useful if you want to im-
made). port a video file into the session with a video
frame rate that does not match the current video
engine rate.

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1045

 The audio is converted to the session’s sample
See “Video Engine Rate” on page 1042 for rate and bit resolution, and a new region ap-
more information. pears in the Region List for each imported file.
The regions are listed in the Region List with the
Clear Main Video Track Playlist When selected,
region name, the number of the originating
all existing video regions in the currently-se-
track, and the number of the region from the
lected playlist on the main video track will be re-
track.
moved from the track before Pro Tools imports
video into the session. No other playlists, video
To import audio from a QuickTime or Windows
tracks, or video regions will be affected. (This
Media video file without importing the video, do
option is only enabled if the main video track is the following:
selected as the Destination option.)
1 Choose File > Import > Audio.

Bypassing the Video Import Options Dialog 2 In the Import Audio dialog, navigate to the

You can bypass the Video Import Options dialog video file from which you want to import audio,
when dragging video files into Pro Tools. The and select it.
video files are added exactly where you drop 3 Under the Region section, click the name of
them in the Timeline following the current the audio region you want to extract from the
Pro Tools editing mode. video file, and click Convert Region or Add Region.

4 Select other audio files , and click Done to im-

To bypass the Video Import Options dialog when
importing video into Pro Tools: port the audio.

„ Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) one 5 In the Audio Import Options dialog, choose
or more video files from a DigiBase browser, whether to import the audio into a new track
Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder into the Re- (and the Region List) or the Region List only.
gion List or the Timeline.
Sample Rate Conversion Quality
If you import QuickTime audio that was not
Extracting Audio from originally recorded at the session’s sample rate,
QuickTime and Windows the sample rate is converted to match the audio
Media Video to your session. Pro Tools allows you to choose
(QuickTime and Windows Media Video Only) the quality of the sample rate conversion by
means of the Conversion Quality setting in the
You can extract many audio file formats from Editing Preferences page.
QuickTime and Windows Media video files
without importing the video. There are five possible settings, ranging from
Low (lowest quality) to Tweak Head (highest
Pro Tools cannot extract audio from quality). The higher the quality of sample rate
Windows Media video files that require conversion, the longer it takes to convert the
Windows Media File Digital Rights bounced file.
Management (DRM) passwords.

1046 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To set the sample rate conversion quality: • You can add only one video region to a ses-
sion. It can be played back, but cannot be ed-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
ited and will not be listed in the Region List.
Processing tab.
• When you import video or open a session cre-
2 Click the Conversion Quality pop-up menu and
ated by Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE with
select a conversion setting.
Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2,
or Pro Tools LE with an Avid video peripheral,
only the main or first available video track
Video Regions containing QuickTime regions will be im-
ported. You can play back and view multiple
You can create video regions that function in
regions, and tab through region boundaries.
much the same way as audio regions.
However, you cannot edit them. (See “Using
Pro Tools LE to Import Video from Other Ver-
sions of Pro Tools” on page 1061 for more in-
formation.)

Video Regions in the Region List

(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Video region as displayed in Frames View in the Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or with an
Timeline
Avid Video Peripheral Only)
A video region is a segment of video data, and
can be a portion of video or an entire video file. A video region displays in the Region List with a
In Pro Tools, video regions are created from small video icon next to its name.
QuickTime, Windows Media, or Avid video files,
and can be arranged in corresponding video
track playlists. Video regions can also be
grouped, looped, and color coded.

When using Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE with

Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2,
or Pro Tools LE with an Avid video peripheral,
you can add, edit, and change viewing options
Video region icon
for video regions in the same ways as audio re-
gions. All edits to video regions are nondestruc-
tive. (See “General Video Editing” on page 1048
for more information.)

Just like audio regions, video regions display in

Video region as displayed in the Region List
Pro Tools in the Region List or the Timeline.

When using Pro Tools LE, the following limita- For information on working with regions
tions apply to video regions: in the Region List, see Chapter 13, “The
Region List.”

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1047

 Showing or Hiding Video Regions in the Playing and Selecting Video Track Material
Region List • Selecting within video frame boundaries (see
The Region List menu provides commands that “Selecting within Video Frame Boundaries”
let you show or hide video regions in the Region on page 1050)
List. • Selecting and editing across multiple Video
and audio tracks (see “Selecting and Editing
To show or hide video regions in the Region List: Across Multiple Audio and Video Tracks” on
page 1049)
1 In the Edit window, click the Region List
menu, and choose Show. • Link or unlink track and Edit selections

2 Select the Video option to show or hide video • Auto-scroll video tracks
regions. • Loop playback
• Video Universe window (see “Browsing Video
in the Video Universe Window” on
General Video Editing page 1053)

(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete

Working with Regions and Selections
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or with an
Avid Video Peripheral Only) • Capture regions
• Separate regions and Separate Grabber Tool
Most editing operations that are available for au-
dio regions can also be applied to video regions. • Region overlap and underlap
This section describes all available video editing • All trimming commands except for TCE
operations. Unless noted, the procedure for each
• Heal separated regions
video editing operation is the same as its audio
editing counterpart. • Place, align, slide, shuffle, and spot regions
• Sync points
See the appropriate section in this guide for
• Nudging (quantized to frame boundaries)
detailed information on performing editing
operations. • Shift command (moving track material back
or forward in time by a specified amount)
Basic Video Editing Features
• Quantize Region to Grid (rounds to nearest
• Nondestructive editing video frame)
• Display of region names, region times, and
• Replace Region command
other data in playlists
• Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear commands
• Multiple video playlists
• Multiple Undo • Special Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear commands
• Video regions and video region groups in • Repeat to fill selection
Region List • Editing across multiple tracks
• All Edit modes • Duplicate command
• All Edit Tools (except for Time Compres- • Repeat command
sion Expansion and Pencil tools)

1048 Pro Tools Reference Guide

• Region groups (see “Video Region Groups” on Selecting and Editing Across
page 1050) Multiple Audio and Video Tracks
• Region looping
You can create a selection across multiple audio
and video tracks, and cut, copy, or paste audio
Managing Regions
and video simultaneously.
• Insert space (see “Using the Insert Silence
Command to Insert Space in Video Tracks” on before
page 1050)
• Compact Selected (nothing happens to the
video, and at least one audio track must be se-
lected)
• All naming and displaying of region com-
mands

Editing Caveats
The following caveats apply to video editing in
after
Pro Tools:
• MPEG-2 video in the Timeline cannot be ed-
ited.
• If you create and enable a track group contain-
ing audio and video tracks—and any audio
track has region boundaries that do not line
up with video frame boundaries— you cannot
tab through those region boundaries.

General Editing Operations Not Selecting and editing across multiple tracks (Slip mode
shown)
Applicable to Video Regions
Audio and video that is selected and cut, copied,
The following editing operations are applicable
or pasted follow the current Edit mode.
to audio regions, but are not applicable to video
regions:
• Fades
• Mute/unmute regions
• AudioSuite plug-ins
• Waveform Repair with the Pencil tool
• Strip silence
• Consolidate regions

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1049

 Selecting within Video Frame To insert space into a video track:
Boundaries 1 Make a selection in a track or tracks. The
length of the selection determines the duration
Pro Tools does not let you select, play back, or
of the space inserted.
edit a partial video frame. The following rules
apply when selecting or editing video: 2 Choose Edit > Insert Silence.
• When you make a selection in a video track,
the selection boundaries follow the current
Grid setting but round to the nearest video Renaming Video Disk Files
frame boundary, as follows:
• If the selection includes more than half of a When renaming audio regions in either the
video frame, the full video frame is in- Timeline or the Region List, you have the option
cluded within the selection. of also renaming the audio files on disk. How-
ever, this does not apply to video files on disk.
• If the selection includes less than half of a
video frame, that video frame is not in- To rename video files on disk, you must rename
cluded in a video selection. them in a DigiBase browser or in Windows Ex-
• When you paste a selection containing video plorer or Mac Finder.
to a video track, the insertion point automat-
ically aligns with the closest video frame Changes made in the operating system will
boundary. not automatically update the information
displayed in the DigiBase browser.
When you paste audio and video simulta-
neously, this video frame re-alignment may
result in the audio not being positioned Video Region Groups
exactly where you placed it. A warning
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
dialog displays when this occurs.
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or with an
Avid Video Peripheral Only)
Using the Insert Silence Command
to Insert Space in Video Tracks You can include video regions within region
groups for the following operations:
The Insert Silence command lets you make a se-
• Creating region groups
lection on a track (or tracks) and insert precisely
that amount of space. You can also select across • Creating multitrack region groups (includ-
video and audio tracks, and use the Insert Si- ing audio tracks)
lence command to insert audio silence and • Editing region groups
space simultaneously. • Creating fades and crossfades for audio files
in region groups
In Shuffle mode, all video data on the track is
• Importing and exporting region group files
shuffled later in the track by an amount equal to
the selection. In Slip, Grid, or Spot mode, the In- See “Region Groups” on page 743 for
sert Silence command works just like the Edit > detailed information on working with
Clear command. region groups.

1050 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To toggle the online status of the main video track:
Using the Video Window „ Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-click
Pro Tools provides a Video window that lets you (Mac) the Video window, and select Online.
view, display, or scrub video.

Avid video displays in the Video window

only when scrubbed or shuttled.

To display the Video window, do one of the

following:
„ Select Window > Video.
– or –

„ Press Control+9 (Windows) or Command+9

(Mac).
Video window (with pop-up menu shown)

To toggle output of QuickTime video between the

Video window and FireWire, do one of the following
(Mac only):
„ Select (or deselect) Options > Video Out

FireWire.
– or –

„ Right-click, or Control-click, the Video win-

dow, and select (or deselect) Video Out FireWire.

For information on playing video through

Video window
FireWire, see “Playing QuickTime DV
Video to an External Monitor Over
Changing Video Window Options
FireWire” on page 1055.
The Video window pop-up menu lets you do the
following:
• Toggle online status of the main video track.
• Toggle output of QuickTime video between
the Video window and an external monitor
using the FireWire port (without an Avid
Video peripheral this is supported with Mac
only) or PCIe (with a Digidesign-qualified
video card).
• Resize the Video window.

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1051

 To toggle output of QuickTime video between the If you scrub directly on the video track, only the
Video window and PCIe, do one of the following video will scrub (no audio will play). If you scrub
(Mac only): on an audio track, audio and video will scrub si-
„ Select (or deselect) Options > Video Out PCIe. multaneously.

– or –
To scrub a video track:
„ Right-click, or Control-click, the Video win-
1 Ensure that scrubbing in the Video window is
dow, and select (or deselect) Video Out PCIe
enabled by selecting Options > Scrub in Video Win-
For information on playing video through dow.
PCIe, see “Playing Video to an External 2 Select the Scrubber tool.
Monitor Using a Video Card” on
page 1057. 3 Click in the video track and drag the Scrubber.

To scrub with finer precision, press the

Resizing the Video Window Command key while scrubbing.
You can resize the Video window by dragging or
using the Video window pop-up menu. Shuttling the Video Track
Shuttle Lock mode lets you use the numeric key-
To resize the Video window by dragging:
pad to shuttle a video track and one or two au-
„ Place the cursor at the bottom left or bottom dio tracks forward or backwards at specific
right of the Video window, and drag the window speeds. Numbers 0 through 9 provide progres-
to the size you want. sively faster speeds, as follows:
• To stop shuttling, press 0.
To resize the Video window by using the Video
window pop-up menu: • To increase the speed progressively towards
normal speed, press numbers 1 through 4.
„ Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-click

(Mac) the Video window, and choose from the • To shuttle at normal speed, press 5.
following resize options: • To increase the speed progressively faster than
• Half Size normal speed, press numbers 6 through 9.
• Actual Size
Only the main video track is shuttled. When
• Double Size multiple audio tracks are selected, only the first
• Fit Screen two tracks are shuttled.

To play the video track with the shuttle lock:

Scrubbing the Video Track
1 With Pro Tools HD, make sure the Operation
Due to the latency introduced by all FireWire-
preference for Numeric Keypad mode is not set
based video peripherals, the video on an exter-
to Shuttle (see “Operation Preferences” on
nal monitor will not be in sync with the Scrub-
page 83).
ber tool. To scrub video without latency, you
can scrub in the Video window.

1052 Pro Tools Reference Guide

2 Make sure the Video Online button in the The Video Universe window displays the center
video track you want to scrub is set to an online video frame of each video region in the main
(blue) status. video track. Video frames are ordered sequen-
tially according to their order in the Timeline,
3 With the Selector tool, click in the audio track
and the colored strip under each frame repre-
where you want playback to begin. To shuttle on
sents the color coding for that region.
two tracks, Shift-click in a second audio track.

4 Press the Start key (Windows) or Control To display the Video Universe window:
(Mac) and a number on the numeric keypad:
1 Make sure the Video Online button in the
0–9 (9 is fastest, 5 is normal speed, and 0 stops
main video track is set to online status (blue).
shuttling).
2 Choose Window > Video Universe.
Once Shuttle Lock mode is initiated, Fast For-
ward and Rewind become highlighted in the
Transport window.

5 Press additional keys to change the playback

speed, or press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to switch the
playback direction (plus for forward, minus for
backward).

6 To stop playback, press Start+0 (Windows) or

Video Universe with video frames representing video
Control+0 (Mac).
regions on the main video track

To exit Shuttle Lock mode, do one of the following: Increasing or Decreasing the Size of
„ Click Stop in the Transport. Video Frames

– or – To increase or decrease the size of video frames in

„ Press the Spacebar. the Video Universe window:
„ Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-click
(Mac) anywhere in the Universe, and select In-
crease or Decrease.
Browsing Video in the Video
Universe Window
(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete
Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only)

The Video Universe, lets you view, navigate,

zoom, and select video regions on the main
video track.

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1053

 Selecting Zoom Resolutions in the Selecting Ranges in the Video Universe
Video Universe
When you move the cursor over the bottom half
When you move the cursor over the top half of of a video frame in the Video Universe, it dis-
a video frame in the Video Universe, it displays plays and behaves as a selector tool. This tool
and behaves as a zoom tool. This tool lets you lets you select ranges within one or more video
zoom in on one or more video regions to fill the regions in the Edit window.
entire Edit window display.

