Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools M-Powered - 7.0 Getting Started

Getting Started

Pro Tools M-Powered™

Version 7.0

Avid, Digidesign, M-Audio, and Pro Tools are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the US and other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

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

PN 9320-17748-00 REV A 11/05

Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools M-Powered

Pro Tools M-Powered Package

Pro Tools M-Powered Capabilities

How Pro Tools M-Powered Differs from Pro Tools LE

System Requirements

Digidesign Registration

About the Pro Tools Guides

About www.digidesign.com

Chapter 2. Windows Configuration

Installation Overview

Windows System Optimization

Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance

Installing Your M-Audio Interface

Installing M-Audio Drivers

Installing Pro Tools M-Powered Software

Optional Software on the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD

Launching Pro Tools M-Powered

Configuring Pro Tools M-Powered

Removing Pro Tools M-Powered

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Contents

iii

Chapter 3. Macintosh Configuration

Installation Overview

Macintosh System Optimization

Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance

Installing Your M-Audio Interface

Installing M-Audio Drivers

Installing Pro Tools M-Powered Software

Optional Software on the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD

Launching Pro Tools M-Powered

Configuring Pro Tools M-Powered

Removing Pro Tools M-Powered

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Chapter 4. Working with Pro Tools M-Powered

Session Basics

Transport Controls

Tracks

Region List

Navigating in a Session

Importing Data into Pro Tools Sessions

Basic Recording

Editing

Mixing

Plug-Ins

Mix Automation

Final Mixdown

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Appendix A. Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)

MIDI Studio Setup

MIDI Patch Name Support

Appendix B. Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)

Audio MIDI Setup

MIDI Patch Name Support

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Index

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Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started

chapter 1

Welcome to Pro Tools M-Powered

Welcome to Pro Tools M-Powered. This guide documents how to install and configure Pro Tools M-Powered software on M-Powered systems.

The basic components of an M-Powered system are as follows:

• Digidesign-qualiﬁed M-Audio interface (not included)

• Digidesign-qualiﬁed Windows or Macintosh computer (not included)

• Pro Tools M-Powered software (included)

For a list of Digidesign-qualified M-Audio interfaces and computers, refer to the compatibility page of the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com/compato)

Pro Tools M-Powered Package

The Pro Tools M-Powered software package includes the following:

• Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD, which contains Pro Tools M-Powered software, updated M-Audio drivers, DigiRack RTAS (Real-Time AudioSuite) and AudioSuite plug-ins, and electronic PDF guides

• Pre-authorized iLok for running Pro Tools M-Powered

• This

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started Guide

covering installation, conﬁguration, and basic tutorials for M-Powered systems

• The

M-Powered Basics Guide

new users speciﬁc methods for accomplishing common tasks (such as getting sound in and out of your M-Audio interface, connecting a microphone or instrument, and recording a session)

• Digidesign registration card

, designed to give

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools M-Powered

Pro Tools M-Powered Capabilities

How Pro Tools M-Powered Differs from Pro Tools LE

Pro Tools M-Powered software provides the following capabilities:

•Playback of up to 32 mono digital audio tracks, or a combination of playing back and recording up to 32 mono digital audio tracks, depending on your M-Audio interface and computer’s capabilities

• Up to 128 audio tracks (with 32 voiceable tracks maximum), 128 Auxiliary Input tracks, 64 Master Fader tracks, 256 MIDI tracks, and 32 instrument tracks per session.

•16-bit or 24-bit audio resolution, at sample rates up to the sample rates supported by your M-Audio interface

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

• Audio processing with up to 5 RTAS plugins per track, depending on your computer’s capabilities

• Up to 5 inserts per track

• Up to 10 sends per track

• Up to 32 internal mix busses

Pro Tools M-Powered uses your computer’s CPU to mix and process audio tracks (host processing). Computers with faster clock speeds yield higher track counts and more plug-in processing.

Pro Tools M-Powered does not support the following Pro Tools LE options:

• DigiTranslator

• DV Toolkit

• Digidesign Ethernet-based control surfaces (such as Control|24)

•Avid video peripherals

Some Pro Tools M-Powered configuration dialogs differ from the Pro Tools LE configuration dialogs that are presented in the

ence Guide

configuration dialogs, see Chapter 2, “Windows Configuration” or Chapter 3, “Macintosh Configuration.”

. For specific Pro Tools M-Powered

Pro Tools Refer-

System Requirements

Pro Tools M-Powered can be used with a Digidesign-qualified M-Audio interface, running on a Digidesign-qualified Windows or Macintosh computer.

For complete system requirements, visit the compatibility page of the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com/compato).

Compatibility Information

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

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started

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

Pre-Authorized iLok

MIDI Requirements

M-Powered software is authorized using the iLok USB Smart Key (iLok) from PACE Anti-Piracy.

Pre-Authorized iLok

The iLok is similar to a dongle, but unlike a dongle, it is designed to securely authorize multiple software applications from a variety of software developers.

This key can hold over 100 authorizations for all of your iLok-enabled software. Once an iLok is authorized for a given piece of software, you can use the iLok to authorize that software on any computer.

Pro Tools M-Powered includes one iLok, which is pre-authorized for Pro Tools M-Powered software.

The M-Powered pre-authorized iLok must be inserted in an available USB port on your computer to run Pro Tools M-Powered.

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

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

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

Hard Drive Requirements

For a list of Digidesign-qualified hard drives, see our Web site (www.digidesign.com/compato).

If you are using an ATA/IDE or FireWire hard drive, initialize your drive with Windows Disk Management (Windows) or the Disk Utility application included with Apple System software (Macintosh).

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

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

For additional information about iLok technology and authorizations, see the electronic PDF of the iLok Usage Guide.

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

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools M-Powered

Hard Disk Storage Space

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

7.5 MB per minute.

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

Table 2 lists the required disk space for certain track numbers and track lengths, to help you estimate your hard disk usage.

Table 2. Required hard drive space for audio tracks (44.1 kHz and 48 kHz sessions shown)

Number of tracks and length 16-bit at

44.1 kHz

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

16-bit at

48 kHz

24-bit at

44.1 kHz

24-bit at

48 kHz

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

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

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

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

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

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

50 MB 55 MB 75 MB 83 MB

600 MB 662 MB 900 MB 991 MB

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started

Digidesign Registration

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

About the Pro Tools Guides

This Getting Started guide explains how to install Pro Tools M-Powered software, and use an M-Audio interface to record, edit, and mix audio and MIDI tracks in Pro Tools.

Online guides provided with Pro Tools M-Powered refer to Pro Tools|HD and LE systems. References to Pro Tools LE are usually interchangeable with Pro Tools M-Powered, except as documented differently in this guide, or on the compatibility page of the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com/compato.

If you are new to working with digital workstations, it is recommended that you read the following:

•

M-Powered Basics Guide

getting sound in and out of your M-Audio interface, connect a microphone or instrument, record to a Pro Tools M-Powered session, import audio from a CD, create an audio CD from a Pro Tools M-Powered session, and other topics.

provides simple steps

For additional information, see the following online (.pdf) guides:

•

Pro Tools Reference Guide

software in detail.

•

Pro Tools Menus Guide

on-screen menus.

•

DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide

the RTAS and AudioSuite plug-ins included with Pro Tools.

•

Digidesign Plug-Ins Guide

optional Digidesign plug-ins.

•

DigiBase Guide

Pro Tools DigiBase databasing and browsers for data and media management.

•

Pro Tools Keyboard Shortcuts

shortcuts for Pro Tools.

PDF versions of the Pro Tools guides are installed automatically with Pro Tools M-Powered, and are accessible from the Pro Tools Help menu. To view or print the PDF guides, you can use Acrobat Reader or Apple Preview.

provides details on using

explains Pro Tools

covers all the Pro Tools

explains how to use

lists keyboard

Printed copies of the Pro Tools Reference

Guide

and other guides in the Pro Tools guide set can be purchased separately from the DigiStore (www.digidesign.com).

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools M-Powered

Conventions Used in This Guide

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

Convention Action

File > Save Choose Save from the File

Control+N Hold down the Control key

and press the N key

Control-click Hold down the Control key

and click the mouse button

Right-click (Windows) Click with the right mouse

button

The following symbols are used to highlight important information:

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

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

Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or mouse shortcuts.

Cross References point to related sections in other 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.

Registration

the enclosed registration form for instructions.

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

Pro Tools Operator or Expert; study on your own using courses available online, or find out how you can learn in a classroom setting at a certified Pro Tools Training Center.

Products and Developers

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

News and Events

design; sign up for a Pro Tools demo.

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

Contact Digidesign Technical Support

Become a certified

Learn about Digidesign

Get the latest news from Digi-

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started

chapter 2

Windows Conﬁguration

This chapter contains information for Windows systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools M-Powered on a Macintosh computer, see Chapter 3, “Macintosh Conﬁguration.”

Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD.

Installation Overview

Installing Pro Tools M-Powered on a Windows computer includes the following steps:

“Windows System Optimization” on page 7.

“Installing Your M-Audio Interface” on

page 11.

“Installing M-Audio Drivers” on page 11.

“Installing Pro Tools M-Powered Software” on

page 12.

5 “Launching Pro Tools M-Powered” on

page 14. (This step includes inserting the pre-authorized iLok into an available USB port on your computer.)

6 “Conﬁguring Pro Tools M-Powered” on

page 14.

7 Making audio connections to the M-Audio in-

terface. (See your M-Audio documentation for details.)

Windows System Optimization

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

Required Optimizations

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

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

Enabling DMA

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

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

To enable DMA for any IDE hard drives:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 In Classic View, launch System.

3 Click the Hardware tab.

Chapter 2: Windows Conﬁguration

4 Under Device Manager, choose Device Man-

ager.

5 In the Device Manager window, double-click

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

6 Click the Advanced Settings tab.

7 For each device, set the Transfer Mode to

“DMA if available,” and click OK.

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

nels.

9 Close the Computer Management window.

Disabling System Standby and Power Management

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

To conﬁgure Windows Power Management:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click Power Options.

3 Click the Power Schemes tab.

4 From the Power Schemes pop-up menu, select

Always On.

5 Click OK.

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

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

Disabling ClearType Font Smoothing

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

To disable ClearType font smoothing:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click Display.

3 Click the Appearance tab.

4 Click Effects.

5 Deselect “Use the following methods to

smooth edges of screen fonts.”

6 Click OK to save your settings and close the

Effects dialog.

7 Click OK.

8 Restart the computer.

Recommended Optimizations

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

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

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

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

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

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started8

Optional Optimizations

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

Disabling Network Cards

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

To disable a network card:

1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-

age.

