Exercise 1 Getting Started In the first two chapters of the Pro Tools 110 book, you learned how to intelligently set up your session and discovered some of the benefits of using external controllers in conjunction with Pro Tools. Optimizing your setup will result in maximum power and ease of use. This first exercise will take you through the process of building a solid foundation for your creative work and will explore other ways to maximize your effectiveness as a Pro Tools user.
Objectives In this exercise, you will: •
Configure custom I/O (Input/Output) settings for specific recording tasks
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Import and export I/O settings files
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Configure your Playback Engine settings to optimize the power of your host computer for recording
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Experiment with tactile control features of a Digi 002, 003, or Command|8 control surface
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Customize the view of the Edit and Mix windows
Notes
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Creating a New Session To complete this exercise, you will need to create a new session. You will use a 24-bit session with a 44.1 kHz sample rate. Create a new session:
1. Launch Pro Tools. In most cases, the Quick Start dialog box will open. If not, choose FILE > NEW SESSION, or press COMMAND+N (Mac OS) or CONTROL+N (Windows) to open the New Session dialog box. 2. In the Quick Start or New Session dialog box, choose the following settings:
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CREATE BLANK SESSION from the radio buttons
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BWF (WAV) from the Audio File Type pop-up
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44.1 KHZ from the Sample Rate pop-up menu
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24 BIT under Bit Depth
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STEREO MIX from the I/O Settings pop-up menu
You might need to click the disclosure triangle next to Session Parameters in the Quick Start dialog box in order to access the Audio File Type, Bit Depth, Sample Rate, and I/O Settings parameters.
Disclosure triangle
The Quick Start dialog box
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The New Session dialog box with Session Parameter settings selected for this exercise
3. Click OK to accept the settings. A second dialog box will open prompting you to name the session. 4. Name the session “110 Exercise 1 [Your Initials]”, and navigate to the drive location identified by your instructor to save your session.
Name your session with your initials and save it to the location specified by your instructor.
5. Click SAVE. A new session will open without any tracks.
Customizing your I/O Though the I/O setup named “Stereo Mix” provides a good starting point for many projects, customizing your Inputs and Outputs can be useful in specific situations. In this part of the exercise, you will import I/O settings from an I/O settings file, clear all output paths, create your own paths for a stereo output, and configure the existing input paths for recording a rock band. Your input paths will simulate using a Digi 002 system with an M-Audio Octane connected via Lightpipe. To get started, you will import the default I/O settings for a Digi 002 into your current session.
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Import default Digi 002 I/O Settings:
1. Choose SETUP > I/O to open the I/O Setup dialog box, and click the IMPORT SETTINGS button (at the bottom of the window). 2. In the ensuing dialog box, navigate to the “110 Files for Ex1” folder in the location specified by your instructor. 3. Select the “002 IO.pio” file and click the OPEN button. A dialog box will appear on screen prompting you to delete or retain unused paths. 4. Choose YES in the dialog box to delete the existing unused paths. The Digi 002 I/O settings will be applied. If you are using a system with a smaller audio interface, such as the Mbox 2, the signal paths for inputs 5 and above will be grayed out, indicating that the hardware inputs are not available with your interface. However, you will still be able to label the paths and sub-paths to prepare an I/O settings file for use with a Digi 002 or 003.
The 002 IO settings as displayed on a system with an Mbox 2 interface
Clear the output paths and create new paths and sub-paths:
1. Click on the OUTPUT tab, if not already selected, and delete all the existing output paths: •
Select all paths by holding the shift key while clicking on each of them.
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With all paths selected, click the DELETE PATH button. The paths will disappear.
2. With the OUTPUT tab still selected, click the NEW PATH button once. A new path called Path 1 will appear on the left side of the dialog box. 3. Double-click the path name and type “Stereo Out” as a descriptive name for the path; press RETURN or ENTER.
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4. Click on the question mark in the field to the right of the path name and choose STEREO from the pop-up menu.