Video frame with selector tool

Video frame with zoom tool
To use the Video Universe window to select ranges
To use the Video Universe window to zoom video in video regions in the Edit window:
regions in the Edit window:
1 Move the cursor over the bottom half of any
1 Move the cursor over the top half of any video video frame until it becomes a selector tool.
frame until it becomes a zoom tool.
2 Do one of the following:
2 Do one of the following: • To place the cursor at the beginning of a
• To move the beginning of a video region to video region, click the video frame repre-
the far left of the Timeline while maintain- senting the video region.
ing the current zoom resolution in the Edit • To select an entire video region from start
window, click the video frame representing to end, double-click the video frame repre-
the region once. senting that region.
• To zoom in on a video region so that it fills • To select one or more entire regions from
the entire Edit window, double-click the start to end, drag the video frames repre-
video frame representing the region. senting the video regions.
• To zoom a range of selected regions so that
they fill the Edit window, drag on the video If the Edit window does not display the se-
frames that represent the regions. lected video regions, it will automatically
scroll to show the beginning of the selection.

1054 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Selecting Zoom Resolutions and Setting Session Time Code Rate
Ranges Simultaneously in the Video for HD QuickTime and HD Windows
Universe Media Video Import
When you move the cursor over a video frame When playing back QuickTime and Windows
in the Video Universe while pressing Alt (Win- Media video with frame rates higher than 30 fps,
dows) or Option (Mac), the cursor appears as a Pro Tools syncs properly only if the Time Code
selector tool. This tool lets you zoom and select Rate in the Session Setup window is set to half of
ranges simultaneously. the video frame rate of the video files.

To use the Video Universe window to select and For example, to properly play back QuickTime
zoom simultaneously in the Edit window: or Windows Media HD video at 59.94 fps,
change the session’s Time Code Rate to 29.97
1 Move the cursor over any area of any video
frames per second.
frame in the Video Universe window until it be-
comes a selector or zoom tool.
To set the session’s Time Code Rate:
2 To select a range of video regions while simul-
1 Choose Setup > Session.
taneously zooming to fill the Edit window, Alt-
drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) multiple Press Control+2 (Windows) or
video frames. Command+2 (Mac) to open the Session
Setup window.

2 In the Session Setup window, select the appro-

Playback of High-Definition priate time code rate in the Time Code Rate pop-
QuickTime and Windows up menu.
Media Video
Pro Tools lets you import and play back High-
Definition QuickTime and Windows Media Playing QuickTime DV Video
video files. to an External Monitor Over
When playing HD video through an Avid
FireWire
video peripheral (QuickTime only) or other When using a DV decoder, you can output
device locked to a standard-definition video QuickTime DV25 video (including QuickTime
reference (such as a black burst generator), movies exported as QuickTime DV from Avid)
the display updates at the frame rate of the through your computer’s FireWire port.
video reference.
For the latest compatibility information on
Firewire transcoders, visit the Digidesign web-
site (www.digidesign.com/compatibility).

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1055

 Performance may vary, depending on the specif- Exporting QuickTime DV from Avid
ics of your system and projects.
The following instructions describe export set-
When using an Avid video peripheral (such tings for Media Composer, Media Station|PT, or
as an Avid Mojo SDI, Avid Mojo, or Avid Xpress Pro. These settings are required to
AVoption|V10), you can output QuickTime create QuickTime DV movies that can be played
video formats to an external display using back in Pro Tools through the Firewire port.
the FireWire port on Windows and Mac. See
the Avid Video Peripherals Guide for more To export a QuickTime DV reference movie for
information. Pro Tools Firewire playback, set the following:
1 Enable the following export options:
Playing QuickTime DV Video Through
• Flatten video tracks
the FireWire Port
• Fill in spaces with black
(Mac Only)
• Render all video effects
• Use Apple DV Codec
To Play QuickTime DV video through the FireWire
Port: • Enable the Apple DV codec

1 Import a QuickTime video file into a Pro Tools 2 Make sure the Use Avid Codec option is not en-
session. (See “Importing Video into Pro Tools” abled.
on page 1043 for detailed information.)
These export settings can be saved in
2 Choose Options > Video Out Firewire. Avid Xpress Pro as a default, simplifying
future media exchange. Refer to your Avid
When this option is enabled, Pro Tools will play
XPress documentation for more informa-
the video (NTSC or PAL) out the FireWire port to
tion on export settings and defaults.
an external DV decoder.

If the Video window is open while video plays Tips for Optimizing Video Playback
out the FireWire port, it displays text indicating
When using Pro Tools to play video files, the
that video is playing out the FireWire port.
quality of the playback is dependent on the fol-
lowing:
• Speed of your computer and hard drive
• Size (in pixels) of the video file
• Quality of the video hardware used to capture
and play back the digitized video
• Codec and level of compression used

1056 Pro Tools Reference Guide

For more consistently smooth video playback, The amount of delay introduced varies based on
here are some suggestions: your system and the type of video peripheral
• Use an Avid video peripheral. you are using. When using an Avid peripheral
with QuickTime, 18 quarter-frames is a good
• Use the fastest computer possible. starting point, but you will need to verify the
• Set Scrolling option to None (Options > Scroll- precise setting for your system. (Third-party de-
ing > None). vices are available to help you measure this de-
• Recompress the video at a reduced pixel di- lay.)
mension, for example 320 x 240 pixels to
640 x 480 pixels.
• Use a video clip with less compression
(heavily compressed files require more proces-
sor speed to decompress for display).
• Hide the video track when not needed (or
change from Frames to Blocks view).
• Ensure that any unnecessary software is not
running. Video Sync Offset dialog

• Resize the Video window to a small desktop Once this value is set, it should not need to be
size, for example by using half size instead of updated unless you change components in your
whole or full screen. video monitoring chain (such as projectors or
plasma screens).

Compensating for Video

Monitoring Delays
Playing Video to an External
You can compensate for delays in the video out-
put that may be introduced by external decoders
Monitor Using a Video Card
and certain types of displays (such as projectors
or plasma screens). QuickTime HD or SD Output
Pro Tools lets you output QuickTime HD or SD
To compensate for delays caused by video
video to an external HD-SDI, HDMI, NTSC, or
monitoring devices:
PAL monitor.
1 Choose Setup > Video Sync Offset.
Pro Tools offers professional quality support of
2 In the Set Video Sync Offset dialog, enter a
most SD and HD Quicktime video formats, in-
value in the QuickTime Video Offset field or cluding 720p, 1080p, and 1080i at all standard
Windows Media Video Offset field that is appro- frame rates.
priate to compensate for the delay caused by
your video monitor chain. For a list of devices explicitly tested for
QuickTime HD or SD output from
Pro Tools, visit the Digidesign website at
(www.digidesign.com/compatibility).

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1057

 Playing QuickTime HD or SD Video Video Reference
Through PCIe
Video output can be locked to external video
(Mac Only) reference, including Black Burst and Tri-Level
Sync.
With a Digidesign-qualified PCIe video card,
Pro Tools can play and display QuickTime SD or Pro Tools HD should be locked to a suitable
QuickTime-based HD video files with frame clock reference, such as a Digidesign SYNC
edge-locked HD image output to a variety of peripheral. If no external audio clock is
professional HD monitors. referenced, audio will not be frame-edge
aligned and may drift.
Though no PCI video cards have been
qualified for use with Pro Tools, some may Supported QuickTime Codecs
work. Visit www.digidesign.com for more
information. Most common QuickTime codecs are supported,
including HD codecs such as h.264, DVCPro 100
To Play QuickTime video through PCIe: HDV, and DV25.
1 Import a QuickTime-based video file into a
Supported Video Formats
Pro Tools session. (See “Importing Video into
Pro Tools” on page 1043 for detailed informa- Supported Video Formats using a PCIe video card
tion.)
Video Video
Video PT Frame
2 Select Options > Video Out PCIe. Reference Output
Format Rate
Rate Format*
When this option is enabled, Pro Tools will play
23.976p NTSC 23.976 NTSC
the video out the PCIe video card to the con-
NTSC
nected HD monitor.
720p/ 720p/ 23.976 720p/
If the Video window is open while video plays 23.976 59.94 or 59.94
out the PCIe video card, it displays text indicat- NTSC
ing that video is playing out PCIe.
1080p/ 1080psf/ 23.976 1080psf/
23.976 23.98 23.98
To toggle output of QuickTime video between the
Video window and PCIe, do one of the following: 24p NTSC NTSC 24 NTSC

„ Select (or deselect) Options > Video Out PCIe. 24p PAL PAL 24 PAL
– or – 1080p/ 1080psf/ 24 1080psf/
24 24 24
„ Right-click, or Control-click, the Video win-

dow, and select (or deselect) Video Out PCIe. 25p PAL PAL 25 PAL

25i PAL PAL 25 PAL

1080p/ 1080i/50 25 1080i/50

25 or PAL

30i NTSC NTSC 29.97 NTSC

1058 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Supported Video Formats using a PCIe video card

Video Video
Bouncing the Video Track to a
Video PT Frame QuickTime Movie
Reference Output
Format Rate
Rate Format*
When you have finished your final mix and syn-
720p/ 720p/ 29.97 720p/ chronized your audio events to the movie, you
29.97 59.94 or 59.94 can bounce the main video track (QuickTime or
HDV NTSC
Avid video) and a mono or stereo mixdown of
720p/50 720p/50 25 720p/50 your session to a new QuickTime movie.
or PAL
You can choose from a variety of standard
1080i/50 1080i/50 25 1080i/50 QuickTime codecs, which are fully compatible
or PAL
with other QuickTime applications.
720p/ 720p/ 29.97 720p/
59.94 59.94 or 59.94 Because all formats and codecs have not
NTSC been tested, you should verify the
QuickTime movie bounced successfully.
1080i/ 1080i/ 29.97 1080i/
59.94 59.94 or 59.94
NTSC
Pro Tools cannot bounce audio or video to
an MPEG-2 video file.
* The video output format may displayed on the ex-
ternal monitor. To bounce video and audio in the video track to a
QuickTime movie:

Windows Media (VC-1 AP) Output 1 Finalize your mix.

(Windows Vista Only) 2 Make sure the video track you want to bounce
is currently the main video track. (The track’s
Pro Tools lets you output Windows Media (VC-1
Video Online button must be highlighted blue.)
AP) video to NTSC or PAL monitors via any de-
vice that is compatible with standard Direct- 3 Make sure that all of the audio tracks you want
Show output. to include in the bounce are audible (not muted
or inactive).
For a list of devices explicitly tested for
Windows Media (VC-1 AP) output from 4 Assign the output of each of the tracks you

Pro Tools, visit the Digidesign website want to include in your bounce to the same ste-
(www.digidesign.com/compatibility). reo output or bus path.

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1059

 5 Do one of the following:
• To bounce the entire session, click Return Bouncing a Video Track with
to Zero in the Transport window to go to Windows Media Video to a
the beginning of the session. WIndows Media Movie
– or – You can bounce the main video track and a
• To bounce a portion of the session, enable mono or stereo mixdown of your session to a
Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection, new Windows Media movie.
and make a selection in the Edit window or
the Timeline. QuickTime and Avid video cannot be
bounced to Windows Media video, and
6 Choose File > Bounce to > QuickTime Movie.
vice versa.
The Bounce dialog appears (if you are bouncing
QuickTime movies) or the Bounce to QuickTime Because all formats and codecs have not
dialog appears (if you are bouncing Avid video been tested, you should verify the Windows
to QuickTime movies). Media movie file bounced successfully.
7 Select your mix’s output or bus path from the
To bounce video and audio in the video track to a
Bounce Source selector. Windows Media movie:
8 If you are bouncing Avid to QuickTime and 1 Finalize your mix.
you want to configure QuickTime video set-
2 Make sure the video track you want to bounce
tings, click Options.
is currently the main video track. (The track’s
9 Configure other settings as appropriate. Video Online button must be highlighted blue.)

Pro Tools is qualified to bounce to Quick- 3 Make sure that all of the audio tracks you want
Time DV25. Bouncing to other formats is to include in the bounce are audible (not muted
has not been qualified. or inactive).

4 Assign the output of each of the tracks you

See Apple documentation for detailed want to include in your bounce to the same ste-
information on configuring QuickTime reo output or bus path.
movie settings.
5 Do one of the following:

10 Click Bounce. • To bounce the entire session, click Return

to Zero in the Transport window to go to
11 Select a destination for the new QuickTime
the beginning of the session.
movie, enter a new name, and click Save.
– or –
Bouncing video may take quite a bit longer than • To bounce a portion of the session, enable
real-time, depending on the format of the Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection,
source video, the format of the bounced video, and make a selection in the Edit window or
and processing speed. the Timeline.

6 Choose File > Bounce to > Windows Media

Movie. The Bounce dialog appears.

1060 Pro Tools Reference Guide

7 Select your mix’s output or bus path from the • All QuickTime or Windows Media video on
Bounce Source selector. the main video track will be displayed, but the
video track will be locked and cannot be ed-
8 Click Bounce.
ited.
9 In the Windows Media dialog, do the follow-
• All additional video tracks, playlists, and
ing: video regions will not be shown. However,
• In the Profile pop-up menu, select the pro- they will continue to be saved with the ses-
file matching the size and data rate of the sion, and will be available if the session is
exported video—the larger the resolution, opened on a system that supports them.
the larger the resulting video file.
• To include uncompressed audio in the When using Pro Tools LE to work with video in
video file that will be exported, select Loss- such a session, you can do the following:
less Audio Compression. • Use the Tab key to move the Location Cursor
to video region boundaries.
10 Select a destination for the new video file, en-
ter a new name, and click Save. • Add and edit audio tracks.
• Bounce the video track to disk as a QuickTime
Bouncing video may take quite a bit longer than
or Windows Media video file.
real-time, depending on the format of the
source video, the format of the bounced video, • Export the session, including the full video
and processing speed. track.

See “Bouncing the Video Track to a Quick-

Time Movie” on page 1059.
Using Pro Tools LE to Import
Video from Other Versions of
Pro Tools
When you use Pro Tools LE to import video or
open a session created by Pro Tools HD or
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit,
DV Toolkit 2, or an Avid video peripheral, some
components of the session may open differently
or not open at all, as follows:
• Only the main video track is displayed. If no
video track was selected as the main video
track when the session was saved, the first
video track containing QuickTime or Win-
dows Media video in that session is displayed.
• Only the playlist that was chosen when the
session was saved will be displayed.

Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools 1061

1062 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Index

Symbols active 19, 21

+ and – (see Plus (+) and Minus (–)) inserts 875
tracks 192
Add Key Change command 701
Numerics Add Marker/Memory Location button 708
003 33 Add Meter Change button 692
003 Rack 33 Add Tempo Change button 671, 689
003 Rack+ 33 Add Unique Triggers 570
1622 I/O 30 adding
16-bit new playlist 530
Bounce to Disk 967 sends 842
176.4 kHz AES/EBU
and pull factors 1021 Hardware Setup 53
192 Digital I/O 30 AFL (After Fader Listen) 189
192 I/O 30 AFL/PFL Mutes (Output Path) selector 76
Hardware Setup 53 AFL/PFL Path 76
Soft Limit 53 After Fader Listen mode 189
192 kHz After Playback Scrolling option 334
and pull factors 1021 After Write Pass, Switch To option 93, 904
24-bit AIFF file format 964
Bounce to Disk 967 All MIDI Notes Off command 603
24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O 30 all tracks
29.97 FPS Non-Drop 1033 hiding 177
3 Second Clip Hold option 82, 163 selecting all regions in 476
3 Second Peak Hold option 82, 163 selecting in Timebase rulers 481
3-knob panning 1002 Allow Latch Prime in Stop option 92
5.0 paths in 5.1 mixes 991 Allow Track Arm Commands in Local Mode option 98
5.1 formats in Pro Tools 979 alternate channels
882|20 I/O 30 Expand to New Playlists 545
888|24 I/O 30 alternate matching takes 383, 542
8-bit 967 Alternate Takes pop-up menu 383, 542
96 I/O 30 Always Display Market Colors option 82
Hardware Setup 53 Always Fill Channel Strips When Banking option 91
96i I/O 30 Analog In 53
Hardware Setup 53 Analog Out 53
9-Pin Machine Control (Deck Control) settings 104 Analysis view 771, 785
9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation) settings 105 AND (DigiBase search modifier) 244
Apply Real-Time Properties option 304
archiving sessions (with Compact command) 507
A Assignments View (Sends View option) 845
AAF file format 298 attributes (groups) 205
Absolute Grid mode 447, 725 Attributes Group command 200
Accel Core card 30 Audio Designator 261
ACID files 277 Audio During Fast Forward/Rewind option 83, 331
importing 285

Index 1063
 audio files auto-created regions 429
compacting 507 hiding 220
concepts 13 renaming 219
default names 356 auto-fades 523
formats 964 AutoGlide mode 1003
importing 276 AutoGlide Time preference 93, 1003
mixed file types 121 AutoJoin
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo button 250 command 905
Audio Files folder 115 indicator 906
audio format, for session 1012 AutoMatch
audio interfaces 32 all controls 919
input channels 15 button 918
Audio Media options 292 indicators 913
Audio Pull Up and Pull Down 1019 individual automation types 919
audio regions 429 individual controls 919
and automation 433 AutoMatch Time preference 93, 909
fitting to an Edit selection 508 automatic delay compensation 47
stripping silence from 732 Automatically Copy Files on Import option 94, 278, 298
whole-file 428 Automatically Create Click Track in New Sessions option 96
Audio Track RecordLock option 86, 410 Automatically Find and Relink 310
audio tracks 12 automating
5.1 format 975 plug-ins 916, 917, 918
and Output format 985 sends 915
and surround sessions 983 switched controls 914
bouncing to disk 962 tracks 913
channel strips 155 VCA Masters 955
creating a tempo map for 689 automation 901
disabling Elastic Audio 770 and audio regions 433
enabling Elastic Audio 769 and multichannel pan 1006
loop recording 381 and multiple output assignments 985
placing audio in multichannel tracks 984 breakpoints 929
punch recording 377 capturing and applying elsewhere 949, 952
recording multiple 371 coalescing Trim automation 937
signal flow 828 coalescing VCA automation 956
track controls 158 copying 932
Waveform View 429 creating 917
Audio Zoom In button 450 cutting 932
Audio Zoom Out button 450 deleting 925
AudioSuite delta 907
Dither 867 display of fade boundaries and shapes 528
multichannel processing 759 drawing with Pencil 926
Plug-in selector 754 editing 927
plug-ins 867 editing with Smart Tool 467
Preview 758 enabling 922
processing 507, 760 for grouped tracks 931
AudioSuite menu 149 for hidden tracks 178
AudioSuite plug-ins 760 on multichannel tracks 931
AudioSuite processing on networked hard drives 760 On Stop 940
AudioSuite window 754 pass-through point 904
Audition Paths selector 75 pasting 932
auditioning playlists 529, 902, 910
fades 513 plug-in accuracy in bounce 968
in browsers 248 relative and absolute 907
MIDI notes 582 Safe button 882
pre/post-roll 336 safing 910
programs 599 smoothing 909
regions in the Region List 217 snapshot 947
selection start and end points 336 Special Paste mode 935
takes 383 stepped 929
Auto Backup option 85 suspending 922, 923
Auto button 882 thinning 909, 925
Auto Input Monitoring mode 363, 364 to next breakpoint 940
Auto Match Pull Factors 1019 Track View 440
Auto Region Fade In/Out Length preference 88, 523 Trim mode 906
Auto Rename Region List command 220 trimming 936

1064 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 writing 913 Bar|Beat Markers
writing to selection, selection start, or selection end and tempo events 691
938 audio with varying tempos 692
Automation Enable window 913 editing 691
Automation Follows Edit option 909 from Identify Beat command 690
Automation lanes 911 generated with Beat Detective 560
in MIDI Editor windows 628 moving 691
in the Edit window 911 Bars|Beats Time Scale 663
Automation Mode selector 904 Batch Fades dialog 524
Automation modes Beat Detective 549, 550, 551
Latch 905 beat triggers
Latch Trim 908 deleting 558
Off 904 generating 554
Read 904 inserting 558
Read Trim 907 moving 558
Touch 904 promoting 559
Touch Trim 907 Collection Mode 569
Touch/Latch Trim 908 conforming regions 565
Trim Off 907 defining a selection 552
Write 904 detecting transients 554
Write Trim 908 DigiGroove templates 561
Automation Preferences edit smoothing 567
AutoMatch Time preference 909 extrapolation 562
Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option 926 generating Bar|Beat Markers 560
Automation Preview mode 950 groove templates 561
Punch Preview button 951 Scroll Next 559
suspending 951 separating regions 563
Write Automation To commands 951 system requirements 550
Auto-Name Memory Locations While Playing option 89, 709 templates 561
Auto-Name Separated Regions option 88, 497 Trigger Pad 563
auto-naming window 551
and Strip Silence 733 with multiple tracks 564
audio files and regions 356 Big Counter window 329
playlists 530 Bi-Phase/Tach
QuickPunch regions 408 Wiring setting 102
separated regions 497 Bi-phase/Tach
takes 356 pulses-per-frame setting 102
Auto-Spot Regions command 1030 bit depth, for session 115, 1012
Auxiliary Inputs 17, 153 black burst 1033
channel strips 155 Blocks View
monitoring and mixing 853 audio track 170
signal flow 829 video track 1040
track controls 158 Bounce to Disk command 959, 962
Avid video and dither 960
playback in Pro Tools 1055 and time stamps 963
Avid Video Errors Stop Playback option 86 Bounce options 963
Avid Video NTSC Has Setup option 86 Convert After Bounce 968
Avid Xpress DV Convert During Bounce 968
codec requirements for export 1036 File Type 964
Format 966
Help 963
B recording a submix 969
Back and Play command 332 Resolution 967
Back command 332 sample rate conversion options 967
Back/Forward Amount 332 sample rate conversion quality 968
Back/Forward Amount preference 84 source path 963
Back/Forward commands 332 Use Squeezer option 968
extending selections 333 Bounce to QuickTime Movie command 1059
repeating 333 bouncing
backing up sessions automatically 85, 116 to a stereo mix 970
bank select 10, 596 to a submix 969
breakpoints 929
Avid keyframes 928
Bring to Front command 499

Index 1065
 browsers 140, 224, 228 Chord symbols
display options 235 in the Score Editor 649
foreground 230 Chord Symbols ruler 703
navigating 229 chords 703
opening 229 diagrams 704
sorting 236 symbols 704
Buffer Size (Hardware) 366 Classic Numeric Keypad mode 25, 84
bussing Clear All Clip Indicators command 163, 846
multichannel sends 987 Clear command (Edit menu) 442
sends 842 Clear command (Region List) 221, 222
signal paths 59 Clear Special commands (automation) 935
submixing and effects processing 853 Clear Trim Automation Track command 178, 925
surround examples 991 clearing Elastic Audio analysis 247
BWF (.WAV) file format 964 click 349
Bypass button 758 configuring 349
for real-time plug-ins 882 enabling 350
Click plug-in 349
click track 349
C clicks and pops, avoiding 388, 432
Cache Size 48 Clip Hold options 82, 163
Calculator Entry mode (for numeric entry) 481 Clip LED 882
Calibration Mode command 347 clipping 346, 882
Calibration Reference Level preference 88 Clock Source 51, 900
cancelling record takes 371, 397 clock source 900
Capture Region command 495 Clock Source pop-up menu 52
capturing automation values 952 Close Session command 125
capturing time code 1029 closing multiple plug-in windows 883
catalog.ddb 227 Coalesce Trim Automation options 93
Catalogs Coalesce Trim Automation Track command 178
Clip Name 266 Coalesce VCA Master Automation Track command 178
creating folders in 231 Coalesce when Removing Slaves from VCA Group option 92
deleting folders 242 coalescing
Center % (Percentage) 1004 Trim automation 937
Center % in Output window 1005 VCA automation 956
Center Playhead Scrolling option 335 Collection Mode (Beat Detective) 569
centered crossfade 512 Color Coding
Chan/Track Process Mode 756 Apply to Channel Strip 196
Change Duration command 797, 814 options 82, 193
Change Edit to Match Timeline command 486 Color Palette window 195
Change Meter command 649, 692, 693, 694, 695 Color setting (for window dub) 103
Change Tempo command 671 Command|8 868
Change Timeline to Match Edit command 486 Commands Keyboard Focus 24
Change Velocity command 797, 812 Comments View 166, 837
Channel Delay indicator 162 Committing Elastic Audio 770
channel mapping Compact command 507
default path order 77 Compact Selected command 222
editing 70 Compare button 881
re-mapping 70 compatibility 5
Channel selector 883 compositing 532
for multi-mono plug-ins 988 compressed QuickTime audio formats 1046
channel strips 15 Conductor button 138
audio tracks 155 Conductor rulers 665
Auxiliary Inputs 155 including in selections 482
Instrument tracks 157 configuring
Master Fader tracks 156 click options 349
MIDI tracks 157 MMC 1024, 1025
VCA Master tracks 156 SMPTE 1016
channels 15 Conform to Tempo command 675
chasing connecting
controller events 601 effects units digitally 899
MIDI notes 601 external audio devices 899
program changes 601 Consolidate command
Check for Updates 38 audio 506
Chord Change dialog 704 MIDI notes 587
consolidating media 268

1066 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Constant command (Tempo Operations) 684 in batches 523
continuous controller events 10 linear 518
Continuous Scroll with Playhead option 335 overlap 518
Continuous Scrolling During Playback option 334, 335 pre/post 522
continuous zoom 449 removing 522
control surfaces TrackPunch 409
C|24 868 trimming 522
Command|8 868 types 511
D-Command 868 with dither 517
D-Control 868 Current Feet+Frames command 1017
controller events 10, 592 current meter 138, 692
and MIDI regions 434 Current Meter indicator 138
chasing 601 current tempo 138, 671
editing 593 Current Time Code Position command 1018
editing with Smart Tool 467 Current Time display 1012
inserting 593 Custom Note Duration 576
Controller lanes 593, 911 Follow Grid 576
in MIDI Editor windows 628 custom session templates 123
in the Edit window 911 Custom Shuttle Lock Speed 470
Controller Meter Path selector 75 Custom Shuttle Lock Speed preference 84
Controllers folder (controller personalities) 868 Cut command 441
Conversion Quality option 277, 968, 1046 Cut Special commands 934
Convert Plug-in selector 882 All Automation 934
Convert WAV files to AES31/BroadcastWave option 94, 278, Pan Automation 934
312 Plug-in Automation 934
converting session Cut Time command 694, 698
audio file format 120 cutting
bit depth 120 automation 932
sample rate 120 MIDI notes with the Split command 818
Copy command 441 selections and regions 441
Copy Settings command 887
Copy Special commands 934
Copy to Send command 916
D
copying DAE 8
MIDI notes with the Split command 818 DAE errors, avoiding 388
plug-in settings 888 DAE Playback Buffer Size 48
selections and regions 441 DAT recorder, recording from 387
track automation to sends 916 database
track control settings to sends 848 files and sharing 228
count off 351 D-Command 868
Countoff button 138 D-Control 868
CPU (Elastic Audio) processing activity 56 default
CPU (RTAS) processing activity 56 audition path 75
CPU Usage Limit 44 meter 351
Create Click Track command 349 metering path 75
Create Continuous File command 755 output path 75
Create Fades command 521, 522 path order 77
Create Individual Files command 755 paths 66
creating program change 596
crossfades 521 tempo 351
fade-ins/outs 519 Default Automatic Naming to English option 82
Mac and PC compatible sessions 314 Default Dynamics preference 91, 879
Markers and Memory Locations 707 Default EQ preference 90, 879
region groups 744 Default Fade Settings 89
regions 495 Default Input Gain preference 95
sessions 114 Default Note On Velocity setting 576
settings subfolders 888 Default Path Order selector 77
Crossfade Preference for Pre/Post-Roll option 89, 519 Default Plug-in preference 95
crossfades 511 Default Region Color Coding options 83
and dither 867 Default Settings, for TC/E plug-in 95
creating with Smart Tool 466 Default Thru Instrument 391
DestructivePunch 409 Default Thru Instrument preference 96
equal gain 516 Default Track Color Coding options 82
equal power 516, 518 Degree of Thinning preference 91
Fades dialog 513

