Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools M-Powered - 7.3, Pro Tools - 7.3, Pro Tools LE - 7.3 Reference Guide

Pro Tools

Reference Guide

Version 7.3

This guide is copyrighted ©2007 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Digidesign.

96 I/O, 96i I/O, 192 I/O, 888|24 I/O, 882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O, AudioSuite, Avid, AVoption, Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, DigiDelivery, Digidesign, DigiTranslator, DINR, DV Toolkit, M-Audio, Mbox, Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Pro, Mbox 2 Mini, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, RTAS, Smack!, SoundReplacer, and TL Space Native are trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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

PN 9106-55991-00 REV A 1/07

Part I Introduction

Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools

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

Chapter 2. Pro Tools Concepts

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

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DigiBase

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Chapter 3. Keyboard and Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts

Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts Global Key Commands Keyboard Focus Numeric Keypad Modes

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Part II System Configuration

Chapter 4. Pro Tools Systems

Pro Tools|HD Systems Pro Tools LE Systems Pro Tools M-Powered Pro Tools Academic DV Toolkit 2 and Music Production Toolkit

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Contents

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Chapter 5. System Setup

Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System Configuring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback Engine) Configuring Pro Tools Hardware Settings System Usage

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Chapter 6. I/O Setup

The I/O Setup Dialog Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O Creating and Editing Paths I/O Settings Files I/O Setup Options H/W Insert Delay Compensation

Chapter 7. Preferences

Display Preferences Operation Preferences Editing Preferences Mixing Preferences Processing Preferences MIDI Preferences Synchronization Preferences

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Part III Sessions & Tracks

Chapter 8. Sessions

Creating a New Session Session Files and Folders Opening a Session Opening Recent Sessions Saving a Session Creating Custom Session Templates Closing a Session Exiting or Quitting Pro Tools

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Chapter 9. Pro Tools Main Windows

Mix Window Edit Window Transport Window DigiBase Browsers Window Configurations Menus Tool Tips

Pro Tools Reference Guide

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Chapter 10. Tracks

Track Types Track Channel Strips Track Controls and Indicators Adjusting Track Width Creating Tracks The Track List Track Name Right-Click Pop-Up Menus Assigning Inputs and Outputs to Tracks Track Priority and Voice Assignment Setting MIDI Input and Output Soloing and Muting Tracks Making Tracks Inactive Color Coding for Tracks, Regions, Markers and Groups Grouping Tracks Group Controls Working with Groups Setting Group Attributes Enabling Groups Grouped Control Offsets

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Chapter 11. DigiBase

DigiBase Elements Performance and Transfer Volumes Digidesign Databases Browser Windows and Tools Indexing DigiBase Databases The Browser Menu Browser Panes and Display Column Data Waveforms and Auditioning Selecting Items Moving, Copying, Duplicating, and Deleting Items Searching Items Linking and Relinking Files Relink Window Workspace Browser Project Browser DigiBase Pro Catalogs Task Window Workflow Example

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Chapter 12. Importing and Exporting Session Data

Importing Audio Sample Rate Conversion Quality Importing Audio Files and Regions Importing Tracks and Track Attributes

Importing Items with Drag and Drop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Exporting Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Exporting Pro Tools Tracks as AAF or OMFI Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Exporting Sessions as Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Send via DigiDelivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Importing MIDI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Exporting MIDI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Send to Sibelius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Importing and Exporting Region Group Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

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Chapter 13. File and Session Management and Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Audio File Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

WAV File Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Sharing Sessions Created on Different Computer Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Software Versions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Multilingual Application Support for Pro Tools Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Part IV Recording

Chapter 14. Record Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Input Connections and Audio Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Record Enabling Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

Record Monitoring Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Monitor Levels for Record and Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Monitoring Latency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Low Latency Monitoring with Delay Compensation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Default Track Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Disk Allocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Allocating Hard Drive Space for Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Monitoring Drive Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Record Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Recording with a Click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Setting the Default Meter and Tempo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 15. Audio Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

Recording an Audio Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

Record Shortcuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Record Pause Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Recording Additional Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Punch Recording Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Loop Recording Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Auditioning Different Record Takes in the Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Setting Punch/Loop Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

Recording from a Digital Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Half-Speed Recording and Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Chapter 16. MIDI Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Recording from MIDI Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Enabling Input Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

MIDI Thru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

MIDI Input Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Input Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

Wait for Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

MIDI Merge/Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Configuring MIDI or Instrument Tracks for Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Recording MIDI and Instrument Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Punch Recording MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

Loop Recording MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

MIDI Step Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Recording System Exclusive Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Recording Audio from a MIDI Instrument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Chapter 17. Advanced Punch Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

QuickPunch Audio Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

TrackPunch Audio Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

DestructivePunch Audio Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

Contents vii

Part V Editing

Chapter 18. Editing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Pro Tools Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334

Displaying Region Names, Region Times, and Other Data in Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340

Audio Regions and Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

MIDI Regions and MIDI Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Timebase Rulers and Conductor Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

Main Time Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

Tick-Based Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350

Playlists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

Multiple Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

The Region List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

Region Name Right-Click Pop-Up Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Edit Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Edit Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

Using the Zoomer Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

Using the Trim Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374

Using the Selector Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Using the Grabber Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Using the Smart Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

Using the Scrubber Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

Using the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386

The Universe Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386

Chapter 19. Playing and Selecting Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Playing Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Auto-Scrolling Tracks in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

Scrolling Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

Linking or Unlinking Timeline and Edit Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396

Linking or Unlinking Track and Edit Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398

Selecting Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398

Playing Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408

Timeline Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

TCE (Time Compression and Expansion) Edit To Timeline Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

Playing Timeline and Edit Selections with the Playhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412

Dynamic Transport Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

Pro Tools Reference Guideviii

Chapter 20. Working with Regions and Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417

Creating New Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417

Trimming Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

Healing Separated Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

Placing Regions in Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

Sync Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434

Nudging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435

Shift Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

Quantizing Regions to Grid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438

Locking Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438

Muting/Unmuting Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439

Replacing Audio Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439

Audio Regions from Field Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441

Edit Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443

Duplicate Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Repeat Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Editing Stereo and Multichannel Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450

Processing Audio with AudioSuite Plug-ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451

Waveform Repair with the Pencil Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451

Region Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

Region Looping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461

Chapter 21. Fades and Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465

Using Fades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465

Fades Dialog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

Creating Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472

Creating a Crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474

Using AutoFades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475

Creating Fades and Crossfades in Batches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476

Moving and Nudging Fades and Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477

Separating Regions That Include Fades or Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480

Trimming Regions That Include Fades or Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481

Fade Boundaries and Shapes in Displayed Automation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481

Chapter 22. Managing Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483

Stripping Silence from Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483

Inserting Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486

Consolidate Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487

Compacting an Audio File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488

Naming and Displaying Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488

Contents ix

Chapter 23. Conductor Tracks and Memory Locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491

Song Start Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491

Tempo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492

Graphic Tempo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

Changing the Linearity Display Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502

Tempo Operations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503

Identify Beat Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

Meter Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512

Time Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515

Renumbering Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521

Key Signatures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521

Memory Locations and Markers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524

Memory Locations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531

Chapter 24. Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535

Beat Detective Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536

The Beat Detective Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537

Beat Detective Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537

Defining a Beat Detective Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 538

Calculating Tempo with Beat Detective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539

Generating Beat Triggers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540

Generating Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545

DigiGroove Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546

Separating Regions with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548

Conforming Regions with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550

Edit Smoothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552

Detection (Normal) and Collection Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554

Pro Tools Reference Guidex

Part VI MIDI Editing

Chapter 25. MIDI Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559

Mirrored MIDI Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559

The Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560

Custom Note Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561

Setting the Grid Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

Inserting MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

Manually Editing MIDI Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564

Time Compression/Expansion Trim Tool Functionality on MIDI Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 570

Continuous Controller Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571

Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574

System Exclusive Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578

Note and Controller Chasing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 578

Offsetting MIDI Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580

Stuck Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581

Remove Duplicate Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581

Chapter 26. MIDI Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583

MIDI Operations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583

Grid/Groove Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584

Restore Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594

Flatten Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595

Change Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596

Change Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598

Transpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600

Select/Split Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601

Input Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604

Step Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604

MIDI Real-Time Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607

Chapter 27. MIDI Event List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615

The MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615

Inserting Events in the MIDI Event List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618

Editing Events in the MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620

MIDI Event List Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622

Contents xi

Part VII Mixing

Chapter 28. Basic Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625

Mixing Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625

Metering and Calibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625

Track Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626

Inserts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633

Views in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 634

Audio Input and Output Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637

Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639

Output Windows for Tracks and Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645

Signal Routing for Monitoring and Submixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650

Delay Compensation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656

Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660

Using a Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662

Chapter 29. Plug-in and Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663

Inserting Plug-ins on Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 668

Plug-in Menu Organization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669

Moving and Duplicating Plug-in and Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672

The Plug-in Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 672

Using the Librarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675

Editing Plug-in Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681

Instrument Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684

Using Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 684

Connecting and Integrating External Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685

Chapter 30. Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689

Automation QuickStart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 689

Automation Playlists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 690

Automation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 692

Automation Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 696

Viewing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698

Writing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700

Enabling and Suspending Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 708

Deleting Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711

Thinning Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711

Drawing Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712

Editing Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 713

Trimming Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 722

Writing Automation to the Start, End, or All of a Track or Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 724

Writing Automation to the Next Breakpoint or to the Punch Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726

Guidelines for “Write To” Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 729

Overwriting or Extending Mute Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730

Pro Tools Reference Guidexii

Creating Snapshot Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 732

Previewing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735

Capturing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737

VCA Master Track Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 740

Chapter 31. Mixdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 743

Recording to Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 745

Bounce to Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 746

Bounce Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 747

Recording a Submix (with Bounce to Disk). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753

Final Mixdown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754

Mastering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 755

Part VIII Video, Sync, Surround

Chapter 32. Pro Tools Setup for Surround (Pro Tools HD Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759

Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759

Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760

Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763

5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764

Chapter 33. Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing (Pro Tools HD Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 765

Multichannel QuickStart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 765

Multichannel Audio Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 766

Multichannel Signal Routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 769

Paths in Surround Mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 772

Example Paths and Signal Routing for a Surround Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 774

Chapter 34. Surround Panning and Mixing (Pro Tools HD Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 779

Introduction to Pro Tools Surround Panning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 779

Output Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 780

Standard Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 781

Surround Panner Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 782

Panning Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 784

Divergence and Center Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 788

LFE Faders in Multichannel Panners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790

Pan Playlists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790

Surround Scope Plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791

Contents xiii

Chapter 35. Working with Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793

Pro Tools Synchronization Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793

Session Setup Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 795

Preparing to Work with SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799

Configuring Pro Tools for SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799

Pull Up and Pull Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 802

Putting Pro Tools Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805

Generating Time Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 806

Using MIDI Machine Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 807

Setting Minimum Sync Delay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 810

Setting Pro Tools LTC Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 811

Remote Track Arming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 811

MIDI Beat Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 811

Spotting Regions to SMPTE Frame Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 812

Time Stamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 814

Identifying a Synchronization Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816

Troubleshooting Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 817

Chapter 36. Working with Video in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819

About QuickTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820

Before Starting Your Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820

Video Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 821

Video Track Controls and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 822

Locking Video Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 824

Setting the Video Engine Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 825

Importing Video into Pro Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 826

Extracting Audio from QuickTime-Compatible Video. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 829

Video Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 830

General Video Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 831

Renaming Video Disk Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833

Video Region Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833

Using the Video Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 834

Browsing Video in the Video Universe Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 835

Playback of HD QuickTime Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 837

FireWire Playback of QuickTime DV Movies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838

Bouncing the Video Track to a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840

Using Pro Tools LE to Import Video from Other Versions of Pro Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843

Pro Tools Reference Guidexiv

Part I: Introduction

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools

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

The Pro Tools Guides

Pro Tools systems include the following guides:

Getting Started Guide Instructions for installing your Pro Tools system and connecting your studio. For Pro Tools LE™ and M-Powered™, these guides also contain speciﬁc methods for accomplishing common tasks (such as recording in a Pro Tools session, importing audio from a CD, and creating an audio CD from a Pro Tools session).

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

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

Pro Tools Shortcuts Guides Separate electronic PDF guides for Windows and Mac that list keyboard and Right-click shortcuts, including those shown in Pro Tools menus.

DigiRack Plug-ins Guide Electronic PDF guide with instructions for using the DigiRack™ plugins (included with Pro Tools) for both real-time and file-based audio processing in Pro Tools.

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

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

Pro Tools|HD cards or an expansion chassis.

MachineControl™ Guide (Pro Tools|HD Systems Only) Electronic PDF guide for Machine-

Control™ option, includes installation and operation instructions for using the MachineControl option for Pro Tools to enable serial communication with remote audio and video transports.

system with optional Digidesign

Additional Guides

Additional PDF guides (such as a Glossary) are installed with Pro Tools. Refer to your Pro Tool documentation folder.

Digidesign also provides guides with audio interfaces, dedicated worksurfaces (such as D-Control™) and controllers (such as Command|8 and other Digidesign options (such as MIDI I/O™, PRE, and SYNC I/O™). Refer to the separate guide provided with each Digidesign product.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools 3

Conventions Used in These Guides

The Pro Tools guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices, keyboard commands, and mouse commands:

Convention Action

File > Save Choose Save from the

File menu

Control+N Hold down the Control

key and press the N key

Compatibility Information

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

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

Control-click Hold down the Control

key and click the mouse button

Right-click Click with the right

mouse button

The following symbols are used to highlight important information:

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

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

Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or mouse shortcuts.

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

Pro Tools M-Powered and Academic

References to Pro Tools LE™ in this guide are usually interchangeable with Pro Tools M-Powered™ or Pro Tools Academic™, except as noted in the Pro Tools M-Powered and Academic Getting Started Guides.

About www.digidesign.com

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

Registration Register your purchase online. See the Digidesign Registration Information Card included with your system for instructions.

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

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

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

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

Pro Tools Reference Guide4

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts

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

Hard Disk Audio Recording

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

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

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

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

The Digidesign Audio Engine

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

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

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory DAE allocates to manage disk buffers. The DAE Playback Buffer Size can be changed in the Playback Engine dialog.

For information on configuring the DAE Playback Buffer Size, see “DAE Playback Buffer Size” on page 37.

Playback Engine Dialog

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

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 5

Pro Tools LE uses host (CPU) processing to provide audio track recording, playback, mixing, and effects processing. Pro Tools HD also uses host processing to run RTAS

plug-ins for effects processing. Performance is determined by your system and its Playback Engine settings.

Pro Tools Sessions

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

The Playback Engine dialog lets you set a hardware buffer size and allocate a percentage of CPU resources for these tasks.

Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools HD

On Pro Tools|HD systems, you can select the number of voices and voiceable tracks for your system and its sessions. Voice count choices are based on how much DSP processing you want to allocate for voicing.

Session File

A session ﬁle is the document that Pro Tools cre- ates when you choose File > New Session and configure a new session. Pro Tools can open only one session file at a time. The session file is named with a .ptf (Pro Tools file) extension. Session files contain maps of all elements associated with a project, including audio files, MIDI data, and all your edit and mix information. It is important to realize that a Pro Tools session file does not contain any media files (audio or video). Instead, it references audio, video, MIDI, and other files. You can make changes to a session and save those changes in a new session file. This lets you create multiple versions of a session or back up your editing and mixing work.

Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE, and Pro Tools M-Powered have different session file icons.

For more information, see “Configuring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback Engine)” on page 32. See also “System Resources” on page 10.

On Pro Tools|HD systems, the Playback Engine dialog is also where you assign dedicated DSP resources for Delay Compensation.