2 Under System Tools, select Device Manager.

3 In the Device Manager window, double-click

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

4 Under the General tab, choose “Do not use

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

5 Close the Computer Management window.

Adjusting Processor Scheduling

6 Under the Processor scheduling section, select

the Background Services option.

7 Under the Memory Usage section, select the

System cache option.

8 Click OK to close the Performance Options

window.

9 Click OK to close the System Properties win-

dow.

10 Restart the computer for the changes to take

effect.

Disabling Hyper-Threading

Pro Tools LE 7.0 takes advantage of the added processing power of computers that have multiple processors, or that feature multi-core processing or Hyper-Threading, for RTAS processing.

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

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

To Adjust Processor Scheduling Performance:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 In Classic View, double-click System.

3 Click the Advanced tab.

4 Under the Performance section, click the Set-

tings button.

5 In the Performance Options window, click the

Advanced tab.

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

Disabling System Startup Items

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

Chapter 2: Windows Conﬁguration 9

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

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

• Plug and play

• Event log

•Cryptographic services

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

To Disable System Star tup Items:

1 From the Start menu, choose Run.

2 Type “msconﬁg” and click OK. The System

Conﬁguration Utility opens.

3 Under the General tab, choose Selective Star-

tup.

4 Deselect Load Startup Items and click OK.

5 Click Restart to restart the computer.

6 After restarting, the computer displays a Sys-

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

Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance

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

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

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

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

Formatting an Audio Drive

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

To format an audio drive:

1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-

age.

2 Under Storage, choose Disk Management.

Disk Management window (Windows XP)

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started10

3 In the Disk Management window, right-click

the hard drive you will use for audio and choose Format.

4 Do one of the following:

• Select the Quick Format option. Quick option should be sufﬁcient for qualiﬁed mechanisms.

– or –

• For optimal disk performance, you can select 32K from the Allocation unit size popup menu (make sure Quick Format is not selected). Though this option takes longer to complete, it can increase efﬁciency of drive recording and playback.

5 Click Start, and follow the on-screen instruc-

tions.

Pro Tools only supports Basic drive Types.

6 When formatting is complete, close the For-

mat window.

Audio Drives and Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup determines how performance is being affected by drive conditions, and lets you review and delete unnecessary files from the selected volume. For more information, see your Windows XP documentation.

Defragmenting an Audio Drive

Periodically defragment audio drives to maintain system performance.

To defragment an audio drive:

1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-

age.

2 Under Storage, choose Disk Defragmenter.

3 In the Disk Defragmenter window, choose the

drive you want to defragment

4 Click the Defragment button and follow the

on-screen instructions.

5 When defragmenting is complete, close the

Computer Management window.

The process of recording and editing can quickly decrease overall drive performance. It is suggested that you regularly use Disk Cleanup (or an equivalent utility) to assess the condition of drives and, if necessary, delete temporary files and other unused data.

To use Disk Cleanup:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click Administrative Tools.

3 Double-click Computer Management.

4 Double-click Storage.

5 Double-click Disk Management.

6 Select the desired volume in the list, then

choose File > Options.

Installing Your M-Audio Interface

Before you install Pro Tools M-Powered, you must first install your M-Audio interface. Connect your M-Audio interface according to the instructions that came with it.

Installing M-Audio Drivers

The Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD-ROM includes M-Audio drivers for using Digidesignqualified M-Audio interfaces on Windows XP.

Pro Tools will not see your M-Audio interface if you do not install the M-Audio driver that is included with Pro Tools M-Powered.

Chapter 2: Windows Conﬁguration 11

To install the M-Audio driver for your M-Audio interface:

1 If you are using an M-Audio FireWire inter-

face, disconnect it before proceeding.

2 Insert the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD

for Windows in your CD-ROM drive.

3 Locate and open the M-Audio Driver Installers

folder, and double-click the driver for your interface type, as follows:

• For M-Audio FireWire interfaces, doubleclick the ﬁle starting with “FW_WDM”

• For M-Audio PCI interfaces, double-click the ﬁle starting with “Delta_WDM”

• For M-Audio BlackBox, double-click the ﬁle starting with “BB_WDM”

• For M-Audio Transit, double-click the ﬁle staring with “Transit_WDM”

• For M-Audio MobilePre, double-click the ﬁle starting with “MP_WDM”

• For M-Audio FastTrack, double-click the ﬁle starting with “FastTrack_WDM”

• For M-Audio Ozone, double-click the ﬁle starting with “Ozone_WDM”

8 When your system recognizes the new hard-

ware, run the Found New Hardware Wizard. Follow the on-screen instructions.

If you are prompted to run the Found New Hardware Wizard a second time, run it again.

In your M-Audio Control Panel, make sure that output channels 1 and 2 are not set to –Infinity (–

∞

Installing Pro Tools M-Powered Software

To install Pro Tools M-Powered:

1 Start Windows, logging in with Administrator

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

2 Insert the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD

for Windows in your CD-ROM drive. Locate and open the Pro Tools Installer folder, and doubleclick the Setup icon.

4 Follow the on-screen instructions to install

the driver.

If you get a warning dialog about the driver not passing Windows Logo testing, click Continue Anyway.

5 When installation is complete, shut down

your computer.

6 If you are using an M-Audio FireWire inter-

face, do the following:

• Once your computer has shut down completely, connect your FireWire interface and power it on.

7 Turn on your computer.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started12

3 Click Next to begin installation.

4 Select the components you want to install and

click Next.

If you get a warning dialog about the driver not passing Windows Logo testing, click Continue Anyway.

5 Wait for the installer to ﬁnish installing all

software components, drivers, and PACE System ﬁles before proceeding to the next step.

6 When installation is complete, click Finish.

Installing QuickTime

QuickTime 6.5 or later is required for Pro Tools if you plan to include movie files, or import MP3 or MP4 (AAC) files in your sessions. QuickTime for Windows XP is available as a free download from the Apple Web site (www.apple.com).

2 From your CD-ROM drive, locate and double-

click the Pro Tools M-Powered Demo installer icon.

3 Set the install location to your audio drive and

click Install.

4 When installation is complete, click OK.

To install QuickTime:

1 Visit www.apple.com and go to the Quick-

Time page.

2 Download the QuickTime installer applica-

tion to your computer.

3 Double-click the QuickTime installer applica-

tion and follow the on-screen installation instructions.

4 Restart your computer.

Optional Software on the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD

Your Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD includes several software options.

Pro Tools Demo Session

The Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD includes a demo session that you can use to verify that your system is working.

MacDrive

The MacDrive utility lets you mount Macintoshbased HFS+ drives on a Windows-based Pro Tools system and use them as Transfer drives.

Transfer drives can be used for storage, but not for playback or recording. To use Macbased audio files on a Windows Pro Tools system, copy the files from the Mac-based HFS+ audio drive to a Windows-based NTFS audio drive.

To install the MacDrive demo included with Pro Tools:

1 Insert the Pro Tools Installer CD into your CD-

ROM drive.

2 From your CD-ROM drive, locate and open

the Additional Files/MacDrive Demo Installer folder.

3 Double-click the MacDrive demo installer.

4 Follow the on-screen instructions to install

MacDrive. After installation is complete, restart your computer.

Before installing the demo session to your audio drive, make sure the drive is configured as described in “Formatting an Audio Drive” on page 10.

To install the demo session:

1 Insert the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD

in your CD-ROM drive.

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

Chapter 2: Windows Conﬁguration 13

Launching Pro Tools M-Powered

To use Pro Tools M-Powered with an M-Audio interface, you must always have an iLok with an authorization for Pro Tools M-Powered. One pre-authorized iLok is included with the Pro Tools M-Powered package.

To authorize Pro Tools M-Powered software:

1 Insert the pre-authorized iLok into an avail-

able USB port on your computer.

2 Double-click the Pro Tools M-Powered short-

cut on your desktop (or the application in Program Files\Digidesign\Pro Tools).

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

Conﬁguring Pro Tools M-Powered

◆ Lower Hardware Buffer Size settings reduce

monitoring latency, and are useful when you are recording live input.

◆ Higher Hardware Buffer Size settings allow for

more audio processing and effects, and are useful when you are mixing and using more RTAS plug-ins.

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

To change the Hardware Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Pro Tools System Settings

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

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

Hardware Buffer Size

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

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started14

Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools M-Powered (Ozone shown)

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

the audio buffer size, in samples.

3 Click OK.

RTAS Processors

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

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

◆ A higher number of processors reserves more

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

◆ A lower number of processors leaves more

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

To set the number of RTAS Processors:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

◆ Higher CPU Usage Limit settings allocate

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

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

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

To change the CPU Usage Limit:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

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

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

2 From the RTAS Processors pop-up menu, select

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

3 Click OK.

CPU Usage Limit

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

◆ Lower CPU Usage Limit settings limit the ef-

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

3 Click OK.

DAE Playback Buffer Size

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

◆ DAE Playback Buffer Size settings lower than

Level 2 may improve playback and recording initiation speed, but may make it difﬁcult to play or record tracks reliably with sessions containing a large number of tracks or a high density of edits, or with systems that have slower or heavily fragmented hard drives.

Chapter 2: Windows Conﬁguration 15

◆ DAE Playback Buffer Size settings higher than

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

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

To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the DAE Playback Buffer pop-up menu,

select a buffer size.

3 Click OK.

To change M-Audio Control Panel settings:

1 If Pro Tools M-Powered is running, exit

Pro Tools.

2 Choose Start > Control Panel.

3 Launch the M-Audio Control Panel as follows:

• For FireWire interfaces, launch M-Audio FW Audio.

• For PCI interfaces, launch M-Audio Delta Audio.

• For USB Interfaces, launch the M-Audio control panel with the name of your interface.

4 To change settings in the M-Audio Control

Panel, refer to the documentation that came with your M-Audio interface.

5 When ﬁnished, close the M-Audio Control

Panel.

Pro Tools Hardware Settings and M-Audio Control Panel

The Hardware Setup dialog in Pro Tools (Setup > Hardware) displays the name of your M-Audio peripheral, and tells you that various hardware functions can be changed in the MAudio Control Panel.

Using the M-Audio Control Panel, you can change settings in the following areas:

• Mixer Settings

• Output Settings

• Hardware Settings (including sample rate, hardware buffer size, and sync source).

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

Guide for details.)

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started16

the Pro Tools Reference

Sync Source (Pro Tools Clock Source)

If your M-Audio interface has a digital I/O (such as a S/PDIF I/O), use the M-Audio Control Panel to select the Sync Source for the system.

With Pro Tools M-Powered, Sync Source cannot be set in the Pro Tools Session Setup window.