Index 1067
 delay DestructivePunch File Length preference 88, 418
Channel Delay indicator 162 Digi 002 33
MIDI Track Offsets 602 punching with footswitch 411
Delay (dly) indicator 862 Digi 002 Rack 33
Delay After Play Command preference 98 DigiBase 247
Delay Before Locking to LTC option 98 Advanced Search mode 245
Delay Before Locking to Time Code option 98 auditioning 248
Delay Compensation 47, 860 Automatically Find and Relink 255
applying to automatically bypassed tracks 407, 864 Auto-Preview mode 251
bypassing 863 browser display options 235
changing track delay 863 browser menu 233, 234, 235
configuring Delay Compensation Engine 861 browsers 224, 228
dedicating DSP resources 47 Calculate Waveform 246
Delay (dly) indicator 862 candidates for relinking 256
enabling 860 Catalogs 226
engine 47 Comments 239, 240
exceeding compensation limit 863 Copy and Relink 254
H/W Insert 77 copying database items 240
information 862 database items 237, 238, 239
MIDI Beat Clock 97 deleting
MIDI Time Code 97 database items 240
mode 861 folders from Catalogs 242
settings 861 Elastic Audio analysis 247
Time Mode option 88 Elastic Audio Plug-in selector 250
User Offset (+/–) field 862 Failed Tasks 272
viewing 164, 839 Find Links 258
Delay Compensation Engine 861 indexing 232
Delay Compensation limit 861 Linking Options 259
Delay Compensation Status indicator 132 links 253
Delay Compensation Time Mode option 88, 861 Loop Audition mode 251
Delay Compensation View 164, 839 managing tasks 272
Delay Compensation View option 862 Manually Find and Relink 255
Delay for External Devices options 96 Missing files 253, 254
Delay plug-ins 871 modifiers (browser search) 244
Delay setting (Real-Time Properties) 607 moving database items 240
Delete Active Groups (Group List) command 200, 205 Paused Tasks 271
Delete Current Settings File command 887 Performance Volume 226
Delete Fades command 522 Plus (+) and Minus (–) buttons 244
Delete Group command 200, 205 preferences 272
Delete Path 69 preview at session tempo 251
Delete Track command 168, 179 preview controls 249
deleting previewing 248
automation 925, 932 Project browser 225, 263
existing I/O paths 69 Quick Search 242
groups 205 Quick Search mode 245
in MIDI Event List 659 Read/Write volumes 227
Memory Locations 711 read-only volumes 227
MIDI notes 590 Regenerate Missing Fades 256
playlists 531 Regenerate Missing Rendered Files 256
program changes 599 Relink window 226, 256
sysex events 600 relinking 253
tracks 168 search modes 245
unused regions 221 search modifiers 244
delta searching 242, 244
trimming automation 907 shared network volumes 227
designating volumes 261 sharing database files 228
destination folder for plug-in settings 887 Skip All 255
destructive editing sorting columns 236
compacting audio files 507 suitable volumes (see Transfer files) 253
Destructive Record mode 354, 379 Task window 226, 270
destructive recording 379 Tasks 271
DestructivePunch 416 Transfer files 253
crossfades 409 Transfer Volume 226
Prepare DPE Tracks 418 Volume browsers 225
preparing for 417 volume database file 227

1068 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 WaveCache 227 Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo
waveform display 246 options 94, 279
Workspace browser 225, 260, 262 Draw Grids in Edit Window option 446
DigiBase Pro DSP
catalog database file 227 active and inactive items 19
Catalogs 226, 265, 267, 268 and inactive inputs and outputs 182
Clip Name 266 and inactive outputs 841
commands 235 and inactive sends 847
saving a search as a Catalog 246 and no output 841
search features 242 and overall resources 19
sharing catalog database files 228 and Send meters 846
DigiDelivery 300 DSP delays
Digidesign Audio Engine 8 automatic compensation 47
Digidesign Synchronization Device settings 102 DSP usage meters 56
DigiGroove templates 561 dubber
digital clipping 346 preference to emulate 86, 410
Digital Format 53 Duplicate command 736
digital mastering 971 Duplicate Group command 200
DigiTest 42 Duplicate Track command 168, 179, 903
DigiTranslator 2.0 option 298 duplicating
Direct Outputs mode 74 inserts 880
Disable “Input” When Disarming Track (In “Stop”) option 86 MIDI note selections 737
discrete signal control 984 playlists 530
Disk Allocation 361 selections and regions 736
and cross-platform sessions 362 sends 847
and system volume 363 Duration
resizing the window 361 Real-Time Properties 607
window 361 durations, for MIDI notes
Disk Processing Activity 56 editing with Change Duration command 814
Disk Space window 348 making more legato 816
Display (Group List) command 200 making more staccato 815
Display Events as Modified by Real-Time Properties option 96, randomizing 815
610 DV
display in browsers 235 and sync offset 1057
Display Preferences 81 DV Stream 1037
Clip Hold options 82 DV Toolkit 2 software option 35
Draw Grids in Edit Window option 446 DV25 Movies
Language options 82 playback through FireWire 1055
Peak Hold options 82 Dynamic Transport mode 339
displaying Dynamically Allocated Voicing 184
all rulers 665 Dynamics plug-ins 871
file info for audio regions 212
Meter Ruler 692
Original Time Stamps 1031
E
region names 437 Edit commands 440
region times 437 copy 441
Tempo ruler 671 cut 441
User Time Stamps 1032 paste 442
dither edit cursor 330
and Bounce to Disk 960 and scrubbing 468
and fades 517, 867 moving to region boundaries 483
AudioSuite 867 placing with the Selector tool 464
on Master Faders 960 Edit Groups 202
preferences 867 and selections 475
resolution and Bounce to Disk 967 Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle option 83, 468
Dither Mixer Plug-ins 867 Edit insertion point
Dither Plug-in preference 93 placing regions at 717
divergence trimming regions to 501
drawing 1005 Edit Markers 474
using 1004 and selection length 478
Double-Clicking a MIDI Region Opens option 96 Edit menu 149
drag and drop Change Edit to Match Timeline command 486
from the Region List to tracks 716 Change Timeline to Match Edit command 486
importing audio files 280 Clear command 442
importing MIDI files 303 Clear Special commands 935

Index 1069
 Consolidate command 506 Edit window 128, 130
Copy command 441 All View option 837
Copy Special commands (automation) 934 half-screen 335
Copy to Send command 916 None Views option 837
Create Fades command 521, 522 scrolling from the Ruler 487
Cut command 441 Universe view 489
Cut Special commands 934 View options 128
Delete Fades command 522 Edit Window Default Length 134
Duplicate command 736 Edit Window Default Length preference 81
Fade To End command 521 Edit Window Follows Bank Selection option 91
Fade To Start command 521 Edit Window option 128
Fades command 513 Edit Window View options 837
Heal Separation command 500 Edit Window View selector 836
Identify Sync Point command 728 editing
Insert Silence command 735 across multiple tracks 443
Paste command 442 and Edit modes 445
Play Edit Selection command 337 and Grid modes 725
Play Timeline Selection command 337 and hidden tracks 178
Redo command 438 and Track View 440
Repeat command 737 automation 927
Repeat to Fill Selection command 443 Bar|Beat Markers 691
Select All command 476 breakpoints 929
Separate Region commands 496 controller events 593
Shift command 730 during playback 427
Strip Silence command 732, 734 Grid mode 446, 447
TCE Edit to Timeline Selection command 508 in MIDI Event List 658
Thin Automation command 926 Markers 710
Trim Automation to All Enabled command 950 Memory Locations 710
Trim Automation to Current command 950 meter events 693
Trim Region End to Fill Selection command 501 MIDI notes 582
Trim Region End to Insertion command 501 MIDI regions 434
Trim Region Start to Fill Selection command 501 nondestructive 427
Trim Region Start to Insertion command 501 nondestructively for audio 433
Trim Region to Fill Selection command 502 nondestructively for MIDI 436
Trim Region to Selection command 500 note attributes 589
Undo command 438 note durations 814
Write Automation commands 948, 949 note velocities 588, 812
Edit mode buttons 131, 445 program changes 599
Edit modes 445 regions as grid 448
and placing regions 715 Shuffle Lock mode 445
Grid 446 Shuffle mode 445
Relative Grid 447 Slip mode 446
Shuffle 445 Spot mode 446
Shuffle Lock 445 tempo events 672
Slip 446 waveforms 432
Spot 446, 1028 Editing Preferences 88
edit playlists 529 Auto-Name Memory Locations While Playing option 709
Edit Selection Follows Region List Selection option 88, 476 Auto-Name Separated Regions option 497
Edit Selection indicators 480 Conversion Quality option 277
Edit selections Crossfade Preference for Pre/Post-Roll option 89, 519
auditioning with Playhead enabled 337 Edit Selection Follows Region List Selection option 476
copied from Timeline selection 486 QuickPunch Crossfade Length preference 409
copied to Timeline selection 486 Region List Selection Follows Edit Selection option 212,
making with the Selector tool 464 476
sliding in the Ruler 483 Separate Region Operates On All Related Takes option
edit smoothing, with Beat Detective 567 497
Edit tools 448 Edit-locking regions 730
Grabber 448, 477 Effect Bypass button 882
Pencil 448, 471 effects, printing to disk 959
Scrubber 448, 468
Selector 330, 448
Smart Tool 448
Trimmer 448, 458
Zoomer 448, 449

1070 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Elastic Audio 763 Elastic Audio-enabled tracks 769
Accordion Warp 782 Elastic Properties window 787
adding Event markers 786 Enable Dub Window option 103
analysis 772 Enable Elastic Audio on New Tracks preference 95
analysis in DigiBase 247 Enable Session File Auto Backup option 85
Analysis view 771, 785 Enable SYNC Peripheral option 102
and AudioSuite processing 792 enabling
and Edit Groups 785 Auto Backup option 85
batch analysis 247 automation 922
calculating analysis in DigiBase 247 groups 208
clearing analysis in DigiBase 247 MIDI input devices 390
Clip indicator (Rendered) 774 plug-in automation 885
committing 770 End To Insertion command 501
common workflows 763 Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility option 122, 314
Conform to Tempo 675 Entire Selection mode 756
CPU processing activity 56 EQ plug-ins 871
creating new tracks 770 equal gain crossfades 516
deleting Event markers 787 equal power crossfades 516, 518
disabling 770 Ethernet Controllers 106
enabling on tracks 769 Event Edit Area
event confidence 772 note attributes 589
Event markers 779 Event menu 149
example workflow 764 All MIDI Notes Off command 603
Individual Range Warp 783 Beat Detective command 551
microfades 794 Change Meter command 692
Monophonic plug-in 777 Event commands 797
moving Event markers 786 Identify Beat command 689
moving regions between tracks 793 MIDI commands 797
out of range processing 784 MIDI Event List 653
pitch shift 790 MIDI Track Offsets command 602
Plug-in selector in browsers 250 Remove Duplicate Notes command 603
plug-ins 774 Renumber Bars command 700
Polyphonic plug-in 776 Tempo commands 683
preview at session tempo in browsers 251 Time commands 694
promoting Event markers 786 Event Operations commands 797
properties 787 Change Duration command 814
quantizing 809 Change Velocity command 812
Range Warp 782 Flatten Performance command 812
Real-Time processing 773 Input Quantize command 820
Region Clip indicator 774 Quantize command 798
removing region pitch shift 792 Restore Performance command 810
removing region warping 785 Select/Split Notes command 819
Rendered files 774 Step Input command 821
regenerating 256, 311 Transpose command 816
Rendered processing 773 Event Operations window 797, 798
Rhythmic plug-in 776 Exit command (Windows) 125
setting to Real-Time or Rendered 773 Expand Channels to New Playlists 545
TCE algorithms 774 Expand to New Tracks command 179
Telescoping Warp 780 Expanded Transport View 144, 374
tempo detection 772 explicit voice allocation 184
Tempo Event–generated Warp markers 780 Export MIDI command 304
tempo-based warping 674 Export MIDI Settings dialog
track controls 771 Apply Real-Time Properties option 304
track views 771 MIDI File Format pop-up menu 304
tracks 769 Export Region Definitions command 222, 289
transpose 791 Export Region Groups command 307
Varispeed plug-in 777 Export Regions as Files command 222, 287
Warp indicator 784 Export Selected dialog 288
Warp markers 779 Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF command 298
Warp view 778 Export Session Info as Text command 298
warp view 771 Export Settings button (I/O Setup) 72
warped regions 784
X-Form plug-in 777
Elastic Audio Plug-in Selector 771
Elastic Audio preferences 95

Index 1071
 exporting 276 file formats (audio) 964
AAF files 298 AIFF 964
audio 287 BWF (.WAV) 964
audio from regions 287 MP3 965
markers 304 MXF 964
MIDI tracks 303 QuickTime 964
OMFI files 298 Sound Designer II 964
region definitions 289 File menu 149
region groups 307 Bounce to Disk command 962
Score to Sibelius 651 Close Session command 125
sessions as text 298 Exit command (Windows) 125
Sibelius (.sib) files 651 Export MIDI command 304
stereo interleaved files 289 Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF command 298
Ext. Clock Output 52, 1010 Export Session Info as Text command 298
extending selections 479, 679 Import Audio to Track command 283
to adjacent tracks 481, 482 Import Region Groups command 306
to include adjacent regions 480 Open Session command 116
to Markers and Memory Locations 480 Revert to Saved command 119
to region boundaries 479, 679 Save As command 119
external clock source 900 Save command 119
External MIDI instrument Save Copy In command 120, 315
recording audio from 404 Send via DigiDelivery 301
external side-chain processing 885, 886 File Mode selector 755
External Time Code Offsets 1014 files
extrapolation 562 Clip Name 266
missing fades 255
final mixdown 970
F Find All Candidates 258
factory I/O settings 73 Find History 215
Fade Files folder 115 Find Matching Tracks option 294
Fade To End command 521 Find Region List command 214
Fade To Start command 521 Find Regions
fade-in shapes 517 By Name 214
fade-out shapes 514 Include Subsequently Added Regions 214
fades 519 finding regions 214
and dither options 867 Find History 215
auto-fades 523 FireWire
creating 519 QuickTime DV25 playback 1055
creating with Smart Tool 466 First Selected MIDI Track option 96
in batches 523 Flatten Performance command 797, 812
moving 524 folders
nudging 524 creating and opening 231
regenerating 256, 310 foreground 230
with dither 517 Forward and Play command 332
Fades command 513 Forward command 332
Fades dialog 513 frame rate
In Shape 517 pull up and pull down 1019
Link option 516 Frames 1040
Out Shape 514 Frames View
Use Dither option 517 video track 1040
Fast Forward freewheeling time code 1015
incrementally 331 Front Divergence 1004
locating with 331 Front/Rear Divergence 1004
Fast Forward button 135
Feet+Frame Rate setting 1013
Feet+Frames
redefining position 1017
Feet.Frames Time Scale 664
field recorder
expanding alternate channels to new playlists 545
importing monophonic audio files 287
importing polyphonic audio files 287

