Online

2013

Pro Tools for Music Teachers

Session 2
Amy Bennett
Midnight Music
Pro Tools For Music Teachers 4

Working with Multitracks 4

Navigating and selecting 4

Keyboard focus 5

Selecting using the Timebase Ruler 5

Edit Selections 6

Making selections over multiple tracks 6

Resizing tracks 7

Changing track order 7

Zooming 7

Adding Memory Locations 8

Editing 8

Editing commands 9

Separate Clip 10

Heal Separation 10

Grouping clips 10

Consolidating clips 10

Moving clips with the Grabber Tool 10

Trimming clips 10

Nudging clips 10

Fading clips 11

If anything goes wrong 12

Recording MIDI in Pro Tools with Virtual Instruments 12

What is MIDI? 12

Inserting an instrument track 12

Select your track input 13

Using Virtual Instruments 13

Xpand! 14

Boom 15
Structure Free 15

Setting the Session meter 16

Setting the Session tempo 16

Setting the Session Key Signature 17

Viewing and Editing MIDI data 17

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 Pro Tools For Music Teachers

Working with Multi-tracks

Most importantly:

Label tracks
Choose order of tracks carefully (you can reorder them by dragging them around)
Use memory loca=ons (described later in these notes)
Work at a zoom level, both ver=cally and horizontally, that suits the task youre performing

Navigating and selecting

Eventually your session may become quite large, so the Universe view can be very helpful when naviga=ng
through it.

Universe View

Fig. 1. Universe view

If Universe view is not displayed, go to View > Other Displays > Universe. The Universe view area can be
resized by dragging the boLom border of the square. What is currently viewed on the screen is the framed
bright rectangle which resizes as you change your project zoom, track heights etc and also scrolls as the
edit window scrolls. Click in the universe view to move the current view indicator or click and drag the
indicator to scroll through the session.

Current view indicator

Fig. 2. Current view indicator on the same session with =ghter zoom

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Keyboard focus
In order to simplify the use of Pro Tools using keyboard shortcuts, Pro Tools has a mode called Keyboard
Commands Focus Mode. When keyboard focus mode is on, the QWERTY keyboard can be used for many
shortcuts. Many of these shortcuts can be found in the Useful Pro Tools Shortcuts documenta=on
accompanying these notes. You can choose keyboard focus for a number of windows, when it is on in a
window, the az keyboard focus buLon is yellow. The usual state of play is to have the keyboard focus on
for the main =meline part of the Edit Window.

Keyboard focus buLons for Edit Window (on) and Clip Window (o)

Fig. 3. Keyboard focus buLons to allow keyboard shortcuts to be ac=ve

Selecting using the Timebase Ruler

There are many ways to make selec=ons in Pro Tools. One is using the Timebase Ruler. With any tool
selected, drag over the ruler and that area of the =meline will be selected. A[er the selec=on has been
made, blue Timeline selec=on in/out points appear on the =meline (red if the track is record enabled).

Fig. 4. Making a =meline selec=on with the selector tool in the Timebase Ruler

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The Timeline selec=on points are also displayed on the Transport Window and at the top of the Edit
Window, as is the length of the selec=on. Values can be input manually into the Start and End elds to
make a selec=on also.

Fig. 5. Timeline selec=on elds in the Transport window

Edit Selections
Selec=ng clips with the Grabber Tool click on a clip to select it, or Shi[-click on the rst clip then
the last clip in the row to select all clips in between.
Using the Selector Tool Click and drag on the =meline to make a selec=on. Double click to select
an en=re clip. Triple click to select the en=re Track Playlist.

Note: You can unlink the =meline and edit selec=ons. This is not recommended un=l becoming an
advanced Pro Tools user, however it is worth knowing which buLon does it, in case it accidentally gets
pressed!

Fig. 6. Link(blue)/Unlink(grey) Timeline and Edit selec=ons

Making selections over multiple tracks

To make a selec=on on mul=ple tracks, drag the selec=on over mul=ple tracks with the Selector Tool. If the
tracks are non-adjacent, make the selec=on on one track, then Ctrl(Command)-click on the required track
in the Track Playlist with the Selector Tool.

Fig. 7. Making a selec=on on more than one non-adjacent tracks

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If the Link Track and Edit Selec=on buLon is pressed, you can also select more than one track (via Shi[ or
Control (Command) + clicking) and any selec=on will be made on all selected tracks. You can tell a track has
been selected when its nameplate is highlighted. Again this buLon will nearly always be pressed but its
worth knowing where it is incase it is turned o.

