Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools LE - 6.1 Reference Guide

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Pro Tools

Reference Guide

Version 6.1 for TDM or LE Systems on Windows or Macintosh

Version 5.3.x for TDM or LE Systems on Macintosh

Version 5.1.x for MIX or LE Systems on Macintosh

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This guide is copyrighted ©2003 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Digidesign.

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All features and specifications subject to change without notice.

PN 910611586-00 REV A 07/03

Part I Introduction

Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools

The Pro Tools Guides Digidesign Registration Compatibility Information About www.digidesign.com

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Chapter 2. Pro Tools System Configurations

Pro Tools TDM Systems Pro Tools LE Systems

Chapter 3. Pro Tools Concepts

Hard Disk Audio Recording The Digidesign Audio Engine Pro Tools Sessions System Resources MIDI Concepts

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Chapter 4. Pro Tools Windows

The Mix Window The Edit Window The Transport Window

Chapter 5. Keyboard Shortcuts

Global Key Commands Keyboard Focus Numeric Keypad Modes

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Part II Sessions & Tracks

Chapter 6. Sessions

Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System Configuring Pro Tools System Settings Configuring Pro Tools Hardware Settings Creating a New Session Opening a Session Saving a Session Creating Custom Session Templates Closing a Session Quitting Pro Tools Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems Preferences

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Chapter 7. I/O Setup

The I/O Setup Dialog Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O Creating and Editing Paths I/O Settings Files I/O Setup Options

Chapter 8. Tracks

Track Types Track Controls Creating Tracks Hiding Tracks Assigning Inputs and Outputs to Tracks Track Priority and Voice Assignment Setting MIDI Input and Output Soloing and Muting Tracks Making Tracks Inactive Adjusting Track Width Color Coding Tracks Grouping Tracks

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Chapter 9. Importing and Exporting Session Data

Importing Audio Conversion Quality Importing Audio Files and Regions Importing Audio Files with Drag & Drop from a DigiBase Browser Importing Audio from an Audio CD Importing Tracks and Track Attributes Importing Tracks

Pro Tools Reference Guide

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Exporting Audio Exporting Pro Tools Tracks as OMFI or AAF Files Exporting Sessions as Text Importing MIDI Files Exporting MIDI Files

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Chapter 10. File Management and Compatibility

Audio File Management WAV File Compatibility Avid File Compatibility Creating Macintosh and PC Compatible Sessions Moving Sessions Between Platforms with MacOpener

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Part III Recording

Chapter 11. Record Setup

Input Connections and Audio Levels Record Enabling Tracks Monitoring Modes Monitoring Latency Default Track Names Disk Allocation Allocating Hard Drive Space for Recording Record Modes Recording with a Click Setting the Default Meter and Tempo

Chapter 12. Basic Audio Recording

Recording an Audio Track Record Shortcuts Record Pause Mode Recording Additional Takes Punch Recording Audio Loop Recording Audio Auditioning Record Takes Setting Punch/Loop Points

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Contents

Chapter 13. MIDI Recording

Recording from MIDI Devices Enabling Input Devices MIDI Thru MIDI Input Filter Input Quantize

Wait for Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

MIDI Merge/Replace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Configuring MIDI Tracks for Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Recording to MIDI Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Punch Recording MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Loop Recording MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Recording System Exclusive Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

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Chapter 14. Advanced Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

QuickPunch Audio Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Recording from a Digital Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Half-Speed Recording and Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Part IV Editing

Chapter 15. Editing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Pro Tools Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Displaying Region Names and Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Audio Regions and Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

MIDI Regions and MIDI Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Playlists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Multiple Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

The Audio and MIDI Regions Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Edit Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Zooming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

The Universe Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Timebase Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Main Time Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Tick-Based Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Chapter 16. Playing and Selecting Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Playing Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Scrolling Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

The Scrubber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Linking or Unlinking Edit and Timeline Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Selecting Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Pro Tools Reference Guide

Playing Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Timeline Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Playing Edit and Timeline Selections with the Playhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Chapter 17. Working with Regions and Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Creating New Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Healing a Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

Placing Regions in Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

The Trimmer Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Sliding Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Nudging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Shift Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Quantizing Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Locking Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Muting/Unmuting Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Edit Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Duplicate Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

Repeat Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Merge Paste Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Editing Stereo and Multichannel Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Processing Audio with AudioSuite Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Waveform Repair with the Pencil Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

The Smart Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Chapter 18. Advanced Editing (TDM Systems Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Replacing Audio Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Repeat Paste To Fill Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

Compress/Expand Edit To Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

Chapter 19. Fades and Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Using Crossfades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Creating a Crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Creating Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Using AutoFades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Creating Fades and Crossfades in Batches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Chapter 20. Managing Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Stripping Silence from Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Inserting Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Consolidate Selection Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Naming and Displaying Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Compacting an Audio File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Contents vii

Chapter 21. Conductor Tracks and Memory Locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Tempo Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Default Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Identify Beat Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

Meter Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

Renumbering Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

Memory Locations and Markers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Memory Locations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

Chapter 22. Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Beat Detective Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

The Beat Detective Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Beat Detective Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Defining a Beat Detective Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Calculating Tempo with Beat Detective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Generating Beat Triggers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Generating Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

DigiGroove Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Separating Regions with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Conforming Regions with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Edit Smoothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Detection (Normal) and Collection Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334

Part V MIDI Editing

Chapter 23. MIDI Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

The Pencil Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

Custom Note Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340

Setting the Grid Value. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Inserting MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Manually Editing MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Continuous Controller Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350

System Exclusive Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Note and Controller Chasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356

Offsetting MIDI Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

Stuck Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358

Chapter 24. MIDI Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

MIDI Operations Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

Select Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

Change Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362

Change Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364

Pro Tools Reference Guideviii

Transpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Quantize. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

Input Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

Groove Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

Restore Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376

Flatten Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

Chapter 25. MIDI Event List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

The MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

Inserting Events in the MIDI Event List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

Editing in the MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384

MIDI Event List Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386

Part VI Mixing

Chapter 26. Basic Mixing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Mixing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Metering and Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Audio Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

Viewing I/O, Inserts, and Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

Track Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396

Track Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396

Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

Output Windows for Tracks and Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404

Submixing for Signal Routing and Effects Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Using a Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415

Chapter 27. Plug-In and Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417

Inserting Plug-Ins on Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

Moving and Duplicating Plug-In and Hardware Inserts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422

The Plug-In Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

Editing Plug-In Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426

Using Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428

Connecting and Integrating External Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429

Contents ix

Chapter 28. Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433

Automation Quick Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433

Automation Playlists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434

Automation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435

Automation Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438

Viewing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440

Writing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441

Enabling and Suspending Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445

Deleting Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446

Thinning Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447

Drawing Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447

Editing Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Writing Automation to the Start, End or All of a Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455

Trimming Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457

Creating Snapshot Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457

Chapter 29. Mixdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461

Recording to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

Bounce to Disk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464

Bounce Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465

Recording a Submix (with Bounce To Disk) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473

Final Mixdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474

Mastering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475

Part VII Surround

Chapter 30. Surround Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479

Mixing Formats and Surround Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479

Pro Tools Mixing Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480

Speaker Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480

Surround Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482

Formats and Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483

Surround Mixing Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486

Chapter 31. Pro Tools Setup for Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489

Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489

Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490

Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494

5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494

Chapter 32. Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

Multichannel Quick Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

Multichannel Audio Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

Pro Tools Reference Guidex

Multichannel Signal Routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498

Paths in Surround Mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501

Example Paths and Signal Routing for a Surround Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503

Chapter 33. Surround Panning and Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507

Introduction to Pro Tools Surround Panning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507

Output Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508

Standard Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

Surround Panner Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510

Panning Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512

LFE Faders in Multichannel Panners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515

Divergence and Center Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515

SurroundScope Metering Plug-In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518

Part VIII Synchronization

Chapter 34. Synchronization Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521

Synchronization Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521

Aspects of Synchronization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521

Synchronizing Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522

SMPTE Frame Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525

Working with Film-Originated Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526

Chapter 35. Working with Synchronization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531

Pro Tools Synchronization Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531

Session Setup Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533

Preparing to Work with SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537

Configuring Pro Tools for SMPTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538

Pull Up and Pull Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540

Putting Pro Tools Online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545

Generating Time Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546

Using MIDI Machine Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547

Synchronizing a Sequencer to Pro Tools on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549

Synchronizing a Sequencer to Pro Tools on Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549

Setting Minimum Sync Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551

Remote Track Arming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552

Synchronizing Pro Tools to an OMS-Compatible Sequencer Using MMC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552

MIDI Beat Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554

Spotting Regions to SMPTE Frame Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554

Time Stamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557

Identifying a Synchronization Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559

Troubleshooting Synchronization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560

Contents xi

Chapter 36. Working with QuickTime Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563

About QuickTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 563

QuickTime Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565

Movie Playback Quality Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565

Importing a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566

Firewire Playback of QuickTime DV Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567

About the Movie Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569

Setting the Movie Start Time (Movie Offset) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570

Spotting Audio to a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571

Importing QuickTime Audio (and Other Compressed Video Files). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572

Bouncing to a New Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574

Appendix A. DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing (TDM Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577

Delay Factors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577

Compensating for Delays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 579

Appendix B. TDM Mixing and DSP Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581

Benefits of TDM II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581

DSP Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583

DSP Usage with TDM Mixers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585

DSP Usage with TDM Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593

DSP Usage and I/O Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594

Appendix C. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595

Backing Up Your Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595

Common Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595

Using DigiTest as a Diagnostic Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596

Performance Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597

Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 609

Pro Tools Reference Guidexii

Part I: Introduction

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools

Welcome to Pro Tools®. Pro Tools integrates powerful multitrack digital audio and MIDI sequencing features, giving you everything you need to record, arrange, edit, mix, and master quality audio for music, video, ﬁlm, and multimedia.

The Pro Tools Guides

Your Pro Tools system includes the following guides:

Getting Started Guide Instructions for installing your Pro Tools system and connecting your studio.

Pro Tools Reference Guide Full details on all Pro Tools functionality and operations. (Pro Tools LE systems only include an electronic PDF version of the Reference Guide.)

Pro Tools Menus Guide Electronic PDF guide to the Pro Tools on-screen menus.

DigiRack™ Plug-Ins Guide Instructions for using the DigiRack plug-ins (included with Pro Tools) for both real-time and file-based audio processing in Pro Tools. (Pro Tools LE systems only include an electronic PDF version of this guide.)

Digidesign Plug-Ins Guide Electronic PDF guide with instructions for using optional Digidesign plug-ins for both real-time and file-based audio processing in Pro Tools.

DigiBase and DigiBase Pro Guide Full details on using Pro Tools DigiBase databasing and browsers for data and media management. (Pro Tools LE systems only include an electronic PDF version of this guide.)

Pro Tools MIDI Control Surfaces Guide Electronic PDF guide that includes instructions for operating Pro Tools with various MIDI control surfaces.

Expanded Systems Guide (TDM Systems Only) Instructions for expanding a Pro Tools

TDM system with optional Digidesign cards, or an expansion chassis.

MachineControl Guide (TDM Systems Only) Electronic PDF guide that includes instructions for using MachineControl software for Pro Tools to enable serial communication with remote audio and video machines.

Keyboard Shortcut Cards Separate electronic PDFs for Windows and Macintosh that list the many keyboard shortcuts not shown in the Pro Tools menus.

Digidesign also provides guides with audio interfaces, optional dedicated controllers (such as Control|24 and ProControl) and other Digidesign options, (such as MIDI I/O, PRE, and SYNC I/O). Refer to the separate guide provided with each Digidesign product.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools 3

Conventions Used in These Guides

The Pro Tools guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices and key commands:

Convention Action

File > Save Session Choose Save Session

from the File menu

Control+N Hold down the Control

key and press the N key

Compatibility Information

Digidesign can only assure compatibility and provide support for hardware and software it has tested and approved. For a list of Digidesignqualified computers, operating systems, and third-party devices, refer to the latest compatibility information on the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

Control-click Hold down the Option key

and click the mouse button

Right-click (Windows) Click with the right

mouse button

The following symbols are used to highlight important information:

User Tips are helpful hints for getting the most from your Pro Tools system.

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

Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or mouse shortcuts.

Cross References point to related sections in Digidesign guides.

About www.digidesign.com

The Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com) is your best source for information to help you get the most out of your Pro Tools system. The following are just a few of the services and features available.

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

Training and Education Study on your own using courses available online, or find out how you can learn in a classroom setting at a certified Pro Tools training center.

Products and Developers Learn about Digidesign products; download demo software; learn about our Development Partners and their plug-ins, applications, and hardware.

Digidesign Registration

Be sure to complete and return the registration card included with your Pro Tools system. Registered users will receive periodic software update and upgrade notices. Refer to the registration card for technical support and warranty information.

Pro Tools Reference Guide4

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

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

Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Conﬁgurations

There are two types of Pro Tools systems: TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) and LE. These refer to both the Pro Tools software and its associated hardware, as follows:

• TDM = Pro Tools TDM software for Pro Tools|HD-series, Pro Tools|24 MIX-series, or Pro Tools|24 hardware.

• LE = Pro Tools LE software for Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, Digi 001, Mbox, or Toolbox hardware.

Pro Tools TDM Systems

Pro Tools TDM systems are available in the following conﬁgurations. Each system requires at least one Digidesign audio interface (sold separately). TDM systems can be expanded by adding Digidesign cards to increase track count, add to the amount of possible plug-in and mixer processing, and connect additional audio interfaces.

Pro Tools system performance depends on factors such as computer processor speed, amount of system memory, and hard drive performance. Contact your Digidesign dealer or visit Digidesign’s Web site for the latest system requirements and compatibility information.

HD-Series Systems

Pro Tools|HD 1

Includes:

• HD Core card

• Pro Tools TDM software

Pro Tools|HD 2

Includes:

• HD Core card

• HD Process card

• Pro Tools TDM software

Pro Tools|HD 3

Includes:

• HD Core card

•Two HD Process cards

• Pro Tools TDM software

Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Conﬁgurations 5

MIX-Series Systems

Supported Audio Interfaces

Pro Tools|24 MIX

Includes:

• MIX Core card

• Pro Tools TDM software

Pro Tools|24 MIXplus

Includes:

•MIX Core card

• MIX Farm card

• Pro Tools TDM software

Pro Tools|24 MIX

Includes:

• MIX Core card

•Two MIX Farm cards

• Pro Tools TDM software

Pro Tools|24 System

Pro Tools|24

Includes:

• d24 Audio card

• DSP Farm card

• Pro Tools TDM software

HD-Series Only

The following audio interfaces are compatible with Pro Tools|HD-series systems:

• 192 I/O

• 192 Digital I/O

• 96 I/O

Pro Tools|HD-series systems require the use of at least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, or 96 I/O.

HD-Series, MIX-Series and Pro Tools|24

The following Digidesign audio interfaces are supported with Pro Tools|HD-series, Pro Tools|24 MIX-series and Pro Tools|24 systems:

• 888|24 I/O and 882|20 I/O

• 1622 I/O

• 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O or original ADAT Bridge I/O

Audio interfaces that work with HD-series systems require the use of at least one 192 I/O, 192 digital I/O, or 96 I/O.

The original 888 I/O and 882 I/O audio interfaces work with Pro Tools|24 MIX-series and Pro Tools|24 systems only.

Pro Tools Reference Guide6

TDM System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits

The following table lists the audio playback, recording, and voiceable track limits of each type of Pro Tools TDM system. Playback and recording voices refer to the number of unique simultaneous playback and record tracks on your system. Total voiceable tracks refers to the maximum number of audio tracks that can share the available voices on your system. (Mono tracks take up one voice. Stereo and multichannel tracks take up one voice per channel.) Voice limits are dependent on the session sample rate and the number of DSP chips dedicated to the system’s Playback Engine. Pro Tools HD-series systems can open sessions with up to 256 audio tracks (and Pro Tools|24 MIX-series or Pro Tools|24 systems can open sessions with up to 128 audio tracks), but any audio tracks beyond that system’s voiceable track limit will be automatically set to Voice Off.

Pro Tools|HD-series systems provide up to 128 Auxiliary tracks (Auxiliary Inputs); Pro Tools|24 MIXseries and Pro Tools|24 systems provide up to 64 Auxiliary Inputs. All TDM-equipped Pro Tools systems also provide a total of 64 internal mix busses, and up to 5 inserts and 5 sends per track (depending on the DSP capacity of your system).

In addition, Pro Tools TDM systems support up to 256 MIDI channels (Pro Tools 6.x) or up to 128 MIDI channels (Pro Tools 5.1 to 5.3.x).

Table 3. Pro Tools TDM system audio playback, recording and voice limits

Sample

Core System Type

Pro Tools|HD 1 44.1/48 96 96 112

Expanded Pro Tools|HD 1, Pro Tools|HD 2, Pro Tools|HD 3

Pro Tools|24 MIX, Expanded Pro Tools|24 MIX, Pro Tools|24 MIXplus, Pro Tools|24 MIX

Pro Tools|24 44.1/48 32 32 43

Expanded Pro Tools|24 44.1/48 64 64 86

Rate (kHz)

88.2/96 48 48 48

176.4/192 12 12 12

44.1/48 128 128 224

88.2/96 64 64 80

176.4/192 24 24 24

44.1/48 64 64 86

Voices (Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Playback)

Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Conﬁgurations 7

Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Recording

Total Voiceable Tracks

Audio Interfaces for TDM Systems

The following table lists the input and output capabilities of the various audio interfaces for Pro Tools TDM systems. In expanded Pro Tools|HD systems, audio interfaces can be combined for up to 96 audio inputs and outputs (for example, with one HD Core card, two HD Process cards, and six I/Os). In expanded Pro Tools|24 MIX systems, audio interfaces can be combined for up to 72 audio inputs and outputs (for example, with one MIX Core card, five MIX Farm cards, and six ADAT Bridge I/Os).

