Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools - 12.0 User's Guide
Introduction to Pro Tools
®
Legal Notices
© 2015 Avid Technology, Inc., (“Avid”), all rights reserved.
This guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without
the written consent of Avid.
003, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, Adrenaline,
AirSpeed, ALEX, Alienbrain, AME, AniMatte, Archive,
Archive II, Assistant Station, AudioPages, AudioStation,
AutoLoop, AutoSync, Avid, Avid Active, Avid Advanced
Response, Avid DNA, Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, Avid DS
Assist Station, Avid Ignite, Avid Liquid, Avid Media Engine,
Avid Media Processor, Avid MEDIArray, Avid Mojo,
Avid Remote Response, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS,
Avid VideoRAID, AvidRAID, AvidShare, AVIDstripe, AVX,
Beat Detective, Beauty Without The Bandwidth,
Beyond Reality, BF Essentials, Bomb Factory, Bruno, C|24,
CaptureManager, ChromaCurve, ChromaWheel,
Cineractive Engine, Cineractive Player, Cineractive Viewer,
Color Conductor, Command|8, Control|24, Cosmonaut Voice,
CountDown, d2, d3, DAE, D-Command, D-Control, Deko,
DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, Digi 002, Digi 003, DigiBase,
Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign
Development Partners, Digidesign Intelligent Noise
Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiLink, DigiMeter,
DigiPanner, DigiProNet, DigiRack, DigiSerial, DigiSnake,
DigiSystem, Digital Choreography, Digital Nonlinear
Accelerator, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DigiWear, DINR,
DNxchange, Do More, DPP-1, D-Show, DSP Manager,
DS-StorageCalc, DV Toolkit, DVD Complete, D-Verb, Eleven,
EM, Euphonix, EUCON, EveryPhase, Expander,
ExpertRender, Fairchild, FastBreak, Fast Track, Film Cutter,
FilmScribe, Flexevent, FluidMotion, Frame Chase, FXDeko,
HD Core, HD Process, HDpack, Home-to-Hollywood,
HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, iKnowledge, Impact,
Improv, iNEWS, iNEWS Assign, iNEWS ControlAir, InGame,
Instantwrite, Instinct, Intelligent Content Management,
Intelligent Digital Actor Technology, IntelliRender, Intelli-Sat,
Intelli-Sat Broadcasting Recording Manager, InterFX,
Interplay, inTONE, Intraframe, iS Expander, iS9, iS18, iS23,
iS36, ISIS, IsoSync, LaunchPad, LeaderPlus, LFX, Lightning,
Link & Sync, ListSync, LKT-200, Lo-Fi, MachineControl,
Magic Mask, Make Anything Hollywood,
make manage move|media, Marquee, MassivePack,
MassivePack Pro, Maxim, Mbox, Media Composer,
MediaFlow, MediaLog, MediaMix, Media Reader,
Media Recorder, MEDIArray, MediaServer, MediaShare,
MetaFuze, MetaSync, MIDI I/O, Mix Rack, Moviestar,
MultiShell, NaturalMatch, NewsCutter, NewsView,
NewsVision, Nitris, NL3D, NLP, NSDOS, NSWIN, OMF,
OMF Interchange, OMM, OnDVD, Open Media Framework,
Open Media Management, Painterly Effects, Palladiium,
Personal Q, PET, Podcast Factory, PowerSwap, PRE,
ProControl, ProEncode, Profiler, Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD,
Pro Tools LE, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Transfer,
QuickPunch, QuietDrive, Realtime Motion Synthesis,
Recti-Fi, Reel Tape Delay, Reel Tape Flanger,
Reel Tape Saturation, Reprise, Res Rocket Surfer, Reso,
RetroLoop, Reverb One, ReVibe, Revolution, rS9, rS18,
RTAS, Salesview, Sci-Fi, Scorch, ScriptSync,
SecureProductionEnvironment, Shape-to-Shape,
ShuttleCase, Sibelius, SimulPlay, SimulRecord,
Slightly Rude Compressor, Smack!, Soft SampleCell,
Soft-Clip Limiter, SoundReplacer, SPACE, SPACEShift,
SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, SteadyGlide, Streamfactory,
Streamgenie, StreamRAID, SubCap, Sundance,
Sundance Digital, SurroundScope, Symphony, SYNC HD,
SYNC I/O, Synchronic, SynchroScope, Syntax,
TDM FlexCable, TechFlix, Tel-Ray, Thunder, TimeLiner,
Titansync, Titan, TL Aggro, TL AutoPan, TL Drum Rehab,
TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL MasterMeter,
TL Metro, TL Space, TL Utilities, tools for storytellers, Transit,
TransJammer, Trillium Lane Labs, TruTouch, UnityRAID,
Vari-Fi, Video the Web Way, VideoRAID, VideoSPACE,
VTEM, Work-N-Play, Xdeck, X-Form, and XMON are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc.
in the United States and/or other countries.
