Background on Pro Tools

 

            Digidesign’s Pro Tools software and hardware is the recording industry’s standard medium. With a Pro Tools system, you are able to record and entire CD project from start to finish and create the final mix. Since all Audio is converted to a digital signal, you are given full control over your sounds with a host of tools in an easy to use graphical interface. The possibilities are endless, as this system is a hard-disk based recording medium.

            Tape Recording is a linear medium. With tape recording, you need to rewind or fast forward the tape to listen to a specific audio spot. And to re-arrange an audio file or a CD project, you either have to re-record everything over or tape-splice. Hard-Disk recording is a non-linear system (random-access). At any point, you are able to listen to any chosen spot immediately without the hassle of rewinding or fast forwarding. Another advantage is that you are able to easily rearrange or repeat parts of a recording easily by making the hard disk read parts of the recording in a different order, and without destroying the original audio.

            One of the most important advantages to the Pro Tools system is that everything can be done in real time. This is due mainly because of the Digidesign Audio Engine (DAE). The DAE is a real-time operating system for all of the Pro Tools digital recording systems. In the same way that a computer requires an operating system to provide the foundation for its running programs, DAE provides much of the hard disk recording, digital signal processing, mix automation, and MIDI functionality required by Pro Tools. The limitations to the DAE are only set by the power of your computer, being either a Macintosh or a Windows-based PC. The higher speed processor you have, the more Real-Time Audio Suite (RTAS) plug-ins you are able to run and the more audio tracks you are able to record. Similarly, the more hard-disk storage your computer has, the bigger your projects can be.

           

 

The Pro Tools Windows

 

Within Pro Tools, there are two ways to view your project: The Mix Window and the Edit window. Also, not unusual to any recording program, there is a transport window.

 

The Mix Window (See Appendix A):

Tracks in the Mix window appear as mixer modules. Within these modules, you have your controls for inserts, sends, input/output assignments, volume, panning (if in Stereo mode), and solo/mute. Within your mix window, you also have a ‘Show/Hide Tracks’ window which contains a list of all your tracks in the current session. By selecting or de-selecting the track in the window, you effectively show or hide the track’s mixer module on the screen. Below the ‘Show/Hide Tracks’ window is your Mix group window. This window has a list of all the groups that you have set, which, when enabled will link the tracks together and move them together.

            Finally you have your “mixer modules”. These modules are your audio track, or also referred to as the channel strip. Being either audio or MIDI, these strips give you control over the audio file in relation to how it sounds in the overall mix. At the top of the strip, you have your inserts section. Five RTAS plug-ins are able to be put onto the signal channel, changing the sound properties.

The next window houses your ‘Sends’ options. Within this window, you are able to send the signal to five other locations, one example being an auxiliary track. The next section contains your ‘Input/Output’ selections. This is where you select the source for the track’s signal, either being a hardware channel from which you can directly plug an instrument or a microphone (for ex: the Digi001) or receiving the wave file from another track, as in the example given about the auxiliary track. Underneath the input selector is your output selector. This is where you choose to send the final signal for the final mix. Below the output selector are your volume and panning indicators, which are controlled by the volume fader and the pan slider further down the channel strip. The automation Mode window allows you to choose five different automation options. They are as follows:

·       auto off: disables any automation

·       auto read: it will follow any automation already set

·       auto touch: it will record automation whenever you touch the volume fader

·       auto latch: it will hold the current volume position once you let go

·       auto write: destroys any previous automation information and re-writes

Finally you have your record enable, solo, and mute button which are standard buttons in any recording software. Below the pan slider is your group ID, where you are able to assign the track to a specific group.

 

The Edit Window (See Appendix B):

            The Edit window shows your audio in a time-line display, allowing for easy editing and arrangement. As in the Mix window, each track has the record enable, solo, and mute controls. Also in the same window, there is a track height selector (see picture), which changes how large the audio waveform appears (mini, small, medium, large, jumbo, extreme).  Beside the height selector is the Track Display Format Selector, which displays different types of information. Instead of just displaying the audio waveform, you can display different types of data: Blocks, Waveform, Volume, Pan, and Mute information.

            At the top left side of the Edit Window you have five different types of edit modes. They are as follow:

·       shuffle: restricts placement of regions so that they snap to each other

·       spot: lets you enter a precise start, end, or length for the event

·       slip: allows regions and notes to be moved freely

·       grid: constrains edits to the current grid value

·       linked selections: links edit and time-line selections

To the right of the Edit Mode Buttons you have your zoom buttons, which do just as they suggest. You are able to change the way you view the waveform or audio information but zooming in, zooming out and expanding and contracting.

 

 

 

Next you have the editing tools. The section contains seven functions which are as follow:

·       zoomer: click and drag to zoom in to area selected

·       trimmer: resizes regions or MIDI notes by trimming from the closest end of the information whatever you select

·       selector: click and drag to select a length of wave file to edit

·       time grabber: grab the entire wave file to move along the time line

·       scrubber: click and drag either left or right to hear the waveform

·       pencil: used to insert MIDI notes, edit velocities, draw automation and controller events, and repair audio waveforms

·       Smart tools: when selected, you can instantly access the selector, grabber, and trimmer and also perform fades and cross-fades

           

The Event Edit Area shows MIDI information which can be changed by inputting directly into each of the windows. The ‘Start’ displays the starting point for a selected region or note, or for an edit selection. The ‘End’ shows the ending point for your selection. ‘Length’ displays how long your selection is. The ‘Pitch’ area will show the pitch of a selected note including its octave number. ‘Attack’ displays the attack velocity for a selected note. ‘Release’ shows the release velocity as well.

            At the right side in the Edit Window is the ‘Audio Regions’ List. This is a list of every single audio region (wave file) that has been recorded, imported, or created by editing. With this window, absolutely anything you have done to any existing wave files can be restored back to the original simply by clicking and dragging one of the audio files back onto the timeline.

 

The Transport Window:

            As stated before, the Transport Window is not unusual to any recording programs. The Pro Tools Transport Window can be set to show basic transport controls, counters, and MIDI controls. These controls include: return to zero, rewind, stop, play, fast forward, go to end, record, pre-roll, post-roll, and start, end, and length for timeline selection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recording with Pro Tools

 

When creating a new session to record with Pro Tools, you are able to choose the quality of your recording. Since everything is recorded in either .wav format or SoundDesigner II format, you are able to choose the bit-depth (either 16-bit or 24-bit). Pro Tools also allows you to set the calibration modes so that the audio levels of the signal being recorded do not ‘digitally clip’. On many analog tape decks, clipping adds perceived warmth to the sound because of the tape compression. However, in digital recording, clipping causes digital distortion and is quite the opposite of ‘warm’.

Recording with Pro Tools is as simple as recording with any tape-based system that requires a mixer. Once a track is created, the input signal is set to the correct hardware that the instrument or microphone is being plugged into. Once the line levels are set, you hit the record button and play and you are set. Much like any other multi-track recording system, you are able to record numerous tracks side-by-side and listen to them while recording. And with the host of RTAS plug-ins that are available to use, you are able to hear your signal being processed in real-time as you play it.

With the music industry being as large as it is today, audio engineers are going to want the best available software that they can get their hands on. With complete systems ranging from $500.00 to anywhere you can imagine, Pro Tools is able to adapt to anybody’s needs regardless if they record in a multi-million dollar studio or in their bathroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix A: Mix Window

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix B: Edit Window