003, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 888|24 I/O,
882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O, AudioSuite,
Avid, Avid DNA, Avid Mojo, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid
Xpress, AVoption, Axiom, Beat Detective, Bomb Factory,
Bruno, C|24, Command|8, Control|24, D-Command,
D-Control, D-Fi, D-fx, D-Show, D-Verb, DAE, Digi 002,
DigiBase, DigiDelivery, Avid, DigidesignAudio Engine,
Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, DigidesignTDM Bus,
DigiDrive, DigiRack, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DINR,
DV Toolkit, EditPack, Eleven, EUCON, HD Core,
HD Process, Hybrid, Impact, Interplay, LoFi, M-Audio,
MachineControl, Maxim, Mbox, MediaComposer, MIDI I/O,
MIX, MultiShell, Nitris, OMF, O MF In t er c h a ng e, PRE,
ProControl, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD,
Pro Tools|HD Native, QuickPunch, Recti-Fi, Reel Tape,
Reso, Reverb One, ReVibe, RTAS, Sibelius, Smack!,
SoundReplacer, Sound Designer II, Strike, Structure,
SYNC HD, SYNC I /O, Synchronic, TL Aggro, TL AutoPan,
TL Drum Rehab, TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune,
TL MasterMeter, TL Metro, TL Space, TL Utilities,
Transfuser, Trillium Lane Labs, Vari-Fi, Velvet, X-Form, and
XMON are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid
Technology, Inc. Xpand! is Registered in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
Product features, specifications, system requirements, and
availability are subject to change without notice.
Guide Part Number 9320-65050-00 REV A 10/11
Documentation Feedback
At Avid, we are always looking for ways to improve our
documentation. If you have comments, corrections, or
suggestions regarding our documentation, email us at
techpubs@avid.com.
Read this guide if you are new to Pro Tools®. This guide provides examples of how to use
Pro Tools to record, edit, and mix audio or MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
information.
If you have not yet installed Pro Tools, install Pro Tools according to the instructions in the
Pro Tools Installation Guide. For information on connecting your audio hardware and installing
drivers for your hardware, consult the documentation that came with your hardware.
Connect Headphones or Speakers
To hear the audio from Pro Tools, connect headphones or speakers to your audio interface.
Example: Connecting a pair of speakers to Mbox
Welcome to Pro Tools 1
To adjust volume:
Volume knob
1/4-inch headphone jack
Master volume
1 Adjust your headphone level on your audio interface. For example, on an Mbox, turn the
Volume knob left (counterclockwise) to lower the volume or right (clockwise) to raise the
volume.
Example: Mbox front panel connectors and controls
2 Adjust the main monitor level, which sets level for your speakers. For example, on an Mbox,
turn the Master volume left (counterclockwise) to lower the volume or right (clockwise) to
raise the volume.
3 Start with a lower level for both your headphone and speaker levels.
Listen to the Demo Session
The Demo Session is a great example of a complete, finished project that has been arranged,
edited, and mixed. To get started, you can use the Demo Session included on the Pro Tools
Installer disc to see and hear many of the things you’ll soon be doing in Pro Tools. Use the
Demo Session to test your headphones and speakers.
To install the demo session:
1 Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc into your DVD drive.
Intro to Pro Tools
2
2 On the Pro Tools Installer disc, locate and open the Additional Files folder.
Toolbar
Track
Ed it wi ndo w
3 Drag and drop the Pro Tools Demo Session folder to your hard drive.
4 Launch Pro Tools by clicking its icon in the Dock (Mac) or double-clicking its icon on your
desktop (Windows).
5 Next, do one of the following depending on what you see on-screen:
• If the Quick Start dialog appears, click
Session file, select it, and click
Open Session, then click OK. Navigate to the Demo
Open.
– or –
• If the Quick Start dialog does not appear, choose
Demo Session file, select it, and click
Open.
File > Open Session, then navigateto the
Pro Tools opens the session.
Welcome to Pro Tools 3
Play and Listen
Stop Play
Stop Play
To play the Demo Session:
1 If your audio interface has a main monitor level control (such as the Master volume on
Mbox), turn the volume down so that you don’t play back audio at an uncomfortably high
level. Otherwise, turn the volume down on your monitoring system.
