Pro Tools | First: Fundamentals of Audio Production

click Acknowledgements About the Author Introduction: Welcome to Pro Tools | First What Is Pro Tools, Exactly? About This Book Who This Book Is Written For Book Structure Conventions and Symbols System Requirements and Download Media System Requirements Download Media Becoming Avid Certified The Avid Learning Partner Program Curriculum and Certification Levels User Certification Operator Certification Expert Certification Avid Certified. Real Skills. Proven. Chapter 1. Getting Started Audio Basics Waveform, Frequency, and Amplitude Waveform Frequency Amplitude Audio in the Digital Domain Frequency and Sample Rates Bit Depth and Dynamic Range The Impact of Sample Rate and Bit Depth Choices on File Size DAWs and Pro Tools: An Introduction A Brief History of Audio Technology Before the Revolution Drum Machines and Samplers MIDI Steps in Digital Audio Recorders: The Hard Drive Replaces Tape Digital Audio Workstations: The Computer Stands on Its Own Digital Audio Workstations: What Are They? Sessions and Projects Clips vs. Files Non-Linear, Non-Destructive Real-time Processing Why Pro Tools? What Pro Tools Can Do Pro Tools Versions Pro Tools: The Industry Standard What Makes Up a Pro Tools System? The Heart of Your DAW: The Computer CPU RAM Hard Drives Not to Be Overlooked: Mice, Trackballs, Keyboards Getting Audio In, Getting Audio Out: Audio Interfaces Computer Connections Analog Audio Connections Digital Audio Connections Hearing the Real Mix: Monitors What to Look for in Monitor Speakers Speakers versus Headphones Great Resources Avid’s Compatibility Documents Knowledge Base In-Application Help Installing Pro Tools | First Installing Pro Tools | First iLok Protection Avid Link Finding Installation Information Opening and Playing a Pro Tools | First Project What Is a Project? When a Project Is Not a Project Opening a Project Signing In Choosing a Project Playback Engine and Hardware Setup The Playback Engine Dialog Box The Hardware Dialog Box Basic Pro Tools Operation Starting and Stopping Playback Setting a Playback Start Point Closing a Project and Quitting Pro Tools | First Hands-On Exercise 1.1: Basic Playback Signing In and Opening a Project Setting Up the Playback Engine and Hardware Playing a Project Quitting Pro Tools | First Review Questions Chapter 2. Creating Projects and Tracks Powering up your Hardware Creating a Project Creating a Blank Project Creating a Project from a Template Creating a Project from a Session Saving a Project Deleting a Project Hands-On Exercise 2.1: Creating a Project Creating Projects Deleting a Project The Main Pro Tools Windows The Edit Window Edit Window Toolbar Edit Mode Buttons Edit Tools Counter and Edit Selection MIDI Controls Transport Controls Output Meters Collaboration Controls Rulers Tracks List Changing Tracks List Width Tracks and Clips Edit Window Views The Mix Window Mix Controls Tracks List Mix Window Views The Transport Window Playback and Record Controls Collaboration Tools Counters MIDI Controls Meters The System Usage Window Window Management Menu Structure Hands-On Exercise 2.2: Customizing the Pro Tools GUI Change Main Counter Show or Hide Edit Window Views Change Main Windows Show and Hide Mix Window Views Introduction to Tracks Track Types Audio Auxiliary Input MIDI Instrument Master Fader Mono vs. Stereo Creating New Tracks Adding Multiple Tracks Adding New Tracks Like the Previous Selecting Inputs and Outputs Managing Your Tracks Selecting Tracks Showing and Hiding Tracks Changing Track Order Changing Track Height Changing Track Color Renaming Tracks Muting and Soloing Tracks Deleting Tracks Hands-On Exercise 2.3: Making Tracks Open an Existing Project Create New Tracks Set Inputs and Outputs Renaming Tracks Delete a Track Save a Project Review Questions Chapter 3. Importing Audio Considerations Prior to Import Sample Rate and Bit Depth Audio File Formats Split Stereo versus Interleaved Importing Audio Importing from the File Menu Importing from a File Browser Hands-On Exercise 3.1: Importing Audio Create a New Project Import Audio from the File Menu Drag Audio from the File Browser Project Clean-Up The Workspace/Soundbase Browser Opening the Soundbase Browser Understanding the Soundbase Window The Locations Pane The Tags