To select the Sync Source:

1 If Pro Tools M-Powered is running, exit

Pro Tools.

2 Choose Start > Control Panel.

3 Launch the M-Audio Control Panel as follows:

• For FireWire interfaces, launch M-Audio FW Audio.

• For PCI interfaces, launch M-Audio Delta Audio.

• For USB Interfaces, launch the M-Audio control panel with the name of your interface.

4 Click the Hardware tab.

5 Select a Sync Source.

Your digital input device must be connected and turned on. If your input device is not turned on, leave the Sync Source set to Internal.

For more information on selecting the Sync Source for your M-Audio interface, refer to your M-Audio interface documentation.

6 Click OK.

Low Latency Monitoring

3 In the Control Panel mixer for your interface,

route the input channels you want to monitor to the main outputs of the mixer (usually Outputs 1–2) by clicking the corresponding output control.

Mixer output 1–2 control

Control Panel mixer for M-Audio FireWire 410)

4 Adjust the output level and balance with the

Control Panel mixer volume and pan controls.

Direct or low-latency monitoring is not available from within Pro Tools M-Powered.

However, with M-Audio devices that have Control Panel mixers with a direct monitoring feature, it is possible to use this feature as a low-latency monitoring path while recording in Pro Tools.

To use the M-Audio mixer direct monitoring feature while recording:

1 In Pro Tools, record-enable the tracks you

want to record and mute their output.

2 Open the M-Audio Control Panel for your M-

Audio interface.

5 In Pro Tools, begin recording.

6 To listen back to the recorded tracks, unmute

the tracks in Pro Tools and begin playback.

7 When you are ﬁnished recording, turn off the

mixer output control in the Control Panel mixer.

You can leave the M-Audio Control Panel open while working in Pro Tools M-Powered.

Chapter 2: Windows Conﬁguration 17

Conﬁguring I/O Setup

Using the I/O Setup dialog, you can label Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus signal paths. The I/O Setup dialog provides a graphical representation of the inputs, outputs, and signal routing of the M-Audio interface.

Pro Tools M-Powered bypasses the M-Audio mixer that is displayed in the M-Audio Control Panel. The interface’s hardware inputs and outputs show up directly in Pro Tools I/O Setup.

Pro Tools M-Powered has default I/O Setup settings that will get you started. Use the I/O Setup dialog only if you want to rename the default I/O paths.

To rename I/O paths in I/O Setup:

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

4 Click OK.

See the Pro Tools Reference Guide (or choose Help > Pro Tools Reference Guide) for more information on renaming I/O paths.

MIDI Studio Setup

(Optional)

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

Backing Up your System Conﬁguration

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

I/O Setup dialog for Pro Tools M-Powered (M-Audio FireWire 1814 shown)

2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, or Bus tab to

display the corresponding connections.

3 To change the name of a path or subpath,

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

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started18

Removing Pro Tools M-Powered

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

To remove Pro Tools from your computer:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Launch Add or Remove Programs.

3 From the Currently installed programs list, se-

lect Digidesign Pro Tools M-Powered.

4 Click the Change/Remove button.

5 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove

Pro Tools M-Powered.

chapter 3

Macintosh Conﬁguration

This chapter contains information for Macintosh systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools M-Powered on a Windows computer, see Chapter 2, “Windows Conﬁguration.”

Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD.

Installation Overview

Installation of Pro Tools M-Powered on a Macintosh includes the following steps:

1 “Macintosh System Optimization” on

page 19.

2 “Installing Your M-Audio Interface” on

page 21.

3 “Installing M-Audio Drivers” on page 21.

4 “Installing Pro Tools M-Powered Software” on

page 22.

5 “Launching Pro Tools M-Powered” on

page 23. (This step includes inserting the pre-authorized iLok into an available USB port on your computer.)

6 “Conﬁguring Pro Tools M-Powered” on

page 23.

7 Making audio connections to the M-Audio in-

terface. (See your M-Audio documentation for details.)

Macintosh System

Optimization

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

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

Tur ning Off Software Update

To turn off the Software Update feature:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Software Update.

2 Click Update Software and deselect Check for

Updates.

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

Chapter 3: Macintosh Conﬁguration 19

Tur ning Off Energy Saver

Disabling the Spotlight Shortcuts

To turn off the Energy Saver feature:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Energy Saver.

2 Click Sleep and do the following:

• Set the computer sleep setting to Never.

• Set the display sleep setting to Never.

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

Setting Processor Performance

(Macintosh G5 Computers Only)

To set the Processor Performance:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Energy Saver.

2 Click Options and set Processor Performance

to Highest.

Disabling Spotlight Indexing

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

To disable Spotlight indexing:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Spotlight.

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

To disable the Spotlight keyboard shortcut:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Spotlight.

2 Deselect “Spotlight menu keyboard shortcut”

and “Spotlight window keyboard shortcut.”

Disabling the Dashboard Shortcut

The Mac OS X Dashboard feature uses the same key command Pro Tools uses to start recording (F12). If you want to retain use of this key command in Pro Tools, this shortcut must be disabled.

To disable the Dashboard keyboard shortcut:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Dashboard and Exposé.

2 Set the Dashboard keyboard shortcut to “–” to

disable the shortcut.

2 In the Spotlight window, click Privacy.

3 To prevent indexing of a drive, drag its icon

from the desktop into the list.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started20

Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance

It is recommended that you start with a newly initialized audio drive.

4 Choose the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for-

mat.

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

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

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

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

Formatting an Audio Drive

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

To format an audio drive:

1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in

Applications/Utilities.

5 Type a name for the new volume.

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

computer, select Install Mac OS 9 Drivers.

7 Click Erase.

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

Installing Your M-Audio Interface

Before you install Pro Tools M-Powered, you must first install your M-Audio interface. Connect your M-Audio interface according to the instructions that came with it.

Installing M-Audio Drivers

The Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD-ROM includes M-Audio drivers for using Digidesignqualified M-Audio interfaces on Macintosh.

Disk Utility (Mac OS X)

2 Click the Erase tab.

3 Select the drive you want to initialize in the

column on the left side of the window.

Pro Tools will not see your M-Audio interface if you do not install the M-Audio driver that is included with Pro Tools M-Powered.

To install the M-Audio driver for your M-Audio interface:

1 If you are using an M-Audio FireWire inter-

face, disconnect it before proceeding.

2 Insert the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD-

ROM for Macintosh in your CD-ROM drive.

Chapter 3: Macintosh Conﬁguration 21

3 Locate and open the M-Audio Driver Installers

folder, and double-click the driver for your interface type, as follows:

• For M-Audio FireWire interfaces, doubleclick the ﬁle starting with “FireWire_OSX”

• For M-Audio PCI interfaces, double-click the ﬁle starting with “Delta_OSX”

• For M-Audio BlackBox, double-click the ﬁle starting with “BlackBox_OSX”

• For M-Audio Transit, double-click the ﬁle starting with “Transit_OSX”

• For M-Audio MobilePre, double-click the ﬁle starting with “MobilPre_OSX”

• For M-Audio FastTrack, double-click the ﬁle starting with “FastTrack_OSX”

• For M-Audio Ozone, double-click the ﬁle starting with “Ozone_OSX”

4 Follow the on-screen instructions to install

the driver.

5 When installation is complete, shut down

your computer.

6 If you are using an M-Audio FireWire inter-

face, do the following:

• Once your computer has shut down completely, connect your FireWire interface and power it on.

7 Turn on your computer.

Installing Pro Tools M-Powered Software

After the Apple System software settings are configured and you have installed your M-Audio interface and drivers, you are ready to install Pro Tools M-Powered.

To install Pro Tools M-Powered:

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 Insert the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD

for Macintosh in your CD-ROM drive. Doubleclick “Install Pro Tools M-Powered.”

3 Enter your Administrator password and click

OK to authenticate the installation.

4 Follow the on-screen instructions to continue

and accept installation.

5 In the Installer window, choose Custom In-

stall from the pop-up menu, and click Install.

6 Follow the remaining on-screen instructions

to install Pro Tools.

7 When installation is complete, click Restart.

In your M-Audio Control Panel, make sure that output channels 1 and 2 are not set to –Infinity (–

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started22

∞

Optional Software on the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD

Your Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD includes separate installers for the following optional items.

Launching Pro Tools M-Powered

To use Pro Tools M-Powered with an M-Audio interface, you must always have an iLok with an authorization for Pro Tools M-Powered. One pre-authorized iLok is included with the M-Powered package.

Pro Tools Demo Session

The Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD includes a demo session that you can use to verify that your system is working.

To install the demo session:

1 Insert the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD

in your CD-ROM drive. Locate and double-click the Pro Tools M-Powered Demo installer icon.

2 Select your audio drive as the install location

and click Install.

3 When installation is complete, click Quit.

To authorize Pro Tools M-Powered software:

1 Insert the pre-authorized iLok into an avail-

able USB port on your computer.

2 Click the Pro Tools M-Powered shortcut in

your Dock, (or the application in Applications\ Digidesign\Pro Tools).

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

Conﬁguring Pro Tools M-Powered

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.

Chapter 3: Macintosh Conﬁguration 23

Hardware Buffer Size

RTAS Processors

◆ 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.

To change the Hardware Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

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

◆ A higher number of processors reserves more

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

◆ A lower number of processors leaves more

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

To change the number of RTAS Processors:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools M-Powered (M-Audio FireWire 410 shown)

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

the audio buffer size, in samples.

3 Click OK.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started24

2 From the RTAS Processors pop-up menu, select

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

3 Click OK.

CPU Usage Limit

DAE Playback Buffer Size

◆ Lower CPU Usage Limit settings limit the ef-

◆ Higher CPU Usage Limit settings allocate

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

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

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

◆ DAE Playback Buffer Size settings lower than

◆ DAE Playback Buffer Size settings higher than

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

To change the CPU Usage Limit:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

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

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

3 Click OK.

To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the DAE Playback Buffer pop-up menu,

select a buffer size.

3 Click OK.

Chapter 3: Macintosh Conﬁguration 25

Pro Tools Hardware Settings and M-Audio Control Panel

The Hardware Setup dialog in Pro Tools (Setup > Hardware) displays the name of your M-Audio peripheral. The dialog also displays a message, which tells you that various hardware functions can be changed in the M-Audio Control Panel.

Using the M-Audio Control Panel, you can change settings in the following areas:

• Mixer Settings

• Output Settings

• Hardware Settings (including sample rate, hardware buffer size, and sync source).

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

Guide for details.)

To change M-Audio Control Panel settings:

1 If Pro Tools M-Powered is running, quit

Pro Tools.

2 In the Applications folder, locate and launch

the M-Audio Control Panel as follows:

• For FireWire interfaces, launch M-Audio FireWire.

