Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools HD - 7.2 Getting Started

Getting Started

Pro Tools|HD

Version 7.2

96 I/O, 96i I/O, 192 I/O, 888|24 I/O, 882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O, Avid, Digidesign, MultiShell, Pro Tools|HD, and Pro Tools are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the US and other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Product features, specifications, system requirements, and availability are subject to change without notice.

PN 9106-55473-00 REV A 08/06

Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools|HD

Pro Tools|HD Systems

Included with Pro Tools|HD Systems

Pro Tools HD Capabilities

Pro Tools Hardware Overview

System Requirements

Digidesign Registration

About the Pro Tools Guides

About www.digidesign.com

Chapter 2. Windows Installation

Installation Overview

Configuring Your Computer

Windows System Optimization

Installing Pro Tools Hardware

Installing Pro Tools HD Software

Optional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Removing Pro Tools

Chapter 3. Mac Installation

Installation Overview

Mac System Optimization

Installing Pro Tools Hardware

Installing Pro Tools HD Software

Optional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Removing Pro Tools

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Contents

iii

Chapter 4. Launching and Configuring Pro Tools

Checking the System

Launching Pro Tools

Configuring Pro Tools

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Chapter 5. Connecting Your Studio

Setting Up Your Studio

Example Studio Setup with a Mixing Console

Example Studio Setup without a Mixing Console

Connecting Equipment with Digital Audio Ins and Outs

Connecting Effects Units

Connecting MIDI Devices

Connecting SMPTE Synchronization Devices

Connecting Ethernet Control Surfaces

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Appendix A. Connecting SCSI Drives

SCSI Requirements

Connecting SCSI Drives

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Appendix B. Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

Formatting an Audio Drive

Partitioning Drives

Defragmenting an Audio Drive

Using Mac Drives on Windows Systems

Hard Disk Storage Space

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Appendix C. Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)

MIDI Studio Setup

MIDI Patch Name Support

Appendix D. Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)

Audio MIDI Setup

MIDI Patch Name Support

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide

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Appendix E. DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing

Introduction to DSP-Induced Delay

Automatically Compensating for Delays

Manually Compensating for Delays

Delay Factors

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Appendix F. TDM Mixing and DSP Usage

Benefits of TDM II

DSP Allocation

DSP Usage and Mixer Plug-Ins

DSP Usage with TDM Plug-Ins

Appendix G. Troubleshooting

Backing Up Your Work

Common Issues

Using DigiTest as a Diagnostic Tool

Performance Factors

Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support

Index

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Contents

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide

chapter 1

Welcome to Pro Tools|HD

Welcome to Pro Tools|HD®. Pro Tools|HD audio cards and interfaces bring high-definition digital audio recording, editing, signal processing, mixing, and I/O capabilities to Pro Tools.

This guide covers installation and configuration of Pro Tools|HD hardware and Pro Tools® software on Windows and Mac platforms.

Pro Tools|HD Systems

Pro Tools 7.2 software supports the following systems:

Pro Tools|HD (for PCIe) Systems

(Mac Only)

Pro Tools|HD (for PCIe) systems are available in the following configurations:

Pro Tools|HD 1 (for PCIe)

• Accel Core (for PCIe) card

Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel (for PCIe)

• Accel Core (for PCIe) card

• HD Accel (for PCIe) card

Pro Tools|HD (for PCI) Systems

(Windows and Mac)

Pro Tools|HD (for PCI) systems are available in the following configurations:

Pro Tools|HD 1 (for PCI)

• HD Core (for PCI) card

Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel (for PCI)

• HD Core (for PCI) card

• HD Accel (for PCI) card

Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (for PCI)

• HD Core (for PCI) card

• (2) HD Accel (for PCI) cards

Pro Tools 7.2 also supports earlier Pro Tools|HD 2 (for PCI) and Pro Tools|HD 3 (for PCI) systems. These systems shipped with HD Process cards instead of HD Accel cards

Pro Tools HD supports more than three HD cards in certain system configurations. For more information, see the Expanded Systems Guide.

Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (for PCIe)

• Accel Core (for PCIe) card

• (2) HD Accel (for PCIe) cards

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools|HD

Included with Pro Tools|HD Systems

All Pro Tools|HD systems include the following:

• Pro Tools|HD card(s)

• Pro Tools HD software

• DigiLink cable (to connect the primary card to an audio interface)

• Multi-card systems include TDM FlexCables to connect the cards to each other

Audio Recording and Playback Capabilities

Pro Tools|HD 1 (for PCIe and PCI)

Pro Tools|HD 1 systems provide recording and playback of 24-bit or 16-bit audio ﬁles with the following track counts:

• Up to 96 tracks at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz

• Up to 48 tracks at 88.2 kHz or 96 kHz

• Up to 12 tracks at 176.4 kHz or 192 kHz

All Pro Tools|HD systems also require at least one Digidesign audio interface (sold separately). See “Audio Interfaces” on page 5.

Pro Tools HD Capabilities

Pro Tools HD 7.2 on Windows or Mac provides the following capabilities:

• Up to a total of 256 audio tracks, 160 Auxiliary Input tracks, 64 Master Fader tracks, 128 VCA Master tracks, 256 MIDI tracks, 128 Instrument tracks, and 64 video tracks per session

• 16-bit or 24-bit audio resolution, at sample rates up to 192 kHz

• Non-destructive, random-access editing and mix automation

• Audio processing with up to 5 TDM or RTAS plug-ins per track, depending on your computer’s capabilities

• Up to 5 hardware inserts per track

• Up to 10 sends per track

• Up to 128 internal busses for routing and mixing

Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel and HD 3 Accel (for PCIe and PCI)

Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel and HD 3 Accel systems provide recording and playback of 24-bit or 16-bit audio ﬁles with the following track counts:

• Up to 192 tracks at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz

• Up to 96 tracks at 88.2 kHz or 96 kHz

• Up to 36 tracks at 176.4 kHz or 192 kHz

Non-HD Accel Systems (for PCI)

Pro Tools|HD 2 and HD 3 systems (original Pro Tools|HD systems with no HD Accel cards) provide recording and playback of 24-bit or 16-bit audio ﬁles with the following track counts:

• Up to 128 tracks at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz

• Up to 64 tracks at 88.2 kHz or 96 kHz

• Up to 24 tracks at 176.4 kHz or 192 kHz

The number of simultaneous tracks of audio recording or playback depends on the type of Pro Tools|HD system.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide

Pro Tools Hardware Overview

This section describes each hardware component of a Pro Tools|HD system. The number of Pro Tools|HD cards in your system will differ depending on your system conﬁguration.

Pro Tools|HD (for PCIe) Hardware

Accel Core (for PCIe) Card

All Pro Tools|HD (for PCIe) systems include an

Accel Core (for PCIe)

The Accel Core (for PCIe) card provides up to 96 tracks of direct-to-disk recording and playback, as well as DSP power for mixing and plug-in processing. The Accel Core (for PCIe) card supports up to 24-bit and up to 192 kHz sessions.

DigiLink

DigiSerial

Accel Core (for PCIe) card

DigiLink Port

cludes a single DigiLink port for connecting up to 32 channels of audio input and output to your Pro Tools|HD system.

card.

The Accel Core (for PCIe) card in-

HD Accel (for PCIe) Card

The

HD Accel (for PCIe)

Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel (for PCIe) and Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (for PCIe) systems. The HD Accel (for PCIe) card is an expansion card, and requires the presence of at least one Accel Core (for PCIe) card.

The HD Accel (for PCIe) card provides additional channels of direct-to-disk recording and playback, as well as additional DSP power for mixing and plug-in processing. The HD Accel (for PCIe) card supports sessions up to 24-bit and up to 192 kHz.

DigiLink

HD Accel (for PCIe) card

DigiLink Port

cludes a single DigiLink port for connecting up to 32 channels of audio input and output to your Pro Tools|HD system.

DigiSerial Port

cel (for PCIe) card does not offer any functionality.

The HD Accel (for PCIe) card in-

The DigiSerial port on the HD Ac-

card is included in

DigiSerial Port

Accel Core (for PCIe) card is for connecting a Digidesign SYNC I/O. This connector is an 8-pin mini-DIN.

The DigiSerial port on the

The DigiSerial port on an Accel Core (for PCIe) card does not support MachineControl connections.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools|HD

Pro Tools|HD (for PCI) Hardware

HD Accel (for PCI) Card

HD Core (for PCI) Card

All Pro Tools|HD (for PCI) systems include an HD Core (for PCI) card.

The HD Core (for PCI) card provides up to 96 tracks of direct-to-disk recording and playback, as well as DSP power for mixing and plug-in processing. The HD Core (for PCI) card supports up to 24-bit and up to 192 kHz sessions.

DigiLink

DigiSerial

HD Core (for PCI) card

DigiLink Port The HD Core (for PCI) card includes a single DigiLink port for connecting up to 32 channels of audio input and output to your Pro Tools|HD system.

DigiSerial Port The DigiSerial port on the HD Core (for PCI) card is for connecting a Digidesign SYNC I/O. This connector is an 8-pin miniDIN.

The DigiSerial port on an HD Core (for PCI) card does not support MachineControl connections.

The HD Accel (for PCI) card is included in Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel (for PCI) and Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (for PCI) systems. The HD Accel (for PCI) card is an expansion card, and requires the presence of at least one HD Core (for PCI) card.

The HD Accel (for PCI) card provides additional tracks of direct-to-disk recording and playback, as well as additional DSP power for mixing and plug-in processing. The HD Accel (for PCI) card supports sessions up to 24-bit and up to 192 kHz.

DigiLink

HD Accel (for PCI) card

DigiLink Port The HD Accel (for PCI) card includes a single DigiLink port for connecting up to 32 channels of audio input and output to your Pro Tools|HD system.

DigiSerial Port The DigiSerial port on the HD Accel (for PCI) card does not offer any functionality.

If your HD Core (for PCI) card has two DigiSerial ports, use the DigiSerial port closest to the DigiLink connector.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide4

TDM FlexCable

Audio Interfaces

The TDM FlexCable is used to connect a pair of cards in your Pro Tools system so they can share data along the TDM bus. One FlexCable comes with each expansion card.

The TDM FlexCable is a flexible printed circuit board with delicate traces. Do not overbend, twist, or pinch the cable. Doing so may cause unpredictable behavior in Pro Tools as well as harm to your system.

TDM FlexCable

To record and play audio you must have at least one of the following Digidesign audio interfaces:

192 I/O Audio Interface

• Supports sample rates up to 192 kHz. (At least one 192 I/O™ or 192 Digital I/O must be connected to your Pro Tools|HD system for 192 kHz recording, processing, and playback.)

• Supports both analog and digital connections, including AES/EBU, S/PDIF, TDIF, and ADAT Optical:

• Digital (Digital I/O Card): 8 channels, DB25 (AES/EBU and TDIF), or one pair of Lightpipe (ADAT Optical) connectors. Expandable up to 16 channels digital I/O with the addition of the 192 Digital expansion card.

• Analog: 8 channels, DB-25 (balanced) connectors, inputs selectable between +4 dBu or –10 dBV, outputs +4 dBu only. Expandable up to 16 analog inputs or 16 outputs using an optional 192 AD or 192 DA expansion card, respectively.

• Digital (Enclosure): 2 channels, XLR (AES/EBU) connectors; 2 channels RCA (S/PDIF) connectors.

• Optical (Enclosure): 8 channels, one pair of Lightpipe (ADAT Optical) connectors (switchable to 2 channels, S/PDIF).

• Loop Sync In and Out for connecting Pro Tools|HD interfaces and peripherals

• External Clock In and Out receive or send 1x Word clock (conﬁgurable to 256x for Legacy support, see “Optional Legacy I/O Audio Interfaces” on page 7).

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools|HD 5

192 Digital I/O Audio Interface

• Supports sample rates up to 192 kHz. (At least one 192 I/O or 192 Digital I/O must be connected to your Pro Tools|HD system for 192 kHz recording, processing, and playback.)

• Supports digital connections, including AES/EBU, S/PDIF, TDIF, and ADAT Optical:

• Digital (2 Digital I/O Cards): 16 channels, DB-25 (AES/EBU and TDIF), or two pairs of Lightpipe (ADAT Optical) connectors.

• Digital (Enclosure): 2 channels, XLR (AES/EBU) connectors; 2 channels RCA (S/PDIF) connectors.

• Optical (Enclosure): 8 channels, one pair of Lightpipe (ADAT Optical) connectors (selectable to 2 channels, S/PDIF).

• Loop Sync In and Out for connecting Pro Tools|HD interfaces and peripherals

• External Clock In and Out receive or send 1x Word clock (conﬁgurable to 256x for Legacy support, see “Optional Legacy I/O Audio Interfaces” on page 7).

96 I/O Audio Interface

• Supports sample rates up to 96 kHz.

• Supports analog and digital connections, including AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and ADAT optical:

• Analog: 8 channels, 1/4-inch TRS (balanced or unbalanced) connectors, +4 dBu or –10 dBV

• Digital: 2 channels, XLR (AES/EBU) connectors; 2 channels, RCA (S/PDIF) connectors

• Optical: 8 channels, one pair of Lightpipe (ADAT Optical) connectors (switchable to 2 channels, S/PDIF)

• External Clock In and Out receive or send 1x Word clock (conﬁgurable to 256x for Legacy support, see “Optional Legacy I/O Audio Interfaces” on page 7)

96i I/O Audio Interface

• Supports sample rates up to 96 kHz

• 16 discrete channels of input, and 2 channels of output, with 4-segment LED meters on each channel. Audio inputs and outputs include:

• 16 channels of 24-bit, 96-kHz capable analog input, with adjustable input sensitivity

• 2 channels of 24-bit, 96-kHz capable analog output, with selectable operating level

• 2 channels of 24-bit, 96 kHz-capable digital S/PDIF RCA input and output

• Loop Sync In and Out for connecting Pro Tools|HD interfaces and peripherals

• External Clock In and Out receive or send 1x Word clock

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide6

Optional Legacy I/O Audio Interfaces

For additional input and output channels, older Digidesign audio interfaces (or Legacy I/Os) can be connected to the 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, or 96 I/O™ (the 96i I/O™ does not support Legacy interfaces). The following supported legacy interfaces can only be used with 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sessions:

System Requirements

Pro Tools|HD system hardware and supported audio interfaces can be used with a Digidesignqualified Windows or Mac computer running Pro Tools HD software.

For complete system requirements, visit the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

888|24 I/O Audio Interface

• Analog: 8 channels, XLR (balanced or unbalanced) connectors, selectable between +4 dBu or –10 dBV

• Digital: 8 channels, XLR (AES/EBU) connectors; 2 channels, RCA (S/PDIF) connectors

882|20 I/O Audio Interface

• Analog: 8 channels, 1/4-inch TRS (balanced or unbalanced) connectors, selectable between +4 dBu and –10 dBV

• Digital: 2 channels, RCA (S/PDIF) connectors

1622 I/O Audio Interface

• Analog: 16 input channels and 2 output channels, 1/4-inch TRS (balanced or unbalanced) connectors. Inputs are selectable from +4 dBu to –10 dBV line levels and higher in 2 dB gain steps; outputs are selectable between +4 dBu or –10 dBV.

• Digital: 2 channels, RCA (S/PDIF) connectors.

Digidesign 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O

• Optical: 16 channels, a pair of Lightpipe (ADAT) connectors.

• Analog output: 2 channels, 1/4-inch TRS (balanced) connectors, selectable between +4 dBu and –10 dBV.

• Digital: 2 channels, XLR (AES/EBU); 2 channels RCA (S/PDIF) connectors.

Compatibility Information

Digidesign can only assure compatibility and provide support for hardware and software it has tested and approved.

For a list of Digidesign-qualified computers, operating systems, hard drives, and third-party devices, refer to the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

MIDI Requirements

USB MIDI interfaces work effectively with Pro Tools systems on Windows or Mac. Serial MIDI interfaces are supported on Windows systems only.

Only USB MIDI interfaces are compatible with Pro Tools systems on Mac OS X. Modem-to-serial port adapters and serial MIDI devices are not supported.

For a list of supported adapters, refer to the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools|HD 7

Hard Drive Requirements

SCSI Hard Drives

For optimal audio recording and playback, all Pro Tools|HD systems require one or more Digidesign-qualified drives.

For general hard drive maintenance and configuration information, see Appendix B, “Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance.”

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

Recording to your system drive is not recommended. Recording and playback on a system drive may result in lower track counts and fewer plug-ins.

Digidesign does not recommend recording to a system drive. Record to a system drive only when necessary.

Drive Formats

Windows Windows XP systems should use drives formatted as NTFS or FAT32 (NTFS preferred).

Mac Mac systems should use drives formatted with HFS or HFS+ file system only.

Digidesign recommends qualified SCSI hard drives and a qualified SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) card or (on Windows systems) a qualified built-in SCSI HBA connector on the motherboard.

For more information, see Appendix A, “Connecting SCSI Drives.”

For complete information on track count and the supported number and configuration of SCSI drives, refer to the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

FireWire Hard Drives

Digidesign recommends qualified FireWire drives and (on Windows systems) a qualified FireWire host adapter.

For complete information on track count and the supported number and configuration of FireWire drives, refer to the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

IDE/ATA/SATA Hard Drives

The UNIX File System (UFS) is not supported with Pro Tools on Mac OS X.

Hard drive performance depends on factors including system configuration, number of tracks, session sample rate, density of edits, and the use of crossfades and other processes such as Beat Detective in a session.

For complete hard drive requirements, refer to the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide8

A qualified internal IDE/ATA/SATA drive may be used as a dedicated audio drive.

For complete information on track count with internal drives, refer to the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

IDE/ATA/SATA hard drives provide limited track count performance and are not supported when an Expansion Chassis is used. For more information regarding Expansion Chassis operating procedures, see the Pro Tools Expanded Systems Guide.

Digidesign Registration

Review the enclosed Registration Information Card and follow the instructions on it to quickly register your purchase online. Registering your purchase is the only way you can be eligible to receive complimentary technical support and future upgrade offers. It is one of the most important steps you can take as a new user.

Conventions Used in This Guide

Digidesign guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices and key commands:

Convention Action

File > Save Choose Save from the File

Control+N Hold down the Control key

and press the N key

About the Pro Tools Guides

In addition to the printed guides included with your system, PDF versions of the Pro Tools guides are installed automatically with Pro Tools. The main guides (such as the Reference Guide and the Menus Guide) are accessible from the Pro Tools Help menu. To view or print the PDF guides, you can use Adobe Reader or Apple Preview.

Control-click Hold down the Control key

and click the mouse button

Right-click 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 system.

Important Notices include information that could affect your data or the performance of your system.

Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or mouse shortcuts.

Cross References point to related sections in this guide and other Digidesign guides.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools|HD 9

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.

Registration Register your purchase online. See the enclosed registration form for instructions.

Support Contact Digidesign Technical Support or Customer Service; download software updates and the latest online documentation; find the latest system requirements; search the online Answerbase; join the worldwide Pro Tools community on the Digidesign User Conference.