For more information about headphone and monitor connections and volume control on
your specific interface, refer to the guide that came with your system.
2 Start playback of the demo session in Pro Tools.
You can start and stop Pro Tools by pressing the Spacebar, or clicking the Play and Stop
buttons on-screen. (These buttons are located at the top of the Edit window; you can also
have them appear in their own Transport window by choosing
Stop and Play buttons in Edit window (left) and Transport window (right)
3 While the session plays, increase the monitor level to a comfortable listening level.
Window > Transport.)
On Mbox, turn the Master volume clockwise gradually.
Intro to Pro Tools
4
4 Use the zoom and Track view controls to zero in on different tracks.
Vertical
Horizontal
Click to select the Zoomer tool and then drag-select to zoom in.
(Double-click the Zoomer tool to zoom back out again)
Click the Track Height selector and choose
a display height
Click the Horizontal an d
Vertical Zoom buttons
to adjust size and length
of what is shown in
tracks
Welcome to Pro Tools 5
5 Next, click the Window menu and choose Mix (Window > Mix). The Mix window shows tracks
Mix window
Tracks
in vertical channel strips (similar to an analog mixer).
The Edit window and the Mix window are the two main work areas in Pro Tools. Throughout
the rest of this guide, you’ll see examples of both windows being used for different types of
production work.
6 Press the Spacebar or click the Stop button to stop playback.
7 When you’re through checking out the Demo Session, choose File > Close Session.
Intro to Pro Tools
6
Import a Track from a CD
This section shows your how to create a new Pro Tools session and then import a track from a
CD. You can create a new session when you first launch Pro Tools or even after you launch
Pro Tools.
To create a new session:
1 Choose File > New Session. If you currently have a session open, you will be prompted to save
any changes.
New Session dialog
2 In the New Session dialog, choose Create Blank Session, then click OK.
3 In the Name the Session dialog, choose where you want to save the session, and then name
it and click
Save.
Welcome to Pro Tools 7
4 After Pro Tools opens the new session, choose Window > Edit to display the Edit Window.
Transport window
The Edit window, with the Transport window showing in the foreground
To import a track from CD:
1 Put the source CD into your computer’s CD/DVD drive.
Intro to Pro Tools
8
2 In Pro Tools, choose Window > Workspace to open the Workspace browser.
Workspace browser
Click the speaker icon to
audition a selected song;
press the Spacebar to
stop.
3 In the Workspace browser, click the Audio CD Expand/Collapse icon to show the tracks on
the CD.
4 Click an item (track) to select a song on the CD.
Welcome to Pro Tools 9
5 Drag the item from the Workspace to the open area in the middle of the Edit window;
Audio Track
Clip list
Pro Tools creates a new audio track containing the song. The song appears in its new track
where you let go of the mouse. The song also appears as a clip in the Clip list.
You can also drag items from the Workspace to the Clip List and then later drag them into the
track area. This lets you assemble a collection of audio clips and loops to use later in different
tracks or even the same track.
6 Close the Workspace browser, then press the Spacebar to begin playing back the song in
Pro Tools (see “Play and Listen” on page 4).
The Mbox and Mbox Pro interfaces both have a “Multi” button (located on the front panel
of the interface) that can be assigned to easily execute several functions in Pro Tools by
pressing it two different ways (Press and Release, Press and Hold). For example, you could
easily start and stop Pro Tools (as in our example) with the Multi button. For detailed
instructions on how to use this feature, see the guide that came with your interface.
Intro to Pro Tools
10
Make an Audio Edit
countoff
song startwaveforms
In this example, we’ll do a simple edit to change where a song starts. To show this, let’s begin
with a song where the drummer is heard “counting off” the tempo (“1...2...1.2.3...”) before
the song starts. Here’s what this song looks like in Pro Tools.
In the picture, the stereo waveforms let you visualize the different sections of the song. We can
take advantage of this “what you see is what you hear” aspect of Pro Tools to be able to
quickly silence the countoff by “trimming” the beginning of the song.