1072 Pro Tools Reference Guide

G H
generating time code 1022 H/W Buffer Size 366
Glide Automation commands 935 H/W Insert Delay 77
global (system-wide) preferences 80 half-screen 335
Global MIDI Playback Offset preference 96, 602 half-speed playback 338
Go to End button 135 half-speed recording 388
Grabber tools 448, 465, 477, 584 hard drives
editing breakpoints with 679, 928 and Compacting Audio 507
Object Grabber tool 465, 477 recording to system volume 363
selecting MIDI notes with 582 Round Robin Allocation 362
Separation Grabber tool 465, 498 hardware
Time Grabber tool 465 routing to Pro Tools 64
Grid mode 446, 725 Hardware Buffer Size 8, 42
Absolute 447, 725 hardware I/O inserts 871
configuring 447 delays 77
Draw Grids in Edit Window option 446 hardware I/O sends 844
Regions/Markers option 448 Hardware Setup
Relative 447, 725 Analog In 53
setting the Grid value 725 Analog Out 53
suspending 725 Buffer Size 366
with Slip, Shuffle, or Spot enabled 447 Clock Source 52
grid panners in Mix and Edit 996 Digital Format 53
Grid value 577, 725 Ext. Clock Output 52
setting for MIDI editing 577 initializing Legacy I/Os 54
Grid Value selector 447, 448 Input Channel Selector 53
Groove Quantize 804 Meters pop-up menu for 96 I/O 53
groove templates 561, 804 Output Channel Selector 53
applying 806 selecting multiple outputs 55
mapping 807 HD Accel 30
Group 200 HD Core card 30
Group Assignment selector 832 HD Process card 30
Group ID indicator 200 Heal Separation command 500
Group List 199 help
hiding 199 Bounce to Disk 963
Keyboard Focus 24 Tool Tips 81, 151
pop-up menu 200 Help menu 23, 150
showing 199 HFS+ Disk Support option 312
Group Name 200 HFS+ drives
Group Track command 202, 203 and Windows systems 313
groups hidden tracks
and automation editing 931 and group edits 178
and hidden tracks 178 and groups 178
attributes 205 and selections 475
control offsets 209 Hide All Floating Windows command 149
creating 201 Hide and Make Inactive Track command 178
deleting 205 Hide/Show Track command 178
duplicating 205 hiding
Edit Groups 202 all tracks 177
enabling 208 auto-created regions 220
keyboard selection 208 tracks 177
linking Mix and Edit Groups 198 High Quality QuickTime Image option 85
Mix Groups 202 Highest QuickTime Playback Priority setting 85, 1036
modifying 204 history (Find regions) 215
renaming 204 Horizontal Position setting 103
unlinking Mix and Edit Groups 198 Horizontal Zoom In button 449
Groups dialog 201 Horizontal Zoom Out button 449
guitar tablature 704

Index 1073
 I inactive 19, 21
I/O Labels (see I/O Setup) inputs 181
I/O Settings 73 inserts 875
I/O Settings files Master Faders and assignments 831
import and export 72 outputs 181
I/O Setup 59 paths 69
and surround sessions 976 paths, global 69
dialog 60 sends 847
displaying unavailable I/O 74 track path assignments 181
factory settings files 73 tracks 192
import and export settings 72 Include Control Changes in Undo Queue option 92
importing for surround 978 Include Sends in Trim Mode option 92
last used 73 Incoming Time display 1012
Mic Preamps 77 Infinite Clip Hold option 82, 163
resizing 60 Infinite Peak Hold option 82, 163
settings files 71 in-place auditioning 218
Stereo Mix preset 73 Input Channel Selector 53
surround mix examples 990 input connections 15, 346
surround mix settings file 73 Input Devices command 390
I/O View 161, 838 Input Filter command 391
Identify Beat command 689, 690 MIDI Event List View Filter dialog 655
Identify Sync Point command 728, 1032 MIDI Input Filter dialog 392
Idle MTC Enabled option 102 input levels 346
Ignore Errors During Playback/Record option 45 Input Only Monitoring mode 364
Ignore Track Arming option 98 Input Path selector 161, 180
illegal characters 117, 311 Input Quantize command 797, 820
Import Audio dialog 283 Input selectors 180
Import Audio to Track command 283 Insert Position selector 881
Import Key Signature Map option 296 Insert Silence command 735
Import Marker/Memory Locations 296 and Shuffle mode 735
Import MIDI 302 and Slip mode 736
Import Region Groups command 306 Insert Time command 694, 696
Import REX Files as Region Groups option 94, 278 inserting
Import Session Data controller events 593
Text Encoding 292 events in MIDI Event List 656
Import Session Data command 290 meter events 692
Import Session Data dialog 291 MIDI notes 580
Import Settings button (I/O Setup) 72 plug-ins on tracks 876
Import Settings command (plug-ins) 887 program changes 598
Import Video command 1043 tempo events 671
Import Window Configurations 296 inserts 835, 871
importing 275 as a shared bus 872
and converting audio 276 duplicating 880
audio 276 for hardware I/O 871
audio and Conversion Quality 277 for plug-ins 871
copying during 298 hardware insert delays 77
key signature map 296 labeling 898
Marker/Memory Locations 296 making inactive (and active) 875
Markers 303 mono 872
MIDI tracks 301 moving 880
multichannel audio files from a field recorder 287 on single tracks 872
multichannel I/O Settings 978 post-fader on Master Faders 830, 872
offline items from Catalogs 269 shared within a submix 857
plug-in settings 888 stereo 872
Pre settings 296 Inserts A–E View options 844
QuickTime audio 1046 Inserts F–J View options 844
reference or copy 297 Inserts View 838
region groups 306 Instrument plug-in
tempo and meter map 296 recording audio from 403
tracks for other sessions 289
using drag and drop 280
Window Configurations 296

1074 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Instrument tracks 154 LFE
and surround mixing 987 enable in plug-ins 1006
channel strips 157 example sub-path 991
configuring for recording 393 examples of discrete versus contribution 993
MIDI Input selector 188 faders 1006
MIDI Output selector 188 Librarian menu 881
monitoring and mixing 853 Limit Character Set option 122
Notes View 170 Limit To preference 87
Regions View 170 Linear command (Tempo Operations) 684
signal flow 831 linear crossfades 518
track controls 160 Linear Sample Display 682
Instruments View 837 Linear Tick Display 682
Internal mode (Clock Source option) 1012 Linearity Display Mode 682
internal side-chain processing 885 Link Enable buttons 883
Inverse linked panning 851 in multi-mono plug-ins 988
Items To Copy Link Mix and Edit Group Enables option 90
Preserve Folder Hierarchy 123 Link Record and Play Faders option 86, 365
Items to Copy 122 Link Selection button 473, 475
Link Timeline and Edit Selection option 473
Link Track and Edit Selection option 167, 474
J linking
Jam Sync 1015 inverse panning 851
Join command 905 multi-mono plug-ins 987
plug-in controls 897
K stereo panners 850, 1000
local (current session) preferences 80
key input 881, 885
Local Control 10, 391
Key Input selector 757, 881
locating
key signature map
the playback cursor 330
importing 296
with Fast Forward/Rewind 331
Keyboard Focus 23
with Location indicators 487
Commands 24
Location indicators 486
Group List 24
locating with 487
Region List 24, 216
locations, for MIDI notes
keyboard shortcuts 884
dragging 584
global key commands 23
quantizing 802
numeric entry 481
randomizing 801, 803
recording 372
Lock Region command 730
Lock Settings File command 887
L Locked indicator 1014
labeling locked regions and AudioSuite processing 760
inserts and sends 898 Locked Track command 178
paths 65 Loop Playback option 338
Language options 82 and Touch mode 914
Last Used 73 loop points 372
Latch Mode Timeline Selection Markers 373
AutoJoin 905 Loop Record mode 354, 381
Join 905 loop recording
Latch option 191 and pre/post-roll 381
Latch Record Enable Buttons option 86 audio 381
Latching Behavior for Switch Controls in “Touch” option 92 MIDI 399
latency multiple takes 400
Hardware Buffer Size 42 Loop Trimmer tool 462
LCRS path examples 979 creating loops 462
LE systems 33 looped regions 739
Legacy I/Os 30, 54 copying and pasting automation 743
length, for selections 478 creating 740
level faders editing 741
sends 842 selecting 741
Level meters trimming with Loop Trim tool 463
for audio tracks 163 unlooping 741
for Aux Input, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks 163 looping
Levels of Undo preference 90, 439 playback 338
regions 739
selections 338

Index 1075
 loops Mbox 2 Mini 33
creating with the Loop Trimmer tool 462 Mbox 2 Pro 33
recording with reverb or delay 962 measures
low latency monitoring renumbering 700
Bounce to Disk 367 Medium QuickTime Playback Priority setting 85, 1036
Low Latency Monitoring option 367 Memory Locations 705, 706
LTC Output Level setting 102 creating 707
creating on the fly 709
deleting 711
M deleting all 712
Mac sessions editing 710
compatibility with Windows 314 extending selections to 480
Machine Chases Memory Location option 97, 1026 Markers 706
Machine Cues Intelligently option 97 recalling 710
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub option 97, 1026 recalling Edit selections 376
Machine Track Arming window 1028 renaming 710
MachineControl 103 Selection Memory Locations 706
Main Counters 666 storing Edit selections 375
main paths 60 Memory Locations window 705, 710
Main Time Scale 666, 1018 View Filter 714
Main Timebase ruler 666 viewing options for Markers 712
Make Active command 192 Merge mode (see MIDI Merge mode)
Make Active/Inactive Track command 178 meter
Make Inactive command 192 current 692
making an Edit selection 464 default 351
managing regions 219 display 138
Manual Tempo mode 138, 352 Meter button 351
Manually Find and Relink 310 meter events 692
mapping paths in I/O Setup 70 editing 693
Marker/Memory Locations inserting 692
importing 296 meter map
Markers 706 importing 296
creating 707 Meter Path selector 75
creating on the fly 709 Meter Ruler
deleting 711 displaying 692
editing 710 extending an Edit selection to 694
exporting 304 meters
extending selections to 480 and control surfaces 75
importing 303 for MIDI tracks 163
moving 711 pre/post fader levels 163
sorting 714 Sends View 846
tick-based and sample-based 706 SurroundScope plug-in 1006
viewing options 712 Meters options 82
Markers ruler 665, 706 Metronome button 350
Master Faders Metronome Click button 138
as master send level control 859 Mic Preamps
channel strips 156 configuring 106
inactive 831 I/O Setup 77
inserts 872 Mic Preamps View 837
meters pre/post fader 831 MIDI 9
multichannel 987 assigning channels 187
post-fader inserts 830 channels 10
signal flow 830 common misconceptions 10
track controls 158 consolidating notes 587
Master Link button 883 control surfaces 9
in multi-mono plug-ins 988 controller devices 9
Master View for tracks 173, 933 controller events 592
mastering Default Thru Instrument 391
digitally 971 devices 9
to disk 970 editing in a MIDI Editor window 624
Matches 542 import by drag and drop 303
Matches (alternate takes) 383, 542 importing 302
Matching Criteria window 384, 541 interface 9
Mbox 33 Local Control 10
Mbox 2 33 loop recording 399

1076 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 muting notes 587 selecting with the mini-keyboard 582
offsets 602 splitting 818
patch name files (.midnam) 597 transposing 584, 816
patch names 597 trimming start/end points 585
playing back 328 MIDI Operations window 797
ports 10 MIDI Output selector 161, 187
select and split notes 818 Instrument track 188
separating notes 586 MIDI Preferences 95
setting the Grid value for editing 577 Global MIDI Playback Offset preference 602
signal paths 11 Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller Data
MIDI Beat Clock 342 option 96, 594, 927
offsets 343 MIDI Preferences page 95
transmitting 342 MIDI Real-Time Properties 604
transmitting over IAC 343 on tracks and regions 608
MIDI clips and Region List 211 settings 606
MIDI controller devices 389 MIDI recording 389
Local Control 391 cancelling takes 397
MIDI Controllers 105 enabling input devices 390
MIDI Editor Input Filter 391
Automation lanes 628 Merge/Replace mode 393
Controller lanes 628 monitoring with MIDI Thru 391
editing MIDI notes 624 quantizing on input 392, 820
Notation View 626 System Exclusive data 402
Superimposed Notes View 621 undoing a take 396
Velocity lane 628 Wait for Note 392
MIDI Editor view (in the Edit window) 139 MIDI regions 433
MIDI Editor windows 611 and controller events 434
MIDI Event List 653 and punch recording 398
deleting events 659 created on barlines 396
editing events 658 guidelines for editing 434
inserting events 656 MIDI Replace mode 138, 355, 393
navigating in 655 MIDI Setup commands
Options menu 660 Input Devices command 390
selecting events 659 Input Filter command 391
View Filter 654 MIDI Beat Clock command 342
MIDI File Format pop-up menu 304 MIDI Studio Setup window 597
MIDI files (see Standard MIDI Files) MIDI Thru command 391
MIDI Input selector 161, 187 MIDI Time Code (MTC)
Instrument track 188 Idle MTC Output 102
MIDI Machine Control (MMC) 1024 MIDI Track Offsets command 602
configuring in Pro Tools 1024, 1025 MIDI tracks
controlling external devices with 1024 and MIDI offsets 602
Master settings 103 assigning to multiple channels 394
remote track arming 1028 channel strips 157
Slave settings 104 configuring for recording 393
MIDI Merge mode 138, 355, 393 default program change 596
MIDI meter 163 input 187
MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity option 82 loop recording 399
MIDI Note Display options 96 note chasing 601
MIDI notes Notes View 170, 171, 435
attributes for 589 output 187
auditioning with the mini-keyboard 582 punch recording 397
chasing 601 punching on the fly 397
deleting 590 recording 389
duplicating selected 737 Regions View 170, 171, 433
editing 582 selecting a pitch range in 819
durations 814 Sysex View 600
pitch 584 track controls 159
velocities 588, 812 Velocity View 588
inserting 580 MIDI Volume fader 162
lengths in ticks 668 MIDI Zoom In button 450
moving 584 MIDI Zoom Out button 450
quantizing 804 mini-keyboard 582
scrolling 435 Minimize Additional I/O Latency option 45
selecting 582 Minimum Sync Delay option 98, 1027