Training and Education Become a certified Pro Tools Operator or Expert; 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; learn about our Development Partners and their plug-ins, applications, and hardware.

News and Events Get the latest news from Digidesign; sign up for a Pro Tools demo.

To learn more about these and other resources available from Digidesign, visit the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide10

chapter 2

Windows Installation

This chapter contains information for Windows systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools on a Mac computer, see Chapter 3, “Mac Installation.”

Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools Installer disc.

Installation Overview

Installation of a Pro Tools|HD system on a Windows computer includes the following steps:

1 “Conﬁguring Your Computer” on page 11.

2 “Windows System Optimization” on page 13.

3 “Installing Pro Tools Hardware” on page 17.

4 “Installing Pro Tools HD Software” on

page 23.

5 “Connecting Audio Interfaces” on page 19.

Conﬁguring Your Computer

To ensure optimum performance with Pro Tools|HD, configure your computer before installing Pro Tools hardware and software.

Before you make any changes to your computer’s system settings, make a backup copy of your registry (where many of these essential settings are stored). By doing so, you will be able to restore your system’s original settings if problems arise. Consider using a disk recovery utility such as Norton Ghost for additional security. See your Windows XP documentation for details.

Conﬁguring the System BIOS

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) parameters vary depending on the make and model of the computer. Refer to the documentation that came with your computer for details.

6 “Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools” on

page 41.

7 “Connecting Your Studio” on page 57.

The names and options that appear in your computer’s system BIOS may differ slightly from those described in this section.

If your computer does not have the BIOS configuration options included in this section, or if you do not feel comfortable changing system BIOS parameters, consult a Windows system administrator, computer dealer, or manufacturer for assistance.

Chapter 2: Windows Installation 11

To modify your computer’s system BIOS:

1 Start or restart the computer.

2 While the computer is starting up, enter BIOS

Setup by pressing the appropriate key (usually indicated in the startup message) on the computer keyboard. The F1, F2, or the Delete keys are commonly used.

3 In the appropriate page of the BIOS Setup, dis-

able PCI Parity. If the PCI Parity option isn’t available on your computer, skip this step.

4 If you will be using SCSI drives or devices, and

your computer is equipped with built-in SCSI hardware, enable SCSI support. SCSI support parameters are typically found on the Devices & I/O Options page of the BIOS setup utility. If you do not have built-in SCSI hardware and are using a SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) card instead, you do not need to enable SCSI support.

5 Disable Power Management, if present.

6 Enable PCI Dynamic Bursting, if present.

7 Save the new BIOS settings.

Modifying the Computer’s SCSI BIOS

To modify your computer’s SCSI BIOS:

1 Start or restart the computer.

2 While the computer is starting up, when the

text message regarding the SCSI BIOS appears, press the key combination listed on the screen to enter the SCSI BIOS setup utility.

3 Refer to your SCSI host bus adapter card doc-

umentation to set the following parameters:

• For each SCSI ID and SCSI channel connected to your audio drives, set the Maximum Sync Transfer Rate parameter to 20 MB/sec for the ATTO EPCI-DC, or to Ultra 160 for Ultra 160 cards.

• If you are using an ATTO host bus adapter card, change the PCI Burst Size to 128 Bytes and the Burst Length Selection Timeout to 16 ms (UL3D only).

4 Save the new SCSI BIOS settings.

5 Exit SCSI BIOS setup and restart the computer.

8 Exit BIOS setup and restart the computer.

Conﬁguring the SCSI BIOS

If you are using SCSI drives or devices, you must modify the settings of your built-in SCSI hardware or SCSI host bus adapter card. This allows SCSI hard drives and devices to work properly with Pro Tools. This procedure varies on different computers. Refer to the documentation that came with your computer.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide12

Updating the ATTO SCSI BIOS

(ATTO SCSI HBA Cards Only)

If you are using an ATTO SCSI HBA card, you may need to update its SCSI BIOS. When starting your computer, you will see the version number of the currently installed ATTO SCSI BIOS. If it is not version 1.68 or higher, you must update the SCSI BIOS.

The following procedure uses a floppy disk as a DOS boot disk. You can use another type of bootable media if available.

To update the BIOS on the ATTO SCSI card:

1 Insert a PC-formatted ﬂoppy disk in your

ﬂoppy drive (this needs to be a DOS boot disk).

2 Copy the DOS folder from the ATTO folder on

the Pro Tools Installer disc to the ﬂoppy disk.

3 Shut down the computer.

4 Disconnect any hard drives connected to the

SCSI card.

5 Start the computer with the ﬂoppy disk in the

ﬂoppy drive.

6 From within DOS, change directory to the

DOS/UTILITY folder and run ﬂash.bat.

7 When prompted with the Update MAC, PC

Setup Program message, type Y for Yes and press Enter.

Installing the ATTO SCSI Driver

The full name of the ATTO driver is:

■ ATTO ExpressPCI

To install the ATTO SCSI driver:

1 Start or restart the computer.

2 Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc in your

CD/DVD drive.

3 In the Additional Files\ATTO\Driver 1.68

folder, locate and click Setup.exe.

4 Follow the on-screen instructions to update

the driver on your SCSI Host Bus Adapter.

5 When Setup is ﬁnished, restart the computer.

The SCSI BIOS update may take a few minutes.Do not interrupt this process or your system may be damaged.

For more information, see the flash.txt in the DOS/UTILITY folder.

8 When updating is ﬁnished, remove the ﬂoppy

disk and restart the computer.

Installing SCSI Drivers

For Pro Tools to run at maximum efficiency with SCSI Host Bus Adapters and SCSI drives, install a Digidesign approved SCSI driver.

For a list of Digidesign approved computers and supported SCSI driver versions, refer to to the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

Windows System Optimization

Before configuring your computer, make sure you are logged in as an Administrator for the account where you want to install Pro Tools. For details on Administrator privileges, refer to your Windows documentation.

Required Optimizations

To ensure optimum performance with Pro Tools, configure the following settings before you install Pro Tools software.

When you are finished changing Windows system settings, restart your computer.

Chapter 2: Windows Installation 13

Enabling DMA

Enabling your computer's DMA (Direct Memory Access) frees up CPU bandwidth so the computer can do other Pro Tools tasks.

In most cases the DMA option will already be set correctly, as Windows XP detects and activates DMA mode by default.

To enable DMA for any IDE hard drives:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 In Classic View, double-click System.

3 Click the Hardware tab.

4 Under Device Manager, choose Device Man-

ager.

5 In the Device Manager window, double-click

IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, then double-click the Primary IDE Channel for your IDE hard drive.

6 Click the Advanced Settings tab.

To conﬁgure Windows Power Management:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click Power Options.

3 Click the Power Schemes tab.

4 From the Power Schemes pop-up menu, select

Always On.

5 Click OK.

This sets System Standby, System Hibernate, and “Turn off hard disks” to Never.

On AMD processors, be sure to check and disable Cool N’Quiet in the System BIOS (in the Cool & Quiet Configuration section). Refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for instructions on disabling this power option, if necessary.

Disabling ClearType Font Smoothing

When using Pro Tools, the Effects “Clear Type” setting must be disabled.

7 For each device, set the Transfer Mode to

“DMA if available,” and click OK.

8 Repeat steps 5–7 for any additional IDE Chan-

nels.

9 Close the Computer Management window.

Disabling System Standby and Power Management

When using Pro Tools, the Windows System Standby power scheme must be set to Always On. This helps prevent long record or playback passes from stopping due to system resources powering down.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide14

To disable ClearType font smoothing:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click Display.

3 Click the Appearance tab.

4 Click Effects.

5 Deselect “Use the following method to

smooth edges of screen fonts.”

6 Click OK to save your settings and close the

Effects dialog.

7 Click OK.

8 Restart the computer.

Recommended Optimizations

Optional Optimizations

Pro Tools can also be affected by other software and hardware drivers installed on your computer. It is recommended (but not required) that you do the following:

• Avoid running any unneeded programs at the same time as Pro Tools.

• Turn off any software utilities that run in the background, such as Windows Messenger, calendars, and disk maintenance programs.

• Turn off any nonessential USB devices while running Pro Tools.

• If your video display card supports it, enable Bus Mastering in the manufacturer’s Control Panel. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for details.

• If your computer is connected to a network, make sure that all mapped network drives are available. If necessary, unmap any network drives that are not available.

Re-enabling Hyper-Threading

Pro Tools 7 takes advantage of the added processing power of computers that have multiple processors, or that feature multi-core processing or hyper-threading, for RTAS processing.

If you disabled Hyper-Threading to run a previous version of Pro Tools, re-enabling HyperThreading will allow your system to use this feature.

Refer to your computer’s documentation for steps on how to enter the computer’s BIOS and disable Hyper-Threading.

With Hyper-Threading enabled, certain RTAS Processors settings in Pro Tools may cause a decrease in performance. See “Disabling Hyper-Threading” on page 16.

The following system optimizations may help Pro Tools perform better on some systems. It is recommended that you only try these optimizations if necessary, as they may disable or adversely affect the functionality of other programs on your system.

Disabling Network Cards

If applicable, disable any networking cards (other than a FireWire card that you might use to connect an external drive to your system).

To disable a network card:

1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-

age.

2 Under System Tools, select Device Manager.

3 In the Device Manager window, double-click

Network adapters, then double-click the Network Adapter card you want to disable.

4 Under the General tab, choose “Do not use

this device (disable)” from the Device Usage pop-up menu, and click OK.

5 Close the Computer Management window.

Adjusting Processor Scheduling

To Adjust Processor Scheduling Performance:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 In Classic View, double-click System.

3 Click the Advanced tab.

4 Under the Performance section, click the Set-

tings button.

5 In the Performance Options window, click the

Advanced tab.

Chapter 2: Windows Installation 15

6 Under the Processor scheduling section, select

the Background Services option.

7 Under the Memory Usage section, select the

System cache option.

8 Click OK to close the Performance Options

window.

9 Click OK to close the System Properties win-

dow.

10 Restart the computer for the changes to take

effect.

Disabling Hyper-Threading

Pro Tools 7 takes advantage of the added processing power of computers that have multiple processors, or that feature multi-core processing or Hyper-Threading, for RTAS processing.

However, if you set the number of processors available for RTAS processing to 1 (in the Pro Tools Playback Engine dialog), some computers with hyperthreading capability may experience decreased performance.

If this occurs, you can increase the number of RTAS processors in the Playback Engine dialog, or you can disable hyper-threading on the computer.

Refer to your computer’s documentation for steps on how to enter the computer’s BIOS and disable Hyper-Threading.

Disabling System Startup Items

The fewer items in use by your computer, the more resources are available for Pro Tools. Some startup applications may be consuming unnecessary CPU resources, and should be turned off.

If you disable any of the following startup items, do so carefully:

• Portable media serial number (required for applications that utilize a copy protection key)

• Plug and play

• Event log

• Cryptographic services

• DHCP Client, TCP/IP Net BIOS, and other networking-related items (unless the computer has no network or internet connection, in which case these items can be disabled)

To disable System Startup Items:

1 From the Start menu, choose Run.

2 Type “msconﬁg” and click OK. The System

Conﬁguration Utility opens.

3 Under the General tab, choose Selective Star-

tup.

4 Deselect Load Startup Items and click OK.

5 Click Restart to restart the computer.

6 After restarting, the computer displays a Sys-

tem Conﬁguration message. Check to see if Pro Tools performance has increased before you deselect the “Don't show this message again” option. If performance has not changed, run “msconﬁg” and return your computer Selective Startup back to Normal Startup. Alternatively, try disabling Startup items and non-essential processes individually.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide16

Installing Pro Tools Hardware

Disabling Driver Signing Warnings

Before you install Pro Tools|HD cards, temporarily disable the Driver Signing warning option. This expedites and automates much of the installation process. If you do not temporarily disable this option, warning messages (that you are installing an unsigned driver) will appear for each DSP chip detected during software installation.

To disable the warning option:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click System.

3 Click the Hardware tab in the System Control

Panel.

4 Click the Driver Signing button.

5 Select “Ignore—Install the software anyway

and don’t ask for my approval.”

6 Click OK to close the Driver Signing Options

window.

7 Click OK to close the System Properties win-

dow.

8 Turn the computer off.

9 Proceed to “Installing Pro Tools|HD Cards” on

page 17.

Installing Pro Tools|HD Cards

This section shows how to install Pro Tools|HD cards into a Windows computer. To install cards into an expansion chassis, see the Expanded Sys- tems Guide.

To install Pro Tools cards:

1 Turn off your computer and any peripherals.

Leave your computer’s power cable plugged in so the computer is grounded.

2 Disconnect all cables attached to the com-

puter (such as hard drives, displays, USB and FireWire devices) except for the power cable.

3 Open the computer case.

4 Remove the metal access port cover behind

the slot you want to use by removing the screw and sliding the cover out from the access port.

Before handling any card, discharge static electricity from your clothes or body by touching a grounded metal surface, such as the power supply case inside your computer.

5 Install the HD Core card in the ﬁrst PCI slot.

6 If you are installing additional Pro Tools cards

(or other cards), skip to the next step. If you have no additional cards to install, do the following:

• Secure the card in place with the slot access port screw you removed earlier.

• Close the computer case.

• Skip to “Connecting Audio Interfaces” on page 19.

Chapter 2: Windows Installation 17

7 Install the ﬁrst HD Accel card (if any) in the

second PCI slot.

8 Install any remaining HD Accel cards in the

remaining consecutive PCI slots.

9 Install any HD Process cards in the remaining

consecutive PCI slots (64-bit or 32-bit).

10 If you are installing a SCSI host bus adapter

(HBA) card, install it in the highest-numbered remaining slot.

11 Check to be sure that your cards are installed

in the proper order for your system, starting with the lowest numeric slot:

• Display card for your computer monitor

• HD Core card

• HD Accel cards

• HD Process cards

• SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) card

12 Secure each card in place with the slot access

port screws you removed earlier.

Connecting Pro Tools|HD Cards

In systems that include more than one card, you must connect all the Pro Tools|HD cards to each other with TDM FlexCables.

Each Pro Tools|HD card has two ports along the top of the card, labeled Port A and Port B. The FlexCable has two connectors, also labeled Port A and Port B, to ensure proper connection. Data communication across multiple cards is achieved by connecting Port B of the first card to Port A of the next card with a TDM FlexCable.

The first FlexCable always goes from Port B on the core card to Port A on the first expansion card, as described in the following steps.

To connect Pro Tools|HD cards:

1 Shape the FlexCable before installing it on the

card by holding the cable with its printed side facing you, and moving the Port B portion of the cable straight towards you and inwards, as shown below. Do not bend the cable more than you need to, as you may damage the traces in the cable.

Preparing TDM FlexCable for installation

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide18

2 Slide the FlexCable into the notch of the ﬁrst

card, so that the Port B connector of the FlexCable can be aligned with Port B of the ﬁrst card; and the Port A connector of the FlexCable can be aligned with Port A of the second card, as shown below.

Inserting TDM FlexCable

3 Connect the Port A connector of the FlexCa-

ble to Port A on the second card. Push gently but ﬁrmly until the cable is fully connected to the card. Attach the other end of the FlexCable (labeled Port B) to Port B on the ﬁrst card.

Top view of two cards connected with TDM FlexCable

4 Verify the connection. Make sure the FlexCa-

ble ports seat ﬂat against the sockets on the cards, and are ﬁrmly attached.

5 For systems with more than two cards, con-

nect each additional card to its preceding card. Use FlexCables to connect card pairs together, as described above, until all cards are connected. (Each HD Accel or HD Process card is packaged with a FlexCable.)

Connecting Audio Interfaces

Each Pro Tools|HD audio interface supplies up to 16 channels of input and output to your system. Audio interfaces are connected directly to Pro Tools|HD cards, or through the Expansion ports on other Pro Tools|HD interfaces.

Each Pro Tools|HD card supports up to 32 channels. To get a full 32 channels of I/O from one card, you can connect, or daisy-chain, a second 16-channel Pro Tools|HD I/O to the first Pro Tools|HD I/O that is connected directly to the Pro Tools|HD card.

Pro Tools|HD supports up to a maximum of ten 192 I/Os, 192 Digital I/Os, or 96 I/Os. Up to five 96i I/Os can be used simultaneously.

For examples of connecting multiple I/Os, see Figure 1 and Figure 2 on page 21.

Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces need room at their sides to maintain proper air flow for cooling. Do not block the sides of the unit or disconnect the internal fan. If the units are rack-mounted in a case, remove the case lids or doors before operating the system. Failure to do so can result in the units overheating very quickly, which can permanently damage sensitive components.

Legacy audio interfaces can also be connected to Pro Tools|HD interfaces. See “Connecting an Additional 16 Channels of Audio with Legacy Audio Interfaces” on page 22.

6 Close the computer case.

7 Proceed to “Connecting Audio Interfaces” on

page 19.

Chapter 2: Windows Installation 19

To connect Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces:

1 If you are using a single 192 I/O,

192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O, connect its Primary Port to the HD Core card with the DigiLink cable provided with the card. You must attach at least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O to your system in order for Pro Tools to launch.

If you have at least one 192 I/O or 192 Digital I/O in your system configuration, it must be connected to the HD Core card as the primary interface.

2 Connect additional Pro Tools|HD audio inter-

faces to subsequent Digidesign audio cards, or daisy-chain the interfaces (by connecting the Primary Port of the secondary interface to the Expansion Port of the primary interface).

If you are connecting both 192 I/O (or 192 Digital I/O) and 96 I/O audio interfaces to your system, connect the 192 I/O (or 192 Digital I/O) to your HD Core card, followed by any additional 192 I/O (or 192 Digital I/O) interfaces connected to subsequent cards. Then connect 96 I/O interfaces to subsequent cards, or to other interfaces, then connect 96i I/O interfaces.

Connecting Loop Sync

If you are using two or more Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces or a SYNC I/O peripheral, Loop Sync must be connected to maintain proper clock among the devices.

To make Loop Sync connections:

1 Connect the Loop Sync Out of each interface

to the Loop Sync In of the next interface with the BNC cables included in your I/O packaging.

2 Connect the Loop Sync Out of the last inter-

face to the Loop Sync In of the primary interface or SYNC I/O peripheral.

Connecting Legacy Audio Interfaces

If you are connecting a Digidesign Legacy audio interface, continue with “Connecting an Additional 16 Channels of Audio with Legacy Audio Interfaces” on page 22.

The 96i I/O does not support Legacy I/O.

You can also connect a single Pro Tools|HD interface to each Pro Tools|HD card in your system using the provided DigiLink cables. (However, there is no advantage to this conﬁguration over daisy-chaining interfaces.)