Setting the path format to Stereo
5. Finally, click in the grid area to the right of the path format button (the cursor will become a pencil) to assign the first output for your path. Click in the square for output 1; outputs 1 and 2 will become selected as the left and right outputs for your session.
Assigning the path outputs
6. Next, we’ll set up sub-paths within the “Stereo Out” path. With the “Stereo Out” path selected, click the NEW SUB-PATH button twice. Two new rows will display below the “Stereo Out” path. The sub-paths will automatically use the Mono format.
The Stereo Out path with two mono subpaths
7. Rename the top sub-path “Left” and the bottom sub-path “Right.” 8. For the Left sub-path, click in the first square in the grid area to assign the path to input 1; for the Right sub-path, click in the second square to assign it to input 2.
Outputs assigned for each subpath
For the next part of the exercise, you will label the input paths to correspond to the mics and instruments connected to the hardware inputs, as depicted in Figure 1 below.
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Figure 1: Diagram of hardware inputs
Label the input paths:
1. Click on the INPUT tab in the I/O Setup dialog box to display the input paths. 2. Label the first 8 stereo signal paths to identify the sound sources connected to the hardware inputs as shown in Figure 1. •
Double-click the first path name to select it for renaming.
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Press Tab to advance to successive paths.
Note that since you are labeling stereo paths, you will want to use path names that represent pairs of inputs.
Stereo input path labels
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3. Option-click (Mac OS) or Alt-click (Windows) on a disclosure triangle for one of the stereo paths to display all of the input sub-paths. 4. Rename the sub-paths as needed to clearly label signal paths for mono tracks.
Labels for mono sub-paths
5. When finished, click OK to close the I/O Setup window. 6. Save the session to store your changes. Managing I/O Settings
Your I/O settings are saved with the session file by default. However, I/O settings can also be exported from Pro Tools, allowing you to reuse settings you’ve previously created. For this part of the exercise, you will save the work you’ve done with this particular I/O setup by exporting the settings. The settings will then be available to use in other sessions. Export your I/O Settings:
1. Open the I/O Setup dialog box (SETUP > I/O). 2. At the bottom of the dialog box, click the EXPORT SETTINGS button.
A Save dialog box will open. 3. Give your I/O Settings file a descriptive name, such as “002 Rock Band.”
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4. Navigate to the location specified by your instructor to save the I/O settings file. 5. Click the SAVE button. By default, Pro Tools saves these settings to its own I/O Settings folder; you can choose to save the files to another location if needed. Your instructor may ask you to save your I/O Settings file to a different location for grading purposes. 6. When finished, close the I/O Setup dialog box.
Choosing Playback Engine Options The Playback Engine dialog box allows you to make fundamental settings that affect the performance of Pro Tools. In this part of the exercise, you will configure your Playback Engine settings and optimize your system for basic recording. Open and configure the Playback Engine:
1. From the SETUP menu, choose PLAYBACK ENGINE. The Playback Engine dialog box will open.
The Playback Engine dialog box
2. From the H/W BUFFER SIZE pop-up menu, select the lowest available audio buffer size, in samples. The available choices will vary depending on the interface you are using. It is important to set this value low while tracking to reduce latency in audio being monitored through the system. However, you may need to make adjustments depending on the actual number and type of tracks that you are recording at any given time.
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Higher Hardware Buffer Size settings are generally required when mixing and using many RTAS plug-ins for effects or virtual instruments. 3. From the RTAS PROCESSORS pop-up menu, allocate half of the available processing cores to RTAS plug-in processing (on a 4-processor system, allocate 2 processors to RTAS; on a 2processor system, allocate 1 processor to RTAS). Single-processor systems do not allow you to change this setting. 4. From the CPU USAGE LIMIT pop-up menu, set the CPU processing allocation according to the number of processing cores in your system: •
For multi-processor/multi-core systems, set CPU Usage Limit to 70%.