• For PCI interfaces, launch M-Audio Delta Control Panel.

• For USB Interfaces, launch the M-Audio control panel with the name of your interface.

the Pro Tools Reference

Sync Source (Pro Tools Clock Source)

If your M-Audio interface has a digital I/O (such as a S/PDIF I/O), use the M-Audio Control Panel to select the Sync Source for the system.

With Pro Tools M-Powered, Sync Source cannot be set in the Pro Tools Session Setup window.

To select the Sync Source:

1 If Pro Tools M-Powered is running, quit

Pro Tools.

2 In the Applications folder, locate and launch

the M-Audio Control Panel, as follows:

• For FireWire interfaces, launch M-Audio FW.

• For PCI interfaces, launch M-Audio Delta Control Panel.

• For USB Interfaces, launch the M-Audio control panel with the name of your interface.

3 Click the Hardware tab.

4 Select a Sync Source.

Your digital input device must be connected and turned on. If your input device is not turned on, leave the Sync Source set to Internal.

For more information on selecting the Sync Source for your M-Audio interface, refer to your M-Audio interface documentation.

3 To change settings in the M-Audio Control

Panel, refer to the documentation that came with your M-Audio interface.

4 When ﬁnished, close the M-Audio Control

Panel.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started26

5 When ﬁnished, close the M-Audio Control

Panel.

Low Latency Monitoring

Direct or low-latency monitoring is not available from within Pro Tools M-Powered.

However, with M-Audio devices that have Control Panel mixers with a direct monitoring feature, it is possible to use this feature as a low-latency monitoring path while recording in Pro Tools.

To use the M-Audio mixer direct monitoring feature while recording:

1 In Pro Tools, record-enable the tracks you

want to record and mute their output.

2 Open the M-Audio Control Panel for your M-

Audio interface.

3 In the Control Panel mixer for your interface,

route the input channels you want to monitor to the main outputs of the mixer (usually Outputs 1–2) by clicking the corresponding output control.

6 To listen back to the recorded tracks, unmute

the tracks in Pro Tools and begin playback.

7 When you are ﬁnished recording, turn off the

mixer output control in the Control Panel mixer.

You can leave the M-Audio Control Panel open while working in Pro Tools M-Powered.

Conﬁguring I/O Setup

Pro Tools M-Powered bypasses the M-Audio mixer that is displayed in the M-Audio Control Panel. The interface’s hardware inputs and outputs show up directly in Pro Tools I/O Setup.

Pro Tools M-Powered has default I/O Setup settings that will get you started. Use the I/O Setup dialog only if you want to rename the default I/O paths.

Mixer output 1–2 control

Control Panel mixer for M-Audio FireWire 410)

4 Adjust the output level and balance with the

Control Panel mixer volume and pan controls.

5 In Pro Tools, begin recording.

Chapter 3: Macintosh Conﬁguration 27

To rename I/O paths in I/O Setup:

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

I/O Setup dialog for Pro Tools M-Powered (M-Audio FireWire 1814 shown)

Backing Up your System Conﬁguration

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

Removing Pro Tools M-Powered

If you need to remove Pro Tools M-Powered software from your computer, you can use the Installer CD-ROM or the downloaded Installer file.

2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, or Bus tab to

display the corresponding connections.

3 To change the name of a path or subpath,

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

4 Click OK.

See the Pro Tools Reference Guide (or choose Help > Pro Tools Reference Guide) for more information on renaming I/O paths.

Audio MIDI Setup (AMS)

(Optional)

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

To remove Pro Tools from your computer:

1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administra-

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

2 Insert the Pro Tools M-Powered Installer CD-

ROM in your CD-ROM drive, or locate the downloaded installer ﬁle. Double-click “Install Pro Tools M-Powered.”

3 Enter your Administrator password and click

OK.

4 In the Installer window, choose Uninstall

from the pop-up menu, and click Uninstall.

5 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove

Pro Tools.

6 When ﬁnished, click Quit to close the Installer

window.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started28

chapter 4

Working with Pro Tools M-Powered

This tutorial of Pro Tools M-Powered software introduces its main windows and features, and also includes a step-by-step overview of audio recording.

All features described in this chapter are explained fully in the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

You can view an electronic PDF version of the Reference Guide by choosing it from the Pro Tools Help menu.

Session Basics

Pro Tools M-Powered projects are created and saved as sessions. Sessions store all tracks, audio, MIDI, and other session information. Audio files, and fade files, Region group files, and backup Session files are stored in folders within the session folder.

Session folder containing the session ﬁle and its associated folders

Starting a Session

To create a new session:

1 Launch Pro Tools M-Powered.

2 Choose File > New Session.

3 In the New Session dialog, set the audio ﬁle

type, sample rate, and bit depth parameters for the new session.

New Session dialog

4 Choose where you want to save your session.

If you are using external hard drives with your Pro Tools system, make sure you select the appropriate drive in the New Session dialog.

5 Type a name for your session.

6 Click Save. The new session opens its Mix,

Edit, and Transport windows.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 29

Main Windows

The Mix, Edit, and Transport windows are the main Pro Tools work areas. You can show any of these windows by choosing them from the Window menu.

Main CounterEdit tools

Edit

Mode

buttons

Track

List

Edit Window Displays tracks in the session along the Timeline, for editing of audio, MIDI, and automation data.

Mix Window Displays the Pro Tools mixer, with its familiar fader strip controls for volume, pan, solo, mute, and signal routing.

To switch between the Edit and Mix windows, press Control+Equals (=) (Windows) or Command+Equals (=) (Macintosh).

Rulers

Group

List

Figure 1. Edit window

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started30

Audio region

Tracks

MIDI notesAutomation data

Plug-In Insert

Send controls

Pan sliders

Track controls

Volume fader Level meter

Figure 2. Mix window

Inserts

Sends

Tracks

Transport Window Provides controls for Play, Stop, Rewind, Fast-Forward, Pause, and Record. The Transport window can also show Counter and MIDI Control displays.

Transport controls

MIDI controls

Counters

Figure 3. Transport window

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 31

Rulers

Setting a Tempo

Pro Tools M-Powered provides several different rulers to help navigate your session.

Timebase Rulers

Timebase rulers, displayed along the top of the Edit window, include Bars:Beats, Minutes:Sec- onds, and Samples. The current timebase determines the format of the Main counter, and provides the basis for the Edit window Grid.

To select a Timebase Ruler:

■ Click the name of the ruler at the top left side

of the Edit window.

Selecting a Timebase ruler

Conductor Rulers

The Conductor rulers, displayed just below the Timebase rulers, include Tempo, Meter, and Markers. The Meter and Tempo rulers indicate changes in meter and tempo within the session. The Markers ruler displays markers to important track locations.

You can set the tempo for your session by using the Song Start Marker, located in the Tempo ruler.

To set the session tempo with the Song Star t Marker:

1 In the Tempo ruler, double-click the Song Start

Start Marker.

Song Start Marker

2 In the Tempo Change dialog, enter the BPM

(beats per minute) value you will use for the session. The inserted tempo event replaces the default session tempo.

Change Tempo dialog

3 To base the BPM value on a different note

value (such as an eighth note rather than the default quarter note), select a note value from the Resolution pop-up menu.

4 Click OK.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started32

Using the Click Plug-In

The Click plug-in creates an audio click during session playback. This works like a metronome that you can use as a tempo reference when performing and recording.

The Click plug-in is synchronized to the tempo and meter of the Pro Tools session, and follows any changes in tempo and meter.

The Click plug-in is one of many plug-ins that can be inserted on a Pro Tools track. See “Plug-Ins” on page 55.

Click plug-in

Click Parameters

To use the Click plug-in:

1 Choose Options > Click to enable the Click

option.

– or –

Enable the Metronome Click button in the Transport window.

Metronome Click button

Click controls in the Transport window

2 Create a mono Auxiliary Input (Aux Input)

track.

3 Insert a Click plug-in on the Auxiliary Input

track.

4 In the Click plug-in window, choose a click

sound from the Librarian pop-up menu (this menu displays “factory default” when you ﬁrst insert the plug-in).

MIDI In LED Illuminates each time the Click plug-in receives a click message from the Pro Tools application, indicating the tempo.

Accented Controls the output level of the accent beat (beat 1 of each bar) of the audio click.

Unaccented Controls the output level of the unaccented beats of the audio click.

Selecting a Click sound

5 Choose Setup > Click and set the Click and

Countoff options.

The Note, Velocity, Duration, and Output options in this dialog are for use with MIDI instrument-based clicks and do not affect the Click plug-in.

6 Click OK.

7 Begin playback. A click is generated according

to the tempo and meter of the current session and the settings in the Click/Countoff Options dialog.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 33

Using an External MIDI Click

Pro Tools also lets you use an external MIDI device to play the click. This feature can be turned on and off in the Transport window, and is configured from the Click/Countoff Options dialog.

To conﬁgure and enable an external MIDI click:

1 Choose Setup > Click.

4 During recording or playback, you can turn

the Click on or off with the Metronome Click button in the MIDI Controls display of the Transport window.

Metronome Click button

Click controls in the Transport window

Saving Sessions

As you build a session by adding tracks and changing session controls, you will want to save your work. Pro Tools provides three ways to save sessions.

To save a session:

■ Choose File > Save, File > Save As, or

File > Save Copy In.

Click/Countoff Options dialog

2 Conﬁgure the click parameters as needed for

your MIDI sound source.

See Appendix A, “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)” or Appendix B, “Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)” for information on configuring your MIDI studio for use with Pro Tools.

3 Choose a MIDI sound source from the Output

pop-up menu and click OK.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started34

Save Saves the currently open session file, leaving it open for you to continue working.

Save As Creates a duplicate session file with the name you choose, and leaves the duplicate open for you to continue working. This can be useful if you want to experiment with different arrangements in the session without affecting the original session.

Save Copy In Saves a copy of the session file and lets you save copies of all audio files that are used in the session. This can be useful for archiving a session, preparing a session for transfer to another system, saving to older Pro Tools session formats, or saving a session at another sample rate.

System Resources and Settings

You can change specific Pro Tools system settings to optimize system performance.

Playback Engine Dialog

The Playback Engine dialog lets you adjust system buffer sizes and allocate CPU processing power in Pro Tools.

Transport Controls

The Transport window provides access to all Pro Tools transport commands. Different transport controls can be displayed or hidden in this window.

To show the Transport window:

■ Choose Window > Transport.

Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools M-Powered system

To conﬁgure system resources:

■ Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

See the configuration chapter for your platform for details on configuring system settings.