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide20

12-foot DigiLink cable

HD Core or

Accel Core card

18-inch DigiLink cable

Figure 1. Two 96 I/Os (32-channel system)

18-inch DigiLink cable

Loop Sync cables

12-foot DigiLink cable

Loop Sync cables

HD Core or

Accel Core card

TDM FlexCable

12-foot DigiLink cable

Figure 2. Three 96 I/Os (48-channel system)

HD Accel card

or HD Process card

Chapter 2: Windows Installation 21

Connecting an Additional 16 Channels of Audio with Legacy Audio Interfaces

Each 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, and 96 I/O can support 16 channels of audio to and from Digidesign Legacy I/Os. (The 96i I/O does not support Legacy I/O.) Legacy I/Os include the 888|24 I/O™, 882|20 I/O™, 1622 I/O™, and the 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O™.

3 To properly clock the Legacy audio interface,

connect the Ext. Clock output port on the Pro Tools|HD I/O to the Slave Clock IN on the Legacy audio interface. The Legacy audio interface will switch to Slave mode once the proper clock is outputting from the Pro Tools|HD I/O. Always use the Ext. Clock Out port of the same I/O to which the Legacy audio interface is attached.

The original 888 I/O and 882 I/O interfaces are not supported with Pro Tools|HD.

To connect Digidesign Legacy audio interfaces:

1 Connect the “MIX card” end of the peripheral

cable that came with your Legacy audio interface (60-pin side) to the Legacy Port on the primary Pro Tools|HD audio interface. Connect the other end to the Computer Port on the Legacy audio interface.

2 Do one of the following:

• Connect any additional Legacy audio interfaces in the same manner, to Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces connected directly to HD cards.

– or –

• If you are using a Y cable (Legacy 16-channel peripheral cable adapter), connect this to the Legacy port ﬁrst, then connect the audio interface peripheral cables to Port A and Port B of the Y cable.

“A” to ﬁrst Legacy I/O

“B” to second Legacy I/O

To Legacy Por t on Pro Tools|HD audio interface

If you are using the Y cable to connect multiple MIX audio interfaces, you must also connect the Slave Clock Out of the first Legacy interface to the Slave Clock In of the second Legacy interface with the provided BNC cable. You cannot clock more than two MIX audio interfaces from a single Pro Tools|HD audio interface. If you have a third MIX audio interface, supply its 256x clock from the Pro Tools|HD I/O to which its 60-pin cable is attached (either your second audio interface, or directly to an HD Accel or HD Process card).

To ensure the proper functioning of Legacy audio interfaces (such as an 888|24 I/O or 882|20 I/O), launch Pro Tools and initialize the Legacy audio interfaces in the Hardware Setup dialog before turning them on (See “Configuring Legacy Audio Interfaces” on page 54). Then quit Pro Tools and shut down your computer. When relaunching your Pro Tools system, turn on your Legacy audio interfaces first and allow them to finish booting before turning on your Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces, and then your computer.

Optional 16-channel peripheral cable adapter

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide22

Before you turn on and configure your Legacy audio interfaces, turn down the volume of output devices. Very loud digital noise may be emitted before the Legacy audio interface is initialized.

Installing Pro Tools HD Software

After your Pro Tools|HD hardware is installed and connected, you are ready to install Pro Tools software.

To install Pro Tools HD software:

1 Start Windows, logging in with Administrator

privileges. For details on Administrator privileges, refer to your Windows documentation.

2 Wait for the Found New Hardware Wizard di-

alog to appear and leave it open: Do not click Next.

3 Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc in your

CD/DVD drive. Locate and open the Pro Tools Installer folder, and double-click the Setup icon.

4 Click Next to begin installation.

5 Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed

with installation.

6 Select the install location. For maximum reli-

ability, install Pro Tools on your startup drive. Click Next.

7 Select the Pro Tools application for installa-

tion. You can also select from a list of optional items to install along with Pro Tools. See “Optional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc” on page 24.

8 Click Next.

9 Select your work environment. This loads an

initial set of Pro Tools Preferences that include some of the more popular settings for post production, audio, or audio with MIDI.

Preference settings can be customized at any time in Pro Tools. See the

ence Guide

10 Click Next.

11 Select whether to install the Surround Mixer

for more information.

Pro Tools Refer-

plug-in. This plug-in is required for mixing, mastering, and monitoring in surround.

• Select “Yes – Monitor in Pro Tools Film Format” if your monitoring is conﬁgured for Film Format surround.

• Select “Yes – Monitor in ProControl (DTS Format)” if you are using a ProControl dedicated controller.

• Select “No – Stereo mixing only” if your monitoring is conﬁgured for Stereo.

AFL/PFL Solo modes require the Surround Mixer plug-in. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more information.

12 Click Next.

13 Click Install.

14 When installation is complete, click Finish.

Windows will display several messages during installation that can be ignored, including multiple “Found New Hardware” dialogs and “A Problem Occurred During Hardware Installation.”

Chapter 2: Windows Installation 23

Installing QuickTime

Digidesign WaveDriver

QuickTime is required for Pro Tools if you plan to include movie files, or import MP3 or MP4 (AAC) files in your sessions. QuickTime for Windows XP is available as a free download from the Apple Web site.

To install QuickTime:

1 Visit www.apple.com and download the

QuickTime for Windows installer application to your computer.

2 Double-click the QuickTime installer applica-

tion and follow the on-screen installation instructions.

3 Restart your computer.

If you turned off Driver Signing Warning on your computer, be sure to enable it once Pro Tools hardware and software have been installed.

Optional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Your Pro Tools Installer disc includes several software options that are available from the Pro Tools installer.

Digidesign ASIO Driver

The Digidesign WaveDriver is a single-client, multichannel sound driver that allows thirdparty audio programs that support the WaveDriver MME (Multimedia Extensions) standard to play back through Digidesign hardware.

For detailed information on configuring the Digidesign WaveDriver, see the Digidesign Windows Audio Drivers Guide.

Avid Video Engine

The Avid Video Engine is required to use Pro Tools with Avid video peripherals such as the Avid Mojo or the Digidesign AVoption|V10.

DigiTranslator

DigiTranslator™ is a software option for Pro Tools that lets you convert and exchange OMF and AAF sequences and MXF files directly in the Pro Tools application. This option is purchased separately.

MachineControl

Digidesign MachineControl™ is a software option that lets you control external audio/video devices from Pro Tools using serial 9-pin protocols. This option is purchased separately.

The Digidesign ASIO (Audio Sound Input Output) Driver is a single-client multichannel sound driver that allows third-party audio programs that support the ASIO standard to record and play back through Digidesign hardware.

For detailed information on configuring the Digidesign ASIO Driver, see the Digidesign Windows Audio Drivers Guide.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide24

MIDI I/O Driver

The MIDI I/O Driver is required if you are using the Digidesign MIDI I/O.

MP3 Export Option

The MP3 Export Option lets you export MP3 files from Pro Tools. This option is purchased separately.

Command 8 Controller and Driver

The Command 8 software is required if you are using the Digidesign Command|8 control surface.

Pro Tools Demo Session

The Pro Tools Installer disc includes a separate demo session installer. You can use this session to verify that your system is working.

3 Double-click the MacDrive demo installer.

4 Follow the on-screen instructions to install

MacDrive. After installation is complete, restart your computer.

All formatting and maintenance of HFS+ drives should be carried out when the drives are connected to a Mac. Do not use the MacDrive utility to initialize or partition Mac drives.

To install the demo session:

1 Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc into your

CD/DVD drive.

2 From your CD/DVD drive, locate the Addi-

tional Files/Pro Tools Demo Session Installer folder.

3 Double-click Setup.exe.

4 Set the install location to your audio drive and

click Install.

5 When installation is complete, click OK.

MacDrive Demo

The Pro Tools Installer disc includes a demo version of the MacDrive utility. MacDrive lets you mount Mac-based HFS+ drives on a Windowsbased Pro Tools system.

For details on sharing sessions between Mac and Windows systems, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

To install the MacDrive demo:

1 Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc into your

CD/DVD drive.

When reformatting an HFS+ drive to NTFS format, be sure to disable the MacDrive utility before formatting the drive.

Removing Pro Tools

If you need to remove Pro Tools software from your computer, you can use the Add or Remove Programs command.

To remove Pro Tools from your computer:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Launch Add or Remove Programs.

3 From the Currently installed programs list, se-

lect Digidesign Pro Tools.

4 Click the Change/Remove button.

5 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove

Pro Tools.

2 On the Pro Tools Installer disc, locate and

open the Additional Files\MacDrive Demo Installer folder.

Chapter 2: Windows Installation 25

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide26

chapter 3

Mac Installation

This chapter contains information for Mac systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools on a Windows computer, see Chapter 2, “Windows Installation.”

Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools Installer disc.

Installation Overview

Mac System Optimization

To ensure optimum performance with Pro Tools, configure your computer before installing Pro Tools hardware and software.

Before configuring your computer, make sure you are logged in as an Administrator for the account where you want to install Pro Tools. For details on Administrator privileges in Mac OS X, refer to your Apple OS X documentation.

Installation of a Pro Tools|HD system on a Mac includes the following steps:

1 “Mac System Optimization” on page 27.

2 “Installing Pro Tools Hardware” on page 29.

3 “Installing Pro Tools HD Software” on

page 38.

4 “Connecting Audio Interfaces” on page 34.

5 “Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools” on

page 41.

6 “Connecting Your Studio” on page 57.

Do not use the Mac OS X automatic Software Update feature, as it may upgrade your system to a version of Mac OS that has not yet been qualified for Pro Tools. For details on qualified versions of Mac OS, refer to the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

Turning Off Software Update

To turn off the Software Update feature:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Software Update.

2 Click Update Software and deselect Check for

Updates.

Chapter 3: Mac Installation 27

Turning Off Energy Saver

Disabling the Spotlight Shortcuts

To turn off the Energy Saver feature:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Energy Saver.

2 Click Sleep and do the following:

• Set the computer sleep setting to Never.

• Set the display sleep setting to Never.

• Deselect “Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible” option.

Setting Processor Performance

(Mac G5 Computers Only)

To set the Processor Performance:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Energy Saver.

2 Click Options and set Processor Performance

to Highest.

Disabling Spotlight Indexing

The Mac OS X Spotlight feature indexes files and folders in the background, affecting system performance. It is recommended that you disable Spotlight indexing before using Pro Tools.

The Mac OS X Spotlight feature uses the same key commands Pro Tools uses to start recording (Command+Spacebar), and to record online (Command+Option+Spacebar). To retain use of these key commands in Pro Tools, these shortcuts must be disabled.

To disable the Spotlight keyboard shortcut:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Spotlight.

2 Deselect “Spotlight menu keyboard shortcut”

and “Spotlight window keyboard shortcut.”

Disabling Dashboard and Exposé

The Mac OS X Dashboard and Exposé features use function keys that are also used by Pro Tools (F9–F12). To retain use of these keys in Pro Tools, these features must be disabled.

To disable Dashboard and Exposé:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Dashboard and Exposé.

2 In the pop-up menus for each keyboard short-

cut, set the shortcut to “–” to disable it.

To disable Spotlight indexing:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Spotlight.

2 In the Spotlight window, click Privacy.

3 To prevent indexing of a drive, drag its icon

from the desktop into the list.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide28

Enabling Journaling for Audio Drives

If you plan to use an audio drive that you used with a previous version of Pro Tools on the Mac, enable journaling.

To enable journaling:

1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in

Applications/Utilities.

2 Select the volume in the left column of the

Disk Utility window.

3 Click Enable Journaling in the toolbar.

Installing Pro Tools Hardware

To install Pro Tools|HD hardware, you first install Pro Tools|HD cards, then for systems with more than one card, connect the cards with a TDM FlexCable.

Installing Pro Tools|HD Cards

Power Mac G5 (PCI Express) The PCI Expressequipped Power Mac G5 has three PCI Express (PCIe) slots (named slots 2, 3, and 4). The PCI Express slot numbers increase from bottom to top as you face the open computer case from the side. Install the Accel Core (for PCIe) card into PCI slot 2.

This section shows how to install Pro Tools|HD cards into a Mac computer. To install cards into an expansion chassis, see the Expanded Systems Guide.

To install Pro Tools cards:

1 Turn off your computer and any peripherals.

Leave your computer’s power cable plugged in so the computer is grounded.

2 Disconnect all cables attached to the com-

puter (such as hard drives, displays, USB and FireWire devices) except for the power cable.

3 Open the computer case.

4 Remove the metal access port cover behind

the slot you want to use by removing the screw and sliding the cover out from the access port.

Before handling any card, discharge static electricity from your clothes or body by touching a grounded metal surface, such as the power supply case inside your computer.

5 Install the Accel Core (for PCIe) or HD Core

(for PCI) card into the lowest-numbered slot in the computer. This will be the slot closest to the graphics card, as shown in the following examples:

PCIe slot 4

PCIe slot 3

PCIe slot 2

AGP slot 1 (video card)

Figure 3. Power Mac G5 (PCI Express equipped)

Power Mac G5 (PCI) The PCI-equipped Power Mac G5 has three PCI slots (named PCI slot 2, 3, and 4). Slot numbers increase from bottom to top as you face the open computer case from the side. Install the HD Core (for PCI) card into PCI slot 2.

PCI slot 4

PCI slot 3

PCI slot 2

AGP slot 1 (video card)

Figure 4. Power Mac G5 (PCI equipped)

Chapter 3: Mac Installation 29

Power Mac “Mirrored Door” G4 The Power Mac “Mirrored Door” G4 has reflective drive bay doors and four holes across the front. Its PCI slot numbers increase from left to right as you face the open computer case from the front.

Note that the PCI slot numbering in the newer “Mirrored Door” G4 computer runs in the opposite direction of previous G4 models.

Be very careful when opening or closing the case of a “Mirrored Door” G4 computer. Any PCI cards installed in the higher-numbered slots may be damaged if they touch the top of the computer case.

Power Mac “QuickSilver” G4 The Power Mac “QuickSilver” and earlier G4 models have a single speaker grille or hole on the front. Their PCI slot numbers increase from right to left as you face the open computer case from the front.

PCI slot 4

PCI slot 3

PCI slot 2

AGP slot 1 (video card)

PCI slot 2

PCI slot 3

PCI slot 4

PCI slot 5

Power Mac “Mirrored Door” Dual Processor G4

Power Mac “QuickSilver” Dual Processor G4

PCI slot 4

PCI slot 3

PCI slot 2

PCI slot 1 (video card)

Power Mac Single Processor G4

6 If you are installing additional Pro Tools|HD

cards, skip to the next step. If you have no additional cards to install, do the following:

• Secure the card in place with the screw you removed earlier.

• Close the computer case.

• Skip to “Connecting Audio Interfaces” on page 34.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide30

7 Install the ﬁrst expansion card (if any) in the

second slot (slot 3).

8 Install any remaining expansion cards in the

remaining consecutive slots.

9 If you are installing a SCSI host bus adapter

(HBA) card, install it in the highest-numbered remaining slot.

10 Check to be sure that your cards are installed

in the proper order for your system, starting with the lowest numeric slot:

• Pro Tools|HD (for PCIe) Systems

• Display card for your computer monitor

• Accel Core (for PCIe) card

• HD Accel (for PCIe) cards

• Digidesign-approved video capture card

• SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) card

• Pro Tools|HD (for PCI) Systems

• Display card for your computer monitor

• HD Core (for PCI) card

• HD Accel (for PCI) cards

• HD Process (for PCI) cards

• Digidesign-approved video capture card

• SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) card

11 Secure each card in place with the slot access

port screws you removed earlier.

Connecting Pro Tools|HD Cards

In systems that include more than one card, you must connect all the Pro Tools|HD cards to each other with TDM FlexCables.

The first FlexCable always goes from Port B on the core card to Port A on the first expansion card, as described in the following steps.

The slot numbering in your computer determines whether you will be working right-to-left or left-to-right when connecting cards. Refer to the instructions below for your model of computer.

To connect Pro Tools|HD cards in the Power Mac G5:

1 Shape the FlexCable before installing it on the

card by holding the cable with its printed side facing you, and moving the Port B portion of the cable away from you and outwards, as shown below. Do not bend the cable more than you need to, as you may damage the traces in the cable.

Preparing TDM FlexCable for installation

Chapter 3: Mac Installation 31

2 Turn the cable on its side, so that the connec-

tors are facing downwards, and Port A is the higher side.

Port A

Port B

Orienting the FlexCable

3 Slide the FlexCable into the notch of the sec-

ond card, so that the Port B connector of the

FlexCable can be aligned with Port B of the ﬁrst card; and the Port A connector of the FlexCable can be aligned with Port A of the second card, as shown below.

Port A connector

Port B connector

Expansion card

Core card

5 Verify the connection. Make sure the FlexCa-

ble ports seat ﬂat against the sockets on the cards, and are ﬁrmly attached.

6 For systems with more than two cards, con-

nect each additional card to its preceding card. Use FlexCables to connect card pairs together, as described above, until all cards are connected. (Each expansion card is packaged with a FlexCable.)

7 Close the computer case.

8 Proceed to “Connecting Audio Interfaces” on

page 34.

To connect Pro Tools|HD cards in the Power Mac “Mirrored Door” G4:

1 Shape the FlexCable before installing it on the

Inserting TDM FlexCable

4 Connect the Port A connector of the FlexCa-

ble to Port A on the second card. Push gently but ﬁrmly until the cable is fully connected to the card. Attach the other end of the FlexCable (labeled Port B) to Port B on the ﬁrst card.

Expansion card in PCI slot 3

Port B Port A

Port B

Core card in PCI slot 2

Port A

Port APort B

Port A

Top view of two cards connected with TDM FlexCable

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide32

Preparing TDM FlexCable for installation

2 Slide the FlexCable into the notch of the ﬁrst

Expansion card

Inserting TDM FlexCable

3 Connect the Port A connector of the FlexCa-

ble to Port A on the second card. Push gently but ﬁrmly until the cable is fully connected to the card. Attach the other end of the FlexCable (labeled Port B) to Port B on the ﬁrst card.

To connect Pro Tools|HD cards in Power Mac “QuickSilver” and earlier G4 computers:

1 Shape the FlexCable before installing it on the

card by holding the cable with its printed side facing you, and moving the Port A portion of the cable straight towards you and inwards, as shown below. Do not bend the cable more than you need to, as you may damage the traces in the cable.

PORT B

PORT A PORT B

PORT A

Preparing TDM FlexCable for installation

2 Slide the FlexCable into the notch of the sec-

ond card, so that the Port B connector of the

FlexCable can be aligned with Port B of the ﬁrst card; and the Port A connector of the FlexCable can be aligned with Port A of the second card, as shown below.

Expansion card

Core card

Top view of two cards connected with TDM FlexCable

4 Verify the connection. Make sure the FlexCa-

ble ports seat ﬂat against the sockets on the cards, and are ﬁrmly attached.

5 For systems with more than two cards, con-

nect each additional card to its preceding card. Use FlexCables to connect card pairs together, as described above, until all cards are connected. (Each expansion card is packaged with a FlexCable.)

6 Close the computer case.

7 Proceed to “Connecting Audio Interfaces” on

page 34.

PORT A

POR

PORT B

POR

T A

POR

T A

T B

POR

T B

PORT A

Inserting TDM FlexCable

Expansion card

PORT B

Chapter 3: Mac Installation 33

3 Connect the Port A connector of the FlexCa-

ble to Port A on the second card. Push down gently but ﬁrmly until the cable is fully connected to the card. Next, attach the other end of the FlexCable (labeled Port B) to Port B on the ﬁrst card.