Pro Tools Reference Guide6

Pro Tools HD

Pro Tools M-Powered Pro Tools Academic

Session ﬁle icons

Pro Tools LE

Although there are different session file icons, the session files may be opened by all three applications (with certain restrictions). See “Opening a Session” on page 85.

When a session is transferred to a different Pro Tools system, its session file icon changes to the icon type of the destination system.

Tracks

Pro Tools tracks are where audio, MIDI, video, and automation data are recorded and edited. Pro Tools tracks also provide audio channels for routing internal busses, and physical inputs and outputs for audio and MIDI.

Pro Tools provides seven types of tracks: audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master, MIDI, Instrument, and video.

Master Fader tracks provide controls for physical audio output channels, including the volume level of your mix, panning, and plug-in inserts.

VCA Master tracks (Pro Tools HD only) provide control of tracks in a Mix Group that has been assigned to the VCA Master.

Video tracks support both QuickTime movies and Avid video, but an individual video track can play back only one of these types of video at a time.

Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master (Pro Tools HD only), and Instrument tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel (Pro Tools HD only). When creating a new track, select from the list of channel formats supported by your system.

Audio File

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

Audio track in the Edit window (stereo track shown)

MIDI track in the Edit window

Audio, MIDI, and Instrument track data 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.

Auxiliary Input tracks can route internal audio busses or physical inputs to internal busses or physical outputs. Auxiliary Inputs are typically used for audio effects busses, audio throughput (monitoring), and submixing.

Audio ﬁle icon

Audio files for each session are stored in a folder named “Audio Files.” Audio files are listed in the Pro Tools Region List and can appear in an audio track. A section of an audio file can be defined as a region. See “Regions” on page 8.

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 7

Regions

Audio region

A region is a segment of audio, MIDI, or video data. A region could be a drum loop, a guitar riff, a verse of a song, a recording take, a sound effect, some dialog, or an entire sound file. Regions are especially useful for arranging audio and MIDI. A region can also have associated automation data. In Pro Tools, regions are created from audio files or MIDI data, and can be arranged in audio and MIDI track playlists. Regions can also be grouped and looped.

Playlist

Playlist selector pop-up menu

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

On audio tracks, an edit playlist tells the hard disk which audio regions to play in what order. For example, you can use the same audio region to access the same piece of audio multiple times at different locations and not use additional disk space. Different versions of the same original au-

dio can be used in different places and have different effects applied. On MIDI and Instrument tracks, edit playlists can store multiple MIDI sequences (or performances) on a track.

A playlist can be made up of a single region or many separate regions. It can be made up of similar elements, such as regions from several different takes of a solo, or dissimilar elements, such as several sound effects.

You can create any number of alternate edit playlists for a track. This lets you assemble different versions of performances or edits on a single track and choose between them from a popup menu on the track.

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

Channel

The term channel is used to describe several related components of a Pro Tools system. The first example of channel refers to a physical input or output of your Pro Tools system. For example, a 96 I/O audio interface provides up to 16 channels of input and output to a Pro Tools|HD system, while an Mbox 2 audio interface provides up to four inputs and two outputs.

The second use of the term channel refers to a channel strip in the Pro Tools Mix window. Each track in a Pro Tools session has a corresponding channel strip in the Mix window.

Audio and MIDI channel strips have similar controls, but those controls have slightly different effects. For example, audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument track channel strip faders con-

Pro Tools Reference Guide8

trol the output gain to the mix bus for that channel, while MIDI channel strip faders send MIDI volume data (MIDI controller 7) to the MIDI instrument.

Signal Routing

Pro Tools provides software-based mixing and signal routing controls, which are located in the Mix window. Some of these controls can also be accessed from the Edit window.

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

Stereo

Inserts

Sends

Outputs to stereo bus path

plug-in

Input from stereo bus path

Output to stereo output path

Channel strip in the Mix window (audio track)

The term MIDI channel also describes a separate aspect of MIDI operation. See “MIDI” on page 12.

Audio tracks

Submixing to an Auxiliary Input

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 9

Auxiliary

Input track

Signal Routing Options

Signal routing options include the following:

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

Auxiliary Input and Master Fader Tracks Auxiliary Inputs can be used as returns, submixers, and bus masters. Master Fader tracks are used as bus and output master level controls. Both Auxiliary Input and Master Fader tracks can have plug-in and hardware inserts.

Instrument Tracks Instrument tracks let you route sound from a physical input or instrument plug-in to outputs, sends and busses, or other inserts.

Sends Sends route audio from tracks to hardware outputs, or to internal busses that are in turn routed to other tracks within Pro Tools. Master Fader and VCA Master tracks do not have sends.

Plug-in and Hardware Inserts Plug-in processing occurs completely within the Pro Tools system. Hardware inserts use audio interface inputs and outputs, for traditional insert routing to and from external effects and other devices.

Paths Paths are any routing option in Pro Tools, including internal or external inputs, outputs, busses, and inserts. Pro Tools lets you name these paths, and these path names appear in the Audio Input and Output Path selectors and other menus. See Chapter 6, “I/O Setup” for more information.

Mixing Formats Sessions can include combinations of mono, stereo, and greater-than-stereo multichannel format tracks, busses, inputs, outputs, and inserts. Greater-than-stereo multichannel formats are supported on Pro Tools|HD systems only.

System Resources

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

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

◆ Pro Tools lets you adjust the performance of

your system by changing system settings that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and recording. See “Conﬁguring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback Engine)” on page 32.

◆ In order to free up needed DSP resources,

Pro Tools allows for certain items (such as tracks and inserts) to be manually made inactive. Inactive elements are viewable, editable, and retained within the session. See “Active and Inactive Items” on page 11.

◆ All Pro Tools systems provide ﬂexible voice

options for audio tracks, to help maximize use of available voices in your system. For more information on voice management and options, see “Voice Borrowing” on page 139.

Pro Tools Reference Guide10

Active and Inactive Items

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

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

• Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master, and Instrument tracks

• Track Inputs and Outputs

• Sends

• Side-chain inputs

• Plug-ins

• Hardware inserts

• Paths (session-wide)

MIDI tracks cannot be made inactive.

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

Tracks When a track is made inactive, its voices become available for another track. Mono inactive tracks free up one voice; stereo and multichannel tracks free up one voice per channel. Additionally, when an audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, or Master Fader track is made inactive, its plug-ins, inserts, sends, and I/O assignments become inactive, and the associated DSP used is freed up for use elsewhere in the session.

Display of Inactive Items

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

Active Inactive plug-in

When active, items are fully engaged and operational.

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

Plug-ins When a plug-in is inactive on a track, its DSP is made available for other plug-ins and processing. Plug-in assignments can be made inactive manually, or automatically (see “Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on page 12).

Paths and Path Assignments When a path or path assignment is inactive, its mixer resources are made available for other signal routing purposes in the session. Paths and assignments can be made inactive manually, or automatically (see “Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on page 12).

Inactive track

Active and inactive items and tracks

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 11

Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode

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

You can apply Active or Inactive modes to all or all selected tracks using standard Pro Tools modifiers (Alt and Alt+Shift in Windows, Option and Option+Shift on the Mac).

Side-chain inputs support direct active and inactive switching, but do not follow switching all or all selected side-chain inputs.

Automatically Inactive Items

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

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

Manual Inactive Switching

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

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

MIDI

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

MIDI devices are equipped with 5-pin DIN connectors, labeled as either IN, OUT, or THRU. The MIDI OUT port transmits messages. The MIDI IN port receives messages. The MIDI THRU outputs whatever is received from the IN port. MIDI devices are connected with MIDI cables that are available at most music stores.

passes input

To toggle an item active or inactive:

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

Control-click (Mac) the item.

Pro Tools Reference Guide12

MIDI signal ﬂow

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

The MIDI protocol provides 16 channels of MIDI per port. A single MIDI cable can transmit a separate set of messages for each of the 16 channels. These 16 channels can correspond to separate MIDI devices or to multiple channels within a single device (if the device is multi- timbral). Each channel can control a different instrument sound. For example, bass on channel 1, piano on channel 2, and drums on channel 10. Similar to a multitrack tape recorder, a MIDI sequencer can record complex arrangements—even using only a single multitimbral keyboard.

MIDI Terms

The following are some basic MIDI terms:

MIDI Instrument A hardware MIDI device or software instrument (such as an instrument plugin).

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

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

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

MIDI Control Surface Any device (such as the Digidesign Command|8), which uses a MIDI connection to send control messages to a software program, but is not generally used to record MIDI information.

MIDI Tone Generator (MIDI Sound Source) Any MIDI device capable of playing back MIDI-triggered sound. Sound sources receive MIDI from their MIDI IN ports and output audio from their audio outputs.

Multitimbral The ability of one MIDI device to play several different instrument sounds (such as piano, bass, and drums) simultaneously on separate MIDI channels. This makes it possible for a single multi-timbral MIDI instrument to play back entire arrangements.

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

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

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

Local Control A controller setting found on most MIDI keyboards that lets them play their own sound source. Disabling “local control” ensures that a device’s internal sound source is only played by external MIDI messages (such as those sent from Pro Tools when MIDI in Pro Tools is routed to the MIDI keyboard). When using Pro Tools, “local control” should usually be disabled. When “local control” is off, your keyboard still transmits data to its MIDI OUT port.

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

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts 13

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

Common MIDI Misconceptions

MIDI is not audio, and by itself makes no sound. MIDI is control information only. It is like the piano roll for a player piano; it provides control information for what note to play when, for how long, and at what volume. For example, when you strike a key on a MIDI keyboard, it sends a message to a MIDI instrument or tone generator to play that particular note at that particular velocity. This could be its internal tone generator, an external MIDI instrument, or an instrument plug-in, which can be contained completely within Pro Tools. In order to create or play a MIDI recording, you must have a MIDI instrument. Audio from your instrument can be sent to an external mixer or monitored through your Pro Tools audio interface.

Just as each Pro Tools system has unique hardware features, each MIDI device has its own features (and limitations) as to the number of voices and instruments it can play at one time. Consult the device’s documentation for information on its capabilities.

Virtual MIDI Nodes

When using MIDI with instrument plug-ins in Pro Tools, virtual MIDI nodes are created. These nodes act like MIDI ports and provide software MIDI connections between Pro Tools and other MIDI software, such as instrument plug-ins. For example, when you insert Propellerhead’s Reason as a ReWire client on a track, its various MIDI inputs to Reason become available to Pro Tools MIDI and Instrument track MIDI outputs.

DigiBase

If you are using an external MIDI instrument, it must be connected to MIDI ports that are recognized by your computer. These ports can be on a Pro Tools interface that has MIDI ports (such as an Mbox 2) or some other MIDI interface (such as a Digidesign MIDI I/O).

Signal paths for external MIDI instruments

To actually hear an external MIDI instrument, you need to connect its audio outputs to a mixing console or connect it to one of the audio inputs of your Pro Tools audio interface.

Pro Tools Reference Guide14

DigiBase is a database management tool for Pro Tools. DigiBase expands upon basic Pro Tools search and import capabilities by providing powerful tools to manage your data both inside and outside of your sessions, on any hard drive connected to the system.

A database is a way of organizing data such that it can easily be searched, sorted, managed, and utilized. Your checkbook is an example of a database file. For every check you write, you enter a new record. That record contains information about the check, such as when you wrote it, to whom you wrote it, and for what amount. This information is written in specific columns, or fields. Everything you need to know (the check’s metadata) is there, even though the check itself is not.

Chapter 3: Keyboard and Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts

This chapter provides an overview of Pro Tools keyboard and mouse shortcuts.

Global Key Commands

A PDF listing of all shortcuts is available in Pro Tools. Choose Help > Keyboard Shortcuts.

Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts

Pro Tools provides Right-click shortcuts for choosing various Pro Tools commands and menus with any Right-click capable mouse.

For a complete list of Right-click shortcuts, refer to the PDF versions of the

Shortcuts Guides

Keyboard

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

Track Functions

Pro Tools provides keyboard shortcuts for the following track functions:

• Changing Automation mode

• Enabling playlists

• Adding plug-ins

• Record enabling, soloing, and muting tracks

• Record saﬁng and solo saﬁng tracks

• Assigning inputs, outputs, and sends

• Toggling volume/peak/delay display

• Clearing meters

• Changing track heights

Command Windows Mac

Apply action to all channel strips/tracks

Apply action to selected channel strips/tracks

Alt+ action

Alt+ Shift+ action

Option+ action

Option+ Shift+ action

Chapter 3: Keyboard and Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts 15

List and Parameter Selection

There are three types of Keyboard Focus:

Pro Tools provides keyboard shortcuts for the following items:

• Selection of tracks in Track List

• Enabling of groups in Group List

• Automation Enable window parameters

• Setting Memory Location parameters

Command Windows Mac

Toggle item and set all others to same new state

Toggle item and set all others to opposite state

Alt-click item Option-click

item

Control-click item

Commandclick item

Controls and Editing Tools

Pro Tools provides keyboard shortcuts for moving plug-in controls, faders and sliders, the Scrubber, and automation data.

Command Windows Mac

Fine adjustment of sliders, knobs, and breakpoints

Hold Control while clicking the item

Hold Command while clicking the item

Commands Keyboard Focus When selected, this provides a wide range of single key shortcuts from the QWERTY keyboard for editing and playing.

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

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

Group List Keyboard Focus When selected, Mix and Edit Groups can be enabled or disabled by typing the Group ID letter (in either the Mix or Edit window).

Commands Keyboard Focus

(in the Edit Window bar)

Group List

Keyboard Focus

Region List

Keyboard Focus

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

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

Pro Tools Reference Guide16

Keyboard Focus buttons

To set the Keyboard Focus, do one of the following:

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

enable.

– or –

■ While pressing Control+Alt (Windows) or

Command+Option (Mac), press one of the following keys: 1 (Commands), 2 (Region List), or 3 (Group List).

Although multiple plug-in windows can have a keyboard focus enabled, only the front-most window receives any keyboard input.

Shuttle Lock Modes

With either Shuttle Lock mode (Classic or Transport) you can use the numeric keypad to shuttle forward or backwards at speciﬁc speeds.

• 5 is normal speed.

• 6–9 provide increasingly faster fast-forward speeds.

• 1–4 provide progressively faster rewind speeds (4 is the slowest rewind Shuttle Lock speed, 1 is the fastest).

• Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the number to resume Shuttle Lock speed.

• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle Lock mode.

Numeric Keypad Modes

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

There are two Shuttle Lock modes (Classic and Transport), and one Shuttle mode.

No matter which Numeric Keypad mode is selected, you can always use the numeric keypad to select and enter values in the Event Edit Area, Edit Selection indicators, Main and Sub Counters, and Transport fields.

To set the Numeric Keypad Mode:

1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Op-

eration tab.

2 In the Transport section, select a Numeric Key-

pad mode (Classic, Transport, or Shuttle).

3 Click OK.

For more information on each mode, see “Numeric Keypad Mode” on page 67.

Custom Shuttle Lock Speed

(Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 Only)

The highest fast-forward Shuttle Lock speed (key 9) can be customized.

For information, see “Custom Shuttle Lock Speed” on page 385.

Classic Mode

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

• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock mode. Press the Start key (Windows) or Control (Mac), followed by 1–9 for different play speeds.

• Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.

• Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the number to resume Shuttle Lock speed.

• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle Lock mode.

