DIGIDESIGN, AVID and PRO TOOLS are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid Technology,
Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.
Product features, specifications, system requirements, and
availability are subject to change without notice.
PN 910613117-00 REV A 04/04
Contents
Part I Introduction
Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools
The Pro Tools Guides
Digidesign Registration
Compatibility Information
About www.digidesign.com
Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System
Configuring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback System Engine)
Configuring Pro Tools Hardware Settings
Creating a New Session
Opening a Session
Saving a Session
Creating Custom Session Templates
Closing a Session
Quitting Pro Tools
Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems
Preferences
Importing Audio
Conversion Quality
Importing Audio Files and Regions
Importing Audio Files with Drag & Drop from a DigiBase Browser
Importing Audio from an Audio CD
Importing Tracks and Track Attributes
Audio File Management
WAV File Compatibility
Creating Macintosh and PC Compatible Sessions
Moving Sessions Between Platforms with MacOpener (Using HFS/HFS+ Drives)
Input Connections and Audio Levels
Record Enabling Tracks
Record Monitoring Modes
TrackInput Monitoring
Monitoring Latency
Low Latency Monitoring During Recording
Default Track Names
Disk Allocation
Allocating Hard Drive Space for Recording
Record Modes
Recording with a Click
Setting the Default Meter and Tempo
Chapter 12. Basic Audio Recording
Recording an Audio Track
Record Shortcuts
Record Pause Mode
Recording Additional Takes
Punch Recording Audio
Loop Recording Audio
Auditioning Record Takes
Setting Punch/Loop Points
Recording from a Digital Source
Half-Speed Recording and Playback
Welcome to Pro Tools®. Pro Tools integrates
powerful multitrack digital audio and MIDI sequencing features, giving you everything you
need to record, arrange, edit, mix, and master
quality audio for music, video, film, and multimedia.
The Pro Tools Guides
Pro Tools systems include the following guides:
Getting Started Guide Instructions for installing
your Pro Tools system and connecting your studio.
Basics Guide (Mbox Systems Only) Designed for
new users, this guide provides specific methods
for accomplishing common tasks (such as getting sound in and out of your Mbox, connecting
a mic or instrument, and recording a session).
Pro Tools Reference Guide Full details on all
Pro Tools functionality and operations.
(Pro Tools LE systems only include an electronic
PDF version of the Reference Guide.)
Pro Tools Menus Guide Electronic PDF guide to
the Pro Tools on-screen menus.
DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide Instructions for using
the DigiRack plug-ins (included with Pro Tools)
for both real-time and file-based audio processing in Pro Tools. (Pro Tools LE systems only include an electronic PDF version of this guide.)
Digidesign Plug-Ins Guide Electronic PDF guide
with instructions for using optional Digidesign
plug-ins for both real-time and file-based audio
processing in Pro Tools.
DigiBase Guide Full details on using Pro Tools
DigiBase databasing and browsers for data and
media management. (Pro Tools LE systems only
include an electronic PDF version of this guide.)
Expanded Systems Guide (TDM Systems
Only) Instructions for expanding a Pro Tools
TDM system with optional Digidesign cards, or
an expansion chassis.
MachineControl Guide (TDM Systems Only) Electronic PDF guide for MachineControl option
(available separately). This guide includes installation and operation instructions for using the
MachineControl option for Pro Tools to enable
serial communication with remote audio and
video machines.
Pro Tools Keyboard Shortcuts Separate electronic PDFs for Windows and Macintosh that
list keyboard shortcuts not shown in Pro Tools
menus.
Digidesign also provides guides with audio
interfaces, optional dedicated consoles
(such as D-Control) and controllers (such
as Command|8), and other Digidesign
options (such as MIDI I/O, PRE, and
SYNC I/O). Refer to the separate guide
provided with each Digidesign product.
Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools 3
Conventions Used in These Guides
The Pro Tools guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices and key commands:
:
ConventionAction
File > Save SessionChoose Save Session
from the File menu
Control+NHold down the Control
key and press the N key
Compatibility Information
Digidesign can only assure compatibility and
provide support for hardware and software it
has tested and approved. For a list of Digidesignqualified computers, operating systems, and
third-party devices, refer to the latest compatibility information on the Digidesign Web site
(www.digidesign.com/compato).