Bonjour, the Bonjour logo, and the Bonjour symbol are
trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel
Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
This product may be protected by one or more U.S. and nonU.S. patents. Details are available at www.avid.com/patents.
Product features, specifications, system requirements, and
availability are subject to change without notice.
Guide Part Number 9329-65516-00 REV A 3/15
Contents
Introduction to Pro Tools....................................................... 1
Connecting Headphones or Speakers ......................................... 1
Playing Back the Demo Session ............................................. 2
Creating a New Session ................................................... 6
Recording Audio ........................................................ 6
Measuring Time in Minutes and Seconds or Bars and Beats......................... 9
Importing Audio ........................................................ 13
Editing Audio .......................................................... 16
Sequencing MIDI with a Virtual Instrument Plug-In............................... 20
Mixing and Plug-In Processing ............................................. 28
Exporting Your Mix ...................................................... 36
Learn More ........................................................... 37
Contents iii
Introduction to Pro Tools
Read this guide if you are new to
®
Pro Tools
| Software. This guide provides examples of how to record, edit, and mix audio, as well
as how to use MIDI in Pro Tools.
If you have not yet installed Pro Tools, install it
now according to the instructions in the Pro Tools
Installation Guide. For information on connecting
and installing drivers for your audio hardware,
refer to its documentation.
Headphone level
Connecting Headphones or Speakers
To hear the audio from Pro Tools, connect headphones or speakers to your audio hardware (this
guide uses a Pro Tools | Mbox
an example). If you are using headphones, lower
the Headphone level control (by turning it counterclockwise). If you are using speakers, lower the
Master volume control (by turning it counterclockwise). It is important to start with the volume sufficiently low to avoid damaging your ears or your
equipment. Once you have started Pro Tools and
opened a session (or created a new one) you can adjust the volume controls to a comfortable listening
level.
Master volume
level
®
audio interface as
1/4-inch headphone jack
Mbox front panel connectors and controls
Mbox back panel speaker connections
Introduction to Pro Tools 1
Playing Back the Demo
T
Session
Use the demo session to test your headphones and
speakers, and start exploring what you can do with
Pro Tools.
To install and open the demo session:
• Download the Pro Tools demo session from your
online Avid account to your hard drive (for best
performance, use an Avid-qualified external hard
drive rather than the system drive).
1 Launch Pro Tools.
2 Do one of the following, depending on what you
see on-screen:
• If the Dashboard window appears, click
from Disk.
select it, and click
oolbar
Locate the Demo Session file (.ptx),
Open.
Open
• If the Dashboard window does not appear,
File > Open Session, then locate the
choose
Demo Session file (.ptx), select it, and click
Open.
Alternately, you can double click the demo
session file in the Mac Finder or in Windows
Explorer and it will launch in Pro Tools.
For more information about the demo session,
see the Demo Session Read Me.
Tracks
Introduction to Pro Tools 2
To play the Demo Session:
1 Turn the volume down on your audio interface
so that you don’t play back audio at an
uncomfortably high level.
2 Start playback of the demo session in Pro Tools.
To start or stop Pro Tools, do one of the following:
• Press the Spacebar on your computer keyboard.
• Click the Play or Stop button in the Transport
window (
Window > Transport) or in the Edit win-
dow toolbar.
Play
Stop
Stop and Play controls in the Transport window
3 While the session plays, raise the volume on
your audio interface to a comfortable listening
level.
4 Explore Pro Tools while the demo session plays
back (see the different options available in the
Window menu):
• The Edit window provides a Timeline display of
audio, video, MIDI data, and mixer automation
for recording, editing, and arranging on tracks.
Use the Edit window for editing and arranging
audio, MIDI, and automation data in your session.
• The Mix window shows tracks as channel
strips—much like a mixing board—with level
meters and controls for plug-in and hardware inserts, sends, input and output assignments, panning, volume, solo, mute, and record enable. Use
the Mix window for routing and mixing audio
and MIDI in your session.
• The Transport window provides controls for
transport related functions such as Play, Stop,
Record, Fast Forward, and Rewind.
