Complete Production Toolkit

Complete Production Toolkit
Version 1.0
Legal Notices
This guide is copyrighted ©2008 by Digidesign, a division of
Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights
reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be
duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of
Digidesign.
003, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 888|24 I/O,
882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O, AudioSuite,
Avid, Avid DNA, Avid Mojo, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS,
Avid Xpress, AVoption, Axiom, Beat Detective, Bomb Factory,
Bruno, C|24, Command|8, Control|24, D-Command, D-Control,
D-Fi, D-fx, D-Show, D-Verb, DAE, Digi 002, DigiBase,
DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign
Intelligent Noise Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiDrive,
DigiRack, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DINR, D-Show, DV Toolkit,
EditPack, Eleven, HD Core, HD Process, Hybrid, Impact,
Interplay, LoFi, M-Audio, MachineControl, Maxim, Mbox,
MediaComposer, MIDI I/O, MIX, MultiShell, Nitris, OMF,
OMF Interchange, PRE, ProControl, Pro Tools M-Powered,
Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, QuickPunch, Recti-Fi,
Reel Tape, Reso, Reverb One, ReVibe, RTAS, Sibelius,
Smack!, SoundReplacer, Sound Designer II, Strike, Structure,
SYNC HD, SYNC I/O, Synchronic, TL Aggro, TL AutoPan, TL
Drum Rehab, TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL
MasterMeter, TL Metro, TL Space, TL Utilities, Transfuser,
Trillium Lane Labs, Vari-Fi Velvet, X-Form, and XMON are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid
Technology, Inc. Xpand! is Registered in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Product features, specifications, system requirements, and

availability are subject to change without notice.
Guide Part Number 9329-59260-00 REV A 11/08
Documentation Feedback
At Digidesign, we're always looking for ways to improve our
documentation. If you have comments, corrections, or
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contents
Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Complete Production Toolkit Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
System Requirements and Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Contents of the Boxed Version of Complete Production Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Register Complete Production Toolkit for Pro Tools LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Conventions Used in This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
About www.digidesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter 2. Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Installing Complete Production Toolkit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Authorizing Complete Production Toolkit Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Removing Toolkit Options and Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 3. Session and Track Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Increased Voice and Track Counts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Import Session Data Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
DigiTranslator 2.0 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
MP3 Export Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Session Interchange Between Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit 16
Chapter 4. DigiBase Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Searching for Multiple Criteria Simultaneously in DigiBase Browsers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
DigiBase Pro Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Contents iii
Chapter 5. Editing Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Continuous Scrolling During Playback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The Scrub Trimmer Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Replacing Audio Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
TCE (Time Compression and Expansion) Edit To Timeline Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Expanding Alternate Channels to New Playlists or Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Chapter 6. Beat Detective Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Separating Multiple Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Detection (Normal) and Collection Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chapter 7. Mixing and Automation Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Creating Snapshot Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Glide Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Chapter 8. Surround Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Routing Audio for Surround Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Multichannel Audio Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Multichannel Signal Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Paths in Surround Mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Example Paths and Signal Routing for a Surround Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Introduction to Pro Tools Surround Panning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Output Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Standard Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Surround Panner Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Panning Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Divergence and Center Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
LFE Faders in Multichannel Panners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Pan Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Surround Scope Plug-in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
iv Complete Production Toolkit Guide

Chapter 9. Time Code and Synchronization Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Timebase Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Secondary Time Code Ruler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Selecting Time Code and Time Code 2 Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Selecting Feet+Frame Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Redefining Time Code Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Redefining Current Feet+Frames Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Use Subframes Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Pull Up and Pull Down Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Chapter 10. Video Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Video Track Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Support for Video Import Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Video Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
General Video Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Video Region Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Browsing Video in the Video Universe Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Chapter 11. Included Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

DINR LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Eleven LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Hybrid Synthesizer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
SoundCode Stereo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Smack! LE Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Structure LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
TL Space Native . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
X-Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Contents v
vi Complete Production Toolkit Guide
chapter 1
Introduction
Complete Production Toolkit for Pro Tools LE® • Enabling of all DigiTranslator™ 2.0 features
provides additional features, plug-ins, and soft- for importing and exporting AAF and
ware options for music creation and post pro- OMF® format
duction. Complete Production Toolkit provides • MP3 export option (for bounce recording
increased voice and track counts, and surround or exporting a region as an MP3 file)
mixing capabilities that are equal to • Improved session interchange between
Pro Tools HD. Additionally, it includes the full Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE
contents of DV Toolkit™ 2 and Music Produc-
tion Toolkit 2. • DigiBase™ Pro, including support for:
• Catalog browsers
For information on standard Pro Tools LE • The ability to search on multiple criteria si-
features, refer to the Pro Tools Reference multaneously in DigiBase browsers
Guide (Help > Pro Tools Reference Guide).
• Editing features:
• Continuous Scroll
Complete Production Toolkit • Scrub Trim tool
Overview • Replace Region command

• TCE Edit to Timeline Selection command
Complete Production Toolkit enables the fol-
• Selection of alternate field recorder audio
lowing features in Pro Tools LE:
channels in the Pro Tools Timeline
• Session and track features: • Expanding alternate field recorder chan-
• Up to 128 mono or 64 stereo audio tracks of nels to new tracks
simultaneous playback or recording • 1/2 frame grid and nudge
• Ability to use QuickPunch™ on up to 64
• Beat Detective™ features:
tracks
• Ability to apply Beat Detective across mul-
• Up to 64 Instrument tracks
tiple tracks
• 128 internal busses
• Collection Mode
• Import Session Data options (Destination
• Mixing and Automation features:
Track Names, Time Code Mapping, Find
Matching Tracks, Session Data to Import, • Snapshot automation for writing or trim-
Track Playlist) ming automation data
• Glide Automation commands
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
• Surround mixing up to 7.1 with 003®, 003 Additional Software
Rack, 003 Rack+, Digi 002®, and Digi 002
Rack, and up to 5.1 with Mbox® 2 Pro Complete Production Toolkit includes addi-
tional software for working with Pro Tools:
With Complete Production Toolkit, you can
DINR (Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction™)
open surround sessions on any Pro Tools LE
LE Plug-in For reducing noise in audio.
system. Use the Neyrinck SoundCode™ Ste-
reo down mixer plug-in for monitoring sur- DigiTranslator 2.0 Software Option For exchang-
round sessions in stereo with Pro Tools LE ing audio and video files, and sequences with
interfaces that have fewer than six outputs. other AAF and OMF-compatible applications.
• Time code and synchronization features: Eleven LE Plug-in For use as a guitar amp and
• Timebase rulers (Time Code, Time Code 2, speaker emulation.
and Feet+Frames)
Hybrid Synthesizer Plug-in For use as a virtual in-
• Time Code Rate selector
strument in your Pro Tools sessions.
• Feet+Frame Rate selector
• Current Time Code Position command Neyrinck SoundCode Stereo For monitoring up
to 7.1 surround sessions (down mixed to stereo)
• Current Feet+Frames Position command
with all LE interfaces including 2 channel inter-
• Use Subframes option
faces (such as the Mbox 2 Micro). This plug-in
• Audio Rate Pull Up and Pull Down also lets you quickly and easily create stereo
• Video Rate Pull Up and Pull Down mixes from up to 7.1 surround sessions.
• Video features:
Smack! LE Compressor Plug-in For applying
• Support for multiple video tracks on the compression to your audio.
Timeline, multiple QuickTime movies per
track, and multiple playlists per track Structure LE Plug-in For use as a virtual instru-
• Support for adding and editing multiple ment in your Pro Tools sessions.
video regions
TL Space Native Convolution Reverb Plug-in For
• General video editing applying convolution reverb to your audio.
• Video region groups
X-Form Plug-in For high-quality time compres-
• Support for Video Import Options
sion and expansion, and formant corrected
• Video Universe window
pitch-shifting (based on the Radius® algorithm
from iZotope).
2 Complete Production Toolkit Guide

System Requirements and Contents of the Boxed
Compatibility Version of Complete
To use Complete Production Toolkit, you need:
Production Toolkit
An iLok USB Smart Key (an iLok.com account The Complete Production Toolkit package con-
is also required for managing iLok licenses) tains the following components:
– and – • Complete Production Toolkit Installer disc
A Digidesign-qualified Pro Tools LE system • Activation Card, with Activation Code and in-
structions for authorizing Complete Produc-
Digidesign® can only assure compatibility and tion Toolkit software components using an
provide support for hardware and software it has iLok USB Smart Key (not supplied)
tested and approved.
For complete system requirements and a list of

Digidesign-qualified computers, operating sys- Register Complete Production
tems, hard drives, and third-party devices, refer Toolkit for Pro Tools LE
to the latest information on the Digidesign web-
site: If you purchased the Complete Production Tool-
kit software option from the DigiStore
www.digidesign.com/compatibility
(www.digidesign.com) using Internet Activa-
tion, you are automatically registered.
If you purchased a boxed version of the Com-

plete Production Toolkit option, you will be au-
tomatically registered when you authorize your
software (see “Authorizing Complete Produc-
tion Toolkit Option” on page 6).
Registered users receive periodic software update

and upgrade notices.
For information on technical support, visit the

Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).
Chapter 1: Introduction 3
Conventions Used in This About www.digidesign.com
Guide The Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com) is
All Digidesign guides use the following conven- your best online source for information to help
tions to indicate menu choices and key com- you get the most out of your Pro Tools system.
mands: The following are just a few of the services and
:
features available.
Convention Action
Product Registration Register your purchase on-
File > Save Choose Save from the line.
File menu
Support and Downloads Contact Digidesign
Control+N Hold down the Control
Technical Support or Customer Service; down-
key and press the N key
load software updates and the latest online
Control-click Hold down the Control manuals; browse the Compatibility documents
key and click the mouse for system requirements; search the online An-
button
swerbase; or join the worldwide Pro Tools com-
Right-click Click with the right munity on the Digidesign User Conference.
mouse button
Training and Education Study on your own using
The names of Commands, Options, and Settings courses available online or find out how you can
that appear on-screen are in a different font. learn in a classroom setting at a certified
Pro Tools training center.
The following symbols are used to highlight im-
portant information: Products and Developers Learn about Digidesign
products; download demo software or learn
User Tips are helpful hints for getting the about our Development Partners and their plug-
most from your Pro Tools system. ins, applications, and hardware.
News and Events Get the latest news from

Important Notices include information that Digidesign or sign up for a Pro Tools demo.
could affect your Pro Tools session data or
the performance of your Pro Tools system. Pro Tools Accelerated Videos Watch the series of
free tutorial videos. Accelerated Videos are de-
signed to help you get up and running with
Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or
Pro Tools and its plug-ins quickly.
mouse shortcuts.
Cross References point to related sections in

this guide or other Digidesign Guides.

chapter 2
Installation
The installer process installs Complete Produc-

Installing Complete tion Toolkit features, as well as any of the fol-
Production Toolkit lowing optional components that you choose to
install:
A Digidesign-qualified version of • DINR™ LE
Pro Tools LE must be installed before you • DigiTranslator 2.0
install your toolkit and authorize its soft- • Eleven™ LE
ware components.
• Hybrid™
To install Complete Production Toolkit: • MP3 Export option
1 Do one of the following:

• Neyrinck SoundCode Stereo
• Download the installer for your computer • Smack!™ LE

platform from the Digidesign website • Structure® LE
(www.digidesign.com). After downloading, • TL Space™ Native
make sure the installer is uncompressed • X-Form™
(.ZIP on Windows or .SIT on Mac).
5 Each software component (including Com-
– or – plete Production Toolkit) must be authorized be-
• Insert the Installer disc for your version of fore it can be used. See “Authorizing Complete
Pro Tools into your computer. Production Toolkit Option” on page 6.
2 Locate and double-click the Complete Produc-
If you launch Pro Tools without authoriz-
tion Toolkit installer icon:
ing a Complete Production Toolkit software
• Install Complete Production Toolkit (Mac) component, you will be prompted to autho-
– or – rize it.
• Complete Production Toolkit.exe (Win-
dows)
3 Follow the on-screen instructions to complete

the installation.
4 When installation is complete, click Quit

(Mac) or Finish (Windows).
Chapter 2: Installation 5
The following Complete Production Toolkit
Authorizing Complete software components must be authorized before
Production Toolkit Option they can be used in Pro Tools LE:
• Complete Production Toolkit (includes
Complete Production Toolkit and its additional
Pro Tools features)
software components must be authorized before
they can be used in Pro Tools. • DINR LE
• DigiTranslator
• Eleven LE
Complete Production Toolkit and
Additional Software Components • Hybrid
• MP3 Export option
Each Complete Production Toolkit component
must be authorized before it can be used in
Pro Tools. Authorization includes activating • Smack! LE
your software licenses online, then transferring • Structure LE
your licenses to an iLok USB Smart Key (iLok). • TL Space Native
• X-Form
Authorizing Download Versions of

Complete Production Toolkit
If you purchased a download version of Com-
iLok USB Smart Key plete Production Toolkit from the DigiStore
(www.digidesign.com), authorize the plug-in by
The iLok is similar to a dongle, but unlike a don-
downloading licenses from iLok.com to an iLok.
gle, it is designed to securely authorize multiple
software applications from a variety of software
developers. Authorizing Boxed Versions of
Complete Toolkit
This key can hold over 100 licenses (or authori-
zations) for all of your iLok-enabled software. If you purchased a boxed version of Complete
Once an iLok is authorized for a given piece of Production Toolkit, it comes with an Activation
software, you can use the iLok to authorize that Code (on the included Activation Card). You
software on any computer. will need this code to authorize Complete Pro-
duction Toolkit and the included plug-ins.
The iLok USB Smart Key is not supplied
with the Complete Production Toolkit pack-
age, and must be purchased separately.
For additional information about iLok tech-

nology and licenses, see the electronic PDF
of the iLok Usage Guide.