Control-clickHold down the Control
key and click the mouse
button
Right-click (Windows)Click with the right
mouse button
The following symbols are used to highlight important information:
User Tips are helpful hints for getting the
most from your Pro Tools system.
Important Notices include information that
could affect your Pro Tools session data or
the performance of your Pro Tools system.
Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or
mouse shortcuts.
Cross References point to related sections in
Digidesign guides.
About www.digidesign.com
The Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com)
is your best source for information to help you
get the most out of your Pro Tools system. The
following are just a few of the services and features available.
Support Contact Digidesign Technical Support
or Customer Service; download software updates and the latest online manuals; browse the
Compatibility documents for system requirements; search the online Answerbase or join the
worldwide Pro Tools community 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 plugins, applications, and hardware.
Digidesign Registration
Be sure to complete and return the registration
card included with your Pro Tools system. Registered users will receive periodic software update and upgrade notices. Refer to the registration card for technical support and warranty
information.
Pro Tools Reference Guide4
News and Events Get the latest news from
Digidesign or sign up for a Pro Tools demo.
To learn more about these and other resources
available from Digidesign, visit our Web site
(www.digidesign.com).
Chapter 2: Pro Tools System
Configurations
There are two types of Pro Tools systems: TDM
and LE. These refer to both the Pro Tools software and its associated hardware, as follows:
• TDM = Pro Tools TDM software for
Pro Tools|HD-series and Pro Tools|24 MIX-series hardware.
• LE = Pro Tools LE software for Digi 002,
Digi 002 Rack, Digi 001, or Mbox hardware.
Pro Tools TDM Systems
Pro Tools TDM systems are available in the configurations shown below. Each system requires
at least one Digidesign audio interface (sold separately). TDM systems can be expanded by adding Digidesign cards to increase track count, add
to the amount of possible plug-in and mixer
processing, and connect additional audio interfaces.
Pro Tools system performance depends on
factors such as computer processor speed,
amount of system memory, and hard drive
performance. Contact your Digidesign
dealer or visit Digidesign’s Web site for the
latest system requirements and compatibility information.
HD-Series Systems
Pro Tools|HD 1
Includes:
• HD Core card
• Pro Tools TDM software
Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel
Includes:
• HD Core card
• HD Accel card
• Pro Tools TDM software
Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel
Includes:
• HD Core card
•Two HD Accel cards
• Pro Tools TDM software
Pro Tools|HD 2
Includes:
• HD Core card
• HD Process card
• Pro Tools TDM software
Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Configurations 5
Pro Tools|HD 3
Supported Audio Interfaces
Includes:
• HD Core card
•Two HD Process cards
• Pro Tools TDM software
MIX-Series Systems
Pro Tools|24 MIX
Includes:
• MIX Core card
• Pro Tools TDM software
Pro Tools|24 MIXplus
Includes:
•MIX Core card
• MIX Farm card
• Pro Tools TDM software
Pro Tools|24 MIX
Includes:
• MIX Core card
•Two MIX Farm cards
• Pro Tools TDM software
3
HD-Series Only
The following audio interfaces are compatible
with Pro Tools|HD-series systems:
• 192 I/O
• 192 Digital I/O
• 96 I/O
• 96i I/O
Pro Tools|HD-series systems require the use
of at least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O,
96 I/O, or 96i I/O.
HD-Series and MIX-Series
The following Digidesign audio interfaces are
supported with Pro Tools|HD-series and
Pro Tools|24 MIX-series systems:
• 888|24 I/O and 882|20 I/O
• 1622 I/O
• 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O or original ADAT
Bridge I/O
Audio interfaces that work with HD-series
systems require the use of at least one 192
I/O, 192 digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O.
The original 888 I/O and 882 I/O audio interfaces work with Pro Tools|24 MIX-series systems.
Pro Tools Reference Guide6
TDM System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits
The following table lists the audio playback, recording, and voiceable track limits of each type of
Pro Tools TDM 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. Stereo and multichannel tracks take up one voice per channel.) Voice limits are dependent on the session sample rate and the number of DSP chips dedicated to the system’s Playback Engine. Pro Tools
HD-series systems can open sessions with up to 256 audio tracks (and Pro Tools|24 MIX-series can
open sessions with up to 128 audio tracks), but any audio tracks beyond that system’s voiceable track
limit will be automatically set to Voice Off.
