Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools M-Powered Essential - 8.0.2 Menus Guide

Menus Guide
Pro Tools® M-Powered™ Essential
Version 8.0.2
Legal Notices
003, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 888|24 I/O, 882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O, AudioSuite, Avid, Avid DNA, Avid Mojo, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid Xpress, AVoption, Beat Detective, Bomb Factory, Bruno, C|24, Command|8, Control|24, D-Command, D-Control, D-Fi, D-fx, D-Show, D-Verb, DAE, Digi 002, DigiBase, DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiDrive, DigiRack, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DINR, D-Show, DV Toolkit, EditPack, Eleven, Hybrid, Impact, Interplay, M-Audio, MachineControl, Maxim, Mbox, MediaComposer, MIDI I/O, MIX, MultiShell, OMF, OMF Interchange, PRE, ProControl, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, QuickPunch, Reel Tape, Reso, Reverb One, ReVibe, RTAS, Sibelius, Smack!, SoundReplacer, Sound Designer II, Strike, Structure, SYNC HD, SYNC I/O, Synchronic, TL Space, Transfuser, Velvet, X-Form, XMON, and Xpand! 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.
Guide Part Number: 9329-61711-00 REV A June, 2009
Documentation Feedback
We’re always looking for ways to improve our documentation. If you have comments, corrections, or suggestions regarding our documentation, email us at techpubs@digidesign.com.

Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 2. Pro Tools Menu (Mac Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
About Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Mac Application Management Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 3. File Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
New Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Open Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Close Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Revert to Saved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Save Copy In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Save As Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Send via DigiDelivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Send to Sibelius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Bounce to Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Contents iii
Chapter 4. Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Restore Last Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Paste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Clear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Select All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Duplicate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Snap To. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Separate Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Heal Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Mute/Unmute Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Strip Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Consolidate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Fades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 5. View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Mix Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Narrow Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Edit Window Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Other Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Sends A–E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Transport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 6. Track Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
New Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Make Inactive or Make Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Clear All Clip Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Create Click Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 7. Region Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Edit Lock/Unlock Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Unloop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Rename . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Quantize to Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Elastic Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Conform to Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Remove Warp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Remove Pitch Shift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Essential Menus Guideiv
Chapter 8. Event Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Event Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
MIDI Real-Time Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Identify Beat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
All MIDI Notes Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Chapter 9. AudioSuite Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
EQ Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Dynamics Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Reverb Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Delay Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Modulation Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Other Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 10. Options Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Loop Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Loop Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Pre/Post-Roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
QuickPunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Dynamic Transport Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Transport Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
MIDI Thru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Chapter 11. Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Playback Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
I/O. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
MIDI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Click/Countoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Chapter 12. Window Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Arrange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Close Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Score Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Task Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Memory Locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
System Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Contents v
Chapter 13. Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Check For Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Display M-Powered Information Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
About Pro Tools M-Powered Essential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chapter 14. Region List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Region List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Essential Menus Guidevi

Chapter 1: Introduction

This guide summarizes Pro Tools® M-Powered™ Essential menus along with their commands and options, as well as the Region List and its commands and tools.
For more information about any item, see the Pro Tools
M-Powered Essential User Guide, or refer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide (installed inside your Pro Tools\
Documentation folder).
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Essential Menus Guide2

Chapter 2: Pro Tools Menu (Mac Only)

The Pro Tools Menu commands include links to Pro Tools Preferences, access to Mac OS X application management, and the Quit command.

Mac Application Management Commands

(Services, Hide Pro Tools M-Powered Essential, Hide Others, Show All)
The Pro Tools menu also provides access to the following Mac OS X application management commands: Services, Hide Pro Tools M-Powered Essential, Hide Others, and Show All. For more information about these and other Mac OS X fea­tures, refer to your Apple Mac documentation.
Pro Tools menu

About Pro Tools

The About Pro Tools command launches the Pro Tools M-Powered Essential banner, which includes the version number of your Pro Tools software.

Preferences

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled.

Quit

The Quit Pro Tools command ends your Pro Tools M-Powered Essential session and closes the Pro Tools application.
Chapter 2: Pro Tools Menu (Mac Only) 3
Essential Menus Guide4

Chapter 3: File Menu

File menu commands are used to create and maintain Pro Tools sessions.
File menu

Save As

The Save As command lets you save a copy of the current ses­sion under a different name, or in a different location. Because the Save As command closes the current session and allows you to keep working on the renamed copy, it is useful for sav­ing successive stages of the session.

Revert to Saved

The Revert to Saved command restores the most recently saved version of a session, discarding all changes made since the last time you saved. Reverting to the last saved version of a session is like closing the session without saving changes and reopening it.

New Session

The New Session command lets you create and name a new Pro Tools M-Powered Essential session.

Open Session

The Open command opens a session previously created with Pro Tools. Only one session can be open at a time.

Close Session

The Close command closes the current session without quit­ting Pro Tools. Pro Tools prompts you to save changes before closing the session.