• Recall Memory Locations by typing the Memory Location, followed by a Period (.).

Chapter 3: Keyboard and Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts 17

Transport Mode

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

Function Key

Click on/off 7

Countoff on/off 8

MIDI Merge/Replace mode 9

Loop Playback mode on/off 4

Loop Record mode on/off 5

QuickPunch mode on/off 6

Rewind 1

Fast Forward 2

Record enable 3

Play/Stop 0

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

• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock mode. Press the Start key (Windows) or Control (Mac), followed by 1–9 for different play speeds.

• Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.

• Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the number to resume Shuttle Lock speed.

• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle Lock mode.

• Recall Memory Locations by typing Period (.), the Memory Location number, and Period (.) again.

Shuttle Mode

(Pro Tools HD Only)

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

Playback Speeds Key

1x Forward 6

1x Rewind 4

4x Forward 9

4x Rewind 7

1/4x Forward 3

1/4x Rewind 1

1/2x Forward 5+6

1/2x Rewind 5+4

2x Forward 8+9

2x Rewind 8+7

1/16x Forward 2+3

1/16x Rewind 2+1

Loop Selection (1x) 0

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

• Recall Memory Locations by typing Period (.), the Memory Location number, and Period (.) again.

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

Pro Tools Reference Guide18

Part II: System Configuration

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems

There are four types of Pro Tools systems:

Pro Tools|HD These systems include Pro Tools HD tem hardware.

Pro Tools LE These systems include Pro Tools LE software for Digi 002 2, Mbox 2 Pro, Mbox 2 Mini, or Mbox hardware.

Pro Tools M-Powered These systems include Pro Tools M-Powered software for Digidesignqualified M-Audio

Pro Tools Academic These systems include Pro Tools Academic software for Mbox 2 and for Digidesign-qualified M-Audio

software for Pro Tools|HD sys-

, Digi 002 Rack™, Mbox®

interfaces.

References to Pro Tools LE in this guide are usually interchangeable with Pro Tools MPowered or Pro Tools Academic, except as noted in the Pro Tools M-Powered and Academic Getting Started Guides.

Pro Tools|HD Systems

Pro Tools|HD systems are available in the conﬁgurations shown on page 22. Each system requires at least one Digidesign audio interface (sold separately). Pro Tools|HD systems can be expanded by adding Pro Tools|HD system cards to increase track count, add to the amount of possible plug-in and mixer processing, and connect additional audio interfaces.

Pro Tools system performance depends on factors such as computer processor speed, amount of system memory, and hard drive performance. Contact your Digidesign dealer or visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com) for the latest system requirements and compatibility information.

Optional Systems

Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 Pro Tools LE systems that have been upgraded with the DV Toolkit

Pro Tools LE or M-Powered with Music Production Toolkit Pro Tools LE or M-Powered systems that

have been upgraded with the Music Production Toolkit software option.

™

2 software option.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 21

Pro Tools|HD Systems

Expanded Pro Tools|HD Systems

Pro Tools|HD 1

Includes:

• HD Core card

• Pro Tools HD software

Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel

Includes:

• HD Core card

• HD Accel card

• Pro Tools HD software

Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel

Includes:

• HD Core card

• Two HD Accel cards

• Pro Tools HD software

Pro Tools|HD 2

Includes:

• HD Core card

• HD Process card

• Pro Tools HD software

Pro Tools|HD 3

Any Pro Tools|HD system can be expanded by adding additional HD Process or HD Accel cards. For more information, see the Expanded Systems

Guide.

HD Accel and HD Process cards can be used in the same system. For more information, refer to the Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide.

Supported Audio Interfaces

(Pro Tools|HD Systems Only)

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

• 192 I/O™

• 192 Digital I/O™

• 96 I/O™

• 96i I/O™

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

The following “Legacy” Digidesign audio interfaces are supported with Pro Tools|HD systems:

• 888|24 I/O™ and 882|20 I/O™

• 1622 I/O™

• 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O™

Includes:

• HD Core card

• Two HD Process cards

• Pro Tools HD software

Pro Tools Reference Guide22

“Legacy” I/Os (such as 888|24 I/O) require the use of at least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O.

Pro Tools|HD System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits

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

Table 5. Pro Tools|HD system audio playback, recording and voice limits

Playback

Sample

Core System Type

Pro Tools|HD 1 44.1/48 96 96 112

Pro Tools|HD Accel 2, Pro Tools|HD Accel 3

Pro Tools|HD 2, Pro Tools|HD 3, or any expanded Pro Tools|HD system

Rate (kHz)

88.2/96 48 48 48

176.4/192 12 12 12

44.1/48 192 192 224

88.2/96 96 96 120

176.4/192 36 36 36

44.1/48 128 128 224

88.2/96 64 64 80

176.4/192 24 24 24

Voices (Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Playback)

Recording Voices (Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Recording)

Total Voiceable Tracks

Pro Tools|HD systems provide up to 160 Auxiliary Input tracks and a total of 128 internal mix busses. These systems also provide up to 5 inserts and 10 sends per track (depending on the DSP capacity of your system). Pro Tools|HD systems also support up to 128 Instrument tracks, 256 MIDI tracks, 128 VCA tracks, and multiple video tracks.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 23

Audio Interfaces for Pro Tools|HD Systems

Table 6 lists the input and output capabilities of the various audio interfaces for Pro Tools|HD systems.

Table 6. Pro Tools|HD system audio interface channel capabilities

Interface Type

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

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

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

96i I/O 16 in/2 out 44.1, 48, 88.2, 9624-bit 24-bit 24-bit

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

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

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

24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O

Number of I/O Channels

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

Sample Rates (kHz)

96, 176.4, 192

A/D Conversion

24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

None None 24-bit

D/A Conversion

20-bit, on older I/O)

Digital I/O

24-bit

You can expand your Pro Tools|HD system by adding Pro Tools|HD cards to your computer, either directly in the computer or using an expansion chassis. Expanding your Pro Tools system will provide an increased track count, add to the amount of possible plug-in and mixer processing, and let you connect additional audio interfaces. For more information, see the Expanded Systems Guide.

“Legacy” I/Os (such as 888|24 I/O) require the use of at least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O.

Pro Tools Reference Guide24

Pro Tools LE Systems

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

Digi 002

A Digi 002 system includes:

• Pro Tools LE software

• Digi 002 audio and MIDI interface, with control surface

Digi 002 Rack

A Digi 002 Rack system includes:

• Pro Tools LE software

• Digi 002 audio and MIDI interface

Mbox 2 Pro

An Mbox 2 system includes:

• Pro Tools LE software

• Mbox 2 Pro audio and MIDI interface

Mbox

An Mbox system includes:

• Pro Tools LE software

• Mbox audio interface

Processing Capacity

The total processing capacity of a Pro Tools LE system depends on the processing power of your computer. Contact your Digidesign dealer or visit Digidesign’s website (www.digidesign.com) for the latest system requirements and compatibility information.

Mbox 2

An Mbox 2 system includes:

• Pro Tools LE software

• Mbox 2 audio and MIDI interface

Mbox 2 Mini

An Mbox 2 system includes:

• Pro Tools LE software

• Mbox 2 Mini audio interface

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 25

Pro Tools LE System Capabilities

Table 7 lists the playback, recording, and input and output capabilities of each Pro Tools LE system. Mono tracks of simultaneous playback refers to the number of unique simultaneous playback and record tracks on your system. Total voiceable tracks refers to the maximum number of audio tracks that can share the available voices on your system. (Mono tracks take up a single audio track, while stereo tracks take up two tracks.) If you open a Pro Tools session created on a Pro Tools|HD system containing more than the number of tracks supported on the LE-based system, audio tracks beyond the LE system’s voiceable track limit will be automatically set to inactive.

Table 7. Pro Tools LE system audio playback, recording, and channel capabilities

System Type

Digi 002 or Digi 002 Rack

Mbox 2 Pro

Mbox 2 or Mbox

Mbox 2 Mini

Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Playback

32 128 up to 18 in/18 out

32 128 up to 6 in/8 out

32 128 up to 2 in/2 out 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

32 128 up to 2 in/2 out 24-bit 24-bit N/A

Total Voiceable Tracks

Number of I/O Channels

(48 kHz or lower)

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

(48 kHz or lower)

up to 4 in/6 out (88.2 or 96 kHz)

A/D Conversion

24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

D/A Conversion

Digital I/O

Pro Tools LE systems provide up to 128 Auxiliary Input tracks, a total of 32 internal mix busses, and up to 5 inserts and 10 sends per track (depending on your computer’s processing capacity). In addition, Pro Tools LE systems support up to 32 Instrument tracks and 256 MIDI tracks. Pro Tools LE also supports a single QuickTime video track.

For details on transferring session material between Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools LE systems, see “Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Systems” on page 248.

Pro Tools Reference Guide26

Pro Tools M-Powered

A Pro Tools M-Powered system includes:

• Pro Tools M-Powered software

• Digidesign-qualiﬁed M-Audio interface (not supplied with M-Powered software)

References to Pro Tools LE in this guide are usually interchangeable with Pro Tools M-Powered, except as noted in the Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started Guide.

DV Toolkit 2 and Music Production Toolkit

In addition to all the regular capabilities provided with Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Tools LE systems equipped with DV Toolkit 2 and Pro Tools LE and M-Powered systems equipped with Music Production Toolkit provide expanded capabilities.

Support for 48 Mono or Stereo Tracks

For the most current list of Digidesign-qualified M-Audio interfaces, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com)

Pro Tools Academic

A Pro Tools Academic system includes:

• Pro Tools Academic software

• One of the following:

• Mbox 2 audio and MIDI interface

– or –

• Digidesign-qualiﬁed M-Audio interface

References to Pro Tools LE in this guide are usually interchangeable with Pro Tools Academic, except as noted in the Pro Tools Academic Getting Started Guide.

For the most current list of Digidesign-qualified M-Audio interfaces, see the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com)

Pro Tools LE systems with the DV Toolkit 2 option and Pro Tools LE or M-Powered systems

with the Music Production Toolkit option let you play or record up to 48 simultaneous stereo or mono tracks. These higher track counts may require additional drives and faster Digidesignqualified computers.

Visit the Digidesign website for more information (www.digidesign.com).

For more information on track priority and voice assignment, see “Voice Assignment with Toolkit Options” on page 138.

Support for Up to 24 QuickPunch Tracks

With DV Toolkit 2 or Music Production Toolkit, up to 24 mono or stereo audio tracks can be simultaneously recorded with QuickPunch.

The combination of audio tracks and QuickPunch tracks cannot be greater than

48.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 27

DV Toolkit 2 Capabilitites

(Pro Tools LE Only)

Pro Tools LE Features

DV Toolkit 2 enables the following features for working with audio, film, video, or digital video in Pro Tools LE:

• Session and track features:

• Up to 48 audio tracks of simultaneous playback or recording, mono or stereo

• Multiple video tracks, with multiple video playlists and multiple QuickTime movies per track.

• Ability to use QuickPunch on up to 24 tracks

• Import Session Data options (Destination Track Names, Time Code Mapping, Find Matching Tracks, Session Data to Import, Track Playlist)

• MP3 export option (for bounce recording or exporting a region as an MP3 ﬁle)

• DigiBase Pro (including support for Catalog browsers and the ability to search on multiple criteria simultaneously in DigiBase browsers)

• Editing features:

• Universe window

• Continuous Scroll

• Scrub Trim tool

• Replace Region command

• TCE Edit to Timeline Selection command

• Selection of alternate ﬁeld recorder audio channels in the Pro Tools timeline

• Expanding alternate ﬁeld recorder audio channels to new tracks

• Mixing and Automation features

• Snapshot automation for writing or trimming automation data

• Glide Automation commands

• Time code and synchronization features:

• Timebase rulers (Time Code and Feet+Frames)

• Time Code Rate selector

• Feet+Frame Rate selector

• Current Time Code Position command

• Current Feet+Frames Position command

• Use Subframes option

• Audio Rate Pull Up and Pull Down

• Video Rate Pull Up and Pull Down

Additional Software

DV Toolkit 2 includes the following additional software for working with audio or digital video in Pro Tools LE:

DINR™ (Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction™) LE Plug-in For reducing noise in audio.

DigiTranslator

audio and video files, and sequences with other AAF and OMFI-compatible applications.

TL Space Native Plug-in For applying convolution reverb to your

audio.

VocALign Project Plug-in from Synchro Arts Software For automatically adjusting the timing of

one audio signal to match another.

™

Software Option For exchanging

™

Convolution Reverb

Pro Tools Reference Guide28

Music Production Toolkit Overview

(Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered Only)

Pro Tools Features

Music Production Toolkit enables the following features in Pro Tools LE and M-Powered:

• Session and track features:

• Up to 48 audio tracks of simultaneous playback or recording, mono or stereo

• Ability to use QuickPunch on up to 24 tracks

• MP3 export option (for bounce recording or exporting a region as an MP3 ﬁle)

• Beat Detective features:

• Ability to apply Beat Detective across multiple tracks

• Collection Mode

Additional Software

Music Production Toolkit includes the following additional software for working with Pro Tools LE and M-Powered:

™

DINR

(Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction™)

LE Plug-in For reducing noise in audio.

Hybrid RTAS Synthesizer Plug-in For use as a vir-

tual instrument in your Pro Tools sessions.

™

Smack!

compression to your audio.

SoundReplacer™ Plug-in For replacing one sound in a track with another (such as replacing only the snares in your drum track with a different one-hit sample)

TL Space Native Plug-in For applying convolution reverb to your

audio.

LE Compressor Plug-in For applying

™

Convolution Reverb

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems 29

Pro Tools Reference Guide30

Chapter 5: System Setup

7 Launch Pro Tools or any third-party audio or

Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System

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

Start up your Pro Tools system in this order:

1 For Pro Tools|HD systems with an expansion

chassis, turn on the chassis.

2 Turn on any external hard drives. Wait ap-

proximately ten seconds for them to spin up to speed.

3 Turn on any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or

synchronization peripherals.

4 Lower the volume of all output devices in

your system.

5 Do one of the following, depending on your

Pro Tools system:

• For Pro Tools|HD systems, turn on your Pro Tools audio interfaces. Wait at least ﬁfteen seconds for your system hardware to initialize.

• For Pro Tools LE, M-Powered, and Academic systems that use hardware requiring external power (such as the Digi 002), turn on the hardware.

MIDI applications.

Shut down your Pro Tools system in this order:

1 Quit Pro Tools and any other running applica-

tions.

To quit Pro Tools, choose File > Exit (Windows) or Pro Tools > Quit (Mac).

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

vices in your system.

3 Turn off your computer.

4 Do one of the following depending on your

Pro Tools system:

• For Pro Tools|HD systems, turn off your Pro Tools audio interfaces.

• For Pro Tools LE, M-Powered, and Academic systems that use hardware requiring external power (such as the Digi 002), turn off the hardware.

5 For Pro Tools|HD systems with an expansion

chassis, turn off the chassis.

6 Turn off any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or

synchronization peripherals.

7 Turn off any external hard drives.

6 Turn on your computer.

Chapter 5: System Setup 31

Conﬁguring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback Engine)

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

These system settings are available in the Playback Engine Dialog (Setup > Playback Engine).

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 hardware cache used to handle host-based tasks such as Real-Time AudioSuite (RTAS) plug-in processing.