Table 4. Pro Tools TDM system audio interface channel capabilities

Interface Type

192 I/O 16 in/16 out

192 Digital I/O 16 in/16 out 44.1, 48, 88.2,

96 I/O 16 in/16 out 44.1, 48, 88.2, 9624-bit 24-bit 24-bit

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

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

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

24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O

Original ADAT Bridge I/O

Number of I/O Channels

(Expansion port supports up to 16 channels of additional I/O)

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

16 in/16 out 44.1, 48 None 20-bit 24-bit (AES

Sample Rates (kHz)

44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192

96, 176.4, 192

A/D Conversion

24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

None None 24-bit

D/A Conversion

20-bit, on older I/O)

Digital I/O

24-bit

or S/PDIF), or 20-bit (Optical)

888 I/O 8 in/8 out 44.1, 48 18-bit (or

16-bit, on older I/O)

882 I/O 8 in/8 out 44.1, 48 16-bit 16-bit 24-bit

Pro Tools Reference Guide8

18-bit 24-bit

Pro Tools LE Systems

Pro Tools LE-based systems are available in the following configurations:

Digi 002

A Digi 002 system includes:

• Digi 002 combined audio interface and controller

• Pro Tools LE software

Mbox

An Mbox system includes:

• Mbox audio interface

• Pro Tools LE software

Digi ToolBox XP

A Digi ToolBox system includes:

• Audiomedia III PCI card

• Pro Tools LE software

Digi 002 Rack

A Digi 002 Rack system includes:

• Digi 002 audio interface

• Pro Tools LE software

Digi 001

A Digi 001 system includes:

• Digi 001 PCI card

• Digi 001 I/O interface

• Pro Tools LE software

The total processing capacity of a Pro Tools LE-based system depends on the processing power of your computer. Contact your Digidesign dealer or visit Digidesign’s Web site for the latest system requirements and compatibility information.

Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Conﬁgurations 9

Pro Tools LE System Capabilities

Table 5 lists the playback, recording, and input and output capabilities of each Pro Tools LE system. All Pro Tools LE systems support up to 32 or 24 audio tracks, as noted in Table 5. (Mono tracks take up a single audio track, while stereo tracks take up two tracks.) If you open a Pro Tools session created on a TDM system containing more than the number of tracks supported on the LE-based system, audio tracks beyond the LE system’s voiceable track limit will be automatically set to inactive (Pro Tools

6.x), or will not open (Pro Tools 5.3.3 or lower). Additionally, with 5.3.3 or lower, if you save the session, the tracks beyond the voiceable track limit will be deleted from the session data.

All Pro Tools LE series systems provide up to 128 Auxiliary tracks (Auxiliary Inputs), a total of 16 internal mix busses, and up to 5 inserts and 5 sends per track (depending on your computer’s processing capacity). In addition, Pro Tools LE systems support up to 256 MIDI channels (Pro Tools 6.x) or up to 128 MIDI channels (Pro Tools 5.1 to 5.3.x).

Table 5. Pro Tools LE system audio playback, recording, and channel capabilities

System Type

Digi 002

Digi 002 Rack

Digi 001 32 (Pro Tools 6.x cross-

Mbox 32 (Pro Tools 6.x cross-

Audiomedia III 32 (Pro Tools 6.x cross-

Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Playback

32 up to 18 in/18 out

platform, and Pro Tools

5.3.1 to 6.x on Windows)

24 (Pro Tools 5.2 or lower)

platform, and Pro Tools

5.3.3 to 6.x on Windows)

24 (Pro Tools 5.2)

platform, and Pro Tools

5.3.1 to 6.x on Windows)

24 (Pro Tools 5.2 or lower)

Number of I/O Channels

(48 kHz or lower)

up to 10 in/10 out (88.2 or 96 kHz)

up to 18 in/18 out 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

up to 2 in/2 out 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

up to 4 in/4 out 18-bit 18-bit 24-bit

A/D Conversion

24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

D/A Conversion

Digital I/O

For details on transferring session material between Pro Tools TDM and Pro Tools LE systems, see “Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems” on page 54.

Pro Tools Reference Guide10

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts

This chapter explains the principles and concepts that form the foundation of Pro Tools operation and functionality.

Hard Disk Audio Recording

The Digidesign Audio Engine

DAE (or Digidesign Audio Engine) is Digidesign’s real-time operating system for digital recording systems. When you install Pro Tools, DAE is automatically installed on your system.

Tape-based recording is a linear medium—you need to rewind or fast forward a tape to hear a particular spot in a recording. To rearrange or repeat material in a linear system, you need to rerecord it.

Hard disk recording is a nonlinear (or random access) medium—you can go immediately to any spot in a recording without having to rewind or fast forward.

Nonlinear systems have several advantages. You can easily rearrange or repeat parts of a recording by making the hard disk read parts of the recording in a different order and/or multiple times. In addition, this re-arrangement is non- destructive, meaning that the original recorded material is not altered.

Pro Tools is a nonlinear recording system that lets you rearrange and mix recorded material nondestructively.

In the same way that a computer’s operating system provides the foundation for programs that run on the computer, DAE provides the foundation for much of the hard disk recording, digital signal processing, mix automation, and MIDI functionality required by Pro Tools and other products from Digidesign and its Development Partners.

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory allocated within DAE to manage disk buffers, which affects system performance. For more information, see “DAE Playback Buffer Size” on page 42. The DAE Playback Buffer Size can be changed in the Playback Engine dialog, discussed below.

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 11

Playback Engine Dialog

Pro Tools takes advantage of your computer’s host processor for certain tasks and optional host-based DSP processing.

Pro Tools LE uses host (CPU) processing to provide audio track recording, playback, mixing, and effects processing. Pro Tools TDM can also use host processing to run RTAS plug-ins for effects processing. Performance is determined by your system and its Playback Engine settings.

Pro Tools Sessions

When you start a project in Pro Tools, you create a session. Some basic elements of sessions are explained in this section.

Session File

The Playback Engine dialog lets you set a hardware buffer size and allocate a percentage of CPU resources for these tasks. For more information, see “Conﬁguring Pro Tools System Settings” on page 39.

Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools TDM system

The Playback Engine dialog is also where you select the number of voices and voiceable tracks for your system and its sessions. Voice count choices in the dialog are based on how much DSP processing you want to allocate for voicing. For more information, see “Conﬁguring Pro Tools System Settings” on page 39.

Pro Tools session ﬁle icon, Pro Tools 6.x

Pro Tools session ﬁle icon, Pro Tools 5.3 or lower

A session ﬁle is the document that Pro Tools cre- ates when you start a new project. The session file contains maps of all elements associated with a project, including audio files, MIDI data, and all your edit and mix information. You can make changes to a session and save those changes in a new session file. This lets you create multiple versions of a project or back up your editing and mixing work.

See also “System Resources” on page 16.

Pro Tools Reference Guide12

Audio File

When you record audio into a Pro Tools session, audio files are created.

Audio ﬁle icon, Pro Tools 6.x

Audio ﬁle icon, Pro Tools 5.3 or lower

Audio files for each session are stored in a folder named “Audio Files.” Audio files are listed in Pro Tools’ Audio Regions List and can appear in a track. A section of an audio file can be defined as a region. See “Regions (or Loops)” on page 13.

Tracks

Pro Tools tracks are where audio, MIDI, and automation data are recorded and edited.

Audio and MIDI tracks can be edited into regions or repeated in different locations, to create loops, re-arrange sections or entire songs, or to assemble tracks using material from multiple takes.

Audio tracks can be mono, stereo, or any supported multichannel format (depending on your type of Pro Tools system). When creating a new audio track, you can choose from a list of formats supported by your system.

Regions (or Loops)

Audio region

A region (or loop) is a piece of audio or MIDI data that may have associated automation data. A region could be a loop, a guitar riff, a verse of a song, a sound effect, a piece of dialog, or an entire sound file. In Pro Tools, regions are created from audio or MIDI files, and can be arranged in audio and MIDI track playlists.

Audio tracks in the Edit window

MIDI track in the Edit window

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 13

Playlist

Playlist Selector pop-up menu

A playlist is a group of regions arranged on an audio or MIDI track. Tracks have edit playlists and automation playlists.

On audio tracks, an edit playlist tells the hard disk which audio files to read in what order. For example, you can use the same audio region to access the same piece of audio multiple times at

different locations and not use additional disk space. Different versions of the same original audio can be created to modify the length, fade-in, fade-out, and effects applied.

A playlist can be made up of a single region or many separate regions. It can be made up of similar elements, such as regions from several different takes of a solo, or dissimilar elements, such as several sound effects. You can create any number of edit playlists for a track. This lets you assemble different versions of performances or edits on a single audio or MIDI track and choose between them with a pop-up menu on the track.

Each track has a single set of automation playlists, for volume, pan, mute and each automation-enabled control for the insert and send assignments on that track.

Figure 1. Rear view of 192 I/O, 16 channels of input and output

Channel

The term channel is used to describe several related components of a Pro Tools system. The first example of channel refers to a physical input or output of your Pro Tools system.

For example, a 192 I/O audio interface (Figure 1) provides up to 16 channels of input and output to a Pro Tools|HD system. An 888|24 I/O audio interface provides eight channels of analog input and output to a Pro Tools TDM system.

Pro Tools Reference Guide14

The second use of the term channel refers to a mixer strip in the Pro Tools Mix window. The term channel strip refers to the mixer strip of any track (audio or MIDI track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader) in a session.

Audio and MIDI channel strips have similar controls, but those controls have slightly different effects. For example, audio and Auxiliary Input channel strip faders control the output gain to the mix bus for that channel, while MIDI channel strip faders send MIDI volume data (MIDI controller 7) to the MIDI instrument.

Figure 2. Channel strip in the Mix window

Signal Routing

Pro Tools provides software-based mixing and signal routing controls. The Mix window is where these controls are located. (Some of these controls can also be accessed from the Edit window.)

Signal Routing Example

A common signal routing task is to submix multiple tracks to a single channel strip (such as an Auxiliary Input or a Master Fader) for shared processing and level control. The following example shows three audio tracks submixed to a stereo Auxiliary Input.

Stereo

Inserts

Sends

Outputs to Stereo Bus path

plug-in

Input from Stereo Bus path

Output to Stereo Output path

The term channel also describes a separate aspect of MIDI operation. See “MIDI Concepts” on page 19.

Audio Tracks

Submixing to an Auxiliary Input

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 15

Auxiliary Input

Signal routing options include the following:

Track Input and Output (Track I/O) Controls The most basic type of signal routing is track input and output. A track needs to have an assigned input path to record audio, and an assigned output path in order to be audible through a hardware output. Signals can also be routed to or from other tracks in Pro Tools (or hardware inputs and outputs) using internal busses.

Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders Auxiliary Inputs are tracks that can be used as returns, submixers and bus masters. Master Faders are used as bus and output master level controls. Both Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders can have plug-in and/or hardware inserts.

Sends Sends route audio to internal busses to send to other tracks in Pro Tools, or to hardware outputs.

Plug-In and Hardware Inserts Software plug-ins and hardware inserts process the audio on their associated track. Plug-in processing occurs completely within the Pro Tools system. Hardware inserts utilize audio interface inputs and outputs, for traditional insert routing to (and from) external effects and other devices.

Paths Pro Tools lets you define a group of multiple inputs, outputs, or busses that have a single name and (channel) format. These groups comprise the lists of available routing choices in track I/O Selectors and other menus. Paths can be very useful for assigning stereo and multichannel I/O routing or sub-paths within a path. See Chapter 7, “I/O Setup” for more information.

System Resources

Track count, plug-in processing, signal path and routing options, and voice availability are ultimately limited by the combined resources available from the host computer, and from your Pro Tools hardware.

Pro Tools provides several ways to manage and conserve resources to maximize the performance of your system. As you begin working with Pro Tools sessions and tracks, you can take advantage of the following features to extend the effectiveness of your available DSP and other resources:

◆ Pro Tools lets you adjust the performance of

your system by changing system settings (such as H/W Buffer Size and CPU Usage) that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and recording. See “Conﬁguring Pro Tools System Settings” on page 39.

◆ Pro Tools allows for session items (such as

tracks and inserts) to be manually made inactive, to free up DSP resources. Inactive elements are viewable, editable, and retained within the session. See “Active and Inactive Items” on page 17.

◆ All Pro Tools TDM systems, as well as LE sys-

tems (Pro Tools 6.x only), provide ﬂexible voice options for audio tracks, to help maximize use of available voices in your system. For more information on voice management and options, see “Voiceable Tracks and Track Priority” on page 96.

Mixing Formats Sessions can include combinations of mono, stereo, and multichannel format tracks, busses, inputs, outputs, and inserts. (Multichannel formats are supported on Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series only.)

Pro Tools Reference Guide16

Active and Inactive Items

Pro Tools lets you set certain items (such as tracks and inserts) as inactive, in order to free up DSP resources and mixer connections.

Items in Pro Tools that can be made inactive (or active) include the following.

◆ Audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, and Master

Faders

◆ Track Inputs and Outputs

◆ Sends

◆ Side-chain inputs

◆ Plug-ins

◆ Hardware inserts

◆ Paths (session-wide)

MIDI tracks cannot be made inactive.

In addition to manually setting Active and Inactive modes, Pro Tools will automatically make items inactive if there are insufficient or unavailable resources.

Plug-Ins When a plug-in is inactive on a track, its DSP is made available for other plug-ins and processing. Plug-in assignments can be made inactive manually, or automatically (see “Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on page 18).

Paths and Path Assignments When a path or path assignment is inactive, its mixer resources are made available for other signal routing purposes in the session. Paths and assignments can be made inactive manually, or automatically (see “Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on page 18).

Tracks For TDM systems (Pro Tools 5.1 and higher) and LE systems (Pro Tools 6.x), when a track is made inactive, its voices become available for another track. Mono inactive tracks free up one voice, and stereo and multichannel tracks free up one voice per channel. Additionally, when an audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader is made inactive, its plug-ins, inserts, sends, and I/O assignments become inactive, and the associated DSP used is freed up for use elsewhere in the session.

When active, items are fully engaged and operational.

When inactive, items are silent and off, although most associated controls can still be adjusted. Different inactive items affect available system resources in specific ways, as follows:

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 17

Display of Inactive Items

Automatically Inactive Items

When items are inactive, their names appear in italics, and their background becomes dark grey. When a track is inactive, the entire channel strip darkens.

Active Inactive plug-in

Inactive track

When opening a session, it is possible that not all signal paths, plug-ins, or audio interfaces used in the session will be available as defined on the current system. When opening a session, sufficient voices may also be unavailable if the session was created on a different Pro Tools system type (for example, creating a session on a Pro Tools|24 MIX-series system, then opening it in on a Pro Tools|HD-series system).

Whenever this occurs, the session will open as it was last saved. All items that are unavailable, or cannot be loaded due to insufficient resources, are made inactive.

Manual Inactive Switching

You can manually apply Active or Inactive modes to manage system resources. By making an item inactive, its associated resources are made available elsewhere in the session.

The following are basic instructions for manually making items inactive. Throughout the Pro Tools Reference Guide, instructions are provided whenever an item can be made inactive.

Active and inactive items and tracks

Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode

Active and Inactive modes are powerful options for session transfer, and system resource management. Pro Tools provides automatic and manual Inactive mode switching. You can manually make items inactive (or active) to selectively manage system resources while editing and mixing.

Pro Tools Reference Guide18

To toggle an item active or inactive:

■ Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-

Control-click (Macintosh) the item.

You can apply Active or Inactive modes to all or all selected tracks using standard Pro Tools modifiers (Alt and Alt+Shift in Windows, Option and Option+Shift on the Macintosh). Side-chain inputs support direct active and inactive switching, but do not follow switching all or all selected.

MIDI Concepts

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a communication protocol for musical instruments. This industry standard enables connections between a variety of devices from different manufacturers. Examples of MIDI-compatible equipment include synthesizers, sound modules, drum machines, patch bays, effects processors, MIDI interfaces, and sequencers.

MIDI devices are equipped with 5-pin DIN connectors, labeled as either IN, OUT, or THRU.

The MIDI OUT port transmits messages; the MIDI IN port receives messages; and, MIDI THRU echoes whatever is received from the IN port. MIDI devices are connected with MIDI cables that are available at most music stores.

echoed from IN

MIDI Terms

The following are some basic MIDI terms:

MIDI Interface Hardware that lets computers connect to and communicate with MIDI devices.

MIDI Device Any keyboard, sound module, effects device or other equipment that can send or receive MIDI information.

MIDI Controller Any MIDI device that transmits MIDI performance data. These include keyboards, MIDI guitar controllers, MIDI wind instruments, and others. Controllers transmit MIDI from their MIDI OUT ports.

MIDI Control Surface Any device, such as the Mackie HUI, that uses a MIDI connection to send control messages to a software program, but is not generally used to record MIDI information.

MIDI Sound Source Any MIDI instrument capable of playing back MIDI-triggered sound. Sound sources receive MIDI from their MIDI IN ports.

MIDI signal ﬂow

Not all devices will have all three MIDI ports (IN, OUT and THRU).

A single MIDI cable can transmit a separate set of messages for each of the 16 channels. These 16 channels correspond to separate MIDI devices or to multiple channels within a single device (if the device is multi-timbral). Each channel represents a discreet instrument sound; for instance, bass on channel 1, piano on channel 2, and drums on channel 10. Similar to a multitrack tape recorder, a MIDI sequencer can record complex arrangements—even using a single multi-timbral keyboard.