Welcome to Pro Tools 11
To trim:
song start
Trim tool
1 Click to select the Trim tool (located in the toolbar across the top of the Edit window).
2 Click in the track after the countoff and before the start of the song; you’ll see the cursor
display the Trim icon. Drag left or right to fine tune the location.
For future reference, you can also “untrim” the song by dragging the song start back to the
left with the Trim tool. You’ll see that the previous audio (the countoff) is still there. This is
a small example of how Pro Tools lets you edit non-destructively.
Intro to Pro Tools
12
Record Yourself
Input 1
source selector
Input 1
Mic/Line input
(Front/Rear button)
This section shows how to connect a microphone and record yourself. Once you get
comfortable recording with a mic, you can go ahead and record yourself over the track you
imported in the last section. In this section, we’ll use an Mbox as the interface.
Connecting a Mic to an Interface
To hook up a microphone:
1 Depending on your Pro Tools audio interface, plug a mic into one of the Mic/Line inputs (or
DI inputs) of your Pro Tools audio interface.
• If your mic has an XLR cable, plug into a Mic/Line input.
– or –
• If your mic has a 1/4-inch cable, plug into a DI input.
Connecting a mic to Mbox with an XLR cable
Welcome to Pro Tools 13
2 Depending on your interface, you may need to select its physical input. For an Mbox, if
you're using the XLR connector on the back, press the Front/Rear button until it’s in the “in”
position. If your mic has a 1/4-inch cable and you’re using the 1/4-inch connector on the
front (one of the two instrument inputs), press the Front/Rear button until it’s in the “out”
position. See the guide that came with your system for more information.
Create a Track
Pro Tools tracks are where audio, MIDI and other elements get recorded and edited within a
session. Before you can record, you need to create one or more tracks.
To create an audio track and prepare it for recording:
1 Create a new session, or open an existing session. (See “Import a Track from a CD” on
page 7).
2 Choose Track > New.
3 To record from a single mic (as in our example), set the New Tracks dialog for 1 Mono
Audio Track
Creating a new mono audio track
, in Samples, and click Create.
If you want to record both inputs at once, create one or two new tracks depending on what
you’ve got plugged in and what you plan to record:
• To record two different sources (such as one vocal mic and one electric guitar), create 2
Mono audio tracks. This lets the two input signals be recorded simultaneously, and be
edited, processed, and balanced independently.
– or –
Intro to Pro Tools
14
• To record a two-channel stereo source (such as a stereo keyboard, or the left and right
Audio Input Path selector
outputs from a DJ mixer), create 1 Stereo audio track.
4 Make sure the Mix window is open by choosing Window> Mix.
5 In the middle of the new track’s channel strip, notice where it says “Analog 1 (Mono).” This
shows which Input channel (Input 1 or Input 2) is assigned to this track. (To specify a
different Input channel, click the Audio Input Path selector and choose the other channel.)
Welcome to Pro Tools 15
Record Your Performance to a Track
Record Enable button
Input 1 Gain (Mbox)
To record an audio track:
1 Click the track’s Record Enable button.
Record enabling a track in the Mix window
2 Choose Track > Input Only Monitoring. This lets you listen to your incoming signal so you can
“set your levels.”
3 Sing or play into the mic. Watch the meter level in the Pro Tools track while you raise the
input gain on your Pro Tools audio interface. (Don’t move the on-screen fader to try and
adjust your input level because it isn’t going to have any affect; It’s only for adjusting your
listening level.) Turn the gain up until you see the on-screen track meter show green most of
the time, or yellow for louder passages.
If the track meter shows red, gain is too high; lower the gain.
Intro to Pro Tools
16
If you barely see green in the track meter, gain is too low; raise the gain.
Track meter
RecordReturn to Zero
4 In the toolbar (or in the Transport window) click the Return to Zero button to jump back
to the start of th e session, then click the Rec ord b utto n. This tell s Pro Tool s th at you’re happy
with your levels and are ready to record. Think of this as a “master” record enable button.
5 Choose Window > Edit so you can watch what happens when you record.
Welcome to Pro Tools 17
6 When you are ready to start recording, click Play or press the Spacebar. To stop, press the
Spacebar or click Stop. Here’s what Pro Tools looks like after a track has been recorded and
the transport has been stopped.