◆ Lower Hardware Buffer Size settings reduce

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

◆ Higher Hardware Buffer Size settings allow for

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

In addition to causing slower screen response and monitoring latency, higher Hardware Buffer Size settings can affect the accuracy of plug-in automation, mute data, and timing for MIDI tracks.

To change the Hardware Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

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 (real-time plug-ins) 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 plug-ins. 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 handled by the system. For example:

• For sessions with large numbers of RTAS plugins, you can allocate 2 or more processors to RTAS processing and set a high CPU Usage Limit.

• For sessions with few RTAS plug-ins, you can allocate fewer processors to RTAS and set a low CPU Usage Limit to leave more CPU resources available for automation accuracy, screen response, and video.

• Increase these settings to accommodate TDM to RTAS plug-in conversion. Conversely, decrease these settings if you are only using TDM plug-ins or are converting RTAS plug-ins to TDM. TDM/RTAS conversion can be desirable during recording, depending on latency, voicing needs, and record-monitoring capabilities of the speciﬁc TDM and RTAS plug-ins.

• Depending on the importance of video and overall screen response, and on the density of automation being employed, try different combinations of RTAS Processing and CPU Usage Limit settings to achieve the best results. For example, to improve screen response in a medium-sized session using a moderate number of RTAS plug-ins, try reducing the number of RTAS plug-ins, but keep the CPU Usage Limit set to the maximum (99%) on a single processor system.

Pro Tools Reference Guide32

To set the number of RTAS Processors:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog

2 From the RTAS Processing pop-up menu, se-

lect the number of available processors you want to allocate. The number of processors available varies depending on how many processors are available on your computer:

• Choose 1 Processor to limit RTAS processing to one CPU in the system.

• Choose 2 Processors to enable load balancing across two available processors.

• On systems running four or more processors, choose the desired number of RTAS processors as needed.

3 Click OK.

System Usage Window and RTAS Processing

The System Usage window displays the combined amount of RTAS processing occurring on all enabled processors with a single indicator, regardless of how many processors are available in the system. If the System Usage Window shows

that you are at the limit of available resources, increase the number of RTAS processors and adjust the CPU Usage Limit setting. (For more information, see “System Usage” on page 42.)

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.

◆ Higher CPU Usage Limit settings allocate

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

The maximum CPU Usage Limit is 85 percent for single-processor computers (except for Digi 002, which has a limit of 99 percent), and 99 percent for multiprocessor computers (which dedicate one entire processor to Pro Tools).

On multiprocessor computers, the maximum CPU Usage Limit is reduced when you use all your processors (as selected in the RTAS Processing pop-up menu). For example, on dual-processors, the limit will be 90%. On four-processor computers, the limit will be 95%.

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

Chapter 5: System Setup 33

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.

RTAS Engine Options

Pro Tools provides two RTAS Engine options in the Playback Engine dialog for suppressing RTAS error reporting during playback and recording. This is especially useful when working with instrument plug-ins.

You should only enable RTAS error suppression if you are experiencing frequent RTAS errors that are interrupting your creative workflow. When RTAS error suppression is enabled, you can experience a degradation of audio quality. However, this may be acceptable in order to avoid interrupting playback and recording when working with instrument plug-ins. Be sure to disable RTAS error suppression when you need to ensure the highest possible audio quality, such as for a final mix.

Enabling RTAS Error Suppression

To enable RTAS error suppression:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog, Mbox 2

2 Select Ignore Errors During Playback/Record.

3 If available, you can also select Minimize Ad-

ditional I/O Latency.

4 Click OK.

Pro Tools Reference Guide34

RTAS Error Suppression Options

Ignore Errors During Playback/Record When enabled, Pro Tools continues to play and record even if the RTAS processing requirements exceed the selected CPU Usage Limit. This can result in pops and clicks in the audio, but does not stop the transport.

Minimize Additional I/O Latency When enabled, any additional latency due to suppressing RTAS errors during playback and record is minimized to 128 samples. Suppressing RTAS errors requires at least 128 samples of additional buffering on some systems. If this option is disabled, the buffer is half the H/W Buffer Size, or at least 128 samples (whichever is greater). If you are on an older, slower computer, you may want to disable this option to avoid adverse performance.

This option is only available if the Ignore Errors During Playback/Record option is enabled and the Pro Tools system you are using requires additional buffering for RTAS error suppression, as follows:

• Windows XP:

• Mbox 2 Pro

• Digidesign-qualiﬁed M-Audio interfaces with Pro Tools M-Powered or Academic

• Mac OS X:

• Mbox

• Mbox 2

• Mbox 2 Mini

• Mbox 2 Pro

• Digi 002 and 002 Rack

• All Pro Tools M-Powered systems

• All Pro Tools Academic systems

Number of Voices

(Pro Tools HD Only)

On Pro Tools|HD systems, the Number of Voices setting lets you control the number of available voices and how those voices are allocated to DSPs in your system. For example, the default number of voices on a Pro Tools|HD 1 system is 48 voices, using one DSP (at sample rates of

44.1 kHz or 48 kHz).

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

Depending on the session sample rate and the number of Pro Tools|HD cards in your system, there are different choices for voice count. For voice limits on different Pro Tools|HD systems, see “Pro Tools|HD System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits” on page 23.

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

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog, Ignore Errors During Playback/Record option enabled

Chapter 5: System Setup 35

2 Select the number of voices and DSPs to allo-

cate for voicing by selecting a value from the Number of Voices pop-up menu as follows:

• Select higher voice numbers when your Pro Tools|HD cards are the only PCI cards in your computer, or when you are using an expansion chassis to run higher track counts.

• Select medium voice numbers when your Pro Tools|HD cards are in an expansion chassis, or when you are using other PCI cards along with Pro Tools|HD cards.

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

3 Click OK.

Default Sample Rate

The Sample Rate setting appears as the default sample rate when you create a new session.

With Pro Tools HD, the Sample Rate setting can affect the number of available voices.

To change the default Sample Rate:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate

pop-up menu.

This setting is available only when there is no session open. Otherwise, the current session sample rate is displayed, but cannot be changed.

3 Click OK.

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

See “Creating a New Session” on

page 83.)

Delay Compensation Engine

(Pro Tools HD Only)

The Delay Compensation Engine lets you manage DSP delays in the Pro Tools mixer.

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

None Allocates no DSP resources for Delay Compensation.

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

Long Allocates maximum DSP resources for Delay Compensation for each channel. Long Delay Compensation uses the SRAM contained on DSPs needed by DSP-intensive plug-ins.

Pro Tools Reference Guide36

To conﬁgure the Delay Compensation Engine:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the Delay Compensation Engine pop-up

menu, select a Delay compensation setting.

3 Click OK.

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

For more information, see “Delay Compensation” on page 656.

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 running on slower or heavily fragmented hard drives.

◆ DAE Playback Buffer Size settings higher than

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

To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog

2 From the DAE Playback Buffer pop-up menu,

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

3 Click OK.

4 If Pro Tools needs more system memory for

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

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.

Chapter 5: System Setup 37

System Memory Allocation

(Pro Tools HD Only)

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

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

Conﬁguring Pro Tools Hardware Settings

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

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

To minimize system memory allocation:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 Select the “Minimize System Memory Alloca-

tion” option.

3 Click OK.

4 Do one of the following:

• On Windows systems, restart your computer.

– or –

• On Mac systems, if prompted, enter your password, then restart your computer.

To configure another Pro Tools system, refer to the with your system.

Getting Started Guide that came

Conﬁguring Pro Tools|HD Hardware

On Pro Tools|HD systems, you configure Hardware settings for each audio interface connected to your system. For example, Pro Tools|HD systems can have 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O audio interfaces connected to HD Core and HD Accel or HD Process cards in the system. The 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, and 96 I/O can have additional interfaces attached (including older Digidesign audio interfaces— Legacy I/Os—such as the 888|24 I/O, 882|20 I/O or 1622 I/O). For more information, see Chapter 4, “Pro Tools Systems.”

Pro Tools Reference Guide38

Conﬁguring Hardware Setup

The Main page of the Hardware Setup dialog is where you define which physical inputs and outputs on your audio interface are routed to available inputs and outputs in Pro Tools.

Hardware Setup dialog for 96 I/O (Main page)

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

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

To conﬁgure audio interfaces on a Pro Tools|HD system:

1 Choose Setup > Hardware.

2 From the Peripherals list, select the Digidesign

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

4 From the Clock Source pop-up menu, select

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

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

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

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

terface enclosure is active under Digital Format. Choices include: AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and Optical (S/PDIF). Selecting Optical (S/PDIF) resets the Optical I/O port (which is, by default, eight channels of ADAT I/O) to two channels of S/PDIF Optical I/O.

7 For S/PDIF compatibility with Tascam DA-30

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

8 For the 96 I/O and 96i I/O, click the Meters

pop-up menu and select whether to meter the input or output signal.

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

lect the physical ports (such as Analog 1–2 or Optical 1–2), that will be routed to the corresponding Pro Tools input and output channels (such as Ch 1–2 or Ch 3–4), listed on the left side of the Main page.

3 Click the Main tab.

Inputs and outputs of similar format are differentiated in the input and output channel popup menus. For example, the AES/EBU inputs and outputs in the 192 I/O enclosure are listed as AES/EBU [Encl], while the AES/EBU inputs and outputs on the factory-installed Digital I/O card are listed (in pairs) as AES/EBU 1–2, AES/EBU 3–4, AES/EBU 5–6, and AES/EBU 7–8.

Chapter 5: System Setup 39

For 192 I/Os equipped with the optional Digital I/O Card, the additional AES/EBU I/O ports on the optional card are listed as AES/EBU 9–10, AES/EBU 11–12, AES/EBU 13–14, and AES/EBU 15–16.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

13 Click OK.

Initializing MIX-Series Legacy Peripherals (on a Pro Tools|HD System)

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

To initialize a Legacy I/O on a Pro Tools|HD system:

1 Start up your Pro Tools system. See “Starting

Up or Shutting Down Your System” on page 31.

2 Make sure to lower the volume of your output

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

3 Turn on your Legacy I/O.

4 From the Peripherals list, choose the primary

audio interface (the Pro Tools|HD interface to which your Legacy I/O is connected).

5 In the Main page of the Hardware Setup dia-

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

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

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

7 From the Interface pop-up menu, select the

type of Legacy I/O you connected.

11 Repeat the above steps for each additional

Pro Tools|HD audio interface.

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

12 Repeat the above steps for any Legacy I/Os

connected to the Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces in your system. Before you can conﬁgure a Legacy I/O, it must ﬁrst be initialized in Hardware Setup.

Pro Tools Reference Guide40

The Main page updates with controls that can be configured.

8 Repeat the above steps for each additional

Legacy I/O.

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

Conﬁguring I/O Setup

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

The I/O Setup dialog lets you label and map Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus signal paths. The I/O Setup dialog also provides important audition, meter, and surround settings. For more information, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”

Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to Multiple Destinations

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

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

To select multiple output ports for a Pro Tools output channel pair:

1 Choose Setup > Hardware.

2 From the Peripherals list, select an interface.

3 Click the Main tab.

4 Select an output port pair from an Output

pop-up menu.

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

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

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

Hardware Setup dialog for 96 I/O (Main page)

6 Repeat the above steps to select additional

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

Pro Tools output pairs can also be routed to multiple audio interface outputs in the I/O Setup dialog. For more information, see “Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O” on page 48.

Chapter 5: System Setup 41

System Usage

About Processing Bandwidth

Meters in the System Usage window indicate how much of your system’s processing power is being used in processing audio, and when writing and playing back automation.

Pro Tools HD, LE, M-Powered, and Academic have three common meters, showing PCI bus activity, CPU processing activity, and Disk processing activity.

System activity meters

System Usage window (Pro Tools LE shown)

As these meters approach their limits, native processing and recording or playback of automation data can be affected.

With Pro Tools HD, there are addition meters, showing TDM Time Slot usage and DSP usage of each Pro Tools|HD system card.

If CPU or PCI Activity are high, a system error may occur. If Disk Activity is high, Pro Tools may miss playback of some automation data during particularly dense periods of activity, such as while using the Bounce to Disk command.

To monitor the usage of resources during a Pro Tools session:

■ Choose Window > System Usage.

For more information, see “Bounce to Disk” on page 746.

To reduce processing load, try one of the following:

■ Reduce the density of automation in places

where it shows the most activity. For details, see “Thinning Automation” on page 711.

■ Turn off meters in Sends View, if enabled (by

disabling Show Meters in Sends View in the Display Preferences page). For details, see “Individual Send Views and Meters” on page 642.

System Usage Views

(Pro Tools HD Only)

System activity meters

TDM Time Slot usage

DSP usage

System Usage window (Pro Tools HD shown)

Pro Tools Reference Guide42

With Pro Tools HD, there are five different System Usage Views: Small, Large, Detailed, Gas Gauge, and Activity Only. The Detailed and Gas Gauge formats show the percentage of each DSP chip in use.

To change the System Usage View:

■ Choose View > System Usage, and one of the

System Usage View formats (such as Small).

For information on using different views to monitor DSP usage, see the Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup

The I/O Setup dialog provides tools to label, format, and map Pro Tools input, output, insert, or bus signal paths for each session.

A signal path is a logical grouping of multiple inputs, outputs or busses that has a single name and (channel) format. In Pro Tools, paths are similar to stems, as they are known in the film and video industry (see “Stems and Stem Mixes” on page 45). The I/O Setup dialog lets you define and name paths according to the needs of each project.

With Pro Tools HD, the I/O Setup dialog provides a graphical representation of the signal routing for each connected audio interface, with controls to route physical ports to Pro Tools inputs and outputs. These controls mirror the routing controls found in the Hardware Setup dialog—changes made to physical routing in one dialog are always reflected in the other.

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

• Whether it is a Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, Pro Tools M-Powered, or Pro Tools Academic system

• On Pro Tools|HD systems, the number and types of audio interfaces

• On Pro Tools|HD systems, the installed Mixer plug-in (Stereo or Surround)

Each Pro Tools session retains its path configurations as I/O Settings. The I/O Settings saved with the session are loaded automatically when the session is opened. Unavailable items (including hardware, paths, or required resources) remain in the session as inactive items (see “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 54).

When you create a new session, you can specify a default I/O Setup configuration, including presets for stereo or multichannel mixing formats. Multichannel mixing requires a Pro Tools|HD system.

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

Navigating in the I/O Setup Dialog

To resize the I/O Setup dialog:

■ Drag the lower-right corner of the window ac-

cording to standard convention for your operating system.

To scroll left or right in the I/O Setup dialog:

■ Press Alt+Page Up/Down (Windows) or Op-

tion+Page Up/Down (Mac).

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 43

Paths in Sessions

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

Paths comprise the lists of available signal routing choices in track Input, Output, Insert and Send selectors.

Output Path selector and paths

Paths and I/O Setup

Input Path selector and paths

Pro Tools Reference Guide44

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

I/O Setup dialog Output paths (Pro Tools HD)

Main Paths and Sub-Paths

Default Settings Files

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

Stereo main path

mono sub-path

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

Main Paths

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

Sub-Paths

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

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

Default I/O Settings

A default I/O Settings ﬁle is installed automatically by Pro Tools, so you have a set of default paths that will get you started, without the need to conﬁgure the I/O Setup dialog. You can then customize your I/O Setup conﬁguration at any time, according to the needs of each project (see “The I/O Setup Dialog” on page 46).