Multi-Timbral The capability of playing several different instrument sounds (such as piano, bass, and drums) simultaneously on separate channels. This makes it possible for a single MIDI sound source to play back entire arrangements.

MIDI Channel Up to 16 channels of MIDI performance data can be transmitted on a single MIDI cable. The channel number separates the different messages so your sound sources can receive the right ones.

Program Change Event A MIDI command that tells a sound source which of its sounds (or sound patches) to use. The MIDI protocol lets you choose from a range of 128 patches.

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 19

Bank Select Message Many devices have more than 128 patches, which are arranged in banks. The Bank Select Message is a MIDI command that specifies the bank of patches from which to choose.

Local Control A controller setting found on most MIDI keyboards that lets them play their own sound source. Disabling “local control” ensures that a device’s internal sound source is only played by external MIDI messages.

When using Pro Tools, “local control” should usually be disabled. When “local control” is off, your keyboard still transmits data to its MIDI OUT port.

Continuous Controller Events MIDI instructions that allow real-time changes to notes that are currently sounding. These include pitch bend, modulation, volume, pan, and many others.

System Exclusive Data MIDI data commonly used for sending and retrieving patch parameter information for storage purposes.

Common Misconceptions about MIDI

MIDI is not audio. The messages that travel down a MIDI cable translate to specific instructions. For instance, when you strike a key on your MIDI keyboard it sends a message to its MIDI OUT port telling another device (if connected and set to the same MIDI channel) to play that particular note.

Signal paths for MIDI instruments

However, to actually hear that second device (sound source) you’ll need to connect its audio outputs to a sound system. Your MIDI instruments have two signal paths, one for audio and another for MIDI.

MIDI does not allow you to use your devices beyond their capabilities. Particular instruments have their own sound generation, polyphony, and multi-timbral limitations.

Pro Tools Reference Guide20

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows

Pro Tools provides two complementary ways of viewing a session: the Mix window and the Edit window. Pro Tools also allows you to control the transport and transport-related functions from the Transport window.

Depending on which version of Pro Tools you have, the Mix window and Edit window will appear differently.

Pro Tools 6.x

For more information on the main elements of the Mix window and Edit window, see the page references provided in Figure 3 on page 22, and Figure 4 on page 23.

Pro Tools 5.3.x and 5.1.x

For more information on the main elements of the Mix window and Edit window, see the page references provided in Figure 5 on page 24, and Figure 6 on page 25.

The Mix Window

In the Mix window, tracks appear as mixer strips (or channel strips), with controls for inserts, sends, input and output assignments, volume, panning, record enable, automation mode, and solo/mute. The following section explains each of these track controls.

To display the Pro Tools input/output controls, inserts, sends, and comments, select Display > Mix Window Shows > All. You can choose to display all of these items, or some of them.

To toggle between the Mix and Edit windows: On Windows, press Control+Equals (=); On Macintosh, press Command+Equals (=).

The Edit Window

The Edit window provides a timeline display of audio, as well as MIDI data and mixer automation for recording, editing and arranging tracks. As in the Mix window, each track has controls for record enable, solo, mute and automation mode.

Systems with Pro Tools AVoption|XL installed also provide a timeline display of the movie track.

To display the input/output controls, inserts, sends, and comments in the Edit window, select Display > Edit Window Shows > All. You can choose to display all of these items, or some of them.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows 21

Show/Hide

Tracks List

(page 91)

Automation

(page 435)

Voice Selec-

tor (page 95)

Output Window

button

(page 397)

Mix Groups

List

(page 102)

Group ID Indicator

AutoMatch

Indicator

(page 439)

Send with

Send Controls

(page 399)

Plug-In Insert (page 417)

MIDI Track Program button (page 350)

Inserts

View

(page 86)

Sends

View

(page 401)

I/O View

(page 86)

Channel Pan

(page 87)

Track

Controls

(page 26)

Channel

Volume

(page 87)

Level Meter

(page 87)

Track Name (page 89)

Track

Comments

View

(page 88)

Stereo

Audio Track

(page 83)

Figure 3. Pro Tools Mix window (Pro Tools 6.x)

Pro Tools Reference Guide22

Mono

Audio Track

(page 83)

Auxiliary

Input

(page 83)

MIDI

Track

(page 83)

Master

Fader

(page 83)

Timeline Selections

Edit Mode

buttons

(page 208)

Tab to

Transients

(page 239)

Rulers

(page 217)

Show/Hide

Tracks List

(page 91)

Audio Track

(page 83)

Edit Groups

List

(page 102)

(page 230)

Commands

Focus

(page 34)

Zoom buttons

(page 211)

Edit tools (page 26)

Location Indicators

Grid and

Nudge Values

(page 27)

Event Edit Area

(page 27)

Timeline

Audio

Regions

List

(page 205)

Audio

Waveform

View

(page 193)

Volume

Automation

View

(page 193)

MIDI Track

(page 83)

MIDI Velocity View

(page 193)

Figure 4. Pro Tools Edit window (Pro Tools 6.x)

Selected Region

(page 231)

MIDI Notes View

(page 193)

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows 23

MIDI Regions List

(page 205)

Send with

Send Controls

(page 399)

MIDI Track Program button (page 350)

Plug-In Insert (page 417)

Show/Hide

Tracks List

(page 91)

Automation (page 435)

Output window

button

(page 397)

Group ID Indicator

Mix Groups

List

(page 102)

AutoMatch

Indicator

(page 439)

Track Name (page 89)

Track

Comments

View

(page 88)

Stereo

Audio Track

(page 83)

Mono

Audio Track

(page 83)

Auxiliary

Input

(page 83)

Inserts

View

(page 86)

Sends

View

(page 401)

I/O View (page 86)

Track

Controls

(page 26)

Channel Pan (page 87)

Channel

Volume

(page 87)

Level Meter

(page 87)

MIDI Track

(page 83)

Master

Fader

(page 83)

Figure 5. Pro Tools Mix window (Pro Tools 5.3.x and 5.1.x)

Pro Tools Reference Guide24

Link Selections

(page 230)

Commands Focus (page 34)

Edit Mode buttons (page 208)

Zoom buttons (page 211)

Edit tools (page 26)

Event Edit Area (page 27)

Location Indicators (page 27)

Grid and Nudge Values (page 27)

Timeline

Tab to Transients

(page 239)

Rulers (page 217)

Show/Hide

Tracks List

(page 91)

Audio Track (page 83)

MIDI Track (page 83)

Edit Groups

List

(page 102)

MIDI Velocity View (page 193)

Selected Region (page 231)

MIDI Notes View (page 193)

Audio

Regions

List

(page 205)

Audio

Waveform

View

(page 193)

Volume

Automation

View

(page 193)

MIDI Regions List (page 205)

Figure 6. Pro Tools Edit window (Pro Tools 5.3.x and 5.1.x)

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows 25

Track Controls

Automation Mode Selector (page 435)

Solo button (page 98)

Mute button (page 99)

Voice Selector (page 95)

Record Enable button (page 138)

Mix window, controls for audio and MIDI tracks, wide view (Pro Tools 6.x)

Record Enable button (page 138)

Track Name (page 89)

Playlist Selector (page 202)

Automation Mode Selector (page 435)

Mute button (page 99)

Voice Selector (page 95)

Track Height Selector (page 195)

Track View Selector (page 193)

Solo button (page 98)

Automation Mode Selector (page 435)

Voice Selector (page 95)

Mute button (page 99)

Solo button (page 98)

Mix window, controls for audio and MIDI tracks, wide view (Pro Tools 5.3.x and 5.1.x)

Track Name (page 89)

rack View Selector (page 193)

Playlist Selector (page 202)

Record Enable button (page 138)

Solo button (page 98)

Mute button (page 99)

Track Height Selector (page 195)

Automation Mode Selector (page 435)

Voice Selector (page 95)

Edit window track controls, medium track height (Pro Tools 6.x)

Edit window track controls, medium track height (Pro Tools 5.3.x and 5.1.x)

Edit Tools

Trimmer

(page 251)

Zoomer

(page 211)

Selector

(page 223)

Smart Tool

(page 272)

Grabber

(page 233)

Edit tools in Edit window (Pro Tools 6.x)

Trimmer

(page 251)

Zoomer

(page 211)

(page 223)

Smart Tool

(page 272)

Selector

Grabber

(page 233)

(page 271 & page 339)

Edit tools in Edit window (Pro Tools 5.3.x and 5.1.x)

Scrubber

(page 227)

Pencil

(page 271 & page 339)

Scrubber (page 227)

Pencil

Pro Tools Reference Guide26

Event Edit Area

The Event Edit Area provides time, pitch, and other information for the currently selected audio or MIDI data. It also lets you define selections using a key entry.

The Start, End, and Length display can be set for a different Time Scale format (such as Samples, Bars:Beats, or Minutes:Seconds). For more information, see “Main Time Scale” on page 219.

The Main and Sub display can be set for a different Time Scale format (such as Samples, Bars:Beats, or Minutes:Seconds). For more information, see “Main Time Scale” on page 219.

Location Indicators (page 225)

Grid value

(page 259)

Nudge value

(page 260)

Cursor Location

(page 223)

Cursor value

(page 223)

Selection Indicators (page 28)

Note

Attributes

(page 347)

Pitch

Attack Velocity

Release Velocity

Event Edit Area showing MIDI track information (Pro Tools 6.x)

Selection Indicators (page 28)

Note

Attributes

(page 347)

Pitch

Attack Velocity

Release Velocity

Event Edit Area showing MIDI track information (Pro Tools 5.3.x and 5.1.x)

Location Indicators, Grid/Nudge Values, Current Cursor Display

The Location Indicators, Grid and Nudge values, and timeline Cursor Location display provide navigation and editing options.

Edit window display showing MIDI track information (Pro Tools 6.x)

Location Indicators (page 225)

Nudge value

(page 260)

Cursor Location

(page 223)

Grid value

(page 259)

Cursor value

(page 223)

Edit window display showing MIDI track information (Pro Tools 5.3.x and 5.1.x)

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows 27

The Transport Window

Return to Zero Locates to the beginning of the session.

The Transport window can be set to show basic transport controls, counters, and MIDI controls. The counters in the Transport window mirror the Location Indicators at the top of the Edit window.

Basic Transport Controls and Counters

Return to Zero

Rewind

Online

Pre-Roll

Post-Roll

Transport Master

Transport window showing basic transport controls and counters (Pro Tools 6.x)

Return to Zero

Rewind

Online

Fast Forward

Play

Stop

Start, End, and Length

for Timeline Selection

Fast Forward

Play

Stop

Go to End

Record

Go to End

Record

Rewind Rewinds from the current play location. You can also click repeatedly to rewind incrementally, by an amount based on the Main Time Scale, as follows:

Rewind Increments

Main Time Scale Format

Increment Amount

Min:Sec 1 second

Time code 1 frame

Bars:Beats 1 bar

Feet.Frame 1 foot

Sample 1 second

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can rewind by pressing 1.

Stop Stops playback or recording.

You can also stop the Transport with the following shortcuts:

• Press the Spacebar.

•With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, press 0.

Pre-Roll

Post-Roll

Transport Master

Start, End, and Length

for Timeline Selection

Transport window showing basic transport controls and counters (Pro Tools 5.3.x and 5.1.x)

Online Puts Pro Tools online so that playback and recording is triggered by an external time code source.

Pro Tools Reference Guide28

Play Starts playback or (if the Record button was clicked first) recording from the Timeline insertion point.

With the Transport stopped, Right-click Play (Windows) or Control-click Play (Macintosh) to toggle Loop Playback mode. When enabled, a loop symbol appears in the Play button.

You can also initiate playback with the following shortcuts:

• Press the Spacebar.

•With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, press 0.

You can play at half-speed with the following shortcuts:

• Press Shift+Spacebar.

• Shift-click (Macintosh) the Play button.

Fast Forward Fast forwards from the Timeline insertion point. You can also click repeatedly to fast forward incrementally (by an amount based on the Main Time Scale).

Fast Forward Increments

Main Time Scale Format

Min:Sec 1 second

Time code 1 frame

Increment Amount

Record Arms Pro Tools for recording (the button flashes). Clicking Play then initiates recording.

With the Transport stopped, Right-click Record (Windows) or Control-click Record (Macintosh) to cycle through the four record modes. The Record button changes to indicate the currently selected mode: blank for Nondestructive, “D” for Destructive, a loop symbol for Loop Record, and “P” for QuickPunch.

You can also begin recording with the following shortcuts:

• Press F12.

• Control+Spacebar (Windows) or press Command+Spacebar (Macintosh).

•With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, press 3.

To initiate recording at half-speed, press Control+Shift+Spacebar (Windows) or Command+Shift+Spacebar (Macintosh).

Bars:Beats 1 bar

Feet.Frame 1 foot

Sample 1 second

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can fast forward by pressing

Go to End Locates to the end of the session.

You can press Control+Enter on the alpha keyboard (Windows) or Option+Return (Macintosh) to locate to the end of the session.

Pre-Roll During playback or record, specifies the amount that plays before the play (timeline) cursor location or beginning of the timeline selection. Pre-roll is particularly useful with punch recording since it provides you with time to “catch the beat” before reaching the punch-in point. To set the pre-roll amount, enter a new value in this field, or drag the Pre-Roll flag in the Main Timebase Ruler.

To enable pre-roll, click the Pre-Roll button to the left of the pre-roll field so it becomes highlighted.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows 29

Post-Roll During playback or record, specifies the amount that plays after the end of a timeline selection. Post-roll is useful in punch recording since playback continues after the punch-out point so you can check for a smooth transition to previously recorded material. To set the postroll amount, enter a new value in this field, or drag the Post-Roll flag in the Main Timebase Ruler.

To enable post-roll, click the Post-Roll button to the left of the post-roll field so it becomes highlighted.

Start Specifies the beginning of the play or record range. You can set the start point by entering a location in this field, or by dragging the corresponding Playback Marker in the Main Timebase Ruler. For more information, see “Playback Markers” on page 164.

End Specifies the end of the play or record range. You can set the end point by entering a location in this field, or by dragging the corresponding Playback Marker in the Main Timebase Ruler. For more information, see “Playback Markers” on page 164.

Length Specifies the length for the play or record range. You can set the length by entering a location in this field, or by selecting a range in any Timebase Ruler.

Transport Master Specifies the “master” for transport functions. Click this button and choose from the pop-up menu to select the Transport Master, which can be set to Pro Tools, Machine, MMC, or Remote. For information, see Chapter 35, “Working with Synchronization.”

MIDI Controls

Wait for Note

Countoff

Click

Meter

Conductor

Transport window showing MIDI controls (Pro Tools 6.x)

Wait for Note

Click

MIDI Merge

Tempo

Countoff

MIDI Merge

Tempo

When the Edit and Timeline selections are linked, you can drag in a track’s playlist to set the play and record range. See “Linking or Unlinking Edit and Timeline Selections” on page 230

Pro Tools Reference Guide30

Meter

Conductor

Transport window showing MIDI controls (Pro Tools

5.3.x and 5.1.x)

Wait for Note When selected, recording does not begin until a MIDI event is received. This ensures that you begin recording when you’re ready to play, and that the ﬁrst note, or other MIDI data, is recorded precisely at the beginning of the record range.

You can press F11 to turn on Wait for Note, unless the Operation Preference for “Disable F11 for Wait for Note” is selected.

Click When selected, a metronome sounds during playback and recording (as specified by the settings in the Click/Countoff Options dialog).

Double-click the Click button to open the Click/Countoff Options dialog.

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can press 7 to enable the Click.

Countoff When selected, Pro Tools counts off a specified number of measures (indicated in the button) before playback or recording begins.

Conductor When selected, Pro Tools uses the tempo map defined in the Tempo Ruler. When deselected, Pro Tools switches to Manual Tempo mode and ignores the Tempo Track.

In Manual Tempo mode, you can enter a BPM value in the tempo field, or tap in the tempo by clicking the Tap button.

Meter Displays the session’s current meter based on the play location. Double-click the Meter button to open the Change Meter window.

Tempo Displays the session’s current tempo based on the play location. In Manual Tempo mode, you can enter a BPM value into this field. In addition, when the tempo field is selected, you can tap in a tempo from a MIDI controller.

Double-click the Countoff button, to open the Click/Countoff Options dialog.

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can press 8 to enable the Countoff.

MIDI Merge When selected (Merge mode), recorded MIDI data is merged with existing track material. When deselected (Replace mode), recorded MIDI data replaces existing track material.

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can press 9 to enable MIDI Merge.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows 31

Pro Tools Reference Guide32

Chapter 5: Keyboard Shortcuts

Global Key Commands

This section shows keyboard shortcuts that apply to many functions in Pro Tools.