To authorize Complete Production Toolkit using an
Activation Code: Removing Toolkit Options and
1 If you do not have an existing iLok.com ac- Plug-ins
count, visit www.iLok.com and sign up for an Complete Production Toolkit and all of its op-
iLok.com account. tional software components can be removed
2 Transfer the license for your toolkit option from your system.
and plug-ins to your iLok.com account by doing
the following: Uninstalling Complete Production
• Visit http://secure.digidesign.com/ Toolkit Components
activation.
– and – Mac
• Input your Activation Code (listed on your
Activation Card) and then your iLok.com To remove Complete Production Toolkit on Mac:
User ID. Your iLok.com User ID is the name 1 Locate and open the Pro Tools folder (Applica-
you create for your iLok.com account. tions/Digidesign/Pro Tools).
3 Transfer the licenses from your iLok.com ac- 2 Drag the following components to the Trash:
count to your iLok USB Smart Key by doing the • Complete Production Toolkit.bundle
following:
• OMF.bundle
• Insert the iLok into an available USB port
on your computer. 3 Locate and open the Codecs folder (Applica-
tions/Digidesign/Pro Tools/Codecs).
• Go to www.iLok.com and log in.
• Follow the on-screen instructions for trans- 4 Drag the MP3 folder (containing MP3.bundle)
ferring your licences to your iLok. to the Trash.
4 Launch Pro Tools. 5 Locate and open the Plug-ins folder on your
Startup drive (Library/Application Support
5 If you have any installed unauthorized plug-
/Digidesign/Plug-ins).
ins or software options, you are prompted to au-
thorize them. Follow the on-screen instructions 6 Drag the following plug-ins to the Trash:
to complete the authorization process. • DINR LE.dpm
• Eleven LE
• Hybrid Synthesizer
• Smack LE Compressor
• Structure LE
• TL Space
• X-Form
7 Empty the Trash.
Chapter 2: Installation 7
To remove the TL Space Native impulse response
library:
1 Locate the TL Space Impulse Responses folder
(Library/Application Support/Trillium Lane/TL
Space).
2 Drag it to the Trash and empty the Trash.
Windows Vista
To remove Complete Production Toolkit on

Windows Vista:
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
2 Double-click Programs and Features.
3 From the list of currently installed applica-

tions, select Digidesign Complete Production
Toolkit.
4 Click Uninstall.
5 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove

the Complete Production Toolkit option.
Windows XP
To remove Complete Production Toolkit on

Windows XP:
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
2 Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
3 From the Currently installed programs list, se-

lect Digidesign Complete Production Toolkit.
4 Follow the on-screen instructions.
5 When removal is complete, close the Add or

Remove Programs window.

chapter 3
Session and Track Features
Complete Production Toolkit enables additional

session and track features in Pro Tools LE. It also Increased Voice and Track
includes support for the MP3 export option. Counts
For more information on working with
Pro Tools sessions and tracks, see the Support for Up to 128 Voices
Pro Tools Reference Guide. Complete Production Toolkit lets you play or
record up to 128 voices simultaneously at 44.1
or 48 kHz and up to 96 voices at 88.1 or 96 kHz.
Each channel of an audio track uses a single
voice.
For example, at 44.1 or 48 kHz, you can have up

to:
• 128 mono tracks
– or –
• 64 stereo tracks
– or –
• 21 5.1 tracks
– or –
• Any combination of mono, stereo, and sur-
round tracks that do not require more that
128 voices for all audio channels
Higher track counts are only supported with

multiple hard drives and faster Digidesign-qual-
ified systems. Visit the Digidesign website for
more information (www.digidesign.com).
Chapter 3: Session and Track Features 9

Track Priority and Dynamic Voicing Support for Up to 64 QuickPunch
Tracks
Tracks do not play back when they are inac-
tive or their voice assignment is set to Off. With Complete Production Toolkit, up to 64
mono or stereo audio tracks at 44.1 or 48 kHz,
When working with more than 128 voices (at and up to 48 tracks at 88.1 or 96 kHz can be si-
44.1 or 48 kHz), you can play back audio on a multaneously recorded with QuickPunch.
track that would use voice number 129 and
higher by changing the higher track’s priority,
Additional Enhanced Session and
as follows:
Track Features
• Make a lower numbered track inactive
(click the Track Name and select Track > In addition to the increased audio track count
Make Inactive) to free up its voice. (using up to 128 voices), Pro Tools LE with the
• Set the voice assignment in a lower num- Complete Production Toolkit option includes
bered track to Off (click the Voice selector the following:
and select Off). • Support for up to 64 Instrument tracks
• Drag the Track Name button of the higher • Support for up to 128 internal buses
numbered track to the left (Mix window) or • Display of up to 256 tracks (128 voice-
upwards (in the Edit window or Track List) able)—tracks in excess the 128 voice limit
until it is in the range of the maximum are set to inactive
number of voiced audio tracks allowed by • Support for up to 21, 5.1 tracks (for more
your system. The previous last voiced audio information about surround mixing and
track will now be out of range and its voice monitoring in Pro Tools LE with the Com-
assignment will change to Off. plete Production Toolkit option, see
Chapter 8, “Surround Features”).
Setting a track voice assignment to Off
For the track that was originally higher num-

bered than the total allowed number of voiced
audio tracks, its voice assignment was set to Off.
When bringing it into the range of total allowed
voiced tracks, it automatically resets to DYN.
For more information on track priority and

voice assignments, see the Pro Tools Refer-
ence Guide.

sion from which you are importing starts at
Import Session Data 10:00:00:00, you can reset the start time code to
Enhancements 00:01:00:00, to avoid placing files 9 hours and
59 minutes from the start of your session.
This section provides information on Import
Session Data features that Complete Production
Destination Track Names
Toolkit adds to Pro Tools LE systems.
(Operation/Destination Track Pop-Up
With Complete Production Toolkit, the Import Menus)
Session Data dialog lets you view the properties
For each source track, there is a corresponding
of a session, select which tracks to import, and
Operation/Destination Track pop-up menu that
choose which attributes of those tracks you
lists options for importing the track and avail-
want to import into the current session.
able destination tracks in the current session.
Time Code Mapping Options The names of available destination tracks in the
current session are listed at the bottom of the
pop-up menu. Imported playlists and all at-
specify where the imported tracks are placed in
tributes selected in the Session Data to Import
the current session. Times are indicated in time
will be placed in the destination track you
code.
choose.
From the Import Session Data dialog, the follow-
Only destination tracks that match the track
ing Time Code Mapping Options are available:
type (audio, Instrument, MIDI, Auxiliary Input,
Maintain Absolute Time Code Values This op- or Master Fader) and the channel format (mono
tion places tracks at the locations where they or stereo) of the source track appear in the pop-
were located in the source session. For example, up menu.
if the current session starts at 00:01:00:00, and
the session from which you are importing starts Find Matching Tracks
at 10:00:00:00, the earliest imported tracks can
If you are importing playlists from source tracks
appear in your session is 9 hours and 59 minutes
with the same name as destination tracks in the
after the start of the session.
current session, click Find Matching Tracks to
Maintain Relative Time Code Values This option automatically match the track names. Tracks
places tracks at the same offset from session start must have the same name, track type, and chan-
as they had in the source session. For example, if nel format to be automatically matched.
the source session starts at 01:00:00:00 and con-
tains a track that starts at 01:01:00:00, and the Session Data to Import
current session start is 02:00:00:00, the track will
The Session Data to Import menu is where you
be placed at 02:01:00:00 in the current session.
select which attributes of the selected tracks you
Map Start Time Code To This option places want to import into the current session.
tracks relative to their original session start time
The selected attributes are applied to all tracks
(with Complete Production Toolkit, times are
that you choose to import into the current ses-
expressed in hh:mm:ss:ff). For example, if the
sion.
current session starts at 00:01:00:00, and the ses-

Replacing Track Attributes Regions and Media Imports all of the audio files
or regions in the source track, and places them
When you import an attribute of the source
in the Region List.
track into an existing track in the current ses-
sion, it replaces the corresponding attribute in Volume Automation and Setting Imports the
the destination track. If you choose not to im- source track’s Volume fader setting and any au-
port an attribute of the source track, the corre- tomation data on the track’s Volume Automa-
sponding attribute in the destination track is re- tion playlist. The Volume fader setting and any
tained. Volume automation data in the destination
track are replaced.
Replacing Track Path Names
Pan Automation and Setting Imports the source
When you import a track’s input, output, send track’s Pan Slider settings and any automation
output or hardware insert assignments, any cus- data on the track’s Pan Automation playlist. The
tom path names and I/O configurations from Pan Slider setting and any Pan automation data
the source session are imported into the track, in the destination track are replaced.
but they are not imported into the I/O Setup.
Use the Import Session button in the I/O Setup Mute Automation and Setting Imports the source
dialog to import I/O configurations into the I/O track’s Mute setting and any automation data
Setup. on the track’s Mute Automation playlist. The
Mute setting and any Mute automation data in
For information on importing I/O configu- the destination track are replaced.
rations into I/O Setup, see the Pro Tools Ref-
erence Guide. Main Output Assignments Imports the source
track’s channel output assignments, including
Selecting Track Attributes to Import any multiple output assignments. The channel
output assignments in the destination track are
You can select All, None, or any combination of
replaced.
the listed attributes to import.
Send Output Assignments Imports the source
The following attributes are available to import:
track’s send output assignments. Any Send out-
All Imports all of the source track’s playlists, ac- put assignments in the destination track are re-
cording to the Track Playlist Option setting, and placed.
all of the attributes in the Session Data to Import
Plug-in Assignments Imports the source track’s
list.
plug-in assignments. Any plug-ins in the desti-
None Imports only the source track’s main play- nation track are removed, and their associated
list, according to the Track Playlist Option set- settings and automation are lost.
ting, and no other attributes of the source track.
If the source track uses a plug-in that is not avail-
Alternate Playlists Imports all of the source able on the destination system, it appears in the
track’s alternate playlists. The alternate playlists destination track and is made inactive.
appear in the destination track’s playlist pop-up
menu.

Plug-in Settings and Automation When the Track Playlist Options
source track’s plug-in assignments are imported,
this option imports the track’s plug-in settings You can select from the following options to
and any automation data associated with the control how the main playlist from each source
plug-ins. If no plug-in assignments are im- track is imported to the destination track in the
ported, this option has no effect. current session.
Hardware Insert Assignments Imports the source Import Main Playlists — Replacing Destination
Main Playlists Imports the main playlist from
track’s hardware Insert assignments. Any Insert
the source track. When you overlay the playlist
assignments in the destination track are re-
into an existing track, the main playlist in the
placed.
destination track is deleted and replaced with
Input Assignments Imports the source track’s the imported playlist.
channel input assignment. The Input assign- If you select the above option and import all
ment in the destination track is replaced. of the source track’s attributes, this is equivalent
to importing the entire track.
Side-Chain Assignments When the source track’s
plug-in assignments are imported, this option If you select the above option and do not im-
imports any side-chain assignments associated port any of the source track’s attributes, you re-
with the plug-ins. If no plug-in assignments are place the audio playlists while keeping your
imported, this option has no effect. current mixer settings.
I/O Labels (Path Names) Imports the source Import Main Playlists—Overlaying New with Exist-
track’s path names. ing, Trimming Existing Regions Imports the main
playlist from the source track. When you import
Track Active State Imports the active/inactive the playlist into an existing track, any existing
state of the source track from the source session. playlist data that overlaps data imported from
the source track is trimmed and replaced with
Track Comments Imports the track comments
the imported data. Any playlist data in the des-
associated with the source track. Any comments
tination track that does not overlap remains in
in the destination track are replaced.
the destination track.
Record Safe/Solo Safe Settings Imports the
record safe and solo safe settings of the source
track from the source session. Any record safe or
solo safe settings in the destination track are re-
placed.
Track View Settings Imports the track height

and playlist view of the source track from the
source session.
Mix/Edit Groups: Imports track group assign-

ments from the source session.