Fig. 8. Link(blue)/Unlink(grey) Track and Edit Selec=on

Resizing tracks
There are 8 track heights you can choose. They are changed using the buLon illustrated below. To change
all track heights, Alt (Op=on) + click on the change track height buLon.

Change track height buLon

Fig. 9. Change track height buLon

Changing track order

In the Edit or Mix windows, click on the track nameplate and drag it to the required posi=on. In the Track
List, click on the track name and drag it to a higher or lower posi=on in the list.

Zooming
The Zoomer Tool can be used to zoom in (one magnica=on with each click) or out (Alt (Op=on) + click). If
you click and drag with the Zoomer Tool, the area you drag over will ll the screen horizontally.
Shortcuts for horizontal zooming are R (out) and T (in) if Keyboard Focus Mode is on.

The Zoom buLons on the Edit window are as follows:

Zooming in horizontally
Zooming out horizontally
Zooming waveforms informa=on in and out ver=cally.
Zooming MIDI informa=on in and out ver=cally

Zooming waveforms horizontally can become confusing, as you lose the original size of the waveforms and
are not sure if theyve clipped or not on recording. To reset the size of the waveforms to their original
height, hit Alt (Op=on) + A.

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The 1 5 buLons are for Zoom Presets. Set your screen with the desired zoom and Ctrl (Command) + click
on the number.

Adding Memory Locations

Pro Tools has what are called memory loca=ons. These can be either markers (playback loca=ons) or
selec=ons (edit loca=ons). Markers are the most useful.

View the marker ruler by going to View > Rulers > Markers. Put the cursor where youd like the marker.
Click the + buLon on the marker ruler to bring up the Memory Loca=on dialog box. Give the marker a name
and a number. Choose Absolute if youd like the marker to stay put no maLer what the tempo or meter,
and choose Bar|Beat if youd like the marker to move if the tempo or meter change. Click ok.

The shortcut for adding a marker is Enter on the numeric keypad.

To recall a memory loca=on, click the marker symbol in the Marker Ruler, or bring up the list of memory
loca=ons from Window > Memory LocaAons and click the desired marker. You can also click the period (.)
on the numeric keypad and then press the marker number. Alt (Op=on) + click a marker to delete it.

Fig. 10. Memory loca=ons on the Markers ruler and the Memory Loca=on window

Editing
Edit modes have already been discussed in Part 1 of these notes. The two you will most likely use the most
are Slip and Grid. The shortcuts for the Edit Modes are:

Shue Mode F1
Slip Mode F2
Spot Mode F3
Grid Mode F4

There are two op=ons for Grid Mode, Absolute and Rela=ve. In both modes, selec=ons and inser=on points
snap to the Grid intervals. The move and trim opera=ons either align to the grid (Absolute) or move in Grid
increments rela=ve to the origina=on point (Rela=ve).

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Absolute moving a clip snaps the clip start to the Grid and trimming a clip snaps the trimmed edge to the
Grid.
Rela=ve clips are moved and trimmed by grid units. If a clips start point is oset from the grid, this will be
preserved during moving or trimming. This mode is used to move clips by bars or beats whilst preserving an
oset rela=ve to the beat.

Note: Both Grid and Shue Mode can be ac=vate together if necessary.

The Grid value is set on the toolbar of the Edit window or on the Transport Window. Click on the drop
down arrow to set the grid =mescale and grid size.

Fig. 11. Seqng the Grid parameters

Editing commands
The usual shortcuts apply for the common edi=ng commands such as:

Cut Control (Command) + X

Copy Control (Command) + C
Paste Control (Command) + V
Clear Control (Command) + B
Duplicate Control (Command) + D
Repeat Alt (Op=on) + R
The Clear command removes selected clips or range of audio without placing the deleted audio on the
Clipboard.

The Duplicate command copies a selec=on and places the selected audio or MIDI data immediately a[er
the end of the selec=on. It is like a copy and paste in one sweet shortcut.

The Repeat command is similar to the Duplicate command but you can specify how many =mes youd like
the material repeated.

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Separate Clip
Separa=ng a clip means breaking it in two, for a number of edi=ng reasons. Whenever a clip is separated
(or split) new clips are created and added to the clip list. To split a clip you can either put the cursor where
youd like to split it, or make a selec=on. Then press Control (Command) + E to split the clip. You can also
split a clip at each grid line by going to Edit > Separate Clip > On Grid.

Heal Separation

If you need to undo a separa=on later, select all the clips to put back together and press Control
(Command) + H.