System Usage Window

The System Usage window displays approximate information on CPU load and overall disk performance, so you can gauge your system’s processing capacity.

Return to Zero

Rewind

Online

Transport window (Expanded view shown)

Stop

Fast Forward

Go to EndPlay

Record Enable

To conﬁgure the Transport window:

■ Choose View > Transport and select from the

available view options.

The Transport window provides Play, Stop, and other standard transport controls.

The Expanded view of the Transport window provides pre- and post-roll, start, end, and length indicators for Timeline selection, as well as the Transport Master selector.

Meters in the System Usage window

To view system resources and usage:

■ Choose Window > System Usage.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 35

The Transport window can also display the following MIDI controls: Wait for Note, Click, Countoff, MIDI Merge, Conductor, Meter, and Tempo.

Metronome Click

Wait for Note

Tempo Ruler Enable

Transport window (MIDI Controls)

Countoff

MIDI Merge

Meter and Tempo controls

To star t and stop playback:

1 Click Play in the Transport window to begin

playback.

Tracks

Pro Tools lets you create tracks for audio and MIDI recording, submixing, routing, automating, and editing.

Pro Tools provides five types of tracks: audio tracks, Auxiliary Input tracks, Master Faders, MIDI tracks, and Instrument tracks. Audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, Instrument tracks, and Master Faders can be mono or stereo.

Audio Tracks Record and play back audio to and from hard disk, monitor audio input when record-enabled, and edit audio regions

Auxiliary Inputs Audio mixer channels, used for input, routing, and submixing

Master Faders Provide master channel controls and options for any output or bus path

2 Click Stop in the Transport window to stop

playback.

Press the Spacebar on your computer keyboard to start and stop playback.

Pro Tools starts playing from the location of the cursor, or from the beginning of the current selection. The current setting of the Link Edit and Timeline Selections command in the Options menu also affects playback. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more information.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started36

MIDI Tracks Record, play back, and edit MIDI data

Instrument Tracks Combine the functions of MIDI and Auxiliary Input tracks, letting you control and monitor instrument plug-ins or external MIDI devices in a single channel strip.

To create a new track:

1 Choose Track > New.

New Track dialog

2 Specify the number of tracks, track type, and

mono or stereo (for all types except MIDI).

To create multiple new track types in one step, click the “+” button in the New Tracks dialog. Specify the number of tracks, track type, and track format for each additional row of new tracks you want to create.

3 Click Create.

In the Mix window, audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, Instrument tracks, Master Faders, and MIDI tracks appear as vertical channel strips.

Track type is indicated by the Track Type icons just below the faders, and by the track colors.

In the Edit window, tracks are displayed horizontally along the Timeline. The area in which audio appears for each track is the playlist.

Timeline

Playlist

Timeline rulers and an audio track in the Edit window

Audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, Master Faders, MIDI tracks, and Instrument tracks can all be automated. See “Mix Automation” on page 56 for more information.

Audio Tracks

Audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, and Master Faders share many identical controls. Figure 4 shows the controls found in audio or Auxiliary Input tracks. Master Faders provide all the same features as audio tracks and Auxiliary Input tracks, with the following exceptions:

Auxiliary Input

Audio Master

Tracks in the Mix window

track

Instrument track

MIDI track

Fadertrack

Input Selector A Master Fader’s output assignment determines its input, or source.

Inserts Inserts on Master Faders are post-fader only. (Audio track and Aux Input track inserts are all pre-fader.)

Sends Master Faders do not provide sends. To send an output to another destination, use an Auxiliary Input.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 37

Inserts (up to 5)

MIDI Tracks

MIDI tracks provide volume, solo, and mute, in addition to MIDI input, output, channel, and program (patch) controls. Figure 5 shows the controls found in MIDI tracks.

Sends (up to 10)

Output Path

selector

Pan indicator

Record Enable

button

Solo button

Volume fader

Voice selector

Volume indicator

Color bar

Input Path selector

Automation mode selector

Pan sliders

Mute button

Output window button

Level meter

Group ID

Track Type indicator

Track name

Track comment area

Figure 4. Stereo audio track in the Mix window

MIDI Input selector

MIDI Output selector

Pan slider

Record Enable

button

Solo button

Volume

fader

Patch Select

Volume indicator

Color bar

Automation Mode selector

Pan indicator

Mute button

MIDI Velocity meter

Group ID

Track Type indicator

Track name

Track comment area

Figure 5. MIDI track in the Mix window

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started38

Instrument Tracks

Instrument tracks have many controls in common with audio tracks, and also have an additional Instruments View, which provides controls for MIDI input, output, mute, volume, and pan. Figure 6 shows the controls found in Instrument tracks.

Region List

A region is a piece of audio or MIDI data that can also have associated automation data. For example, 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.

MIDI Volume

MIDI Pan

Audio Output Path

selector

Pan sliders

Record Enable

button

Solo button

Volume

fader

MIDI Input selector

MIDI Output selector MIDI Velocity meter

MIDI Mute button

Inserts (up to 5)

Sends (up to 10)

Audio Input Path selector

Automation Mode selector

Pan indicators

Mute button

Output Window button

Level meter

In Pro Tools, regions are created from audio or MIDI files, and can be arranged in audio, MIDI, and Instrument track playlists.

All regions that are recorded, imported, or created by editing appear in the Region List. Regions can be dragged from the list to tracks and arranged in any order. Audio regions can also be auditioned from the Region List by Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Macintosh) the audio region name. The Region List pop-up menu provides features for managing regions and files (such as sorting, selecting, importing, or exporting files).

Drag border to resize width of Region List

Click Regions button for pop-up menu

Patch Select

Volume indicator

Color bar

Group ID

Track Type indicator

Track name

Track comment area

Figure 6. Stereo Instrument track in the Mix window

Click to hide Region List

Region List

For more information on the Region List, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 39

Navigating in a Session

Pro Tools provides many ways to navigate in a session, including using the mouse or entering a memory location into one of the counters.

2 Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh).

Navigating with the Counter

To navigate to a location in the Edit window:

1 In the Options menu, make sure Link Time-

line and Edit Selection is enabled.

2 Enable the Selector tool at the top of the Edit

window by clicking it.

Selector tool

Edit tools in Edit window

3 Click in a track or Timebase ruler. The cursor

appears at the selected location and the counters display the current time location.

Click in a track or on a Timebase ruler

Clicking with the Selector tool in the Edit window

To navigate using the counters:

1 Click in the Main counter and enter a location

using your computer keyboard.

Press the * (asterisk) key on the numeric keypad as an alternative to clicking in the counter. (The cursor will always appear in the Transport window’s Main Counter if it is displayed.)

Memory Locations

Memory Locations and markers provide another way to navigate within sessions. Memory Locations appear as markers under the Timebase rulers. You can store up to 999 Memory Location s or markers in a session.

To deﬁne a memor y location:

1 Navigate to the location at which you want to

store a marker or memory location.

– or –

Begin playback somewhere before the point where you want to store a Memory Location or marker.

2 Create a memory location by doing one of the

following:

• Press Enter on the numeric keypad.

– or –

• Click the Add Marker/Memory Location (“+”) button, located to the left of the Markers ruler.

On some Windows laptops, you can press Fn+Enter to create a memory location. This is especially useful for laptops that do not have a numeric keypad.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started40

In the New Memory Location dialog, you can define a marker, store a selection, or store any combination of the other available settings. These settings include track height, group enables, pre- and post-roll values, and track Show/Hide status.

Viewing and Zooming

When viewing tracks in the Edit window, you can adjust the height of tracks as well as zoom in vertically and horizontally using the Track Height selector and Zoom tools.

3 Choose settings for the Memory Location and

click OK.

New Memory Location dialog

To go to a stored memor y location:

1 Choose Window > Memory Locations.

2 In the Memory Locations window, click the

name of the Memory Location.

Zoom In/Out buttons

Zoom Preset buttons

Zoom and Track Height tools in the Edit window

Zoomer tool

Track Height selector

Zoom Toggle button

To change track height:

■ Click the Track Height selector (the scaled ver-

tical bar at the left of the track), and select a track height from the pop-up menu.

Memory Locations window

You can apply many commands, including track height selection, to more than just a single track. Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Macintosh) while performing an operation to apply it to all tracks. Hold down both the Shift and Alt keys (Windows) or Shift and Option keys (Macintosh) while performing an operation to apply it to all selected tracks.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 41

To zoom in or out on any area of a track in the Edit window:

1 Click to select the Zoomer tool.

2 Click or drag with the Zoomer tool to zoom in

horizontally for a track or ruler.

– or –

Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) and click with the Zoomer tool to zoom out horizontally for a track or ruler.

Zoom Toggle

The Zoom Toggle button lets you store a zoom state and toggle between it and the current zoom state. When Zoom Toggle is enabled, the Edit window displays the stored zoom state. When Zoom Toggle is disabled, the Edit window reverts to the last zoom state.

To store a zoom state using Zoom Toggle:

1 Make an Edit selection.

To zoom in or out incrementally:

■ Click the appropriate Zoom button:

•Zoom Out button (Left Arrow)

• Zoom In button (Right Arrow)

• Audio or MIDI Zoom buttons, to increase or decrease vertical zoom of the corresponding track type

To zoom in or out continuously:

1 Select the Zoom tool.

2 Hold the Start key (Windows) or Control

(Macintosh) and drag in a track as follows:

• Drag up to zoom in vertically

• Drag down to zoom out vertically

• Drag to the right to zoom in horizontally

• Drag to the left to zoom out horizontally

2 Click the Zoom Toggle button so that it is

highlighted.

Zoom Toggle button

Zoom Toggle button in the Tool bar

3 Adjust Track Height, Vertical Zoom, Track

view, and the Grid setting.

4 Make any desired edits.

5 Click the lit Zoom Toggle button again to re-

vert to the last zoom state.

6 Make another edit selection and click the

Zoom Toggle button to recall the stored zoom state, and continue editing.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started42

Zoom Presets

Pro Tools provides five Zoom Preset buttons. You can use these to immediately return to established zoom levels. You can define the magnification level for each preset, on a session-bysession basis.

Importing Data into Pro Tools Sessions

Pro Tools lets you import audio, MIDI, and a wide range of Pro Tools session data into your current session.

To store a new Zoom preset deﬁnition:

1 Use the Zoom tool to establish a Zoom setting.

2 Click a Zoom Preset button (1–5) and choose

Save Zoom Preset from the Zoom Preset pop-up menu.

Zoom Preset pop-up menu

To recall a saved Zoom preset:

■ Click the corresponding Zoom Preset button

(1–5).