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

Multichannel settings files are available on Pro Tools|HD systems. These settings provide specialized path definitions for surround mixing. See “Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions” on page 760.

Default Path Names

Default names for input, output, and insert paths are based on the type of system (such as specific Pro Tools LE systems) or type and number of interfaces (Pro Tools|HD systems) you are using.

Stems and Stem Mixes

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

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

In Pro Tools, you can work with main and subpaths as you would stem mixes. These can be assigned as needed, including the ability to assign multiple outputs to individual tracks and sends. For more information, see “Multiple Output Assignments” on page 638.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 45

The I/O Setup Dialog

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

Path Name column

Expand/collapse paths

Main and Sub-Paths

Active/Inactive Status

Path tools

Path Type tabs

Path Format selector

Figure 1. I/O Setup dialog on a Pro Tools|HD system with a 96 I/O

To open the I/O Setup dialog:

1 Make sure your audio interfaces are enabled

and conﬁgured properly in the Hardware Setup. See “Conﬁguring Pro Tools Hardware Settings” on page 38.

2 Choose Setup > I/O.

Closing the I/O Setup Dialog

You can click Cancel at any time to close the I/O Setup dialog without saving any changes. When you click OK, Pro Tools checks several settings for routing validity (to prevent feedback loops). If there are any overlapping or invalid settings, you will be required to correct them be-

To open the Input, Output, Insert, Bus, Mic Preamps (Pro Tools HD only), or H/W Insert Delay page (Pro Tools HD only) in the I/O Setup dialog:

■ Click the corresponding tab at the top of the

fore the I/O Setup dialog will close. For more information, see “Setting the I/O Setup” on page 54.

I/O Setup dialog.

Interface label

Input and Output selectors

Channel Grid

Options

Pro Tools Reference Guide46

I/O Setup Dialog Controls

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

Path Type Tabs Select the type of I/O control to configure. Choices are Input, Output, Insert, Bus, Mic Preamps (Pro Tools HD only), or H/W Insert Delay (Pro Tools HD only).

Compensation for Input and Output Delays (Pro Tools HD Only) Allows automatic compen-

sation for input and output delays caused by Digidesign analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog hardware.

Path Tools Customize the I/O Setup configuration. Buttons include: New Path, New Sub-Path, Delete Path, and Default.

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

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

Expand/Collapse Shows or hides the sub-paths associated with a main path.

Active/Inactive Status Shows and changes the active/inactive status of each path.

Path Format Selector Shows and selects the type/format (such as Mono, Stereo, Quad, or

5.1) of each defined path (greater-than-stereo multichannel formats are supported with Pro Tools|HD systems only).

Show Last Saved Setup Appears in the I/O Setup dialog in certain session transfer situations. For details on this feature, see “Show Last Saved Setup and Show Current Setup” on page 56.

Options Provide selectors with pop-up menus to set paths or orders for Controller Meter Path, Audition Paths (Region List previewing), New Track Default Output, Default Path Order, AFL/PFL Path (Pro Tools HD only), and AFL/PFL Mutes (Pro Tools HD only). See “I/O Setup Options” on page 59.

Channel Grid Maps paths to specific interfaces and channels.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 47

Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O

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

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

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

5 Repeat the above step for additional channel

pairs.

6 Click OK.

Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to Multiple Destinations

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

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

I/O Channel selector pop-up menu

To conﬁgure I/O routing in I/O Setup:

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

2 Click the Input or Output tab to display the

corresponding path type.

3 Click the Input or Output selector for the ﬁrst

interface channel pair, located below the ﬁrst audio interface icon.

Pro Tools Reference Guide48

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

0utput path assignments cannot overlap. See “Valid Paths and Requirements” on page 54 for details.

Pro Tools outputs pairs can also be routed to multiple audio interface outputs in the Hardware Setup dialog. For information, see “Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to Multiple Destinations” on page 41.

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

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

2 Click the Output tab.

3 Click the Output selector for an interface

channel pair, just below an audio interface icon.

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

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

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

the same Output selector and select an additional output pair from the same pop-up menu.

6 Repeat the above steps to select additional

output destinations.

7 Click OK.

Creating and Editing Paths

The I/O Setup dialog lets you create and customize signal path deﬁnitions.

Paths can be:

• Renamed, for easier identiﬁcation after changing or renaming audio interfaces

• Remapped, to or from different sources or destinations

• Deactivated (or reactivated) to manage unavailable or unnecessary I/O resources

• Deleted

In addition, you can import and export your I/O Setup conﬁgurations as I/O Settings ﬁles, as well as set default path parameters.

The following table lists the available path attributes for each path type.

Path options by type

Path Type Path Options (Attributes)

Input Names, formats, and source

channel (analog or digital audio interface)

Output Names, formats, and destination

(audio interface output channel or internal send bus)

Insert Names, formats and destination

(audio interface channels)

Bus Names and formats

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 49

Creating a Default Main or SubPath

You can set an I/O Setup path type to its default path configuration at any time.

To restore default paths and path names:

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

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

display the corresponding path type.

3 Click Default.

Pro Tools creates all possible stereo main paths. Mono sub-paths are also auto-created for every stereo main path. These default path names appear in a session’s track Audio Input and Output Path selectors.

Creating New Paths

You can create new main path and sub-paths with custom names, format, and mapping. Custom path names appear in a session’s track Input, Output, Insert, and Bus selectors.

To create a new path:

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

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

display the corresponding path type.

3 Do one of the following:

• Click New Path, or press Control+N (Windows) or Command+N (Mac).

– or –

• Select a main path and click New Sub-Path.

4 Double-click in the Name ﬁeld and enter a

name for the path.

5 Press Tab to set the new path name and move

to the next path’s Name Field, or press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac) to set the new path name.

Default stereo output paths

With Pro Tools|HD systems, to optimize DSP resources, it is best to create mono subpaths for Outputs and Busses, rather than mono main paths.

Pro Tools Reference Guide50

6 Choose a format from the Path Format selec-

tor (mono, stereo, or multichannel).

Path Format selector

7 Repeat the previous steps to conﬁgure other

path types (Input, Output, Insert, or Bus).

8 Click OK to close the I/O Setup dialog. If there

are any overlapping or identically named paths, you will be instructed to correct them before the I/O Setup dialog will close. For more information, see “Setting the I/O Setup” on page 54.

Multichannel paths and mixing are explained in Chapter 32, “Pro Tools Setup for Surround (Pro Tools HD Only).”

3 Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac).

Interface name

Changing Path Names

Path names can be customized in the I/O Setup dialog.

I/O paths can also be renamed directly from the Edit or Mix window by Right-clicking the Input or Output selector and choosing Rename.

To rename a path in the I/O Setup dialog:

1 Double-click the path name.

2 Enter a new path name.

3 Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac).

Changing Interface Names

Audio interface names can be customized in the I/O Setup dialog. With Pro Tools HD only, the I/O Setup dialog then bases default Input and Output path names on the custom names.

To rename an audio interface in the I/O Setup dialog:

1 Double-click the label above an interface.

2 Enter a new interface name.

Interface Names

Selecting and Arranging Paths

Individual and multiple paths can be selected in the I/O Setup dialog Path Name column. Selected paths and sub-paths can be moved higher or lower in the Path Name column to change their menu order in track Input, Output, Insert, and Bus selectors. Paths can also be deleted. Subpaths follow their main paths when they are moved in the I/O Setup dialog.

To select a main path or sub-path:

■ Click the path name.

Selecting paths in the I/O Setup dialog

To select a range of paths:

1 Click the path name.

2 Shift-click an additional path name.

All paths that occur between the first path name selected and the additional path name will also be selected.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 51

To select or deselect noncontiguous paths, do one of the following:

■ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) path names that are unhighlighted to select them.

– or –

■ Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac) path names that are highlighted to deselect them.

To reset path names:

■ Click Default.

If there are matching paths available with the new system configuration, existing paths will be updated to include new audio interfaces (Pro Tools|HD systems).

Resetting Mix Busses

(Pro Tools HD Only)

To select all paths and sub-paths:

■ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac)

any path name that is unhighlighted.

To deselect all paths and sub-paths:

■ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac)

any path name that is highlighted.

To rearrange paths:

■ Drag one or more path names up or down.

Resetting to Default Paths

The Default button in the I/O Setup dialog provides two primary functions:

• Creates new default paths up to the capacity of your system’s available audio interfaces and resources. See “Creating a Default Main or Sub-Path” on page 50.

• Resets selected path names to matching or corresponding paths in the current I/O Setup conﬁguration. For example, if you replace an audio interface on a Pro Tools|HD system, you can use the Default switch to update your I/O Setup deﬁnitions with the new hardware conﬁguration.

Pro Tools HD supports up to 128 mix busses (Pro Tools HD 7.x and Pro Tools TDM 6.9). However, lower versions of Pro Tools TDM and Pro Tools LE provide only up to 64 or 32 mix busses respectively. When you open a session that was created with Pro Tools LE or a lower version of Pro Tools TDM on a current version of Pro Tools HD, only the number of busses supported on the original system are initially available. You can reset the number of available busses to match your Pro Tools HD system’s full capabilities.

To make all of your busses available in sessions that support a lower number of mix busses:

1 Open the I/O Setup dialog.

2 Click the Bus tab in the upper left.

3 Click Default.

Setting busses to the default setting will rename all busses to their default name.

Interface names can be customized. See “Changing Interface Names” on page 51.

Pro Tools Reference Guide52

Deleting Paths

Path definitions can be deleted from the current session to reflect changes to your hardware setup, or to clean up track selector menus by removing unwanted or unnecessary path definitions. After deleting a path, any tracks or send assignments to that path are reset to No Output.

To delete a main path or sub-path:

1 In the I/O Setup dialog, select the path you

want to delete.

2 Click Delete Path.

To delete all paths:

1 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any

path name.

2 Click Delete Path.

Channel Mapping

Once a path has been created and formatted, it can be mapped to specific audio interface, or bus channels in the Grid.

For example, when mapping a new stereo path, clicking in the path row under output channel 1 ﬁlls both channel 1 and 2 (left to 1, right to 2).

To remap channels in a path, see “Remapping Channels” on page 53.

Channel Mapping and Surround Mixer

(Pro Tools HD Only)

When mapping multichannel paths, the left channel (L) is mapped first to the clicked Grid box, and remaining channels fill immediately to the right according to the default path order. Because some multichannel mixing formats use unique track layouts, Pro Tools lets you set the default format in the I/O Setup dialog (see “I/O Setup Options” on page 59).

To map channels:

1 Select a main or sub-path.

2 In the row for the selected path, click in the

Grid column under an audio interface and channel. Other channels for the path type, if any, ﬁll to the right.

Mapping channels

Customized Output paths for a 5.1 mix

Remapping Channels

You can move the individual assignments to different channels, to reorder the path’s definition (for example, changing a multichannel map to L-R-C-LF-LS-RS).

To remap channels in a path:

■ Drag the channel to the new location in the

Grid. Other channel assignments will move (shufﬂe) to accommodate dragged channels.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 53

Channel Shufﬂing

Moving a signal from right to left results in a shuffle of other signals after the new destination channel. Moving a signal from left to right shuffles any and all signals after the new destination channel and leaves the previous channel empty.

Changing a path’s format erases any current channel mapping.

Sub-Paths Follow Main Paths

When a main path is remapped, its sub-paths (if any) will remap automatically to maintain consistent routing. For example, remapping a stereo path to different hardware outputs results in any of its sub-paths moving with it.

Setting the I/O Setup

Overlapping Channels and Valid Paths Channel mapping follows certain rules regarding overlapping paths.

• There can be no partial or complete overlaps between any two main Output paths, any two Insert paths, or any two main Bus paths.

• A newly-created Output or Bus path must either be completely independent of other maps (not mapped to any other available I/O interface/channels), or it must be a subpath completely contained within a larger path (for example, an LCR sub-path within a larger 5.1 path).

• Output and Insert paths can overlap in I/O Setup, but only one or the other can be used at any given time in a session. (Inputs, however, can be routed to multiple tracks.)

To set the current I/O Setup conﬁguration:

■ Click OK in the I/O Setup dialog.

All paths must be valid before the I/O Setup configuration can be applied.

Valid Paths and Requirements

While configuring the I/O Setup dialog, certain rules apply for path definition and channel mapping.

Though it is possible to set up invalid mappings in the Channel Grid, Pro Tools will not accept an I/O Setup configuration unless all paths meet the path definition and channel mapping requirements, as follows:

Minimum Path Deﬁnitions All paths must have a name, be of a specific format, and have a valid I/O mapping.

Active and Inactive Paths

Pro Tools paths can be Active (on) or Inactive (off, or unavailable). You can manually switch paths between Active or Inactive on a track-bytrack or session-wide basis. In addition, Pro Tools sets paths to Inactive automatically when I/O is unavailable.

Track Path Assignments Track input, output, and bus path assignments can be switched to Inactive using the corresponding selector on the track. This leaves track playlists intact, while disconnecting that particular track from the output or bus path. Use this to remove a track from a signal path.

Session-Wide Path Assignments Paths can be globally activated or deactivated in the I/O Setup dialog. Use this to turn off a signal path on any and all tracks currently assigned to it. Pro Tools also sets unavailable paths to inac-

Pro Tools Reference Guide54

tive. Paths can be unavailable when hardware or other system resources are unavailable, such as when opening a session saved on a different system.

Track Path Assignments

(Mix and Edit Windows)

To toggle a track path assignment to be Active or Inactive:

■ In the Mix or Edit window, Control-Start-click

(Windows) or Command-Control-click (Mac) the track’s Input, Output, Insert, or Send selector.

Session-Wide Path Assignments

(I/O Setup Dialog)

Paths can be globally configured for Active or Inactive status in the I/O Setup Dialog.

To globally activate or deactivate a path:

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

2 Select a path type using the tabs at the top of

the window.

3 Set the Active/Inactive control for the path.

Active

Inactive track path assignments are listed in italics and are unhighlighted.

Toggling All or All Selected

The Alt (Windows) and Option (Mac) modifiers apply the path toggle to all tracks. The Alt+Shift (Windows) and Option+Shift (Mac) modifiers apply the path toggle to all selected tracks. However, Pro Tools will only apply the change to identical path assignments, if any, in the current track or tracks. Toggling multiple tracks only affects tracks that have the same path assignment as the one you are explicitly toggling.

Toggling Multiple Paths

If a track has only one main output assignment, Control-Start-click (Windows) or CommandControl-click (Mac) the track’s Output Path selector to toggle the main output to inactive. When there are multiple assignments, the track selector will be displayed for you to specify the input, output, insert, or bus path.

If a Send (A–J) has multiple output assignments and one of those is toggled, then all of the output assignments for that Send (A–J) will be toggled.

Inactive

Active and inactive path settings in I/O Setup

Any track path assignment can also be deactivated on a track-by-track basis. See “Track Path Assignments” on page 55.

Inactive paths are displayed in italics in the track path selectors.

Active and inactive paths in a track Output Path selector

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 55

Display of Active and Inactive Status

Unhighlighted (Italics) Indicates the path is inac-

tive.

Highlighted (Non-Italics) Indicates the path is active.

Highlighted (Italics) Indicates the path is active, but there are not enough system resources available.