Save

The Save command saves changes made since the last time the session was saved. You cannot undo the Save command.

Save Copy In

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Save As Template

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing it. Be sure that the Help menu item Display M-Powered In- formation Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a check­mark appears next to it in the Help menu).
Chapter 3: File Menu 5

Send via DigiDelivery

Resolution Selects the bit depth. Choices are 24-bit, 16-bit, or 8-bit resolution.
This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Send to Sibelius

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Bounce to Commands

The Bounce to commands let you mix tracks together into one file.

Bounce to Disk

The Bounce to Disk command allows you to mix together the outputs of all currently audible tracks routed to a common output path to create a new audio file. You can use the Bounce to Disk command to create a submix or to create a final mix in any of several audio file formats.
For more information, see the Essential User Guide.
Bounce Source Selects the audio output path to bounce. Only audio routed to the selected path will be included in the bounce.
Sample Rate Selects the sample rate.
Whenever a Bounce to Disk is configured to a different file type, file format, resolution, or sample rate, additional op­tions become available to convert during or after the bounce. See “Additional Bounce Options” on page 6 for more information.
Import After Bounce Automatically imports the audio after it is bo unced and adds it to the Region List so that it ca n be used in the session.
The Import After Bounce option is only available if the tar­get file type and sample rate for the bounce are the same as the file type and sample rate of the current session, and the target resolution (bit rate) is the same or lower than the res­olution of the session. In addition, tracks bounced to a Ste­reo Interleaved file cannot be imported after a bounce.
Additional Bounce Options
The following Bounce options are only available when bounc­ing to a different file type, format, resolution, or sample rate.
Conversion Quality Selects the quality, with option ranging from lowest to highest, when bouncing to a new sample rate.
Use Squeezer Optimizes the dynamics of the bounced audio before conversion to 8-bit resolution.
Convert During Bounce Automatically performs file type, sam­ple rate, and bit resolution conversion as the file is being bounced.
Convert After Bounce Automatically performs file type, sam­ple rate, and bit resolution conversion after the file has been bounced.
Enforce Avid Compatibility Creates frame-accurate edits, wraps the files as OMFI (unless File Type is MXF), and limits the sam­ple rate options to 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. Dithering without noise shaping will be applied to files being exported from 24-bit to 16-bit.
File Type Selects the audio file type. Choices include BWF (.WAV), AIFF, and MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3). Windows systems also include Windows Media (Windows). Mac systems also in­clude SD II and Sound Resource. Systems with the DigiTrans­lator™ option also support MXF audio files. Creating an MP3 requires the MP3 Option (not included). Certain file types are restricted in regards to format, resolution, and sample rate.
Format Selects the channel format (number of channels). Choices are mono (summed), multiple mono, or interleaved.
Essential Menus Guide6

Import

Export

Pro Tools provides several menu commands to import files and regions into an open session.

Import Session Data

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Import Audio

This command lets you import audio files into the current ses­sion. Audio files can be imported into a new track (and the Re­gion List), or the Region List only.

Import MIDI

The Import MIDI command imports all tracks from a Standard MIDI f il e int o Pro T oo ls . MID I files can be imported into a new track (and the Region List) or the Region List only.
Options are provided for importing the Session Start or Song Start Marker (if the marker is not located at the session start), importing tempo map data contained in the sequence, and re­moving existing Instrument or MIDI tracks.

Import Video

Pro Tools provides several menu commands to export session tracks or data as files.

Export MIDI

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Export Sibelius

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Exit

(Windows Only)
The Exit command ends your Pro Tools session and closes the Pro Tools M-Powered application.
This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).
Chapter 3: File Menu 7
Essential Menus Guide8

Chapter 4: Edit Menu

Edit menu commands are used to edit and manipulate the cur­rently selected material in the timeline or the clipboard.

Restore Last Selection

If you lose the current Edit (or Timeline) selection and want to restore it, use the Restore Last Selection command.
If no actions are available to restore, the menu displays a grayed out Restore Last Selection.
Cut
This command cuts a selection out of its current location and stores it in memory so that you can paste it elsewhere.

Copy

This command copies a selection (leaving the original intact) and stores it in memory so that you can paste it elsewhere.
Edit Menu

Undo

The Undo command lets you sequentially undo up to 10 of your previous actions. Certain commands and actions (such as saving) are not undoable. The last command in the undo queue will appear in the menu (for example, “Undo Paste”).
If no actions are available to undo, the menu displays a grayed out Can’t Undo.

Redo

After undoing a command or action, you can redo it by choos­ing the Redo command. This is a good way to compare before and after states of edits.
If no actions are available to redo, the menu displays a grayed out Can’t Redo.

Paste

This command inserts cut or copied data into a location spec­ified with an Edit tool (such as the Selector tool).

Clear

This command removes the contents within a selection in the Edit window.