Pane The Advanced Search Settings Pane The Browser Pane The Toolbar Soundbase Workflows Basic Search Advanced Search Searching by Tag Previewing Importing Hands-On Exercise 3.2: Importing from the Soundbase Browser Setting Up Importing a Guitar Part Importing Other Tracks Cleaning Up Customizing the Soundbase Changing the Soundbase Window Tags Setting Sound Libraries Hands-On Exercise 3.3: Tagging Files Setting Up Adding Tags A New Way to Search by Tags Review Questions Chapter 4. Editing Audio What Is Editing? Careers in Editing: An Interview with Steven Saltzman Scrolling and Zooming in the Edit Window Scrolling Zooming Vertical Zooming The Big Three: Trim, Selector, and Grabber The Trim Tool The Selector Tool The Grabber Tool The Edit Modes Slip Mode Shuffle Mode Grid Mode Relative Grid Mode Spot Mode Accessing the Edit Modes with F Keys Hands-On Exercise 4.1: Assembling a Song Pt. 1 Getting Started Building the First Section More Edit Tools The Zoomer Tool Single Zoom The Pencil Tool The Smart Tool Making Selections and Playing Audio Timescales and Rulers Counter Window Rulers Making Selections Making Selections on Multiple Tracks Playing Selections Hands-On Exercise 4.2: Assembling a Song Pt. 2 Getting Started Editing with the Smart Tool Sync Points and Spot Mode Review Questions Chapter 5. Recording Audio What Is Recording? Careers in Recording: An Interview with Mario De Jesus Getting Audio into Your System Microphones Dynamic Microphones Condenser Microphones Ribbon Microphones Large Diaphragm vs. Small Diaphragm Polarity Patterns Line Level Inputs DI Inputs The Importance of the Recording Space Isolating the Microphone Sound Absorption The Proximity Effect and Your Recording Space Preparing to Record Meter and Tempo Meter Tempo Tempo and Meter Rulers Tap Tempo The Conductor Track Click Track Creating a Click Track Click and Count off Options Setting Up I/O for Recording Using an Output Window Monitoring During Recording Basic Recording After Recording Hands-On Exercise 5.1: Basic Recording Setting Up Preparing to Record Record Voiceover Review Recording Punch-In Recording Recording Selections Pre-Roll and Post-Roll QuickPunch Recording Hands-On Exercise 5.2: Punching In Set Punch-In and Punch-Out Points Set Pre-Roll and Post-Roll Punch-In QuickPunch Loop Recording Choosing Takes Review Questions Chapter 6. MIDI MIDI Basics Digital Music Paper How Sound Is Created with MIDI Controllers and Sound Modules Virtual Instruments Careers in Music Creation: A Conversation with Jeff Miyahara Setting Up Your MIDI Studio MIDI Studio Setup on a Mac MIDI Studio Setup on a Windows Computer Creating MIDI Tracks and Instrument Tracks MIDI/Aux Track Workflow Using Virtual Instruments on an Aux Track Instrument Tracks Changing Sounds Changing Sounds on an External Device Changing Sounds on a Virtual Instrument Hands-On Exercise 6.1: Creating MIDI and Instrument Tracks Setting Things Up Setting Up a MIDI/Aux Track Combination Setting Up an Instrument Track Time and MIDI What Is a Tick? Timebases and Rulers Timebases and Tracks Editing MIDI Clips View Notes View Editing MIDI with the Pencil Tool Velocity View Volume, Pan, and Continuous Controllers More Ways to Work With MIDI Working with Tempo The Event>Event Operations Window The MIDI Editor Recording MIDI Basic MIDI Recording MIDI Loop Recording MIDI Merge Recording “Printing” MIDI Panic! Hands-On Exercise 6.1: Editing MIDI Setting Up Creating MIDI Data with the Pencil Tool Editing Pitch Editing Duration Changing Velocity Review Questions Chapter 7. Taking Your Editing to the Next Level Managing Multiple Tracks Selecting Tracks Changing Multiple Tracks Basic Clip Editing Cut, Copy, and Paste Clearing Duplicating Repeating Constraining Motion with the CONTROL/START Key Separating Clips Basic Separate Separate at Grid Separate at Transient Heal Separation Consolidating Clips Trimming Clips Trimming with Shortcuts Trimming from the Beginning of a Clip Trimming from the End of a Clip Trimming to Selection Trim Tool Variations TCE Clip Looping and the Loop Trim Tool Nudging Fades Creating a Fade in or Fade Out Creating a Crossfade Creating Fades with Shortcuts Creating Fades with the Smart Tool Editing Fades Deleting Fades Batch Fades Controlling Playback Scrolling Options Insertion Follows Playback