Pro Tools|HD-series systems provide up to 128 Auxiliary tracks (Auxiliary Inputs); Pro Tools|24 MIXseries systems provide up to 64 Auxiliary Inputs. All TDM-equipped Pro Tools systems also provide a
total of 64 internal mix busses, and up to 5 inserts and 5 sends per track (depending on the DSP capacity of your system). In addition, Pro Tools TDM systems support up to 256 MIDI tracks.
Table 3. Pro Tools TDM system audio playback, recording and voice limits
Sample
Core System Type
Pro Tools|HD 144.1/489696112
Pro Tools|HD Accel 2,
Pro Tools|HD Accel 3
Expanded Pro Tools|HD 1,
Pro Tools|HD 2,
Pro Tools|HD 3
Pro Tools|24 MIX,
Expanded Pro Tools|24 MIX,
Pro Tools|24 MIXplus,
Pro Tools|24 MIX
3
Rate
(kHz)
88.2/96484848
176.4/192121212
44.1/48192192224
88.2/96969680
176.4/192363624
44.1/48128128224
88.2/96646480
176.4/192242424
44.1/48646486
Voices (Mono Tracks of
Simultaneous
Playback)
Mono Tracks of
Simultaneous
Recording
Total
Voiceable
Tracks
Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Configurations 7
Audio Interfaces for TDM Systems
Table 4 lists the input and output capabilities of the various audio interfaces for Pro Tools TDM systems. In expanded Pro Tools|HD systems, audio interfaces can be combined for up to 96 audio inputs
and outputs (for example, with one HD Core card, two HD Accel or HD Process cards, and six I/Os).
In expanded Pro Tools|24 MIX systems, audio interfaces can be combined for up to 72 audio inputs
and outputs (for example, with one MIX Core card, five MIX Farm cards, and six ADAT Bridge I/Os).
Table 4. Pro Tools TDM system audio interface channel capabilities
Pro Tools LE-based systems are available in the
following configurations:
Digi 002
A Digi 002 system includes:
• Digi 002 combined audio interface and controller
• Pro Tools LE software
Digi 002 Rack
A Digi 002 Rack system includes:
• Digi 002 audio interface
• Pro Tools LE software
Digi 001
A Digi 001 system includes:
• Digi 001 PCI card
• Digi 001 I/O interface
• Pro Tools LE software
Mbox
An Mbox system includes:
• Mbox audio interface
• Pro Tools LE software
The total processing capacity of a
Pro Tools LE-based system depends on the
processing power of your computer. Contact
your Digidesign dealer or visit Digidesign’s
Web site for the latest system requirements
and compatibility information.
Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Configurations 9
Pro Tools LE System Capabilities
Table 5 lists the playback, recording, and input and output capabilities of each Pro Tools LE system.
All Pro Tools LE systems support up to 32 or 24 audio tracks, as noted in Table 5. (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 TDM 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 (Pro Tools
6.x), or will not open (Pro Tools 5.3.3 or lower). Additionally, with 5.3.3 or lower, if you save the session, the tracks beyond the voiceable track limit will be deleted from the session data.
All Pro Tools LE series systems provide up to 128 Auxiliary tracks (Auxiliary Inputs), a total of 16 internal mix busses, and up to 5 inserts and 5 sends per track (depending on your computer’s processing
capacity). In addition, Pro Tools LE systems support up to 256 MIDI tracks (Pro Tools 6.x).
Table 5. Pro Tools LE system audio playback, recording, and channel capabilities
System Type
Digi 002
Digi 002 Rack
Digi 00132 (Pro Tools 6.x cross-
Mbox32 (Pro Tools 6.x cross-
Mono Tracks of
Simultaneous Playback
32up to 18 in/18 out
platform, and Pro Tools
5.3.1 to 6.x on Windows)
24 (Pro Tools 5.2 or lower)
platform, and Pro Tools
5.3.3 to 6.x on Windows)
24 (Pro Tools 5.2)
Number of I/O
Channels
(48 kHz or lower)
up to 10 in/10 out
(88.2 or 96 kHz)
up to 18 in/18 out24-bit24-bit24-bit
up to 2 in/2 out24-bit24-bit24-bit
A/D
Conversion
24-bit24-bit24-bit
D/A
Conversion
Digital
I/O
For details on transferring session material between Pro Tools TDM and Pro Tools LE systems, see
“Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems” on page 53.