Select All

This command selects all audio and MIDI data in one or more tracks.
To select all regions in a single track, select a portion of the
track, or click the Selector anywhere in a track and choose Se­lect All.
To select all regions on multiple tracks, Shift-click a region
on each track with the Selector or Grabber and choose Select All.
To select all regions on all tracks, Select the “All” Edit Group
in the Groups List, click the Selector anywhere in a track, and choose Select All.
Chapter 4: Edit Menu 9

Duplicate

Strip Silence

This command copies a selection and places it immediately af­ter the end of that selection in a track.

Snap To

This command provides two options for “butt splicing” suc­cessive elements on a track.
Next Snaps a region (or Edit selection containing whole re­gions) to the beginning of the next region in a track.
Previous Snaps a region (or Edit selection containing whole re­gions) to the end of the preceding region

Separate Region

These commands separate a region from adjacent data in the track where it was created. By separating a region you will also create by-product regions from data on either side of the sep­aration. The Separate Region commands automatically un­loop and flatten looped regions before separating.
Separate Region includes the following commands:
At Selection This command creates new region boundaries at the selection start and end points.
This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Consolidate

This command consolidates multiple regions into a single re­gion. When an audio track is consolidated, a new audio file is written that encompasses the selection range, including any blank space or fades.

Fades

These commands let you create (or delete) a crossfade between two adjacent audio regions, or a fade-in or fade-out of a single region. Crossfade duration, position, and shape are all select­able. A selection that crosses multiple regions will create cross­fades for each of the region transitions. If a selection includes regions that already contain crossfades, the existing crossfades will be modified.
When separating regions that include fades, the status of the fade depends on the Preserve Fades when Editing preference.
On Grid This command constrains newly created regions to start and end on grid points.

Heal Separation

This command repairs separated regions, provided that the re­gions are contiguous and their relative start and end points haven’t changed since they were originally separated. If you have trimmed or changed the start and end points of the two regions, or moved them away from each other, they cannot be repaired with the Heal Separation command.

Mute/Unmute Region

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).
Fades dialog
Create The Create command produces a crossfade between ad­jacent regions according to parameters you specify with the Fades editor.
Delete The Delete command removes a crossfade between ad­jacent regions.
Essential Menus Guide10

Chapter 5: View Menu

View menu options and commands control the display of Pro Tools windows, tracks, and track data. Some View menu options toggle the display of various Pro Tools windows or data: selecting the option displays the data, and deselecting the option hides the data.
View Menu

Edit Window Views

These options selectively display the following views in the Edit window:
• Comments
• Instruments
•Inserts A-C
•Sends A–E
•I/O
• Track Color

Rulers

These options selectively display various Timebase and Con­ductor rulers in the Edit window. In addition to providing a timing reference for track material, Timebase rulers are used to define Edit and Timeline selections.

Mix Window

These options selectively display the following views in the Mix window:
•Instruments
•Inserts A-C
•Sends A–E
•Track Color
• Comments

Narrow Mix

This option reduces the width of Mix channels on-screen, al­lowing you to display the maximum number of tracks on your computer monitor. In this view, track names, names of sends, and plug-in names are abbreviated to accommodate the smaller view. To return to normal view width, choose this command again.
Besides selecting individual rulers, you can select All of the rulers, or None of them.
Timebase Rulers
Any or all of the following Timebase rulers can be displayed at the top of the Edit window:
• Bars:Beats
•Minutes:Seconds
Conductor Rulers
Any or all of the following Conductor rulers can be displayed:
•Markers
• Tempo (and Tempo Editor)
•Meter
The Tempo, Meter, Key Signature and Chord Symbols rulers indicate changes in tempo, meter, key signature, and chords within the session. The Markers ruler displays Markers to im­portant track locations.
The Tempo Editor is an expansion of the Tempo ruler, open­ing in the rulers section of the Edit window.
Chapter 5: View Menu 11

Other Displays

Wavefor ms

These options allow you to show or hide the Universe view, the Track List, Regions List, or the MIDI Editor. A check mark indicates an open display.
Universe The Universe view displays an overview of the entire session, representing audio and MIDI material on all tracks that are not hidden (including tracks that are inactive, or that contain offline regions). The order in which material is dis­played in the Universe view corresponds to the track order in the Edit window.
In the Universe view, audio, MIDI, and video regions on tracks are represented by horizontal lines that are the same colors as the regions on the tracks. Additionally, each channel in a ste­reo or multichannel audio track is represented individually.
Regions List This option shows or hides the Regions List.
MIDI Editor This option opens a MIDI Editor docked within
the Edit window. This option appears grayed out if no MIDI editor window is available.
Waveforms can be displayed normally (as positive and nega­tive shapes around the zero crossing) or rectified. They can also be calculated as Peak or Power whether displayed nor­mally or rectified. Any waveform can have an Outline.
Peak When selected, the waveform display is calculated based on the sample-by-sample peak level. Peak view is traditionally how Pro Tools calculates the waveform overview and can be used for normal or rectified views. Peak view clearly displays any clipping in the waveform
Power When selected, the wave form display is calculated ac­cording to the Root Mean Square (RMS). Power view can be used for normal or rectified views. When zoomed in to the sample level, Pro Tools always displays Peak view, but Power view is useful for better seeing the characteristics of the audio in the waveform representation when zoomed out beyond the sample level. For mastering applications in particular, it can be more revealing of the sonic characteristics of the audio than Peak view.
Rectified When selected, 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. Rectified Waveform view is an option that can be enabled in Peak or Power views.
Outline When selected, audio waveforms are outlined.