Using Memory Locations for Zoom Control

Pro Tools Memory Locations let you store many attributes with each marker or memory location, including Track Height and Zoom Settings. By creating Memory Locations that are neither markers nor selections, but have Track Height, Zoom Settings, or other options enabled, you can use Memory Locations to zoom in and out using just the numeric keypad.

Importing Audio

Pro Tools lets you import audio files from your hard drive or from CD. This is very useful if you have audio files already recorded to disk or if you are working with CD-based sample libraries that you want to use in a session.

To impor t audio ﬁles or regions from disk:

■ Choose File > Import > Audio to Track to im-

port ﬁles and regions to new audio tracks (they will also appear as regions in the Region List).

– or –

■ Choose File > Import > Audio to Region List to

import ﬁles and regions to the Region List only.

To impor t a CD audio track:

1 Put the source CD into your computer’s CD

drive.

2 Choose Window > Workspace and click the

Audio CD icon to show the ﬁles on the CD.

3 Click the speaker icon in the waveform col-

umn of the Workspace browser to audition the corresponding ﬁle. Press the Spacebar to stop playback.

For more information on creating memory locations, see “Memory Locations” on page 40.

Auditioning an audio ﬁle in the Workspace Browser

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 43

4 Do one of the following:

■ Drag audio ﬁles from the Workspace browser

to the Track List in the Edit window to import the ﬁles to new audio tracks (they will also appear as regions in the Region List).

– or –

■ Drag audio ﬁles from the Workspace browser

to the Region List in the Edit window to import the ﬁles to the Region List only.

Dragging an audio ﬁle from the Workspace Browser to the Edit window Track List

2 Drag MIDI ﬁles from the Workspace browser

to the Track List.

Dragging a MIDI file from the Workspace Browser to the Edit window Track List

3 In the Import MIDI Settings dialog box,

choose the import location and settings for the MIDI you are importing.

For more information on searching, auditioning, and importing audio with DigiBase, refer to the DigiBase Guide.

Importing MIDI

Pro Tools lets you import MIDI files into the Region List or directly into MIDI tracks in a session.

To impor t MIDI ﬁles into the Region List:

■ Choose File > Import > MIDI to Region List.

To impor t MIDI ﬁles to tracks:

1 Choose Window > Workspace and locate the

MIDI ﬁles you want to import.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started44

Import MIDI Settings dialog

Importing Files from Windows Explorer and Macintosh Finder

Pro Tools lets you drag and drop audio, MIDI, region group, REX, and ACID files directly from Windows Explorer or Macintosh Finder to the Timeline or the Region List of a Pro Tools session.

For more information on importing data into Pro Tools sessions, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Basic Recording

This section describes how to record audio and MIDI into Pro Tools.

Preparing for Recording

To prepare an audio track for recording:

1 Verify the connections to your microphones

or instruments.

For more information about connecting instruments, refer to your M-Audio documentation.

2 Choose Track > New. Specify 1 Mono or Stereo

Audio track (depending on your sound source) and click Create.

3 In the Mix window, click the Audio Input Path

selector on the new track.

Setting Input Levels

Use the Gain controls on your M-Audio interface (if any) to maximize the signal going into Pro Tools while avoiding clipping. You can also adjust input signal levels at the source.

When you feed a signal into Pro Tools, make sure to adjust the input level to optimize the dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded file. If the input level is too low, you will not take full advantage of the dynamic range of your Pro Tools system. If the input level is too high, the waveform will be clipped, distorting the recording.

Try to set levels so that they register within the top 6 dB of the input meter without triggering the clipping indicator. on your audio interface.

Set input levels to avoid clipping. Adjust the gain control to a level where the Peak LEDs on the front of an M-Audio interface do not flash.

Audio Input Path selector

Choosing an input in the Mix window

4 From the pop-up menu, select the interface in-

put you want to record. For example, select Mic/Line 1 if your audio source is plugged into the ﬁrst jack of an M-Audio interface.

Routing an input to a stereo track

Recording an Audio Track

To record an audio track:

1 Assign the input for a track and set its input

levels.

2 Click the Track Record Enable button.

Record enabling a track in the Mix window

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 45

3 Choose Window > Transport to display the

Transport window.

Return to Zero

Rewind

Online

Transport window (Expanded view shown)

4 Click Return To Zero to start recording from

Stop

Fast Forward

Go to EndPlay

Record Enabl

the beginning of the session. You can also record according to a selection or from the cursor location in the Edit window.

5 Click Record in the Transport window to en-

able recording.

6 Click Play or press the Spacebar to record on

all record-enabled tracks.

Recording MIDI

Instrument tracks combine a MIDI track and Auxiliary Input into a single channel strip that provides both MIDI and audio capabilities. Instrument tracks let you record MIDI and monitor audio from software and hardware instruments.

To create an Instrument track and conﬁgure it for recording:

1 Choose Setup > MIDI > Input Devices and

make sure your input device is selected in the MIDI Input Enable window, and Click OK.

2 Choose Track > New and specify 1 Mono In-

strument Track, then click Create.

3 Select View > Mix Window > Instruments to

display the MIDI controls at the top of the Instrument track in the Mix window.

4 Click the track’s MIDI Input selector and as-

sign the device and channel to be recorded, or leave it set to All.

7 Record your performance.

8 Click Stop in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar when you are ﬁnished recording.

To play back a recorded track:

1 Click the track’s Record Enable button a sec-

ond time to take it out of Record mode.

2 Click Play in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar to start playback.

3 Click Stop in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar to stop playback.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started46

MIDI Input selector

MIDI Input selector in an Instrument track

5 Do one of the following, depending on the

type of instrument you are using:

• If you are using an instrument plug-in, click an Insert selector and insert the plugin on the Instrument track. The track’s MIDI output is automatically assigned to the instrument plug-in.

Inserting an instrument plug-in on an Instrument track

• If you are using an external MIDI device, click the track’s MIDI Output selector (at the top of the Instrument track) and assign the device and channel to receive the MIDI output (the choices will vary depending on the device).

6 You can assign a default program change to

the track by clicking the Patch Select button in the Mix window and making the necessary selections for program and bank select, and then clicking Done. Default program changes are sent when playing a track.

Patch Select button

Patch Select button in an Instrument track

7 If you are using an external MIDI device and

connected its audio output to an audio interface for monitoring in Pro Tools, click the Input selector of the Instrument track and choose the corresponding audio input.

MIDI Output selector in an Instrument track

If your connected MIDI device does not appear, check that you have configured your computer and its MIDI settings. See Appendix A, “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)” or Appendix B, “Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)” for more information.

Choosing an audio input for an Instrument track

8 Click the Track Record Enable button to en-

able the Instrument track for MIDI recording.

9 Make sure Options > MIDI Thru is selected.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 47

10 Play some notes on your MIDI controller and

look for the track’s MIDI Velocity meter to move. Remember, MIDI is not audio, and the MIDI meter is not registering sound output, but MIDI activity.

MIDI Velocity meter

MIDI meter in Instrument track showing MIDI activity

11 Adjust the audio output level of the Instru-

ment track with its Volume fader.

To record MIDI on the Instrument track:

1 Verify that the Instrument track you want to

record to is record-enabled and receiving MIDI.

2 In the Transport window, click Return To Zero

to start recording from the beginning of the session. You can also record to a selection in a track, or from the cursor location in the Edit window.

6 When you have ﬁnished recording, click Stop

in the Transport window, or press the Spacebar. The newly recorded MIDI data appears as a MIDI region on the track in the Edit window, as well as in the Region List.

MIDI data in the Instrument track

To play back recorded MIDI data:

1 Click the Record Enable button to take the In-

strument track out of Record mode.

2 In the Transport window, click Return To Zero

to play back from the beginning of the track.

3 Click Play in the Transport window to begin

playback. The recorded MIDI data plays back through the track’s assigned instrument and channel.

3 Click Record in the Transport window.

4 Do one of the following:

• Click Play in the Transport window or press the Spacebar to begin recording.

• If you are using Wait for Note, the Play, Record, and Wait for Note buttons ﬂash. Recording begins when the ﬁrst MIDI event is received.

• If you are using Countoff, click Play. The Record and Play buttons ﬂash during the Countoff, then recording begins.

5 Play your MIDI controller or input device.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started48

Editing

Pro Tools provides several tools for editing audio and MIDI. In the Edit window, audio and MIDI tracks can be edited into regions or repeated in different locations to create loops, re-arrange sections or entire songs, or to assemble tracks using material from multiple takes.

The Edit mode affects the movement and placement of audio and MIDI regions (and individual MIDI notes), how commands like Copy and Paste function, and also how the various edit tools (Trimmer, Selector, Grabber, and Pencil) work.

For detailed descriptions of Edit modes, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Edit modes

Edit modes and tools

Audio and MIDI editing are typically used to:

• Fix or replace mistakes

• Re-arrange songs and projects

• Clean up track timing and rhythm by aligning hits to Grid values like bars and beats

• Create ﬁnal tracks using selections from multiple takes (also known as comp tracks).

Edit tools

Edit Modes

Pro Tools has the following Edit modes: Shuffle, Spot, Slip, and two Grid modes, Absolute (standard Pro Tools Grid mode), and Relative.

The Edit mode is selected by clicking the corresponding button in the upper left of the Edit window.

Edit Tools

Pro Tools has seven Edit tools: Zoomer, Trimmer, Selector, Grabber, Scrubber, Pencil, and Smart Tool. Select an Edit tool by clicking it in the Edit window. The Zoomer, Trimmer, Grabber, and Pencil tools have multiple modes, which you can select from a pop-up menu when you click the tool.

Trimmer tool Grabber tool

Selector tool

Edit tools in Edit window

Press the Escape key to toggle through the Edit tools.

For detailed descriptions of the Edit Tools, refer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Scrubber tool

Pencil toolSmart ToolZoomer tool

Edit mode buttons

Press F1 (Shuffle), F2 (Slip), F3 (Spot), and F4 (Grid) to set the Edit mode.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 49

Playlists and Nondestructive Editing

Editing Regions

Playlists let you create and retrieve multiple versions of track edits. A playlist can be a complete take, an overdub, or an arrangement of selections from multiple takes. You can duplicate playlists to save edits in their current state, then continue making additional edits to the new playlist knowing you can always go back to the previous version.

To create multiple playlists for editing:

1 Start with a track on which you want to try

different edits.

2 Click the Playlist selector and from the pop-up

menu, choose Duplicate.

Playlist selector

3 Name the duplicated playlist and click OK.

4 Make your ﬁrst series of edits.

5 Click the Playlist selector and from the pop-up

menu select the original playlist to return to it.

6 Repeat steps 2–5 for any further edits.

The Edit tools in Pro Tools are used to edit regions in the Edit window.