PORT A

Top view of two cards connected with TDM FlexCable

4 Verify the connection. Make sure the FlexCa-

PORT B

ble ports seat ﬂat against the sockets on the cards, and are ﬁrmly attached.

5 For systems with more than two cards, con-

nect each additional card to its preceding card. Use FlexCables to connect card pairs together, as described above, until all cards are connected. (Each expansion card is packaged with a FlexCable.)

6 Close the computer case.

7 Proceed to “Connecting Audio Interfaces” on

page 34.

Connecting Audio Interfaces

Each Pro Tools|HD audio interface (except the 96i I/O) supplies up to 16 channels of input and output to your system. Audio interfaces are connected directly to Pro Tools|HD cards, or through the Expansion ports on other Pro Tools|HD interfaces.

Each Pro Tools|HD card supports up to 32 channels. To get a full 32 channels of I/O from one card, you can connect, or daisy-chain, a second 16-channel Pro Tools|HD I/O to the first 16channel Pro Tools|HD I/O that is connected directly to the Pro Tools|HD card.

Pro Tools|HD supports up to a maximum of ten 192 I/Os, 192 Digital I/Os, or 96 I/Os. Up to five 96i I/Os can be used simultaneously.

For examples of connecting multiple I/Os, see Figure 5 and Figure 6 on page 36.

Legacy audio interfaces can also be connected to Pro Tools|HD interfaces. See “Connecting an Additional 16 Channels of Audio with Legacy Audio Interfaces” on page 37.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide34

To connect Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces:

1 If you are using a single 192 I/O,

192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O, connect its Primary Port to the HD Core For PCI) or Accel Care (for PCIe) card with the DigiLink cable provided with the HD Core (for PCI) or Accel Core (for PCIe) card. You must attach at least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O to your system in order for Pro Tools to launch.

If you have at least one 192 I/O or 192 Digital I/O in your system configuration, it must be connected to the HD Core (for PCI) or Accel core (for PCIe) card as the primary interface.

Connecting Loop Sync

If you are using two or more Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces or a SYNC I/O peripheral, Loop Sync must be connected to maintain proper clock among the devices.

To make Loop Sync connections:

1 Connect the Loop Sync Out of each interface

to the Loop Sync In of the next interface with the BNC cables included in your I/O packaging.

2 Connect the Loop Sync Out of the last inter-

face to the Loop Sync In of the primary interface or SYNC I/O peripheral.

2 Connect additional Pro Tools|HD audio inter-

faces to subsequent Digidesign audio cards, or daisy-chain the interfaces (by connecting the Primary Port of the secondary interface to the Expansion Port of the primary interface).

If you are connecting both 192 I/O (or 192 Digital I/O) and 96 I/O audio interfaces to your system, connect the 192 I/O (or 192 Digital I/O) to your HD Core (for PCI) or Accel Core (for PCIe) card, followed by any additional 192 I/O (or 192 Digital I/O) interfaces connected to subsequent cards. Then connect 96 I/O interfaces to subsequent cards, or to other interfaces, then connect 96i I/O interfaces.

Connecting Legacy Audio Interfaces

If you are connecting a Digidesign Legacy audio interface, continue with “Connecting an Additional 16 Channels of Audio with Legacy Audio Interfaces” on page 37.

The 96i I/O does not support Legacy I/O.

Chapter 3: Mac Installation 35

12-foot DigiLink cable

HD Core or

Accel Core card

18-inch DigiLink cable

Figure 5. Two 96 I/Os (32-channel system)

18-inch DigiLink cable

Loop Sync cables

12-foot DigiLink cable

Loop Sync cables

HD Core or

Accel Core card

TDM FlexCable

12-foot DigiLink cable

Figure 6. Three 96 I/Os (48-channel system)

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide36

HD Accel card

or HD Process card

Connecting an Additional 16 Channels of Audio with Legacy Audio Interfaces

Each 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, and 96 I/O can support 16 channels of audio to and from Digidesign Legacy I/Os. (The 96i I/O does not support Legacy I/O.) Legacy I/Os include the 888|24 I/O, 882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, and the 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O.

3 To properly clock the Legacy audio interface,

The original 888 I/O and 882 I/O interfaces are not supported with Pro Tools|HD.

To connect Digidesign Legacy audio interfaces:

1 Connect the “MIX card” end of the peripheral

2 Do one of the following:

• Connect any additional Legacy audio interfaces in the same manner, to Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces connected directly to Pro Tools|HD cards.

– or –

“A” to ﬁrst Legacy I/O

“B” to second Legacy I/O

To Legacy Por t on Pro Tools|HD audio interface

To ensure the proper functioning of Legacy audio interfaces (such as an 888|24 I/O or 882|20 I/O), launch Pro Tools and initialize the Legacy audio interfaces in the Hardware Setup dialog before turning them on (See “Configuring Legacy Audio Interfaces” on page 54). Then quit Pro Tools and shut down your computer. When relaunching your Pro Tools system, turn on your Legacy audio interfaces first and allow them to complete booting before turning on your Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces, and then your computer.

Optional 16-channel peripheral cable adapter

Before you turn on and configure your Legacy audio interfaces, turn down the volume of output devices. Very loud digital noise may be emitted before the Legacy audio interface is initialized.

Chapter 3: Mac Installation 37

Installing Pro Tools HD Software

After your Pro Tools|HD hardware is installed and connected, you are ready to install Pro Tools software.

Do not install or operate Pro Tools while logged in as a root-level user. File permissions of a root-level user make it possible to perform actions that may conflict with Pro Tools file management tasks.

To install Pro Tools HD software:

1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administra-

tor for the account where you want to install Pro Tools. For details on Administrator privileges in Mac OS X, refer to your Apple OS X documentation.

2 Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc in your

CD/DVD drive. Double-click “Install Pro Tools.”

3 Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed

with installation.

4 Select the install location. For maximum reli-

ability, install Pro Tools on your startup drive. Click Continue.

8 Select your work environment. This loads an

initial set of Pro Tools Preferences that include some of the more popular settings for post production, audio, or audio with MIDI.

Preference settings can be customized at any time in Pro Tools. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more information.

9 Select whether to install the Surround Mixer

plug-in. This plug-in is required for mixing, mastering, and monitoring in surround:

• Select “Yes – Monitoring in Standard Pro Tools (Film Format)” if your monitoring is conﬁgured for Film Format surround.

• Select “Yes – Monitoring in ProControl (DTS Format)” if you are using a ProControl dedicated controller.

• Select “No – Stereo mixing only” if your monitoring is conﬁgured for Stereo.

AFL/PFL Solo modes require the Surround Mixer plug-in. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more information.

10 Click Continue.

11 When installation is complete, click Restart.

5 Select the Pro Tools application for installa-

tion. You can also select from a list of optional items to install along with Pro Tools. See “Optional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc” on page 39.

6 Click Install.

7 Enter your Administrator password and click

OK to accept the installation.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide38

Optional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Your Pro Tools Installer disc includes several software options that are available from the Pro Tools installer.

MP3 Export Option

The MP3 Export Option lets you export MP3 files from Pro Tools. This option is purchased separately.

Pro Tools Demo Session

Digidesign CoreAudio Driver

The Digidesign CoreAudio Driver is a multi-client, multichannel sound driver that allows CoreAudio compatible applications to record and play back through Digidesign hardware.

For detailed information on configuring the Digidesign CoreAudio Driver, see the Digidesign CoreAudio Guide.

Avid Video Engine

The Avid Video Engine is required to use Pro Tools with Avid video peripherals such as the Avid Mojo or the Digidesign AVoption|V10.

DigiTranslator

DigiTranslator™ is a software option for Pro Tools that lets you convert and exchange OMF and AAF sequences and MXF files directly in the Pro Tools application. This option is purchased separately.

MachineControl

The Pro Tools Installer disc includes a separate demo session installer. You can use this session to verify that your system is working.

To install the demo session:

1 Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc in your

CD/DVD drive. Locate and double-click the demo session installer icon.

2 Set the install location to your audio drive,

and click Install.

3 When installation is complete, click Quit.

Digidesign MachineControl™ is a software option that lets you control external audio/video devices from Pro Tools using serial 9-pin protocols. This option is purchased separately.

MIDI I/O Driver

The MIDI I/O Driver is required if you are using the Digidesign MIDI I/O.

Chapter 3: Mac Installation 39

Removing Pro Tools

If you need to remove Pro Tools software from your computer, use the Uninstaller application.

To remove Pro Tools from your computer:

1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administra-

tor for the account where Pro Tools is installed.

For details on Administrator privileges in Mac OS X, refer to your Apple OS X documentation.

2 Go to Applications/Digidesign/Pro Tools/

Pro Tools Utilities and double-click the “Uninstall Pro Tools” ﬁle.

3 Click Continue to proceed with the uninstall.

4 Choose the type of uninstall you want to per-

form:

Safe Uninstall Leaves certain plug-ins and system files needed for compatibility with some Avid products.

Clean Uninstall Removes all Pro Tools files, including system files, Digidesign plug-ins, and MIDI patch names.

5 Click Uninstall.

6 Enter your Administrator password and click

OK.

7 Click Finish to close the Installer window.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide40

chapter 4

Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools

6 Lower the volume of all output devices, then

Checking the System

Before you launch Pro Tools, you may want to run the DigiTest diagnostic application to ensure that all Pro Tools|HD cards in the system are recognized, installed in the proper order, and have valid TDM FlexCable connections.

Starting Up Your System

Whenever you start your system, turn on all of your system components in a specific order.

turn on your Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces. Wait at least ﬁfteen seconds for the audio interface to initialize and the status LEDs to stop ﬂashing.

7 Turn on your computer.

Running DigiTest

DigiTest is installed with Pro Tools and resides in the following folder on your hard drive: Digidesign/Pro Tools/Pro Tools Utilities.

To start your Pro Tools system:

1 Make sure all your equipment (including your

computer) is off.

2 For Pro Tools|HD systems with an expansion

chassis, turn on the expansion chassis.

3 Turn on any external hard drives. Wait ap-

proximately ten seconds for them to spin up to speed.

4 Turn on any MIDI interfaces and devices, or

synchronization peripherals.

5 Lower the volume of all output devices, then

turn on any Pro Tools Legacy audio interfaces (such as an 888|24 I/O or 882|20 I/O. Wait at least ﬁfteen seconds for the audio interface to initialize and the status LEDs to stop ﬂashing.

Before you run DigiTest, lower the volume of all output devices. Very loud digital noise may be emitted during the test.

To run DigiTest:

1 Quit Pro Tools if it is running.

2 Lower the volume of all output devices on

your system.

3 Locate and double-click the DigiTest icon on

your hard drive.

DigiTest opens and lists the supported cards it finds in your system, showing their corresponding slot locations.

Chapter 4: Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools 41

If you have a large number of cards or audio interfaces, it may take a while for the DigiTest window to appear, as DigiTest scans for all cards and interfaces connected to the system.

6 When prompted, power cycle all Pro Tools pe-

ripherals in your system. Click Continue.

7 To test the interfaces connected to your sys-

tem, check “Test I/O Box.”

LEDs on your digital interfaces may light up during this test. This is normal.

8 When the test is ﬁnished, you can view the

test results by doing one of the following:

• Click the Get Results button next to a card name.

• Click the Results tab and choose a card slot from the pop-up menu.

9 In the Results page of the DigiTest window,

click Show Failures Only to display failed tests for the selected card, or click Show All Results to display all test results for the selected card.

DigiTest main test window

The order in which cards are listed within DigiTest may not match the actual slot locations of cards installed in your computer or expansion chassis. This is normal, and does not affect DigiTest operations in any way.

4 Select the cards in your system you want to

test by selecting Test in the left hand column for each card.

5 Click Run.

If cards are not installed in the proper order, DigiTest will display error codes in the Status box of each card identified as being misconfigured.

The more cards and audio interfaces in your system, the longer the test will take.

For descriptions of error codes, refer to “DigiTest Error Codes” on page 43

10 Click Quit to close DigiTest.

11 Restart your computer.

Errors and Undetected Cards

Complete the steps below if any of the following occur:

■ DigiTest fails to launch.

■ An error message has been displayed for a card

in DigiTest.

■ A supported card is installed but not automat-

ically detected during DigiTest.

If a supported card is installed and is not automatically detected:

1 Quit DigiTest.

2 Turn off the entire Pro Tools system.

3 Reinstall the Pro Tools|HD cards.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide42

4 Check the card seating.

5 Check the TDM FlexCable connections.

Check the orientation of the cable from card to card (ports B to A), and check the integrity of the FlexCable connections to the cards.

6 Turn on the system.

Identifying Digidesign Cards with DigiTest

You can use DigiTest to identify which cards are in which slots in your system. This is especially useful if you have multiple Digidesign cards of the same type installed in your system.

7 Run DigiTest again.

DigiTest Error Codes

Code Description

Err3 Cards from different Pro Tools

systems are incorrectly mixed. See the conﬁguration chapters.

Err4 Cards marked with this error are

installed in the wrong order. See the conﬁguration chapters.

Err5 Too many cards of this type are

installed in the system. Refer to the Digidesign Web site for compatibility information.

Err6 A card is installed in a reserve

slot. For example, a Digidesign card is installed in the slot reserved for the Expansion Chassis Host Interface card. Refer to the conﬁguration chapters, as well as related installation guides.

Err1220 SCSI Accelerator card is installed

in the wrong slot. See the conﬁguration chapters for correct location of the card.

Err1221 Expansion Chassis Host Interface

card is installed in the wrong slot. See Expanded Systems Guide for correct location of the card.

To identify Digidesign cards with DigiTest

1 Quit Pro Tools if it is running.

2 Locate and double-click the DigiTest icon on

your hard drive.

DigiTest opens and lists the supported cards it finds in your system.

3 Open your computer case or expansion chas-

sis so you can see the top edge of the cards installed in your system.

4 In the DigiTest window, select the ID check

box next to a card name. The green LED near the top edge of the corresponding card ﬂashes.

Viewing Card Information with DigiTest

DigiTest can display identifying information such as serial number, date of manufacture, and firmware ROM version for each card in your system. This information is useful if you need to contact Digidesign Technical Support about your Pro Tools hardware.

To display information for a card in your system:

1 Quit Pro Tools if it is running.

2 Locate and double-click the DigiTest icon on

your hard drive.

3 Click the Slot Info tab.

4 Choose a card slot from the pop-up menu.

Chapter 4: Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools 43

Updating Audio Peripheral Firmware with DigiTest

If firmware updates are available for any of your Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces (192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O), you can use DigiTest to perform the update. Within DigiTest, the Firmware Update page tells you the firmware version for the selected peripheral and lets you update to a newer version, if necessary.

To update the ﬁrmware in a Pro Tools|HD audio interface:

1 Quit Pro Tools if it is running.

2 Locate and double-click the DigiTest applica-

tion on your hard drive.

3 Click the Firmware tab.

4 Choose a card slot from the pop-up menu. If

any Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces are connected to the card, the Primary or Secondary options will become available in the HD Peripheral section of the Firmware page.

Launching Pro Tools

To use Pro Tools HD 7.2, you must always have an inserted iLok with an authorization for Pro Tools HD 7.2. One pre-authorized iLok is included with your Pro Tools HD system.

To authorize Pro Tools HD software:

1 Insert the pre-authorized iLok into an avail-

able USB port on your computer.

2 Do one of the following:

• Double-click the Pro Tools HD shortcut on the desktop (Windows) or click the Pro Tools HD icon in the Dock (Mac).

– or –

• Locate and double-click the Pro Tools HD application on your hard drive.

Do not remove the iLok during Pro Tools launch or use.

If any connected interfaces are not recognized, check the connections and power to each interface and click Re-Scan.

5 Under HD Peripheral, select Primary or Sec-

ondary to view the ﬁrmware version for the corresponding interface. The ﬁrmware version is displayed just below the HD Peripheral section of the Firmware page.

6 If the ﬁrmware version is not current, click Be-

gin Update to update the ﬁrmware in the selected audio interface.

The status of the firmware update process is displayed in the status area at the bottom of the Firmware page.

7 After the update process is complete, click

Quit to close DigiTest.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide44

Conﬁguring Pro Tools

Pro Tools System Settings

Pro Tools lets you adjust the performance of your system by changing system settings that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and recording.

In most cases, the default settings for your system provide optimum performance, but you may want to adjust them to accommodate large or processing-intensive Pro Tools sessions.

Hardware Buffer Size

RTAS Processors

The Hardware Buffer Size (H/W Buffer Size) controls the size of the buffer used to handle host processing tasks such as Real-Time AudioSuite™ (RTAS) plug-ins. The H/W Buffer setting can also be used to manage monitoring latency.

• Lower Hardware Buffer Size settings reduce monitoring latency, and are useful when you are recording live input.

• Higher Hardware Buffer Size settings allow for more audio processing and effects, and are useful when you are mixing and using more RTAS plug-ins.

In addition to causing slower screen response and monitoring latency, higher Hardware Buffer Size settings can increase the latency caused by RTAS plug-ins, and affect the accuracy of plug-in automation, mute data, and MIDI track timing.

To change the Hardware Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

The RTAS Processors setting determines the number of processors in your computer allocated for RTAS plug-in processing.

With computers that have multiple processors, or that feature multi-core processing or hyperthreading, this setting lets you enable multi-processor support for RTAS processes. Used in combination with the CPU Usage Limit setting, the RTAS Processors setting lets you control the way RTAS processing and other Pro Tools tasks are carried out by the system.

◆ A higher number of processors reserves more

CPU processing capacity for RTAS plug-in processing. This is useful for sessions with large number of RTAS plug-ins.

◆ A lower number of processors leaves more

CPU processing capacity for automation, screen redraws, and video playback in Pro Tools, or for other application running at the same time as Pro Tools.

To set the number of RTAS Processors:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools|HD system

2 From the H/W Buffer Size pop-up menu, select

the audio buffer size, in samples.

3 Click OK.

2 From the RTAS Processors pop-up menu, select

the number of available processors you want to allocate for RTAS plug-in processing.

3 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools 45

CPU Usage Limit

Number of Voices

The CPU Usage Limit controls the percentage of CPU resources allocated to Pro Tools host processing tasks. Used in combination with the RTAS Processors setting, the CPU Usage Limit setting lets you control the way Pro Tools tasks are carried out by the system.

◆ Lower CPU Usage Limit settings limit the ef-

fect of Pro Tools processing on other CPU-intensive tasks, such as screen redraws, and are useful when you are experiencing slow system response, or when running other applications at the same time as Pro Tools.

◆ Higher CPU Usage Limit settings allocate

more processing power to Pro Tools, and are useful for playing back large sessions or using more real-time plug-ins.

The maximum available CPU Usage Limit depends on the number of processors in your computer and on the number of processors you specify for RTAS processing. This value can range from 85 percent for single-processor computers to 99 percent for multi-processor computers.