Recording a vocal track
If you want to use a click track/metronome, see “Using a Click (Metronome)” on page 26.
Listen to Y ou r Recording
To play back a recorded track:
1 Click the track’s Record Enable button again to take it out of Record mode.
2 Click Play in the Transport window or press the Spacebar to start playback.
3 When you want to stop, press the Spacebar or click Stop.
Intro to Pro Tools
18
Record More Tracks
To record another track:
1 Choose Track > New and create 1 Mono audio track.
2 Choose Track > Auto Input Monitoring.
3 In the new audio track, click its Input path selector and choose the same input (In 1) you
used before.
4 Next, click the track’s Record Enable button, just like you did on the first track.
5 In the Transport window, click the Return to Zero button to jump back to the start of the
session, then click the Record button (the button flashes) to arm Pro Tools for recording.
When you are ready to start recording, click Play or press the Spacebar.
6 Press the Spacebar again to stop playback.
Hard drives are one of the most important components of your Pro Tools system. For best
performance, Avid recommends using an external hard drive for Pro Tools recording.
Welcome to Pro Tools 19
Make a Beat
This section shows you how to work with Xpand!2, a plug-in you can use to make beats and
compose music.
The Xpand!2 Virtual Instrument Plug-In
Xpand!2 is a virtual instrument plug-in, which means it makes sound. Xpand!2 is part of the Avid
Virtual Instruments plug-ins that comes free with Pro Tools. Xpand!
Avid Virtual Instruments installer. This installer is available on the Pro Tools Installer disc
and online from www.avid.com. For more information, see the Audio Plug-ins Guide.
Here’s how to start utilizing its many drum kits, basses, strings, keyboards, horns, sound
effects and other sounds.
You can add all sorts of plug-ins to your system. Instrument plug-ins (like Xpand!2) make
sound. Processing plug-ins (such as those for reverb, EQ and compression) change your
sound.For more information on your plug-ins, see the Audio Plug-Ins Guide. This guide is
installed automatically during Pro Tools installation. A PDF only copy is available from
within Pro Tools: Help > Audio Plug-Ins Guide.
Set Up a Track
You add Xpand!2 to your sessions by inserting it on a specific type of track called an
Instrument track.
To create a Instrument track for beats and composition:
1 Choose Track > New.
2 In the New Track dialog, click the pop-up menu that says Mono and choose Stereo, then click
the pop-up menu that shows
as they are and click
Audio Track and choose Instrument Track. Leave the other settings
Create.
2
is installed with the
Intro to Pro Tools
20
Creating a stereo Instrument track
Xpand!
2
Insert
selector
3 Choose Window > Mix to display the Mix window.
4 Click the track Insert selector near the top of the Instrument track and choose Xpand!
from the Instrument sub-menu.
Welcome to Pro Tools 21
2
5 Now let’s load a sound. Click the Librarian menu (<factory default>) and choose a preset from
Click the Librarian menu
to see the list of presets,
then choose an item from
a sub-menu.
the Loops sub-menu. Presets are pre-configured settings files, and they’re a great way to see
examples of what a plug-in can do.
6 Make music by doing one of the following:
• If you have a MIDI controller connected, you can record yourself playing Xpand!
For more information see “Composing with a MIDI Controller/Keyboard” on page 29.
– or –
• Create MIDI notes using the mouse. To see an example of how you can compose without
a MIDI controller, “Composing without a MIDI Controller” on page 23.
Intro to Pro Tools
22
2
.
Composing without a MIDI Controller
Pencil tool
Selecting Bars|Beats
You can make beats and compose in Pro Tools using just the mouse.
To create a note:
1 Close or move the Xpand!
Instrument track in the Edit window.
