Pro Tools LE CEC tutorial

Welcome to the Pro Tools LE CEC tutorial. Here I will attempt to demonstrate the beginner / intermediate features of this recording and editing software in conjuction with the Digidesign Digi001.

Below is a list and outline of the site and what is covered. You can use the black bar at the top to navigate around the page and to the different sections. If you have never used Pro Tools before, I recommend going through the tutorial step by step.

 Getting Started

• Basic Concepts / Terms

• Common Window Areas

• Initial Setup

 New Session

• To Begin

• Disk Allocation

• Master Fader

 Recording

• Setting Up a New Track

• Check Your Levels

• Record

• Import Audio

 Bouncing

• "Bouncing"

• How to Bounce a Track

-: Basic Concepts / Terms

• Track - Most times you will be dealing with multiple tracks and mixing them together to produce an end product. Each track is presented visually in Pro Tools and represents a wave format, separated by color codes.

• Session - For every new project that you create, a new session will be started. All of your audio settings and mixed or cut tracks will be remembered and stored in your session folder, which will be created ever time you start a new project. Sub folders may also be created here.

• Audiofiles - These are usually your tracks that you will use when mixing. When you record a new track from a new device, it will be saved as an audiofile. These will be stored in your Session Folder.

• Fade Files - These are used in conjunction with audio files in that when you fade a track into another, or simply fade out a song, Pro Tools will create a separte audio file called a "fade file" which is the faded part of your track. These files will also be saved in your Session Folder.

• Region - Regions are parts of an audio file and usually highlighted by the user in what they want to cut and mix. You will notice a track in a wave format will have different "regions" based on where the track is soft or loud, etc.

-: Common Window Areas in Pro Tools

• Edit Window - This is the main window you will be using and is probably the largest one on your desktop. When you record tracks, you will see the waveforms here all color coded. Most of the work will be done here.

• Mix Window - This has a variety of options and basically appears to look like a real life mixing board. Most of it are visual faders and dials that have different property settings and can be changed by the user.

• Transparent Window - This is located at the bottom of your desktop and contains all the buttons to begin recording and to stop, start over, etc. It also tells you by a clock time where you are in the track so you can move to a precise location.

• Session Setup Window - This is an important window in making sure that your parameters are set right as far as bit rates in your track, etc. We'll talk more about this when you start a new session.

-: Initial Setup

• First you will want to plus your device into either the first or second input jacks. These jacks are able to connect with either 1/4" or XLR plugs. Next to both of the inputs you will see a -26db button, and an input gain knob. If you're using such instuments that put out high volumes, you will want to activate the -26db by pressing in the button. However when low volume instruments are used, such as voice through a microphone, you probably want to disable the -26db. The input gain knob is basically to adjust the volume of your device so it is at a desired recording level.

To Begin

• To start a new session, click on "Start" and then "Programs", and "Pro Tools LE".

• Pro Tools LE will begin, and your next step is to click on "File > New Session"

• The program will now give you an option of where you want to save your work. You can right click in the Windows with all of the folders in it, and select "New > Folder". Now you can name the folder whatever you like keeping all your audio files separate. Open your folder and now you can name your file in the "File Name" box. After giving it a name, be sure that your Bit Depth is set at 16 bits, and your Sample Rate is set at 44.1 kHz. In addition, you need to be sure that the Audio File Type is in "WAV" format.

• Next you will be presented with the common start-up windows we talked about before (Edit, Mix, etc.) Most of the time the Edit Windows is where all the work will be done.

-: Disk Allocation

• It is important to set your disk allocation correctly so that Pro Tools knows where to store the files it creates. If you do not specify this directory, the program will put the files wherever it likes, and you may not be able to find specific files at all after you record them.

• To do this, go to "Setups" at the top of the screen in the menu. Next click on "Disk Allocation".

• You will have a window pop up with different options. One of them says "Custom Allocation Options". Check this box and then click on the "Change" button. Now you can select your directory that you created before, and click "OK".

• What this will do is allow Pro Tools to put all of the files you create, or it creats, into your folder so that they will not be lost when you go to copy or move data. As you creat audio tracks, you will see a list of them in the "Disk Allocation" window as well. Clicking on these tracks will allow you to move them to different sub directories under your "Root Media Folder". This can be handy to just organize better.

-: Master Fader

• Creating a master fader will help you when you want to adjust the level of your entire composition. Instead of adjusting the levels track by track, you can adjust the master fader track. In addition, you can allow your song to fade in and out at differnt points in time, wherever you choose.

• To make a master fader track, go to "File > New Track". From this point you want to select "Master Fader" from the drop down box in the window that appears. Also change the drop down box from mono to stereo.

• After clicking "Create", you will see that a new track has appeared with adjustable levels to allow for fading and overall volume control.

-: Setting Up A New Track

• The first thing you want to do is bring a new track into Pro Tools. To do so, click on "File > New Track". If you created the "Master Fader" track, you should be familiar with this window. You would just like to create 1 track, keep it on "Mono" and an "Audio Track".

• Next, if you haven't already, be sure you have the I/O view selected. To do this, click "Display > Edit Window Shows > I/O" view.

• You will see that the track defaults to a track name such as "Audio 1" or something of that nature. To rename the track, simply click on it. You will be able to rename the track as well as add comments to it. Also, when the track is saved as a .wav file, this will be the name it files under. For example, if you name it "guitar 1", the name of the file will be "guitar 101.wav".

• To the right, you will see that the selected input device is most likely "Mic/Line 1" if this is your first track. Usually Pro Tools will put "Mic/Line 2" on the second track, input 3 on the third, input 4 on the fourth, and then start the rotation over again. So be sure that when you create new tracks you have the correct input device selected. Input devices 1 and 2 are both analog sources. Input devices 3 and 4 are digital sources such as a DAT machine. You will most likely not be using digital sources when you first start recording considering voice, instuments, etc. are all obviously analog.

-: Check Your Levels

• After plugging in your device into the proper input, you will want to check your levels so that you do not get distortion in your audio file. Press the "rec" button to activate the track. Now you can play through your device and set the level accordingly with the "Gain" knob on the Pro Tools mixer. As long as the level is in the yellow, but once it begins to 'clip' or is in the red, you need to lower the gain.

• Don't worry what your "Master Fader" level is set at because it is not concerned with input, only output, and therefore will not affect the sound level when recording.

• Usually distortion on an analog device is heard, but is not terribly significant (to some anyway). However when recording with a digital device, you want to be very cautious of digital clipping as it seriously distorts sound quality.

-: Record

• In the transport window, hit the record button which will begin to blink indicating

...