Track Functions

• Changing Automation mode

• Enabling playlists

• Adding plug-ins

• Record enabling, soloing, and muting tracks

• Record saﬁng and solo saﬁng tracks

• Assigning inputs, outputs, and sends

•Toggling volume/peak/delay display

• Clearing meters

• Changing track heights

Command Windows Macintosh

Apply action to all channel strips/tracks

Alt+ action

Option+ action

List and Parameter Selection

• Selection of tracks in Show/Hide List

• Enabling of groups in Groups List

• Automation Enable window parameters

• Setting memory location parameters

Command Windows Macintosh

Toggle item and set all others to same new state

Toggle item and set all others to opposite state

Alt-click item Option-click

item

Control-click item

Commandclick item

Controls and Editing Tools

◆ Use to move plug-in controls, faders and slid-

ers, the Scrubber, and automation data

Command Windows Macintosh

Fine adjustment of sliders, knobs, and breakpoints

Controlclick item

Commandclick item

Apply action to selected channel strips/tracks

Alt+ Shift+ action

Option+ Shift+ action

Chapter 5: Keyboard Shortcuts 33

Keyboard Focus

The Keyboard Focus in Pro Tools determines how the alpha keys function. Depending on which Keyboard Focus is enabled, you can use the keys on your alpha keyboard to select regions in the Audio or MIDI Regions List, enable or disable groups, or perform an edit or play command.

You can only enable one Keyboard Focus at a time. Enabling a Keyboard Focus will disable the one previously enabled.

There are four types of Keyboard Focus:

Commands Focus (All TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE 6.x Only) When selected, this pro-

vides a wide range of single key shortcuts from the alpha keyboard for editing and playing.

Commands

Focus

Groups List

Focus

Audio Regions List

Keyboard Focus buttons (Pro Tools 6.x)

Audio Regions List

Focus

MIDI Regions List

Focus

With Commands Focus disabled, you can still access any of its key shortcuts by pressing the Start key (Windows) or Control (Macintosh) along with the key.

Audio Regions List Focus When selected, audio regions can be located and selected in the Audio Regions List by typing the first few letters of the region’s name.

MIDI Regions List Focus When selected, MIDI regions can be located and selected in the MIDI Regions List by typing the first few letters of the region’s name.

Groups List Focus When selected, Edit and Mix Groups can be enabled or disabled by typing the Group ID letter.

An electronic PDF listing of keyboard shortcuts is available in Pro Tools. Choose Help > Keyboard Shortcuts.

Commands

Focus

Groups List

Focus

MIDI Regions List

Focus

Keyboard Focus buttons (Pro Tools 5.3.x and 5.1.x)

To set the Keyboard Focus:

■ Click the a–z button for the focus you want to

enable.

– or –

■ While pressing Control+Alt (Windows) or

Command+Option (Macintosh), press one of the following keys: 1 (Commands), 2 (Audio Regions List), 3 (MIDI Regions List), or 4 (Groups List).

Pro Tools Reference Guide34

Numeric Keypad Modes

The Operation preference for Numeric Keypad Mode determines how the numeric keypad functions for Transport.

No matter which Numeric Keypad Mode is selected, you can always use the numeric keypad to select and enter values in the Event Edit Area, Location Indicators, and Transport fields.

To set the Numeric Keypad Mode:

1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click Opera-

tion.

2 Under the option for Numeric Keypad Mode,

select a keypad mode (Classic, Transport, or Shuttle), then click Done.

Transport Mode

This mode allows you to set a number of record and play functions, and also operate the Transport from the numeric keypad.

Function Key

Click on/off 7

Countoff on/off 8

MIDI Merge/Replace mode 9

Loop Playback mode on/off 4

Loop Record mode on/off 5

QuickPunch mode on/off 6

Rewind 1

Fast Forward 2

Classic Mode

This mode emulates the way Pro Tools worked in versions lower than 5.0. With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Classic, you can:

• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock mode. Press the Start key (Windows) or Control (Macintosh), followed by 0–9 for different play speeds (see “Shuttle Mode” on page 36 for numeric key commands). Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.

• Recall Memory Locations by typing the Memory Location number, followed by a period.

Record 3

Play/Stop 0

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can also:

• Recall Memory Locations by typing period, the Memory Location number, and period again.

Chapter 5: Keyboard Shortcuts 35

Shuttle Mode

(TDM Systems Only)

Pro Tools offers another form of shuttling, different from that of Shuttle Lock mode. With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Shuttle, playback of the current Edit selection is triggered by pressing and holding the keys on the numeric keypad—playback stops once the keys are released. Various playback speeds are available in both forward and reverse. In this mode, pre- and postroll are ignored.

Playback Speeds Key

1x Forward 6

1x Rewind 4

4x Forward 9

4x Rewind 7

1/4x Forward 3

1/4x Rewind 1

1/2x Forward 5+6

1/2x Rewind 5+4

2x Forward 8+9

2x Rewind 8+7

1/16x Forward 2+3

1/16x Rewind 2+1

Loop Selection (1x) 0

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Shuttle, you can also:

• Recall Memory Locations by typing period, the Memory Location number, and period again.

Shuttle Lock mode is not available when the Numeric Keypad Mode is set to Shuttle.

Pro Tools Reference Guide36

Part II: Sessions & Tracks

Chapter 6: Sessions

This chapter covers the basics of starting a project in Pro Tools, including how to set up and save a Pro Tools session.

Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System

To ensure that the components of your Pro Tools system communicate properly with each other, you need to start them in a particular order.

Start up your Pro Tools system in this order:

1 For TDM systems with an expansion chassis,

turn on the chassis.

2 Turn on any external hard drives. Wait ap-

proximately ten seconds for them to spin up to speed.

3 Turn on any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or

synchronization peripherals.

4 Lower the volume of all output devices in

your system.

5 For TDM systems, turn on your Pro Tools au-

dio interfaces. Wait at least ﬁfteen seconds for your system hardware to initialize.

6 Turn on your computer.

Shut down your Pro Tools system in this order:

1 Quit Pro Tools and any other running applica-

tions.

2 Turn off or lower the volume of all output de-

vices in your system.

3 Turn off your computer.

4 For TDM systems, turn off audio interfaces.

5 For TDM systems with an expansion chassis,

turn off the chassis.

6 Turn off any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or

synchronization peripherals.

7 Turn off any external hard drives.

Conﬁguring Pro Tools System Settings

Pro Tools allows you to 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.

7 Launch Pro Tools or any third-party audio or

MIDI applications.

Chapter 6: Sessions 39

Hardware Buffer Size

The Hardware Buffer Size (H/W Buffer Size) controls the size of the hardware cache used to handle host-based tasks such as Real-Time AudioSuite (RTAS) plug-in processing.

◆ 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 affect the accuracy of plug-in automation, mute data, and timing for MIDI tracks.

To change the Hardware Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setups > Playback Engine.

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

the audio buffer size, in samples.

3 Click OK.

CPU Usage Limit

The CPU Usage Limit controls the percentage of CPU resources allocated to Pro Tools host processing tasks.

◆ 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.

With Pro Tools 6.x, the maximum CPU Usage Limit is 85 percent for single-processor computers (except for Digi 002, which has a limit of 99 percent), and 99 percent for multi-processor computers. (The 99 percent setting dedicates one entire processor to Pro Tools.)

With Pro Tools 5.3.3 and lower, the maximum CPU Usage Limit is 85 percent.

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

To change the CPU Usage Limit:

1 Choose Setups > 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.

Number of Voices

(TDM Systems Only)

On TDM systems, the Number of Voices setting lets you control the number of available voices and how those voices are allocated to DSPs in your system. For example, the default number of voices on a 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 TDM cards in your system, you will have different choices for voice count. For voice limits on different HD systems, see “TDM System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits” on page 7.

Pro Tools Reference Guide40

To change the number of voices and DSP to allocate for voicing:

1 Choose Setups > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog (Pro Tools 6.x)

Playback Engine dialog (Pro Tools 5.1.3)

2 Select the number of voices and DSPs to allo-

cate for voicing by selecting a value from the Number of Voices pop-up menu (Pro Tools 5.3 and higher), or by clicking a value under Playback Engine (Pro Tools 5.1.3).

• 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.

• 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.

• Select minimum voice numbers if you are using high-bandwidth PCI cards (such as video capture cards) along with your Digidesign cards. In addition, to free up DSP for plug-ins and processing, select the minimum number of voices and DSPs needed to play back the current session.

3 Click OK.

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.)

The Sample Rate setting can affect the number of available voices on TDM systems.

To change the default Sample Rate (Pro Tools

5.3.x and higher):

1 Choose Setups > Playback Engine.

2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate

pop-up menu.

3 Click OK.

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

See “Creating a New Session” on

page 46.)

In Pro Tools 5.1.x and lower, you can change the Sample Rate in the Session Setup window or the Hardware Setup window. Refer to the installation documentation included with your version of Pro Tools.

Chapter 6: Sessions 41

DAE Playback Buffer Size

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory DAE uses to manage disk buffers, which affects system performance.

◆ Lower DAE Playback Buffer Size settings can

improve playback and recording initiation speed. However, a lower setting can make it difﬁcult for slower hard drives to play or record tracks reliably.

◆ Higher DAE Playback Buffer Size settings can

allow for a higher density of edits in a session. However, a higher setting can cause a time lag to occur before playback or recording begins. It can also cause a time lag to occur when you are editing during playback.

To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size (Pro Tools 5.1.3):

1 Launch DAE. If Pro Tools is already running,

switch to the DAE application.

2 Choose File > Set Playback Buffer Size.

To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size (Pro Tools 5.3 and higher):

1 Choose Setups > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog (Pro Tools 6.x)

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.

3 Click OK.

4 If Pro Tools needs more system memory for

the DAE Playback Buffer, it will prompt you to restart your computer.

DAE Playback Buffer Size dialog (Pro Tools 5.1.3)

3 Select a buffer size.

4 Click OK.

5 Quit Pro Tools if it is running, or quit the DAE

application. The new buffer setting will take effect when you launch Pro Tools again.

System Memory Allocation

(Pro Tools 6.x for TDM Systems Only)

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 system memory is available to other applications.

To minimize system memor y allocation:

1 Choose Setups > Playback Engine.

Pro Tools Reference Guide42

2 Select the “Minimize System Memory Alloca-

tion” option.

3 Click OK.

4 On Windows systems, restart your computer.

– or –

On Mac OS X systems, enter your password when prompted, then restart your computer.

Conﬁguring Pro Tools Hardware Settings

Pro Tools allows you to configure the signal routing, digital I/O format, default sample rate, clock source, and other hardware-based settings depending on your system configuration.

The following section outlines the configuration of a Pro Tools|HD system with one or more HD interfaces (with one or more MIX-series interfaces attached).

To configure a Pro Tools MIX-series, Pro Tools|24, or Pro Tools LE system, refer to the

Getting Started Guide that came with

that system.

Conﬁguring Hardware Setup

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.

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O (Main page)

Additional pages are available to configure other controls for each audio interface (such as setting operating levels). For details, refer to the Getting Started Guide for your system, or to the guide for your audio interface.

Conﬁguring Pro Tools|HD Hardware

On TDM systems, you configure Hardware settings for each audio interface connected to your system. For example, Pro Tools|HD-series systems can have 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, or 96 I/O audio interfaces connected to HD Core and HD Process cards in the system. Those audio interfaces can have additional interfaces attached (including older Digidesign audio interfaces, or Legacy I/Os, such as the 888|24 I/O, 882|20 I/O or 1622 I/O). For more information, see Chapter 2, “Pro Tools System Configurations.”

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O (Analog In page)

You can identify audio interface connections at any time by selecting the interface name in the Peripherals list, then clicking Identify. All the LEDs on the interface front panel will illuminate.

To conﬁgure audio interfaces on an HD system:

1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup.

2 From the Peripherals list, select the Digidesign

audio interface connected to the ﬁrst card in your system. This will be the interface at the top of the list.

Chapter 6: Sessions 43

3 Click the Main tab.

4 From the Clock Source pop-up menu, select

the appropriate clock source for the system. In most cases, you will use Internal. The other choices are for resolving Pro Tools to external clock sources. Depending on your audio interface, Clock Source options can include: AES/EBU [Encl], S/PDIF, Optical [Encl], AES/EBU 1–8, TDIF, ADAT, and Word Clock (optional Word Clock rates are available when operating at higher sample rates).

5 From the Ext. Clock Output pop-up menu, se-

lect the appropriate clock output to send to devices attached to your audio interface.

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

terface enclosure is active under Digital Format. 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 I/O) to two channels of S/PDIF Optical I/O.

7 For S/PDIF compatibility with Tascam DA-30

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

8 For the 96 I/O, click the Meters pop-up menu

and select whether to meter the input or output signal.

9 From the Input and Output pop-up menus, se-

lect 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 or Ch 3–4), listed on the left side of the Main page.

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.

10 Click other tabs (such as Analog In and Ana-

log Out) for additional conﬁguration options speciﬁc to the audio interface. These include:

• On the 96 I/O, conﬁguring the operating levels of analog inputs and outputs (+4 dBu or –10 dBv).

• On the 192 I/O analog input, setting the input connector and Soft Limit

• On the 192 I/O, conﬁguring the two sets of trims for analog inputs and outputs.

• On the 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O, conﬁguring real-time Sample Rate Conversion for digital inputs.

• On the 192 I/O and 192 I/O Digital, conﬁguring inputs and outputs on any optional A/D card, D/A card, or Digital I/O cards installed in the unit.

For more information on Hardware Setup controls for each HD audio interface, refer to the Getting Started with HD Guide or the guide for that audio interface.

11 Repeat the above steps for each additional

HD-series audio interface.

Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to scroll though peripherals in the Peripherals list.

12 Repeat the above steps for any Legacy I/Os

connected to the HD-series audio interfaces in your system. Before you can conﬁgure a Legacy I/O, it must ﬁrst be initialized in Hardware Setup (See “Initializing MIX-Series Peripherals (on an HD System)” on page 45.)

13 Click OK.

Pro Tools Reference Guide44

Initializing MIX-Series Peripherals (on an HD System)

9 Repeat the above steps for each additional

Legacy I/O.

Before you can configure a Legacy I/O, it must first be initialized in Hardware Setup.

To initialize a Legacy I/O on an HD system:

1 Start up your Pro Tools system. See “Starting

Up or Shutting Down Your System” on page 39.

2 Make sure to lower the volume of your output

devices. Very loud digital noise may be emitted before the Legacy I/O is initialized.

3 Turn on your Legacy I/O.

4 From the Peripherals list, choose the primary

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

5 In the Main page of the Hardware Setup dia-

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

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

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

For more information on Hardware Setup controls for each Legacy audio interface, refer to the guide that came with the interface.

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 on the audio interface 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 lets you label and map Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus sig- nal paths. For more information on paths, path labeling, and path mapping, see Chapter 7, “I/O Setup.”

The I/O Setup dialog also provides important audition, meter, and surround settings. For more information, see Chapter 7, “I/O Setup.”

7 From the Interface pop-up menu, select the

type of Legacy I/O you connected.

8 Set the External Clock Output on the HD in-

terface to 256x, which is the required clock speed for Legacy I/Os.

After you select an audio interface, the Main page updates with controls that can be configured. Refer to the guide for your audio interface for details on each control.

Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to Multiple Destinations

Pro Tools channel pairs can be routed to multiple outputs on an audio interface through the Hardware Setup dialog. For example, if you assign both Analog 1–2 and Analog 3–4 interface outputs to Pro Tools Output pair 1–2, when you send a signal to Pro Tools Outputs 1–2, that signal will be routed simultaneously to both pairs of output ports on your audio interface.

This lets you send the same signal (such as a stereo pair, a stem mix, or a multichannel mix) to multiple destinations (such as multiple mastering devices).

Chapter 6: Sessions 45

To select multiple output por ts for a Pro Tools output channel pair:

1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup.

2 From the Peripherals list, select an interface.

3 Click the Main tab.

4 Select an output port pair from an Output

pop-up menu.

5 Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macin-

tosh) the same pop-up menu a second time to choose an additional output port 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.

Creating a New Session

The first step in beginning a Pro Tools project is creating a new session. When you do this, Pro Tools automatically creates a new folder named for your session. Within this folder is the session file and two subfolders (an Audio Files folder, and a Fade Files folder).

The Audio Files folder contains all audio recorded or converted during the session. The Fade Files folder contains any crossfaded audio data generated by the session.

When you record a new audio track, the track is saved as a new audio file to the Audio Files folder. You can also import other audio files into the session, and work with them as well.

Typical session folder

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 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.

Pro Tools output pairs can also be routed to multiple audio interface outputs in the I/O Setup dialog. For more information, see “Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O” on page 69.

Pro Tools Reference Guide46

For details on allocating audio tracks to different hard drive locations, including shared media volumes, see “Disk Allocation” on page 144.

To create a new session:

1 Choose File > New Session.

Sound Designer II (SD II) files are not supported on Windows systems (or at sample rates above 48 kHz), and Pro Tools prevents you from choosing SD II as the file type if Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility is selected (or the session is on a PC).

5 Select the bit depth (16 bit or 24 bit) and the

sample rate.

6 Select the I/O Settings to use for the session.

Several pre-conﬁgured I/O Settings are included with your system, or you can select a custom I/O Setting that you have created. See Chapter 7, “I/O Setup” for more information.

7 Name the Session.

New Session dialog

2 Choose the drive where you want to save the

session. The session should be saved on a dedicated audio drive.

3 Select “Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility” (Mac-

intosh) if you want to create session and audio ﬁles that can be used in either Windows or Macintosh versions of Pro Tools. See “Creating Macintosh and PC Compatible Sessions” on page 132 for more information.

To use Japanese or non-ASCII characters in track and region names, or track comments, deselect the option for “Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility” when creating a new session.

If you save a session copy with the “Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility” option enabled, all Japanese and non-ASCII characters will be lost.

4 Select the audio ﬁle format for the session.

For optimum compatibility between Windows and Macintosh sessions, set the file type to BWF (.WAV).