Sends A–E

These options display either send assignments for all sends, or the controls for individual sends (Sends A–E). Select Assign­ment to display all five of these send assignments.

Transpor t

These options selectively display Counters, MIDI Controls, Synchronization, and Expanded controls in the Transport window.
Essential Menus Guide12

Chapter 6: Track Menu

Track menu commands are used to create, manage, and edit tracks.
Track M enu

New Track

The New Track command lets you add one or more new audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, Master Faders, MIDI or Instrument tracks to a session.
Audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, and Master faders can be mono or stereo.

Delete

This command removes selected tracks from a session. While audio or MIDI region data will remain in the Region List, the track and its arrangement of the regions on the deleted track (the track’s playlist) will be lost.

Group

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Clear All Clip Indicators

This command clears all clip indication from all meters.
New Track dialog

Make Inactive or Make Active

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Create Click Track

This command lets you create one or more click tracks. Click tracks are Auxiliary Input tracks with the Click plug-in already inserted.
Chapter 6: Track Menu 13
Essential Menus Guide14

Chapter 7: Region Menu

Region menu commands are used to manage and edit regions.
Region Menu

Loop

The Loop command lets you loop audio, video, and MIDI re­gions so they repeat again and again while Pro Tools is in ac­tion playing back. Selecting one or more regions and choosing Region > Loop displays the Loop dialog, where you can specify how long you want the selection to loop. Similar to (but more flexible than) the Edit > Duplicate command, the Loop dialog automates all the copy/paste involved in

Unloop

The Unloop command lets you switch looped regions back to standard (unlooped) regions so that they can be edited indi­vidually.

Edit Lock/Unlock Region

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Group

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Rename

This command lets you rename the selected region. When re­naming a region that was auto-created during editing, the re­gion becomes a user-defined region and is displayed in the Re­gion List even when auto-created regions are hidden.

Quantize to Grid

This command adjusts the placement of a selected audio or MIDI region in a track so that its start point (or Sync Point, if it contains one) precisely aligns to the nearest Grid boundary. Grid units are chosen from the Grid pop-up menu in the Edit window.

Elastic Properties

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).
Chapter 7: Region Menu 15

Conform to Tempo

This command lets you conform regions on Elastic Audio–en­abled tracks (both sample- and tick-based) to the session tempo. If necessary, the Conform to Tempo command ana­lyzes the selected region to determine its tempo and duration (in bars and beats), and then applies Elastic Audio processing to conform the region to match the session tempo.

Remove Warp

This command removes warping applied to a region, but leaves underlying Warp markers intact. This feature will only remove warping created by Warp markers (that is, warping caused by quantization or tempo mapping). This can be useful if you are not satisfied with the results and want to revert to the pre-warped region. (For information on working with Warp markers, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.)

Remove Pitch Shift

This command removes pitch shifts applied to Elastic Au­dio–enabled regions using the Pitch Shift option in the Elastic Properties dialog.
Essential Menus Guide16

Chapter 8: Event Menu

The Event menu contains commands for editing audio and MIDI events.
Ev
Event Menu

Event Operations

Pro Tools provides several commands for changing event data over a range of time (or measures). The Event Operations com­mands include:

Event Operations Window

The Event Operations window provides commands to trans­form groups of MIDI notes to affect pitch, timing, and phras­ing. The Quantize and Restore Performance Event Operations can also be applied to audio region start times (or sync points) or Elastic Audio events.
• Quantize
• Transpose

Quantize

This command lets you adjust the placement of selected MIDI or audio events in a track using Grid Quantize.
Event Operations window, Quantize page
Grid Quantize lets you adjust the placement of selected MIDI events, Elastic Audio events, or audio regions in a track so that their start or end points precisely align to the quantization value chosen.
Chapter 8: Event Menu 17

Transpose

This command transposes selected MIDI notes in key up or down by scale steps.
Event Operations window, Transpose page

Step Input

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Identify Beat

This command lets you establish a tempo/meter map for au­dio that was recorded without listening to a click, or for im­ported audio with unknown tempos.
Identify Beat dialog
The Identify Beat command analyzes a selection range (usu­ally with a distinct number of beats or measures) and calcu­lates its tempo based on the specified meter. In doing this, Bar|Beat markers for the calculated tempo are inserted and ap­pear in the Tempo Ruler at the beginning and end of the se­lection. in addition, meter events are inserted into the Meter Ruler.