The Number of Voices setting lets you control the number of voices available on your system. For example, the default number of voices on an Pro Tools|HD 1 system is 48 voices, using one DSP (at sample rates of 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz).

Changing the number of voices affects DSP usage, the total number of voiceable tracks, and overall system performance.

Depending on the current sample rate and the number of cards in your system, and whether you are using an expansion chassis, you will have different choices for voice count.

For additional information on voice count, refer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide and the Expanded Systems Guide.

To change the Number of Voices and DSP to allocate for voicing:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Increasing the CPU Usage Limit may slow down screen responses on slower computers.

To change the CPU Usage Limit:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the CPU Usage Limit pop-up menu, se-

lect the percentage of CPU processing you want to allocate to Pro Tools.

3 Click OK.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide46

2 Select the number of voices and DSPs to allo-

cate for voicing by choosing a value from the Number of Voices pop-up menu.

• Select higher voice numbers when your Digidesign cards are the only PCI cards in your computer, or when you are using an expansion chassis to run higher track counts (such as 64 tracks at 96 kHz) and you want more voices per DSP (such as 16 voices per DSP at 96 kHz). These settings use fewer DSP chips for mixing (leaving more available for plug-ins) but place the highest processing load on each.

• Select medium voice numbers when your Digidesign cards are in an expansion chassis, or when you are using other PCI cards along with Digidesign cards. These settings generally provide an optimum balance between number of chips needed for voicing, and the processing load placed on each.

• Select minimum voice numbers if you are using high-bandwidth PCI cards (such as video capture cards) along with your Digidesign cards. These settings place the lightest processing load on each allocated DSP chip, but generally require more DSP chips be dedicated to voicing and mixing (leaving fewer available for plug-ins).

Default Sample Rate

The Sample Rate setting appears as the default sample rate when you create a new session. (This setting is available only when there is no session open.)

You can change the sample rate when creating a new Pro Tools session by selecting a different sample rate in the New Session dialog.

To change the default Sample Rate:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate

pop-up menu.

3 Click OK.

Delay Compensation Engine

Delay Compensation automatically manages DSP delays that occur on audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, or Master Faders because of plug-in use and mixer routing. With Delay Compensation enabled, Pro Tools maintains time-alignment between tracks that have plug-ins with differing DSP delays, tracks with different mixing paths, tracks that are split off and recombined within the mixer, and tracks with hardware inserts.

Number of Voices menu (HD Accel-equipped system)

3 Click OK.

To maintain time alignment, Pro Tools adds the exact amount of delay to each track necessary to make that particular track’s delay equal to the delay of the track that has the longest delay.

Delay Compensation should be enabled during mixing and playback for optimal delay compensated sound. In some cases when recording, Delay Compensation should be turned off.

For more information on using Delay Compensation, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Chapter 4: Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools 47

Delay Compensation Settings

DAE Playback Buffer Size

There are three settings in the Playback Engine dialog for dedicating DSP resources for Delay Compensation:

None Allocates no DSP resources for Delay Compensation.

Short Allocates minimal DSP resources of delay compensation for each channel. This is the most efficient setting for Pro Tools|HD Accel systems.

Long Allocates maximum DSP resources for Delay Compensation for each mixer channel. Long Delay Compensation uses the same DSP resources used by high DSP overhead plug-ins.

To conﬁgure the Delay Compensation Engine:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the Delay Compensation Engine pop-up

menu, select a Delay compensation setting.

3 Click OK.

The Delay Compensation setting is saved as a session and system preference.

To enable Delay Compensation:

■ Choose Options > Delay Compensation.

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory DAE allocates for disk buffers. The optimum DAE Playback Buffer Size for most disk operations is Level 2.

◆ DAE Playback Buffer Size settings lower than

Level 2 may improve playback and recording initiation speed, but may make it difﬁcult 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

Level 2 will allow for a higher density of edits in a session or a higher track count when using slower hard drives. However, a higher setting can also cause a time lag to occur when starting playback or recording, or longer audible time lag while editing during playback.

Using a larger DAE Playback Buffer Size leaves less system memory for other tasks. The default setting of Level 2 is recommended unless you are encountering -9073 (“Disk too slow or fragmented”) errors.

To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide48

2 From the DAE Playback Buffer pop-up menu,

select a buffer size. Memory requirements for each setting are shown at the bottom of the Playback Engine dialog.

Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools|HD Accel system

3 Click OK.

MIDI Studio Setup

(Windows Only)

If you plan to use any MIDI devices with Pro Tools, configure your MIDI setup with MIDI Studio Setup. See Appendix C, “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only).”

Audio MIDI Setup (AMS)

(Mac Only)

If you plan to use any MIDI devices with Pro Tools, configure your MIDI setup with the Apple Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) utility. See Appendix D, “Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only).”

If Pro Tools needs more system memory for the DAE Playback Buffer, it will prompt you to restart your computer.

System Memory Allocation

When you start your computer, Pro Tools automatically reserves a portion of system memory for the DAE Playback Buffer. This reserved memory is unavailable to other applications, even if Pro Tools is not running.

You can set Pro Tools to reserve only the minimum amount of required memory, so that more system memory is available to other applications.

To minimize system memory allocation:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 Select the “Minimize System Memory Alloca-

tion” option.

3 Click OK.

4 Restart your computer.

Pro Tools Hardware Settings

Pro Tools lets you set the default sample rate and clock source for your system, as well as a range of controls specific to each type of audio interface.)

Default Sample Rate

The Sample Rate setting appears as the default sample rate when you create a new session. (This setting is available in the Hardware Setup dialog only when no session is open.)

You can change the sample rate when creating a new Pro Tools session by selecting a different sample rate in the New Session dialog.

Chapter 4: Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools 49

To change the default Sample Rate:

1 Choose Setup > Hardware.

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O, Main page

2 Choose the sample rate from the Sample Rate

pop-up menu.

3 Click OK.

[Encl], S/PDIF, Optical [Encl], AES/EBU 1–8, TDIF, ADAT, and Word Clock. For details, refer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide or the guide for your audio interface.

To select the Clock Source:

1 Choose Setup > Hardware.

2 Choose the clock source from the Clock

Source pop-up menu.

3 Click OK.

Your digital input device must be connected and powered on for Pro Tools to synchronize to it. If your input device is not powered on, leave the Clock Source set to Internal.

High Sample Rates and Expanded Systems

With 176.4 kHz and 192 kHz sample rates, as many as four Pro Tools|HD cards can be used. Any additional cards (up the total system maximum of seven cards) will switch to Inactive mode. The cards and any attached peripherals will become active again when the sample rate is set to 96 kHz or lower. See the Pro Tools Expanded Systems Guide for more information.

Clock Source

The Pro Tools Hardware Setup dialog lets you select the Clock Source for the system.

Internal If you are recording an analog signal directly into Pro Tools, you will usually use the Pro Tools Internal clock source.

External If you are transferring material into Pro Tools from an external digital device, or if you utilize a common house clock signal, you will synchronize Pro Tools to that digital device or common signal. Depending on your audio interface, external options can include AES/EBU

Conﬁguring Audio Interfaces

Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces support 16 channels of simultaneous I/O and multiple I/O formats (including analog, AES/EBU, ADAT Optical, S/PDIF, and TDIF).

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O, Main page

The Main page of the Hardware Setup dialog is where you define which physical inputs and outputs on your audio interface are routed to available inputs and outputs in Pro Tools. You can think of this window as a patchbay that allows you to route any of the inputs or outputs on your Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces to channel assignments in the Pro Tools mixer.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide50

The Main page also provides controls for defining whether Expansion Port or Legacy Port peripherals are active.

To configure the interfaces in your system, you select each interface in the Peripherals list and set the parameters for that interface.

Identifying Audio Interfaces

If you have multiple audio interfaces of the same type connected to your system, before you make audio connections to them, you should confirm the identity of each interface. This ensures that you choose the appropriate interface in the Peripherals list when you define its inputs and outputs in the Hardware Setup dialog.

To identify audio interfaces in your system:

1 Choose Setup > Hardware.

2 From the Peripherals list, select an audio inter-

face connected to your system.

Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to scroll though the Peripherals list in the Hardware Setup dialog.

3 Make sure the Main page tab is chosen.

4 Select the Identify option, located in the lower

left corner of the Hardware Setup dialog. This illuminates all the LEDs on the front panel of the selected audio interface.

5 Make a note of which interface in your studio

setup corresponds to the identiﬁed interface.

6 Repeat the above steps for each additional au-

dio interface in your setup.

Legacy audio interfaces must be initialized in the Peripherals list before they can be identified. See “Configuring Legacy Audio Interfaces” on page 54.

To conﬁgure Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces:

1 Choose Setup > Hardware.

2 From the Peripherals list, select an audio inter-

face connected to your system.

3 Make sure Main page tab is chosen.

4 From the Clock Source pop-up menu, select

the appropriate clock source for the interface.

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.

If the Legacy I/O Port is enabled (and not the Expansion I/O Port) then the Ext. Clock Output automatically switches to Slave Clock (256x sample rate). To reset the Ext. Clock Output to Word Clock, change the Port Settings back to Expansion I/O, then select the Legacy audio interface in the Peripherals list, and set it to No Interface in the Interface pop-up menu. (The 96i I/O does not support Legacy I/O.)

6 Select which digital I/O port on your audio in-

terface enclosure is active by selecting an option under Digital Format. Depending on the type of interfaces in your system, choices include AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and Optical (S/PDIF). Selecting Optical (S/PDIF) resets the Optical I/O port (which is, by default, eight channels of ADAT Optical I/O) to two channels of S/PDIF Optical I/O. (The 96i I/O supports stereo S/PDIF RCA digital input and output only.) For more information about Pro Tools|HD enclosure and card ports, refer to the guide for your audio interface.

7 For S/PDIF compatibility with Tascam DA-30

DAT recorders, select the Tascam option under S/PDIF Format.

Chapter 4: Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools 51

8 From the Input and Output channel pop-up

menus, select the physical ports (such as Analog 1–2 or Optical 1–2), that will be routed to the corresponding Pro Tools input and output channels (such as Ch 1–2, Ch 3–4), listed on the left side of the Main page. (This feature is not available with the 96i I/O.)

Inputs and outputs of similar format are differentiated in the input and output channel popup menus. For example, the AES/EBU inputs and outputs in the 192 I/O enclosure are listed as AES/EBU [Encl], while the AES/EBU inputs and outputs on the factory-installed Digital I/O card 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 Card, the additional AES/EBU I/O ports on the optional card are listed as AES/EBU 9–10, AES/EBU 11–12, AES/EBU 13–14, and AES/EBU 15–16.

Refer to your peripheral’s guide for configuration details and restrictions. For example, the Optical 1–8 channels (on the 192 I/O enclosure) will not be available at session sample rates of 88.2 kHz or higher, while the ports on the 192 I/O Digital I/O card will still be available.

9 Conﬁgure controls for your Pro Tools|HD au-

dio interface. See “Conﬁguring 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O Controls” on page 52, “Conﬁguring 96 I/O Controls” on page 53, and “Conﬁguring 96i I/O Controls” on page 54.

Conﬁguring 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O Controls

To conﬁgure controls for a 192 I/O:

1 With the 192 I/O selected in the Peripherals

list, click the Analog In tab for the following options:

• You can set your operating level on a channel-by-channel basis by selecting Reference Level +4 dBu or –10 dBV. These settings correspond to two different input connectors on the rear of the 192 I/O. Refer to the 192 I/O Guide for more information on setting operating levels.

• Each of the analog channels in the 192 I/O has two Input Trims, labeled A and B, for precisely calibrating and switching levels. You can select Input Trim A or B on a channel-by-channel basis. Refer to the 192 I/O Guide for information on setting the rear panel trims.

• You can select Soft Clip on a channel-bychannel basis. The Soft Clip limiter attenuates the incoming analog signal, providing extra protection from temporary clipping transients that can cause digital distortion when they exceed the maximum input of the unit. With Soft Clip enabled, 192 I/O supports an additional 4 dB of headroom by rounding off the top 4 dB to the clip point. This is useful for eliminating stray transients or for emulating analog tape saturation.

10 For additional Pro Tools|HD interfaces,

choose the interface in the Peripherals list, and repeat the above steps.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide52

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O, Analog In page

2 Click the Analog Out tab for the following op-

tion:

• Each of the analog channels in the 192 I/O has two Output Trims, labeled A and B, respectively. You can select Output Trim A or B on a channel-by-channel basis.

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O, Analog Out page

To conﬁgure controls for a 192 Digital I/O or 192 I/O with an optional Digital I/O card:

■ On the 192 Digital I/O or a 192 I/O with an

optional Digital I/O card, click the Digital tab to set the Input Format (AES/EBU, TDIF, or ADAT Optical) and enable real-time sample rate conversion (in channel pairs, with the SR Conversion option).

At session sample rates above 48 kHz, sample rate conversion for the TDIF and Optical (ADAT) inputs on the Digital I/O card is automatically enabled on all eight inputs of the selected format.

Conﬁguring 96 I/O Controls

To conﬁgure controls for a 96 I/O:

1 With the 96 I/O selected in the Peripherals

list, conﬁgure your I/O front panel meters for input or output metering from the Meters pop-up.

2 Click the Analog In tab for the following op-

tion:

• You can set your operating level on a channel-by-channel basis by selecting Reference Level +4 dBu or –10 dBV. Refer to the 96 I/O Guide for more information on setting operating levels.

Hardware Setup dialog for 96 I/O, Analog In page

3 Click the Analog Out tab for the following op-

tion:

• You can set your output level on a channelby-channel basis by selecting Reference Level +4 dBu or –10 dBV. Refer to the 96 I/O Guide for more information on setting operating levels.

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O, Digital page

Hardware Setup dialog for 96 I/O, Analog Out page

Chapter 4: Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools 53

Conﬁguring 96i I/O Controls

To conﬁgure controls for a 96i I/O:

1 With the 96i I/O selected in the Peripherals

list, conﬁgure your I/O front panel meters for input or output metering from the Meters pop-up.

2 Set input sensitivity by doing the following:

• For Inputs 1–4, set the input trim slider to match the output level of the connected instrument. Choices range from –12 dBV to +4 dBu. If you do not know the output level of the device, use the default input trim level, then ﬁne tune the input level sensitivity.

• For each input 5–16 being used, select –8 dBV or +4 dBu as appropriate to best match the output level of the connected instrument.

3 Set Output levels (select –10 dBV or +4 dBu).

4 Click Done.

To select analog or digital input for channels 1-2:

1 Choose Setup > Hardware, and select 96i I/O

in the Peripherals list to display the 96i I/O window.

2 Click to set Ch 1–2 Input to Analog or S/PDIF,

as appropriate.

The 96i I/O only supports analog and digital switching for channels 1–2, and only from within the Hardware Setup and I/O Setup dialogs. The 96i I/O does not support path remapping within I/O Setup.

Conﬁguring Legacy Audio Interfaces

Before you can configure a Legacy audio interface, it must first be initialized in Hardware Setup.

To initialize a Legacy audio interface:

1 Make sure to lower the volume of your output

devices. Very loud digital noise may be emitted before the Legacy audio interface is initialized.

2 Turn on your Legacy audio interface.

Hardware Setup for 96i I/O

You can select analog or digital input as sources for 96i I/O channels 1–2. Only channels 1–2 can access the S/PDIF inputs.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide54

3 From the Peripherals list, choose the primary

audio interface (the interface to which your Legacy audio interface is connected).

4 In the Main page of the Hardware Setup dia-

log, select the Legacy I/O option under Port Settings.

5 In the Peripherals list, “No Interface” is listed

twice, directly below the primary audio interface. Click the ﬁrst “No Interface.” An Interface pop-menu appears in the Hardware Setup dialog, listing supported I/O choices.

6 From the Interface pop-up, select the type of

Legacy audio interface you connected. (If your Legacy interface does not appear, check connections and repeat from step 1, above. See also “Ofﬂine Peripherals” on page 55.)

After you select the type of Legacy audio interface, the Main page updates with controls that can be configured.

7 Repeat the above steps for each additional

Legacy audio interface.

For more information on Hardware Setup controls for each I/O, refer to its

guide.

Ofﬂine Peripherals

When a Legacy audio interface and Pro Tools|HD peripheral are connected to your primary Pro Tools|HD peripheral, only one can be online at a time. An offline peripheral is indicated by brackets in the Peripherals List of the Hardware Setup dialog. For example, if you have a 96 I/O and an 882|20 connected to a 192 I/O, and the 96 I/O is offline, it will appear in the Peripherals List as “[96 I/O].”

Peripherals will also go offline if the audio interface or card to which they are attached is made inactive.

Pro Tools comes with default I/O Setup settings that will get you started. You only need to go to I/O Setup if you want to remap or rename the default I/O paths or if you change your system hardware (for example, adding an expansion card to a 192 I/O).

Refer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more information on setting up I/O paths.

To conﬁgure I/O routing in I/O Setup:

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

2 Click the Input or Output tab to display the

corresponding connections.

3 To change the name of a path or subpath,

double-click directly on the Path Name, type a new name for the path, and press Enter.

4 To change the destination of an Input or Out-

put path or subpath, click directly on an Input or Output Selector for an interface channel pair, just below an audio interface icon. (This feature is not available for the 96i I/O.)

Conﬁguring I/O Setup

The I/O Setup dialog provides a graphical representation of the signal routing for each connected audio interface, with controls to route physical ports to Pro Tools inputs and outputs. These controls mirror the routing controls found in the Hardware Setup dialog—changes made to physical routing in one dialog are always reflected in the other. The I/O Setup dialog also lets you label and map Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus signal paths.

5 From the pop-up menu, select a physical port

pair (such as Analog 1–2), to route to the corresponding Pro Tools channel pair (such as A 1–2) in the Path Name column on the left.

6 Repeat the above steps for additional channel

pairs.

Chapter 4: Launching and Conﬁguring Pro Tools 55

7 Click OK.

I/O Setup dialog for Pro Tools|HD system

Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to Multiple Destinations

Pro Tools channel pairs can be routed to multiple outputs on your Digidesign audio interface through the Hardware Setup dialog.

For example, if Pro Tools Outputs 1–2 are assigned to both Analog 1–2 and Digital 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 stereo pair, a stem mix, or a multichannel mix) to multiple destinations (such as multiple mastering devices).

To route a Pro Tools output channel pair to multiple audio interface output ports:

1 Choose Setup > Hardware.

2 From the Peripherals list, select an interface.

3 Click the Main tab.

4 Select an output pair from an Output pop-up

menu.

5 Start-click the same pop-up menu and choose

an additional output pair.

The output name updates with a plus sign (“+”) before it to indicate that multiple output ports are selected. In the pop-up menu, each physical port pair assigned to that Pro Tools output pair is indicated by a check mark.

Hardware Setup dialog for 96 I/O, Main page

6 Repeat the above steps to select additional

output destinations. The only limit to output choices is the number of outputs available in your system.