Index 1077
 Minutes:Seconds Time Scale 664 multi-mono
Mirror MIDI Editing 577 plug-in Channel selector 988
missing files 310 plug-ins 872, 987
fades and regenerating 255 multiple mono files, exporting 966
skipping 255 multiple outputs
mix busses 316, 844 Hardware Setup 55
resetting 67 multiple tracks
Mix Groups 202 and Beat Detective 564
Mix window 128, 129 audition takes 384, 543
All View option 128, 837 editing across 443
None Views option 837 extending selections to 481, 482
track controls 128 fitting audio regions to Edit selection 508
track width 164 nudging regions in 504
Mix Window Follows Bank Selection option 91 pasting to 444
Mix Window option 128 selecting 481
Mix Window View options 837 separating regions on 498
Mix Window View selector 836 shuffling regions on 720
mixed file types 121 multitimbral 9
mixing down to stereo 970 Music Production Toolkit 2 software option 35
Mixing Preferences 90 Mute Audio Inputs in Auto Input option 423
AutoMatch Time preference 93 Mute automation 929
Mixing Preferences page Mute button 191
Touch Timeout option 91 Mute Frees Assigned Voice option 191, 192
MMC (see MIDI Machine Control) Mute Overwrite/Extend 944
Modify Group command 200 Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped option 87, 423
Modify Groups (Group List) command 200 Mute/Unmute Region command 732
Momentary Solo Latch option 191 muted regions and AudioSuite processing 760
monitoring muting
during punch recording 379 MIDI notes 587
MIDI recording with MIDI Thru 391 regions 732
monitoring modes 363 tracks 191
Auto Input 363 MXF format 277, 964
Input Only 364
mono
Bounce to Disk 966
N
inserts 872 Narrow Mix View option 164
paths 67 navigating 229
mono in/stereo out 872 New Group (Group List) command 200
Move Song Start command 694, 699 New Memory Location dialog 375
moving New Session command 73, 114
Bar|Beat Markers 691 New Track command 165, 179
fades 524 New Track Default Output selector 75
inserts 880 New Tracks Default To Tick Timebase option 89, 280
Markers 711 New Tracks dialog 165
MIDI notes 584 Next Setting button 881
program changes 599 No Clip Hold option 82, 163
regions with fades 525 No Output
sysex events 600 by deleting paths 69
MP3 Export Option 965 No Output option 841
MP3 file format 965 No Peak Hold option 82, 163
exporting 965 no scrolling during playback 334
importing 277 noncontiguous selections 477
MTC (MIDI Time Code) nondestructive editing 427
outputting 1015 for audio 433
MTC Generator Port setting 101 for MIDI 436
MTC Reader Port setting 101 Nondestructive Record mode 354
multichannel plug-ins 873, 987 nondestructive recording 379
multichannel regions 429 recording to a new playlist 380
multichannel tracks 369 with QuickPunch 408
and automation 931 nonlinear 7
dragging regions to 506 Non-Linear Transport Error Suppression option 97
names for 357 non-real-time plug-ins 753
replacing regions in 728 Normal QuickTime Playback Priority setting 85, 1036
splitting 505 Normal Zoom mode 451, 632
multilingual application support 324

1078 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Notation Operations menu
in MIDI Editor windows 626 Calibration Mode command 347
Notation Display Track settings 641 Link Timeline and Edit Selection option 473
Note Chasing option 601 Link Track and Edit Selection 167, 474
Note Selector tool 583 Low Latency Monitoring option 367
notes (see MIDI notes) Optical
Notes report 117 ADAT I/O 53
Notes View 170, 171, 435 Optical (S/PDIF)
MIDI and Instrument tracks 435 Hardware Setup 53
mini-keyboard 435 Options menu 149
scrolling up or down 435 Auto-Spot Regions command 1030
Nudge value 503 Delay Compensation option 860
trimming regions by 502 Destructive Record mode 379
nudging 502 Link Track and Edit Selection option 167, 474
by next Nudge value 504 Loop Playback option 338
fades 524 Loop Record mode 381
multiple regions 504 MIDI Thru command 391
region contents 504 Mirror MIDI Editing command 577
regions with fades 525 Mute Frees Assigned Voice option 191, 192
selection range 479 Pre/Post Roll option 377
selection start/end points 479 Pre-Fader Metering option 163
selections and regions 503 Scrolling options 334
setting the Nudge value 503 Solo Latch options 190
Number of Voices setting 46 Transport Online command 1021
numeric entry Video Out FireWire Port command 1056
shortcuts 481 Video Out PCIe command 1058
Numeric Keypad modes 25, 84 OR (DigiBase search modifier) 244
Classic 25, 84 Organize Plug-in Menus By option 81, 877
Shuttle 26, 85, 470 Original Time Stamp 724, 1031
Transport 26, 84 Other Playlists menu 530
Use Separate Play and Stop Keys 85 Output Channel Selector 53
Output Options
Conversion Quality option 968
O Sample Rate 967
Object Grabber 477 Output Path selector 161, 181
and Edit Groups 477 Output Window button 997
Object Grabber tool 465 Output windows 840
Object Select in Edit Window command 222 outputs
Object selections 477 assigning multiple outputs 840
offline default 5.1 paths and sub-paths 978
files, selecting in DigiBase 234 format and tracks 985
regions 429 to multichannel paths 986
OMF file format 298 overlap crossfades 518
OMFI file format 298 overlapping paths 71
On Stop 940 Overwrite File command 755
Online button 135
Online options 87
online recording 1022 P
on-the-fly punch recording P (Playback Only volumes) 261
MIDI tracks 397 Page Scrolling option 334, 617, 638
QuickPunch 355, 411 Pan automation 929
Open Ended Record Allocation preference 87, 347 Pan indicator 162
Open Session command 116 Pan slider 162
opening multiple plug-in windows 883 panning
Operation Preferences 83 3-knob 1002
Audio During Fast Forward/Rewind option 331 automation and groups 931
Auto Region Fade In/Out Length preference 523 fine-adjust mode 1002
Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle option 468 grids 996
Link Record and Play Faders option 365 guidelines 990, 992
Machine Chases Memory Location option 1026 linked stereo 850, 1000
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub option 1026 multichannel automation playlists 1006
Open Ended Record Allocation preference 347 take over in grid 1001
Record Online option 1022 trajectory 1003
Use F11 for Wait for Note 393 Use Absolute Pan Linking option 90
Operation/Destination Track pop-up menus 294 X/Y mode 1001

Index 1079
 Parabolic command (Tempo Operations) 685 Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller Data option
parallel mixing 985 96, 594, 927
pass-through point 904 pending tasks 272
Paste command 442 Performance Volume 226
Paste Settings command 887 Peripherals
Paste Special commands (automation) 934 Ethernet controllers 106
pasting MachineControl 103
automation 935 MIDI Controllers 105
multiple data types 444 PRE 106
plug-in settings 888 Satellites 107
selections and regions 442 Synchronization 101
to multiple tracks 444 Peripherals dialog 101, 389
with Repeat to Fill Selection command 443 Peripherals list 52, 54, 74
Patch Select button 596 personalities 868
Patch Select dialog 596 PFL (Pre Fader Listen) 189
paths Pitch Memory Enabled option 102
active and inactive 69 pitch shifting 790
audition 75 pitch, for MIDI notes
creating 65 transposing 584
creating multichannel 978 transposing with Transpose command 816
customizing 66 Play button 136
default mono and stereo 66 Play Edit Selection command 336, 337
default order 77 Play MIDI Notes When Editing option 575
default output 75 Play Start Follows Timeline Selection option 84
deleting 69 Play Start Marker Follows Timeline Selection option 340
editing 66 Play Timeline Selection command 336, 337
for surround 988 playback
last used 73 audio 327
main 60 MIDI 328
mapping 70 no scrolling 334
mono versus stereo 67 starting 327
multichannel example 70 stopping 327
naming 65 playback cursor 329
overlapping 71 Playback Cursor locator 330
reordering 68 Playback Engine 1010
selecting 68 RTAS Processors setting 43
Stereo Mix preset 73 Playhead 335, 617
sub-path surround examples 991 and Edit selections 337
PCI bus activity 56 and Timeline selections 337
PCIe video card moving to region boundaries 337
QuickTime HD playback 1058 playing
Peak Hold options 82 and on-the-fly selections 477
3 Second 163 at half-speed 338
Infinite 163 audio 327
None 163 Edit selections with Playhead enabled 337
Peak indicator 161 from a track point 331
Peak On All Chans/Tracks mode 757 MIDI 328
Peak On Each Chan/Track mode 757 selections 335
Peak view 430 Timeline selections with Playhead enabled 337
PEC/Direct Style Input Monitoring option 87 tracks 327, 370
Pencil tool 448, 471, 578 Playlist command 754
as Eraser 591 Playlist lanes 535
drawing automation with 926 Playlist selector 15, 529
editing breakpoints with 928 playlists 15, 529
Free Hand 578 adding new 530
inserting MIDI notes with 580 and groups 531
Line 579 and multichannel tracks 931
Tempo editing 677 and nondestructive MIDI editing 436
Random 579 assigning 530
repairing waveforms with 471 automation playlists 529, 902, 910
resolution for inserted controller events 594 auto-naming 530
selecting the Pencil tool shape 578 changing timebase of 669
shapes 578, 926 deleting 531
Square 579 duplicating 530
Triangle 579 edit playlists 529

1080 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Playlist selector 529 PRE
recalling 530 configuring 106
recording to new 380 I/O Setup 77
renaming 531 pre crossfades 512, 522
setting pre/post-roll in 376 Pre Fader Listen mode 189
Playlists view 535 PRE settings
plug-in controls importing 296
adjusting 884 Pre/Post Fader button 851
linking 897 Pre/Post Roll option 377
Plug-in Controls Default to Auto-Enabled option 91 pre/post-fader inserts 872
plug-in inserts 871 pre/post-roll
plug-in maps 891 and loop recording 381
creating 893 and punch recording 378
deleting 895 auditioning 336
importing and exporting 896 setting 376
Learn mode 891 Pre/Post-Roll Flags 377, 474
managing 894 Pre-Fader Metering option 163
setting default 895 Preferences
Plug-in selector Automatically Copy Files on Import option 298
for AudioSuite plug-ins 754 DestructivePunch 409
for real-time plug-ins 881 DestructivePunch File Length 418
plug-in settings Mute Audio Inputs in Auto Input 423
creating User Default 888 Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped 423
Plug-in Settings menu 881, 886 Pause during Playback 272
Plug-in Streaming Buffer 50 Tool Tips Display 151
Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size 49 TrackInput 365
plug-in window TrackPunch 409
closing multiple windows 883 Zoom Toggle 89
opening multiple windows 883 preferences
plug-ins changing 79
and pull rates 1021 global 80
and surround mixing 987 local 80
automating 916 Preferences dialog 79
automation accuracy in bounce 968 Prepare DPE Tracks 418
bypassing from window 897 Pre-Process using Standard Conform 567
Category 877 Pre-Roll button 136
Category and Manufacturer 878 Preserve Fades when Editing option 89
Channel selector for multi-mono 988 Preserve Folder Hierarchy command 123
creating a default setting 888 presets
enabling for automation 885, 917, 918 plug-in maps 891
favorites 879 plug-ins 886
Flat List 877 preview
for surround 987 AudioSuite processing 758
inserting on tracks 876 in context 252
Librarian menu 881 reserving voices 252
linking and unlinking 897, 987 voice requirements 252
Manufacturer 878 Preview Volume
mono-to-stereo 872 AudioSuite 758
multichannel 873 previewing
multi-mono 872, 987 audio in browsers 248
multiprocessors 44 regions in the Region List 217
Next Setting button 881 Previous Setting button 881
Organize Plug-in Menus By command 877 Prime for Playback mode (Play Pause) 338
Plug-in Settings menu 881 Prime for Record mode (Record Pause) 372
Plug-ins Settings Select button 881 Print Score 651
presets 886 Pro Tools
Previous Setting button 881 guides 3
removing from tracks 876 main menus 149
RTAS Processors setting 43 session file icon 12
Plug-ins Settings Select button 881 systems 29
pops, avoiding 388 video track 1040
post crossfades 512, 522 Pro Tools LE systems 33
Post-Roll button 137 capabilities 34
Power view 430 file management 309
QuickPunch 406

Index 1081
 Pro Tools menu QuickPunch 355, 411
Quit command (Mac) 125 crossfades 409
Pro Tools M-Powered systems 35 LE systems 406
Pro Tools|HD Accel systems 30 Pro Tools|HD systems 406
Pro Tools|HD systems 30 region/take numbering 408
audio capabilities 31 QuickPunch Crossfade Length preference 89, 409
audio interfaces 32 QuickTime file formats 964
file management 309 QuickTime movies
I/O capabilities 32 and Avid video 1055
MIDI capabilities 31 optimizing for playback 1056
QuickPunch 406, 407 playback quality 1036
Process Mode selector 756 requirements 1036
processing sync 1057
AudioSuite 759 QuickTime Playback Priority options
multichannel for AudioSuite 759 Highest setting 85, 1036
processing bandwidth 56 Medium setting 85, 1036
Processing Preferences 93 Normal setting 85, 1036
Program Change dialog 597 Quit command (Mac) 125
program changes 10, 596
and bank select 596
auditioning 599
R
chasing 601 R (Record and Playback volumes) 261
default, for MIDI tracks 596 randomizing
deleting 599 note durations 815
editing 599 note locations 801
inserting 598 real-time editing 427
moving 599 real-time plug-ins 871
Project browser 265, 310 Real-Time Properties
pull up and pull down clearing 609
and plug-ins 1021 Delay 607
and rulers 1021 Display Events as Modified by Real-Time Properties
audio 1019 option 96
video 1019 Duration 607
pulses-per-frame enabling 605
Bi-phase/Tach 102 in the Edit window 610
Punch Capture button 953 in the MIDI Event List 610
Punch In Frame Offset preference 98 on tracks and regions 608
Punch Out Frame Offset preference 98 Quantize 606
punch points 372 region-based 609
Timeline Selection Markers 373 settings 606
Punch Preview button 951 track-based 609
punch recording Transpose 608
and monitoring 379 Velocity 608
and pre/post-roll 378 View 604
audio 377 viewing 604
MIDI 397 writing to regions 609
MIDI on-the-fly 397 writing to tracks 609
Real-Time Properties View 604, 838
Real-Time Properties window 605
Q Rear Divergence 1004
Quantize Recalculate Waveform Overviews command 222
audio regions 800, 810 Recall Memory Location Selection at Original Track option 89
Elastic Audio events 800, 809 Record button 136
quantizing regions to grid 505 Record Enable button 358, 413
Real-Time Properties 606 record modes 353
Quantize command 797, 798 and MIDI 355
experimenting with 803 Destructive Record mode 354
Quantize Regions command Loop Record mode 354
and Grid value 725 Nondestructive Record mode 354
Quantize to Grid command 505 QuickPunch 355
Quantize window 801 Record Online at Insertion/Selection option 87
quantizing Record Online at Time Code (or ADAT) Lock option 87
MIDI notes 800, 804 Record Online option 1022
MIDI on input 392, 820 Record Safe mode 360
Quick Start dialog 111