8 Click Save.

Choosing Bit Depth and Sample Rate

When choosing a bit depth or sample rate for your session, consider the disk space your selection will require. 24-bit audio files occupy about 50 percent more disk space than 16-bit audio files. 192 kHz audio files occupy about four times the space as 44.1 kHz audio files.

Bit depth and sample rate also have an effect on the amount of mixing power available in a session. Fewer mixer channels are available with 24-bit sessions and with sessions at higher sample rates. (For more information with TDM systems, see Appendix B, “TDM Mixing and DSP Usage.”)

It is not possible to combine different bit depths within a single Pro Tools session; files of different bit depths must be converted and imported into the session.

Chapter 6: Sessions 47

Opening a Session

When you open a session, Pro Tools looks in the session folder for audio and fade files linked to the session.

To open an existing session:

1 Choose File > Open Session.

2 Locate the session you want to open and click

Open.

Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Resources

Pro Tools prompts you when opening a session that contains unavailable voices, I/O paths, DSP resources, or plug-ins. This is common when transferring sessions to systems with different Digidesign hardware.

Opening a session with unavailable resources

Open Session dialog

Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Files

(Pro Tools 6.x Only)

With Pro Tools 6.x, the DigiBase feature will prompt you if files are located but reside on Transfer volumes (such as CD-ROMs), or if any required files cannot be found. See “Locating Audio Files” on page 129, or the DigiBase Guide for more details.

Pro Tools Reference Guide48

The dialog contains a summary of the missing session components. To save a text file containing a more detailed report, along with the resulting action, click Yes.

The following will occur when opening a session with unavailable items:

With all Pro Tools Systems:

◆ Inserts assigned to unavailable plug-ins are

made inactive.

◆ Inputs, outputs, and sends that are assigned to

unavailable paths are made inactive.

With Pro Tools TDM systems only:

◆ Any tracks beyond the maximum number of

available voices on the current system are made inactive.

With Pro Tools LE 6.x only:

◆ Any tracks beyond the maximum number of

available voices on the current system are set to voice off.

Revert to Saved Command

If you have made changes to a session since you last saved it, you can discard the changes and revert to its previously saved state.

With Pro Tools LE 5.3.x and lower only:

◆ Any tracks beyond the maximum number of

available voices on the current system are removed from the session. If the session is saved, the removed tracks are lost.

Saving a Session

You should save regularly while working on your session to ensure that your work is preserved on your hard drive.

Speeding up Saves by Reducing the Disk Cache Size

(Mac OS 9 Only)

To speed up session saves and Bounce to Disk recording, it is recommended that you reduce the Cache Size for your Macintosh to 512K (in the Control Panel > Memory dialog).

Saving the Session File

The Save Session command saves the changes you have made to your session and writes them over the previously saved version of the session file. The Save Session command cannot be undone.

To save a session:

■ Choose File > Save Session.

To revert to the last saved version of a session:

■ Choose File > Revert to Saved.

Saving the Session File with a New Name

To save a copy of the current session with a new name or to a different hard drive location, you can use the Save Session As command. Because the Save Session As command closes the current session and lets you keep working on the renamed copy, it is useful if you are experimenting and want to save successive versions of the session.

By working this way, you can quickly retrace your steps if you want to go back to an earlier version of your session. The Save Session As command saves a new version of the session ﬁle only—not duplicate versions of the audio or fade files.

To save a session with a new name:

1 Choose File > Save Session As.

2 Enter a new name for your session.

3 Click Save.

The renamed session file is saved in the session folder along with the original session. Any new audio files that you record in your renamed session will be placed into the same Audio Files folder that was created for your original session.

Chapter 6: Sessions 49

Saving a Copy of the Session

To save a copy of the current session along with its audio files and fade files, you can use the Save Session Copy In command. In addition, you can specify a session file format, audio file format, bit depth, and sample rate for the session copy.

Save Session Copy In dialog

Unlike the Save Session As command, Save Session Copy In does not close the original session, so subsequent edits are made to the original session. Session copies can be used to archive important sessions, or as a means to prepare sessions for transfer to another Pro Tools system.

Save Session Copy In saves only the audio being used in the session. Any audio that was recorded or imported and then later removed from the session will not be included in the new session copy.

Dither and Noise Shaping with Save Session Copy In

Bit Rate Dither

24-bit to 24-bit No No

16-bit to 24-bit No No

24-bit to 16-bit Yes Yes

16-bit to 16-bit No No

Noise Shaping

Session Format

You can save the session copy in the following formats, depending on your platform:

Windows:

• Pro Tools Session (*.pts); supports Pro Tools

5.1 and higher

• Pro Tools 5.0 Session (*.pt5)

• Pro Tools 4 24-Bit Session (*.p24)

• Pro Tools 4 16-Bit Session (*.pt4)

Macintosh:

• Latest; 5.1 or higher

• Pro Tools 5.0 Session

• Pro Tools 4 24-Bit Session

• Pro Tools 4 16-Bit Session

• Pro Tools 3.2 Session

When saving sessions to versions lower than

5.1, multichannel tracks (including stereo) and multi-mono plug-ins are lost. In this case, make sure to first separate the tracks and plug-ins to individual mono tracks.

Using the Save Session Copy In command is the only way to change the sample rate of a session.

When you Save Session Copy In with a lower bit rate, Dither (and Noise Shaping) may be applied. See the following table:

Pro Tools Reference Guide50

Session Parameters

Audio File Type

The higher the quality of sample rate conversion you choose, the longer Pro Tools will take to process the audio file.

You can save the session to reference BWF (.WAV) or AIFF audio ﬁles. On the Macintosh, you can also save the session to reference SD II audio ﬁles (at sample rates up to 48 kHz).

SD II sessions are not supported with Pro Tools for Windows, or with sample rates higher than 48 kHz. You cannot set the session audio file type to SD II on the Macintosh if Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility is selected, or if the sample rate of the destination session is greater than 48 kHz.

Using Mixed File Types

A session can use mixed audio file types. If your original session has mixed file types, they are not converted to a different file type unless you specify that they be converted. However, when using mixed file types, audio performance will be reduced (due to additional file handling required for some file formats).

Bit Depth

You can save the new session at 16-bit or 24-bit depth. If your session is in a different bit depth, audio ﬁles are converted to the new session bit depth, and copied to the location you specify.

Sample Rate

You can save the new session at sample rates of

44.1 kHz or 48 kHz (on Mbox, Digi 001 and MIX-series systems) and at sample rates up to 96 kHz (on Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack and HD-series systems with a 96 I/O) or up to 192 kHz (on HD-series systems with a 192 I/O or 192 Digital I/O). If your session is at a different sample rate, audio ﬁles are converted to the new session sample rate, and copied to the location you specify.

Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility

This setting forces Windows or Macintosh versions of Pro Tools to create sessions and audio ﬁles that are usable on both platforms. For more information, see “Creating Macintosh and PC Compatible Sessions” on page 132.

Items to Copy

All Audio Files

When this option is selected, all audio files are copied to the new location.

This setting is automatically selected if you are changing the bit depth or sample rate of the session.

All (Non-Native) Audio Files

The name of this option varies depending on the audio ﬁle type you select. If you are changing the audio ﬁle type of the session, this option ensures that all ﬁles in the copied session are converted to the selected ﬁle type. Use this option to avoid the reduced performance of a session with mixed ﬁle types.

This option is automatically selected if you are changing bit depth or sample rate, or copying a session on the Macintosh from SD II format to AIFF or BWF (.WAV) format with Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility selected.

Chapter 6: Sessions 51

Don’t Copy Fade Files

When this option is selected, Fade Files are not copied to the new session Fade Files folder. When the session is launched, the Find Files dialog will prompt you to locate Fade Files. You can either locate the existing fades using the ﬁnd ﬁle dialog, or Skip All to let Pro Tools recreate the fades from the session document.

Session Plug-In Settings Folder

When this option is selected, the session’s PlugIn Settings folder is copied to the new location. The references to these plug-in settings in the session are redirected to point to the copied settings files.

Root Plug-In Settings Folder

3 Set the Audio File Type to AIFF, BWF (.WAV),

or SD II. If the audio ﬁles need to be compatible with either Windows or Macintosh, select AIFF or BWF (.WAV).

4 Set the Sample Rate and Bit Depth for the ses-

sion.

5 Select “Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility” if you

want to create session and audio ﬁles that can be used in either Windows or Macintosh versions of Pro Tools. See “Creating Macintosh and PC Compatible Sessions” on page 132 for more information.

6 Select the Items to Copy to the new session.

7 Click Save.

When this option is selected, the contents of the root-level Plug-In Settings Folder are copied into a folder named Place in Root Settings Folder, indicating that these files will need to be moved to the root level plug-in settings folder on the destination system before you can use them. The references to these settings files in the session are not redirected to point to the copied files.

Movie/Video Files

When this option is selected, session movie files (QuickTime video files or AVoption or AVoption XL video files) are copied to the new location, and session references are updated to point to the copied movie files.

To save a session copy in a new location:

1 Choose File > Save Session Copy In.

2 In the Save Session Copy dialog, choose a des-

tination and enter a name for the new session ﬁle.

Creating Custom Session Templates

You can create custom session documents that are pre-configured to the track setups, mixer setups, window arrangements, and zoom level memory locations that you use most frequently. Doing this will save you the trouble of having to create your studio setup from scratch every time you start a new session.

Creating Windows Templates

In Windows, you can create a session template by making a session file a Read Only document.

To create a custom session template in Windows:

1 Create a session and arrange its elements as

you want them to appear in the template. You can also deﬁne elements such as signal routings, insert and send conﬁgurations, track views, Ruler settings, and Preference settings.

2 Choose File > Save Session As.

3 Name the session and click Save.

Pro Tools Reference Guide52

4 Close the session.

5 Locate the session ﬁle that you just saved.

6 Right-click the ﬁle and choose Properties.

7 Under Attributes, deselect Archive and select

Read Only.

Making a session a Read Only ﬁle (Windows)

Creating Macintosh Templates

On the Macintosh, you can create a session template by saving a session file as a Stationery Pad document. Once a session is saved as a Stationery Pad, it acts as a template that you can open and then resave as a normal session.

To create a custom session template on the Macintosh:

1 Create a session and arrange its elements as

you want them to appear in the template. In addition to track setup, you can also deﬁne elements such as signal routings, insert and send conﬁgurations, Mix and Edit window views, Ruler settings, and Preference settings.

2 Choose File > Save Session As.

3 Name the session and click Save.

4 Close the session.

5 Locate the session ﬁle that you just saved.

6 Click once on the ﬁle to select it.

7 Choose File > Get Info > General Information.

8 Click OK.

To use this template, double-click it or open it with the Open Session command. When you first save the session, Pro Tools will ask you to give the session a new name. Your original session template will remain unchanged.

To modify the session template, you will need to reopen its Properties, deselect the Read Only option and select the Archive option, make your modifications, then change it back to a Read Only file.

Saving a session as a Stationery Pad (Macintosh)

8 Select the Stationery Pad option to save the

ﬁle as a template, then close the information window.

Chapter 6: Sessions 53

To use this template, double-click it or open it with the Open Session command if you are already running Pro Tools. You can create several custom templates for studio setups that you frequently use.

When you open a session saved as a Stationery Pad, Pro Tools gives you the option of editing the template or starting a new session using the template settings. If you choose New Session, Pro Tools will create a new folder containing a copy of your session template and Audio and Fades folders.

Closing a Session

Because Pro Tools allows you to work on just one session at a time, you must close the current session if you want to work on another. The Close Session command closes your current Pro Tools session but leaves the Pro Tools application open. You can save your work using the Save Session or Save Session As command before closing the current session.

To close a session:

■ Choose File > Close Session.

Quitting Pro Tools

Although Pro Tools will warn you before allowing you to quit without saving changes, you should generally save your work before quitting.

To quit Pro Tools on the Macintosh:

■ Choose Pro Tools > Quit Pro Tools

(Pro Tools 6.x) or File > Quit (Pro Tools 5.3.x and lower).

Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems

Pro Tools makes it easy to share sessions between Pro Tools LE and TDM-equipped systems. There are some important differences between the two types of systems that can affect how session material is transferred.

Differences between TDM and LE systems

Feature TDM Systems LE Systems

Number of Audio Tracks

Number of Mix Busses

Inserts per Track

up to 256 (HD-series)

up to 128 (MIX-series)

64 busses 16 busses

up to 5 inserts up to 5 inserts

up to 32 (Pro Tools 6.x on all systems, Pro Tools 5.3.1 and higher on Windows)

up to 24 (Pro Tools 5.3.x and lower on Macintosh, Pro Tools 5.1.x and lower on Windows)

To exit Pro Tools in Windows:

■ Choose File > Exit.

Pro Tools Reference Guide54

Sends per Track

up to 5 sends up to 5 sends

For details on transferring sessions between Windows and Macintosh systems, see “Moving Sessions Between Platforms with MacOpener” on page 134.

Opening a TDM session in Pro Tools LE

When opening a TDM session in Pro Tools LE, the following rules apply:

•With Pro Tools LE 6.x (all systems) or Pro Tools 5.3.1 and higher (Windows):

• Any tracks beyond the ﬁrst 32, as well any inactive tracks, are set to voice off.

• Multichannel surround tracks are removed from the session.

• Any assignments to busses beyond 16 are made inactive.

• Unavailable input and output paths are made inactive.

• TDM plug-ins with RTAS equivalents are retained; those without equivalents are made inactive.

•With Pro Tools LE 5.3.x and lower (Macintosh) or Pro Tools LE 5.1.x and lower (Windows):

• Any tracks beyond the ﬁrst 24, as well any inactive tracks, are removed from the session.

• Multichannel surround tracks are removed from the session.

• Any assignments to busses beyond 16 are made inactive.

• Unavailable input and output paths are made inactive.

• TDM plug-ins with RTAS equivalents are retained; those without equivalents are made inactive.

Preferences

The Preferences dialog has several tabbed pages in which you can specify your preferred settings for various session parameters. Each new session will use these preferences.

Display Preferences

Edit Window Follows Bank Selection If you are using a supported control surface with Pro Tools, this option scrolls the Edit window to display the selected bank of tracks when you switch banks on the control surface, ensuring that the current bank is viewable on-screen.

Show Meters in Sends View When the Sends View is displaying individual send controls, you can select this option to show send level meters. Deselecting this option can help speed up screen redraws and processing.

Mix Window Follows Bank Selection If you are using a supported control surface with Pro Tools, this option scrolls the Mix window to display the selected bank of tracks when you switch banks on the control surface, ensuring that the current bank is viewable on-screen.

Chapter 6: Sessions 55

Draw Grids in Edit Window Adds grid lines to the Edit window. Grid line resolution is based on the zoom level of the Edit window.

Draw Waveforms Rectiﬁed Displays audio waveform data in rectified view. In this view, audio waveforms are displayed so that their positive and negative waveform excursions (the portions that fall above and below the center line) are summed together and viewed as a single positive-value signal. This view allows more waveform detail to be seen in either normal or reduced track height views. It can be particularly useful when editing volume automation data, since it depicts waveform levels as starting at the bottom of the track.

Recompute Invalid Overviews Prompts Pro Tools to look for missing or corrupted overview data (the data used to create waveform displays) when it opens sessions. If Pro Tools finds that overview data is missing or corrupted, it will recreate one or more overviews for the session. This may take some time if there are many tracks in the session. If you suspect that overview data for a session has become corrupted, or if you import audio files which have no overview data into a session, make sure this preference is enabled for the session, save and close the session, then reopen it. Pro Tools will recreate any overviews for the session when it opens.

Edit Window Default Length This option allows you to set a default length for the Edit window in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. This is useful if you want to assemble a session of a particular length or leave extra room to expand the Edit window’s work area in your session. There is a 13 hour maximum limit for the length of a Pro Tools session.

Edit Window Color Coding

Edit Window Color Coding determines how colors are assigned to the waveform display in the Edit window.

None Turns off color assignment to the waveform display of tracks in the Edit window.

Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to the waveform display of each track in the Edit window according to its voice number and MIDI channel assignment.

Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to the waveform display of each track in the Edit window according to its voice number and MIDI device type.

Groups Assigns a color to the waveform display of each track in the Edit window according to its group ID. If groups are suspended using the Suspend Groups command, all waveforms will be displayed in black.

Peak Hold Options

These options determine how long the peak indicators on track meters stay lit after a peak is detected.

3 Second Peak Hold When this option is selected, track meters display the last peak level for three seconds.

Inﬁnite Peak Hold When this option is selected, track meters display the last peak level until you click them to clear them.

No Peak Hold When this option is selected, track meters do not hold the peak level.

Zoom Toggle Track Height Sets the default track height when the Zoom Toggle function is used to zoom in on a selection.

Pro Tools Reference Guide56

Operation Preferences

Timeline Insertion Follows Playback This option causes the screen’s play cursor to update its location to the point where playback stops.

Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle When selected, the edit cursor automatically locates to the point where scrubbing stops.

Support Background Record Applications (Pro Tools 6.0.x and Lower Only) Allows other

audio recording applications to run in the background concurrently with Pro Tools. Files recorded in the background can be imported into Pro Tools, and then trimmed and viewed while recording continues. (In Pro Tools 6.1, audio recording in the background is always supported.)

Sends Default to –INF When selected, the initial

fader level of newly-created sends is set to –∞

(no audible signal level). When not selected, the initial fader level of newly-created sends is set to 0 dB.