• Plug-In windows provide controls for audio processing and virtual instrument plug-ins.
• MIDI Editor windows let you edit MIDI data
using a “piano-roll” style interface, breakpoint
editing, and traditional music notation.
• The Score Editor window lets you edit the session’s MIDI data using traditional music notation. You can even print the score directly from
Pro Tools.
• The Workspace provides an interactive database
for all of the media in your session as well as for
your system.
5 Press the Spacebar or click the Stop button to
stop playback.
6 When you’re finished checking out the Demo
Session, choose
The Demo Session is an example of a finished
project that has been arranged, edited, and
mixed. You don’t need to return to the Demo
Session for anything else in this guide, but you
might want to check it out again later, after
you’ve been introduced to a few more
Pro Tools features.
File > Close Session.
Introduction to Pro Tools 3
Viewing the Edit and Mix Windows
The Edit window and the Mix window are the two main work areas in Pro Tools. Throughout the rest of this
guide, you will see examples of both windows being used for different types of production work.
Viewing the Edit Window
To display the Edit window:
Choose Window > Edit.
To display all Edit window view options:
Select View > Edit Window > All.
Edit window
Introduction to Pro Tools 4
Viewing the Mix Window
To display the Mix window:
Choose Window > Mix.
To display all Mix window view options:
Select View > Mix Window > All.
Mix window (with Transport and Plug-In windows shown)
Introduction to Pro Tools 5
Creating a New Session
Recording Audio
This section shows you how to create a new
session. You can create a new session when you
first launch Pro Tools or while it is already running.
To create a new session:
1 If Pro Tools is not already running, launch
Pro Tools.
2 Do one of the following:
• When launching Pro Tools, if the Dashboard
window opens, click the
Create tab, name and
then configure the settings for the new session,
Create.
click
• Choose
File > New Session. If you currently
have a session open, you will be prompted to
save any changes. In the Dashboard window,
click the
settings for the new session, click
3 In the Save dialog, navigate to where you want
to save the session, name it, and then click
Create tab, name and then configure the
Create.
Save.
You have just created a new session with no tracks.
Next, you will connect a microphone or instrument
cable and create new tracks for audio recording.
This section shows how to connect a microphone or
instrument (such as a guitar or keyboard) to an
Mbox and record audio.
Connecting a Microphone or Instrument
to an Mbox
To connect a microphone or an instrument:
1 Do one of the following:
• If you are using a microphone, connect it to a
Mic/Line input on the Mbox using an XLR
cable.
• If you are using an instrument, connect it to a DI
input on the Mbox using a 1/4-inch cable.
2 Do one of the following:
• With an Mbox, ensure that the Front/Rear switch
is set correctly for either a front panel or rear
panel connection.
• With an Mbox Mini, depending on which input
you are using, ensure that the Line/DI switch or
the Mic/Line switch is set correctly for the type
of connection.
Input 1 source selector
(Front/Rear switch)
Connecting a mic to Mic/Line Input 1 on the rear panel of an Mbox with an XLR cable
Introduction to Pro Tools 6
Input 1
Mic/Line input
Creating a Track
Pro Tools uses tracksfor recording audio and MIDI
in a session. Before you can record audio, you need
to create an Audio track.
To create and prepare an audio track for recording:
1 Create a new session, or open an existing
session.
2 Choose Track > New.
3 To record a single microphone or instrument
connected to your audio interface, set the New
Tracks dialog for
Samples, and click Create.
1 Mono Audio Track,in
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.)
Audio Input
Path selector
Recording Your Performance to a Track
Creating a new mono audio track
If you want to record both inputs at once, create one
stereo track or two mono tracks depending on what
you have 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 you record two input signals simultaneously. After recording, these can
be edited, processed, and balanced independently.
• To record a two-channel stereo source (such as a
stereo keyboard), create 1 Stereo audio track.
4 Make sure the Mix window is open by choosing
Window > Mix.
To record an audio track:
1 Click the track’s Record Enable button to arm
the track for recording. The button flashes red.
Record Enable button
Record enabling a track in the Mix window
2 Sing or play into the mic, or play your
instrument.
Watch the meter level in the Pro Tools track while
you raise the input gain on your audio interface.
(Note that moving the on-screen fader has no effect
on input levels; it’s only for adjusting monitoring
levels.)
Introduction to Pro Tools 7
3 Turn up the input gain on your audio interface
until you see the on-screen track meter show
green most of the time, or yellow for louder
passages.