Do Not Import Main Playlists—Leaving Destina-
tion Playlists Intact Does not import the main DigiTranslator 2.0 Features
playlist from the source track. No audio is im-
ported; only the attributes selected in the Ses-
Importing AAF and OMF
sion Data to Import list are imported to the se-
Sequences
lected tracks.
With the DigiTranslator 2.0 option (included
If you select the above option and import all
with Complete Production Toolkit), Pro Tools
of the source track’s input, output, send, insert
lets you open AAF and OMF sequences as new
and plug-in attributes, this is equivalent to im-
Pro Tools sessions or you can import AAF and
porting a “channel strip.”
OMF sequences into existing Pro Tools sessions.
Import Tempo/Meter Map Imports the meter
and tempo maps, as they appear in the Tempo Pro Tools cannot play MXF audio or video
and Meter Conductor rulers, from the source files embedded within an AAF sequence.
session. Any Tempo or Meter events in the des-
tination session are replaced. For more information on opening and im-
porting AAF and OMF sequences using the
Import Marker/Memory Locations DigiTranslator 2.0 option, see the Digi-
Imports markers and Memory Locations as they Translator 2.0 Guide.
appear in the Marker ruler, from the source ses-
sion. Any markers and Memory Locations in the Exporting Pro Tools Tracks as AAF
destination session are retained. Imported or OMF Sequences
marker and Memory Locations are assigned the
With the DigiTranslator 2.0 option (included
next available Marker/Memory Location num-
with Complete Production Toolkit), Pro Tools
bers.
lets you export individual tracks in AAF or OMF
format. Use the Export Selected Tracks as
AAF/OMF command.
Pro Tools with DigiTranslator 2.0 does not

support AAF files with embedded media.
For more information on exporting selected

tracks from Pro Tools sessions as AAF and
OMF sequences using the DigiTranslator
2.0 option, see the DigiTranslator 2.0
Guide.

When you export or bounce to MP3 format, you
MP3 Export Option can set the following options:
With Complete Production Toolkit, the MP3 file

Encoder Settings
type is available when using Bounce to Disk or
exporting a region as a new audio file. Encoder Speed Determines the audio quality of
the bounced file. There are two options: Highest
MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) Quality and Fastest Encoding Time.
The MPEG-1 Layer 3 compression format (MP3) The Highest Quality option can take up to five
is used for streaming and downloading audio times longer to process audio than the Fastest
over the Internet, and for playback on portable Encoding option, so you should use it only when
devices. The MP3 Export Option is required to the highest fidelity is essential and you have the
use this file type. time to devote to the encoding process.
Constant Bit Rate (CBR) Encodes the file at a

single bit rate that you choose from the Constant
Bit Rate (CBR) pop-up menu. Because the bit rate
is fixed, the quality of the encoded audio will
vary depending on the nature of the material be-
ing compressed. The 128 kbit/s option is gener-
ally best for streaming over the Internet, since it
has predictable bandwidth requirements.
ID3 Tag Info Settings
ID3 Tag Type The ID3 tag stores data about the
MP3 Export Options
encoded audio file that is used by MP3 players to
display information about the file. Pro Tools
When you select this format, the Resolution pop- supports three versions of this tag, in order to
up menu in the Pro Tools Output Options dia- provide backward compatibility with older MP3
log is unavailable. The resolution is set by the players:
encoder.
• ID3 v1.0: Appears at the end of a streaming
The sample rate chosen is given to the codec as MP3 file, so that tag information is only dis-
a base sample rate for operations. The actual played after software streaming is finished.
sample rate of the resulting file is determined in • ID3 v1.1: Same as version 1.0, but adds track
the MP3 Encoder Options dialog. For example, if number information to the tag.
a base sample rate of 48000 Hz is chosen, the
• ID3 v2.3: Appears at the front of a streaming
MP3 Encoder Options dialog will allow output
MP3 file, so that tag information is displayed
streams in 48, 24, or 12 kHz, depending on en-
when streaming begins.
coding quality.

While ID3 v2.3 is the current standard Session Interchange Between
MP3 format, not all MP3 players support Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE
ID3 v2.3. Contact the developer of your
with Complete Production
player software for compatibility informa-
tion.
Toolkit
The Complete Production Toolkit option pro-
Title/Artist/Album/Comment Type the title, art-
vides improved session interchange between
ist, and other information for the MP3 file. This
Pro Tools|HD systems and Pro Tools LE systems.
information is displayed by many MP3 players.
For more information on sharing sessions,
Genre Choose a genre for the file. This informa-
see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
tion is displayed by many MP3 players, and can
appear in searchable catalogs and databases. When opening a Pro Tools HD session in
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit,
Track Number If you select ID3 tag type v1.1 or
the following occurs:
v2.3, you can enter a CD track number for the
file. This information is displayed by many MP3 Tracks
players. • Any audio tracks that exceed the 128 voice
limit, as well any inactive tracks, are set to
Year Enter a year for the file. This information is
voice off.
displayed by many MP3 players.
• Any Auxiliary Input tracks beyond 128 are
Mac File Settings made inactive.
Mac File Type and Creator If you expect your file • Any Instrument tracks beyond 64 are made
to be used on a Mac, you can enter the Mac file inactive.
type and creator. This will allow users to double- • TDM plug-ins with RTAS® equivalents are
click the file to open their MP3 player. converted; those without equivalents are
made inactive. When subsequently opening
Default Button the session in Pro Tools HD, any plug-ins that
were converted to RTAS will be converted
To restore all settings in this dialog to their de-
back to TDM if possible.
fault values, click Defaults.
• Multichannel surround tracks are maintained.
• Unavailable input and output paths are made
inactive.
• Any Delay Compensation settings are re-
moved. When subsequently opening the ses-
sion in Pro Tools HD, the original Delay
Compensation settings are restored.

• VCA Master tracks are hidden and any VCA To reconfigure a session that was created with
automation is automatically coalesced. When audio output paths that exceed the available audio
subsequently opening the session in Pro Tools outputs of your Pro Tools LE audio interface for
stereo monitoring:
HD, VCA tracks remain hidden and will need
to be manually shown. 1 After opening the session, choose Setup > I/O
and click the Output tab.
Groups
2 Make sure the audio output paths that are un-
• Mix Groups keep only Main Volume informa-
available with your Pro Tools LE audio interface
tion.
are set to Inactive by deselecting the Active/In-
• Mix/Edit Groups keep only Main Volume and active control for the path. Inactive tracks that
Automation Mode information. were assigned to the path display in italics in the
• Automation overflow information for track path selectors.
grouped controls is be preserved.
Active
• Group behavior of Solos, Mutes, Send Levels,
Send Mutes is be preserved.
• Solo Mode and Solo Latch settings are
dropped.
Inactive
I/O Setup
Active/inactive Output path settings in I/O setup
If your Pro Tools LE audio interface has a suffi-
3 Click the Bus tab and, if necessary, create a
cient number of outputs, the I/O Setup is main-
new surround format bus (such as 5.1).
tained. If not, a warning is posted when opening
the session and you will need to manually re- 4 Click OK to save your changes and close the
configure the I/O Setup. I/O Setup dialog.
5 Route any track outputs or sends that were as-

signed to the surround audio path to the new
surround bus path.
6 Create a new Auxiliary Input track with the

desired surround channel format (such as 5.1).
7 Set the Input path for the Auxiliary Input

track to the corresponding surround bus.
8 Insert the SoundCode Stereo (surround chan-

nel format to stereo) plug-in on the Auxiliary In-
put track. The channel width of the track
changes to stereo.
9 Set the output path of the Auxiliary Input

track to the main stereo outputs of your audio
interface for monitoring.

chapter 4
DigiBase Pro
Complete Production Toolkit enables DigiBase 3 If in the Workspace browser, select volumes or
Pro in Pro Tools LE. folders to search.
For information on DigiBase, see the Search icon

Pro Tools Reference Guide.
With DigiBase Pro, you can:

• Search on any combination of file meta- Search
data simultaneously. Pane
• Create and share custom Catalog browsers

Selected
(Catalogs) that reference files wherever Volume
they are stored.
• View, search, and import files from Cata-
logs even if they are on offline volumes.
Searching for Multiple Criteria Search icon and Search pane

Simultaneously in DigiBase 4 Enter text into the File Name field to search by
Browsers name, or enter a date, or select a kind from the
Kind pop-up menu.
Use DigiBase to find files by name, modification
date, and kind. With DigiBase Pro, you can 5 Choose additional search criteria as needed.
search multiple criteria simultaneously, and Press Tab to move to the next available search
search on any criteria. field, or Shift+Tab to move to the previous.
6 Click the Search button, or press Enter (Win-

To start a search:
dows) or Return (Mac).
1 Open any browser.
2 Click the Search icon to display the Search

pane.
You can also start a search by pressing Con-

trol+F (Windows) or Command+F (Mac).
Chapter 4: DigiBase Pro 19

Searching begins, indicated by the spinning ar- 2 From the Browser menu, choose Create Cata-
rows in the toolbar, and by the Search button log.
changing to Stop. The Results List (at the bot-
tom of the browser) fills with items that match
the search criteria. Items can be selected and au-
ditioned as they are found.
DigiBase Pro Catalogs
Catalogs are available with DigiBase Pro, which
7 Click the Stop button at any time to stop the
is included with Complete Production Toolkit
search, and keep the list of files already found (if
(see Figure 1).
any).
While Volume browsers are designed to be an
For detailed information on DigiBase
accurate representation of the file structure on a
search functions, see the Pro Tools Refer-
given volume, Catalogs are similar to having a
ence Guide.
Favorites folder, and serve as a way to collect
and organize frequently used items regardless of
Saving Search Results as a where they are stored.
Catalog
To save the results of your search as a Catalog:

1 Choose Edit > Select All, or press Control+A
(Windows) or Command+A (Mac), to select all
items in the Items List.
Catalog name
Menu and
toolbar
Items List
Fixed pane Show/Hide Scrolling pane

Pane split
Figure 1. Catalog browser

A Catalog is analogous to a folder full of aliases Clip names can only be edited in a Catalog. Ed-
or shortcuts. Placing a file in a Catalog does not iting the Clip name does not affect the actual
create a copy of the file, and does not change file; however, if you add the same file to a new
where the file is stored. Rather, it stores a refer- Catalog, it retains its original Clip Name. When
ence (or alias) to the file so that it can be found you drag a file from a Catalog into a session, the
and manipulated without having to search for edited Clip Name is what appears in the Time-
its physical location. line and Region List.
If the Clip Name is longer than 32 characters,

Opening a Catalog Browser
Pro Tools truncates the name automatically
Catalogs are displayed in the Workspace when imported into the session.
browser.
Comments and Catalogs

Catalogs provide commands for managing OS 9
Catalogs Finder comments, Database comments, and
Clip Names.
Database Comments in a Catalog are stored in

the Catalog database. Database Comments,
Catalogs item in the Workspace which can be up to 256 characters in length, are
searchable, cross-platform, and editable.
To open a Catalog browser:
Copy OS 9 Finder Comment to Database Com-
1 Open the Workspace browser.
ments (Mac Only) Copies an item’s OS 9 Finder
2 Click the Catalogs Expand/Collapse icon. comments to its Database comments.
3 Do one of the following: OS 9 Finder comments (from the OS 9 Get

• Click the Expand/Collapse icon for the de- Info window) are not supported in OS X Get
sired Catalog to view its contents in the Info windows. Use the Copy OS 9 Finder
Workspace. Comment to Database Comments com-
– or – mand to utilize any OS 9 Finder comments
stored with your media.
• Double-click the Catalog name to open it
in its own browser window. Copy OS X Finder Comment to Database Com-
ments (Mac Only) Copies an item’s OS X Finder
Clip Names in Catalogs comments to its Database comments.
Clip Names are the names that appear in the Copy Database Comments to Clip Names Copies
Timeline and Region List when a file is imported an item’s Database comments to Clip Name.
into a session.
Copy File Comments to Clip Names Copies an
For most files, the Clip name is the same as the item’s File Comments to Clip Name.
file name. For OMF Files, the Clip Name is the
name that appears in the Avid® bin.