Backing Up your System Conﬁguration

After configuring your system and Pro Tools, you should save an image of your system drive using a backup utility such as Norton Ghost (Windows) or Bombich Carbon Copy Cloner (Mac). By doing this, you can quickly restore your system configuration and settings if you encounter any problems.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide56

chapter 5

Connecting Your Studio

This chapter provides general information on connecting Pro Tools to your system, including digital equipment, effects units, MIDI gear, and SMPTE synchronization devices.

Refer to the 192 I/O Guide, 192 Digital I/O Guide, 96 I/O Guide, or 96i I/O Guide for specific details regarding:

• Front and back panel connectors and indicators

• Installation of optional expansion I/O cards (192 I/O only)

Setting Up Your Studio

Figure 7 illustrates a typical studio setup, with a 192 I/O connected to a mixing console, effects and other equipment.

Figure 8 illustrates a setup without a mixer, where effects and monitoring gear are connected directly to a 96 I/O.

Chapter 5: Connecting Your Studio 57

Example Studio Setup with a Mixing Console

Analog Inputs

Channel Outputs

Optical

in/out

to ADAT

Digital Inputs/Outputs

to DAT recorder

Analog Outputs

Digital Effects Device (set to external sync)

Effects Devices

Tape Returns

or Inputs

Instruments

Connected to Console

Figure 7. Typical studio conﬁguration using a 192 I/O with mixer connections

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide58

Power Amp

and Speakers

Example Studio Setup without a Mixing Console

Mic Preamp,

Direct Box, Synth

Digital Inputs/Outputs

Analog Inputs

Analog Outputs

to DAT recorder

Optical

in/out

to ADAT

Digital Effects Device (set to external sync)

Effects Devices

Power Amp

and Speakers

Figure 8. Typical studio conﬁguration using a 96 I/O without a mixer

Chapter 5: Connecting Your Studio 59

192 I/O

96i I/O

The 192 I/O features two DB-25 breakout connectors for two sets of eight inputs each, at +4 dBu and –10 dBV respectively.

There are no –10 dBV outputs, however; analog outputs break out from a single DB-25 output at +4 dBu operating levels.

When driving unbalanced lines on the 192 I/O output card, leave the negative “–” terminals disconnected. Failure to do so will result in noisy outputs.

The 192 I/O requires a custom DB-25 snake. Digidesign sells several different DigiSnake DB25 cables for this purpose. Contact your dealer or Digidesign for more information.

192 Digital I/O

The 192 Digital I/O features two DB-25 breakout connectors for two sets of eight AES/EBU or TDIF inputs and outputs, along with a pair of ADAT Optical ports.

The 192 Digital I/O requires a custom DB-25 snake. Digidesign sells several different DigiSnake (DB-25) cables for this purpose. Contact your dealer or Digidesign for more information.

96 I/O

The 96 I/O analog connectors are TRS 1/4-inch with TIP wired hot (or “+”), RING cold (or “ and SLEEVE ground. If connecting to unbalanced loads, use unbalanced TS cables.

There is one bank of eight inputs (software-switchable between +4 dBu and –10 dBV line levels on a line-by-line basis).

There is one bank of eight outputs (that use +4 dBu line levels).

–”),

The 96i I/O analog connectors are balanced TRS 1/4-inch with TIP wired hot (or “+”), RING cold (or “

–”), and SLEEVE ground. If connecting to

unbalanced loads, use unbalanced TS cables.

The 96i I/O provides 16 inputs and two outputs. Inputs 1–4 feature variable, multi-level input sensitivity, controllable from within Pro Tools (from –12 dBV to +4 dBu). Inputs 5–16 provide a choice of two fixed operating levels (–8 dBV or +4 dBu).

Outputs 1–2 are selectable between –10 dBV and +4 dBu.

Connecting Equipment with Digital Audio Ins and Outs

Each Pro Tools|HD audio interface includes at least one AES/EBU, S/PDIF, or Optical (ADAT) digital option. For example, the 192 I/O includes additional AES/EBU and optical ports, as well as TDIF, dual-wire AES/EBU at 192 kHz, and sample rate converters. The 96i I/O provides two channels of S/PDIF only. (See the documentation for your audio interface for details.)

The following example provides basic setup guidelines for connecting Pro Tools to a DAT recorder.

To connect your Pro Tools system to a DAT recorder:

1 Connect the AES/EBU or S/PDIF output on the

enclosure of your Pro Tools|HD audio interface to the AES/EBU or S/PDIF input of your DAT deck. By default, this port is assigned to Pro Tools Output 1–2.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide60

2 Connect the AES/EBU or S/PDIF input on the

enclosure to the AES/EBU or S/PDIF output of your DAT deck. Route the digital input to Pro Tools inputs in the Hardware Setup dialog.

You can route any of the physical input or output pairs to any of the input and output channel assignments in the Pro Tools mixer. (The 96i I/O does not support input mapping, however.) For more information see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Connecting Effects Units

The 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O and 96 I/O let you connect analog or digital effects units to your Pro Tools system, and use them as inserts or make them the destination for effects sends and returns. (The 96i I/O supports a single pair of hardware inserts using channels 1–2. See the 96i I/O Guide for more information.)

Five inserts are available on each audio channel. Each insert can be a hardware insert (or software plug-in), and can be mono or stereo.

When using a hardware insert, you must connect the device to matching inputs and outputs on your system. For example, a stereo insert could use outputs 7–8 and inputs 7–8 for the sends and returns, respectively. Routing the physical inputs and outputs of the interface to Pro Tools inputs and outputs can be done in either the Hardware Setup dialog or I/O Setup dialog. From I/O Setup, inserts can also be defined, and their channels mapped to audio interface channels. (For more information, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide).

You can also connect effects units to your system by using any analog or digital inputs and outputs as Auxiliary Inputs and Outputs for effects sends and returns. Once an effects unit is attached this way, you can send a variable amount of a track’s output to the effects unit using a send in Pro Tools.

Ten separate send controls on each Pro Tools track allow you to route audio to any of the available outputs connected to your system or through any of the 128 internal busses in the Pro Tools Mixer. Outputs can be returned to Auxiliary Inputs for automated mixing or processing.

When you are using an effect in this send and return type of configuration, make sure the unit’s internal mix or balance between direct (unprocessed) and wet (effected) signal is set so that only the processed signal is returned to Pro Tools. On most effect units, a balance setting of 100% (completely wet) is the appropriate setting.

If you’ve been using an effects unit in an instrument setup, such as a guitar effects rack, you’ll probably find the balance to be below 50%. If the unit has separate dry and effect level knobs, turn dry level control off. If you don’t do this, the dry, unprocessed signal will be present in an effect’s output along with the desired processed sound, and you’ll have trouble accurately controlling the effect balance in your final mix.

Connecting Effects Units Digitally

To use your audio interface’s inputs and outputs as effects sends and returns to a digital effects device, set your interface’s Clock Source to Internal in the Hardware Setup dialog (unless it is referenced to another clock source or peripheral). You should then set your digital effects devices to accept an external digital clock so that they

Chapter 5: Connecting Your Studio 61

will synchronize themselves to Pro Tools. Make sure you set the channel pair to the digital input in the Hardware Setup dialog (or I/O Setup dialog).

3 Connect the MIDI OUT of your MIDI device

to the MIDI IN of your MIDI interface.

4 Connect the MIDI IN of your MIDI device to

the MIDI OUT of your MIDI interface.

Connecting MIDI Devices

By adding a compatible MIDI interface to your system, you can take advantage of all the MIDI features of Pro Tools, including recording and editing MIDI tracks, and synchronizing to MIDI Time Code or MIDI beat clock.

USB MIDI interfaces work effectively with Pro Tools systems on Windows or Mac. Serial MIDI interfaces are supported on Windows systems only.

Only USB MIDI interfaces are compatible with Pro Tools systems on Mac OS X. Modem-to-serial port adapters and serial MIDI devices are not supported.

See Appendix C, “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)”or Appendix D, “Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)” for detailed information on how to identify external MIDI devices connected to your MIDI interface and configure your MIDI studio for use with Pro Tools.

To connect MIDI devices to your system:

1 Connect the MIDI interface to your computer

according to the MIDI interface’s documentation.

2 Install any MIDI driver software required by

the MIDI interface. (Once you have installed your MIDI interface hardware and software, conﬁrm that it is working properly using the procedure given in the interface’s documentation.)

Connecting SMPTE Synchronization Devices

If you intend to synchronize Pro Tools to external devices with SMPTE, your system must be connected properly. For details on SMPTE and synchronization, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide or the SYNC I/O Guide.

Digidesign SYNC I/O

Digidesign’s SYNC I/O is a multi-purpose synchronization peripheral that provides all the functions and connections needed to synchronize to a variety of devices with Pro Tools|HD.

SYNC I/O lets you synchronize Pro Tools to LTC, VITC, and Bi-Phase/Tach, or internal for positional reference (time code), and supports all major clock references.

SYNC I/O integrates into the Loop Sync configuration of a Pro Tools|HD system, offering extremely fast lockup, near-sample accurate synchronization, and an exceptionally low-jitter clock. These features provide professional performance and maximum audio fidelity under a wide range of synchronization conditions.

For more information, refer to the SYNC I/O

Guide.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide62

Connecting Ethernet Control Surfaces

If you are using a built-in Ethernet port or a PCI Ethernet card to connect your computer directly (rather than across a network) to a D-Control, D-Command, ProControl or Control|24, the TCP/IP address must be set manually. The default manual settings will work in most cases. Do not use DHCP unless your computer is connected to a network that provides DHCP services.

Chapter 5: Connecting Your Studio 63

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide64

appendix a

Connecting SCSI Drives

SCSI hard drives are the recommended recording media for Pro Tools|HD systems on Windows, and can also be used with Pro Tools on the Mac.

Although Pro Tools will let you record to your system drive, this is generally not recommended. Performance for recording and playback on system drives is sometimes worse than on non-system drives, resulting in lower track counts and fewer plug-ins.

Be aware that recording to your system drive can quickly use up available hard drive space. This can negatively affect system stability and the performance of all applications including Pro Tools.

For the most current information on hard drive requirements and recommendations, refer to the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

SCSI Requirements

Digidesign recommends qualified SCSI hard drives and a qualified SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) card or (on Windows systems) a qualified built-in SCSI HBA connector on the motherboard.

For a list of qualified SCSI hard drives and SCSI HBA cards, refer to the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

Software RAID is not supported for audio drives.

Appendix A: Connecting SCSI Drives 65

SCSI Cables

Distribute Audio Across Multiple Drives

Use shorter SCSI cables to improve reliability. Table 1 provides guidelines for maximum cable lengths according to SCSI type.

In the following table, the maximum cable length includes all cables used in the chain, not just point-to-point connections.

Table 1: Maximum cable length and number of drives supported according to SCSI type

SCSI type and transfer rate

Fast SCSI 10 MB/sec

Wide SCSI 20 MB/sec

Ultra SCSI 20 MB/sec (8-bit narrow)

Ultra SCSI 40 MB/sec (16-bit wide)

Ultra SCSI 20 MB/sec (8-bit narrow)

Ultra SCSI 40 MB/sec (16-bit wide)

Ultra1 SCSI Low Voltage Differential (LVD) 160 MB/sec

Ultra2 SCSI Low Voltage Differential (LVD) 80 MB/sec

Ultra3 SCSI Low Voltage Differential (LVD) 320 MB/sec

maximum cable length

3 meters 8

3 meters 16

3 meters 5

1.5 meters 6–8

12 meters 16

maximum # of drives

For best recording and playback performance, don’t record and play back all audio files in a session from the same drive. Instead, use Pro Tools Disk Allocation features to distribute audio files between multiple drives. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for details.

Separate Video and Audio Files

If you are working with QuickTime, movie files must reside on a different SCSI bus than audio files. If audio files reside on disks connected to a SCSI HBA card, video data should reside on drives connected to a different SCSI bus.

Dual-Channel SCSI HBA Cards

If you use a dual-channel SCSI HBA card, allocate audio files equally to drives connected to each of the two busses on the card for optimal performance.

If using video files, make sure to put your video files on one bus and audio files on the other bus.

Connecting SCSI Drives

To connect an external SCSI drive:

1 Turn off power to both the computer and the

hard drive.

2 Attach a SCSI cable from the SCSI port of the

hard drive to the SCSI port of the SCSI HBA card or computer.

3 Secure the cable’s connectors to the hard drive

and computer.

4 Connect additional drives by daisy-chaining

from one drive to another. Keep cable lengths to a minimum (see Table 1).

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide66

5 Verify that the last SCSI device in the chain is

properly terminated. (See “SCSI Termination” on page 67.)

6 Make sure each SCSI device has a unique ID.

SCSI ID 7 is reserved for the host computer. Do not use ID 7 with any of your SCSI devices.

7 Attach power cables to the hard drives.

SCSI accelerator card

SCSI Termination

Your computer’s SCSI chain must be properly terminated or your system will not function correctly. Only the last device on the chain should be terminated using the termination type recommended by the hard drive manufacturer.

The drive should use either an external terminator plug or have its internal terminators enabled. If you are using a terminator plug, Digidesign recommends that you purchase and use an

active terminator.

Do not enable internal termination and install an external terminator plug on the same drive. This will cause SCSI errors. See your hard drive’s documentation for information on which type of termination it uses.

to SCSI hard drive

Connecting a SCSI cable to a SCSI HBA card

to SCSI accelerator card

Connecting an external SCSI hard drive

Appendix A: Connecting SCSI Drives 67

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide68

appendix b

Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance

It is recommended that you start with a newly formatted audio drive. You should also periodically defragment your audio drive to ensure continued system performance.

Always back up any important data on your drive before formatting it, as it will erase all data on the drive.

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

Recording to your system drive is not recommended. Recording and playback on a system drive may result in lower track counts or fewer plug-ins.

Formatting an Audio Drive

Formatting Windows Audio Drives

(Windows Only)

For optimal performance, audio drives should be formatted as FAT32 or NTFS.

To format an audio drive:

1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-

age.

2 Under Storage, choose Disk Management.

Disk Management window

Appendix B: Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance 69

3 If the volume is “Healthy,” do the following:

Healthy volumes are volumes that have previously been partitioned and formatted.

• In the Disk Management window, rightclick the hard drive you will use for audio and choose Format.

• In the Format window, name the volume.

• Choose a ﬁle system. For optimum performance, audio drives should be formatted as NTFS. (FAT32 is also supported.)

Windows Disk Management can only create FAT32 volumes 32 GB or smaller. To create FAT32 volumes greater than 32 GB (up to 2 TB). use a third part utility (such as Swiss Knife or Partition Magic).

• Select “Perform a quick format.”

• Make sure “Enable ﬁle and folder compression” is not selected.

• Set the Allocation unit size to Default.

• Click OK.

4 If the volume is “Unallocated,” do the follow-

ing:

• In the Disk Management window, rightclick the hard drive you will use for audio and choose New Partition.

• In the New Partition Wizard window, click Next.

• When prompted, select the partition type.

Digidesign recommends using Primary partitions, instead of Extended partitions.

• Follow the on-screen instructions to select a partition size and other partition settings.

• When prompted, choose a ﬁle system. For optimum performance, audio drives should be formatted as NTFS. (FAT32 is also supported.)

Windows Disk Management can only create FAT32 volumes 32 GB or smaller. To create FAT32 volumes greater than 32 GB (up to 2 TB). use a third part utility (such as Swiss Knife or Partition Magic).

Pro Tools only supports Basic drive types. Do not convert the drive to a Dynamic type.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide70

• Select “Perform a quick format.”

• Make sure “Enable ﬁle and folder compression” is not selected.

• Set the Allocation unit size to Default.

• Click OK.

Pro Tools only supports Basic drive types. Do not convert the drive to a Dynamic type.

Formatting Mac Audio Drives

(Mac Only)

For optimum performance, audio drives should be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

To format an audio drive:

1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in

Applications/Utilities.

Partitioning Drives

Partitioning creates a logical volume or volumes on a physical drive, almost as if you were creating virtual hard drives. Partitions can then be formatted with the appropriate ﬁle system (NTFS or FAT32 for Windows, HFS+ for Mac).

FAT32 drive partitions have a limit of 2 terabytes (2000 gigabytes), whereas NTFS drive partition sizes are almost limitless.

Windows XP allows drives formatted with the NTFS or FAT32 file systems to be seen as whole volumes. Single Pro Tools audio files cannot exceed 2048 MB in size.

Mac OS allows drives larger than 4096 MB to be seen as whole volumes. Drives must be initialized with a disk utility that recognizes the 2 terabyte limit. Single Pro Tools audio files cannot exceed 2048 MB in size.

Disk Utility (Mac OS X)

2 Click the Erase tab.

3 Select the drive you want to initialize in the

column on the left side of the window.

4 Choose the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for-

mat.

Do not choose the “Case-Sensitive” format option. Pro Tools will not operate properly with case-sensitive formatted drives.

5 Type a name for the new volume.

6 If you plan to connect the drive to a Mac OS 9

computer, select Install Mac OS 9 Drivers.

7 Click Erase.

The drive appears on the Desktop with the new volume name.

Seek Times on Partitioned Drives

Seek times are actually faster on partitioned drives (assuming that reads and writes are performed on a single partition), since the heads only have to seek within the partition boundaries, rather than the whole capacity of the drive.

Smaller partitions perform faster than larger partitions, but this comes at the expense of contiguous storage space. When you partition a drive, you will need to find the compromise that best suits your performance and storage requirements.

Avoid distributing audio files within a session over different partitions on the same drive since this will adversely affect drive performance.

Appendix B: Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance 71

Defragmenting an Audio Drive

Macintosh Systems

When working with larger files (such as video), you can limit fragmentation by backing up your important files, erasing the hard disk, then reinstalling Mac OS X and your back up files, instead of doing a defragmentation.

Window Systems

Periodically defragment audio drives to maintain system performance.

For maximum recording and playback efficiency, data should be written to your hard drive in a contiguous fashion—minimizing the seek requirements to play back the data. Unfortunately, your computer can’t always store the sound files in this way and must write to disk wherever it can find space.

In multitrack recording, audio tracks are written in discrete files, spaced evenly across the disk. While fragmentation of individual files may be zero, the tracks may be far enough apart that playback will still be very seek-intensive. Also, the remaining free space on the disk will be discontiguous, increasing the likelihood of file fragmentation on subsequent record passes.

Optimizing (Defragmenting) Drives

To prevent fragmentation, you can optimize your drive, which rearranges your ﬁles into a contiguous format. Most optimizing software lets you run a check on a drive to ﬁnd out the percentage of fragmentation. If your drive shows moderate to heavy fragmentation, you should consider optimizing it.

If you use your system for intensive editing, or if you frequently delete audio or fade ﬁles from your hard drive, you may need to optimize your drives on a weekly basis, or even every few days, since it doesn’t take long for even a large hard drive to become fragmented.

Backing Up Data Before Optimizing

Since your files will be rewritten by the optimization process, always make a backup copy of the data on your hard drive before you optimize it. You should also use a hard drive utility to find and repair any problems before optimizing data or re-initializing your drives. If there is any damage to your hard drive's directories prior to optimizing, serious data loss may result.