Pro Tools Reference Guide10
Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts
This chapter explains the principles and concepts that form the foundation of Pro Tools operation and functionality.
Hard Disk Audio Recording
The Digidesign Audio Engine
DAE (or Digidesign Audio Engine) is Digidesign’s real-time operating system for digital recording systems. When you install Pro Tools,
DAE is automatically installed on your system.
Tape-based recording is a linear medium—you
need to rewind or fast forward a tape to hear a
particular spot in a recording. To rearrange or repeat material in a linear system, you need to rerecord it.
Hard disk recording is a nonlinear (or random access) medium—you can go immediately to any
spot in a recording without having to rewind or
fast forward.
Nonlinear systems have several advantages. You
can easily rearrange or repeat parts of a recording by making the hard disk read parts of the recording in a different order and/or multiple
times. In addition, this re-arrangement is non-destructive, meaning that the original recorded
material is not altered.
Pro Tools is a nonlinear recording system that
lets you rearrange and mix recorded material
nondestructively.
In the same way that a computer’s operating
system provides the foundation for programs
that run on the computer, DAE provides the
foundation for much of the hard disk recording,
digital signal processing, mix automation, and
MIDI functionality required by Pro Tools and
other products from Digidesign and its Development Partners.
The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the
amount of memory allocated within DAE to
manage disk buffers, which affects system performance. For more information, see “DAE Playback Buffer Size” on page 40. The DAE Playback
Buffer Size can be changed in the Playback Engine dialog, discussed below.
Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 11
Playback Engine Dialog
Pro Tools takes advantage of your computer’s
host processor for certain tasks and optional
host-based DSP processing.
Pro Tools LE uses host (CPU) processing to provide audio track recording, playback, mixing,
and effects processing. Pro Tools TDM can also
use host processing to run RTAS plug-ins for effects processing. Performance is determined by
your system and its Playback Engine settings.
Pro Tools Sessions
When you start a project in Pro Tools, you create
a session. Some basic elements of sessions are explained in this section.
Session File
The Playback Engine dialog lets you set a hardware buffer size and allocate a percentage of
CPU resources for these tasks. For more information, see “Configuring Pro Tools System Settings
(in the Playback System Engine)” on page 37.
Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools TDM system
From the Playback Engine dialog, you can also
select the number of voices and voiceable tracks
for your system and its sessions. Voice count
choices in the dialog are based on how much
DSP processing you want to allocate for voicing.
For more information, see “Configuring
Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback System Engine)” on page 37.
See also “System Resources” on page 16.
Pro Tools session file icon, Pro Tools 6.x
A session file is the document that Pro Tools cre-
ates when you start a new project. The session
file contains maps of all elements associated
with a project, including audio files, MIDI data,
and all your edit and mix information. You can
make changes to a session and save those
changes in a new session file. This lets you create multiple versions of a project or back up
your editing and mixing work.
Audio File
When you record audio into a Pro Tools session,
audio files are created.
Audio file icon, Pro Tools 6.x
Audio files for each session are stored in a folder
named “Audio Files.” Audio files are listed in
Pro Tools’ Audio Regions List and can appear in
a track. A section of an audio file can be defined
as a region. See “Regions (or Loops)” on page 13.
The Playback Engine dialog is also where you
dedicate DSP resources for Delay Compensation.
Pro Tools Reference Guide12
Tracks
Pro Tools tracks are where audio, MIDI, and automation data are recorded and edited.
Audio tracks in the Edit window
MIDI track in the Edit window
Audio and MIDI tracks can be edited into regions or repeated in different locations, to create
loops, re-arrange sections or entire songs, or to
assemble tracks using material from multiple
takes.
Audio tracks can be mono, stereo, or any supported multichannel format (depending on
your type of Pro Tools system). When creating a
new audio track, you can choose from a list of
formats supported by your system.