Beat Detective

MIDI Real-Time Properties

This command opens the Real-Time Properties window. This window lets you adjust and apply MIDI quantization, dura­tion, delay, velocity, and transposition parameters during playback.
MIDI Real-Time Properties window
This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).
This command opens the Beat Detective window. Beat Detec­tive automatically detects the tempo of a session and con­forms an audio track or selection to that tempo by separating it into regions and aligning it to the beats. Beat Detective is ideal for tailoring a performance to a groove.
This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).
Beat Detective window

All MIDI Notes Off

This command sends an All Notes Off MIDI message to all MIDI devices connected to your system to silence any stuck notes.
Essential Menus Guide18

Chapter 9: AudioSuite Menu

The AudioSuite™ menu allows you to access all AudioSuite plug-ins provided in Pro Tools M-Powered Essential. Audio­Suite plug-ins are non-real-time, file-based processing plug-ins for Pro Tools.
AudioSuite Menu
For more information about file-based processing, and for details on each of the AudioSuite plug-ins, refer to the
Essential Plug-ins Guide.

Dynamics Plug-ins

Compressor/Limiter III
The Compressor/Limiter III plug-in applies either compres­sion or limiting to audio material, depending on the ratio of compression used.
The Compressor reduces the dynamic range of signals that ex­ceed a selected threshold by a specific amount.
The Limiter is used to prevent signal peaks from ever exceed­ing a chosen level so that they do not overload amplifiers or recording devices.
De-Esser III
The De-Esser reduces sibilants and other high frequency noises that can occur in vocals, voice-overs, and wind instru­ments such as flutes. These sounds can cause peaks in an audio signal and lead to distortion.

EQ Plug-ins

1 Band, and 7 Band EQ III
The EQ III plug-ins adjust the frequency spectrum of an audio selection. These plug-ins are flexible EQ types for maximum CPU and DSP efficiency.
On the 1 Band EQ, the EQ Type selector lets you choose any one of six available filter types: High-Pass, Notch, High-Shelf, Low-Shelf, Peak, and Low-Pass.
On the 7 Band EQ and the 2–4 Band EQ, t he HPF, LPF , LF , and HF sections have EQ Type selectors to toggle between the two available filter types in each section.
The DeEsser reduces these unwanted sounds using fast-acting compression. A Threshold control sets the level above which compression starts, and a Frequency control sets the fre­quency band in which the DeEsser operates.
Expander/Gate III
The Expander/Gate III plug-in applies expansion or gating to audio material, depending on the ratio setting.
The Expander/Gate plug-in is useful for reducing noise or sig­nal leakage that creeps into recorded material as its level falls, as often occurs in the case of headphone leakage.

Reverb Plug-ins

D-Verb
D-Verb is a studio-quality reverb. Reverberation processing can simulate the complex natural reflections and echoes that occur after a sound has been produced, imparting a sense of an acoustic environment. D-Verb artificially creates a sound space with a specific acoustic character.
Chapter 9: AudioSuite Menu 19

Delay Plug-ins

Modulation Plug-ins

Delay
The Delay plug-in provides time delay-based effects, with up to 10.9 seconds of delay (regardless of the sample rate). In ad­dition to long delays, you can create many delay-based effects with this plug-in, including slap echo, doubling, chorusing, and flanging.
Multi-Tap Delay
The Multi-Tap Delay plug-in adds up to four indepen­dently-controllable delays or taps to the original audio signal. By allowing you to individually control the delay time and number of repetitions of each of the four taps, the Multi-Tap delay provides greater flexibility than standard single-delay devices.
Ping-Pong Delay
The Ping-Pong Delay plug-in modifies an audio signal by add­ing a controllable delay to the original signal. It is ideal for adding spatialization, and when used in stereo, adds panned echo to virtually any instrument. In stereo mode, this plug-in will feed back delayed signals to their opposite channels, cre­ating a characteristic ping-pong echo effect.
Chorus
The Chorus plug-in modifies an audio signal by combining a time-delayed, pitch-shifted copy with the original signal. It is ideal for thickening and adding a shimmering quality to gui­tars, keyboards, and other instruments.
Flanger
The Flanger plug-in combines a time-delayed, pitch shifted copy of an audio signal with itself. The Flanger differs from other digital flangers in that it uses a thru-zero flanging algo­rithm that results in a truer tape-like flange. This technique delays the original dry signal very slightly (approximately 256 samples), then modulates the delayed signal back and forth in time in relation to the dry signal, passing through its zero point on the way.\

Other Plug-ins

The Other Plug-in category includes plug-ins that do not fit into a standard category, or third party plug-ins that have not had a category designated to them by their manufacturer.
Reverse
The Reverse plug-in rewrites the currently selected region in reverse, producing a backwards audio effect.
Essential Menus Guide20

Chapter 10: Options Menu

The Options menu commands let you select several editing, recording, monitoring, playback, and display options.
Options Menu

Loop Record

Pre/Post-Roll

This option enables pre- and post-roll playback, which let you have Pro Tools “back up” a bit before the current play/edit point (Pre-roll) or “keep going” for a bit after the current play/edit point (Post-roll). Pre- and post-roll amounts can be entered in the Transport window, set from a track’s playlist or Timebase Ruler, or by recalling a Memory Location.