Using the Tab Key Basic Tabbing Tab to Transients Making Selections while Tabbing When You Make Mistakes Undo and Redo from the Menu The Undo History Window Levels of Undo Things That Cannot be Undone Revert to Saved Restore Last Selection Collaboration Creating a Collaborative Project Adding Collaborators Collaboration Tools and Workflows Downloading Shared Tracks Uploading Changes Downloading Changes Hands-On Exercise 7.1: Mini-Gauntlet Setting Up Selecting Tracks TCE, Repeat, and Loop Trimming and Aligning Separating Clips Creating Fades Nudging Review Questions Chapter 8. Getting Started with Mixing What Is Mixing? Careers in Mixing: An Interview with Scott Weber Mixing and Mastering Signal Flow, Signal Flow, Signal Flow The First Step: A “Static” Mix Setting Up a Static Mix Volume Pan Stereo Track Panning and Pan Linking Approaches on How to Create a Static Mix Watch Out for Levels! Pre-fader vs. Post-fader Metering Hands-On Exercise 8.1: A Static Mix Getting Started Show a Mixing Environment Create a Static Mix Controlling Your Mix: Subgroups and Master Faders Getting Organized: Subgroups Solo Safe Creating a Subgroup of Subgroups: The “Main SUB” Master Fader Tracks Master Fader Signal Flow Setting Up a Master Fader Track Using a Master Fader Track Master Faders and Dither Hands-On Exercise 8.2: Managing Your Mix Getting Started Organize Tracks into Subgroups Create a MAIN SUB Create a Master Fader Improve Your Static Mix Mix Automation Viewing Automation Automation Lanes Editing Automation Automation and the Pencil Tool Automation and the Trim Tool Automation and the Grabber Tool Automation Modes Choosing an Automation Mode Read and Off Touch and Latch Write Creating a Mixdown External Layback Bounce to Track Bounce to Disk Hands-On Exercise 8.3: Automaton and Mixdown Getting Started Automating by Section Tweaking with Tools Tweaking with Live Automation Exporting Your Mix Review Questions Chapter 9. Getting Started with Plugins More Mixing = More Signal Flow What Is an Insert? Using Inserts in Pro Tools Instantiating a Plugin on an Insert Moving Inserts Bypassing, Deactivating, and Removing Inserts Bypassing Inserts Deactivating Inserts Removing Inserts Inserts on Master Faders Plug-ins Plug-in Formats Plug-ins on Multichannel Tracks Using Multi-Mono Plug-ins Getting Around the Plug-in Window Automating Plug-in Parameters Enabling and Disabling Plug-in Parameters for Automation: Method One Enabling and Disabling Plug-in Parameters for Automation: Method Two Writing Plug-In Automation Another Way to Work: AudioSuite Getting Around the AudioSuite Plug-in Window Reverse Effects Handles Key Effect #1: EQ EQ Types Using EQ Tonal Control Mix Cohesion Additive EQ vs. Subtractive EQ The EQ Plug-in Window Input and Output Meters Bands High Pass and Low Pass Filters The 1-Band EQ Finding Frequencies Sweeping Soloing the Band Hands-On Exercise 9.1: EQ Practice Setting Up Taming the Bass Emphasizing Kick and Snare Sculpting the Guitars Finishing Up Key Effect #2: Compression What Is a Compressor? Compression Parameters Understanding the Compressor Graph Threshold Ratio Attack Time and Release Time Knee Gain Levels Side-Chain Controls Compressors vs. Limiters Key Effect #3: Expansion Expander Parameters Threshold and Ratio Attack and Release Levels Hold Look Ahead The Expansion Process Expanders vs. Gates Hands-On Exercise 9.2: Dynamics Practice Setting Up Fixing the Kick Taming the Bass Adding Punch to the Drums Reducing Ambient Noise Experimentation Review Questions Chapter 10. Adding Ambience to Your Mix More Signal Flow with Sends Sends and Returns But Why Do We Do This? Using Sends Viewing Sends Creating Sends and “Returns” in Pro Tools Adjusting Send Parameters Send Selector Follow Main Pan PRE Working with Sends Sends and Cue Mixes Pre-Fader vs. Post-Fader Key Effect #4: Reverb How Reverb Is Used in a Mix Types of Reverb Reverb Parameters Meters Reverb Algorithm Decay Pre-Delay Diffusion High Frequency Cut and Low Frequency Pass Filter Mix Mono/Stereo Presets Key Effect #5: Delay How Delay Is Used in a Mix Delay Parameters Meters Delay Time Feedback Low Pass Filter Musical Delay Parameters Modulation Parameters Mix Mono/Stereo Hands-On Exercise 10.1: Adding Ambience Setting Up Adding a Reverb Adding a Delay Well Done! Review Questions