2 Click to select the Pencil tool (located in the toolbar across the top of the Edit window).
3 Select View > Rulers > Bars:Beats to add the Bars|Beats ruler.
4 Click the Ruler View selector to select Bars|Beats.
Ruler View selector in the Edit window
5 In the Edit window, select Grid from the Edit mode buttons.
Grid mode enabled
2
plug-in window, then choose Window > Edit so you can see the
Welcome to Pro Tools 23
Make sure you have Grid mode enabled. When you draw in your drum (and other) notes
Click for Track View pop-up menu
Instrument track
in Notes
note
in Grid mode, they are in time with the session Tempo and Bar|Beat map.
6 Click the Track View selector for the track and select the Notes format from the menu.
7 Now click in the main Instrument track to “pencil in” a note.
The small horizontal bar created with each mouse click is a MIDI note. The location and length
of each note determines when, and for how long, you’ll hear the sound. Since we’re using a
Loop preset in this example, we need to edit this note so we can hear the complete loop of the
Xpand!
2
preset.
Intro to Pro Tools
24
Editing MIDI Notes
Trim tool being used in a track
To edit a MIDI note:
1 Click to select the Trim tool (located in the toolbar across the top of the Edit window), and
then use it in your Instrument track to drag the right edge of the MIDI note out to the right
to make it longer. This leaves the note selected (highlighted).
2 Press the Spacebar to start playback, which will start from the current selection (in this
case, the MIDI note we lengthened). You should hear the drum loop play for the duration of
the MIDI note.
Using a loop is one fast way to get a beat going, and you can use the same basic techniques to
quickly build a beat piece-by-piece too.
To compose a beat from scratch:
1 Repeat the previous steps to create a stereo Instrument track and insert Xpand!
2 Instead of choosing a Loop preset, choose something from the Drums sub-menu.
2
on it.
Welcome to Pro Tools 25
3 Now, pencil some notes in on the new drums track. Here’s what our example session looks
One long note (for a loop)
Five different notes (kick , snares, and other)
like after we add another Xpand!
2
track to the loop track we set up previously.
4 To add a bass line, create another track, insert Xpand!
2
, then load up a bass tone.
One more thing: This example showed how to manually enter and edit notes. For a more
musical way to compose, lots of people use an external MIDI controller (such as a MIDI
keyboard) to let them play and perform instead of only writing and editing with the mouse.
If you want to learn how to do this, see “Composing with a MIDI Controller/Keyboard” on
page 29
Using a Click (Metronome)
A click track (also known as a metronome) gives you a steady time reference while recording
tracks. Pro Tools lets you create a specialized click track that comes with a the Click plug-in
already inserted on it.
To quickly create a Click track in a new session:
Choose Track > Create Click Track.
To use a click track:
1 Choose View > Mix Window to display the Mix window.
2 At the top of the track, select the Click plug-in.
Intro to Pro Tools
26
3 In the Click plug-in window, click the Librarian menu and pick a sound. You can pick a
Librarian menu
cowbell, sidestick, or other common click sounds.
Selecting a Click Sound
4 Select View > Transport > MIDI Controls to view the MIDI controls in the Transport Window.
5 Click the Metronome Click button so it’s highlighted blue.
6 Now click Play in the Transport window or press the Spacebar to listen to the click.
Welcome to Pro Tools 27
To silence the click track:
Add Tempo Change symbol (+)
Default tempo is 120 BPM
Do one of the following:
• Mute the Click track by clicking the
M (Mute) button on the Click track.
– or –
• In the Transport window, deselect the Metronome Click button (so it is not highlighted
blue) to silence the track during playback. Also deselect the Count Off button (so it's not
highlighted) to turn off the Count Off.
Setting the Tempo
You can specify the session tempo to speed up or slow down your song.
To adjust the tempo, do the following:
1 Choose View > Rulers > Tempo. See where it says “Tempo” in the Edit window? Click on the
plus symbol (+) that appears next to it. Then type the tempo you want in the Tempo Change
window and click
OK.
Intro to Pro Tools
28
2 Press the Spacebar or click the Play button to listen to your click play back at a different
speed. Repeat the previous steps if you need to enter a different tempo.
3 Press the Spacebar again or click Stop when you’re done.
Composing with a MIDI Controller/Keyboard
What is MIDI?
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data isn’t aud io, and it has no sound of its own.
MIDI is just a way for musical devices like virtual instrument plug-ins, MIDI controllers, and
MIDI sequencers to talk to one another.