Hardware Setup and Session Transfer

Pro Tools sessions store the type and order of au- dio interfaces connected and active when the session was last saved.

alog inputs) connected to its Legacy Port. When the session is first opened on the second system, Pro Tools will map the 32 input paths to the inputs of the two interfaces.

When hardware is unavailable to a session being opened, assignments can either be replaced using the remap option, or opened as Inactive. Any tracks left assigned to an unavailable path will not be audible. This can be beneficial, however, when you want to reassign tracks into your system’s mix one at a time.

See “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 54 for more information.

Show Last Saved Setup and Show Current Setup

Unavailable I/O

When opening a session, Pro Tools checks to see if the hardware conﬁguration has changed since the session was last saved. If the current hardware conﬁguration differs from that saved in the session, paths associated with the unavailable I/O are made inactive.

Remapping

Remapping occurs when a session’s original I/O Setup does not match that of the current system and session paths are remapped to current hardware.

Systems of equivalent I/O capability are remapped directly. For example, a session tracked to a Pro Tools|HD system through two 192 I/O audio interfaces would include 32 input paths spread across the two 16-channel interfaces. The session is taken to a second Pro Tools system that has a 96 I/O audio interface (a 16channel I/O unit) and a 1622 I/O (with its 16 an-

When a session is opened that contains path definitions for unavailable I/O interfaces, the I/O Setup dialog lists those paths in italics.

The Show Last Saved Setup button displays the audio interfaces used in the original session. This temporary display lets you check the last saved I/O configuration for reference while configuring the session for your system.

Once a session has been opened with unavailable I/O retained, you can then reassign tracks to available I/O paths.

To redefine the paths, see “Creating and Editing Paths” on page 49.

Pro Tools Reference Guide56

I/O Settings Files

I/O Settings can be managed when transferring sessions, and when developing I/O Setup conﬁgurations over the course of multiple sessions and projects.

Defaults, Settings Files, and Last Used Settings for New Sessions

Importing and Exporting I/O Settings Files

You can export and import I/O Setup configurations as I/O Settings files. This lets you save settings for different projects, import settings for reconfiguring I/O Setup, and manage path definitions and signal routing setups.

Exporting I/O Settings

When creating new sessions, you can set the session’s I/O Setup configuration using the following options:

Default I/O Setups The Pro Tools Installer provides factory presets for factory I/O setups for stereo and surround (Pro Tools HD only). See “Factory I/O Settings Files” on page 58 for more information.

Custom Presets You can store and recall custom presets using the export and import features of the I/O Setup dialog.

Last Used The most recent (or last used) I/O Setup configuration is saved as a Last Used settings file. See “Last Used I/O Settings” on page 58 for more information.

Default I/O Settings at First Launch

The first time you create a session, you can choose default Stereo Mix or Surround Mix settings, depending on your system and installation choices. See “Factory I/O Settings Files” on page 58.

To export and save an I/O Setup conﬁguration:

1 Click Export Settings.

2 Name and save the settings ﬁle.

To start sessions with a blank or empty I/O Setup dialog, you can create and export an I/O Settings file in which all definitions have been deleted.

Importing I/O Settings

I/O Settings can be imported before you open a session, or you can import settings into a session that is already open (see “Default I/O Settings at First Launch” on page 57).

When you import I/O Settings in an existing session, you can choose to delete any unused path definitions before importing the new paths, or leave unused path definitions intact and add the new paths to the current I/O Setup configuration.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 57

To import I/O Settings:

1 Click Import Settings in the I/O Setup dialog.

2 Select an I/O settings ﬁle in the Import Set-

tings dialog and click Import.

3 A dialog appears asking whether you want to

delete existing paths. Do one of the following:

• Click Yes to remove any unused paths and add the imported paths to the current I/O Setup conﬁguration. Any I/O assignments and automation data associated with the unused paths are also deleted.

– or –

• Click No to add the imported paths to the current I/O Setup conﬁguration.

If the import results in overlapping paths, the new paths will appear in the I/O Setup dialog as Inactive. See “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 54.

After importing I/O Settings, you can then reassign path routing definitions in the I/O Setup dialog by remapping, renaming, and deleting paths. See “Creating and Editing Paths” on page 49.

Factory I/O Settings Files

Pro Tools provides I/O Settings files for Stereo and Surround mixing. These files provide generic main and sub-path definitions for either mixing format.

Stereo Mix Settings File

The Stereo Mix preset consists of all possible stereo and mono paths for your session.

Using the “Stereo Mix” preset has the same effect as clicking Default for every individual tab in I/O Settings. See “Creating and Editing Paths” on page 49 for details.

Specifically, the Stereo Mix preset will create the maximum number paths of each type, as determined by the available system’s I/O Setup and hardware configuration.

Surround Mix Settings File (Pro Tools HD Only)

The Surround Mix provides additional, surround-specific Output and Bus presets. See “Surround Mix Settings Files” on page 761 for more information.

Last Used I/O Settings

If any changes are made to the I/O Setup dialog during a session, these changes are saved to the Last Used settings ﬁle when the I/O Setup dialog is closed (by clicking OK).

Changes to I/O Setup are saved along with the current session. User Presets files will not contain recent changes unless you export an updated settings file.

The Last Used settings are available as a choice when creating or opening sessions, in addition to the factory presets described below.

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About Direct Outputs Mode

Direct Outputs mode, as found in older versions of Pro Tools, has been replaced by the default mono sub-paths available through all valid I/O in the I/O Setup dialog.

The Default switch creates main Output paths with appropriate mono sub-paths. These subpaths provide discrete monophonic routing.

When a session is opened that was saved in Direct Outputs mode, Pro Tools maps all the output assignments to equivalent mono sub-paths (as available). See “Hardware Setup and Session Transfer” on page 56 for more information on remapping.

To convert a session so that it emulates Direct Outputs mode, use the Auto Assign Ascending Outputs feature, as follows:

To auto assign track outputs for Direct Outputs:

1 Make sure that all tracks you want to assign

are visible (hidden tracks will not be affected).

2 Select the tracks you want to assign.

3 Control-Alt-click (Windows) or Command-

Option-click (Mac) the Output selector of the left-most track and assign it to the sub-path for Output #1. All visible tracks will be auto-assigned to unique mono sub-path outputs in ascending order.

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

Audition Paths

You can specify the output path through which files and regions are auditioned in the Region List or in DigiBase browsers.

Using the Default Audition Path

When you audition a file or region in the Region List, Pro Tools routes the audio output through the Audition Path. Pro Tools assigns a default Audition Path to the first available main Output path of the corresponding format. You can also select a different Audition Path in the I/O Setup dialog.

On Pro Tools|HD systems with more than one audio interface, you can only select the first audio interface as an audition path.

Conﬁguring Audition Paths

You can specify the monitoring outputs for Region List auditioning using the Audition Paths menu.

I/O Setup Options

Pro Tools systems have additional I/O Setup features. These include default signal routing for metering and auditioning, and default track layout for multichannel mix formats.

Controller Meter Path

(D-Control, D-Command, and ProControl Only)

The Controller Meter Path selector determines the path displayed across the Output meters of D-Control, D-Command, or ProControl control surfaces. For more details, refer to your control surface documentation.

Audition Paths Main Menu The main menu consists of all path format choices available on the current system (Mono and Stereo on all systems, and LCR and greater on Pro Tools|HD systems).

Audition Paths Submenus Each path format choice has a submenu listing Output paths of that given format. (The mono submenu lists Output paths of any format.)

To conﬁgure an Audition Path:

■ Select a path from the Audition Paths menu or

submenus.

To audition regions in the Region List:

■ Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

region in the list.

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 59

Auditioning Discrete Signals in Multichannel Items

In the Region List, multichannel regions are auditioned through the current Audition Path. Signals can be auditioned “in-place,” or through all outputs, as described below.

New Track Default Output Path

You can specify the default output path assignment for new tracks, in each available format.

The New Track Default Output can be set to bus paths, as well as output paths.

Audition In-Place

When auditioning a mono component of a mono component region, the mono region can be played from the corresponding channel of its parent mono component region. This playback method is called audition in-place.

To audition in-place:

1 In the Region List, make sure the stereo or

multichannel region is in expanded view (showing .L, .R, and other component channels).

2 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the

region for the channel you want to audition.

Audition to All Outputs

When auditioning a mono component of a mono component region, the region can be routed equally to all outputs of the parent region’s Audition Path.

To audition through all channels of the main audition path:

■ Shift-Alt-click (Windows) or Shift-Option-

click (Mac) on the signal in the Region List.

To specify a default output for new tracks in the I/O Setup dialog:

■ Click the New Track Default Output selector

and select a format and Output.

AFL/PFL Path

(Pro Tools HD Only)

Tracks soloed in AFL (After Fader Listen) or PFL (Pre Fader Listen) Solo mode are routed to the current AFL/PFL Path, as set with the AFL/PFL Path selector.

See “Solo Modes” on page 142 for more information on using AFL or PFL Solo modes.

To select the AFL/PFL Path output:

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

2 Click the Output tab to display the Output

page.

If you do not see the AFL/PFL Path selector, check that you have installed the Surround Mixer.

3 Select a path from the AFL/PFL Path selector.

Selecting None as the AFL/PFL Path disables AFL and PFL Solo modes. When None is selected, AFL and PFL cannot be used.

4 Click OK to close the I/O Setup dialog.

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Setting AFL or PFL Path Levels

You can set a separate master AFL/PFL Path level for all AFL solos and all PFL solos.

Tracks do not need to be soloed to have the master AFL/PFL Path level adjusted.

To set the AFL/PFL Path level for AFL or PFL solos:

1 Choose Options > Solo Mode, and select a

Solo mode, as follows:

• If you want to set the level for AFL solos, select AFL.

– or –

• If you want to set the level for PFL solos, select PFL.

2 In the Mix or Edit window, Control-click

(Windows) or Command-click (Mac) a Solo button on any track.

3 Adjust the AFL/PFL Path fader.

4 Click on the new fader position (or press Esc)

to close the fader display.

To set the AFL/PFL Path level to 0 dB, Control-Start-click (Windows) or Control-Command-click (Mac) any Solo button.

To set which output path is muted when tracks are soloed in AFL or PFL Solo mode:

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

2 Click the Output tab to display the Output

page.

3 Select a path from the AFL/PFL Mutes (Output

Path) selector.

4 Click OK to close the I/O Setup dialog.

Default Path Order

(Pro Tools HD Only)

The Default Path Order selector lets you select the default track layout you want Pro Tools to follow when creating and mapping 5.1-format main or sub-paths in the I/O Setup dialog.

This setting does not affect existing path definitions or metering—it only specifies channel mapping in new 5.1-format paths.

To choose a Default Path Order:

■ Select the channel mapping from the Default

Path Order menu.

AFL/PFL Mutes (Output Path) Selector

(Systems without a D-Control or D-Command Control Surface)

If you are not using a D-Control or D-Command control surface, your regular Pro Tools output path can be muted when you send a signal to the AFL/PFL Path. The muted path is set with the AFL/PFL Mutes (Output Path) selector.

See “Solo Modes” on page 142 for more information on selecting and using AFL or PFL Solo modes.

Default Path Order selector

For more information about multichannel mixing, see Chapter 32, “Pro Tools Setup for Surround (Pro Tools HD Only).”

Chapter 6: I/O Setup 61

H/W Insert Delay Compensation

(Pro Tools HD Only)

To compensate for the delay (latency) of any external hardware devices (such as an effects unit) used in your session, you can set the amount of delay compensation (in milliseconds) for each external device. These times will be used by the Delay Compensation Engine to time align input paths when the hardware insert is in use and Delay Comp is enabled.

Insert offset delay ﬁeld

To set an insert delay offset:

■ Enter a value, in milliseconds, in the ﬁeld cor-

responding with the input where the hardware insert is connected.

Insert delay offsets only have an effect when the I/O is used for hardware inserts.

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Chapter 7: Preferences

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

To change Pro Tools preferences:

1 Choose Setup > Preferences.

2 Click the tab for the page that has preferences

you want to change.

3 When ﬁnished, click OK.

Display Preferences

Basics Section

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

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

Chapter 7: Preferences 63

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

Track Position Numbers Stay with Hidden Tracks When selected, tracks keep their track

numbers even when hidden. When not selected, numbers are only assigned to tracks that are shown. In this case, shown tracks are then numbered sequentially, and hidden tracks are not numbered.

Tool Tips Display Options

“Organize Plug-in Menus By” Options

These option customize how plug-in menus are organized in the Insert selector or Plug-in selector.

Flat List Organizes plug-ins in a single list, in alphabetical order.

Category Organizes plug-ins by process category (such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with individual plug-ins listed in the category submenus. Plug-ins that do not fit into a standard category (such as the DigiRack Signal Generator), or third-party plug-ins that have not had a category designated by their developers, appear in the Other category. Plug-ins can appear in more than one category.

Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins by their manufacturer (such as Digidesign, Eventide, Line 6, and McDSP), with individual plug-ins listed in the manufacturer submenus. Plug-ins that do not have a Manufacturer defined will appear in the “Other” manufacturer folder.

Function Configures Tool Tips to show the basic function of the item.

Details Configures Tool Tips to show the complete name of an abbreviated name or item. Details view can also show the hidden or abbreviated value of parameters, as well as input and output assignments.

Edit Window Default Length

This preference sets a default length for the Edit window in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 only). This is useful if you want to assemble a session of a particular length or leave extra room to expand the Edit window’s work area in your session. The maximum length is 12 hours and 25 seconds at 48 kHz, and proportionally less at higher sampling rates.

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Most Digidesign-distributed third party plug-ins will be grouped under Digidesign when Manufacturer view is enabled.

Category and Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins in two levels of menus. The top menus display plug-ins by process category (such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with individual plug-ins listed in the category submenus. The bottom menus display plug-ins by manufacturer (such as Digidesign, Eventide, Line 6, or McDSP), with individual plug-ins listed in the manufacturer submenus.

Meters Section

Color Coding

Peak Hold Options

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

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

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

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

Clip Indication Options

These options determine how long the clip indicators on plug-in, send, and track meters stay lit after a clip is detected.

3 Second Clip Hold When selected, meters display the last clip indication for three seconds.

Inﬁnite Clip Hold When selected, meters display the last clip indications until you click them to clear them.

No Clip Hold When selected, meters do not hold the clip indication.

Always Display Marker Colors Lets you choose to view Marker colors in the Markers ruler, regardless of the settings you choose for Default Region Color Coding.

Default Track Color Coding Options

These color coding options determine the default color coding assignment for tracks in the Edit and Mix windows. Choices are:

None Turns off color assignment for tracks.

Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to

each track in the Mix or Edit window according to its voice assignment or MIDI channel assignment.

Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each track in the Mix or Edit window according to its voice assignment or MIDI device assignment.

Groups Assigns a color to each track according to its Group ID. If groups are suspended using the Suspend Groups command, the tracks color bars are not shown.

Track Type Assigns a color to each track according to its type (audio, MIDI, Instrument, Auxiliary or Master Fader).

Show Meters in Sends View

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

Chapter 7: Preferences 65

Default Region Color Coding Options

These color coding options determine the default color coding assignment for regions in the track playlist. Choices are:

None Turns off color assignment for regions. Regions are drawn with black waveform or MIDI notes on a light gray background.

Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to each region in the Edit window according to its voice or MIDI channel assignment.

Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each region in the Edit window according to its voice assignment or MIDI device assignment.

Operation Preferences

Groups Assigns a color to each region according to the Group ID of its track. If groups are suspended using the Suspend Groups command, all regions display black waveforms or MIDI notes on a light gray background.

Track Color Assigns a region color based on the color assigned to the track.

Marker Locations Assigns a color to data across all tracks based on the nearest preceding marker.

Region List Color Assigns a color to each region based on its color in the Region List.

Transport Section

Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker Follows Playback When selected, the Timeline Insertion

and the Play Start Marker both move to the point in the Timeline where playback stops. When deselected, the Timeline Insertion and Play Start Marker do not follow playback.

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

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

Play Start Marker Follows Timeline Selection When enabled, the Play Start Marker

snaps to the Timeline Selection Start Marker when you move the Timeline Selection, draw a new Timeline Selection, or adjust the Timeline Selection Start. When disabled, the Play Start Marker doesn’t move with the Timeline selection.

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Custom Shuttle Lock Speed Sets the highest fastforward Shuttle Lock speed (key 9) for Shuttle Lock modes (Classic or Transport). The range for this setting is 50–800%.

For more information, see “Custom Shuttle Lock Speed” on page 385.

Back/Forward Amount Sets the default length of Back, Back and Play, Forward and Forward and Play. The timebase of the Back/Forward Amount settings follows the Main Time Scale by default, or you can deselect Follow Main Time Scale and select another timebase format: Bars:Beats, Min:Sec, Time Code, Feet+Frames, or Samples

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

To customize the highest fast-forward Shuttle Lock speed, see “Custom Shuttle Lock Speed” on page 385.

Numeric Keypad Mode

Numeric Keypad mode determines how the numeric keypad functions. You can always use the numeric keypad to select and enter values in the Event Edit Area, Edit Selection indicators, Main and Sub Counters, and Transport fields.

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

To customize the highest fast-forward Shuttle Lock speed, see “Custom Shuttle Lock Speed” on page 385.

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

Use Separate Play and Stop Keys

When enabled, this option lets you start playback with the Enter key and stop playback with the 0 key on the numeric keypad. This is useful for quickly starting and stopping playback when auditioning loop transitions. Use Separate Play and Stop Keys is only available in Transport Numeric Keypad mode.

When this option is enabled, it overrides using the Enter key to add Memory Location markers. Instead, press Period (.) and then Enter on the numeric keypad to add a Memory Location marker.

Chapter 7: Preferences 67

Video Section

QuickTime Playback Priority Options

Normal This is the default setting for QuickTime

Movie Playback Priority. It gives no extra priority to movie playback over other screen update tasks such as metering, moving faders, and so on. In most cases you should use this setting.

When not selected, Pro Tools continues playback of audio even if frames are dropped. In most cases, video playback will recover within a few frames and continue playing audio and video in sync.

Avid Video NTSC Has Setup (NTSC-J)

(Pro Tools HD with Avid Video Engine Only)

Medium This setting gives QuickTime movie

playback a higher priority relative to other Pro Tools screen update tasks. Use this setting if you experience inconsistent QuickTime movie playback with the Normal setting.

Highest This setting gives QuickTime movie playback highest priority. In this mode, Pro Tools disables screen activity and requires you to use the Spacebar to stop playback. Use this setting if you require uninterrupted QuickTime movie playback.

High Quality QuickTime Image

When enabled, Pro Tools decompresses both fields of each interlaced frame of QuickTime video. When viewing a QuickTime movie in the Pro Tools Video window, select this option to display the movie at the highest possible resolution. Deselecting this option can help improve performance if your system experiences problems playing back a session with QuickTime video.

Avid Video Errors Stop Playback

(Pro Tools HD with Avid Video Engine Only)

When selected, Pro Tools automatically stops playback of audio and video if a single frame of video is dropped.

This preference lets you adjust the level of NTSC video black output between 7.5 IRE (standard) or 0 IRE. When this option is selected, output level is 0 IRE.

Auto Backup Section

Enable Session File Auto Backup When selected, Pro Tools automatically saves backups of your Pro Tools session file while you work. Backups are saved to in the Session Files Backup folder in your session folder.

Keep speciﬁes the total number of incremental backups that are kept.

Backup Every Speciﬁes how often the session is saved.

Record Section

Latch Record Enable Buttons When selected, multiple audio tracks can be record-enabled. When not selected, multiple audio tracks cannot be record-enabled. Record-enabling an audio track takes other audio tracks out of recordenabled mode.

Link Record and Play Faders When selected, Pro Tools does not remember separate fader levels for tracks when they are record-enabled, allowing you to maintain the same monitoring level for tracks during recording and playback.

Pro Tools Reference Guide68

Audio Track RecordLock (Pro Tools HD Only) This option configures Pro Tools tracks to

either emulate a digital dubber, or to maintain legacy behavior for track record status.

• When selected, the record-enabled audio tracks remain record-enabled when playback or recording stops.

• When not selected, record-enabled audio tracks are taken out of record enable when Pro Tools is stopped. This prevents tracks from remaining armed from pass to pass, emulating track record behavior of a digital dubber.

Transport RecordLock (Pro Tools HD Only) This option lets the Transport Record (the Record button in the Transport controls) be configured to either emulate a digital dubber, or to maintain legacy behavior for the Transport master Record.

• When selected, the Transport Record remains armed when playback or recording stops. This saves having to re-arm the Transport between takes, emulating digital dubber behavior.

• When not selected, the Transport Record disarms when Pro Tools is manually stopped or stops due to a loss of time code. This replicates standard Pro Tools recording behavior.

The Transport RecordLock preference is automatically disabled and greyed out when Destructive record mode is enabled.

Disable “Input” When Disarming Track (In “Stop”) (Pro Tools HD Only) For flexibility, TrackInput

monitoring can be customized to remain selected regardless of track record status, or to automatically switch to Auto Input monitoring after a recording pass. This lets you optimize monitoring for a typical dubbing workflow (in which you might want tracks to remain in Input Only mode until explicitly switched to Auto In-

put monitoring) or a typical music tracking workflow (in which leaving a track in Input Only monitoring mode after recording can result in accidental double-monitoring).

• When selected, taking an audio track out of record enable (any mode) takes it out of Input Only mode, regardless of the global monitor mode, and switches it to monitor audio from disk only.

• When not selected, audio tracks remain in Input Only monitoring mode until explicitly switched to Auto Input monitoring.

Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped (Pro Tools HD Only) This setting determines

monitor status of record-armed tracks.

• When selected, Pro Tools mutes all recordenabled tracks when the transport is stopped. Input can still be monitored while stopped using the TrackInput Monitor button.

• When not selected, Pro Tools does not mute audio input on record-enabled tracks when the transport is stopped.

PEC/Direct Style Input Monitoring (Pro Tools HD Only) This option changes the way the TrackIn-

put monitoring mode is indicated on-screen (and on supported control surfaces) to emulate “PEC” (playback) and “Direct” (input/bus) indication on some large format consoles.

• When not selected, the TrackInput button shows the letter “I.” The button remains gray to indicate Auto Input mode and lights green to indicate Input Only mode.

• When selected, the TrackInput button remains gray and shows the letter “D” to indicated Input Only mode (“Direct”); it lights green and shows the letter “P” to indicate Auto Input mode (“Pec” or playback).

Chapter 7: Preferences 69

Online Options

Record Online at Time Code (or ADAT) Lock When selected, online recording begins as

soon as Pro Tools receives and locks to incoming time code.

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

Open Ended Record Allocation

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

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

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

Misc (Miscellaneous) Section

(Pro Tools HD Only)

Auto Region Fade In/Out Length Sets a default

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

Calibration Reference Level Sets a default calibration reference level in dB when Pro Tools is in Calibration mode. For audio interfaces that have trims (such as the 192 I/O), see the interface’s guide for calibration instructions.

Delay Compensation Time Mode This option lets you choose whether information in the Delay Manager is displayed in milliseconds or samples. This option is only available when Delay Compensation is enabled (Options > Delay Compensation).

DestructivePunch File Length (Pro Tools HD Only)

This preference sets the duration of consolidated audio files when preparing tracks for DestructivePunch mode. The default value for this setting is 25 minutes.

Pro Tools Reference Guide70

Editing Preferences

ternates pop-up menu) whose time stamp matches the current Cursor location. The following preferences determine which regions, or takes, appear in this list:

Includes Take Region Names That Match Track Names When selected, only regions that share

the same root name with the track and playlist appear in the Matches Right-click submenu or the Alternates pop-up menu.

Includes Take Region Lengths That Match When selected, only regions that match the length of the current selection appear in the Matches Right-click submenu or the Alternates pop-up menu.

Regions Section

Region List Selection Follows Edit Selection When selected, selecting a region in a

track also selects it in the Region List.

Edit Selection Follows Region List Selection When selected, selecting a region in

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

Auto-Name Separated Regions When selected, Pro Tools automatically names newly separated regions by appending a number to the region’s name. Disabling this option can be useful when importing region groups, REX files, or ACID files, because these file types can contain so many separate regions that it becomes difficult to read the Region List.

“Matching Start Time” Takes List

When you Right-click, or Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) a region in a track, Pro Tools displays a list of regions (either in the Matches Right-click submenu or the Al-

“Separate Region” Operates On All Related Takes When selected, editing a region with the

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

Memory Locations Section

Auto-Name Memory Locations When Playing When selected, Pro Tools gives new

Memory Locations default names based on their time location in the session. The time units currently chosen in the View menu determine the units for the names.

Recall Memory Location at Original Track When selected, Memory Locations that recall a selection also recall the track in which the selection was made.

Tracks Section

New Tracks Default To Tick Timebase When selected, all new tracks default to ticks. When deselected, audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and VCA (Pro Tools HD only) tracks default to samples.

Chapter 7: Preferences 71

Fades Section

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

gap between slices, a fade out is applied to the end of the first region. (The fade shapes applied to REX/ACID files follow the Default Fade Settings for REX/ACID.)

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

QuickPunch/TrackPunch Crossfade Length Specifies a default length for crossfades created by QuickPunch or TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD only) recordings. Crossfades occur before the punch in and after the punch out.

Preserve Fades when Editing This option preserves fade-ins and fade outs, and converts separated crossfades into corresponding fade-ins and fade-outs.

Default Fade Settings

Fade In Selects the default envelope shape for

fade-ins.

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

Crossfade Selects the default envelope shape for crossfades.

REX/ACID Selects the default envelope shape for fades and crossfades between regions (“slices”) in imported REX and ACID files.

Automatically Create Fades for Imported REX and ACID ﬁles

When selected, this option automatically applies fades between regions (“slices”) within imported REX and ACID files to minimize clicks or pops during playback. If there is overlap between slices, a crossfade is applied. If there is a

Zoom Toggle

Vertical Zoom Select Selection or Last Used for the Zoom Toggle Vertical Zoom.

Horizontal Zoom Select Selection or Last Used for the Zoom Toggle Horizontal Zoom.

Remove Range Selection After Zooming In When selected, the current Edit selection col-

lapses into an insertion point after zoom toggling in. Zoom toggling back out reverts to the previous selection.

Track Height Select Last Used, Medium, Large, Extreme, or Fit To Window for the Zoom Toggle Track Height.

Track View Select Waveform/Notes, Last Used, or No Change for the Zoom Toggle Track View.

Separate Grid Settings When Zoomed In When selected, this option retains the same (current) grid setting when zoom toggling in or out. When this option is deselected, the grid setting stored with Zoom toggle is recalled when zoom toggling in.

Levels of Undo

This preference sets the maximum number of actions that can be undone with the multiple undo feature. Setting this to a lower number can speed up the performance of slower computers. Pro Tools supports up to 32 Levels of Undo.

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Mixing Preferences

Setup Section

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

Send Pans Default to Follow Main Pan When selected, newly created sends have Follow Main Pan turned on, so the Send Pan controls follow the pan controls of the track. When not selected, newly created sends have Follow Main Pan turned off.

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

Use Absolute Pan Linking (Pro Tools HD Only) This option affects behavior of grouped

pan controls.

• When selected, grouped pan controls do not maintain relative offsets when any of the grouped pan controls is adjusted. All grouped pan controls snap to the absolute value of the adjusted control.

• When not selected, grouped pan controls maintain relative offsets when any of the linked controls is adjusted.

Default EQ

This preference lets you choose any installed EQ plug-in as the default, which makes it available for quick assignment, both on-screen and on ICON work surfaces. On-screen, the plug-in appears at the top of the Insert selector pop-up menu. On ICON work surfaces (Pro Tools HD only), the plug-in appears first in the list of menu choices on the rotary encoders.

Default Dynamics

This preference lets you choose any installed Dynamics plug-in as the default, which makes it available for quick assignment, both on-screen and on ICON work surfaces. On-screen, the plug-in appears at the top of the Insert selector pop-up menu. On ICON work surfaces (Pro Tools HD only), the plug-in appears first in the list of menu choices on the rotary encoders.

Chapter 7: Preferences 73

Controllers

Automation Section

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

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

“Scroll to Track” Banks Controllers When using a control surface (such as D-Control or ProControl) you can select this option to bank control surface faders to a numbered track when using the Track > Scroll to Track command.

Always Fill Channel Strips When Banking If you are using an ICON work surface (Pro Tools HD only), or other supported Digidesign control surface, you can select this option to maximize the number of channels displayed when banking. This setting optimizes the Bank commands to prevent the display of a small number of channels at the extremes of the surface.

Touch Timeout If you are writing automation in Touch mode and you stop moving a non-touch sensitive fader or encoder, Pro Tools continues to write automation for the Touch Timeout value.

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

Smooth and Thin Data After Pass When selected, Pro Tools automatically smooths and then applies the specified amount of thinning to the automation data created in an automation pass.

Degree of Thinning Specifies the amount of thinning performed on automation data when you using the Thin Automation command, or if you have selected the Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option.

Plug-in Controls Default to Auto-Enabled When selected, all applicable controls of newly added plug-ins are enabled for automation. When not selected, the controls of newly added plug-ins must be manually enabled for automation.

Suppress Automation “Write To” Warnings (Pro Tools HD Only) When selected, Pro Tools

suppresses the warnings that appear after invoking any of the Write Automation To Start, Selection, End, or Punch commands and then stopping the transport.

Latching Behavior for Switch Controls in “Touch” This option determines the behavior of

switch-type controls (such as mute or plug-in bypass) when writing automation in Touch mode.

• When selected, controls in Touch mode will latch in their current state. If an existing breakpoint is encountered, writing of automation stops. If the transport is stopped while writing, the control will AutoMatch to the underlying value.

• When not selected, controls in Touch mode will not latch.

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Allow Latch Prime in Stop (Pro Tools HD Only) When selected and any tracks are in Latch

mode, any automation-enabled controls on those tracks can be set to new values while the transport is stopped by touching or moving controls, to prepare for the next automation pass.

Coalesce when Removing Slaves from VCA Group (Pro Tools HD Only) This option determines the

behavior when removing slave tracks from a VCA-controlled group.

• When selected, any automation on the VCA Master is automatically coalesced (without conﬁrmation) to its slave tracks when the tracks are removed from the group.

• When not selected, a conﬁrmation dialog lets you choose whether or not to coalesce the VCA Master automation to the slave tracks.