Audio region

Trimming Regions

After recording an audio track, you will have an audio region on that track. If there is some silence at the beginning of the region, or there is some extra audio at the end of the region, you can use the Trimmer tool in Slip mode to shorten the beginning or end of the region.

Audio region on a track

To trim an audio region:

1 Select Slip mode.

2 Select the Trimmer tool.

3 Move the cursor near the beginning of the au-

dio region (notice the cursor displays as a “[”).

In this way, you can try out different edits of a track, and switch back and forth between playlists for comparison.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started50

Trimming the beginning of a region

4 Click at the beginning of the region and drag

right to shorten the region.

5 Move the cursor near the end of the audio re-

gion (notice the cursor displays as a “]”).

• Click the Add Meter Change button and specify the meter.

Trimming the end of a region

6 Click at the end of the region and drag left to

shorten the region.

The trimmed region

You can also extend a region using the Trimmer tool if there is audio data beyond the current boundaries of the region. To extend the region’s beginning, drag to the left; to extend the region’s end, drag to the right.

Arranging Regions

There are many ways to edit and arrange regions; the following example demonstrates how you might create and arrange a drum loop to compose a rhythm track.

To create and arrange a rhythm sequence:

1 Open or create a session in Pro Tools.

2 Set the session meter and tempo by doing the

following in the Edit window:

• Click the Ruler View selector and select both Tempo and Meter.

• Click the Add Tempo Change button and specify the tempo.

Add Tempo Change Add Meter Change

Add Tempo Change and Add Meter Change buttons

3 Click the Grid mode button to put Pro Tools

in Grid mode.

4 Prepare to record using a MIDI click (see “Us-

ing the Click Plug-In” on page 33 or “Using an External MIDI Click” on page 34).

5 Record a drum track (see “Recording an Audio

Track” on page 45) keeping in mind that you want to use only the best bar (measure). Your recording should ﬁt the grid at the speciﬁed tempo and meter.

– or –

Import an existing audio file, such as a drum loop from a sample library, and place it on an audio track (see “Importing Audio” on page 43).

6 Click the Selector tool, and drag on the wave-

form to make a one-bar selection. Note that the selection snaps to the speciﬁed grid.

Making a selection in Grid mode

7 Choose Track > New and create a new Stereo

Audio track.

8 Click the Grabber tool and select the Separa-

tion Grabber tool.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 51

9 With the Separation Grabber tool, drag the se-

lection to the beginning of the new audio track. A new region is created and appears at the beginning of the new track.

Dragging a selection with the Separation Grabber tool

10 With the new region still selected, choose

Region > Loop.

Mixing

The Pro Tools mix environment provides many familiar channel strip controls for setting volume, pan, solo, and mute. Mixer and I/O controls can be shown in both the Mix and Edit windows.

To view the Mix window:

■ Select Window > Mix.

Press Control+Equals (=) (Windows) or Command+Equals (=) (Macintosh) to switch between the Edit and Mix windows.

Using Channel Strip Controls

The following controls are common to Audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument tracks.

Volume Fader Increase or decrease the track level by dragging its Volume fader up or down.

Region Looping dialog

11 In the Region Looping dialog, enter the

number times you want to loop the region, and click OK.

You now have a new rhythm track with a “looped” (repeated) phrase.

You can use these editing tools and Beat Detective to do much more advanced editing of regions.

Grouping Regions

The Region Groups feature in Pro Tools lets you group regions on multiple adjacent audio, MIDI, and Instrument tracks. Region Groups are useful for groove and tempo manipulation, editing, and arranging.

For more information on Region Groups, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started52

Pan Slider Pan a track left or right in the mix by dragging its Pan slider left or right.

Solo Button Solo a track (muting all other tracks) by clicking its Solo button.

Mute Button Mute a track by clicking its Mute button.

Basic Signal Routing

Signal routing is accomplished by assigning track inputs and outputs. Audio track inputs can be from any hardware input or bus path. Once recorded, an audio track’s input is its audio file on disk. Auxiliary Inputs can be any hardware input or internal bus path. For all types of audio tracks, outputs can be routed to any hardware output or internal bus path.

You can use these signal routing features to set up virtually any mixer architecture for your projects, including sends and returns for effects processing and submixing.

Send and Return Submixing for Effects Processing

When you are submixing for reverb, delay, and similar effects processing, you can use sends and Auxiliary Inputs to achieve traditional send/return bussing. You can use a real-time plug-in (see “Plug-Ins” on page 55) as a shared resource for all tracks included in a submix. The wet/dry balance in the mix can be controlled using the track faders (dry level) and Auxiliary Input fader (wet, or effect return level).

Creating a Send

Pro Tools provides up to ten sends per audio track. A send can be mono or stereo, routing to an output or one of 32 internal bus paths.

To assign a send on a track:

1 Make sure the Sends you want to use are visi-

ble in the Mix window (View > Mix Window > Sends A–E or Sends F–J).

2 In the Mix window, click a Send selector on an

audio track and choose a path from the pop-up menu.

Assigning a send to a stereo bus path

3 Set the output level of the send. You can set

the send level to zero by Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Macintosh) the Send fader.

You can configure the default level for new sends to be

–∞ or at unity gain

(0 dB) by enabling or disabling the Sends Default To “–INF” option in the Operation Preferences page.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 53

Creating a Return

Auxiliary Input tracks can be created to act as return channels for busses, as well as for inputs from hardware sources.

Send window

Send to bus 1–2

Real-time plug-in

Master Faders

Master Faders are used as output and bus masters, and can control any mono or stereo output or bus path in a session. You can then use the controls on the Master Fader to control the volume, solo and mute, or apply inserts to those paths.

Aux track input from bus 1–2

Audio tracks

Aux Input track

Audio and Auxiliary Input tracks conﬁgured for a send and return

To create a return:

1 Choose Track > New and specify 1 Mono or

Stereo Auxiliary Input, then click Create.

2 Click the Input selector of the Auxiliary Input

and set it to the bus path you assigned to the sends on the source tracks.

Output assigned to control main mix

Master Fader controlling main output path

3 Click the Output selector of the Auxiliary In-

put and choose an output path.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started54

To create a Master Fader:

1 Choose Track > New and specify 1 Mono or

Stereo Master Fader track, then click Create.

2 In the Mix window, click the Master Fader’s

Output selector and choose the output path that you want to control. You can choose either outputs or internal busses.

To use a Master Fader as a master stereo volume control for all tracks in a session:

1 Choose Track > New and specify 1 stereo Mas-

ter Fader track, then click Create.

2 Set the outputs of all audio tracks in the ses-

sion to Outputs 1–2 and set the panning of each track.

3 Set the output of the Master Fader to your

main output path (Outputs 1–2).

Real-time plug-ins are assigned to tracks from the Inserts view in the Mix or Edit windows. Once assigned to a track, plug-ins appear in the track’s Inserts view, and can be opened by clicking the Insert button.

Insert button

Plug-In window

Plug-Ins

Plug-ins provide EQ, dynamics, delay, and many other types of effects processing, and function either in real time (RTAS) or in nonreal time (AudioSuite).

RTAS plug-ins are nondestructive effects, which are inserted on tracks to process audio in real time, during playback—just like an external hardware processor.

AudioSuite plug-ins are used to process and modify audio files on disk, rather than nondestructively in real time. Depending on how you configure a non-real-time AudioSuite plug-in, it will either create an entirely new audio file, or alter the original source audio file.

Compressor plug-in

To inser t a real-time plug-in on a track:

1 Make sure the Inserts View is shown in the

Mix or Edit window.

2 Click the Insert selector on the track and select

the plug-in that you want to use.

Pro Tools comes with a complete set of DigiRack plug-ins, and many more are available from Digidesign and our Development Partners.

For more information about plug-ins included with Pro Tools, see the DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 55

Mix Automation

Mix automation lets you record, or automate, changes to track and send levels, mutes, pan, and plug-in parameters.

To write automation:

1 Choose Window > Automation Enable.

2 In the Automation Enable window, enable an

automation type (volume, pan, mute, send level, send pan, send mute, or any plug-in automation) by clicking its button so that it is highlighted.

Enabling automation

3 In each track you want to automate, select an

automation mode with the Automation Mode selector (Write, Touch, or Latch mode).

Once written, automation can be re-written or displayed and edited graphically in the Edit window.

Track View

Volume automation in a track in the Edit window

Volume breakpoint automation

For more information on using automation, see the

Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Final Mixdown

The Bounce to Disk command lets you write a final mix to disk, create a new loop, print effects, or bounce any submix. Once you have bounced your final mix to disk, you can use another program to burn the resulting file to CD.

When you bounce a track to disk, the bounced mix includes the following:

Audible Tracks All audible tracks are included in the bounce. Any muted tracks do not appear in the bounce. If you solo a track or region, only the soloed elements appear in the bounced mix.

Setting the Automation mode of a track

4 Start playback and begin writing automation

by adjusting faders and other controls during playback. Pro Tools remembers all moves performed on enabled parameters.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started56

Automation All read-enabled automation is played back and incorporated in the bounced mix.

Inserts and Sends All active inserts, including real-time plug-ins and hardware inserts, are applied to the bounced mix.

Selection or Track Length If you make a selection in a track, the bounced mix will be the length of the selection. If there is no selection in any track, the bounce will continue until it reaches the end of the session.

To Bounce to Disk:

1 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk.

2 Select any mono or stereo output or bus path

as the source for the bounce.

3 Select the File Type (such as WAV), Format

(such as mono or stereo), Resolution (such as 16bit), and Sample Rate (such as 44.1 kHz).

To create a mixdown that can be written to an audio CD, be sure to select WAV, stereo interleaved, 16-bit, 44.1 kHz.

4 If you are changing the sample rate of the

bounced ﬁle, choose a Conversion Quality setting.

To dither audio for mixdown:

1 Create a Master Fader and assign it to control

the output path for the audio you want to mix down or bounce.

2 Insert the included DigiRack Dither plug-in

(or another dither plug-in) on the Master Fader, after any other plug-ins or inserts on the track.

3 In the dither plug-in window, click the Bit Res-

olution button and select the destination bit depth (20-bit or 16-bit).

4 In the dither plug-in window, click the Noise

Shaping button and select a Noise Shaping setting. Type 1 is appropriate for mono ﬁles, and Type 2 or Type 3 are appropriate for stereo ﬁles.

5 Click Bounce.

Using Dither on Mixdown

You should use a dither plug-in whenever you are bouncing or mixing down audio to a lower bit depth (for example, when mastering a 24-bit session to 16-bit resolution for release on an audio CD.)