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For single-processor systems, set CPU Usage Limit to 85% or higher.
5. Verify the DAE Playback Buffer settings: •
Ensure that SIZE is set to 1500 ms (Level 2).
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Ensure that CACHE SIZE is set to Normal.
6. If you are using the Structure plug-in, set the Plug-In Streaming Buffer to allow Pro Tools to automatically optimize the buffer size: •
Select the checkbox next to OPTIMIZE FOR STREAMING CONTENT ON AUDIO DRIVES. The SIZE dropdown list will grey out.
7. When finished, click OK in the lower right corner of the Playback Engine window to close it. 8. Save and close the session.
Working Effectively within a Session You can further enhance your workflow by customizing the views in your on-screen windows and making effective use of your control surface. For this section, you will use a session containing 12 audio tracks representing the results of initial tracking for a rock band. Control surface features may be demonstrated by your instructor if you are using an Mbox 2. Open the “Waiting Here” session:
1. Choose FILE > OPEN SESSION and navigate to the “Waiting Here.ptt” template file inside the “110 Files for Ex1” folder. 2. Select the template file and choose OPEN. Pro Tools will create a new session based on the template file; a dialog box will open prompting you to select session parameters. 3. Select BWF (.WAV), 44.1 kHz, and 24 Bit for the session parameters and click OK. A Save dialog box will appear, allowing you to specify a name and location for your session.
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4. Name the session “Waiting Here [Your Initials]” and navigate to the drive location specified by your instructor to save your session. Click SAVE. The session will open with the Edit window displayed and maximized on screen. The audio for the session will take a few moments to come online as each of the files is generated in the new location. Hiding Tracks
The Tracks List on the left side of the Edit window shows the names of the 12 audio tracks in the session, plus the Delay Auxiliary Input track and the Master Fader track. However, you may not be able to see all of your track displays on screen at once because of the number of tracks in the session, meaning that you have to scroll the window up and down to access the tracks you need to work on. Suppose, however, that you do not need to work with the Ride, Snare Dub, and Shakers tracks in the Edit window. You can use the Tracks List to hide these tracks so that the display shows only the tracks you will be working on. By clicking the Track Show/Hide symbol in the Tracks List, you can show and hide tracks in your session as needed. Hide unneeded tracks using the Track List:
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Click the Track Show/Hide symbols (black dots) to the left of the tracks named Ride, Snare Dub, and Shakers in the Track List so that the symbols become grayed-out in the list. The tracks will disappear from the Edit window.
Hiding tracks in the Tracks list
The remaining visible tracks rearrange themselves in the Edit window accordingly. You should now be able to see the remaining audio tracks with little or no scrolling. Though the hidden tracks are no longer displayed, you’ll note during playback that they are still fully intact and audible. Using the Control Surface
If you have a Digi 002, 003, or Command|8 control surface connected to your system, you can use its tactile controls to easily perform common tasks in Pro Tools without having to reach for the mouse or keyboard.
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Transport Controls
All Pro Tools control surfaces include transport controls that replicate the functionality of the Pro Tools Transport window.
Transport controls on a Digi 002
Experiment with transport control from the control surface:
1. Press the PLAY switch on the control surface. The session will begin playing back. 2. Press and hold the FFW switch on control surface for a few seconds. The on-screen playback cursor will scroll forward rapidly with playback suspended. Playback resumes from the updated location when you release the FFW switch. 3. Press and hold the REW switch for a few seconds. The playback cursor will scroll backward rapidly with playback suspended. Forward playback resumes when you release the switch. 4. Press the STOP switch to stop playback. The insertion point returns to the spot where rewinding was last stopped. 5. Press the RTZ (Return to Zero) switch to return the insertion point to the session start. Window Controls
The control surface also provides controls for activating Pro Tools windows. You can activate the Mix window, the Edit window, or a Plug-In window using the WINDOWS switches above the Transport controls on the left. (On the 003, the Windows switches are positioned above the Jog/Shuttle wheel.)