Standard VCA Logic for Group Attributes (Pro Tools HD Only) This option determines

which Mix group attributes may be selected in the Group dialog when the group is assigned to a VCA Master.

• When selected, Main Volume, Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and Input Monitoring controls on slave tracks follow the VCA Master only and are not available to be independently linked. (This emulates the behavior of analog console VCA masters.)

• When deselected, Main Volume, Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and Input Monitoring controls follow the VCA Master, but also remain available for independent linking with groups.

Include Sends in Trim Mode (Pro Tools HD Only) This option determines the Trim status of

Send faders when a track is put in Trim mode.

• When selected, Send faders go into Trim mode along with the Main Volume fader.

• When deselected, the Main Volume fader goes into Trim mode, but the Send fader stays in the corresponding standard Automation mode.

Include Control Changes in Undo Queue This option determines whether certain mixer control changes, such as moving a fader or pan control, are entered into the Undo queue.

• When selected, mixer control changes appear in the Undo queue, and are undone if any prior operation is undone.

• When deselected, mixer control changes will not appear in the undo queue, allowing you to undo other types of operations without losing the current mixer settings.

Any set to default operations that affect mixer controls will be entered into the Undo queue.

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

AutoGlide Time (Pro Tools HD Only) Specifies how quickly Pro Tools transitions (glides) from one automation value to another, when AutoGlide mode is used.

Chapter 7: Preferences 75

After Write Pass, Switch To Selects the Automation mode that Pro Tools tracks automatically switch to after an automation pass in Write (or Write Trim) mode. You can choose to switch to Touch or Latch mode, or stay in Write mode by selecting No Change. After an automation pass in Write Trim mode, tracks automatically switch to the Trim version of the specified setting.

Coalesce Trim Automation Options

(Pro Tools HD Only)

These options determine when Trim automation is committed to the main automation playlist on a track.

After Every Pass Sets Trim automation to coalesce when the transport is stopped at the end of each Trim automation pass. No Composite Playlist is indicated.

On Exiting Trim Mode Sets Trim Automation to coalesce on a track when the track is taken out of Trim mode. A Composite Playlist can be viewed before committing Trim moves.

Manually Trim Automation can be coalesced only with the Coalesce Trim Automation command. A Composite Playlist can be viewed before committing Trim moves.

Processing Preferences

AudioSuite Section

Buffer Size

AudioSuite Buffer Size sets the size of the memory buffer used for audio processing and previewing with AudioSuite plug-ins. If AudioSuite preview stutters, set the buffer to Mini or Small.

Use AudioSuite Dither When selected, applies a selectable dither plug-in to specific AudioSuite processing tasks (such as Gain and Normalize).

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

Bit Depth Lets you select a bit depth for the dithered audio (24-bit, 20-bit, 18-bit, or 16-bit).

TC/E (Time Compression/Expansion) Section

TC/E Plug-in Lets you choose the plug-in used

for Time Compression and Expansion when you edit audio with the Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool. This Trim tool works by using

Pro Tools Reference Guide76

Time Compression/Expansion to match an audio region to the length of another region, a tempo grid, a video scene, or other reference point.

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

Import Section

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

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

MIDI Preferences

Automatically Copy Files on Import When selected, all audio files that are imported by dragging and dropping are copied to the current session’s Audio Files folder, regardless of whether the files need to be converted to the current session’s file type, bit depth or sample rate. Additionally, when selected, the Import Session Data dialog defaults to “Copy from Source Media.” The Automatically Copy Files on Import preference does not affect the Import Audio command.

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

Basics Section

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

Use MIDI to Tap Tempo When selected, you can tap a MIDI keyboard to enter a new tempo value into a tempo field.

Display Events as Modiﬁed by Real-Time Properties When selected, Pro Tools displays the ef-

fects of Real-Time Properties in both the Edit window and the MIDI Event List.

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

Automatically Create Click Track in New Sessions When enabled, Pro Tools automati-

cally creates a new click track in new sessions.

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

Chapter 7: Preferences 77

Default Thru Instrument Sets the default MIDI Thru instrument. Select a predefined device from your available MIDI instruments, or select “First Selected MIDI Track” to use the assigned MIDI output of the first selected MIDI or Instrument track. When multiple tracks are selected, the instrument in the selected track that is closest to the top of the Edit window (or closest to the left edge of the Mix window) is used.

Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller Data Sets the default resolution for MIDI con-

troller data created with the Pencil tool. Setting this to a lower resolution helps avoid creating controller data that is unnecessarily dense. The value range is from 1 to 100 milliseconds.

Synchronization Preferences

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

Note Display Options

These options set the reference for middle C as C3, C4, or MIDI note number 60.

Delay for External Devices Options

(Pro Tools HD Only)

These options let you apply Delay Compensation to Pro Tools-generated MIDI Time Code or MIDI Beat Clock. Generally, this delay should be applied when the external MIDI instrument is mixed externally, and when the external MIDI instrument is mixed through Pro Tools.

These options are only available when a Delay Compensation Engine is chosen in the Playback Engine dialog and Delay Compensation is enabled in Pro Tools. These options are distinct from the hardware offsets available for hardware inserts (in I/O Setup).

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

Machine Control Section

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

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

Machine Cues Intelligently (Pro Tools HD Only) When selected, if you navigate to a cue

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

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Stop at Shuttle Speed Zero (Pro Tools HD Only) Causes Pro Tools to send a Stop command

whenever you stop shuttling. This is useful if you have a machine that requires an explicit stop command to park correctly.

Non-Linear Transport Error Suppression (Pro Tools HD Only) When Transport = Pro Tools, keeps

Pro Tools from sending a Stop command when taken offline. This prevents Pro Tools from stopping any other 9-pin devices connected to the system.

Delay Before Locking to Time Code (Pro Tools HD Only) Sets the amount of time (in frames) for

Pro Tools to wait before attempting to lock to machines that issue servo lock messages. This setting allows time for the servo mechanisms to achieve stable lock.

Remote Mode Section

(Pro Tools HD Only)

Ignore Track Arming Sets Pro Tools to ignore in-

coming track arming (record enable) commands. This is useful if you are using a master controller to arm tracks on other machines, but you do not want to arm tracks in Pro Tools.

Set Servo Lock Bit at Play (Tamura Support) Enable this option when using a Tamura synchronizer to control Pro Tools in Remote mode to minimize lock-up times during recording.

Allow Track Arm Commands in Local Mode Sets Pro Tools to respond to incoming track arming (record enable) commands even when the system is not in Remote Mode. This is useful if you are using a paddle device to control Pro Tools track arming or punching.

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

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

Delay After Play Command Sets the amount of time (in frames) for Pro Tools to wait after receiving a Play command before starting the audio engine. This can prevent false starts when locking to synchronizers that are not fully supported by Pro Tools.

Synchronization Section

Minimum Sync Delay Sets the amount of time (in frames) your system’s devices need to achieve synchronization “lock.” This amount varies for each device. Pro Tools lock up delay is set by entering a value for Minimum Sync Delay in the Synchronization page of the Preferences dialog. The lowest value available is 15 frames. Find the shortest possible lock-up time that your equipment can operate at consistently, and set this as the Minimum Sync Delay. On systems utilizing Digidesign MachineControl, enabling the Use Serial Time Code setting will make machines lock up much faster. (Serial time code requires both a Digidesign-qualiﬁed synchronization peripheral and external devices to be locked to house video reference.)

Stable LTC Source (Pro Tools HD Only) When selected, this option suppresses the normal 1-second wait time before Pro Tools attempts to lock to incoming LTC. Enable this option when locking Pro Tools to a stable time code source (such as a non-linear tape machine or LTC generator) and not a linear tape machine.

Chapter 7: Preferences 79

Pro Tools Reference Guide80

Part III: Sessions & Tracks

Chapter 8: Sessions

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

Creating a New Session

The first step in beginning a Pro Tools project is creating a new session.

To create a new session:

1 Choose File > New Session.

3 Select the audio ﬁle format for the session.

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

Sound Designer II (SD II) files are not supported on Windows systems or at sample rates above 48 kHz.

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

sample rate.

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

Several pre-conﬁgured I/O Settings are included with your system, or you can select a custom I/O Setting. For more information, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”

6 Name the Session.

7 Click Save.

Selecting Bit Depth and Sample Rate

When selecting a bit depth or sample rate for your session, consider fidelity, any compatibility issues with others systems, and storage space.

New Session dialog

2 Select the drive where you want to save the

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

Bit depth and sample rate also have an effect on the amount of mixing power available in a session. Fewer mixer channels are available with 24-bit sessions and with sessions at higher sample rates. (For more information, see your Get- ting Started Guide.)

Chapter 8: Sessions 83

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

Fade Files Folder

The Fade Files folder contains any crossfaded audio data generated by the session.

Region Groups Folder

Session Files and Folders

When you create a new session, Pro Tools automatically creates a new folder named for your session. Within this folder is the session file, a WaveCache.wfm file, and several subfolders (including (but not limited to) an Audio Files folder, a Fade Files folder, and a Region Group folder).

Typical session folder contents

Session File

The session file is the document that Pro Tools creates when you start a new project. Pro Tools can open only one session file at a time. The session file is appended with the extension .ptf (Pro Tools file).

The Region Groups folder is the default directory for any region groups that you export from your Pro Tools session.

WaveCache File

The WaveCache.wfm file stores all of the waveform display data for the session. If you delete the WaveCache.wfm file, Pro Tools creates a new one the next time you open the session.

By storing waveform data in the WaveCache file, sessions open more quickly. The session WaveCache file can be included whenever a session is transferred to another Pro Tools 7.x system.

Pro Tools also maintains a distinct WaveCache file inside the local Digidesign Databases folder (C:\\Digidesign Databases), which retains waveform data for all files used on the system. Additional WaveCache files are created on each hard drive attached to your system, and stored in the Digidesign Databases folder on each drive.

Audio Files Folder

The Audio Files folder contains all audio recorded or converted during the session.

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

For details on allocating audio tracks to different hard drive locations, including shared media volumes, see “Disk Allocation” on page 265.

Pro Tools Reference Guide84

Deleting or trashing a WaveCache file does not harm the session or your system. However, each session takes longer to open because it has to recalculate waveform data for any associated audio files and store that data in a new WaveCache file.

Session File Backups Folder

The Session File Backups folder contains automatically-generated backups of your Pro Tools sessions. These files are created when working on a session and the Operations preference for Enable Session File Auto Backup is enabled. (See “Enable Session File Auto Backup” on page 68.)

Renamed Audio Files Folder

This folder includes file names that have been renamed when you open a session that contains audio file names with incompatible characters, or, in certain situations, save a copy of a session to a Pro Tools version that does not support long file names.

To open an existing session:

1 Choose File > Open Session.

2 Locate the session you want to open and click

Open.

For more information, see “Renamed Audio Files and the Renamed Audio Files Folder” on page 243.

Opening a Session

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

For more information on opening sessions created on different platforms, Pro Tools systems, or versions of Pro Tools software, see Chapter 13, “File and Session Management and Compatibility.”

Open Session dialog

You can also open a session from a DigiBase browser by double-clicking it.

Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Files

DigiBase notifies you if files are located but reside on Transfer volumes (such as CD or DVD discs), or if any required files cannot be found. For more information, see “Locating Audio Files” on page 241.

Opening a Session from a Transfer Volume

When opening a session from a Transfer volume (such as a CD or DVD disc), DigiBase prompts you to save the session on a Performance volume, and copy and convert any referenced media files. For more information, see “Locating Audio Files” on page 241.

Chapter 8: Sessions 85

Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Resources

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

The Unavailable Resources dialog provides an initial report of the missing session components. To save a text (.txt) file containing a more detailed Notes report, along with the resulting action, click Yes. The Notes report is named with the session name, followed by Notes.txt. You can choose to save this file in your Session folder, or in another location.

The following occurs when opening a session with unavailable items:

With all Pro Tools Systems:

◆ Inserts assigned to unavailable plug-ins are

made inactive.

◆ Inputs, outputs, and sends that are assigned to

unavailable paths are made inactive.

Opening a Session with Audio File Names that Contain Illegal Characters

Pro Tools 7.x does not support audio file names that contain the following ASCII characters:

/ (Forward Slash)

\ (Backslash)

: (Colon)

* (Asterisk)

? (Question mark)

“ (Quotation marks)

< (Less-than symbol)

> (Greater-than symbol)

| (vertical line or pipe)

Any “high order” ASCII character (created

with a key combination)

When opening sessions that contain audio files with illegal characters, Pro Tools automatically creates a renamed copy of each file (replacing these characters with an underscore “_”). Renamed files are copied to the Renamed Audio Files folder. The original files are left intact in the Audio Files folder.

With Pro Tools HD Only:

◆ Any tracks beyond the maximum number of

available voices on the current system are made inactive.

With Pro Tools LE Only:

◆ Any tracks beyond the maximum number of

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

Pro Tools Reference Guide86

Before the session opens, you are prompted to save a detailed report of the renamed files and their original file names to a Notes text file. Follow the on-screen instructions. By default, the Notes text file is saved to the Session folder.

Opening a Session that Was Saved with +6 dB Fader Gain

All Pro Tools 7.x sessions have a +12 dB fader gain level. However, when saving a Pro Tools

7.x session to a lower version of Pro Tools that supports +6 dB and +12 dB fader gain, the new session can be saved with either a +6 dB or a +12 dB maximum fader gain.

Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools M-Powered - 7.3, Pro Tools - 7.3, Pro Tools LE - 7.3 Reference Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools

The Pro Tools Guides

Conventions Used in These Guides

Compatibility Information

About www.digidesign.com

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts

Hard Disk Audio Recording

The Digidesign Audio Engine

Playback Engine Dialog

Pro Tools Sessions

Session File

Tracks

Audio File

Regions

Playlist

Channel

Signal Routing

System Resources

Active and Inactive Items

MIDI

MIDI Terms

Common MIDI Misconceptions

DigiBase

Chapter 3: Keyboard and Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts

Global Key Commands

Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts

Keyboard Focus

Shuttle Lock Modes

Numeric Keypad Modes

Shuttle Mode

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems

Pro Tools|HD Systems

Pro Tools|HD Systems

Supported Audio Interfaces

Pro Tools|HD System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits

Audio Interfaces for Pro Tools|HD Systems

Pro Tools LE Systems

Processing Capacity

Pro Tools LE System Capabilities

Pro Tools M-Powered

DV Toolkit 2 and Music Production Toolkit

Support for 48 Mono or Stereo Tracks

Pro Tools Academic

Support for Up to 24 QuickPunch Tracks

DV Toolkit 2 Capabilitites

Music Production Toolkit Overview

Chapter 5: System Setup

Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System

Hardware Buffer Size

RTAS Processors

CPU Usage Limit

RTAS Engine Options

Number of Voices

Default Sample Rate

Delay Compensation Engine

DAE Playback Buffer Size

System Memory Allocation

System Usage

Chapter 6: I/O Setup

Main Paths and Sub-Paths

Default I/O Settings

Stems and Stem Mixes

The I/O Setup Dialog

I/O Setup Dialog Controls

Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O

Creating and Editing Paths

Creating New Paths

Resetting to Default Paths

Deleting Paths

Channel Mapping

Setting the I/O Setup

Active and Inactive Paths

Hardware Setup and Session Transfer

I/O Settings Files

Defaults, Settings Files, and Last Used Settings for New Sessions