Regions (or Loops)
A region (or loop) is a piece of audio or MIDI data
that may have associated automation data. A region could be a loop, a guitar riff, a verse of a
song, a sound effect, a piece of dialog, or an entire sound file. In Pro Tools, regions are created
from audio or MIDI files, and can be arranged in
audio and MIDI track playlists.
Playlist
Playlist Selector pop-up menu
A playlist is a group of regions arranged on an
audio or MIDI track. Tracks have edit playlists
and automation playlists.
On audio tracks, an edit playlist tells the hard
disk which audio files to read in what order. For
example, you can use the same audio region to
access the same piece of audio multiple times at
different locations and not use additional disk
space. Different versions of the same original audio can be used in different places and have different effects applied.
A playlist can be made up of a single region or
many separate regions. It can be made up of
similar elements, such as regions from several
different takes of a solo, or dissimilar elements,
such as several sound effects. You can create any
number of edit playlists for a track. This lets you
assemble different versions of performances or
edits on a single audio or MIDI track and choose
between them with a pop-up menu on the track.
Audio region
Each track has a single set of automation playlists, for volume, pan, mute and each automation-enabled control for the insert and send assignments on that track.
Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 13
INPUTS 1-4
SW CTRL GAIN
3
17
INPUTS 5-16
+4dBu/–12dBV
OUTPUT
+4dBu/–10dBV
1
2456
8910111213141516
2
Figure 1. Back view of 96 I/O, with eight analog inputs, eight analog outputs, and eight digital input/output channels
(using a lightpipe)
Channel
The term channel is used to describe several related components of a Pro Tools system. The
first example of channel refers to a physical input or output of your Pro Tools system.
For example, a 96 I/O audio interface (Figure 1)
provides up to 16 channels of input and output
to a Pro Tools|HD system. An 888|24 I/O audio
interface provides eight channels of analog input and output to a Pro Tools TDM system.
The second use of the term channel refers to a
mixer strip in the Pro Tools Mix window. The
term channel strip refers to the mixer strip of any
track (audio or MIDI track, Auxiliary Input, or
Master Fader) in a session.
Audio and MIDI channel strips have similar
controls, but those controls have slightly different effects. For example, audio and Auxiliary Input channel strip faders control the output gain
to the mix bus for that channel, while MIDI
channel strip faders send MIDI volume data
(MIDI controller 7) to the MIDI instrument.
Figure 2. Channel strip in the Mix window
The term channelalso describes a separate
aspect of MIDI operation. See “MIDI Concepts” on page 19.
Pro Tools Reference Guide14
Signal Routing
Pro Tools provides software-based mixing and
signal routing controls. The Mix window is
where these controls are located. (Some of these
controls can also be accessed from the Edit window.)
Inserts
Sends
Stereo
plug-in
Signal Routing Example
A common signal routing task is to submix multiple tracks to a single channel strip (such as an
Auxiliary Input or a Master Fader) for shared
processing and level control. The following example shows three audio tracks submixed to a
stereo Auxiliary Input.
Input from
Stereo
Outputs to
Stereo Bus
path
Audio Tracks
Bus path
Output to
Stereo Output
path
Auxiliary Input
Submixing to an Auxiliary Input
Signal routing options include the following:
Track Input and Output (I/O) Controls The most
basic type of signal routing is track input and
output. A track needs to have an assigned input
path to record audio, and an assigned output
path in order to be audible through a hardware
output. Signals can also be routed to or from
other tracks in Pro Tools (or hardware inputs
and outputs) using internal busses.
Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 15
Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders Auxiliary Inputs are tracks that can be used as returns, submixers and bus masters. Master Faders are used
as bus and output master level controls. Both
Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders can have
plug-in and/or hardware inserts.
Sends Sends route audio to internal busses to
send to other tracks in Pro Tools, or to hardware
outputs. Master Faders do not have sends.
Plug-In and Hardware Inserts Software plug-ins
and hardware inserts process the audio on their
associated track. Plug-in processing occurs completely within the Pro Tools system. Hardware
inserts utilize audio interface inputs and outputs, for traditional insert routing to (and from)
external effects and other devices.
Paths Pro Tools lets you define any internal or
external input, output, bus, or insert with a single name and format (mono, stereo, or multichannel). Paths comprise the lists of available
routing choices in track I/O Selectors and other
menus. Paths are auto-named by default, but
can be customized in the I/O Setup window. See
Chapter 7, “I/O Setup” for more information.