Increased fragmentation increases the chance of disk errors, which can interfere with playback of audio, and result in performance errors.

On Windows, to avoid fragmentation, format drives with higher cluster sizes (such as 32K).

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide72

Defragmenting Windows Audio Drives

To defragment an audio drive (Windows):

1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-

age.

2 Under Storage, choose Disk Defragmenter.

3 In the Disk Defragmenter window, choose the

drive you want to defragment

4 Click the Defragment button and follow the

on-screen instructions.

When defragmenting is complete, close the Computer Management Window.

Using Mac Drives on Windows Systems

Pro Tools for Windows lets you record and play back sessions directly from a Mac-formatted (HFS+) drive connected to a Windows system. This functionality requires that all Mac session and audio files be stored on Mac-formatted drives.

To mount HFS+ drives on a Windows system, you can use the MacDrive utility. An installer for the demo version of MacDrive is included on the Pro Tools Installer disc.

For details on sharing sessions between Mac and Windows systems, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Formatting and Maintaining HFS+ Drives

To format and partition any drives as HFS+, connect the drives to a Mac computer and use the Apple OS X Disk Utility.

Appendix B: Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance 73

Hard Disk Storage Space

Mono audio tracks recorded with 16-bit resolution at 44.1 kHz (CD quality) require approximately 5 MB of hard disk space per minute. The same tracks recorded with 24-bit resolution require about

7.5 MB per minute.

Stereo audio tracks recorded with 16-bit resolution at 44.1 kHz (CD quality) require approximately 10 MB of hard disk space per minute. The same tracks recorded with 24-bit resolution require about 15 MB per minute.

Table 3 lists the required disk space for certain track numbers and track lengths, to help you estimate your hard disk usage.

Table 3. Required hard drive space for audio tracks (44.1 kHz and 48 kHz sessions shown)

Number of tracks and length 16-bit at

44.1 kHz

1 mono track, 1 minute 5 MB 5.5 MB 7.5 MB 8.2 MB

16-bit at

48 kHz

24-bit at

44.1 kHz

24-bit at

48 kHz

1 stereo track (or two mono tracks), 5 minutes

1 stereo track (or two mono tracks), 60 minutes

24 mono tracks, 5 minutes 600 MB 662 MB 900 MB 991 MB

24 mono tracks, 60 minutes 7 GB 7.8 GB 10.5 GB 11.6 GB

32 mono tracks, 5 minutes 800 MB 883 MB 1.2 GB 1.3 GB

32 mono tracks, 60 minutes 9.4 GB 10.4 GB 14 GB 15.4 GB

50 MB 55 MB 75 MB 83 MB

600 MB 662 MB 900 MB 991 MB

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide74

appendix c

Conﬁguring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)

MIDI Studio Setup

MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) lets you configure the MIDI controllers and sound modules that are connected to your system, and control the routing of MIDI data between your MIDI equipment and Pro Tools.

MSS automatically finds MIDI interfaces, and lets you specify a custom name for each of the MIDI ports within the MIDI Studio Setup document.

MSS also supports XML-based patch file names for storing and importing patch names for your external MIDI devices.

Entire MIDI Studio Setup configurations created within MSS can be imported and exported.

MIDI Studio Setup Window

The MIDI Studio Setup window is organized into three sections. Interface controls are at the top of the window. All the currently defined instruments are displayed in the Instrument Name list on the left side of the window. A detailed view of MIDI parameters is shown in the Properties section on the right.

MIDI Studio Setup window

Interface Controls

Create This button adds a new instrument to the Instrument Name list.

Delete This button deletes the instrument or instruments selected in the Instrument Name list.

Import This button lets you import an existing MIDI Studio Setup file.

Export This button lets you export the current MIDI Studio Setup file.

Appendix C: Conﬁguring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) 75

Show Duplicate Emulated Ports If you are using a MIDI interface that supports timestamping (such as MIDI I/O), when the Show Duplicate Emulated Outputs option is selected, the MIDI Studio Setup window shows both the DirectMusic time-stamped output ports, and nonstamped duplicate emulated output ports.

Some MIDI Interfaces will not properly load or unload their drivers unless you quit and re-launch Pro Tools. Check the documentation that came with your MIDI interface for more information.

Instrument List

The Instrument list contains all the currently defined instruments. Selecting an instrument in the list displays that instrument’s properties in the Properties section of the window.

Properties Section

The Properties section lets you edit information for new instruments, or instrument currently selected in the Instrument list.

To deﬁne an instrument with MIDI Studio Setup:

1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio.

2 Click Create.

3 In the Instrument Name ﬁeld, type the name

of your instrument, and press Enter.

If you do not enter an instrument name, the Instrument Name field will automatically inherit information from the Manufacturer and Model pop-up menu.

4 Set a manufacturer and model for the new de-

vice from the corresponding pop-up menus. If the Manufacturer and Model pop-up menus do not provide a name for your particular device, choose None.

5 From the Input pop-up menu, choose the in-

put port on your MIDI interface that is connected to the MIDI Out of your instrument.

6 From the Output pop-up menu, choose the

output port on your MIDI interface that is connected to the MIDI In of your instrument.

7 Enable the appropriate MIDI channels (1–16)

for the Send Channels and Receive Channels options (These determine which channels send and receive MIDI.)

MIDI Studio Setup Properties section

When a previously defined instrument is selected in the Instrument list, the Properties section changes to reflect the properties of the selected instrument.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide76

Instrument Name

The Instrument Name field shows the user-definable instrument name for the currently selected instrument.

Manufacturer

The Manufacturer pop-up menu provides a list of MIDI equipment manufacturers. This list is derived from the XML-based MIDI device files.

For more information, see “MIDI Patch Name Support” on page 77.

Model

The Model pop-up menu provides a list of MIDI devices, filtered by the manufacturer name. This list is derived from the XML-based MIDI device files provided with your Pro Tools installation.

For more information, see “MIDI Patch Name Support” on page 77.

Input Port

The Input Port pop-up menu displays a list of available MIDI interface input ports. The MIDI interface port that is set and displayed here is the port through which MIDI data is sent from the external MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field into your MIDI interface.

MIDI Patch Name Support

Pro Tools supports XML (Extensible Markup Language) for storing and importing patch names for your external MIDI devices. Pro Tools installs MIDI patch name files (.midnam) for the factory default patch names of many common MIDI devices. These files reside in directories, sorted by manufacturer, in Program Files\ Common Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch Names\ Digidesign.

To import MIDI patch names into Pro Tools:

1 Verify the MIDI Device name in the MIDI Stu-

dio Setup window (see “MIDI Studio Setup” on page 75).

If you set the input port to None, the defined instrument will not appear as a choice in a MIDI Input Selector.

Output Port

The Output Port pop-up menu displays a list of available MIDI interface output ports. The port set and displayed here is the port through which MIDI data is sent from your MIDI interface to the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field.

If you set the output port to None, the defined instrument will not appear as a choice in a MIDI Output Selector.

Send Channels

The Send Channels grid sets the send channels for the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field.

Receive Channels

The Receive Channels grid sets the receive channels for the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field.

2 Verify the MIDI track’s output is correctly as-

signed to the MIDI device.

3 Click the MIDI track’s Patch Select button.

Patch Select button

Patch Select button, Edit window

Patch Select button

Patch Select button, Mix window

Appendix C: Conﬁguring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) 77

4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change

button.

Change button

Patch Select dialog

5 In the Open dialog, navigate to Program

Files\Common Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch Names\Digidesign\<name of manufacturer>, and select the MIDI Patch Name file (.midnam) for the MIDI device.

6 Click Open.

The Patch Select dialog is populated with patch names and the Patch Name Bank pop-up menu appears in the upper left hand corner of the window.

To clear patch names:

■ In the Patch Select dialog, click the Clear but-

ton, and click Done.

MIDI patch name files (.midnam) can be edited in any text editor, or you can use third party patch librarian and editor software to create your own custom patch names.

Patch Select dialog with patch names

Once patch names have been imported into Pro Tools, they are available for that MIDI device in all sessions.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide78

appendix d

Conﬁguring AMS (Mac OS X Only)

2 Click the MIDI Devices tab. AMS scans your

Audio MIDI Setup

Pro Tools recognizes the ports on your MIDI interface as generic ports. With Mac OS X, you use Apple’s Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) utility to identify external MIDI devices connected to your MIDI interface and configure your MIDI studio for use with Pro Tools.

To ensure optimum performance, do not change the AMS configuration while Pro Tools is playing back. Stop the Pro Tools transport before launching AMS.

To conﬁgure your MIDI studio in AMS:

1 Do one of the following:

• Launch Audio MIDI Setup (located in Applications/Utilities).

– or –

• In Pro Tools, choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio.

system for connected MIDI interfaces. If your MIDI interface is properly connected, it appears in the window with each of its ports numbered.

Audio MIDI Setup (MIDI Devices tab)

3 For any MIDI devices connected to the MIDI

interface, click Add Device. A new external device icon with the default MIDI keyboard image will appear.

4 Drag the new device icon to a convenient lo-

cation within the window.

Appendix D: Conﬁguring AMS (Mac OS X Only) 79

5 Connect the MIDI device to the MIDI inter-

face by clicking the arrow for the appropriate output port of the device and dragging a connection or “cable” to the input arrow of the corresponding port of the MIDI interface.

Making MIDI input and output connections

6 Click the arrow for the appropriate input port

of the device and drag a cable to the output arrow of the corresponding port of the MIDI interface.

To conﬁgure an external MIDI device:

1 Select the external device icon and click Show

Info (or double-click the new device icon).

External Device Icon

2 Select a manufacturer and model for the new

device from the corresponding pop-up menus. (If the Manufacturer and Model pop-up menus do not provide a name for your particular device, you can type a name.)

To remove a connection, select the cable and press Delete.

7 Repeat steps 3–6 for each MIDI device in your

MIDI setup.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide80

Naming a new MIDI device

For Manufacturer and Model names, AMS refers to one or more files with the suffix “.middev” in the directory Root/Library/ Audio/MIDI Devices. Pro Tools installs a file that contains information for many commercially available MIDI devices, named “Digidesign Device List.middev.” If the Manufacturer or Model names for any of your external MIDI devices is not available in the AMS Manufacturer and Model popup menus, you can add them by editing the .middev file in any text editor (such as TextEdit).

3 Click the More Information arrow to expand

the dialog, then enable the appropriate MIDI channels (1–16) for the Transmits and Receives options. (These determine which channels the device will use to send and receive MIDI.)

4 Click the device image. The window expands

to show images for various MIDI devices (such as keyboards, modules, interfaces, and mixers). Select an icon for your device.

Selecting a device icon

To use your own custom icons, you can place TIFF image files in /Library/ Audio/MIDI Devices/Generic/Images, and they will appear as choices in the AMS device window.

Enabling MIDI channels

5 Select a device image and click Apply.

6 Close the AMS window to quit the AMS appli-

cation.

To ensure optimum performance, do not launch the Pro Tools application while running AMS. Quit the AMS application first, then launch Pro Tools.

The device names you enter appear as MIDI input and output choices in Pro Tools.

Appendix D: Conﬁguring AMS (Mac OS X Only) 81

MIDI Patch Name Support

Pro Tools supports XML (Extensible Markup Language) for storing and importing patch names for you external MIDI devices. Pro Tools installs MIDI patch name files (.midnam) for the factory default patch names of many common MIDI devices. These files reside in directories, sorted by manufacturer, in /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names/Digidesign.

To import MIDI patch names into Pro Tools:

1 Verify the MIDI Device name in the Audio

MIDI Setup window (see “Audio MIDI Setup” on page 79).

2 Verify the MIDI track’s output is correctly as-

signed to the MIDI device.

3 Click the MIDI track’s Patch Select button.

Patch Select button

4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change

button.

Change button

Patch Select dialog

5 In the Open dialog, navigate to /Library/Au-

dio/MIDI Patch Names/Digidesign/<name of manufacturer>, and select the MIDI Patch Name file (.midnam) for the MIDI device.

6 Click Open.

The Patch Select dialog is populated with patch names and the Patch Name Bank pop-up menu appears in the upper left hand corner of the window.

Once patch names have been imported into Pro Tools, they are available for that MIDI device in all sessions.

Patch Select button, Edit window

Patch Select button

Patch Select button, Mix window

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide82

To clear patch names:

■ In the Patch Select dialog, click the Clear but-

ton, and click Done.

MIDI patch name files (.midnam) can be edited in any text editor, or you can use third party patch librarian and editor software to create your own custom patch names.

appendix e

DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing

This appendix provides an overview of DSP-induced delays, and explains how you can compensate for these delays to improve time and phase alignment of audio in complex or critical mixing situations.

• To learn about DSP-induced delays and when you should compensate, see “Introduction to DSP-Induced Delay” on page 83.

• To learn how to compensate for delays automatically with Delay Compensation (Pro Tools HD only), see “Delay Compensation” on page 84.

• To learn how to compensate for delays manually, see “Manually Compensating for Delays” on page 85.

• For details on the sources of DSP-induced delay, see “Delay Factors” on page 87.

Introduction to DSP-Induced Delay

In all digital systems, DSP processing causes signal delays of varying amounts. These DSP-induced delays can vary from as short as several microseconds to as long as several milliseconds, depending on the type of processing or routing being performed.

Do not confuse signal processing-induced delays with time domain effects processing (such as delay, echo, reverb, and other desirable delay effects).

Each plug-in, hardware insert, and mixer assignment on a track delays that track by an amount equal to the total of all DSP-delay factors. (For details on these delays, see “Delay Factors” on page 87.)

In some cases, signal processing delays matter only if you use a real-time TDM plug-in on one channel of a stereo or multichannel signal but not the others. This imparts an unequal amount of delay to the signals on that channel, which subsequently may cause undesirable cancellation of certain frequencies.

Audible symptoms of phase issues include comb-filtering and loss of high frequencies.

Appendix E: DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing 83

In simple terms, DSP-induced delay can cause audio to arrive at the main output (or a submix output) at different times. To maintain time alignment, you can compensate for DSP-induced delays.

When to Compensate

You may only really need to compensate for delays between tracks where phase coherency must be maintained (as with instruments recorded with multiple microphones or stereo pairs). If you are working with mono signals, and the accumulated delays are small (just a few samples, for example), you probably do not need to worry about compensating for delays.

However, larger sessions with higher track and voice counts, many plug-ins, and/or complex mixer routing can benefit when DSP-induced delays are compensated to maintain proper time alignment.

• You can manually compensate for delays with one or more of the following methods:

• Apply sample-level delay to tracks with the TimeAdjuster plug-in (see “Using TimeAdjuster TDM Plug-In” on page 86).

• Manually nudge tracks earlier or later in time as needed “Nudging Audio Tracks” on page 87.

• Use the same plug-ins on all tracks.

While learning about how to compensate for delays, keep in mind that the best results can be often obtained by using a combination of one or more methods. Doing so gives you more options for managing DSP resources as needed by Delay Compensation and the TimeAdjuster (TDM) plug-in. In addition, the variety of tools available for compensating for delays help ensure compatibility if the session is to be transferred to another system.

In any session, if you want to maintain absolute time alignment across all tracks you should always compensate for signal processing delays.

How to Compensate

Pro Tools systems provide tools to compensate for signal processing delays, as follows:

• You can automatically calculate and compensate for processing delays by using the Pro Tools Delay Compensation feature. See “Delay Compensation” on page 84.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide84

Automatically Compensating for Delays

If you want Pro Tools to automatically compensate for offsets incurred by processing delays, use Delay Compensation.

Delay Compensation

To maintain time alignment, Pro Tools adds the exact amount of delay to each track necessary to make that particular track’s delay equal to the delay of the track that has the longest delay.

Delay Compensation should be enabled during mixing and playback for optimal delay-compensated sound. In some cases when recording, Delay Compensation should be turned off.

For more information on using Delay Compensation, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

To use Delay Compensation to compensate for DSP-induced delays:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine, and choose

a Delay Compensation setting (see “TimeAdjuster and Delay Compensation” on page 85).

TimeAdjuster and Delay Compensation

TimeAdjuster plug-ins behave in a special way when used with Delay Compensation, as follows:

• When Delay Compensation is enabled, TimeAdjuster does not report to Pro Tools its Delay setting (the amount of delay to be added to the signal path). However, TimeAdjuster does reports its internal plug-in delay of 4 samples to Pro Tools, and this delay is reported in the track Channel Delay indicator (or Delay Compensation View) in the Mix window.

• When Delay Compensation is turned off or unavailable, TimeAdjuster operates as expected and applies its Delay setting to the track. For more information, see “Manually Compensating for Delays” on page 85.

2 Select View > Mix Window > Delay Compen-

sation.

3 Choose Options > Delay Compensation.

4 Use the track Delay Compensation displays

and other settings to do any of the following, as needed:

• Deﬁne speciﬁc delay values for hardware inserts

• Bypass Delay Compensation per track

• Fine tune Delay Compensation for each track by entering a User Offset

This ability to maintain TimeAdjuster instances and their Delay settings lets you more easily transfer sessions between systems with and without Delay Compensation.

Manually Compensating for Delays

If you want to manually compensate for offsets incurred by processing delays, do any of the following:

• Use the same plug-ins on all tracks.

• Apply sample-level delay to tracks with the TimeAdjuster plug-in. See “Using TimeAdjuster TDM Plug-In” on page 86.

• Physically adjust audio tracks in the Edit window by the appropriate number of samples (for example, by using the Nudge function). See “Nudging Audio Tracks” on page 87.

Appendix E: DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing 85

Using TimeAdjuster TDM Plug-In

You can use the TimeAdjuster TDM plug-in provided with your Pro Tools system to apply an exact number of samples of delay to the signal path of the tracks you are working with. Up to 2048 samples of delay are available.

The Channel Delay indicator (dly) in the Mix window displays the total delay, in samples, incurred on a track from the use of any plug-in on that channel. TimeAdjuster can be used to match these delay values for other tracks that need to remain in phase (as can occur with instruments recorded with multiple microphones or stereo pairs, if the tracks do not use the same plug-ins).

See also “TimeAdjuster and Delay Compensation” on page 85.

For information on delay indication when using Delay Compensation, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

To use TimeAdjuster to compensate for a time delay (for example, between two tracks):

1 In the Mix window, Control-click (Windows)

or Command-click (Mac) the ﬁrst track’s Volume/Peak/Channel Delay indicator to toggle to Channel Delay (dly).

2 Note the Delay value, shown in samples.

3 Insert the TimeAdjuster plug-in on the second

track (the one whose delay you want to change to match the ﬁrst track).

5 Change the delay time in TimeAdjuster by

moving the Delay slider or entering a value in the Delay ﬁeld, until the second track’s delay value matches that of the ﬁrst track.

Testing TimeAdjuster

You can test the delay values by duplicating an audio track and reversing its phase while compensating for delay.

Using TimeAdjuster with Plug-Ins

If you are using a plug-in whose delay factor you are not familiar with, you can set the delay by ear.