Grouping clips
If you are happy with two (or more) clips edited next to each other and would like to turn them into a
group so they move together and essen=ally become one clip, select the two clips (click one, hold Shi[ and
click the other), right click and select group. You will no=ce that a grouped clip is now siqng in the Clip List.

Consolidating clips
Consolida=ng clips looks like grouping clips, but it turns the several audio clips into one. You can then
rename the consolidated clips by right clicking on them in the Clip List. Some people consolidate a whole
track when they know theyre nished with the edit so it looks =dy.

Moving clips with the Grabber Tool

In slip mode you can freely move the clips around by clicking on them and dragging them wherever you
like. Its worth knowing however that if you drag clips on top of each other, the top clip will trim the audio
underneath. Therefore if you drag a large clip en=rely over a smaller clip, the smaller clip disappears. This
can be undone with Control (Command) + Z or Edit > Undo.

When in Grid Mode, the clips snap to the grid when being dragged and when in Shue Mode, clips snap to
each other like magnets. Their order can be shued but no space can be le[ in between them. Dont worry
about Spot Mode for the moment.

Trimming clips
Select the Trim Tool. Move the cursor over the clip youd like to trim and it will change into either this [ or
this ] depending on the side to be trimmed. If you make a selec=on and then trim whilst holding Control
(Command) the clip will trim to the selec=on.

Nudging clips
This is probably the cutest sounding thing in Pro Tools. Nudging a clip moves it a small amount to the le[ or
right depending on the nudge seqngs. These are set in the Nudge Value sec=on of the toolbar area of the
Edit Window or the Transport Window. Again, like the Grid, set the =me scale and the nudge size.

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Use the + and keys on the numeric keypad to nudge clips to the le[ and right. If you dont have a numeric
keypad, use the Func=on key and the +/- keys. If Keyboard Focus is on, use < and >.

You can also nudge selec=ons by making a selec=on and using the < or > (or +/-) keys to move the selec=on
le[ or right. Holding down Shi[ will make the selec=on move without aec=ng the underlying clips. Give
this a go, it will make sense when you try it.

Fading clips
The most basic way to make a fade is to select the beginning or end of a clip and press Control (Command)
+ F. The fade dialog box will open and you can choose the type of fade you desire. A quicker way is to just
press F which will put in a fade without bringing up the dialog box.

Fig. 12. Fade dialog box

An even quicker way to put in a fade is to click your cursor where youd like the fade to start or end. Then
press D to fade from the start of the clip to the cursor and G to fade from the cursor to the end of the clip.
To make a crossfade, drag a selec=on across the end of one le and the start of the next. Then press
Control (Command) + F and click Ok.
If you get an error saying there is insucient audio data within the fade bounds, click Adjust Bounds. It
means the clips arent long enough to make that long a crossfade.

Fig. 12. Crossfade dialog box

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If anything goes wrong

You can undo anything by pressing Control (Command) + Z or going to Edit > Undo. If you need to undo
many steps, go to the Undo History by going to Window > Undo History.

Another few helpful shortcuts are:

Restoring the last selec=on Control (Command) + Alt (OpAon) + Z
Revert to Saved File > Revert to Saved, reverts to the latest saved version of your session.

Recording MIDI in Pro Tools with Virtual Instruments

What is MIDI?
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface and is a protocol to connect a controlling instrument
and a computer in order for them to communicate. If this sounds weird, dont worry too much, it means
you can trigger cool sounds with a keyboard or by inpuqng notes into a so[ware interface. Its much
easier to understand in prac=se.

To record MIDI you need a device/controller that inputs MIDI data. This is most likely a MIDI keyboard. It
must be plugged in before Pro Tools is open. (These days the keyboard will probably connect to your
computer via USB although some old keyboards need an adaptor to convert MIDI to USB.)

Basically, in Pro Tools, the process for recording a MIDI track is this:

1) Connect your MIDI controller

2) Start Pro Tools
3) Insert an Instrument track (instead of an audio track)
4) Set the input of the track to your MIDI controller
5) Insert a Virtual Instrument onto the Instrument Track
6) Choose the session meter, tempo and key signature (if youll use the notated score)
7) Arm the track for record
8) Record!

Lets go through these one by one.

Inserting an instrument track

Choose Track > New

Select Instrument Track and choose Mono or Stereo depending on the Instrument youll be
inser=ng. When you try to insert the instrument it will tell you if youve chosen wrongly and you
can just insert the other one if necessary.
Click Create.

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Fig. 13. Adding an Instrument track

Select your track input

The MIDI input selector for Instrument tracks is located in the Instrument MIDI controls sec=on of the track
(Edit window) or channel strip (Mix window). You can bring this sec=on up using View > Edit Window >
Instrument or View > Mix window > Instrument.

