Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools LE - 8.0 User Manual

Upgrading to Pro Tools LE 8.0

Version 8.0

Legal Notices

This guide is copyrighted ©2008 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.

003, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 888|24 I/O,
882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O, AudioSuite,
Avid, Avid DNA, Avid Mojo, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS,
Avid Xpress, AVoption, Axiom, Beat Detective, Bomb Factory,
Bruno, C|24, Command|8, Control|24, D-Command, D-Control,
D-Fi, D-fx, D-Show, D-Verb, DAE, Digi 002, DigiBase,
DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign
Intelligent Noise Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiDrive,
DigiRack, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DINR, D-Show, DV Toolkit,
EditPack, Eleven, HD Core, HD Process, Hybrid, Impact,
Interplay, LoFi, M-Audio, MachineControl, Maxim, Mbox,
MediaComposer, MIDI I/O, MIX, MultiShell, Nitris, OMF,
OMF Interchange, PRE, ProControl, Pro Tools M-Powered,
Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, QuickPunch, Recti-Fi,
Reel Tape, Reso, Reverb One, ReVibe, RTAS, Sibelius,
Smack!, SoundReplacer, Sound Designer II, Strike, Structure,
SYNC HD, SYNC I/O, Synchronic, TL Aggro, TL AutoPan, TL
Drum Rehab, TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL
MasterMeter, TL Metro, TL Space, TL Utilities, Transfuser,
Trillium Lane Labs, Vari-Fi Velvet, X-Form, and XMON are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid
Technology, Inc. Xpand! is Registered in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.

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

Guide Part Number 9329-60789-00 REV A 11/08

Documentation Feedback

At Digidesign, we're always looking for ways to improve our
documentation. If you have comments, corrections, or
suggestions regarding our documentation, email us at
[e-mail].

contents

Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

System Requirements and Compatibility Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2. Installing Pro Tools on Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Authorizing Pro Tools Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Installing Pro Tools LE Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Launching Pro Tools LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Configuring Pro Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Uninstalling Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Chapter 3. Installing Pro Tools on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Authorizing Pro Tools Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Installing Pro Tools LE Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Installing QuickTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Launching Pro Tools LE Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Configuring Your System for Improved Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Uninstalling Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Appendix A. Noting Your Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Taking Screenshots of Your Preferences Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Preferences Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Contents iii

Upgrading to Pro Tools LE 8.0iv

chapter 1

Introduction

This guide documents how to upgrade to
Pro Tools
Digidesign
puter.

®

8.0 for Pro Tools LE™ systems on a

®

-qualified Windows or Mac com-

If you are installing Pro Tools on a Mac
computer, see Chapter 2, “Installing
Pro Tools on Mac.”

If you are installing Pro Tools on a Win­dows computer, see Chapter 3, “Installing
Pro Tools on Windows.”

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

If you are configuring a new Pro Tools sys­tem, follow the complete hardware and soft­ware installation steps in the

that came with your system.

Setup Guide

System Requirements and Compatibility Information

Pro Tools LE software can be used on a
Pro Tools LE system on a Digidesign-qualified
Windows or Mac computer.

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

For complete system requirements and a list of
Digidesign-qualified computers, operating sys­tems, hard drives, and third-party devices, refer
to the latest information on the Digidesign web­site:

www.digidesign.com/compatibility

Internet Access

Upgrading to any version of Pro Tools requires
access to the Internet for software activation and
registration purposes.

DVD Drive

The Pro Tools Installer disc requires a DVD drive
for installation.

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Upgrading to Pro Tools LE 8.02

chapter 2

Installing Pro Tools on Mac

This chapter explains how to install and config­ure Pro Tools for Pro Tools LE systems on a
Digidesign-qualified Mac computer.

If you are installing Pro Tools on a Win­dows computer, see Chapter 3, “Installing
Pro Tools on Windows.”

For complete system requirements and compat­ibility information, visit the Digidesign website

(www.digidesign.com/compatibility).

Before You Upgrade

Retaining Your Pro Tools Preferences

When you upgrade your Pro Tools LE software,
Pro Tools Preferences settings are reset to their
default settings. These default settings may dif­fer from your previous settings. Therefore, you
may want to note your current Preferences set­tings before upgrading. See for tips on noting
your current Pro Tools Preferences settings.

Read Mes

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

Important Information about Structure and
Xpand! Plug-ins

If the full version of Structure® or Str u cture L E is
already installed on your system, Structure Free
will not be installed.

If Xpand!
installing Xpand!
Xpand! presets are copied to the Xpand!
Presets folder and will be available in Xpand!

®

is already installed on your system,

2

will overwrite Xpand! All

2

Plug-in

2

Installation Overview

Installation of Pro Tools software on a Mac com­puter includes the following steps:

1 Authorizing Pro Tools software. See “Autho-

rizing Pro Tools Upgrades” on page 4.

2 Installing Pro Tools LE software. See “Install-

ing Pro Tools LE Software” on page 4.

3 Launching Pro Tools. See “Launching

Pro Tools LE” on page 5.

4 Configuring your system for improved perfor-

mance. (See your system’s Setup Guide.)

.

Chapter 2: Installing Pro Tools on Mac 3

Authorizing Pro Tools Upgrades

Before you install your Pro Tools upgrade, you
must first authorize it. The process for getting
authorization depends on how you purchased
it.

 If you purchased a software upgrade online,

follow the instructions provided online.