Audio During Fast Forward/Rewind When selected, audio is audible during fast-forward or rewind.

Convert Imported “WAV” Files To AES31/BroadcastWave When selected, this option applies to

all newly imported WAV files, making them compliant with the AES31/EBU Broadcast standard. In Pro Tools 6.0 and lower, this option was located in the Compatibility page (see “Compatibility Preferences” on page 64).

Limit Pull Ups to NTSC/PAL Film Standards This option, which is selected by default, filters the list of available Pull Up rates that appears in the Session Setup window.

Latch Record Enable Buttons When this option is deselected, it prevents multiple audio tracks from being record-enabled. Record-enabling an audio track takes any other audio track out of record-enabled mode.

Latch Solo Buttons When this option is deselected, it prevents multiple tracks from being soloed. Soloing a track will un-solo any other track that is soloed.

Link Mix and Edit Group Enables When this option is selected, it links enabling and disabling of Mix and Edit groups. For example, enabling Group A in the Edit Window automatically enables Group A in the Mix window.

Use F11 Key for Wait for Note When this option is selected, pressing the F11 Function key puts MIDI recording in Wait for Note mode.

Automatically Copy Files on Import When this option is selected, Pro Tools copies all imported audio files to the current session’s Audio Files folder, regardless of whether they need to be converted to the current session’s file type, bit depth or sample rate.

Chapter 6: Sessions 57

Numeric Keypad Mode

Numeric Keypad Mode determines how the numeric keypad functions. You can always use the numeric keypad to select and enter values in the Event Edit Area, Location Indicators, and Transport fields.

Classic Emulates the way Pro Tools worked in versions lower than 5.0. With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Classic, you can play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock mode. Press the Start key (Windows) or Control (Macintosh), followed by 0–9 for different play speeds. Press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to reverse direction. Recall Memory Locations by typing the Memory Location number, followed by period (.).

Transport Allows you to set a number of record and play functions, and also operate the Transport from the numeric keypad. With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock mode. Press the Start key (Windows) or Control (Macintosh), followed by 0–9 for different play speeds. Press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to reverse direction. Recall Memory Locations by typing period (.), the Memory Location number, and period (.) again.

Shuttle (TDM Only) (Selects a type of shuttling different from that of Shuttle Lock mode. With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Shuttle, playback is triggered by pressing and holding the keys on the numeric keypad—playback stops once the keys are released. Various playback speeds are available in both forward and reverse. You can also recall Memory Locations by typing period (.), the Memory Location number, and period (.) again.

AutoSave

This preference determines how the AutoSave feature functions.

Enable Session File Auto Backup When this option is selected, Pro Tools automatically saves backups of your Pro Tools session file while you work. Use the Keep and Backup Every fields to specify the total number of incremental backups that are kept and how often the session is saved.

Online Options

Record Online at Time Code (or ADAT) Lock When this option is selected, online re-

cording begins as soon as Pro Tools receives and locks to time code or ADAT sync.

Record Online at Insertion/Selection When this option is selected, online recording begins at the Edit cursor location. Recording continues until Pro Tools stops receiving time code. If you make a selection, Pro Tools records online for the length of the selection.

Open Ended Record Allocation

This preference determines how much of your available hard drive space is allocated for recording.

Use All Available Space When selected, the drive’s entire available space is allocated. This can sometimes slow down the recording process for hard drives that use certain file systems, including HFS+ and NTFS.

Limit To Sets the maximum allowable recording duration. This can help reduce the time it takes to begin recording by allocating only a portion of your hard drive. The number of minutes specified is allocated for each record-enabled track. You may want to experiment with this number to achieve the recording performance you want.

Machine Control

These preferences determine how a connected transport responds to Pro Tools.

Pro Tools Reference Guide58

Machine Chases Memory Location When selected, navigating to a specific location in a session with a Memory Location causes a connected transport to chase to that location.

Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When selected, navigating to a specific location in a session by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a track will cause a connected transport to chase to that location.

Machine Cues Intelligently When selected, if you navigate to a cue point that is more than 10 seconds from the current location, Pro Tools will command a connected transport to fast wind to the new location at full speed to within 10 seconds of the cue point. Cueing will then slow to normal speed until the point is reached. This can significantly speed up tape cueing with certain video transports.

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

Ignore Track Arming Sets Pro Tools to ignore incoming track arming (record enable) commands. This is useful if you are using a master controller to arm tracks on other machines, but you don’t want to arm tracks in Pro Tools.

Auto Regions Fade In/Out Length Sets a default length for fade-ins and fade-outs automatically applied to region boundaries. Using automatic fade-ins and fade-outs saves you the trouble of editing to zero-crossings or creating numerous rendered fades in order to eliminate clicks or pops in playback. Autofades are not written to disk. Value range is from 0–10 ms for the Auto Region Fade In/Out Length. A value of zero (the default) means that no auto-fading will occur. The Auto Fade value is saved with the session, and is automatically applied to all free-standing region boundaries until you change it.

Calibration Reference Level Sets a default calibration reference level in dB when Pro Tools is in Calibration mode.

Remote Mode (9-pin Deck Emulation)

(TDM Systems Only)

Punch In Frame Offset Sets an offset (in frames)

to compensate for punch in timing advances or delays.

Punch Out Frame Offset Sets an offset (in frames) to compensate for punch out timing advances or delays.

Delay After Play Command Sets an offset (in frames) to compensate for lockup time of external machines.

Chapter 6: Sessions 59

Editing Preferences

Recall Original Track Selections When this option is selected, Memory Locations that recall a selection also recall the track in which the selection was made.

Auto-Name Memory Locations When Playing When this option is selected, Pro Tools

gives new memory locations default names based on their time location in the session. The time units currently chosen in the Display menu determine the units for the names.

Auto-Name Separated Regions When this option is selected, Pro Tools automatically names newly separated regions by appending a number to the region’s name.

Region List Selection Follows Track Selection When this option is selected, selecting

a region in a track also selects it in the Regions List.

Track Selection Follows Regions List Selection When this option is selected, selecting

a region in the Regions List causes Pro Tools to highlight that region’s occurrence in a track.

Crossfade Preview Pre-Roll This option specifies the amount of pre-roll to be added when you are auditioning crossfades in the Fades dialog.

Crossfade Preview Post-Roll This option specifies the amount of post-roll to be added when you are auditioning crossfades in the Fades dialog.

Default Fade Settings

Fade In Selects the default envelope shape for

fade-ins.

Crossfade Selects the default envelope shape for crossfades.

Fade Out Selects the default envelope shape for fade-outs.

Conversion Quality Selects the sample rate conversion quality. Sample rate conversion is used in a variety of Pro Tools processes including converting and importing audio files of different formats into a session, and bouncing and saving tracks to a different sample rate or bit depth. The higher the quality of sample rate conversion you choose, the longer Pro Tools will take to process the audio file.

“Matching Start Time” Takes List

When you Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) a region in a track, Pro Tools displays a list of regions whose time stamp matches the current cursor location. The following preferences determine which regions, or takes, appear in this list:

Take Region Names That Match Track Names When this option is selected, only re-

gions that share the same root name with the track and playlist appear in the Takes List popup menu.

Pro Tools Reference Guide60

Take Region Lengths That Match When this option is selected, only regions that match the length of the current selection appear in the Takes List pop-up menu.

“Separate Region” Operates On All Related Takes When this option is selected, editing a re-

gion with the Separate Region command also affects all other related takes with the same User Time Stamp. This option helps you compare different sections from a group of related takes.

QuickPunch Crossfade Length Specifies a default length for crossfades created by QuickPunch recording. Crossfades occur before the punch in and after the punch out.

Automation Preferences

Levels Of Undo Sets the maximum number of actions that can be undone with the multiple undo feature. Setting this to a lower number can speed up the performance of slower computers. Pro Tools 6.1 supports up to 32 Levels of Undo. Pro Tools 6.0 and lower support up to 16 Levels of Undo.

Faders Move During Playback When this option is selected, on-screen faders move if automation has been written for them. When this option is deselected, on-screen faders do not move, but automation still functions. Deselecting this option can help speed up screen redraws and processing.

Smooth and Thin Data After Pass When this option is selected, Pro Tools automatically smooths and then applies the specified amount of thinning to the automation data created in an automation pass. (See “Thinning Automation” on page 447.)

Write Switches To Touch After Pass (TDM Systems Only) When this option is selected, after an automation pass in Auto Write mode, Pro Tools automatically switches to Auto Touch mode. On TDM systems, you can choose to stay in Auto Write mode by deselecting this option.

Write Switches to Touch After Pass does not affect Trim mode. In Trim mode, tracks do not automatically change from Trim/Auto Write to Trim/Auto Touch after an automation pass.

Chapter 6: Sessions 61

Mutes Follow Groups When this option is selected, muting a track that belongs to a Mix group mutes all members of the group. When this option is deselected, tracks are muted individually. You can also mute individual group members by Right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Macintosh) their Mute buttons.

Solos Follow Groups When this option is selected, soloing a track that belongs to a Mix group solos all members of the group. When this option is deselected, tracks are soloed individually. You can also solo individual group members by Right-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Macintosh) their Solo buttons.

Send Mutes Follow Groups When this option is selected, muting a Send on a track that belongs to a Mix group mutes the corresponding Send (A–E) on all members of the group. When this option is deselected, Sends are muted individually. You can also mute individual group members by Right-clicking (Windows) or Controlclicking (Macintosh) their Solo buttons.

Send Levels Follow Groups When this option is selected, adjusting the level of a Send on a track that belongs to a Mix group adjusts the level of the corresponding Send (A–E) on all members of the group. When this option is deselected, Send levels are adjusted individually. You can also adjust individual group members by Start-dragging (Windows) or Control-dragging (Macintosh) their Send level faders.

ging (Windows) or Control-dragging (Macintosh) their LFE controls. With send-based LFEs, grouping affects only that Send (A–E) on other tracks.

Degree of Thinning Specifies the amount of thinning performed on automation data when you use the Thin Automation command, or if you have selected the Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option. (See “Thinning” on page 438.)

Touch Timeout If you are writing automation in Auto Touch mode and you stop moving a nontouch sensitive control, Pro Tools continues to write automation for the Touch Timeout value.

After the Touch Timeout period, writing of automation stops and the automation data returns to its previous automation value at the rate specified in the AutoMatch Time setting.

AutoMatch Time If you are writing automation in Auto Touch mode, when you release a fader or control, writing of automation stops and the automation data returns to its previous automation value. The rate of return to the previous value is the AutoMatch Time. See “AutoMatch” on page 438.

Amount of memory to reserve for automation recording Allocates memory for automation. See

“Setting the Automation Buffer Size” on page 439 for details.

LFEs Follow Groups When this option is selected, adjusting an LFE (Low Frequency Effects) control of a track or send that belongs to a Mix group adjusts the LFE controls of all members of the group. When this option is deselected, LFE controls are adjusted individually. You can also adjust individual group members by Start-drag-

Pro Tools Reference Guide62

Processing Preferences

AudioSuite Dither

Use AudioSuite Dither When selected, applies

dither to specific AudioSuite processing tasks, such as Gain and Normalize.

Dither Plug-In Specifies the plug-in used for dither processing when the Use AudioSuite Dither option is selected.

AudioSuite Buffer Size

Audio Suite Buffer Size sets the size of the memory buffer used for audio processing and previewing with AudioSuite plug-ins. If AudioSuite preview stutters, set the buffer to Mini or Small. Processing is generally faster when the buffer is set to Larger or Jumbo.

TC/E

TC/E Plug-In Allows you to choose the plug-in

used for Time Compression and Expansion when you edit audio with the Time Trimmer tool. The Time Trimmer works by using Time Compression/Expansion to match an audio region to the length of another region, a tempo grid, a video scene, or other reference point.

Default Settings Specifies the default settings used by the chosen Time Compression/Expansion plug-in.

Edit Settings When a Digidesign dither plug-in is used, allows you to apply either normal or noise-shaping dither.

Bit Depth

16-, 18-, 20-, and 24-Bit allows you to select a bit

depth for the dithered audio.

Chapter 6: Sessions 63

Compatibility Preferences

(Pro Tools 6.0.x and Lower Only)

Convert Imported “WAV” Files To AES31/BroadcastWave When selected, this option applies to

all newly imported WAV files, making them compliant with the AES31/EBU Broadcast standard.

MIDI Preferences

Play MIDI Notes When Editing When selected, causes MIDI notes to sound when you insert them with the Pencil or drag them with the Grabber.

Default Note On Velocity Sets the default Note On velocity for MIDI notes inserted in the Edit window and the MIDI Event List.

Pencil Tool Resolution Sets the default resolution for MIDI controller data created with the Pencil. Setting this to a lower resolution helps avoid creating controller data that is unnecessarily dense. The value range is from 1 to 100 milliseconds.

Global MIDI Playback Offset Sets an offset in samples to compensate for MIDI latency. Entering a value here has the same effect as setting an offset with the MIDI Track Offset command (Windows > MIDI Track Offset). Offset values can be positive (later) or negative (earlier).

MIDI Note Display Sets the reference for middle C as C3, C4, or MIDI note number 60.

Default Thru Instrument Sets the default MIDI Thru instrument from your available MIDI instruments.

Pro Tools Reference Guide64

Chapter 7: I/O Setup

The I/O Setup dialog provides tools to label, format, and map Pro Tools input, output, insert, bus, and SampleCell signal paths for each session. (SampleCell paths are available only on Pro Tools|24 MIX-series systems on Mac OS 9 with TDM-equipped SampleCell II cards.)

A signal path is a logical grouping of multiple inputs, outputs or busses that has a single name and (channel) format. In Pro Tools, paths are similar to stems, known to the film and video industries (see “Stems and Stem Mixes” on page 67). The I/O Setup dialog lets you define and name paths according to the needs of each project.

On HD-series systems, 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.

Each Pro Tools system can have a different I/O Setup configuration, determined by:

• Whether it is a Pro Tools LE system or a Pro Tools TDM system

• On TDM systems, whether it is an HD-series, MIX-series, or Pro Tools|24 system

• On TDM systems, the number and types of audio interfaces

• On TDM systems, the mixer plug-in currently installed

Each Pro Tools session retains its path configurations as I/O Settings. The I/O Settings saved with the session are loaded automatically when the session is opened. Unavailable items (including hardware, paths, or required resources) remain in the session as inactive items (see “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 76).

When you create a new session, you can specify a default I/O Setup configuration, including presets for stereo or multichannel mixing formats (multichannel mixing requires an HD-series or MIX-series system).

The I/O Setup dialog also lets you save and import I/O Settings files.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 65

Paths in Sessions

Paths and I/O Setup

In sessions, audio is routed using the track Input, Output, Insert, Plug-in, and Send Selectors. These selectors let you assign tracks to hardware inputs and outputs, internal busses, and other Pro Tools signal paths.

Paths comprise the lists of available signal routing choices in track input, output, insert and send selectors.

Track Input Selectors

The signal routing choices available in a session are defined in the I/O Setup dialog.

I/O Setup dialog Output paths on a Digi 001 system

Track Input and Output Selectors

Pro Tools Reference Guide66

I/O Setup dialog Output paths on an HD system

Main Paths and Sub-Paths

Default Settings Files

Paths in the I/O Setup dialog include main paths and sub-paths.

Stereo main path

mono sub-path

Main and sub-paths in the I/O Setup Channel Grid

Main Paths

Main paths are logical groupings of inputs, inserts, busses, or outputs. For example, a master stereo output path could be named Main Out. Path names in a stereo path are often appended with “.L” and “.R” for left and right.

Sub-Paths

A sub-path represents a signal path within a main path. For example, a default stereo output path consists of two mono sub-paths, left and right. Mono tracks and sends can be routed to either mono sub-path of the stereo output path.

It is especially useful to define and name sub-paths for complex mixing setups, such as a 5.1 Surround mix.

Default I/O Settings

A default I/O Settings ﬁle is installed automatically by Pro Tools, so you have a set of default paths that will get you started, without the need to conﬁgure the I/O Setup dialog. You can then customize your I/O Setup conﬁguration at any time, according to the needs of each project (see “The I/O Setup Dialog” on page 68).

The default Stereo settings file is available on all Pro Tools systems, and provides stereo main paths, each with its own mono sub-paths.

Multichannel settings files are available for Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series systems. These settings provide specialized path definitions for surround mixing. See “Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions” on page 490.

Default Path Names

Default names for input, output, and insert paths are based on the type of system (LE systems) or type and number of interfaces (TDM systems) you are using.

Stems and Stem Mixes

The use of stems and stem mixes originated in the post production industry as a method to organize and manage elements of a mix by type or content.

For example, a film mix often requires a stem mix for Foley, a stem mix for sound effects, a stem mix for dialog, and another for music. In this scenario, the dialog stem would contain all the dialog elements mixed relative to each other. The dialog stem can then be mixed with the other stems during the final mix of the scene or reel. The final mix is simplified by the ability to control the level of each stem, rather than the multitude of individual tracks that comprise a typical film mix.

In Pro Tools, you can work with main and subpaths as you would stem mixes. These can be assigned as needed, including the ability to assign multiple outputs to individual tracks and sends. For more information, see “Multiple Output Assignments” on page 398.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 67

The I/O Setup Dialog

The I/O Setup dialog deﬁnes Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus paths. Routing I/O ports to Pro Tools inputs and outputs can also be done here.