QuickPunch

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).
Loop Record lets you record take after take while the same sec­tion of audio repeats. This is a convenient technique for quickly recording multiple takes of a part without losing spon­taneity.
The time range that is looped and recorded—which must be at least one second in length—is defined by selecting a range in the Ruler or in a track’s playlist, or by specifying start and end points in the Transport window.

Loop Playback

This option continuously loops playback of a selection until you stop playback. Looping playback is a useful way to check the rhythmic continuity of a selection when working with musical material. Selections must be at least 0.5 seconds in length to use Loop Playback.

Dynamic Transport Mode

This mode lets you decouple the playback start location from the Timeline selection. This means that you can start playback from anywhere on the Timeline without losing your Timeline or Edit selections.

Transport Online

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Click

When the Click command is enabled, a metronome event is generated during playback and recording. The metronome can trigger an external MIDI device (as specified by the Output setting in the Click/Countoff Options dialog) or the DigiRack Click TDM or RTAS
®
plug-in (see the DigiRack Plug-ins Guide).
Chapter 10: Options Menu 21

MIDI Thru

Enabling the MIDI Thru command routes MIDI from your controllers to the devices and channels assigned to the MIDI track currently record-enabled. This allows you to monitor MIDI tracks while recording.
Essential Menus Guide22

Chapter 11: Setup Menu

This menu provides commands to open dialogs and windows for configuring various Pro Tools hardware and software pa­rameters.
Setup Menu

Peripherals

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).
I/O
This I/O Setup dialog provides tools to label and map Pro Tools input, output, and bus signal paths. The I/O Setup dialog also lets you configure delay compensation for hard­ware inserts.

Hardware

The Hardware Setup dialog lets you specify settings for your hardware and sessions. Configure the settings for any audio interface connected to your system by selecting it from the Pe­ripherals list.
Refer to the Pro Tools M-Powered Essential Guide for more infor­mation.

Playback Engine

This Playback Engine lets you set a hardware buffer size, define the RTAS Processors allocation on multi-processor computers, allocate a percentage of CPU resources for these tasks, and configure host error reporting for playback and recording.

MIDI

MIDI Studio

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

MIDI Beat Clock

This command lets you enable synchronization for certain MIDI devices (such as drum machines, software synthesizers, and hardware sequencers) to MIDI Beat Clock. Devices se­lected in the MIDI Beat Clock dialog will receive the MIDI Beat Clock signal. If your MIDI interface does not support transmit­ting MIDI Beat Clock to separate ports, the interface will ap­pear as the only destination.
Chapter 11: Setup Menu 23

Click/Countoff

This command lets you configure metronome parameters such as MIDI note, velocity, duration, and output. If you are using the Click plug-in, set the output to None.
Click/Countoff Options dialog

Preferences

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).
Essential Menus Guide24

Chapter 12: Window Menu

The Window menu provides commands to toggle the display of various Pro Tools windows: selecting the command dis­plays the window; selecting the command again hides the window.
Window Menu

Arrange

The Arrange commands tile or cascade all open windows. Floating windows (such as plug-in, output, and send win­dows) and the Transport window are not affected by these commands.
Tile Arranges all open windows in a tiled pattern on the screen.
Tile Horizontal Arranges all open windows in a horizon­tally-tiled pattern on the screen. This option is not available if there are too many windows open.
Tile Vertical Arranges all open windows in a vertically-tiled pattern, side by side, on the screen. This option is not avail­able if there are too many windows open.
Cascade Arranges all open windows in a cascading pattern on the screen.
For Window menu items, keyboard shortcuts with number keys only work using the numeric keypad on your com­puter.

Configurations

The Configurations menu provides commands and options to manage the configuration of windows in your session, as well as the internal window configurations of the Edit, Mix, Trans­port, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows.

New Configuration

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).

Close Window

Closes the currently targeted window.
Mix
This command displays the Mix window, used for recording and mixing tasks.

Edit

This command displays the Edit window, used for graphical editing and arranging of audio, MIDI and automation.