Input 1 Gain (Mbox)
• If the track meter shows red, gain is too high;
lower the input gain.
• If you barely see green in the track meter, gain is
too low; raise the input gain.
4 In the Transport window, click the Return to
Zero button if you want to start recording from
the beginning of the session.
5 Click the Record button in the Transport to
record arm the session. The button flashes red.
(This tells Pro Tools that you are ready to
record—think of this as a “master” record
enable button for the session.)
Return to Zero Play Record
6 Choose Window > Edit so you can watch what
happens when you record.
7 When you are ready to start recording, press the
Spacebar or click the Play button in the
Transport. The Transport Record button and the
track’s Record Enable button turn solid red
while recording.
8 To stop recording, press the Spacebar again or
click the Stop button in the Transport. (The
Transport Record button disengages, but the
track’s Record Enable button remains enabled
Track meter
and flashes red until you click it).
You have just recorded your first audio track.
A mono audio track after recording
Introduction to Pro Tools 8
Listening to Your Recording
After you have recorded some audio, you can play
it back for review, editing, and mixing.
Measuring Time in Minutes and Seconds or Bars and Beats
To play back a recorded track:
1 Click the track’s Record Enable button again to
take it out of Record mode. The Record Enable
button stops flashing red.
2 To start playback, press the Spacebar or click
Play in the Transport.
3 To stop playback, press the Spacebar or click
Stop in the Transport.
Recording More Tracks
Simply repeat the same steps to create another
audio track (mono or stereo) and continue
recording more tracks. In this way, you can record
additional parts against the tracks you have
recorded previously. This is a common production
technique for layering different parts to create an
arrangement of a song.
Pro Tools lets you measure time in minutes and
seconds (absolute time), or bars and beats (relative
time). For music production, it is often desirable to
measure time in bars and beats. The timing of beats
is relative in that it depends on the tempo. The
timing of bars is relative in that it depends on the
meter.
Pro Tools lets you set tempo and meter changes
using markers in the session Timeline at the top of
the Edit window. These settings scale the relative
time of bars and beats against the absolute time of
minutes and seconds (or samples). This distinction
is referred to in Pro Tools as tick-based (relative)
time versus sample-based (absolute) time, and both
audio and MIDI data can be set to follow either on
a track-by-track basis (for more information, see
the Pro Tools Reference Guide).
Main Counter
Grid mode
Timebase
Rulers
Timeline
Pro Tools Timeline and Main Counter (with the Main Time Scale set to Minutes and Seconds)
Introduction to Pro Tools 9
The Pro Tools Main Time Scale for the session’s
Timeline is set to
Min:Secs (minutes and seconds)
by default, but you can change the Main Time
Scale to
Bar|Beats (bars and beats) if you want to
record with a click track in a specified meter at a
specified tempo. Setting the Main Time Scale to
bars and beats is also useful if you want to create,
edit, and arrange audio and MIDI on a bar/beat
grid.
Recording with a Click Track
A click track provides a metronomic click for
tempo reference while recording. Set the Main
Scale to
material according to the specified meter and
tempo instead of
To create a click track:
1 Choose Track > Create Click Track.
Bar|Beats to record and edit your track
Min:Secs.
Changing the Main Time Scale
To set the Main Time Scale, do one of the following:
Click a Main Counter selector (located at the top
of the Edit or Transport window (when it is set to
display Counters) and select a Time Scale.
Main Counter selector (in the Edit window)
If a Timebase ruler is displayed, click its name
so it becomes highlighted.
Setting the Main Time Scale to the timebase
currently displayed in the Sub Counter
switches the two Time Scales, setting the Sub
Time Scale to the previous timebase of the
Main Time Scale.
Pro Tools creates a new Auxiliary Input track with
the Click II plug-in on the first track insert. When
you start playback or recording, the click provides
a countoff and continues according to the meter and
tempo map in the Pro Tools Timeline.
2 Select View > Transport > MIDI Controls to view
the MIDI controls in the Transport Window.
3 In the Transport, ensure that the Metronome and
Count Off buttons are selected.
4 Ensure that the Conductor button is enabled if
you want the click to follow the session tempo
(on the Timeline). Disable the Conductor button
if you want to adjust the tempo manually.
5 Press the Spacebar or click the Play button in the
Transport to start playback and hear the click.
Tempo
Count Off button
Metronome button
Setting the Main Time Scale to Bars|Beats
Introduction to Pro Tools 10
Conductor button
Loading...