 If you purchased a boxed Pro Tools software

upgrade, you need to authorize the software us­ing an Activation Code (located on the Activa­tion Card). See “Authorizing Boxed Pro Tools LE
Upgrades” on page 4.

Authorizing Boxed Pro Tools LE
Upgrades

3 After you are logged in, take note of your

Pro Tools LE Authorization Code. You will need
this code the first time you launch your software
upgrade.

Your Authorization Code will be stored in
your My Digi account.

4 Proceed to “Installing Pro Tools LE Software”

on page 4.

Installing Pro Tools LE Software

(003®, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, Digi 002®,

®

Digi 002 Rack, Mbox
Mbox 2 Mini, Mbox 2 Micro, and Mbox
Systems Only)

2 Pro, Mbox 2,

The authorization procedure on the Activation
Card will help you go online and retrieve the
Authorization Code required to launch
Pro Tools following software installation.

If you have not already completed authorizing
your software by following the instructions on
the Activation Card, complete the following
steps for your Pro Tools system.

To authorize a boxed Pro Tools LE upgrade using
an Activation Code:

1 Locate the enclosed Activation Card. The

unique code on this card will allow you to re­trieve your Authorization Code.

2 Visit www.digidesign.com/activation, enter

your activation code, and click Continue. If
you’re not already logged in to your Digidesign
(My Digi) account, you will be asked to log in us­ing the email address you used to set up the ac­count. If you don’t already have an account,
click Create Profile to create one.

To install Pro Tools LE on Mac OS X:

1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administra-

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

2 Do one of the following:

• If you purchased a software upgrade online,
follow the instructions provided with it to ex­pand and launch the installer.

– or –

• If you purchased a boxed version Pro Tools
upgrade, do all of the following:

• Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc for Win­dows in your DVD drive.

• Locate and double-click the Install
Pro Tools LE.mpkg file.

3 Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed

with installation.

Upgrading to Pro Tools LE 8.04

4 When prompted to select features to install,

leave the default options selected.

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

5 You can also select from a list of optional

items to install along with Pro Tools:

®

Avid

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

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

The Pro Tools Installer disc includes addi­tional software for your system. For more in­formation, see “Additional Software on the
Pro Tools Installer Disc” on page 6.

6 Click Install.

7 If prompted, enter your Administrator pass-

word and click OK to authenticate the installa­tion.

8 Follow the remaining on-screen instructions.

9 When installation is complete, click Restart.

If you get a warning dialog about updating
the firmware for your hardware, follow the
on-screen instructions to perform the
firmware update.

3 Enter the Authorization Code in the dialog

when prompted (making sure to type it exactly
as printed, and observing any spaces and capi­talization).

4 Click Validate.

All letters are case sensitive. All “0” charac­ters are zeros. You must include both
spaces. The spaces separate 3 sets of 8 char­acters.

5 Use the Quick Start dialog to do one of the fol-

lowing:

• Create a new session from a template.

• Create a new blank session.

• Open a session.

Launching Pro Tools LE

When launching Pro Tools LE the first time, you
are prompted to enter an Authorization Code to
validate your software.

To launch Pro Tools LE software:

1 Make sure your LE interface is connected to

your computer and powered on if it has a power
switch.

2 Do one of the following:

• Double-click the Pro Tools LE shortcut on
the desktop.

– or –

Quick Start dialog

For more information on the Quick Start di­alog and session templates, see the
Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Chapter 2: Installing Pro Tools on Mac 5

Configuring Pro Tools

You can adjust the performance of your system
by changing certain Pro Tools 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.

Refer to the electronic PDF version of the Setup
Guide that was installed with your software for
instructions on configuring Pro Tools settings.

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

The Pro Tools Installer disc provides additional
software for your system, including third-party
applications and plug-ins, audio drivers (for
playing other audio applications through your
Digidesign hardware), and a Pro Tools demo ses­sion.

Check your Pro Tools Installer disc for addi­tional software and installers.

Digidesign CoreAudio Driver

(Pro Tools|HD, 003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+,
Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, and Mbox Systems
Only)

The Digidesign CoreAudio Driver lets you use
your Digidesign-qualified audio interfaces with
third-party applications that support the Core­Audio Driver standard.

The following Pro Tools system interfaces are
supported:

• Pro Tools|HD

•003

•003 Rack

•003Rack+

• Digi 002

• Digi 002 Rack

•Mbox

The Digidesign CoreAudio Driver for your
Digidesign hardware is automatically installed
when you install Pro Tools.

For information on configuring the Digide­sign CoreAudio Driver, see the CoreAudio
Drivers Guide

Standalone Digidesign CoreAudio Drivers

®

.

Third-Party Applications and
Plug-ins

Your Pro Tools package includes several free ap­plications and plug-ins from selected Digidesign
Third Party developers. Once you've completed
your Pro Tools installation, you can install these
separately.

Installers are located on your Pro Tools Installer
disc in the Additional Files\3rd Party Content
folder.

Upgrading to Pro Tools LE 8.06

Digidesign CoreAudio Drivers can be installed
on Mac systems that do not have Pro Tools soft­ware installed.

For information on installing and configur­ing the standalone version of the Digidesign
CoreAudio Driver, see the CoreAudio Driv­ers Guide.

If you uninstall Pro Tools, CoreAudio
Driver is automatically uninstalled at that
time.