Hardware MIDI instruments are connected using MIDI cables to the MIDI inputs and outputs
on your audio interface or MIDI interface. Virtual instruments are inserted as plug-ins on
Instrument tracks in Pro Tools and accessed directly from within Pro Tools.
Make Beats and Compose with a MIDI Controller
Here we’ll show you how to compose with a MIDI controller/keyboard instead of a mouse.
To record MIDI on an Instrument Track:
1 Make sure your MIDI controller/keyboard is connected either to a MIDI interface with
MIDI cables or directly to your computer with a USB cable.
2 Repeat the steps to create a stereo Instrument track and insert Xpand!
Beat” on page 20).
3 Select a bass preset (also known as a “patch”).
4 Select Options > MIDI Thru. (Verify that MIDI Thru is checked; if not, select it.)
5 Click the Record Enable button to enable the Instrument track for MIDI recording.
6 In the Transport window, click Return to Zero to start recording from the beginning of the
session. You can also record to a selection in a track or from the cursor location in the Edit
window.
2
on it (see “Make a
Welcome to Pro Tools 29
7 Click the Record button.
8 Now play your MIDI controller/keyboard and hear the bass sound.
9 When you are ready to start recording, click Play or press the Spacebar. To stop, click Stop
or press the Spacebar.
MIDI data in the Instrument track
10 Click the track Record button again to take it out of record enable and play back what you
just recorded.
See the Pro Tools Reference Guide (
Help > Pro Tools Reference Guide) to learn more about Loop
Playback, and how you can apply all sorts of other musical treatments to your rhythms,
sounds, and patterns.
Mix and Change Your Sounds
Your Pro Tools system comes supplied with a wealth of plug-ins that you can use to change
the sounds you’ve recorded. This section shows two examples of how to use plug-ins to
process your sound. The first example shows you how to apply compression to audio on one
track. The second example shows how to apply reverb across multiple tracks. The plug-ins
used here are part of the Avid Effects suite of plug-ins, which are installed with Pro Tools.
Intro to Pro Tools
30
Compression
Insert
selector
Compression can help smooth the dynamics of a track (making your soft and loud parts
sound less uneven). It can also make a vocal performance sound more intimate.
To apply compression to a track:
1 Choose Window > Mix.
2 In the top of a track that has audio (or MIDI), click the first Track Insert selector and
choose plug-in, Dynamics, and then
Compressor/Limiter Dyn 3 (mono) from the Dynamics sub-
menu. Pro Tools inserts the Dynamics 3 Compressor/Limiter plug-in on your plug-in
Dynamics sub-menu and opens its plug-in window.
Welcome to Pro Tools 31
3 In the plug-in window, click the Librarian menu (shown below) and choose an available
Librarian
menu
Settings File (preset) from the list.
4 Press the Spacebar to start playback. Listen to how the sound has changed.
5 Choose other presets and you can hear what their settings do to sound. Try out different
plug-ins to start learning about the different colors of sound you have at your disposal. (The
Audio P lug-ins Gui de is a great place to learn more about compressors, limiters, EQs, and other
types of processing.)
6 Press the Spacebar again to stop playback.
Intro to Pro Tools
32
Reverb
Send A
selector
Reverb is a great effect for vocals. It can make you sound like you're in a big concert hall or
small recording booth.One of the best ways to incorporate reverb in your mix is in a “sendand-return” configuration. Send/return makes it easy to send multiple vocal tracks or
instruments to and through the same single reverb effect.
To apply reverb on one or more tracks:
1 Choose Window > Mix.
2 Click the Send selector on your vocal track as shown below and choose Bus 1-2.
Welcome to Pro Tools 33
3 Choose Track > New, and set it to create 1 stereo Auxiliary Input track, then click Create.
Insert
selector
Audio Input
Track Selector
An Auxiliary Input track is a type of track you can use to collect sound from other tracks,
then apply an effect (such as reverb).
4 On the new Auxiliary Input track you just added, do the following:
• Click the Track Insert selector and choose
• Click the Audio Input Track selector and choose
D-Verb from the Reverb sub-menu.