To use TimeAdjuster to compensate for plug-ins with unknown time delays:

• If you are working with phase-coherent track pairs, or tracks that had been multi-miked, you can “null out” the delay. Invert the phase of the target track using the TimeAdjuster Phase Invert button, and adjust the plug-in delay time until the signal disappears. (When they are perfectly synchronized, duplicate signals of opposite polarity cancel each other out.) When you are ﬁnished, disengage the Phase Invert button.

– or –

• Change the delay while listening to the signal in phase, adjusting until any comb-ﬁlter effects cancel out.

4 Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) the track’s Volume/Peak/Channel Delay indicator until the Channel Delay (dly) value is displayed for that track.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide86

Nudging Audio Tracks

Bouncing Tracks

On audio tracks, you can use the Pro Tools Nudge feature to nudge the affected regions in single-sample (or other) increments, to preserve phase coherency. If it is necessary to nudge a region by a large number of samples, you may want to calculate the equivalent value in milliseconds and nudge the Region in millisecond increments. If the value does not divide evenly, you can switch the Nudge value back to samples and use these smaller increments for the remainder.

The disadvantage of using this method is that it only works with audio tracks (not live inputs), and the timing relationship between tracks is permanently altered, which can affect editing.

Sample Rate and How it Affects Delay

The delay in samples caused by TDM processing is the same regardless of the sample rate because a sample is tied to the rate of the sample clock for the entire system. However, when samples are converted into a time value (milliseconds or microseconds), the sample rate (44.1 versus 48 kHz) must be taken into account.

Delay Factors

Bouncing to tracks causes additional delay, as follows:

Bus-Based Bounces When you bus a track to another track and record the result, the following delays are incurred:

Bus-based bounce delays for each Pro Tools system

HD Mixer Delay

Stereo Mixer 10 samples

Surround Mixer 8 samples

Bounce to Disk The File > Bounce to > Disk command causes no delay on Pro Tools|HD systems, because delay compensation for the bounce function is built in. This form of bouncing may be more desirable than bus-based bouncing. For more information, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Using Plug-In Inserts

Using plug-in inserts on a track causes additional delay.

For specific information on the delay amounts for DigiRack or Digidesign plugins, refer to your

Digidesign Plug-Ins Guide.

DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide or

With Pro Tools HD, delay is incurred when you perform the following processes:

• Bouncing tracks. See “Bouncing Tracks” on page 87.

• Real-time processing with plug-in inserts. See “Using Plug-In Inserts” on page 87.

• Mixing and routing with sends. See “Using Sends” on page 88.

• Mixing and routing with hardware I/O (sends or inserts). “Using Hardware I/O” on page 88.

Channel Delay Indicator

On all systems, the Channel Delay indicator (dly) in the Mix window displays the total delay, in samples, incurred on the track from the use of any TDM plug-ins on that channel.

For information on delay indication when using Delay Compensation, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Appendix E: DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing 87

To see the amount of processing delay on a track that uses plug-in inserts:

■ In the Mix window, Control-click (Windows)

or Command-click (Mac) the track’s Volume indicator to toggle between Volume (“vol”), Peak (“pk”) and Channel Delay (“dly”) indications.

Using Sends

When you send a track to another track and return it to a track (audio, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader), the following delays are incurred:

Sends delays for Pro Tools|HD systems

HD Mixer Sends Delay

Pro Tools|HD I/O characteristics

Interface and

Stereo Mixer Surround

I/O Port

192 I/O or 192 Digital I/O AES/EBU

192 I/O Analog

96 I/O AES/EBU

96 I/O Analog

24 samples 22 samples

103 samples 103 samples

21 samples 19 samples

79 samples 77 samples

Mixer

Stereo Mixer Pre-fader send to

bus

Post-fader send to bus

Surround Mixer

Pre-fader send to bus

Post-fader send to bus

10 samples

8 samples

12 samples

Hardware sends also produce delays (see below).

Using Hardware I/O

When an audio interface is used on an insert or send, there is delay introduced by going through the D/A and A/D converter pair (for analog devices) or digital I/O connection (for digital devices) on the audio interface.

You can define a delay value for hardware inserts in the I/O Setup dialog. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more information.

The following tables list the delay incurred by each type of analog and digital output available in Pro Tools|HD systems.

I/O characteristics for Pro Tools|24 MIX-series Legacy interfaces connected to Pro Tools|HD Legacy Port

Interface and I/O Port

888|24 I/O AES/EBU

888|24 I/O Analog

888|20 I/O AES/EBU

888|20 I/O Analog

ADAT Bridge Optical

ADAT Bridge S/PDIF

1622 I/O Optical

1622 I/O S/PDIF

Stereo Mixer Surround

Mixer

18 samples 16 samples

82 samples 80 samples

20 samples 18 samples

18 samples 16 samples

76 samples 74 samples

18 16 samples

76 74 samples

On the 888|24 I/O, the Digital I/O delay incurred when using AES/EBU or S/PDIF is identical.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide88

appendix f

TDM Mixing and DSP Usage

With TDM II, not only can it send data to many

Beneﬁts of TDM II

Digidesign’s TDM (or time division multiplexing) technology is based on the concept of a single, high-speed data highway, or bus that transmits data between your Pro Tools CPU, Pro Tools cards, and the DSP chips on the cards.

Pro Tools|HD cards feature Digidesign’s enhanced TDM II architecture. The TDM II architecture provides many advantages over the original TDM (or TDM I) architecture in terms of its mixing capacity and flexibility.

In TDM systems, individual channels from sources such as audio tracks, sends, or busses are sent out from Pro Tools audio cards, and combined together or multiplexed onto the TDM bus so that all signals can travel simultaneously and can be accessed within a single sample period. At the receiving end, the audio cards can listen to any connection on the bus, and take whatever data they need.

The TDM bus runs fast enough to accommodate many audio signals at the same time. Each separate audio signal or stream, takes up a single time slot on this multiplexed bus.

destinations simultaneously, but it can also send signals both bi-directionally and “privately” between DSP chips, which effectively provides a much greater number of available time slots. This provides a greater potential number of connections for routing, processing and mixing audio signals within Pro Tools.

TDM (or TDM I)

(Legacy Pro Tools MIX-Series Systems Only)

The TDM I architecture (used with Pro Tools|24 MIX systems) has a single bus where every DSP within the entire TDM system shares a single pool of 256 time slots. In practice, this means, for example, that if an audio track has a Reverb One plug-in insert, one of the 256 time slots is used to connect the Engine DSP on one chip to the Reverb One plug-in DSP on another chip. The TDM time slot used comes from the pool of 256 time slots, and is unavailable for use by the rest of the system.

256

slot 1 (used)

slot 2 (used)

One of most powerful features of the TDM architecture is that a single time slot can be used to “broadcast” data to many destinations simultaneously.

DSP

Engine Mixer ReverbOne

Time slot usage on Pro Tools|24 MIX hardware

DSP

Appendix F: TDM Mixing and DSP Usage 89

DSP

TDM II

With TDM II, there is a separate TDM I/O bus between each DSP chip on the Pro Tools cards, each with up to 512 bi-directional time slots at a session sample rate of 44.1 or 48 kHz (both between DSPs on each card, and between the DSPs that communicate between cards). The DSP chips are arranged serially, with a TDM I/O bus connecting one chip to the next. This means that every TDM II connection need only use time slots between the two DSPs that are being connected. See Figure 9 on page 90.

So, using the same example as above, if an audio track has a Reverb One plug-in insert, a time slot is used between the Engine DSP (sending out the audio track) and the DSP with the Reverb One instance. If the Reverb One insert is handled by a DSP that is physically next to the DSP handling mixing tasks, as shown in the illustration below, this leaves time slot 2 available for use between DSP 3 through DSP 9, and subsequent Pro Tools|HD cards.

HD-series card

slot 1 used slot 1 free slot 1 free

DSP

Engine Mixer ReverbOne

DSP

slot 2 used slot 2 used slot 2 free

DSP

Time slot usage on Pro Tools|HD hardware

The maximum consumption of the time slots for a single connection occurs when the audio must be sent between the first and last DSP in the system. In this instance, a time slot between each DSP is used to reach the last DSP in the chain.

Another example of how TDM II is more efficient than TDM I is to imagine a single HD Core card with one Engine chip and two Mixer chips. The DSPs with plug-in instances associated with the first Mixer do not need to communicate with the second Mixer, therefore the time slot numbers used can be re-used by the second Mixer to communicate with other DSPs loaded with other plug-ins.

to previous

HD card

DSP

512

TDM II bus allows individual connections between DSPs

bi-directionally with 512 time slots each at 44.1 and 48 kHz

DSP

512

Figure 9. TDM bus on Pro Tools|HD hardware

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide90

TDM bus

DSP

512

DSP

512

DSP

512

to next

HD card

DSP Allocation

Digital Signal Processing (or DSP) capability is one of the most powerful elements of your system. The DSP chips in your system provide the real-time processing power for your TDM Mixer and plug-ins. There is a limit, depending on your system, to how many functions a single DSP chip can power at once. This section contains some guidelines for getting the most from your available DSP capacity.

Mixing and DSP Usage

Pro Tools builds a TDM mixer every time a session is opened. Note that the term “mixer channel” applies to audio tracks (total voiceable tracks), Auxiliary Input tracks, and sends and returns that use any of the 128 internal busses. When you go beyond a certain number of mixer channels, Pro Tools will use another DSP to create additional mixer capacity.

Master Faders do not use additional DSP power.

DSP Allocation Basics

As in the analog world, every send bus or output mix that you use demands that a summing mixer exist for that group. On an analog console, the number of these summing mixers is fixed by the physical layout of the console. In the Pro Tools mix environment, this number is variable, and depends on the number of output mixes or sends that you choose to create. Pro Tools allocates DSP power as it is needed to build the mixers for each session.

We describe certain mixing or signal processing functions as “using one DSP” or “using two DSPs.” This refers to the fact that there are 9 DSP chips on each HD card.

Each chip on a card can only power a certain number of processing functions. If you have a single Pro Tools|HD card, and you create a big enough TDM mixer and use enough sends or plug-ins, you will eventually use up or “max out” the DSP capacity of that card.

DSP Manager

Pro Tools software includes the DSP Manager, a software component that optimizes the use of DSP capacity on Pro Tools|HD systems.

When you have an Pro Tools|HD card in your system, if your current DSP usage is approaching the capacity of the card, and you then try to add a mixer channel or assign a plug-in, the DSP Manager will automatically try to make room for the new mixer or plug-in on the Pro Tools|HD card. It does this by reallocating the existing TDM mixers and plug-ins to use the available DSP capacity on the Pro Tools|HD card as efficiently as possible.

Appendix F: TDM Mixing and DSP Usage 91

Monitoring DSP Usage

The System Usage window provides a display of DSP usage. As you allocate DSP to mixing or processing with plug-ins, the System Usage window indicates when DSP chips are available and when they are in use. Green indicates a chip is free. Red indicates a chip is in use.

There are five different System Usage View formats: Small, Large, Detailed, Gas Gauge, and Activity Only. The Detailed and Gas Gauge formats show the percentage of each DSP chip in use.

System Usage window showing Large format

System Usage showing Gas Gauge format

With these indicators as your guide, you can try different mixer setups and different arrangements of plug-ins, sends, and Auxiliary Inputs to maximize your use of available DSP power.

Another feature available for DSP management is Active and Inactive switching. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more information.

System Usage window showing Detailed format

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide92

To monitor the usage of DSP resources during a Pro Tools session:

■ Choose Window > System Usage.

To display DSP resources in different view formats:

■ Choose View > System Usage, and one of the

System Usage View formats (such as Small).

Setting up Sessions to Use DSP Efﬁciently

DSP Usage and Mixer Plug-Ins

The dynamically configurable mixing environment in Pro Tools lets you make choices based on the type of setup you want to have—such as how many inputs you want for your mixer, how many plug-ins you want to use, or how many sends you need.

For example, you could allocate all of your DSP power to create a large mixer with dozens of channels—but you would not be able to use as many busses, sends, or TDM plug-ins. Alternatively, you could create a mixer with a smaller number of mixer channels plus some sends and Auxiliary Inputs for returns, and TDM plug-ins on several tracks.

RTAS (Real-Time AudioSuite) plug-ins, as well as AudioSuite

plug-ins, do not use DSP

and are always available. Refer to your

DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide for more informa-

tion.

You can set up your session by choosing one of the session templates supplied with your system as a starting point, or by building it from scratch. If you are starting from scratch, a good rule of thumb is to start by building your mixer first, since at least one of the DSPs in your system is automatically dedicated to mixing. Start with audio tracks, then add sends and Auxiliary Inputs, and finally add plug-ins as available DSP allows. Master Faders do not use additional DSP power.

Understanding Mixers

Pro Tools|HD systems include two mixer plug-in “flavors”: stereo and surround (both of which are available with dither or without). Pro Tools uses these plug-ins to create “dynamic mixers,” meaning that the mixer size can expand or con- tract as mix channels are added or deleted in Pro Tools. More channels take up more DSP power from your Pro Tools hardware. This is different from hardware mixing consoles where hardware (analog or digital) creates “fixed” mix configurations consisting of an unchangeable number of master outputs, busses or sends.

DSP allocation for mixing in a Pro Tools|HD system is based on the concept of DSP summing mixers. Every send bus or output mix that you use requires that a summing mixer exists for those signals. Every single signal path that is mixed together requires the use of a mixer plugin (whether a main output that goes to hardware, a bus or a send). This is even true for an individual signal that travels from hard disk to an individual hardware output. These individual dynamic mixers are created using the appropriate TDM mixer plug-in (stereo or surround) that is installed in your Plug-Ins folder.

An “input” can be an audio track, send, or internal bus connection. Adding an output or bus path (mono or multichannel) adds the requirement for DSP power to mix the signals together.

Each Pro Tools|HD card has nine DSPs, which can power a certain number of signal processing tasks. DSP resources are dynamically allocated as the number of mixers and inputs increases.

The TDM mixer provides basic building blocks by which applications such as Pro Tools can create a wide variety of mixer configurations.

Appendix F: TDM Mixing and DSP Usage 93

Mono and Stereo

Each TDM mono or stereo mixer is of the dimensions “N x 2,” meaning that it mixes a variable number of inputs to an output pair. For example: A session with six tracks routed to Output 1–2 would require a single 6 x 2 mixer. If one of the six tracks is assigned to Output 3–4, however, two mixers are required—one 5x2 mixer routed to Output 1–2, and one 1x2 mixer routed to Output 3–4.

Multichannel Surround

Each Surround mixer can have a variable number of outputs as well as a variable number of inputs. For example, the 7.1 format requires eight outputs. A single mono track assigned to a 7.1 Output or Bus path would require a 1x8 mixer, while one mono and one stereo track assigned to a 7.1 Output or Bus path would require a 3x8 mixer.

The important concept here is that every output (whether they are I/O or bus outputs) requires that a mixer exists for that output. This means that creating a send to bus 1 requires that a mixer be created for the bus 1–2 outputs, and that mixer will have one input.

Mixing with Sends and Busses

Each send will add an input to the destination output pair. For example, a send to output 1 will add another input to the output 1–2 mixer. If the send destination doesn’t already have a mixer for its output pair, then a new mixer will be created. A send to bus 3 will make a 1x2 mixer for bus 3 if no other bus 3 sources have been created yet.

In addition, adding a new track and assigning its input to a bus source will create a mixer for that bus pair if there is not one already.

For example, creating a new Auxiliary Input track and setting its input to bus 5 will create a 1x2 mixer for bus 5, even if no sources have been created yet.

Submixing

When the number of channels that must be mixed exceeds the capacity of a single DSP, additional “main” mixers are created automatically, along with summing submixers (which sum together the “main” mixers). The use of submixers allows large mix configurations to be created.

For example, on a Pro Tools|HD system, when a Stereo mixer running at 44.1 kHz needs to grow to more than 68 inputs, a submixer is created along with another “main mixer” that provides “n” number of inputs beyond 68. Both the original 68x2 mixer and the new “N x 2” mixer which provides additional inputs are routed to a submixer, and its outputs are finally sent to the desired destination (such as Output 1–2 on your main audio interface).

Note that any small delays (on the order of a few samples) that are created remain equal between these main mixers because they are summed together by means of submixers, and are not cascaded.

The total number of voiceable tracks supported by your particular Pro Tools configuration will ultimately determine the maximum number of channels for your TDM mixer.

Mixers and DSP Hardware

Different mixer plug-ins are available, each of which uses DSP power at slightly different rates on the different audio cards (and their DSP chips), as shown in the following tables.

See “Mixer Plug-Ins” on page 97.

Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide94

Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools HD - 7.2 Getting Started

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

contents

Welcome to Pro Tools|HD

Pro Tools|HD Systems

Pro Tools|HD (for PCIe) Systems

Pro Tools|HD (for PCI) Systems

Included with Pro Tools|HD Systems

Audio Recording and Playback Capabilities

Pro Tools HD Capabilities

Pro Tools Hardware Overview

Pro Tools|HD (for PCIe) Hardware

Accel Core (for PCIe) Card

HD Accel (for PCIe) Card

Pro Tools|HD (for PCI) Hardware

HD Accel (for PCI) Card

HD Core (for PCI) Card

TDM FlexCable

Audio Interfaces

192 I/O Audio Interface

192 Digital I/O Audio Interface

96 I/O Audio Interface

96i I/O Audio Interface

Optional Legacy I/O Audio Interfaces

System Requirements

MIDI Requirements

Hard Drive Requirements

SCSI Hard Drives

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

Drive Formats

FireWire Hard Drives

IDE/ATA/SATA Hard Drives

Digidesign Registration

Conventions Used in This Guide

About the Pro Tools Guides

About www.digidesign.com

Windows Installation

Installation Overview

Modifying the Computer’s SCSI BIOS

Updating the ATTO SCSI BIOS

Installing the ATTO SCSI Driver

Installing SCSI Drivers

Windows System Optimization

Required Optimizations

Enabling DMA

Disabling ClearType Font Smoothing

Disabling System Standby and Power Management

Recommended Optimizations

Optional Optimizations

Re-enabling Hyper-Threading

Disabling Network Cards

Adjusting Processor Scheduling

Disabling Hyper-Threading

Disabling System Startup Items

Installing Pro Tools Hardware

Disabling Driver Signing Warnings

Installing Pro Tools|HD Cards

Connecting Pro Tools|HD Cards

Connecting Audio Interfaces

Connecting Loop Sync

Connecting Legacy Audio Interfaces

Connecting an Additional 16 Channels of Audio with Legacy Audio Interfaces

Installing Pro Tools HD Software

Installing QuickTime

Digidesign WaveDriver

Optional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Digidesign ASIO Driver

Avid Video Engine

DigiTranslator

MachineControl

MIDI I/O Driver

MP3 Export Option

Command 8 Controller and Driver

Pro Tools Demo Session

MacDrive Demo

Removing Pro Tools

Mac Installation

Installation Overview