If you are bouncing or mixing down audio for reuse at the same bit depth (for example, for transfer from one 24-bit capable system to another), you do not need to dither the output.

It is preferable to use Master Faders instead of Auxiliary Inputs for applying dither, because Master Fader inserts are post-fader. With a Master Fader, any changes to the track’s Volume fader will be processed by the dither plug-in.

5 Choose File > Bounce to Disk to perform the

mixdown.

Sample Rate Conversion on Mixdown

When you specify a different sample rate for a bounced file (for example, when mixing down a session recorded at 48 kHz to 44.1 kHz for release on an audio CD), a Conversion Quality setting becomes available in the Bounce to Disk dialog.

There are five possible Conversion Quality settings, ranging from Low (lowest quality) to TweakHead (highest quality). The higher the quality of sample rate conversion, the longer it takes to convert the bounced file.

For more information on using dither and sample rate conversion when mixing down, see the

Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Chapter 4: Working with Pro Tools M-Powered 57

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started58

appendix a

Conﬁguring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)

MIDI Studio Setup

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

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

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

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

MIDI Studio Setup Window

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

MIDI Studio Setup window

Interface Controls

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

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

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

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

Appendix A: Conﬁguring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) 59

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

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

Instrument List

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

Properties Section

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

To deﬁne an instrument with MIDI Studio Setup:

1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio.

2 Click Create.

3 In the Instrument Name ﬁeld, type the name

of your instrument, and press enter.

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

4 Set a manufacturer and model for the new de-

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

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

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

6 From the Output pop-up menu, choose the

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

7 Enable the appropriate MIDI channels (1–16)

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

MIDI Studio Setup Properties section

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

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started60

Instrument Name

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

Manufacturer

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

For more information, see “MIDI Patch Name Support” on page 61.

Model

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

For more information, see “MIDI Patch Name Support” on page 61.

Input Port

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

MIDI Patch Name Support

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

To impor t MIDI patch names into Pro Tools:

1 Verify the MIDI Device name in the MIDI Stu-

dio Setup window (see “MIDI Studio Setup” on page 59).

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

Output Port

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

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

Send Channels

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

Receive Channels

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

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

signed to the MIDI device.

3 Click the MIDI track’s Patch Select button.

Patch Select button

Patch Select button, Edit window

Patch Select button

Patch Select button, Mix window

Appendix A: Conﬁguring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) 61

4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change

button.

Change button

Patch Select dialog

5 In the Open dialog, navigate to Program

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

6 Click Open.

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

To clear patch names:

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

ton, and click Done.

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

Patch Select dialog with patch names

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

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started62

appendix b

Conﬁguring AMS (Mac OS X Only)

2 Click the MIDI Devices tab. AMS scans your

Audio MIDI Setup

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

To conﬁgure your MIDI studio in AMS:

1 Launch Audio MIDI Setup (located in Applica-

tions/Utilities).

– or –

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

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

Audio MIDI Setup (MIDI Devices tab)

3 For any MIDI devices connected to the MIDI

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

4 Drag the new device icon to a convenient lo-

cation within the window.

Appendix B: Conﬁguring AMS (Mac OS X Only) 63

5 Connect the MIDI device to the MIDI inter-

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

Making MIDI input and output connections

6 Click the arrow for the appropriate input port

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

To conﬁgure an external MIDI device:

1 Select the external device icon and click Show

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

External Device Icon

2 Select a manufacturer and model for the new

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

To remove a connection, select the cable and

press Delete. To delete all connections, click Clear Cables.

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

MIDI setup.

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started64

Naming a new MIDI device

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

3 Click the More Properties arrow to expand the

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

Enabling MIDI channels

4 Click the device image. The window expands

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

Selecting a device icon

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

5 Click OK.

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

Appendix B: Conﬁguring AMS (Mac OS X Only) 65

MIDI Patch Name Support

To impor t MIDI patch names into Pro Tools:

1 Verify the MIDI Device name in the Audio

MIDI Setup window (see “Audio MIDI Setup” on page 63).

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

signed to the MIDI device.

3 Click the MIDI track’s Patch Select button.

Patch Select button

4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change

button.

Change button

Patch Select dialog

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

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

6 Click Open.

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

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

Patch Select button, Edit window

Patch Select button

Patch Select button, Mix window

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started66

To clear patch names:

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

ton, and click Done.

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

index

audio

editing 49 importing 43 routing 45, 53

Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Macintosh) 63 audio tracks 36, 37 authorizing Pro Tools

Macintosh 23 Windows 14

automation 56 Auxiliary Inputs 36, 37, 53

Bounce to Disk command 56

channel strip controls

Mute 52 Pan 52 Solo 52 Volume 52

click

external MIDI 34 plug-in 33

Click plug-in 33 Clock Source 16, 26 Conductor ruler 32 CPU Usage Limit 15, 25

DAE Playback Buffer Size 15, 25 dither 57 drive formatting

Macintosh 21 Windows 10

drive maintenance

Macintosh 21 Windows 10, 11

drive requirements 3

Edit modes 49

Grid 49 selecting 49 Shuffle 49 Slip 49 Spot 49

Edit tools 49

Grabber 49 Pencil 49 Scrubber 49 Selector 49 Smart Tool 49 Trimmer 49 Zoomer 49

Edit window 30 editing 49 editing regions 50

fade files 29

Grabber tool 49 Grid mode 49

Index 67

hard drives

formatting 10, 21 MacDrive utility 13 maintenance 10, 21 requirements 3 space requirements 4

Hardware Buffer Size 14, 24 hardware installation 7 Hardware Setup dialog 16, 26

I/O Setup 18, 27 importing

files with drag and drop 44 MIDI 44

importing audio 43 inserts

plug-ins 55

installing Pro Tools

Macintosh 22 Windows 12

installing QuickTime (Windows) 13 Instrument tracks 36

key commands 6

Link Timeline and Edit Selection option 40

MacDrive utility (Windows) 13 Master Faders 36, 37, 54

creating 55

M-Audio Control Panel 16, 26 memory locations 40

defining 40 recalling 41 using for zoom control 43

MIDI

editing 49 importing 44 requirements 3 setup (Macintosh) 63 setup (Windows) 59

MIDI controls 38, 39

MIDI Input selector 46 MIDI Output selector 47 MIDI Velocity meter 48 Patch Select button 47

MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) (Windows) 59 MIDI tracks 36, 38 mix automation 56 Mix window 30, 52 mixdown 56

and bit resolution 57 and sample rate conversion 57

mixing 52 multi-processor 15, 25 Mute button 52

Pan slider 52 Pencil tool 49 playback 36

MIDI 48

Playback Engine dialog 35 playlists 50

creating 50

plug-ins 55

AudioSuite 55 Click 33 dither 57 inserting on tracks 55 RTAS (Real-Time AudioSuite) 55

power management settings

Macintosh 20 Windows 8

Pro Tools

capabilities 2 configuration (Macintosh) 23 configuration (Windows) 14 demo session 13, 23 installing (Macintosh) 22 installing (Windows) 12 main windows 30 recording MIDI 46

Program Change dialog 62, 66

QuickTime

installing (Windows) 13

Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started68

recording

audio 45 MIDI 46, 48

Region List 39 regions 39

arranging 51 creating 39 editing 50 grouping 52 trimming 50

returns 54 RTAS Processors setting 14, 24 rulers 32

Conductor 32 Tempo 32 Timebase 32

Scrubber tool 49 Selector tool 49 sends 37, 53

assigning 53

sessions 29

creating 29 duplicating 34 navigating 40 saving 29, 34 saving copies of 34

Shuffle mode 49 Slip mode 49 Smart Tool 49 Solo button 52 Spot mode 49 submixing 53 system optimization

Macintosh 19, 20 Windows 7, 8, 9

system requirements 2 system settings 35

Clock Source 16, 26 CPU Usage Limit 15, 25 DAE Playback Buffer Size 15, 25 Hardware Buffer Size 14, 24 I/O Setup 18, 27 RTAS Processors 14, 24

System Usage window 35

tempo 32, 33 Tempo ruler 32 Timebase ruler 32 track height 41 tracks 36

audio 36, 37 Auxiliary Inputs 36, 37, 53 creating 36 Instrument 36 Master Faders 36, 37, 54 MIDI 36, 38 playing back audio 46 playing back MIDI 48 recording audio 45 recording MIDI 46, 48 types 36

Transport window 31, 35, 36 Trimmer tool 49

Volume fader 52

windows 30

Edit window 30 Mix window 30, 52 Transport window 31, 35, 36

Zoom Presets 43 Zoom Toggle 42 Zoomer tool 49 Zooming 41

Index 69

Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools M-Powered - 7.0 Getting Started

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

contents

System Requirements

Pre-Authorized iLok

MIDI Requirements

Hard Drive Requirements

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

Hard Disk Storage Space

Digidesign Registration

About the Pro Tools Guides

Conventions Used in This Guide

About www.digidesign.com

Installation Overview

Windows System Optimization

Required Optimizations

Enabling DMA

Disabling System Standby and Power Management

Disabling ClearType Font Smoothing

Recommended Optimizations

Optional Optimizations

Disabling Network Cards

Adjusting Processor Scheduling

Disabling Hyper-Threading

Disabling System Startup Items

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

Formatting an Audio Drive

Audio Drives and Disk Cleanup

Defragmenting an Audio Drive

Installing Your M-Audio Interface

Installing M-Audio Drivers

Installing QuickTime

Pro Tools Demo Session

MacDrive

Pro Tools System Settings

Hardware Buffer Size

RTAS Processors

CPU Usage Limit

DAE Playback Buffer Size

Pro Tools Hardware Settings and M-Audio Control Panel

Sync Source (Pro Tools Clock Source)

Low Latency Monitoring

MIDI Studio Setup

Installation Overview

Tur ning Off Software Update

Tur ning Off Energy Saver

Disabling the Spotlight Shortcuts

Setting Processor Performance

Disabling Spotlight Indexing

Disabling the Dashboard Shortcut

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

Formatting an Audio Drive

Installing Your M-Audio Interface

Installing M-Audio Drivers

Pro Tools Demo Session

Pro Tools System Settings

Hardware Buffer Size

RTAS Processors

CPU Usage Limit

DAE Playback Buffer Size

Pro Tools Hardware Settings and M-Audio Control Panel

Sync Source (Pro Tools Clock Source)

Low Latency Monitoring

Audio MIDI Setup (AMS)

Session Basics

Starting a Session

Main Windows

Rulers

Setting a Tempo

Timebase Rulers

Conductor Rulers

Using the Click Plug-In

Click Parameters

Using an External MIDI Click

Saving Sessions

System Resources and Settings

Playback Engine Dialog

Transport Controls