Creating Catalogs Renaming a Catalog
Catalogs can be added to the Workspace as new, Catalogs can be renamed at any time.
empty Catalogs, or you can select items first and
then save a Catalog of all selected items. To rename a Catalog:
1 Click the Catalog item in the Workspace
To create a new, empty Catalog:
browser until its name highlights.
1 Open the Workspace browser.
2 Enter a new name for the Catalog.
2 Choose New Catalog from the browser menu.
3 Enter a unique name and click OK. Modifying Catalogs
To catalog a selection of items: To add items to a Catalog, do one of the following:
1 Open any browser (including an existing Cat- Open the Catalog and drop new items from
alog). another browser.
2 Select the items you want to include in the – or –

new Catalog. Click the main Catalogs icon in the Work-
3 Choose Create Catalog from Selection from the space, to expand your view of all existing Cata-
Browser menu. logs, then drop items onto any Catalog.
A new, fully indexed Catalog database of the se- To add a folder to a Catalog:
lected items is created.
1 Open the Catalog.
Creating Catalogs of Folders 2 Choose Create Folder from the Browser menu.
To create a Catalog of an entire folder and all its To delete items from a Catalog:
contents:
1 Select the items.
1 Open the Workspace browser, if not already
2 Press the Delete key, or choose Delete Selected
open.
from the Browser menu. A warning dialog ap-
2 Drag and drop a single folder onto the Catalog pears.
icon in the Workspace browser.
3 In the warning dialog, do one of the follow-
Pro Tools first indexes the folder, then a fully in- ing:
dexed Catalog is created, with the same name as • Click Cancel to cancel the delete operation.
the dropped folder. • Click Delete Files to delete aliases and asso-
ciated files from disk.
• Click Delete Aliases to delete only the
aliases and not the associated files.
This operation cannot be undone.

Consolidating Files with Catalogs Deleting Catalogs
Catalogs are excellent tools for consolidating
To delete a Catalog:
files from a variety of sources.
1 Select one or more Catalogs in the Workspace
For example, create a Catalog named “Thumps” browser.
and fill it with sound effects from three different
volumes. You can then drag the Catalog from 2 Press the Delete key, or choose Delete Selected
the Workspace browser to another volume, and from the Browser menu. A warning dialog ap-
a folder named “Thumps” is created on that vol- pears.
ume. All of the files referenced by the Catalog 3 In the warning dialog, do one of the follow-
are automatically copied to the volume. Folders ing:
and sub-folders, if any, and their contents are
• Click Cancel to cancel the delete operation.
included in the copy.
• Click Delete Files to delete aliases and asso-
ciated files from disk.
Updating Catalogs • Click Delete Aliases to delete only the
Since a Catalog database is not linked to any par- aliases and not the associated files.
ticular volume, there is a limit to the abilities of This operation cannot be undone.
the Update Index command. When Update Data-
base for Selected is selected from the Browser
menu in a Catalog, Pro Tools searches for the Importing Catalog Items
items represented by the aliases in the Catalog
You can import online and offline items from
and updates the following information:
Catalogs into the current session.
Metadata Metadata for all files found online, in-
cluding File comments, are updated. Importing Online Items from a Catalog
Database Comments Database Comments are Dragging and dropping audio files to the
not updated, because they are unique to each Pro Tools Region List and Timeline is identical
Catalog and are not part of the file’s metadata. to dragging and dropping from Volume brows-
ers.
Relinking Catalog Items

If files are ever missing from a Catalog, use the
Relink window to locate, copy, and relink files.
For more information, see the Pro Tools Reference
Guide.

Importing Offline Items from a Catalog
With Catalogs, it is possible to search and im-
port files that are offline. For example, if you
have a music cue that you know you want to
use, but it resides on a CD-ROM or other un-
mounted volume, you can spot the file from a
Catalog to the session Timeline, and it is auto-
matically imported into the session when the
volume is mounted.
The first step is to add files to a Catalog (files

must be online to be added to a Catalog). Once
added to a Catalog, if the items are taken offline
they are listed in italicized text.
Offline files can be dropped from a Catalog to

the Timeline just like online files. When you
drop the files, a dialog appears asking if you
want to relink the files or skip relinking. Click
Skip All to load all the items as offline files (in the
Timeline, their regions appear in light blue). In
the Project browser, these items are listed in the
Render Sources folder, to ensure that Pro Tools
remembers that these items need to be relinked.
Whenever the volume containing the offline

items is mounted, Pro Tools automatically starts
to import the files, in the background. This is
true even if you have saved the session, quit,
and relaunched Pro Tools.
Once the items are completely imported, they

appear as online items in the Timeline, Region
List, and in the Project browser.
If the offline items match the session sample

rate, bit depth, and file format, no conversion is
necessary. As long as the volume is playable, the
items become playable in the session as soon as
the volume is mounted.
If the volume is unsuitable for playback, you are

informed that some items must be copied to
suitable volumes first.

chapter 5
Editing Features
Complete Production Toolkit enables additional Half-Screen Edit Window

editing features in Pro Tools LE.
When the Scrolling option is set to Continuous, a
For information on editing in Pro Tools, see half-screen appears at the far left of the Edit win-
the Pro Tools Reference Guide. dow (before the beginning of the session) when
the Playhead is at the beginning of the session.
Continuous Scrolling During

Playback
When this scrolling option is selected, the Edit
and MIDI Editor window contents scroll contin-
uously past the playback cursor, which remains
in the center of the window. With this option,
playback is always based on the Timeline selec- Half-screen for Center Playhead Scrolling option
tion. Continuous Scrolling During Playback uses
host processing power, so use this option with
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit The Scrub Trimmer Tool
only when absolutely necessary.
The Scrub Trimmer tool is a convenient tool for
auditioning material (on up to two tracks) to
find a trim point. You can drag in a track to hear
the audio information, then trim at a specific lo-
cation by releasing the mouse button.
Chapter 5: Editing Features 25

This action creates a new region. Note that the
Scrub Trimmer tool changes into a “right trim” Replacing Audio Regions
or “left trim” shape as it is placed over the right
Use the Replace Region function to replace mul-
or left side of a region. To reverse the direction
tiple instances of an audio region in a playlist
of the Scrub Trimmer tool, press Alt (Windows)
with another region. This is useful in post pro-
or Option (Mac) before you click the region.
duction if you use a sound effect, room noise, or
atmosphere region many times in a session, and
later decide to replace one or all of the original
regions with a different region.
This is also useful in music production if you

want to replace a certain loop or sample (for ex-
Scrub Trimmer tool over a region ample, a drum beat) with a new one. You can
Scrub playback speed and direction vary with use this compositionally, if you know the tempo
controller movement. Scrubbed audio is routed of a section or session, to create a scratch piece
through the track signal path, so you hear any with “rough” regions of the correct length, and
effects in the signal path. later replace them with “final” regions of the
same length.
To scrub trim a track:
To replace regions by dragging and dropping:
1 Select a region in a track’s playlist that you
• Click the Trimmer tool pop-up menu and
want to replace. The selection can extend be-
select Scrub.
yond the region’s end point, to include material
– or – from the replacement region that is longer than
• Right-click on any track and select Tools > the original region.
Trimmer Tools > Scrub.
2 Control-Shift-drag (Windows) or Command-
The tool changes to a speaker with a bracket. Shift-drag (Mac) the replacement region from
the Region List to the selected region. The Re-
2 Drag within a track to the left or right. Audio
place Region dialog opens.
from a scrubbed track is routed through the
track signal path, including any TDM effects. Control-Shift-drag (Windows) or Com-
When you locate the trim point, release the mand-Shift-drag (Mac) any region from the
mouse button to trim the region. Region List to any unselected region on a
track to open the Replace Region dialog
To scrub trim two tracks, click with the Scrub
without first making a selection.
Trimmer tool between two adjacent tracks and
drag. 3 Configure the Replace Region dialog (see “Re-
place Region Dialog” on page 27).
To scrub with finer resolution (without having
to zoom in), press Control (Windows) or Com- 4 Click OK.
mand (Mac) while scrubbing.

Replace Region Dialog Replace: All Instances of the Original Region Re-
places all instances of the selected region that fit
the On criteria with the replacement region
from the Region List.
• On This Track: replaces regions that fit the
Match criteria and are on the same track as
the original region.
• On All Tracks: replaces regions that fit the
Match criteria for all tracks in the session.
• On Within the Selection: replaces regions
that fit the Match criteria within the cur-
rent selection.
Replace: All Regions That Match Original Re-

gion’s Replaces all regions that fit the Match cri-
teria and the On criteria with the replacement
region from the Region List.
• Start Position: replaces all regions that have
the same original start time as the selected
region. This includes regions that may have
been auto-created when trimming end
points.
• End Position: replaces all regions that have
the same original end time as the selected
region. This includes regions that may have
been auto-created when trimming start
points.
Replace Region dialog
• Name: replaces all regions that come from
The following options are available in the Re- the same audio file and have been renamed
place Region dialog: to the same name
• On This Track: replaces regions that fit the
Replace: Original Region Only Replaces only the
Match criteria and are on the same track as
selected region with the replacement region
the original region.
dragged from the Region List.
• On All Tracks: replaces regions that fit the
Match criteria for all tracks in the session.
• On Within the Selection: replaces regions
that fit the Match criteria within the cur-
rent selection.

Region matching uses all specified Match crite- To replace regions using the Region List menu:
ria. For example, if you select Start Position and
1 Select a region in a track to be replaced.
End Position, all regions from the same original
audio file as your selection with the same origi- 2 Do one of the following:
nal start and end times will be replaced. • Right-click the desired replacement region
in the Region List and choose Replace Re-
Fit Region Using The: Original Region Length If
gions from the pop-up menu.
the replacement region is smaller than the orig-
• Select the desired replacement region in
inal region, the region is placed in the playlist
the Region List and choose Replace Regions
and any remaining audio from the original re-
from the Region List menu. (If the Region
gion is removed.
List Selection Follows Edit Selection prefer-
If the replacement region is larger than the se- ence is enabled, Control-click (Windows)
lection, it is placed in the playlist and trimmed or Command-click (Mac) the selected re-
to fit within the length of the original region. gion to deselect it, then Control-click
(Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the
Fit Region Using The: Original Selection desired replacement region to select it, and
Length When the playlist selection extends be- then choose Replace Regions from the Re-
yond the original region, the replacement region List menu.)
gion (if larger than the original region) is
trimmed to fit within the selection. 3 Configure the Replace Region dialog (see “Re-
place Region Dialog” on page 27).
Fit Region Using The: Replacement Region
Length The replacement region is placed in its 4 Click OK.
entirety, regardless of the length of the original
region or selection. Replace Region and Multichannel
Tracks
Replacing Regions from the Region List The Replace Region command supports drag-
The Replace Regions command is also available ging multichannel regions from the Region List
in the Region List menu. To use this command, to multichannel tracks, provided they are the
make sure there is a region selected in a track same channel format. For example, you can re-
and a different (replacement) region selected in place a selected stereo region in a stereo audio
the Region List. track with another stereo region from the Re-
gion List. However, you cannot replace it with
two mono audio regions. Additionally, you can-
not replace regions in multiple mono tracks
with multichannel regions.