By default the MIDI inputs are set to ALL, which should cover your device. This means it should work
without you changing anything as long as your device is properly connected to your computer and it is
connected before you open Pro Tools.

Fig. 14. Viewing Instrument Track MIDI inputs

Using Virtual Instruments

Virtual Instruments can sound a bit scary, but theyre just synthesizers inside Pro Tools. They provide heaps
of cool sounds you can play with your MIDI keyboard, from pianos to drums to crazy synths. The ones that
come with Pro Tools are:
Xpand! Good for synths more than 2,300 patches (sounds).
Boom A drum step sequencer
Structure Free A sampler with 60 preset patches including drum kits and loops, basses, guitars,
leads, EPs, organs, pads, etc.

Others can be bought later if necessary.

You put these Virtual Instruments in as Inserts on your tracks. Inserts are also used for plugins like reverb,
delay and EQ but well discuss this in the next session.

If you cant see the inserts sec=on on your tracks or channel strips, go to View > Edit Window or View >
Mix Window and select Inserts.

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Then to add the Virtual Instrument, go to plug-in > Instrument and select which one youd like to try. The
best way to get to know them is to have a big play with each one. Once youve added it, its just a case of
choosing your sound, arming your track and pressing record.

Fig. 15. Adding a virtual instrument to an Instrument track.

Depending on which instrument youve chosen, you choose the sound in a certain part of the instrument
window that opens.

Xpand!
A classic synthesiser containing many patches and loops. Go to the Librarian menu to change sounds.
Librarian Menu

Fig. 16. The Xpand virtual instrument where to change patches (sounds)
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Boom

A simple drum-machine-style step sequencer with 10 classic drum kits. Select the kit using the kit selector,
then select each sound and program where in the step sequencer you would like to hear it. You can also
play the drum patches with your MIDI keyboard live into the track.

Fig. 17. The Boom virtual instrument

Structure Free
Use a stereo track for Structure. This is a free version of the instrument. The full version of Structure can be
purchased.

Fig. 18. The Structure Free virtual instrument

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Setting the Session meter

The default meter is 4/4. To set the meter, double click on the Current Meter display in the Transport
window or click on the + buLon on the Meter Ruler in the Edit window. Enter the desired meter and 1|1|
000 if you want the meter to start right at Bar 1.

Fig. 19. Edit window Meter, Tempo and Key Change rulers

Fig. 20. Meter change window

Setting the Session tempo

The default tempo is 120bpm. To set the tempo, change it in the Transport window (remember to turn the
Conductor o if you want to set the tempo manually) or click on the + buLon on the Tempo Ruler in the
Edit window. Enter the desired tempo and 1|1|000 if you want the tempo to start right at Bar 1.

Fig. 21. Tempo change window

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Setting the Session Key Signature
The default key signature is C major. To set the key signature click on the + buLon on the Key Signature
Ruler in the Edit window. Enter the desired key signature and 1|1|000 if you want it to start right at Bar 1.

Fig. 22. Key signature change window

Viewing and Editing MIDI data

A[er making a recording, MIDI data will appear on the tracks in the Edit Window as is expected. This data
can be view in a number of forms including as clips, notes and velociAes. The view can be changed by
clicking on the liLle arrow next to the track view selector and selec=ng the desired view.

Track view selector

Fig. 23. Track view selector

Clips The default view, these clips can be selected, copied, cut and trimmed just like audio clips.
The shortcut to toggle to this view is Start/Control + Minus. You may need to press this twice to
toggle to clips view.
Notes This view shows individual MIDI notes in a piano roll format. Pitch is on the ver=cal axis and
dura=on on the horizontal axis. In this view notes can be added or deleted using the Pencil Tool,
the pitch changed with the Grabber Tool, or the dura=ons changed with the Trimmer Tool.
Velocity This view shows the aLack velocity of each note as what is called a velocity stalk. Drag
the tops of these up or down with the Grabber Tool to make notes louder or so[er.

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MIDI Editor Window

It can be super ddly to edit MIDI within the tracks, so usually its beLer to open the MIDI Editor window.
To open this window you can either double click on a MIDI clip in the Edit Window or go to Window > MIDI
Editor. The liLle music notes buLon allows you to toggle Notes and Nota=on view. You can also display
MIDI data from more than one track if you select more than one track in the Track Playlist on the le[ hand
side. The MIDI informa=on from dierent tracks then display overlayed in dierent colours.

Fig. 24. MIDI Editor Window

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