1082 Pro Tools Reference Guide

recording 369 Region List 211
a mono audio track 369 and MIDI clips 211
a stereo audio track 369 auditioning regions 217
a submix to disk 961 displaying file info for audio regions 212
additional takes 379 dragging from 715
at half-speed 388 Export Regions as Files command 287
bouncing to disk 962 Find History 215
cancelling takes 371 finding regions 214
configuring Instrument tracks 393 Keyboard Focus 24
configuring MIDI tracks 393 pop-up menu 211
destructively 379 previewing regions 217
from a digital source 386 repeating a previous search 215
from Record Pause mode 372 selecting regions 216
keyboard shortcuts 372 sorting 213
Loop Record 381 Region List command 755
MIDI regions 396 Region List Keyboard Focus 216
multichannel tracks 369 Region List menu 1031
multiple audio tracks 371 Auto Rename command 220
nondestructively 7, 379 Clear command 221
nonlinear 7 Compact command 507
online 1022 Export Region Definitions command 289
QuickPunch mode 411 Find command 214
record enabling tracks 358 Rename command 219
status LED 413 Select options 217
System Exclusive data 402 Selected Unused command 221
to a new playlist 380 Show Auto-Created option 220
to the system volume 363 Sort By options 213
undoing a take 371 Time Stamp Selected command 724
with a count off 351 Timeline Drop Order option 715
with Round Robin Allocation 362 Region List Selection Follows Edit Selection option 88, 212,
with the click 348 476
Rectified view 430 Region menu 149
ReCycle 277 Bring to Front command 499
redefining Capture command 495
Feet+Frames position 1017 Identify Sync Point 1032
time code position 1018 Lock command 730
Redo command 438 Mute/Unmute command 732
Ref Present indicator 1014 Quantize to Grid command 505
reference or copy when importing 297 Remove Sync Point command 729
Regenerate Missing Fades 310 Send to Back command 499
Regenerate Missing Rendered Files 311 Ungroup All Regions command 745
region boundaries Ungroup Regions command 745
extending selections to 479, 679 Unlock command 730
moving edit cursor to 483 Unloop Regions command 741
moving Playhead to 337 Region Name
Region by Region mode 756 Right-click menu 150, 222
region definitions 289 View option 437
region group file format (.rgrp) 305, 750 Region Time View option 437
region groups 429, 743 regions 14
changing timebase format 747 aligning to region start points 718
creating 744 auto-created 429
editing 748 auto-naming options 220
exporting to different hard drives 308 auto-spotting 1030
fades and crossfades 749 bringing to front 499
importing 306 capturing 495
importing and exporting 305 clearing 442
mixed 745 clearing Real-Time Properties 609
multitrack 745 Conform to Tempo 675
regrouping 745 conforming with Beat Detective 565
separated 747 consolidating 507
tick-based 747 copying 441
timebase format 744 creating 495
trimming 749 crossfading between 521
ungrouping 745 cutting 441
Region Groups folder 115 default names 356

Index 1083
 displaying names 437 Regions View 170, 171, 433
displaying times 437 Regroup Region command 745
dragging from Region List 715 related takes
dragging to multichannel tracks 506 and Separate Region command 497
duplicating 736 Relative Grid mode 447, 725
Edit-locking 730 relinking
exporting as audio files 287 Find Links 258
extending selections to include 480 Linking Options 259
finding 214 Remote Mode options 98
healing separations 500 remote track arming 1028
hiding auto-created 220 Remove Duplicate Notes command 603
inserting silence into 735 Remove Sync Point command 729
locking 730 removing
looping 739 crossfades 522
managing 219 plug-ins from tracks 876
MIDI 396 sends 843
moving in Grid mode 725 Rename command (Region List) 219, 222
moving regions with fades 525 Rename Track command 179
multichannel 429 Renamed Audio Files
muting 732 save copy in 311
nudging 503 renaming
nudging regions with fades 525 auto-created regions 219
offline 429 Memory Locations 710
Original Time Stamp 724 playlists 531
pasting 442 renaming regions in the Region List 219
placing at Edit insertion point 717 renaming regions on tracks 436
placing in tracks 715 Render Sources 264, 269
quantizing 505, 810 Rendered Files folder 115, 774
removing pitch shift 792 Renumber Bars command 700
removing silence from 734 Repeat command 737
removing unused 221 Repeat to Fill Selection command 443
removing warping 785 repeating selections and regions 737
renaming in the Region List 219 Replace mode (see MIDI Replace mode)
renaming on a track 436 Replace Region command 222, 726
repeating 737 and multichannel tracks 728
replacing 726 Replace Region dialog 726
Select options 217 Reserve Voices For Preview In Context option 84, 252
selecting 464, 475 Reset Bi-Phase button 103
selecting all in a track 476 Restore Performance command 797, 810
sending to back 499 Rests (in the Score Editor) 647
separating 496 Return to Zero button 135
separating with Beat Detective 563 Revert to Saved command 119
separating with Separation Grabber 498 Rewind
shifting 730 incrementally 331
shuffling 719 locating with 331
on multiple tracks 720 Rewind button 135
sliding 719 REX files 277
slipping 722 importing 285
snapping to 721 Root Settings folder 887
snapping to next 721 specifying 887
sorting 213 Round Robin Allocation 362
spotting 723, 1029 RTAS Engine 44
sync points 728, 1032 RTAS error suppression 45
time stamping 1031 RTAS plug-ins 873
Time-locking 731 additional latency 874
trimming by Nudge value 502 voice usage 874
trimming start/end points 458 RTAS Processors setting 43, 44
trimming to Edit insertion point 501 Ruler View options 665
trimming unwanted data from 500 Bars|Beats Time Scale 663
unlocking 730 Feet.Frames Time Scale 664
User Time Stamp 724 Minutes:Seconds Time Scale 664
user-defined 219, 220, 428 Samples Time Scale 664
warped 429 Time Code Time Scale 664
warping (Elastic Audio) 784 Ruler View selector 665
whole-file audio regions 428

1084 Pro Tools Reference Guide

rulers Scrolling options 334
changing display order 665 After Playback 334
Conductor rulers 665 Center Playhead 335
displaying all 665 Continuous Scrolling During Playback 334
pull up and pull down 1021 None 334
scrolling in 487 Page 334, 617, 638
Timebase rulers 663 Scrub in Video Window command 1052
zooming in 452 Scrub Trimmer tool 461
Scrubber tool 448, 468
in Shuttle mode 469
S selecting with 483
S/PDIF scrubbing 468
Hardware Setup 53 a single audio track 468
safing automation 910 and edit cursor 468
Sample Offset (Sync Offset) 1015 on two audio tracks 469
Sample Rate playback speed and direction 468
Hardware Setup dialog 51 resolution 469
Playback Engine dialog 47 video tracks 1052
Sample Rate Conversion options 293 with Scrub Trim tool 461
sample rate conversion quality 277, 967, 1046 with the Selector 469
Sample Rate Conversion Quality preference 94, 279 S-Curve command (Tempo Operations) 686
Sample Rate setting 967 Secondary Time Code Ruler 664
sample-based timing 667, 706 Select All command 476
Samples Time Scale 664 Select Parent in Project browser 264
Satellite Link option 107 Select Parent in Workspace command 222
preferences 99 Select Region List options 217
Satellites 107 Select Tracks in Group command 200
Save As command 119 Select Unused Regions command 221
Save command 119 Select/Split Notes command 797, 818, 819
Save Copy In command 120, 315 Split notes action 818
saving a copy of a session 120 selecting
saving a session 119 a pitch range of notes 819
saving plug-in settings 888 across all tracks 481
Save Plug-in Settings To command 887 across multiple tracks 481
Save Settings As command 886 all regions in a track 476
Save Settings command 886 all regions in all tracks 476
saving the session file with a new name 119 during playback 477
Scale command (Tempo Operations) 687 in MIDI Event List 659
scaling note velocities 589, 814 items in browsers 240
Score Editor MIDI notes 582
chord symbols and diagrams 649 noncontiguous regions 477
editing in 644 notes in a chord 820
exporting a score 651 regions 475
opening 632 track material 475
page controls 640 with Edit Selection indicators 480
printing 651 with Scrubber 483
rests 647 selecting tracks for AudioSuite processing 760
zoom controls 640 Selection Changes Alternate Playlists 669
Score Setup window 643 Selection commands
Scroll Into View command 178 Play Edit Selection 336
Scroll into View command 167 Play Timeline 336
Scroll to Track Banks Controllers option 91 Selection Memory Location 706
Scroll To Track command 167, 488 moving stored selection 711
scroll wheel Selection Reference selector 754
and MIDI track’s Note display 436, 457 selections
scrolling a Pro Tools window 487 across multiple tracks 475, 481
zooming in the Edit window 457 and Bounce to Disk 962
zooming in the Edit windows 457 and Edit Groups 475
scrolling and hidden tracks 475
a track into view 167 and Timeline Selection Markers 475
in the ruler 487 auditioning start and end points 336
Mix and Edit to tracks 488 changing length of 478
Notes View up or down 435, 457 clearing 442
Pro Tools window vertically or horizontally 487 consolidating 507
copying 441

Index 1085
 cutting 441 session data
duplicating 736 importing 289
extending 479, 679 Session Data Online Status indicator 132
extending to the Meter Ruler 694 Session Data to Import menu 294
extending to the Tempo ruler 672, 712 Session File Backups folder 116
including Conductor rulers 482 session parameters 121
looping 338 Session Setup window 1010
moving to adjacent tracks 482 sessions 12
moving to the next/previous region 483 audio format 1012
non-contiguous 477 backups 85, 116
nudging 479, 503 bit depth 115, 1012
nudging start/end points 479 closing 125
Object 477 creating 114
on-the-fly 477 creating for surround mixing 976
pasting 442 files 12
playing 335 frame rate 1013
removing a track from 482 mixed audio formats 121
repeating 737 opening 116
shifting 730 opening from a Transfer volume 117
storing with Memory Locations 706 sample rate 115, 1012
Selector tool 330, 448, 464 saving 119
making a Timeline selection 464 start frame 1012
making an Edit selection 464 templates 123
placing the edit cursor 464 Set As User Default command 887
scrubbing with 469 Set Plug-in Default To command 887
selecting an entire region 464 Set Record Tracks to Auto Input command 365
selecting an entire track 464 Set Record Tracks to Input Only command 365
selecting MIDI notes with 582 Set Root Settings Folder command 887
Send controls 842 Set Servo Lock Bit at Play (Tamura Support) option 98
Send mute 842 setting punch/loop points 372
Send pan 842 settings
Send Pans Default to Follow Main Pan option 90 choosing a destination for 887
Send to Back command (Region menu) 499 copying 888
Send To Sibelius 651 creating subfolders 888
Send via DigiDelivery command 301 pasting 888
sends 842 saving 888
adding 842 Settings Preferences command 887
and multichannel mixing 986 Setup menu 149
Assignments View 845 Click/Countoff Options dialog 349
automating 915 Disk Allocation 361
changing default setting 843 I/O Setup 60
copying track automation to 916 MIDI windows 597
default level 843 Preferences command 79
displaying controls for 846 Session Setup 1011
for hardware I/O 844 Video Sync Offset command 1057
for mix busses 844 Shift command 730
labeling 898 Shift dialog 730
mono or stereo 843 shortcuts for keyboard input 884
multichannel 986 Show All Tracks Group command 200
removing 843 Show Auto-Created option 220
view options 844 Show Meters in Sends View option 82
Sends Default to -INF option 90 Show Only Tracks in Group command 200
Sends View 838 Show Original Setup button 74
Separate Show/Hide Region List button 211
MIDI notes 586 Show/Hide Track List/Group List View button 175, 199
Separate Region commands 496 Show/Hide Tracks in Group command 200
and multiple tracks 498 Shuffle
and related takes 497 and locked regions 731
At Selection 496 Shuffle Lock mode 445
At Transients 496 Shuffle mode 445
On Grid 496 and locked regions 731
Separate Region Operates On All Related Takes option 88, and moving regions 719
497 shuttle
Separation Grabber 498 fixed mode option 470
Separation Grabber tool 465 Shuttle Numeric Keypad mode 26, 85, 470

1086 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Sibelius (.sib) file sorting
exporting 651 data in browsers 236
side-chain Markers 714
definition 885 regions 213
filters 885 secondary sorts 237
processing 881 Sound Designer II file format 964
signal flow Source Path 963
audio tracks 828 Special Paste 935
Auxiliary Inputs 829 Speed Cal indicator 1014
Instrument tracks 831 split (MIDI) 818
Master Faders 830 Split Into Mono Track command 179, 505, 984
signal routing Split notes action 818
and default path order 77 splitting stereo and multichannel tracks 505
basics for surround 986 Spot dialog 723, 1028
example 16 Use Subframes option 1029
surround examples 992 User Time Stamp button 1031
Single Zoom mode 452, 633 Spot mode 446, 1028
SIP (Solo In Place) 189 and moving regions 722
Size setting (for window dub) 103 trimming regions in 1030
Skip All 310 spotting
slices 550 auto-spotting 1030
sliding regions 719 regions 723, 1028, 1029
Slip mode 446 SRC options 293
and moving regions 722 Standard MIDI Files 302
Smart Tool 448, 465 exporting 303
and audio tracks 466 importing 301
and Elastic Audio tracks 466 Type 0 302
and MIDI tracks 467 Type 1 302
and multichannel tracks 468 Standard VCA Logic for Group Attributes option 92
creating crossfades with 466 start frame, for sessions 1012
creating fades with 466 Start To Insertion command 501
editing automation with 467 Start, End, and Length display 374
editing controller events with 467 Step Input command 797, 821
Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option 91, 926 stepped control automation 929
smoothing automation 909 Stereo 966
SMPTE stereo inserts 872
configuration 1016 stereo interleaved files, exporting 289
start frame for session 1012 Stereo Mix
Snap Pan to Speaker icons 1000 I/O Setup factory preset 73
Snap To Bar option 693 stereo tracks
Snap To commands 721 dragging regions to 506
Snap To Grid 447 names for 356
snapping to the following or preceding region 721 replacing regions in 728
snapshot automation 947 splitting 505
adding to empty automation playlists 948 Stop at Shuttle Speed Zero option 97
and trim values 949 Stop button 135
writing over existing automation 948 Stretch command (Tempo Operations) 688
Soft Limit 53 Strip Silence command 732, 734
software updates 38 and region naming 733
Solo button 189 Strip Silence window 732
Solo in Place mode 189 stuck notes 603
Solo Latch options 190 Sub Counter selectors 667
Solo modes 189 Sub Time Scale 667, 1018
selecting 190 subfolders, creating for settings 888
Solo Safe mode 191 subframes 1029
soloing submixes
tracks 189 applying an insert to 857
tracks in a submix 860 bouncing to 969
Song Start Marker 670 bouncing to disk 961
editing tempo 670 soloing tracks in 860
moving 670 sub-paths 60
Sort By options 213 examples for surround 990
Suppress Automation “Write To” Warnings option 91