Fitting an Audio Region to an Edit
TCE (Time Compression and Selection
Expansion) Edit To Timeline
Regions can be dragged from the Region List to
Selection
fit within an Edit selection. The dragged region
When the Edit and Timeline selections are un- is compressed or expanded to fit within the se-
linked, you can compress or expand an audio selection. On audio tracks, fitting an audio region
lection to fit the Timeline selection. On audio to the Edit selection uses the TCE AudioSuite
tracks, TCE Edit to Timeline Selection uses the TCE Plug-in selected in the Processing preferences.
AudioSuite™ Plug-in selected in the Processing On Elastic Audio–enabled tracks, it uses the
preferences. On Elastic Audio–enabled tracks, track’s selected Elastic Audio plug-in.
TCE Edit To Timeline Selection uses the track’s se-
lected Elastic Audio plug-in. To fit an audio region to an Edit selection:
1 With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection
To fit an Edit selection to the Timeline:
in an audio track.
1 Deselect Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
2 Control-Alt-drag (Windows) or Command-
tion.
Option-drag (Mac) the region from the Region
2 With the Selector tool, select the audio mate- List to the track with the selection. The start of
rial to be compressed or expanded. the region is positioned at the selection start,
and the region is compressed or expanded to
3 In any Timebase ruler, select the time range
match the length of the selection.
where you want to fit the audio material.
4 Choose Edit > TCE Edit to Timeline Selection. Fit to Selection on Multiple Tracks and
The Edit selection is compressed or expanded to Channels
the length of the Timeline selection.
The Fit to Selection command supports dragging
multiple regions from the Region List to multi-
TCE Edit to Timeline Selection on
ple tracks, or multichannel tracks.
Multiple Tracks and Channels
The TCE Edit to Timeline command can be used However, all dragged regions are compressed or
on multichannel selections, and selections expanded equally by the same percentage value,
across multiple tracks. All regions are com- based on length of the region last clicked before
pressed or expanded equally by the same per- dragging.
centage value, based on Edit selection range.
This ensures that the rhythmic relationship be-
tween the different channels or tracks is main-
tained.

With multichannel recordings from one or
Expanding Alternate Channels more field recorders, both channels must over-
to New Playlists or Tracks lap at least once between their start time code
and end time code positions, and must also
When working with a mono region that is part
meet one of the following conditions:
of a multichannel recording imported from a
• Matching Scene and Take
field recorder, you can expand that region (or a
selected portion of it) to new playlists that re- • Matching Shoot Date (applies only if Scene
flect its matching alternate channels while pre- and Take contain any information for both
serving any edits or fades. channels)
• Matching Tape name
For detailed information on working with • Matching Sound Roll name
multichannel recordings made with field re-
• Alternate channel Sound Roll name
corders, see the Field Recorder Workflow
matches current channel Tape name
Guide.
• Alternate channel Tape name matches cur-
Conditions for Alternate Channel rent channel Sound Roll name
Availability
An alternate channel is available to replace the Expanding Channels to New
original channel (represented by the region or Playlists
portion of a region selected on the Timeline) if
To expand alternate channels to new playlists:
all of the following are true:
• Both channels are part of a multichannel 1 In the Timeline, do one of the following:
part of a recording made simultaneously • To expand only a portion of the regions on
on one or more field recorders. the track, make a selection that includes or
• Certain metadata matches between the overlaps any number of regions on a track,
original channel and the alternate channel. and Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Con-
• The metadata embedded during shooting trol-click (Mac) the selection.
and recording has been preserved prior to – or –
import into Pro Tools. • To expand all of the regions on the track,
Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-
click (Mac) the track name.
2 Choose the Expand to New Playlists pop-up

menu, and select one of the following methods
by which to expand alternate channels for the
selection to new tracks:
• By Channel Name
• By Channel Number
• By Channel Name and Number
• By Time Code Only

If alternate channels are available, Pro Tools ex- Expanding Channels by Time Code
pands them to new playlists (including the Only
channel represented in the original track) ac-
cording to the selected option. The Expand To New Tracks By Time Code Only
command lets you expand an entire track or
only selected regions to new playlists on the
Expanding Channels to New Tracks same track or to new separate tracks, thus reveal-
ing all other regions recorded at the same time
To expand alternate channels to new tracks: code location, regardless of channel name or
1 In the Timeline, do one of the following: number. This is especially useful when expand-
• To expand only a portion of the regions on ing edited guide tracks to original source audio
the track, make a selection that includes or that was recorded while referenced to time code,
overlaps any number of regions on a track, but where channel names or numbers were not
and Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Con- written to the audio files.
trol-click (Mac) the selection.
Example Workflow: Working with a Guide Track for
– or –
Live Concert Videos
• To expand all of the regions on the track,
1 Multitrack audio is recorded in Pro Tools
Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-
while chasing time code. A mono or stereo mix
click (Mac) the track name.
is recorded simultaneously as a guide track for
2 Choose the Expand Channels to New Tracks the video editor.
pop-up menu, and select one of the following
2 The picture and audio guide tracks are edited
methods by which to expand alternate channels
in a video editing application.
for the selection to new tracks:
• By Channel Name 3 The edited audio guide tracks are exported
• By Channel Number from the video editor as an AAF (or OMF) se-
quence, including handles of at least 2 frames.
• By Channel Name and Number
• By Time Code Only 4 The AAF (or OMF) sequence is imported into
Pro Tools as a new session. The original source
If alternate channels are available, Pro Tools ex- audio files and unedited guide track are also im-
pands them to new tracks (including the chan- ported into the session.
nel represented in the original track) according
to the chosen parameters. 5 The original unedited guide track is relinked
to the session (see “Relinking the Original
It is not possible to rename files encoded Unedited Guide Track” on page 32).
with XML metadata. The file extension will
6 The Pro Tools editor Right-clicks the name of
always be .A1 and .A2 (even for stereo
the guide track and selects Expand Channels to
files). Also, it is not possible to rename files
New Tracks > By Time Code Only. The original
with a .L/.R suffix. As a result, Pro Tools
source tracks expand to new tracks with edits
does not always recognize these channels as
and fades that match the guide track.
a stereo pair.

Relinking the Original Unedited Guide Track
After importing the AAF (or OMF) sequence and

original source audio files into the session, it is
recommended that you relink the edited guide
track to the original unedited source audio.
To relink the original unedited guide track:

1 Open the Project Browser for the session and
open the Audio Files folder.
2 Right-click the edited guide track audio file in

the browser and choose Relink Selected.
3 In the upper pane of the Relink window, nav-

igate to the original unedited guide track audio
file that was recorded in Pro Tools.
If the original unedited file is not available,

you can relink to any of the source audio
files as long as they have the same start and
end times as the guide track.
4 In the Select Files To Relink pane, select the

edited guide track file.
5 Drag the original unedited guide track audio

file into the Candidates pane. If a dialog appears
stating that one or more files are shorter than
the media file you are trying to relink, click Yes
to select it for relinking anyway.
6 Check the box to the left of the file in the Can-

didates pane so that the Link icon appears.
7 Click Commit Links at the top of the Relink

window and then close the Relink window.
8 You can now Right-click the name of the guide

track and select Expand To New Tracks > By Time
Code Only. All expanded tracks should be syn-
chronous with the guide track.

chapter 6
Beat Detective Features
Complete Production Toolkit enables additional Extending the selection to the snare, hi-hat, and
Beat Detective features for working in Pro Tools. overhead microphones tracks, and then per-
forming the separation, results in separated re-
For more information about other Beat De- gions in each of the drum tracks at the same lo-
tective features, see the Pro Tools Reference cation, based on the beat triggers from the kick
Guide. drum track (see Figure 3).
Separating Multiple Tracks

You can use beat triggers from a single track, or
subset of tracks, to separate a group of tracks.
In the following example, the defined selection

is a drum loop consisting of two bars of 5/4. The
kick, snare, hi-hat, and overhead microphones
are recorded to separate tracks.
Analyzing the loop’s kick drum track, with De-

tection Resolution set to Beats, Beat Detective
places beat triggers at the transients on beats 1
and 4 (see Figure 2).
Figure 3. Kick drum, snare, hi-hat, and overhead

microphones tracks
The separated regions can then be conformed as

a group.
You can also utilize Collection mode when

Figure 2. Kick drum track working with multiple tracks. Collection mode
lets you analyze and detect triggers on tracks in-
dividually, and if you choose, add only the
Chapter 6: Beat Detective Features 33

unique triggers from the current track to the the selection to the other drum tracks and sepa-
overall collection. For more information, see rate them, the regions from the kick, snare, and
“Detection (Normal) and Collection Mode” on tom tracks will be cut slightly late (see Figure 4
page 34. below).
Detection (Normal) and

Collection Mode
In some instances, it may be difficult for Beat
Detective to successfully analyze multiple tracks
with the same Detection settings. With Beat De-
tective’s Collection mode, you can collect a set
of beat triggers from different tracks, each with Figure 4. Overhead mics generate late beat triggers
different Detection settings, and use the collec-
tion of triggers to generate Bar|Beat Markers or Using Collection mode, you can analyze each
DigiGroove templates, or separate new regions. drum track separately, one at a time, optimizing
Collection mode is the only way to analyze and the Detection settings for each track until you
create beat triggers on one track, and apply get the triggers you want. The triggers for each
them to another track. track can be added successively to the collec-
tion, or you can choose to collect only the
This method of selectively adding beat triggers unique triggers from a track. The collection of
from separate analysis passes on different tracks, triggers that results can then be used to generate
until you get only the triggers you want, is po- Bar|Beat Markers or a DigiGroove template, or
tentially much more effective than manually de- separate new regions.
leting, inserting, or adjusting incorrect or false
triggers.
Using Collection Mode
Drum Tracks and Collection Mode Collection mode is available in Bar|Beat Marker
Generation, Groove Template Extraction, or Re-
Suppose you have drum tracks for kick, snare,
gion Separation mode (audio only), and is ac-
hi-hat, and overhead mics. If you analyze a se-
cessed by clicking the Collection Mode button
lection across all of the tracks, you may get
in the Detection section.
many false triggers when you raise the Sensitiv-
ity slider high enough to capture the hi-hat ma-
terial (coming mainly from the tracks for the
overhead mics).
However, if you analyze only the track for the

overhead mics, the resulting beat triggers are
slightly later than the material on the other
tracks (since it will take more time for the sound
Beat Detective, Collection mode options
to reach the overhead mics). If you then extend

To use Collection mode: 10 Do one of the following:
1 In the Edit window, make an audio selection • In the Detection (Collection Mode) sec-
on a single track. Make sure the selection’s start tion, click Add Unique Triggers to add only
and end points fall cleanly on the beat. the unique triggers from the track to the col-
lection.
2 In the Beat Detective window, select one of
• Click Add All to add all triggers to the col-
the following modes:
lection.
• Bar|Beat Marker Generation
• Click Clear All to clear all triggers from the
• Groove Template Extraction collection.
• Region Separation (audio only)
Each new set of triggers added to the collection
3 Define or capture the selection. appears in a different color. If successive triggers
4 Configure the Detection options so the selec- in the collection are located closely together (for
tion’s peak transients are accurately detected. example, because of microphone leakage), Beat
Detective keeps only the earlier triggers (see
5 Click the Collection Mode button. Figure 5 on page 36).
6 In the Detection (Collection Mode) section, 11 Repeat steps 7–10 for each additional track
click Add to add all the current beat triggers to you are analyzing.
the collection.
The beat triggers stored in the Collection mode
7 Click the Normal Mode button and move the
are saved with sessions. Therefore, when a ses-
selection to the next track you want to analyze.
sion is opened later, the previous collection ma-
Make sure to keep the selection range constant
terial is still there (until it is cleared).
for each track.
12 Once the desired beat triggers have been
Press Start+P (Windows) or Control+P added to the collection, you can use them to
(Mac) to move the selection up, or generate Bar|Beat Markers or a groove template,
Start+Semicolon (Windows) or Con- or separate regions. However, this must be done
trol+Semicolon (Mac) to move the selection from the Collection Mode section (when the
down. triggers are displayed in multiple colors).
With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled, To separate regions across multiple tracks,
press “P” to move the selection up, or Semi- make sure to extend the selection to any ad-
colon (;) to move the selection down. Hold ditional tracks before separating.
down the Shift key to retain and add to the
current selection. (See the Pro Tools Refer-
ence Guide for information on enabling
Commands Keyboard Focus.)
8 Configure the Detection options so the selec-

tion’s peak transients are accurately detected.
9 Click the Collection Mode button again.
Chapter 6: Beat Detective Features 35