Score Editor

This command is available when you purchase Pro Tools M-Powered.
You can read more about this command on-screen by select­ing this menu command. Be sure that the Help menu item Dis- play M-Powered Information Dialogs is enabled (select that item so that a checkmark appears next to it in the Help menu).
Chapter 12: Window Menu 25

Task Manager

Memory Locations

This command displays the Task Window, used to monitor, pause, or cancel ongoing processing tasks. If you think your computer is slowing down, check the Task Manager; it may show that your computer is merely busy trying to convert an audio file or calculate fades in the background, as would be shown in the Task Manager

Workspace

This command displays the Workspace browser, which can be used for searching, sorting, auditioning, and importing data.

Transpor t

This command opens the Transport window. This window can display counters, MIDI controls, and basic or expanded transport controls (configure the Transport window from View > Transport).
Transp or t window
This command opens the Memory Locations window. Here you can store up to 200 time location markers, selections, zoom settings, pre- and post-roll times, track show and hide states, track height states, and group enables. To recall a mem­ory location, click the button for the location or, on your com­puter’s numeric keypad, press the number of the location fol­lowed by a period (.).
Memory Locations window

System Usage

This command opens the System Usage window. This window provide meters that indicate how much of your system’s pro­cessing power is being used in processing audio, and when writing and playing back automation.
There are four system activity meters:
•PCI
•CPU (RTAS
• CPU (Elastic)
•Disk
System Usage window (Pro Tools HD shown)
For information on these indicators, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
Essential Menus Guide26

Chapter 13: Help Menu

The Help menu commands provide links to important Pro Tools documentation, including Intro to Pro Tools
M-Powered Essential, Pro Tools M-Powered Essential User Guide,
and Pro Tools M-Powered Essential Plug-ins Guide, as well as other guides for menus and shortcuts (with your keyboard or mouse Right-click button).
Select the title of the document from the Pro Tools menu to open the document in Adobe Reader (available from www.adobe.com).

Check For Updates

This command allows you to check for Pro Tools M-Powered Essential application and Digidesign plug-in updates, either automatically or manually. An internet connection is required to be able to check for updates.
If updates are available for Pro Tools or any plug-ins, you are notified about what is available and how important the up­dates are for your system. You can then visit the Digidesign website to locate, download, and install the appropriate up­dates for your Pro Tools system.

Display M-Powered Information Dialogs

This command enables the icons and information dialogs for various commands within Pro Tools M-Powered Essential.
Help Menu

About Pro Tools M-Powered Essential

(Windows Only)
The About Pro Tools command launches the Pro Tools ban­ner, which includes the version number of your Pro Tools software.
Chapter 13: Help Menu 27
Essential Menus Guide28

Chapter 14: Region List

Region List

The Edit Window displays all audio regions, MIDI regions, video regions, and region groups in a single, comprehensive Region List.
The pop-up menu at the top of the Region List provides menu commands and tools to clear and rename items in the list.
Region List Menu

Clear

This command lets you remove unwanted regions from the session. Whole-file regions can also be removed permanently from your hard drive.
Clearing whole-file regions is destructive and cannot be undone. It permanently removes the file from your hard drive. There is no way to recover files deleted with this command.

Rename

This command lets you rename selected regions.
When you rename a whole-file audio region, you can specify whether to rename just the region, or both the region and the disk file.

Recalculate Waveform Overviews

This command re-creates the session’s waveform overview data (the data used to create waveform displays). Use this com­mand if you think overview data for a session has become cor­rupted, or if you import audio files which have no overview data into a session.
Recalculating waveform overviews may take some time if there are many tracks in the session.
Chapter 14: Region List 29
Essential Menus Guide30