Bus 1–2. This sets the Auxiliary Input
track to receive audio from other tracks (such as your vocal tracks).
Intro to Pro Tools
34
5 Click the Send assignment on your vocal track to open the Send Output window.
Send
Raise the Send fader
6 Press the Spacebar and slowly raise the small fader in the Send Output window. This adjusts
how much of the vocal track you are sending to D-Verb (on the Auxiliary Input track).
7 Keep playing and listening, and check out different D-Verb settings. Repeat this section’s
basic instructions to try out a delay (echo), chorus, flanger, or other type of effects plug-ins.
Welcome to Pro Tools 35
Fade Out the End of the Song
First breakpoint
To put the finishing touch on a song, it’s sometimes nice to go with the classic fade out. Here’s
an example of how to use mix automation to fade out a track. (There are many other ways to
create fades. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide.)
To do a fade out (using Pro Tools automation):
1 In order to do a fade out, add a Master Fader track.
2 Click to select the Grabber tool (located in the toolbar across the top of the Edit window).
Grabber tool
3 In the Master Fader track, click with the Grabber tool at the place that you'd like the fade
to start. This creates a white dot or “breakpoint.”
Intro to Pro Tools
36
4 Drag down with the Grabber at some point later in time (after the first breakpoint).
Creating a fade
5 Now click in the Master Fader track to place the cursor where you want to audition your
fade.
6 Press the Spacebar to hear the section and the results of your fade.
You can also edit breakpoint automation with many of the same tools we use to edit audio
(such as the Pencil, the Grabber, and the Trim). You can learn more about how to record and
edit your control moves in the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
Get Your Music Out to the World
After you’ve finished recording and editing tracks in a Pro Tools session, you’re ready to mix
down. You can use the Bounce to Disk feature to combine all the tracks that make up a session
into a single “master” audio file to share with the world.
Welcome to Pro Tools 37
To create a stereo master from a session:
Timeline
Session audio selected
and ready to
Bounce to Disk
1 Click to select the Selector tool (located in the toolbar across the top of the Edit window).
Selector tool
2 Use the Selector to select the length of the session in the Timeline (or on a track).
If you don’t make a selection, your entire session will bounce from start to finish.
3 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk.
4 In the Bounce dialog, do the following to create an MP3:
•For the Bounce Source select the main output path for you mix. This is the path shown in
Audio Output Path Selector in your tracks.
the
•Select
MP3 for the File Type. This gives you a stereo file.
•Select Interleaved for the Format. This is the same sample rate as audio on CDs.
•Select
44.1 kHz for the Sample Rate.
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38
•Enable Add to iTunes Library if you want your mix to appear in your iTunes library, where
it can be burned to CD, or loaded onto a personal audio player.
•Enable
Share with SoundCloud if you want to share your mix with SoundCloud, a social
audio sharing site that lets you feature your tracks or playlists on social networks (such
as Twitter, Facebook, and Google+).
Convert after Bounce
•Select
5 Click Bounce.
For more information about Bounce to Disk, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
Bounce dialog (shown set to creat e an MP3)
6 When you export or bounce to MP3 format, the MP3 dialog appears and you can set several
options. To learn more about these options, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
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MP3 dialog
7 When you have set your options, click OK.
8 In the Save dialog, name your bounce and pick where it should be saved, then click Save.
Pro Tools begins bouncing to disk. Pro Tools bounces are done in real time, so you hear
playback of your mix during the bounce process. You cannot adjust any Pro Tools controls
during a bounce).
After Mixdown, Mastering
After the bounce is completed, your audio will be available for use in the format you've
chosen. Depending on the options you've set, your audio may also be sent to your iTunes
library or SoundCloud account.
Listening to a reference mix in an environment other than your studio is a time-tested way
to hear how your mix translates to other systems and listening environments.
Learn More
We hope this quick introduction has inspired you to make music with Pro Tools. To learn
more about any of the topics presented, check out Online Help in Pro Tools (
Help
). Search for any terms you’re curious about and read all about it.
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40
Help > Pro Tools
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Pro Tools
MIDI(Musical Instrument Digital Interface