1. Beat triggers
detected in Kick track
added to collection
2. Unique beat triggers

detected in Snare track
added to collection
3. Unique beat triggers

detected in Hi-hat track
added to collection
4.Collected beat triggers

applied to Overhead
microphones track
Figure 5. Overhead mic track displaying a collection of beat triggers containing unique triggers generated from the
kick, snare, and hi-hat tracks

chapter 7
Mixing and Automation Features
Complete Production Toolkit enables additional To write snapshot automation:

mixing and automation features in Pro Tools LE.
1 In the Automation window, make sure that
the parameters you want to edit are write-en-
For more information on mixing and work-
abled. Deselect any parameters whose automa-
ing with automation in Pro Tools, see the
tion you want to preserve.
Pro Tools Reference Guide.
2 In the Edit window, click the Track View selec-
tor to show the automation you want to edit.
Creating Snapshot 3 Write a breakpoint in the playlist if none cur-
Automation rently exists, as follows:
Pro Tools lets you write automation data values • Place the cursor in the playlist (or make an
for multiple parameters in a single step. You can Edit selection), then choose Control+F or
write snapshot automation in two ways: ward Slash (/) (Windows) or Command+F
or ward Slash (/) (Mac).
To a Selection Automation data is written to the
– or –
Timeline selection (as well as the Edit selection if
• Select the Grabber tool and click anywhere
linked). Anchor breakpoints are placed just be-
in the playlist.
fore and after the selection so that data outside
the selection is not affected. 4 Do one of the following:
• Select an area in the track’s playlist (or
To a Cursor Location Automation data is written
within multiple tracks) where you want to
at the insertion point. After the insertion point,
apply the automation.
the automation ramps to the next breakpoint
value, or if no breakpoints exist, remains at the – or –
newly written value for the remainder of the ses- • Place the cursor at an Edit insertion point.
sion.
5 Adjust the controls you want to automate.
For MIDI automation, the Write To, Trim You can also change a plug-in preset.
To, and Glide To commands only apply to
MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and MIDI Mute.
MIDI parameters cannot use the Write To
commands.
Chapter 7: Mixing and Automation Features 37

6 Choose Edit > Automation and do one of the Writing Snapshot Automation over
following: Existing Automation Data
• To write the current value to only the cur-
When you move the playback cursor, the auto-
rently displayed automation parameter,
mated controls in Pro Tools update to reflect the
choose Write to Current.
automation data that is already on the track. To
– or – keep the settings you have made for a snapshot,
• To write the current settings for all automa- you can suspend automation parameters to pre-
tion parameters enabled in the Automation vent them from updating.
window, choose Write to All Enabled.
To write snapshot automation over existing data:
Adding Snapshot Automation to Empty 1 In the Automation window, make sure that
Automation Playlists the automation parameters you want to edit are
When you use a Write Automation command on write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose
an automation playlist with no previously writ- automation you want to preserve.
ten automation data, the selected value is writ- 2 Adjust the controls for the parameters you
ten to the entire playlist and not just the se- want to automate.
lected area.
3 Click the Automation Mode selector and se-
This is because a playlist with no automation lect Off mode for the tracks where you want to
data contains only a single automation break- apply the automation.
point that corresponds to the current position of
4 With the Selector, select the range where you
the control for the parameter. The position of
want to apply the automation.
the breakpoint is updated whenever the param-
eter value is changed. 5 Choose Edit > Automation and select one of the
following from the submenu:
If you do not want the Write Automation com-
• To write the current value to only the auto-
mand to write the selected automation value to
mation parameter currently displayed in
the entire playlist, you can:
the Edit window, choose Write to Current.
• Anchor the automation data by placing the
– or –
cursor at the end of the session (or any other
end point) and choosing Write to Current. • To write the current settings for all automa-
tion parameters enabled in the Automation
– or – window, choose Write to All Enabled.
• Click with any Grabber tool on each side of
the selection.
lect Read mode for the tracks you want to play
This lets the Write Automation command write back with automation.
only to the selected area.

Capturing Automation and Applying it 8 Choose Edit > Automation and select one of the
Elsewhere following from the submenu:
• To write the current value to only the auto-
The Write Automation commands can also be
mation parameter currently displayed in
used to capture automation states at specific lo-
the Edit window, choose Write To Current.
cations in a track and apply them to other loca-
tions in the track. – or –
• To write the current settings for all automa-
To capture and apply automation: tion parameters enabled in the Automation
Enable window, choose Write To All Enabled.
the automation parameters you want to edit are 9 Click the Automation Mode selector and se-
write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose lect Read mode for the tracks you want to play
automation you want to preserve. back with automation.

lect Read mode for the tracks that have automa- Snapshot Automation and
tion you want to capture. Trimming of Automation Data
3 Ensure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit Se- Pro Tools lets you use trim values as snapshots
lection is selected. and apply the relative changes (delta values) to
4 With the Selector tool, select the location
the selected automation by using the Trim Auto-
where you want to capture automation. All au- mation command. This works in much the same
tomated controls update to reflect the automa- way as the Write Automation command, except
tion at that location. (If you make a selection, that it writes delta values instead of absolute val-
the controls update to reflect the automation at ues to automation data.
the beginning of the selection.) You can use trim values in writing snapshot au-
5 In each track you want to apply the captured tomation to any automatable parameter.
automation, click the track’s Automation Mode
selector and set the Automation mode to Off. To create a snapshot of relative changes in
automation data:
6 With the Selector tool, select the location
where you want to apply the automation.
the automation parameters you want to edit are
7 Enable the automation parameters previously write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose
suspended. automation you want to preserve.
2 Select the area of the track you want to edit.

All automated controls update to reflect the au-
tomation at the beginning of the selection.
3 Move the controls for the parameter up or

down by the amount you want to change the
data.

4 Choose Edit > Automation and do one of the To apply a Glide Automation to the current
following: automation parameter type:
• To write the current delta value to only the 1 In the Automation window, make sure the au-
currently displayed automation parameter, tomation type is write-enabled.
choose Trim to Current.
2 Click the Track View selector to choose the au-
– or – tomation type you want to automate.
• To write the current delta value for all auto-
3 Drag with the Selector tool in the track to se-
mation parameters enabled in the Automa-
lect the area you want to write the glide to.
tion window, choose Trim to All Enabled.
4 Change the automation parameter to the
value you want at the end of the selection. For
example, to glide automation volume to –Infin-
Glide Automation
ity, move the Volume fader to –Infinity.
The Glide Automation commands let you manu-
5 Choose Edit > Automation > Glide to Current.
ally create an automation transition (or glide)
from an existing automation value to a new one, You can also press Alt+Forward Slash (/)
over a selected area. (Windows) or Option+Forward Slash (/)
(Mac).
When gliding multiple parameters at the
same time, such as with the Surround Pan- To do a Glide Automation to all current enabled
ner or plug-ins, use the Edit > Automation > parameters:
Glide to All Enabled option.
1 In the Automation window, make sure the au-
tomation types are write-enabled.
For MIDI automation, Glide To commands
2 In each track you want to automate, click the
only apply to MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and
Track View selector and select from the pop-up
MIDI Mute. MIDI parameters cannot use
menu the automation type you want to auto-
the Write To commands.
mate.
3 With the Selector tool, drag horizontally to in-

clude all the tracks you want to automate in a se-
lection (drag vertically to define the time range).
4 In each track you want to automate, change

the automation parameter to the value you
want at the end of the selection.
5 Choose Edit > Automation > Glide to All Enabled.
You can also press Alt+Shift+Forward Slash

(/) (Windows) or Option+Shift+Forward
Slash (/) (Mac).

Glide Automation Considerations
When Glide Automation is applied to automa-

tion data, it behaves as follows:
• When a selection is made, automation break-
points are written at the start and end points
of the Glide Automation. The automation
value at the start of the selection is the start
point of the Glide Automation and the end of
the selection is the end point of the Glide Au-
tomation. The Glide Automation that is cre-
ated between the two is based on the length of
the selection and the end value that is se-
lected.
• If automation breakpoints follow the selec-
tion, they are not changed, but the value se-
lected for the end of the selection is written
from the end point up until the next break-
point.
• If no automation breakpoints follow the selec-
tion, the value selected for the end of the se-
lection is written to the end of the track.
• If no selection is made, a breakpoint is written
to the current location, and the value selected
for the Glide Automation is written to the
next breakpoint.

chapter 8
Surround Features
Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit

supports surround mixing. Pro Tools supports Pro Tools Audio Connections
mixing in the following multichannel (greater for 5.1 Mixing
than stereo) formats: LCR, Quad, LCRS, 5.0, 5.1,
While all 5.1 mixing formats provide the same
6.0, 6.1 and 7.1.
speaker arrangement, there are three primary
Pro Tools LE with the Complete Production standards in use for the track layout of the indi-
Toolkit option and 003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, vidual channels that comprise the 5.1-format
Digi 002, or Digi 002 Rack can monitor mixing multichannel mix.
in surround up to 7.1.
In the following table, it is assumed that sur-
Pro Tools LE with the Complete Production round channels are mapped to outputs 1–6 of a
Toolkit option and Mbox 2 Pro can monitor Pro Tools audio interface. Use channels 7–8 to
mixing in surround up to 5.1. monitor a stereo mix for a stereo version, or for
cue mixes and monitoring.
Table 1. Track Layouts for 5.1 Formats
open surround sessions on any Pro Tools LE sys-
tem. Use the Neyrinck SoundCode Stereo down Formats Track Layout
mixer plug-in for monitoring surround sessions 1 2 3 4 5 6
in stereo with Pro Tools LE interfaces that have Film L C R Ls Rs LFE
fewer than six outputs. For more information, (Pro Tools
see the SoundCode Stereo Guide. default)
or C24
Low Latency Monitoring is unavailable in SMPTE/ITU L R C LFE Ls Rs
surround sessions. for Dolby
Digital (AC3) or
Control|24
For information on fundamental surround
DTS L R Ls Rs C LFE
concepts, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround
or ProControl
Concepts Guide.
Chapter 8: Surround Features 43

To connect your audio interfaces for 5.1 format Custom Multichannel Paths
mixing and monitoring:
You can customize and redefine existing paths
1 Determine the 5.1 format and track layout
in the I/O Setup dialog. For more information,
you want to use. see “Custom Multichannel Paths” on page 46.
2 Connect the output channels of your audio
interface to the corresponding input channels of Importing Session Data
your monitoring system according to the assign- By using the Import Session Data command
ments listed in Table 1 on page 43. (File > Import > Session Data), you can import
tracks and media from other sessions plus their
If you use a Digidesign control surface, see
associated paths and track assignments. After
its guide for more information.
importing session data, you can use the
I/O Setup dialog to configure main and sub-
paths for the requirements of the session.
Configuring Pro Tools for
Multichannel Sessions For more information, see the Pro Tools Reference
Guide.
Configuring Pro Tools and sessions for multi-
channel mixing can be done in any (or all) of
the ways described in this section. New Sessions and I/O Settings
When you create a new session, you can specify
New Sessions a surround format that you want to use as your
You can create a new session and choose a sur- I/O Setup. Default path configurations are pro-
round mix I/O Settings file as the default vided as I/O Settings files, for stereo and sur-
I/O Setup. See “New Sessions and I/O Settings” round mixing.
on page 44.
Once you create the new session, you can create
and import tracks, import audio, and assign sig-
Remixing Sessions in Surround (Importing
nal routing to set up your mix.
Multichannel I/O Setups)
By creating or importing a surround mix I/O Set-

tings file in the I/O Setup dialog, multichannel
paths can be made available in any stereo (or
other format) session. You can then reassign
track routing from the original stereo paths to
multichannel paths. Inactive and active paths
simplify reassignment. See “Importing Multi-
channel I/O Setups” on page 46.