Mixing Formats Sessions can include combinations of mono, stereo, and multichannel format
tracks, busses, inputs, outputs, and inserts.
(Multichannel formats are supported on
Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series systems
only.)
System Resources
Track count, plug-in processing, signal path and
routing options, and voice availability are ultimately limited by the combined resources available from the host computer, and from your
Pro Tools hardware.
Pro Tools provides several ways to manage and
conserve resources to maximize the performance of your system. As you begin working
with Pro Tools sessions and tracks, you can take
advantage of the following features to extend
the effectiveness of your available DSP and
other resources:
◆ Pro Tools lets you adjust the performance of
your system by changing system settings (such
as H/W Buffer Size and CPU Usage) that affect its
capacity for processing, playback, and recording. See “Configuring Pro Tools System Settings
(in the Playback System Engine)” on page 37.
◆ Pro Tools allows for session items (such as
tracks and inserts) to be manually made inactive, to free up DSP resources. Inactive elements
are viewable, editable, and retained within the
session. See “Active and Inactive Items” on
page 17.
◆ All Pro Tools TDM systems, as well as LE sys-
tems (Pro Tools 6.x only), provide flexible voice
options for audio tracks, to help maximize use
of available voices in your system. For more information on voice management and options,
see “Voiceable Tracks and Track Priority” on
page 98.
Pro Tools Reference Guide16
Active and Inactive Items
Pro Tools lets you set certain items (such as
tracks and inserts) as inactive, in order to free up
DSP resources and mixer connections.
Items in Pro Tools that can be made inactive (or
active) include the following:
• Audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, and Master
Faders
•Track Inputs and Outputs
• Sends
• Side-chain inputs
• Plug-ins
• Hardware inserts
• Paths (session-wide)
MIDI tracks cannot be made inactive.
In addition to manually setting Active and Inactive modes, Pro Tools will automatically make
items inactive if there are insufficient or unavailable resources.
When active, items are fully engaged and operational.
Paths and Path Assignments When a path or
path assignment is inactive, its mixer resources
are made available for other signal routing purposes in the session. Paths and assignments can
be made inactive manually, or automatically
(see “Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on
page 18).
Tracks For TDM systems (Pro Tools 5.1 and
higher) and LE systems (Pro Tools 6.x), when a
track is made inactive, its voices become available for another track. Mono inactive tracks free
up one voice, and stereo and multichannel
tracks free up one voice per channel. Additionally, when an audio track, Auxiliary Input, or
Master Fader is made inactive, its plug-ins, inserts, sends, and I/O assignments become inactive, and the associated DSP used is freed up for
use elsewhere in the session.
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
processing. Plug-in assignments can be made inactive manually, or automatically (see “Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on page 18).
Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 17
Display of Inactive Items
Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode
When items are inactive, their names appear in
italics, and their background becomes dark grey.
When a track is inactive, the entire channel strip
is grayed out.
Active Inactive plug-in
Inactive track
Active and Inactive modes are powerful options
for session transfer, and system resource management. Pro Tools provides automatic and
manual Inactive mode switching. You can manually make items inactive (or active) to selectively manage system resources while editing
and mixing.
Automatically Inactive Items
When opening a session, it is possible that not
all signal paths, plug-ins, or audio interfaces
used in the session will be available as defined
on the current system. When opening a session,
sufficient voices may also be unavailable if the
session was created on a different Pro Tools system type (for example, creating a session on a
Pro Tools|24 MIX-series system, then opening it
in on a Pro Tools|HD-series system).
Whenever this occurs, the session will open as it
was last saved. All items that are unavailable, or
cannot be loaded due to insufficient resources,
are made inactive.
Manual Inactive Switching
Active and inactive items and tracks
Pro Tools Reference Guide18
You can manually apply Active or Inactive
modes to manage system resources. By making
an item inactive, its associated resources are
made available elsewhere in the session.
The following are basic instructions for manually making items inactive. Throughout the
Pro Tools Reference Guide, instructions are provided whenever an item can be made inactive.
To toggle an item active or inactive:
■ Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-
Control-click (Macintosh) the item.
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