Expand/Collapse

Main and Sub-Paths

Active/Inactive Status

Options

Path Type Tabs

Path Name column

Path Format Selector

Figure 7. I/O Setup dialog on a Pro Tools|HD system with a 192 I/O

To open the I/O Setup dialog:

1 Make sure your audio interfaces are enabled

and conﬁgured properly in the Hardware Setup. See “Conﬁguring Pro Tools Hardware Settings” on page 43.

2 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

Closing the I/O Setup Dialog

You can click Cancel at any time to close the I/O Setup dialog. When you click OK, Pro Tools checks several settings for routing validity (to prevent feedback loops). If there are any overlapping or invalid settings, you will be required to correct them before the I/O Setup dialog will

To open the Input, Output, Insert, Bus or SampleCell page in the I/O Setup dialog:

■ Click the corresponding tab at the top of the

close. For more information, see “Initializing I/O Setup” on page 75.

I/O Setup dialog.

Interface Label

Input and Output Selectors

Channel Grid

Path Tools

(The SampleCell page is available only on Pro Tools|24 MIX-series systems on Mac OS 9 with TDM-equipped SampleCell II cards.)

Pro Tools Reference Guide68

I/O Setup Dialog Controls

This section provides an overview of the controls in the I/O Setup dialog.

Path Type Tabs Select the type of I/O to configure. Choices are Inputs, Outputs, Inserts, Busses, or SampleCell. (SampleCell paths are available only on Pro Tools|24 MIX-series systems on Mac OS 9 with TDM-equipped SampleCell II cards.)

Input and Output Selectors Select the physical ports on your audio interface to route to Pro Tools inputs and outputs. Ports are selectable in channel pairs. Available ports for each displayed interface are based on Hardware Setup settings; for example, if the AES/EBU inputs and outputs of an interface are enabled in Hardware Setup, they are available for routing in I/O Setup. The functionality provided with the Input and Output Selector is the same as that provided on the Main page of the Hardware Setup dialog.

Path Name Column Shows paths that are available for selection, including the name of each defined path.

Show Original Setup Appears in the I/O Setup dialog in certain session transfer situations. For details on this feature, see “Show Original Setup and Show Current Setup” on page 78.

Options Provide pop-up menus to set paths or orders for Meter, Audition (Regions List previewing), Default Output (for new tracks), and Default Path Order. See “I/O Setup Options” on page 80.

Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O

The I/O Setup dialog lets you define which physical ports on your I/O peripheral are routed to available inputs and outputs in Pro Tools. Use the Input and Output Selectors in the I/O Setup dialog to serve as a patchbay to route any of the physical inputs or outputs to your Pro Tools mixer.

Expand/Collapse Shows or hides the sub-paths associated with a main path.

Active/Inactive Status Shows and changes the active/inactive status of each path.

Path Format Selector Shows and selects the type/format (such as Mono, Stereo, Quad, or

5.1) of each defined path.

Channel Grid Maps paths to specific interfaces and channels.

Path Tools Customize the I/O Setup configuration. Buttons include: New Path, New Sub-Path, Delete Path, and Default.

I/O Channel Selector pop-up menu

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 69

To conﬁgure I/O routing in I/O Setup:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

2 Click the Input or Output tab to display the

corresponding path type.

3 Click the Input or Output Selector for the ﬁrst

interface channel pair, located below the ﬁrst audio interface icon.

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

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

5 Repeat the above step for additional channel

pairs.

6 Click OK.

Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to Multiple Destinations

Pro Tools channel pairs can be routed to multiple outputs on an audio interface through the I/O Setup dialog. For example, if you assign both Analog 1–2 and Analog 3–4 interface outputs to Pro Tools Output pair 1–2, when you send a signal to Pro Tools Outputs 1–2, that signal will be routed simultaneously to both pairs of output ports on your audio interface.

This lets you send the same signal (such as a stereo pair, a stem mix, or a multichannel mix) to multiple destinations (such as multiple mastering devices).

Pro Tools outputs pairs can also be routed to multiple audio interface outputs in the Hardware Setup dialog. For more information, see “Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to Multiple Destinations” on page 45.

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

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

2 Click the Output tab.

3 Click the Output Selector for an interface

channel pair, just below an audio interface icon.

4 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.

5 Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Macin-

tosh) the same Output Selector and select an additional output pair from the same pop-up menu.

6 Repeat the above steps to select additional

output destinations.

7 Click OK.

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

0utput path assignments cannot overlap. See “Valid Paths and Requirements” on page 75 for details.

Pro Tools Reference Guide70

Creating and Editing Paths

The I/O Setup dialog lets you create and customize signal path deﬁnitions.

Paths can be:

• Renamed, for easier identiﬁcation after changing or renaming audio interfaces

• Remapped, to or from different sources or destinations

•Deactivated (or reactivated) to manage unavailable or unnecessary I/O resources

• Deleted

In addition, you can import and export your I/O Setup conﬁgurations as I/O Settings ﬁles, as well as set default path parameters.

The following table lists the available path attributes for each path type.

Path Options by Type

Path Type Path Options (Attributes)

Input Names, formats, and source

channel (analog or digital audio interface, or CPU input)

Creating a Default Main or Sub-Path

You can set an I/O Setup path type to its default path configuration at any time.

To restore default paths and pathnames:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, Bus, or

SampleCell tab to display the corresponding path type. (SampleCell paths are available only on Pro Tools|24 MIX-series systems on Mac OS 9 with TDM-equipped SampleCell II cards.)

3 Click Default.

Pro Tools creates all possible stereo main paths. Mono sub-paths are also auto-created for every stereo main path. These default path names appear in a session’s track Input and Output Selectors.

Output Names, formats, and destination

(audio interface output channel or internal send bus)

Insert Names, formats and destination

(audio interface channels)

Bus Names and formats

SampleCell (MIX-series on Mac OS 9 only)

Input names

Default stereo output paths

To optimize Pro Tools DSP resources, it is best to create mono sub-paths for Outputs and Busses, rather than mono main paths.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 71

Creating New Paths

You can create new main path and sub-paths with custom names, format, and mapping. Custom path names appear in a session’s track Input, Output, Insert, and Bus Selectors.

7 Repeat the previous steps to conﬁgure other

path types (Input, Output, Insert, Bus, or SampleCell). (SampleCell paths are available only on Pro Tools|24 MIX-series systems on Mac OS 9 with TDM-equipped SampleCell II cards.)

To create a new path:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, Bus, or

SampleCell tab to display the corresponding path type. (SampleCell paths are available only on Pro Tools|24 MIX-series systems on Mac OS 9 with TDM-equipped SampleCell II cards.)

3 Click New Path, or press Control+N (Win-

dows) or Command+N (Macintosh).

– or –

Select a main path and click New Sub-Path.

4 Double-click in the Name ﬁeld and enter a

name for the path.

5 Press Tab to set the new path name and move

to the next path’s Name Field, or press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) to set the new path name.

6 Choose a format from the Path Format Selec-

tor (mono, stereo, or multichannel).

8 Click OK to close the I/O Setup dialog. If there

are any overlapping or identically named paths, you will be instructed to correct them before the I/O Setup dialog will close. For more information, see “Initializing I/O Setup” on page 75.

Multichannel paths and mixing are explained in Chapter 31, “Pro Tools Setup for Surround.”

Selecting and Arranging Paths

Individual and multiple paths can be selected in the I/O Setup dialog Path Name column. Selected paths and sub-paths can be moved higher or lower in the Path Name column to change their menu order in track Input, Output, Insert, and Bus Selectors. Paths can also be deleted. Sub-paths follow their main paths when they are moved in the I/O Setup dialog.

To select a main path or sub-path:

■ Click the path name.

Path Format Selector

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Selecting paths in the I/O Setup dialog

To select multiple main paths or sub-paths:

■ Shift-click the path names.

When all paths are selected, Shift-clicking the path name, deselects it.

To select all paths and sub-paths:

■ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macin-

tosh) any path name.

When all paths are selected, Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Macintosh) any path name, deselects all path names.

To rearrange paths:

■ Drag one or more path names up or down.

Resetting Mix Busses (TDM Only)

Pro Tools 5.1.3 and higher supports up to 64 mix busses for TDM systems. However, when you open a session created with Pro Tools 5.0.1 or lower, only 32 busses are initially available.

To make 64 busses available in sessions created with Pro Tools 5.0.1 or lower:

1 Open the I/O Setup dialog.

2 Click the Bus tab in the upper left.

Resetting Paths

The Default button in the I/O Setup dialog provides two primary functions:

•Creates new, default paths up to the capacity of your system’s available audio interfaces and resources. See “Creating a Default Main or Sub-Path” on page 71.

• Resets selected path names to matching or corresponding paths in the current I/O Setup conﬁguration. For example, if you change modes on Digi 001, or replace an audio interface on a Pro Tools HD-series or MIX-series system, you can use the Default switch to update your I/O Setup deﬁnitions with the new hardware conﬁguration.

Interface names can be customized. See “Changing Interface Names” on page 73.

To reset path names:

■ Click Default.

If there are matching paths available with the new system configuration, existing paths will be updated to include new audio interfaces (TDM systems), or I/O mode selection (Digi 001 only).

3 Click Default.

Changing Interface Names

Audio interface names can be customized in the I/O Setup dialog (Pro Tools TDM systems and Pro Tools 6.1 on LE). On TDM systems only, the I/O Setup dialog then bases default Input and Output path names on the custom names.

To rename an audio interface in the I/O Setup dialog:

1 Double-click the label above an interface.

2 Enter a new interface name.

3 Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).

Interface Name

Interface Names

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 73

Deleting Paths

Path definitions can be deleted from the current session to reflect changes to your hardware setup, or to clean up track selector menus by removing unwanted or unnecessary path definitions. After deleting a path, any tracks or send assignments to that path are reset to No Output.

To delete a main path or sub-path:

1 In the I/O Setup dialog, select the path you

want to delete.

2 Click Delete Path.

To delete all paths:

1 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macin-

tosh) any path name.

2 Click Delete Path.

Channel Mapping

Once a path has been created and formatted, it can be mapped to specific audio interface, bus, or SampleCell channels in the Grid. (SampleCell paths are available only on Pro Tools|24 MIX-series systems on Mac OS 9 with TDM-equipped SampleCell II cards.)

For example, when mapping a new stereo path, clicking in the path row under output channel 1 ﬁlls both channel 1 and 2 (left to 1, right to 2).

To remap channels in a path, see “Remapping Channels” on page 74.

Channel Mapping and Surround Mixer

(Pro Tools HD-Series and MIX-Series Systems Only)

When mapping multichannel paths, the left channel (L) is mapped first to the clicked Grid box, and remaining channels fill immediately to the right according to the default path order. Because some multichannel mixing formats use unique track layouts, Pro Tools lets you set the default format in the I/O Setup dialog (see “I/O Setup Options” on page 80).

To map channels:

1 Select a main or sub-path.

2 In the row for the selected path, click in the

Grid column under an audio interface and channel. Other channels for the path type, if any, ﬁll to the right.

Mapping channels

Pro Tools Reference Guide74

Customized Output paths for a 5.1 mix

Remapping Channels

You can move the individual assignments to different channels, to reorder the path’s definition (for example, changing a multichannel map to L-R-C-LF-LS-RS).

To remap channels in a path:

■ Drag the channel to the new location in the

Grid. Other channel assignments will move (shufﬂe) to accommodate dragged channels.

Channel Shufﬂing

Moving a signal from right to left results in a shuffle of other signals after the new destination channel. Moving a signal from left to right shuffles any and all signals after the new destination channel and leaves the previous channel empty.

Changing a path’s format erases any current channel mapping.

Sub-Paths Follow Main Paths

When a main path is remapped, its sub-paths (if any) will remap automatically to maintain consistent routing. For example, remapping a stereo path to different hardware outputs results in any of its sub-paths moving with it.

Initializing I/O Setup

To set the current I/O Setup conﬁguration:

■ Click OK in the I/O Setup dialog.

All paths must be valid before the I/O Setup configuration can be applied.

Valid Paths and Requirements

While configuring the I/O Setup window, certain rules apply for path definition and channel mapping.

Though it is possible to set up invalid mappings in the Channel Grid, Pro Tools will not accept an I/O Setup configuration unless all paths meet the path definition and channel mapping requirements, as follows:

Minimum Path Deﬁnitions All paths must have a name, be of a specific format, and have a valid I/O mapping.

Overlapping Channels and Valid Paths Channel mapping follows certain rules regarding overlapping paths.

• There can be no partial or complete overlaps between any two main Output paths, any two Insert paths, or any two main Bus paths.

•A newly-created Output or Bus path must either be completely independent of other maps (not mapped to any other available I/O interface/channels), or it must be a subpath completely contained within a larger path (for example, an LCR sub-path within a larger 5.1 path).

• Output and Insert paths can overlap in I/O Setup, but only one or the other can be used at any given time in a session. (Inputs and SampleCell paths, however, can be routed to multiple tracks.) (SampleCell paths are available only on Pro Tools|24 MIX-series systems on Mac OS 9 with TDM-equipped SampleCell II cards.)

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 75

Active and Inactive Paths

Pro Tools paths can be Active (on) or Inactive (off, or unavailable). You can manually switch paths between Active or Inactive on a track-bytrack or session-wide basis. In addition, Pro Tools sets paths to Inactive automatically when I/O is unavailable.

Track Path Assignments Track input, output, and bus path assignments can be switched to Inactive using the corresponding selector on the track. This leaves track playlists intact, while disconnecting that particular track from the output or bus path. Use this to remove a track from a signal path.

Session-Wide Path Assignments Paths can be globally activated or deactivated in the I/O Setup window. Use this to turn off a signal path on any and all tracks currently assigned to it. Pro Tools also sets unavailable paths to inactive. Paths can be unavailable when hardware or other system resources are unavailable, such as when opening a session saved on a different system.

Toggling All or All Selected

The Alt (Windows) and Option (Macintosh) modifiers apply the path toggle to all tracks. The Alt+Shift (Windows) and Option+Shift (Macintosh) modifiers apply the path toggle to all selected tracks. However, Pro Tools will only apply the change to identical path assignments, if any, in the current track or tracks. Toggling multiple tracks only affects tracks that have the same path assignment as the one you are explicitly toggling.

Toggling Multiple Paths

If a track has only one main output assignment, you can Control-start-click (Windows) or Command-Control-click (Macintosh) the track’s Output Selector to toggle the main output to inactive. When there are multiple assignments, the track selector will be displayed for you to specify the input, output, insert, or bus path.

If a Send (A–E) has multiple output assignments and one of those is toggled, then all of the output assignments for that Send (A–E) will be toggled.

Track Path Assignments

(Mix and Edit Windows)

To toggle a track path assignment to be Active or Inactive:

■ In the Mix or Edit window, Control-Start-click

(Windows) or Command-Control-click (Macintosh) the track’s Input, Output, Insert, or Send Selector.

Inactive track path assignments are listed in italics and are unhighlighted.

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Session-Wide Path Assignments

(I/O Setup Dialog)

Paths can be globally configured for Active or Inactive status in the I/O Setup Dialog.

Display of Active and Inactive Status

Unhighlighted (Italics) Indicates the path is inac-

tive.

Highlighted (Non-Italics) Indicates the path is active.

Inactive paths are displayed in italics in the track path selectors.

Highlighted (Italics) Indicates the path is active, but there are not enough system resources available.

Active

Inactive

Active and inactive path settings in I/O Setup

To globally activate or deactivate a path:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

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

the window.

3 Set the Active/Inactive control for the path.

Any track path assignment can also be deactivated on a track-by-track basis. See “Track Path Assignments” on page 76.

Active and inactive paths in a track Output Selector

Hardware Setup and Session Transfer

Sessions created in Pro Tools 5.1 or higher store the type and order of audio interfaces connected and active when the session was last saved.

Unavailable I/O

When opening a session, Pro Tools checks to see if the hardware conﬁguration has changed since the session was last saved. If the current hardware conﬁguration differs from that saved in the session, paths associated with the unavailable I/O are made inactive.

Remapping

Remapping occurs when a session’s original I/O Setup does not match that of the current system and session paths are remapped to current hardware.

Systems of equivalent I/O capability are remapped directly. For example, a session tracked to a Pro Tools HD-series system through two 192 I/O audio interfaces would include 32 input paths spread across the two 16-channel interfaces. The session is taken to a second Pro Tools system that has a 96 I/O audio inter-

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 77

face (a 16-channel I/O unit) and a 1622 I/O (with its 16 analog inputs) connected to its Legacy Port. When the session is first opened on the second system, Pro Tools will map the 32 input paths to the inputs of the two interfaces.

When hardware is unavailable to a session being opened, assignments can either be replaced using the remap option, or opened as Inactive. Any tracks left assigned to an unavailable path will not be audible. This can be beneficial, however, when you want to reassign tracks into your system’s mix one at a time.

See “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 76 for more information.

Show Original Setup and Show Current Setup

When a session is opened that contains path definitions for unavailable I/O interfaces, the I/O Setup dialog lists those paths in italics.

The Show Original Setup button displays the audio interfaces used in the original session. This temporary display lets you check the original I/O configuration for reference while configuring the session for your system.

Once a session has been opened with unavailable I/O retained, you can then reassign tracks to available I/O paths.

To redefine the paths, see “Creating and Editing Paths” on page 71.

I/O Settings Files

I/O Settings can be managed when transferring sessions, and when developing I/O Setup configurations over the course of multiple sessions and projects.