To create a new session for multichannel mixing: The surround presets preconfigure the I/O Setup
dialog for the new session with default 5.1 for-
1 Choose File > New Session.
mat main and sub-paths for outputs and busses.
2 Select the Create Blank Session option.
3 Select the Audio File Type, Sample Rate, and Bit

Depth as desired.
New Session dialog, 5.1 Film Mix I/O setting selected
4 From the I/O Settings menu, select one of the

following options:
• 5.1 Film Mix Standard 5.1 format (film) output paths
• SMPTE/ITU
Surround Mix Settings Files
• DTS/ProControl Monitoring
The surround mix I/O Settings provide output
5 Click OK.
and bus paths for three specific track layout
6 In the Save dialog, name the session, navigate standards in the new session. (For information
to the location where you want to save the new on inputs and insert paths, see “Default Input
session, and click Save. and Insert Paths with 5.1 Settings” on page 46.)
Settings Files and Track Layouts
5.1 Settings Track Layout
Film (Pro Tools Standard, and L C R Ls Rs LFE

C24 Monitoring)
SMPTE/ITU L R C LFE Ls Rs
(Control|24 Monitoring)
DTS (ProControl Monitoring) L R Ls Rs C LFE

All three 5.1 format I/O Settings (Film, To import a multichannel I/O Setup settings file:
SMPTE/ITU, or DTS) provide the following de-
1 Choose Setup > I/O.
fault output and bus paths for the new session:
2 Click Import Settings.
Default 5.1 Output Paths
3 Select the settings file (.pio) to import and
• One 5.1 main output path, with sub-paths click Open.
for 5.0 (no LFE), LCR, Left/Right (stereo),
4 If the current session has existing path defini-
and Center (mono).
tions that do not match those in the imported
– and – settings file, Pro Tools asks whether you want to
• One stereo main path with two mono sub- delete the existing paths or retain them and add
paths. the imported settings to your session.
• Click No to add new paths to your current I/O
Default 5.1 Bus Paths
Setup configuration.
• One 5.1 main bus path, with sub-paths for
• Click Yes to replace your current I/O Setup
5.0 (no LFE), left/right (stereo), LCR, and
configuration with the imported settings.
center (mono).
– and – 5 Click OK to close the I/O Setup.
• One stereo main path with two mono sub-

paths. Exporting I/O Settings
Exporting I/O Setup settings files lets you build a
Default Input and Insert Paths with 5.1 Settings library of multichannel setups for different
The 5.1 Mix settings files provide default stereo projects.
main paths and mono sub-paths for inputs and
inserts. If you need multichannel input paths or To export an I/O Setup settings file:
inserts, you can create them in the I/O Setup di- 1 Choose Setup > I/O.
alog (see “Custom Multichannel Paths” on
page 46). 2 Click Export Settings.
3 Name and Save your current I/O Settings.
Importing Multichannel
I/O Setups Custom Multichannel Paths
The I/O Setup dialog can import and export set- The I/O Setup dialog lets you create and custom-
tings files. Importing I/O Setup settings files is ize signal paths for any supported multichannel
useful when you want to remix a stereo session mixing format.
in surround. You can also use this feature to pre-
pare a session for transfer to a different Pro Tools Multichannel paths and sub-paths are mapped
system, or to simply save and exchange to inputs, outputs or internal busses in the
I/O Settings. Channel Grid. When you select a preset 5.1
I/O Settings file, default layout for the corre-
sponding multichannel format paths you create
will match the selected format’s track layout.

In addition, the I/O Setup dialog, like the Main 2 Click New Path.
page of the Hardware Setup dialog, provides
3 Select LCRS from the Path Format selector.
controls for routing the physical inputs and out-
puts on your audio interface to available inputs 4 Name the path LCRS.
and outputs in Pro Tools.
5 In the Channel Grid, click in the box below
When creating 5.1 format paths, you can the first (left-most) audio interface channel for
specify the default track layout. See “De- the path. Pro Tools automatically fills up the ad-
fault Path Order for 5.1 Tracks” on jacent units to the right. If you click in the LCRS
page 48. row under channel 1, the LCRS path will be
mapped across channels 1–4.
Remapping Channels 6 Select the new LCRS path and click New Sub-
The I/O Setup dialog and its Channel Grid also Path.
let you remap channels. This is especially useful 7 Name the new sub-path LCR and select LCR as
to route channels within a multichannel path, the Path format. Click in channel 1 in the LCR
without having to repatch your audio interfaces. row to map the path.
You can remap paths to any required configura- 8 Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and
tion, limited only by your systems resources, create a stereo sub-path for front Left and front
and the I/O Setup dialog requirements for chan- Right.
nel overlapping and naming.
9 Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and
See also “Example Paths and Signal Rout- create a mono sub-path for the Center channel.
ing for a Surround Mix” on page 57. 10 Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and
create a mono sub-path for the Surround chan-
Example LCRS Setup
nel.
The following example shows one possible way
11 Click OK to close the I/O Setup.
to configure the I/O Setup dialog to mix in
4-channel LCRS format, with a 003.
5.1 Tracks, Formats, Mapping, and
Metering
Path definitions in I/O Setup determine how au-
dio is routed through, and metered on, your au-
dio interfaces.
Pro Tools internal (on-screen) metering of 5.1

Example LCRS output main and sub-paths format paths always follows the Film track lay-
out:
For additional I/O Setup information, see L C R Ls Rs LFE
the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
To define an LCRS path:

1 Choose Setup > I/O, and click the Output tab.

Pro Tools track layout of 5.1 format audio tracks Default Path Order Selects the default track lay-
in the Edit window also conforms to the Film out (or, path order) for new 5.1 format (six-
layout (arranged top to bottom). See the illustra- channel) paths.
tion “5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering”
on page 49. Controller Meter Path Selects the path that will
be shown in Digidesign control surface output
In the I/O Setup dialog, you can route these sig- meters. See “5.1 Tracks, Formats, Mapping, and
nals out of your audio interfaces according to Metering” on page 47 for more information.
any track layout (such as DTS or SMPTE/ITU).
Audition Paths Selects the monitoring path for
previewing audio in the Region List, Import Au-
To re-map channels in a path:
dio dialogs, and DigiBase. Only outputs on your
Click and drag a channel to a new valid loca-
primary interface can be used as your Audition
tion in the Grid. Other channel assignments will path.
move (shuffle) to accommodate dragged chan-
nels. New Track Default Output Selects the default
output path for all new tracks, for each sup-
ported track format.
Default I/O Selectors in I/O The New Track Default Output can be set to
Setup bus paths, as well as output paths.
The Output page of the I/O Setup dialog pro-

vides selectors for setting I/O defaults in your
Default Path Order for 5.1 Tracks
multichannel sessions. You can specify the default track layout for all
new 5.1 format paths you create.
To choose a new default 5.1-format path order

(track layout):
1 Choose Setup > I/O.
2 Click the Output tab.
3 Use the 5.1 Default Path Order setting to select

the track layout you want (Film, SMPTE/ITU, or
DTS/ProControl Monitoring.
Default Path Order I/O Setup Options
Default selectors in the I/O Setup dialog

5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering
5.1 Format Tracks Track Meters Channel Map in I/O Setup
Film
(Pro Tools Standard,
and C24)
L C R Ls Rs LFE
L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
same same
SMPTE/ITU L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
(Control|24 Monitoring) (top to bottom) (left to right)
L R C LFE Ls Rs
L R C LFE Ls Rs
DTS same same

(ProControl Monitoring) L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
L R Ls Rs C LFE
L R Ls Rs C LFE
Figure 6. Track layout of different 5.1 formats
Routing Audio for Surround Multichannel Audio Tracks

Mixing Multichannel audio tracks contain an individ-
Surround sessions typically include a combina- ual channel for each signal in the track (for ex-
tion of mono, stereo, and multichannel audio, ample, a 5.1 track would have six channels for
Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and Instrument left, center, right, left surround, right surround,
tracks, and inserts and busses. and LFE).
Once the appropriate I/O Setup has been im-

ported or configured, audio, Auxiliary Input,
Master Fader, and Instrument tracks can be
mixed in multichannel for surround using
Pro Tools mixing features.
Multichannel I/O and signal routing is deter-

mined by the paths defined in the I/O Setup di-
alog.
If you want independent volume, mute, and

solo controls for surround monitoring, you
may want to invest in external surround
monitoring hardware such as Digidesign
C|24™.

Multichannel audio tracks can be:
When dragged into a multichannel track,
• Recorded directly into Pro Tools, using multi-
audio files are placed from top to bottom in
ple microphones or microphone arrays, or
the exact order that they appear in the Re-
routed to appropriate multichannel Pro Tools
gion List or playlist from which they came
Input paths
(Top to Bottom must be selected for in the
• Imported from other Pro Tools sessions Region List menu > Timeline Drop Order).
• Edited, processed, and mixed in combination For this reason, you may want to rename
with mono and stereo tracks audio files before dragging them, so that
they are placed in the preferred order. Re-
name them so that sorting them By Region
Name in the Region List results in the pre-
ferred order. (For example, with a 5.1-for-
mat track, you can rename the audio tracks
so that the arrangement of the tracks corre-
5.1 format multichannel audio track sponds to L, C, R, Ls, Rs, and LFE.)
5.1 format audio files and tracks conform to the
Solo, Mute, and Gain in Multichannel
Film track layout standard. Regardless of path
Tracks and Paths
mapping in the I/O Setup dialog, all 5.1 format
audio tracks and meters follow the Film stan- Stereo and multichannel tracks consist of multi-
dard track layout: ple audio signals, linked together. By default,
L C R Ls Rs LFE multichannel tracks are linked and are con-
trolled by a single channel fader, and solo and
Multichannel audio tracks are not required to mute switches.
mix in multichannel formats. Mono, stereo, and
all supported track formats can be mixed using For discrete control of signals, multichannel
Pro Tools track outputs and sends (see “Multi- tracks can be converted into individual mono
channel Signal Routing” on page 52). tracks. For discrete level and phase adjustment,
you can insert and unlink a multi-mono Trim
plug-in. Both of these techniques are explained
Placing Audio in Multichannel below.
Tracks
Once converted to mono, multichannel
You can drag audio files and regions from Digi-
tracks cannot be relinked into their original
Base browsers, the Region List, Windows Ex-
multichannel format. However, a multi-
plorer, or Mac Finder, or from other tracks, to
channel track can be reassembled by drag-
place them in multichannel audio tracks.
ging the corresponding number of mono
To do so, the number of channels being dragged files (with the appropriate file suffixes) into
must match the destination track format. For a multichannel track, although some auto-
example, you can only drag a stereo pair or two mation data may be lost. As an alternative,
mono regions onto a stereo audio track. Simi- record the submix of the mono tracks to disk
larly, you can only place audio into an LCR track on a multichannel track.
when you have selected three regions. With 5.1
tracks, you must select six mono files or regions.

To convert a multichannel track into discrete Changing Format
mono tracks:
Changing the output format for a given track
1 Select the multichannel track.
has several effects:
2 Choose Track > Split Into Mono. • The panner that appears in the track will
change to reflect the new output format.
To have discrete control of gain on individual
• It may be necessary for one or more pan re-
channels of a multichannel track:
lated automation playlists to be created or de-
1 Insert a multi-mono Trim plug-in on the mul- leted.
tichannel track.
Because changing the output format has these
2 Unlink the Trim plug-in by clicking the Link
effects, a warning dialog appears whenever you
icon so that it is unlit.
change the output format of a track to a format
3 Use the Channel selector to display the con- of fewer channels. Specifically, this will occur
trols for a channel, and adjust the gain. whenever automation playlists will have to be
deleted.
See “Linking and Unlinking Controls on
Multi-Mono Plug-ins” on page 54 for more Multiple Output Assignments and Track Format
information.
When a track is assigned to more than one path
Track and Output Formats of differing formats, the main output for that
track will match the format of the assigned path
When you create new tracks, you specify mono, with the greatest number of channels.
stereo, or a supported multichannel format for
the new tracks. Multiple Outputs and Automation Playlists
In the Mix and Edit windows, the track format When a track has multiple output assignments,
of a track’s output is always visible by the num- Pro Tools sorts panning data appropriately for
ber of track meters contained in its fader strip each assigned path. For example, if you assign a
(for example, a single meter for mono tracks, a mono track to a stereo path and a 5.1 path si-
pair of meters for stereo tracks, and six meters multaneously, that track will have a 5.1 panner
for 5.1 tracks). in the Mix or Edit window. When you pan the
track, Pro Tools interprets the 5.1 panning
Assigning track output determines the format of moves into stereo panning moves.
that output. For example, a mono track always
has a single track meter, even when assigned to This provides a type of parallel mixing. You can
a stereo output path. If that same mono track is create a variety of mixes of differing formats all
assigned to a 5.1 output path, it's output will be at the same time by routing your elements to
split among those six output channels, depend- multiple paths.
ing on the position of its panner.
Control-Start-click (Windows) or Com-
mand-Control-click (Mac) any control in an
Output window to show its automation
playlist in the Edit window and view any
pan automation.

Additional output assignments can be added by
Multichannel Signal Routing Start-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking
(Mac) the Selector tool and assigning another
To mix in a multichannel format, tracks are as-
path.
signed to multichannel paths.
Tracks can be mixed in surround using the fol-

Multichannel Sends
lowing two methods:
All track formats, including mono and stereo, let
• By setting a track main output to a multichan-
you assign one or more multichannel sends.
nel path.
This provides a multichannel panner in the
• By assigning a multichannel send to route au- Sends View. Sends are also useful to bus tracks
dio to a multichannel path. for multichannel plug-in processing.
Figure 7 shows a mono audio track with a 5.1

(6-channel) send (View > Sends A–E > Send A).
This channel’s main

output path is mono
(“Center music”). It Multichannel send panner
has a multichannel
send providing a multi-
channel panner
This channel’s output path Mono output format

is multichannel, so the
track provides a multichan-
nel panner
Mono meter
Two different ways to configure tracks for multichannel

mixing
Multichannel Track Outputs Figure 7. A mono audio track with a mono output
format and a multichannel send
Tracks can be routed to multichannel output or
bus paths using the track’s Output Path selector.
This provides a multichannel panner and meter
in the Mix and Edit window I/O View.