Index 1087
 surround T
and sends 986 T (Transfer volumes) 261
basic signal routing 986 Tab to Transients button 333, 484
center percentage (%) 1005 take over (surround pan) 1001
configuring Pro Tools 983 Takes
configuring Pro Tools and sessions 976 multiple tracks 384, 543
discrete level, solo, mute 984 takes
example 5.1 format paths 979 auditioning 383
importing I/O Settings 978 default names 356
pan playlists and automation 1006 matching alternates 383, 542
panning grids 996 MIDI 401
settings files 976 numbering for QuickPunch 408
using paths 988 recording additional 379
using sub-paths, examples 990 selecting an alternate take 383, 542
SurroundScope 1006 tapping in the tempo 352
Suspend All Groups (Group List) command 200 Target button 882
suspending Tascam DA30 53
automation 922, 923 Task Manager 285
writing automation 922 tasks
swing 801, 803 failed 272
Sync Mode field 1012 grouped 273
Sync Offset 1015 paused 271
SYNC peripherals pausing during playback 272
generating time code with 1023 pending 272
resolving with 1009 tasks (DigiBase)
sync options 1010 active 271
Sync Point View option 729 TC/E Plug-in preference 95, 460
sync points 1032 TCE Edit to Timeline command 508
for regions 728 TCE Trimmer tool 459
from Beat Detective 568 using in Grid mode 460
identifying 728, 1032 using in Slip mode 460
Synchronization 101 using in Spot mode 460
synchronization 101 TDM plug-ins 873
black burst 1033 TDM Time Slot usage 56
MIDI Beat Clock 342 TDM Voices Allocated 56
MMC 1024 templates
options 1009 Beat Detective 561
resolving 1033 DigiGroove 561
troubleshooting 1032 Pro Tools session 123
Synchronization Preferences 97 tempo
Sysex View 600 current 671
system default 351
shutting down 41 display 138
starting up 41 effects on Markers and Memory Locations 706
System Exclusive data 10, 600 Manual Tempo mode 352
deleting 600 tapping in 352
moving 600 Tempo Edit Density pop-up menu 678
recording 402 Tempo Editor
System Memory Allocation 49 zooming 676
system resources 19 Tempo Event Warp markers 675
system settings Tempo Event–generated Warp markers 780
Cache Size 48 tempo events 671
Clock Source system setting 51 and Bar|Beat Markers 691
CPU Usage Limit 44 editing 672
Hardware Buffer Size 8, 42 inserting 671
Hardware Setup 51 tempo map
Number of Voices 46 from Identify Beat command 689
Plug-in Streaming Buffer 50 importing 296
Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size 49 Tempo Operations commands
RTAS Engine 44 Constant command 684
Sample Rate 47 Linear command 684
System Memory Allocation 49 Parabolic command 685
System Usage window 56, 57 Scale command 687
S-Curve command 686
Stretch command 688

1088 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Tempo Operations window 683 Timeline selections 485
Tempo Resolution selector 677 auditioning with Playhead enabled 337
Tempo ruler copied from Edit selection 486
displaying 671 copied to Edit selection 486
extending an Edit selection to 672, 712 in Timebase rulers 485
Tempo Ruler Enable button 138 making with the Selector tool 464
test 968 sliding in the Ruler 486
Text Encoding start, end, and length fields 137
Import Session Data 292 Timeline Selection Markers 485
Thin Automation command 926 Time-locking regions 731
thinning automation 909, 925 toggling
tick-based timing 667, 706 track height 174
time code Track View 173
and Jam Sync 1015 Tool Tips 81, 151
capturing 1029 Touch Timeout option 91
freewheeling 1015 Track Color View 839
generating 1022 Track Compensation (cmp) indicator 863
redefining position 1018 track compositing 532
Time Code 2 Rate setting 1013 track controls
Time Code 2 ruler 664 audio tracks 158
Time Code Mapping options 293 Auxiliary Input tracks 158
Time Code Rate setting 1013 Edit window 158, 159, 160
Time Code Time Scale 664 Elastic Audio 771
Time Compression/Expansion plug-in 508 Instrument tracks 160
Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer tool 95, 459, 591 Master Fader tracks 158
Time Grabber tool 465, 478 MIDI tracks 159
Time Operations commands 694 VCA Master tracks 159
Change Meter command 695 video tracks 160
Cut Time command 698 track data 428
Insert Time command 696 Track Height 173
Move Song Start command 699 resizing 174
Time Operations window 692, 694 track layout
Time Scale 666 default path order 77
Bars|Beats 663 track level meters 163
Feet.Frames 664 Track List 175
Main 666, 1018 hiding 175
Minutes:Seconds 664 pop-up menu 176
Samples 664 showing 175
Sub 667, 1018 Track menu 149
Time Code 664 Auto Input Monitoring mode 364
Time Stamp command 222, 384, 543, 1031 Clear All Clip Indicators command 163, 846
Time Stamp Selected command 724 Delete command 168
time stamps 1031 Duplicate command 168, 903
and Bounce to Disk 963 Group command 202, 203
Timebase rulers 663 Input Only Monitoring mode 364
and selecting on all tracks 481 Make Active command 192
and Timeline selections 485 Make Inactive command 192
Edit Markers 474 New Track command 165
Pre/Post-Roll Flags 474 Scroll to Track 167
sliding Edit selections 483 Scroll to Track command 488
sliding Timeline selections 486 Set Record Tracks to Auto Input 365
Time Code 2 664 Set Record Tracks to Input Only 365
Timeline Selection Markers 474 Split Into Mono command 505, 984
Timeline and Edit selection, unlinked 473 Write MIDI Real-Time Properties command 609
Timeline Data Online Status indicator 132 Track Name
Timeline Drop Order option 715 Right-click menu 178
Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker Follows Playback option Track Name/Comments dialog 166
83, 341 Track Number command 166, 488
Timeline Selection Markers 373, 474 Track Offset options 293
and Edit selections 475 Track Position Numbers Stay with Hidden Tracks option 81
selection length 478 Track Record Enable indicator 136
Timeline selections 485 Track selector 881

Index 1089
 Track View 169 transients 429
and edit content 440 detecting with Beat Detective 554
Blocks 170 tabbing to 333, 484
changing 172 Transport 134
Master View 933 Count Off 351
Notes 170, 171, 435 Meter 351
Playlists 535 Metronome 350
Regions 170, 171, 433 Transport Master 1026
Sysex 600 Transport Numeric Keypad mode 26, 84
toggling 173 Transport Online option 1021
Velocity 588 Transport RecordLock option 86, 410, 421
Waveform 429 Transport View options 137, 329, 374, 376
Track View selector 171 Transport window 134
Track View Toggle 173 MIDI controls 137
track width 164 pre/post-roll 136, 376
TrackInput Monitor button 364 record status display 413
TrackInput Monitor indicator 136 start, end, and length fields 137, 374
TrackPunch transport controls 134
crossfades 409 Transpose
preferences 409 Elastic Audio 791
tracks MIDI notes 816
5.1 format track layout 983 Real-Time Properties 608
adding comments 166 Transpose command 797, 816
adding to selection 481, 482 transposing 816
and surround 983 by octave 817
appending new material to end of 380 key 817
Color Coding options 193 MIDI notes 584
concepts 12 tracks 816
configuring MIDI recording 393 Trim automation
converting multichannel tracks into mono tracks 984 coalescing 937
creating a click track 349 Trim Automation commands 950
creating new Elastic Audio tracks 770 Trim to All Enabled 950
deleting 168 Trim to Current 950
duplicating 168, 903 Trim Region commands
Elastic Audio 769 End to Fill Selection 501
formats 154 End to Insertion 501
grouping 197 Start to Fill Selection 501
hiding 177 Start to Insertion 501
locating with Fast Forward/Rewind 331 To Fill Selection 502
making inactive/active 192 To Selection 500
Master View 173, 933 Trim to All Enabled Automation command 950
metering 163 Trim to Current Automation command 950
moving selections between 482 Trimmer tools 448, 458, 680, 928
muting 191 Loop Trimmer tool 462
names 164, 166 Scrub Trimmer tool 461
placing regions in 715 Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer tool 95, 459,
playback priority 184 591
playing 327, 370 trimming
record enabling 358 automation breakpoints 680, 928, 936
removing from a selection 482 crossfades 522
scrolling shortcut 488 note start/end points 585
selecting across multiple 481 region start/end points 458
selecting all regions in 476 regions by Nudge value 502
selecting material in 475 regions to Edit insertion point 501
soloing 189 regions with Scrub Trim tool 461
Track Height 173 unwanted region and track data 500
Track View 169, 172 Tweak Head setting (Conversion Quality) 968, 1046
transposing 816
trimming unwanted data from 500
types 153
Tracks Group command 200
trajectory panning 1003
Transfer files 310
selecting in DigiBase 234
Transfer volume 226

1090 Pro Tools Reference Guide

U video track
unavailable I/O 74 scrubbing 1052
unavailable resources 117 viewing as blocks 1040
Undo and audio recording 371 video tracks 154
Undo command 438 track controls 160
Undo History window 438 Video Universe window 1053
Undo Queue 439 Video Window command 1051
Ungroup All Regions command 745 View Filter (Memory Locations window) 714
Ungroup Region command 745 View Filter (MIDI Event List) 654
Ungroup Regions command 745 View menu 149
Universe view 489 Edit Window View options 128, 837
unlinked Timeline and Edit selection 473 Edit Window view options 837
unlinking plug-in controls 897, 987 Mix Window option 128
Unlock Region command 730 Mix Window View options 837
Unloop Regions command 741 Narrow Mix View option 164
Use Absolute Pan Linking option 90 Region Name View option 437
Use All Available Space preference 87 Region Sync Point View option 729
Use AudioSuite Dither option 93, 867 Region Time View options 437
Use F11 for Wait for Note option 96, 393 Track Number command 166, 488
Use in Playlist button 755 Transport View options 137, 329, 374, 376
Use MIDI to Tap Tempo option 96 viewing blocks in the video track 1040
Use Separate Play and Stop Keys option 85 views
Use Squeezer option 968 Delay Compensation 164
Use Subframes option 1029 I/O View 161
User Default setting, creating 888 Inserts View 838
User Offset (+/–) field 862 Sends View 838
User Time Stamp 724, 1032 Wide Meters View 164
user-defined regions 219, 220, 428 VITC
Generate Lines setting 102
Read Lines setting 102
V Read Lines, defaults 102
VCA Masters VITC Insertion Enabled option 102
assigning groups 834 voice allocation
channel strips 156 dynamic 184
clearing 956 explicit 184
controls 833 RTAS 874
deleting 956 Voice selector 184
displaying automation 955 voices
mixing 832 and RTAS 874
track controls 159 and track priority 184
track type 153, 832 auto-assignment of ascending 185
velocities, for MIDI notes QuickPunch on Pro Tools LE 406
drawing with Pencil 588 volume
editing 588, 812 Performance 226
editing velocity 588 Transfer 226
fading 813 Volume automation 928
Real-Time Properties 608 Volume browsers 140, 224, 228
scaling 814 Volume fader 162
scaling with Trim tool 589 Volume indicator 161
Velocity Trimmer tool 589 volume.ddb 227
Velocity View 588
Vertical Position setting 103
video
recording limits with pull 1021
Video Designator 261
Video Media options 293
Video Online button 1039, 1041
Video Out FireWire Port command 1056
Video Out PCIe command 1058
Video Pull Up/Down 1019
Video Satellite LE option 107
Video Satellite option 107
Video Sync Offset command 1057

Index 1091
 W windows
Wait for Note 138, 392 arranging 148
Warp indicator 784 Cascade 148
Warp markers 779 closing 149
adding 779 hiding all floating windows 149
deleting 780 Tile 148
relocating (without applying warping) 780 Tile Horizontal 148
Warp view 771, 778 Tile Vertical 148
warped regions 429 Windows sessions
warping audio (Elastic Audio) 780 compatibility with Mac 314
WAV file format 312, 964 Word Clock 52
AES31/Broadcast compliant 312 workflows 421
WaveCache 246 Workspace browser 362, 363
WaveCache.wfm file 116, 227 Write 949
Waveform View 429 Write Automation commands 948, 949
Waveform View options 430 Write Automation To commands 951
Outlines 431 Write Automation to Next Breakpoint command 941
Peak 430 Write Automation to Next Breakpoint on Stop command 942
Power 430 Write Automation to Selection/Selection Start/Selection End
Rectified 430 buttons 938
waveforms 429 Write MIDI Real-Time Properties command 609
and zero-crossing 432 writing
avoiding clicks and pops 432 automation 913
DigiBase 246 automation on stop 940
guidelines for editing 432 automation to next breakpoint 940
repairing with Pencil tool 471 automation to selection, selection start, or selection end
WaveCache 246 938
website 5 snapshot automation 947
whole-file audio regions 428
Wide Meters View 164 X
Window Configuration List 143 XML (MIDI patch names) 597
Window Configurations 142 X–OR (Cancels Previous Solos) Solo Latch option 191
importing 296
window dub
horizontal position 103 Z
setting color 103 zero-crossing 432
size 103 Zoom buttons 449
vertical position 103 Zoom Presets 454
Window menu 149 Zoom Toggle 454
Automation Enable command 913 Zoom Toggle preferences 89, 454
Big Counter command 329 Zoomer tool 448, 449, 451
Color Palette 195 zooming 449
Disk Space command 348 a track area 452, 633
Edit command 128 around a track point 451, 632
Machine Track Arming command 1028 continuously 449
Memory Locations command 710 horizontally for all tracks 449
Mix command 128 in the ruler 452
Project command 310 in the Tempo Editor 676
System Usage command 57 on a selection 451
Task Manager command 285 out to the entire session 451
Transport command 134 recalling zoom levels 454
Undo History command 438 return to the previous zoom level 450
Workspace command 362 storing zoom levels 454
to make all regions visible 451
vertically for all audio tracks 450
vertically for all MIDI tracks 450
with a scroll wheel 457
Zoom Toggle 454

1092 Pro Tools Reference Guide

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