Defaults, Settings Files, and Last Used Settings for New Sessions

When creating new sessions, you can set the session’s I/O Setup configuration using the following options:

Default I/O Setups The Pro Tools Installer provides factory presets for stereo and surround I/O Setups (surround mixing is only supported on Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series systems). See “Factory I/O Settings Files” on page 80 for more information.

Custom Presets You can store and recall custom presets using the export and import features of the I/O Setup dialog.

Last Used The most recent (or last used) I/O Setup configuration is saved as a Last Used settings file. See “Last Used I/O Settings” on page 79 for more information.

Default I/O Settings at First Launch

The first time you create a session, you can choose default Stereo Mix or Surround Mix settings, depending on your system and installation choices. See “Factory I/O Settings Files” on page 80.

Pro Tools Reference Guide78

Importing and Exporting I/O Settings Files

You can export and import I/O Setup conﬁgurations as I/O Settings ﬁles. This lets you save settings for different projects, import settings for reconﬁguring I/O Setup, and manage path deﬁnitions and signal routing setups.

Exporting I/O Settings

To export and save an I/O Setup conﬁguration:

1 Click Export Settings.

2 Name and save the settings ﬁle.

To start sessions with a blank or empty I/O Setup dialog, you can create and export an I/O Settings file in which all definitions have been deleted.

Importing I/O Settings

I/O Settings can be imported before you open a session, or you can import settings into a session that is already open (see “Default I/O Settings at First Launch” on page 78).

When you import I/O Settings in an existing session, you can choose to delete any unused path definitions before importing the new paths, or leave unused path definitions intact and add the new paths to the current I/O Setup configuration.

• Click Yes to remove any unused paths and add the imported paths to the current I/O Setup conﬁguration. Any I/O assignments and automation data associated with the unused paths are also deleted.

• Click No to add the imported paths to the current I/O Setup conﬁguration.

If the import results in overlapping paths, the new paths will appear in the I/O Setup dialog as Inactive. (See “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 76.)

After importing I/O Settings, you can then reassign path routing definitions in the I/O Setup dialog by remapping, renaming, and deleting paths. (See “Creating and Editing Paths” on page 71.)

Last Used I/O Settings

If any changes are made to the I/O Setup dialog during a session, these changes are saved to the Last Used settings ﬁle when the I/O Setup dialog is closed (by clicking OK).

Changes to I/O Setup are saved along with the current session. User Presets files will not contain recent changes unless you export an updated settings file.

The Last Used settings are available as a choice when creating or opening sessions, in addition to the factory presets described below.

To import I/O Settings:

1 Click Import Settings in the I/O Setup dialog.

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

tings dialog and click Import.

3 A dialog appears asking whether you want to

delete existing paths. Do one of the following:

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 79

Factory I/O Settings Files

Pro Tools provides I/O Settings files for Stereo and Surround mixing. These files provide generic main and sub-path definitions for either mixing format.

Stereo Mix Settings File

The Stereo Mix preset consists of all possible stereo and mono paths for your session.

Using the “Stereo Mix” preset has the same effect as clicking Default for every individual tab in I/O Settings. See “Creating and Editing Paths” on page 71 for details.

Specifically, the Stereo Mix preset will create the maximum number paths of each type, as determined by the available system’s I/O Setup and hardware configuration.

To convert a session so that it emulates Direct Outs mode, use the Auto Assign Ascending Outputs feature, as follows:

To auto assign track outputs for Direct Out:

1 Make sure that all tracks you want to assign

are visible (hidden tracks will not be affected).

2 Select the tracks you want to assign by Shift-

clicking their track names.

3 Control-Alt-click (Windows) or Command-

Option-click (Macintosh) the Output Selector of the leftmost track and assign it to the sub-path for Output #1. All visible tracks will be auto-assigned to unique mono sub-path outputs in ascending order.

I/O Setup Options

Surround Mix Settings File (TDM Systems Only)

The Surround Mix provides additional, surround-specific Output and Bus presets. See “Surround Mix Settings Files” on page 491 for more information.

About Direct Outputs Mode

Direct Outputs mode, as found in older versions of Pro Tools, has been replaced by the default mono sub-paths available through all valid I/O in the I/O Setup dialog.

The Default switch creates main Output paths with appropriate mono sub-paths. These subpaths provide discrete monophonic routing.

When a session is opened that was saved in Direct Outputs mode, Pro Tools maps all the output assignments to equivalent mono sub-paths (as available). See “Hardware Setup and Session Transfer” on page 77 for more information on remapping.

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Pro Tools systems have additional I/O Setup features. These include default signal routing for metering and auditioning, and default track layout for multichannel mix formats.

Meter Path Selector

(ProControl Only)

The Meter Path Selector determines the path displayed across the ProControl Output meters. See the latest ProControl documentation for more details.

Audition Path

The Audition path is the output path through which files and regions are previewed (listened to) in the Regions List.

Using the Default Audition Path

When you audition a file or region in the Regions List, Pro Tools routes the audio output through the Audition path. Pro Tools assigns a default Audition path to the first available main Output path of the corresponding format. You can also select a different Audition Path in the I/O Setup dialog.

On TDM systems with more than one audio interface, you can only select the first audio interface as an audition path.

To audition regions in the Regions List:

■ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macin-

tosh) the region in the list.

Auditioning Discrete Signals in Multichannel Items

In the Audio Regions List, multichannel regions are auditioned through the current Audition path. Signals can be auditioned “in-place,” or through all outputs, as described below.

Audition In-Place

Conﬁguring Audition Paths

You can specify the monitoring outputs for Regions List auditioning using the Audition paths menu.

Audition Path Main Menu The main menu consists of all path format choices available on the current system (Mono and Stereo on all systems, LCR and greater on HD-series and MIX-series systems).

Audition Path Submenus Each path format choice has a submenu listing Output paths of that given format. (The mono submenu lists Output paths of any format.)

To conﬁgure Audition paths:

■ Select a path from the Audition path menu or

submenus.

When auditioning a mono component of a multichannel region, that mono component will by default be auditioned in-place. That is, it will play from the corresponding speaker channel of its parent multichannel region.

To audition in-place:

1 In the Regions List, make sure the stereo or

multichannel region is in expanded view (showing .L, .R, and other component channels).

2 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macin-

tosh) the region for the channel you want to audition.

Audition to All Outputs

Mono regions can be routed equally to all outputs of the parent region’s Audition path.

To audition through all channels of the main audition path:

■ Shift-Alt-click (Windows) or Shift-Option-

click (Macintosh) on the signal in the Regions List.

Selecting an Audition path

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 81

Default Path Order

(TDM Systems Only)

The Default Path Order Selector lets you select the default track layout you want Pro Tools to follow when creating and mapping 5.1-format main or sub-paths in the I/O Setup dialog.

This setting does not affect existing path definitions or metering—it only specifies channel mapping in new 5.1-format paths.

To choose a Default Path Order:

■ Select the channel mapping from the Default

Path Order menu.

Default Path Order Selector

For more information about multichannel mixing, see Chapter 31, “Pro Tools Setup for Surround.”

Default Output Path

You can specify the default Output path assignment for new tracks, in each available format.

To specify a default Output in the I/O Setup window:

■ Select a format and Output path from the De-

fault Output Selector.

Selecting default Output paths

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Chapter 8: Tracks

This chapter covers basic track management tasks such as creating and deleting tracks, assigning voices and output channels, and grouping tracks.

Track Types

In a Pro Tools session, you can have several different types of tracks. These can include audio tracks, Auxiliary Input tracks, MIDI tracks, Master Fader tracks, and QuickTime Movie tracks. AVoption|XL Movie tracks are supported on Pro Tools 5.3.3 and higher (Windows), Pro Tools 6.1 (Mac OS X), and 5.1.x (Mac OS 9)

QuickTime Movie track features are described in Chapter 36, “Working with QuickTime Movies.”

Audio Tracks, Auxiliary Input Tracks, and Master Fader Tracks

Pro Tools provides mono, stereo, and greaterthan-stereo multichannel format audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, and Master Faders.

Audio Tracks

Audio tracks contain arrangements of recorded (or imported) audio files. Audio tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel format (multichannel tracks are supported on Pro Tools HDseries and MIX-series systems only).

Auxiliary Input Tracks

Auxiliary Input tracks can be used as effects sends, destinations for submixes, as a bounce destination, as inputs to monitor or process audio (such as audio from MIDI sources), and for many other audio routing tasks.

Master Fader Tracks

Master Fader tracks control the overall level of the audio tracks that are routed to the session’s main output paths. For example, you could have 24 tracks in a session with channels 1–8 routed to Analog Output 1–2, channels 9–16 to Analog Output 3–4, and channels 17–24 to Analog Output 5–6. You could then create three master faders, one to control each of these output pairs.

Master Fader tracks have additional uses (such as controlling submix levels). For more information, see “Master Faders” on page 392

Chapter 8: Tracks 83

MIDI Tracks

MIDI tracks store MIDI note, instrument, and controller data. You cannot select a track format when you create a MIDI track, because audio does not pass through it.

Track Formats

Mono Tracks

A mono audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader track controls volume, and, in some cases, panning, for a single channel of audio. A mono track uses a single voice.

Stereo Tracks

A stereo audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader track is a single channel strip that plays two channels of audio as a stereo pair. Stereo tracks use two voices.

Multichannel Tracks (Pro Tools HD-Series and MIX-Series Systems Only)

A multichannel track is a single channel strip that plays multiple channels of audio (from 3–8 channels at a time). This allows Pro Tools to support multichannel mixing formats including LCRS, 5.1, 6.1, and others.

For more information on surround mixing with Pro Tools, see the following chapters:

• Chapter 31, “Pro Tools Setup for Surround”

• Chapter 32, “Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing”

• Chapter 33, “Surround Panning and Mixing”

Audio Track Channel Strips

Each audio track has its own set of controls for volume, pan, output window, record enable, automation mode, solo, mute, and voice assignment. Audio tracks also have a Comments View to enter and display comments.

With slight variations, audio track channel strips in the Mix window look like the tracks shown in the following figures.

Audio tracks can be added to a session with the New Track command.

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Inserts

Sends

Input/Output selectors

Automation Mode selector

Pan Sliders Pan Indicators

Solo/Mute buttons

Voice Selector Open Output window Record Enable button

Volume Fader

Level Meters

Group ID Track Type indicator Volume/Peak/Delay indicator

Track Name

Track Comment

Stereo audio track channel strip (Pro Tools 6.x)

Sends

Input/Output selectors

Volume/Peak/Delay indicator

Pan indicator Automation Mode selector

Record Enable/Solo/Mute/Voice

Pan slider

Open Output window

Group ID

Volume Fader

Level Meter

Track Type indicator

Track Name

Track Comment

Mono audio track channel strip (Pro Tools 5.1.3)

Chapter 8: Tracks 85

MIDI Track Channel Strip

Each MIDI track has its own set of controls for volume, pan, record enable, automation mode, solo, mute, MIDI patch assignment, and MIDI channel assignment. MIDI tracks also have a Comments View to enter and display comments.

MIDI tracks can be added to a session with the New Track command.

MIDI Input selector MIDI Output selector

Automation Mode selector

MIDI Pan slider

MIDI Pan indicator

Solo/Mute buttons

Patch Select

Record Enable

MIDI Volume Fader

MIDI Velocity Meter

Group ID

Track Type indicator

MIDI Volume indicator Track Name

Track Comment

MIDI Channel

Automation

Record Enable/Program/Solo/Mute

MIDI Pan

MIDI Volume Fader

MIDI Velocity Meter

Track Name

MIDI channel strip (Pro Tools 5.1.3)

Track Controls

Input/Output Selectors

The I/O View shows Input and Output Selectors on audio and MIDI tracks.

Input Selector

Output Selector (or MIDI Device/Channel Selector)

MIDI channel strip (Pro Tools 6.x)

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Pan Slider

Pan Indicator

Inputs/Outputs View (Pro Tools 6.x)

Input Selector

Output Selector (or MIDI Device/Channel Selector)

Level/Peak/Channel Delay Indicator

Pan Indicator

Inputs/Outputs View (Pro Tools 5.1.3)

To show the I/O View:

■ Select Display > Edit Window Shows (or Mix

Windows Shows) > I/O View.

In Pro Tools 6.x, channel strips in the Mix window always display Input and Output Selectors as well as volume and pan values, so there is no I/O View display option for the Mix window.

Pan Indicator

The Pan Indicator displays the current pan setting of a track. Pan values range from <100 (full left) to 100> (full right). Pan controls are only available for stereo tracks or for mono tracks routed to a stereo output.

Pan Slider

For details on Input and Output Selectors, see “Assigning Inputs and Outputs to Tracks” on page 92.

Volume/Peak/Channel Delay Indicator

The Volume indicator on an audio track has three display modes: Volume, Peak, and Channel Delay.

To toggle the Volume indicator display:

■ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Macintosh) the indicator to toggle it between the following modes:

Volume Indicator Shows the current volume, or input level of a track as set by the track Volume fader.

Peak Indicator Functions as a headroom indicator based on the last peak playback level. To reset the peak counter, click anywhere in the

meter. Values range from –∞ (no signal) to 0 dB.

Channel Delay Indicator Shows the total delay, in samples, incurred on the track from the use of any TDM plug-ins on that channel.

The Pan slider controls the balance of a track between the assigned output pair. It only appears if you are using stereo tracks or mono tracks routed to a stereo output.

The Pan slider on a MIDI track is effective only if you are controlling a sound module that supports MIDI panning.

Volume Fader

The Volume fader controls the volume of a track when it is in playback, and the monitor level of the track when it is in record. You can link the record and monitor levels by enabling the Operation Preference for “Link Record and Play Faders.”

The volume fader on a MIDI track is effective only if you are controlling a sound module that supports MIDI volume.

Track Level Meter

On audio tracks, level meters indicate the level of the signal being recorded or played back from the hard drive. Green indicates nominal levels; Yellow indicates pre-clipping (–6 dB below full scale); and Red indicates clipping. When a track is record-enabled, these meters indicate record levels.

On MIDI tracks, the level meter shows the MIDI velocity of the most recent MIDI event.

Chapter 8: Tracks 87

Pre- and Post-Fader Metering

You can globally set audio track level meters to indicate pre-or post-fader levels by selecting or de-selecting Operations > Pre-Fader Metering. When pre-fader metering is selected, the level meters show levels independent of fader position. With post-fader metering, the level meters respond to fader position.

Peak Hold

If clipping occurs, the topmost LED will stay lit (red). In addition, Pro Tools meters provide a peak hold feature with three options: 3 Second Peak Hold, Inﬁnite Peak Hold, or No Peak Hold.

To enable Wide Meters View:

■ Command-Option-Control-click the track

level meters in either the Mix window or the Edit window.

To choose a peak hold setting:

■ Choose Setups > Preferences, click Display,

and select a Peak Hold option.

You can clear a meter’s clipping or peak hold indicator.

To clear a meter:

■ Click anywhere on the meter.

To clear all meters:

■ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macin-

tosh) any meter.

Wide Meters View

(Pro Tools 6.x Only)

Wide Meters View expands the width of the level meters for tracks in both the Mix and Edit windows, to make the track level meters easier to read. Wide Meters View also supports Narrow Mix View.

Wide Meters View, Mix and Edit windows

To disable Wide Meters View:

■ Command-Option-Control-click the track

level meters a second time in either the Mix window or the Edit window.

Track Comments View

Comments View shows any comments entered in the Track Name/Comments dialog. You can also type directly in the Track Comment area for each track when it is displayed. For details on adding comments to tracks, see “Naming Tracks” on page 89.

To display the Comments View:

■ Select Display > Mix Window Shows (or Edit

Window Shows) > Comments.

Pro Tools Reference Guide88

Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools LE - 6.1 Reference Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools

The Pro Tools Guides

Conventions Used in These Guides

Compatibility Information

About www.digidesign.com

Digidesign Registration

Pro Tools TDM Systems

HD-Series Systems

MIX-Series Systems

Supported Audio Interfaces

Pro Tools|24 System

TDM System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits

Audio Interfaces for TDM Systems

Pro Tools LE Systems

Pro Tools LE System Capabilities

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts

Hard Disk Audio Recording

The Digidesign Audio Engine

Playback Engine Dialog

Pro Tools Sessions

Session File

Audio File

Tracks

Regions (or Loops)

Playlist

Channel

Signal Routing

System Resources

Active and Inactive Items

MIDI Concepts

MIDI Terms

Common Misconceptions about MIDI

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows

The Mix Window

The Edit Window

Track Controls

Edit Tools

Event Edit Area

Location Indicators, Grid/Nudge Values, Current Cursor Display

The Transport Window

Basic Transport Controls and Counters

MIDI Controls

Chapter 5: Keyboard Shortcuts

Global Key Commands

Keyboard Focus

Numeric Keypad Modes

Transport Mode

Classic Mode

Shuttle Mode

Chapter 6: Sessions

Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System

Hardware Buffer Size

CPU Usage Limit

Number of Voices

Default Sample Rate

DAE Playback Buffer Size

System Memory Allocation

Creating a New Session

Opening a Session

Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Resources

Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Files

Saving a Session

Saving the Session File

Saving the Session File with a New Name

Saving a Copy of the Session

Creating Custom Session Templates

Creating Windows Templates

Creating Macintosh Templates

Closing a Session

Quitting Pro Tools

Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems

Opening a TDM session in Pro Tools LE

Preferences

Chapter 7: I/O Setup

Main Paths and Sub-Paths