index

Numerics
1-Band EQ plug-in 19 2–4 Band EQ plug-in 19 7 Band EQ plug-in 19
A
About Pro Tools command 3, 27 All MIDI Notes Off command 18 Assignment View option 12 AudioSuite menu 19
Delay plug-ins 20 Dynamics plug-ins 19 EQ plug-ins 19 Modulation plug-ins 20 Reverb plug-ins 19
B
Beat Detective command 18 Bounce options
Conversion Quality 6 Convert After Bounce 6 Convert During Bounce 6 Enforce Avid Compatibility 6 File Type 6 Format 6 Import After Bounce 6 Resolution 6 Sample Rate 6 Source 6 Use Squeezer 6
Bounce to Disk command 6
C
Chorus plug-in 20 Clear All Clip Indicators 13 Clear command 9 Clear Region List command 29 Clear Trim Automation command 13 Click Setup command 24 Click/Countoff Options command 21 Close Session command 5 Compressor plug-in 19 Conductor rulers 11 Consolidate command 10 Conversion Quality option 6 Convert After Bounce option 6 Convert During Bounce option 6 Copy command 9 Counters Transport view option 12 Create Click Track command 13 Create Fades command 10 Cut command 9
D
Delay plug-ins
Delay 20 Multi-Tap Delay 20
Ping-Pong Delay 20 Delete Fades command 10 Delete Tracks command 13 DigiRack Delay plug-in 20 Display menu
Narrow Mix window option 11 Duplicate command 10 D-Verb 19 Dynamic Transport Mode 21
Dynamics plug-ins
Compressor III 19 Expander-Gate 19 Limiter plug-in 19
E
Edit menu 9
Clear command 9 Consolidate command 10 Copy command 9 Cut command 9 Duplicate command 10 Fades commands 10 Heal Separation command 10 Paste command 9 Redo command 9 Select All command 9 Separate Region commands 10 Snap To commands 10 Undo command 9
Edit window
Universe view 12 Edit Window command 25 Edit Window view options 11 EQ III plug-ins 19 Event menu
All MIDI Notes Off command 18
Beat Detective command 18
Event Operations commands 17
Identify Beat command 18
MIDI Real-Time Properties command 18 Event Operations commands 17
Quantize 17
Transpose 18 Exit command 7 Expanded Transport view option 12 Expander-Gate plug-in 19 Export commands 7
F
Fades commands 10
Create 10
Delete 10 File menu 5
Bounce to commands 6
Close Session command 5
Exit command 7
Export commands 7
Import Audio command 7
Import MIDI command 7
New Session command 5
Open Session command 5
Revert to Saved command 5
Save As command 5
Save command 5 Flanger plug-in 20
G
Group Region command 15
H
Hardware Setup dialog 23 Heal Separation command 10 Help menu
Pro Tools documentation 27 Hide Others command 3 Hide Pro Tools command 3
Index 31
I
I/O Setup dialog 23 Identify Beat command 18 Import Audio command 7 Import commands 7 Import MIDI command 7
Reverse plug-in 20 Revert to Saved command 5 rulers
Conductor rulers 11 Timebase rulers 11
Rulers view options 11
L
Limiter plug-in 19 Loop Playback option 21 Loop Record mode 21 Loop Region command 15
M
Memory Locations Window command 26 MIDI Beat Clock command 23 MIDI Controls Transport view option 12 MIDI Real-Time Properties command 18 MIDI Setup commands
MIDI Beat Clock 23 MIDI Thru command 22 Mix Window command 25 Mix Window view options 11 Modulation plug-ins 20
Chorus 20
Flanger 20 Multi-Tap Delay plug-in 20
N
Narrow Mix window option 11 New Session command 5 New Track command 13
O
Open Session command 5 Options menu
Click/Countoff command 21
Dynamic Transport Mode 21
Loop Playback option 21
Loop Record mode 21
MIDI Thru command 22
Pre/Post Roll option 21 Other plug-ins
Reverse plug-in 20
P
Paste command 9 Peripherals dialog
Synchronization page 23 Ping-Pong Delay plug-in 20 Playback Engine dialog 23 Pre/Post Roll option 21 Pro Tools documentation 27 Pro Tools menu 3
About Pro Tools command 3, 27
Hide Others command 3
Hide Pro Tools command 3
Quit Pro Tools command 3
Services command 3
Show All command 3
Q
Quantize command 17 Quantize to Grid command 15 Quit Pro Tools command 3
R
Recalculate Waveform Overviews command 29 Redo command 9 Region List menu 29
Clear command 29
Recalculate Waveform Overviews command 29
Rename command 29 Region menu 15
Group command 15
Loop command 15
Quantize to Grid command 15
Unloop command 15 Rename Region List command 29 Restore Last Selection command 9
Essential Menus Guide32
S
Save As command 5 Save command 5 Select All command 9 Sends A–E view options 12 Separate Region commands 10
At Selection 10
On Grid 10 Services command 3 Setup menu 23
Click command 24
Hardware Setup dialog 23
I/O dialog 23
Playback Engine dialog 23 Show All command 3 sibilants 19 Snap To commands 10
Next 10
Previous 10 Synchronization page 23 System Usage Window command 26
T
Task Manager Window command 26 Timebase rulers 11 Track menu
Clear All Clip Indicators command 13
Clear Trim Automation 13
Create Click Track 13
Delete command 13
New Track command 13 Transport view options 12 Transport Window command 26 Transpose command 18
U
Undo command 9 Universe window 12 Unloop Region command 15 Use Squeezer option 6
V
View menu 11
Edit Window view options 11
Mix Window view options 11
Rulers view options 11
Sends A–E view options 12
Transport view options 12
Waveform view options 12
W
Waveform view options
Outline views 12
Peak view 12
Power view 12
Rectified view 12 Window menu 25
Edit command 25
Memory Locations command 26
Mix command 25
System Usage command 26
Task Manager command 26
Transport command 26
Workspace command 26 Workspace browser 26 Workspace Window command 26
www.digidesign.com
DIGIDESIGN
2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA
TECHNICAL SUPPORT (USA)
Visit the Digidesign Online Support Center at www.digidesign.com/support
PRODUCT INFORMATION
For company and product information, visit us on the web at www.digidesign.com
Loading...