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Activate the Mix window from the control surface:
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Press the MIX switch under the Windows section on the control surface (located above the RTZ, REW, and FFW switches on the Digi 002 and Command|8 or above the Jog/Shuttle wheel on the 003). The Mix window will become active on screen.
Open and adjust the EQ plug-in on the Tambourine track (Optional):
1. Press the INSERT Console View selector along the top left side of the control surface. The Console View selector switches are arranged horizontally on the Digi 002 and vertically on the 003 and Command|8.
Insert Console View Selector
Console View switches on a Digi 002
With the Insert selector lit, the INSERT Console View will be active on the control surface. 2. Press Insert/Send Position selector switch B to display insert position B across the scribble strips on the control surface. The channels with a plug-in present on Insert B will display the plug-in name in the scribble strip, and their Channel Select switches will light; channels without a plug-in will display a dash (—) in the scribble strip. 3. Press the Channel Select switch (SELECT or SEL) for the Tambourine track (second from the left) to select the 7-Band EQ III on that track. The control surface will change to Channel View, displaying the plug-in parameters across the encoders. 4. Press the PLUG-IN switch under the Windows section on the control surface. The 7-Band EQ III plug-in window will open on screen. 5. Experiment with the plug-in controls by adjusting the HF Frequency and HF Gain settings using the rotary encoders labeled HF F and HF G, respectively. To hear the effects of your changes, you can play back or loop a section of a chorus. 6. When finished, press the PLUG-IN switch a second time to hide the plug-in window; press the PAN Console View selector to return to the default Console View.
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Additional Display Adjustments
In the Mix window of this session you will notice that you have room to display additional channel strips. Though you hid some tracks while working in the Edit window, suppose you now want to begin mixing the session and would like to display all of your channel strips. You will need to unhide the hidden tracks. To do so, you need to display the Track List in the side column of the Mix window and then click the Track Show/Hide symbols for the hidden tracks to display them. To display hidden tracks:
1. If needed, click the arrow at the bottom left corner of the Mix window to display the Track List.
The side column will open, displaying the Track List at the top. Note that the Ride, Snare Dub, and Shakers have Track Show/Hide symbols that are grayed-out in the Track List. 2. From the Tracks pop-up menu, select SHOW ALL TRACKS. All of the Track Show/Hide symbols will become active in the Tracks list, and the tracks will display in the Mix window.
3. Click the arrow at the bottom of the window again to hide the side column and maximize the space available on screen for displaying mixer strips. The session is now ready for mixing. Note that during mixing, you would likely need to return to the Playback Engine dialog box (SETUP > PLAYBACK ENGINE) and increase the H/W Buffer Size to allow for greater use of plug-ins. Navigating from the Control Surface
The Mix window should now display all 14 tracks in the session. However, only the first 8 tracks are displayed on the control surface. To navigate to additional tracks on the control surface, you will need to use the Bank and Nudge switches and the L/R Arrow keys.
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Navigate to the last 8 tracks on the control surface:
1. Press the BANK switch above the Arrow keys, if not already active, so that it becomes lit.
Bank switch
Arrow keys
Bank switch and Arrow keys on a Digi 002
2. Press the right Arrow key (XR or `) to bank to the next set of channels to the right. The last six tracks in the session will be displayed on the control surface. Because banking scrolls eight tracks at a time, the last two channels on the control surface will remain blank (unused). 3. Press the NUDGE switch so that it becomes lit. This will allow you to scroll through the tracks one at a time. 4. Press the left Arrow key (LW or _) two times so that the final eight tracks are displayed on the control surface. 5. Press the PLAY switch on the control surface and experiment with the mix by adjusting the touch-sensitive faders and rotary encoders. 6. When finished, press the STOP switch. 7. Save and close the session. That completes this exercise.
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