Pro Tools bussing and submixing features are Mono, Multi-Mono and
available for all channel formats, from Multichannel Plug-ins
mono/stereo through 8-channel. For examples
of multichannel monitoring, effects processing, Plug-ins can be used in mono, multi-mono, or
and bussing, see “Mixing with Paths and Sub- multichannel formats.
Paths” on page 55. For mono and stereo mix ex-
For information about mono, stereo, and mono-
amples, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
in/stereo-out plug-ins, see the Pro Tools Reference
Guide.
Multichannel Auxiliary Inputs and
Multi-Mono Plug-ins Are designed for use on ste-
Master Faders
reo or greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks.
A multichannel Auxiliary Input or Master Fader Multi-mono plug-ins are useful, or required, in
is used as a return for the multichannel bus. the following situations:
Sends are useful when you need to create an ad- • When a plug-in does not involve multichan-
ditional, independent mix simultaneously (per- nel correlated processing (for example, when
haps of a distinct format), requiring dedicated applying EQ to select sides of a multichannel
fader, mute, solo, and automation controls. signal)
You can assign Master Faders to main and sub- • When you need to adjust signals within the
paths. Main paths must match the format of the multichannel track independently
Master Fader, and only one Master Fader can be • When a plug-in does not support multichan-
active and assigned to any single (active) main nel formats
or sub-path. A Master Fader cannot be assigned
to a sub-path if its associated main path is al- When a multi-mono plug-in is first inserted on a
ready assigned on another Master Fader. multichannel track, the plug-in controls are
linked. You can unlink them for independent
adjustment. See “Linking and Unlinking Con-
Multichannel Instrument Tracks
trols on Multi-Mono Plug-ins” on page 54 for
Multichannel tracks can be used to monitor and more information.
route multichannel instrument plug-ins or mul-
Multi-mono plugs-ins can also be inserted on
tichannel external MIDI instruments.
stereo tracks, to apply unlinked plug-ins on the
left and right channels.

Multichannel Plug-ins Are designed for use on Master Link Button When enabled, links the
stereo and multichannel tracks that require cor- controls on all channels of a multi-mono plug-
related processing, including stereo and multi- in so that they can be adjusted in tandem.
channel limiting, compression, and similar ef-
fects. Link Enable Buttons Let you selectively link the
controls of specific channels of a multi-mono
plug-in. Each square represents a speaker chan-
Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-
nel. The Master Link button must be disabled to
Mono Plug-ins
use the Link Enable buttons.
When a multi-mono plug-in is used on a multi-
channel track of more than two channels, the To unlink controls on a multi-mono plug-in:
controls are normally linked. Adjusting the Deselect the Master Link button. It is lit when
Gain control on one channel, for example, will linked, unlit when unlinked.
adjust it for all channels.
If necessary, you can unlink plug-in controls on To access controls for a specific channel:
specific channels of a track and edit them inde- Select the channel from the Channel selector.
pendently. You can also selectively link the con-
trols of specific channels. To open a plug-in window for all channels of a
multi-mono plug-in:
For example, to apply equal filter cutoffs to the
Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the
Ls and Rs (surround) channels in a 5.1 mix, you
could link enable just those channels in an un- Channel selector.
linked, multi-mono EQ plug-in. Adjusting the
controls in the plug-in window for either chan- To link the controls of specific channels:
nel (Ls or Rs) adjusts the other, linked channel 1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al-
as well. ready deselected.
2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels

Master Link button
whose controls you want to link.
For more information on using plug-ins, see

the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
Link Enable buttons

Channel selector
Channel selector and Link controls
Channel Selector Accesses a specific channel

within a multichannel track for plug-in parame-
ter editing. This menu appears only on multi-
mono plug-ins inserted on tracks with more
than two channels.

When to Assign Multichannel Outputs
Paths in Surround Mixes Assign 5.1 paths only to those tracks that need
Because Pro Tools provides a flexible routing to be panned to all six channels.
and submixing environment, you can maximize
For example, a sound effects track with a jet fly-
your system’s available resources by first identi-
over should be assigned a 5.1 path to be able to
fying the elements that you want to pan dynam-
fly the sound from front-to-back. In a music
ically and those that can be placed in certain
mix, you can fly a solo instrument or make a
channels only (see “Mixing with Paths and Sub-
synth pad swirl around the room as a special ef-
Paths” on page 55).
fect.
Once you have identified these elements in your
Elements that need to be heard in all speakers si-
session, you can use a combination of main and
multaneously can also be assigned to the multi-
sub-path assignments, and multichannel pan-
channel output, whether or not they require ac-
ning.
tive panning in the sound field.
Mixing with Paths and Sub-Paths

When to Use Sub-Paths
It is rare that every track needs to be “flown” (ac- To help simplify large sessions, use sub-paths
tively panned in between more than a pair of to route static (or, stationary) elements directly
speakers). In most situations, certain elements to the output channel or channels.
are placed in certain speakers and remain there,
providing the foundation for a mix. For example, film dialog is often mixed to the
center channel to anchor this essential sound el-
Figure 8 on page 56 illustrates an example of ement to the picture. Instead of assigning a six-
how panning and signal routing can be com- channel panner to dialog tracks and panning
bined in a multichannel mix. The following sec- the tracks to the center speaker only, you can
tions describe how to organize your session and route the dialog track’s main output to a mono
signal routing to maximize the available re- (Center) sub-path.
sources.
See “Extending Stereo Mixing Conventions

to Surround Mixing” on page 58 for related
information.

Tracks routed to subpaths Tracks routed to main Auxiliary Input
5.1 surround path routed to main
5.1 surround path
Effect bus
routing
Outputs to
sub-paths
Outputs to main 5.1 path for surround panning
Figure 8. Using signal routing and sub-paths to mix in surround

Sub-paths have been defined for Mix, Music,
Example Paths and Signal and FX main output paths.
Routing for a Surround Mix
Additional stereo output paths, with mono sub-
The examples that follow show how Auxiliary paths, have also been defined for the remaining
Inputs, Master Faders, and other Pro Tools sig- channels.
nal routing features can be used for stem mixes,
submixes, and similar project needs. Example Bus Paths
In these examples, music and effects are being Figure 10 shows example bus paths.
mixed for a trailer, in 5.1 surround. Separate
stem mixes (for music and for effects) are to be
mastered to 8-track MDM.
Example Multichannel Paths

Signal routing is the key element in any
Pro Tools surround session. Signal routing is
configured and defined in the I/O Setup dialog.
Example Output Paths

Figure 9 shows output paths defined in the I/O
Setup dialog of an example session that was cre-
ated a 003.
Figure 10. I/O Setup, example bus paths
An LCR format path (“Dialog”) and two 5.1 for-

mat paths (“Music” and “FX”) have been de-
fined, each with several sub-paths.
Figure 9. I/O Setup, example output paths

Example Sub-Paths Extending Stereo Mixing Conventions to
Surround Mixing
Sub-paths let you route to selective channels
within the multichannel surround output. In Stereo mixing sets the precedent for active and
Figure 11, the Mix 5.1 bus has several sub-paths static panning, and surround mixing can bene-
that show this. fit from the same basic principles.
Panning a sound back-and-forth between the

left and right speakers is best used as a special ef-
fect. In a typical music mix, the basic tracks are
placed in the stereo sound field and remain
there.
Figure 11. I/O Setup, example sub-paths Surround mixes can become incoherent if too
many elements are continuously moving, For
5.0 Sub-Path The 5.0 path is a 5-channel sub- special effects, some tracks can be panned dy-
path. Use this type of sub-path routing to con- namically, bouncing between speakers or sweep-
serve mixing resources with tracks you want to ing from one side to the other.
keep out of the LFE channel.
Figure 13 on page 59 shows a routing configura-
LFE Path A custom LFE sub-path (“Lf”) has been tion for music tracks.
added to provide a discrete mono path for the
LFE channel.
Signal Routing Examples

The following examples show how main and
sub-paths can be used, using an example session
consisting of a 5.1 main mix, with music and ef-
fects stems (or submixes).
Submix Stem Examples
Figure 12 on page 59 shows a routing configura-

tion for an effects submix. Two tracks are routed
to stereo bus sub-paths, while others are as-
signed to an LCR and a mono bus sub-path. Two
tracks (one mono, one stereo) are assigned to
multichannel busses for surround panning. A
5.1 Auxiliary Input assigned to the FX main bus
path serves as a submixer.

Figure 12. FX stem
Figure 13. Music stem

Most of the music tracks in this example are Figure 14 shows a channel Output window,
routed to the front left/right channels, using a sending and metering to the LFE channel.
stereo sub-path. A 5.1 Auxiliary Input controls
the bus and stem output. LFE fader
Multiple Output Assignments
Multiple output assignments make it possible to

configure a number of multi-format mixes. For
example, you can assign an additional stereo
output to tracks and create a stereo mix at the
same time as a 5.1 mix.
LFE Examples
LFE tracks and other audio can contribute to the
LFE output in two ways:
• Using the LFE fader in Output windows. This
LFE signal is post-fader.
– or –
Figure 14. LFE contribution from a stereo output
• Using a custom sub-path to route channels
discretely. Using the LFE fader, you can add any amount of
any multichannel path to the overall LFE out-
put. In the above example, the track’s Center
percentage has been turned off, and the LFE
fader has been raised to route it to the LFE chan-
nel.

Figure 15 shows how a “traditional” LFE track
can be routed to only the LFE channel. This ex- Introduction to Pro Tools
ample uses a custom-defined LFE sub-path to Surround Panning
the FX main bus path.
There are four different track panning methods
available:
Main output • In the Edit window, using the reduced-height
to mono Panner Grid in the I/O View
LFE channel
• In the Mix window, using the reduced-height
Panner Grid
• In the Output window, using the full-size
Panner Grid
• Through pan automation editing
Control surfaces provide additional panning op-

tions. Refer to the documentation for your con-
trol surface for more information.
Mix and Edit Window Panner Grids

In the Mix and Edit window, multichannel Pan-
Figure 15. Discrete LFE routing ner Grids are displayed on tracks that have mul-
tichannel track or send output assignments.
LFE faders can follow Mix and Edit Groups.
To pan from the Mix or Edit window:
For instructions on how to create a sub- 1 To pan in the Edit window, make sure I/O
path, see “Custom Multichannel Paths” on View is being shown (View > Edit Window > I/O).
page 46. Panner Grids are always displayed in Mix win-
dow tracks that support panning.
LFE and Filtering
2 Begin playback.
Pro Tools applies no filtering to LFE signals.
3 Click and drag on the appropriate multichan-
Some delivery requirements may require filter-
nel track’s Panner Grid in the Mix or Edit win-
ing for the LFE track. For more information, see
dows.
the Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide.

Click and drag to pan Output Windows
Output windows provide panning controls
(called panners), as well as standard Pro Tools
controls, for tracks of all mix formats (from 3-
channel LCR through 8-channel 7.1).
For information on Output window standard

controls, see “Standard Controls” on page 63.
For information on Output window panning
controls, see “Surround Panner Controls” on
page 64.
Some of the features of Output windows in-

clude:
• X/Y (joystick-style) panning
Panning in the Track Grid • 3-Knob panning
The Pan Location cursor follows your move- • Full Divergence and Center Percentage
ments as long as you hold down the mouse but- control
ton. Movements are scaled so that, once you • AutoGlide
click to “grab” the Pan Location cursor, you do • LFE feed
not need to limit your movements to the small • Multichannel meters
Track Grid area.
• Pro Tools target window support
Pan Location Cursor Color while Automating Multiple panners can be opened simulta-
The Pan Location cursor is green when the track neously, or a single window can display the cur-
is in Automation Read mode, red in an Automa- rent panner.
tion Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch, or Write
modes, and yellow in Automation Off (or Auto-
mation Suspend) mode.
In Trim mode, the Volume fader and LFE fader

are yellow.
Output windows provide additional features

and controls (and a much larger Grid). For de-
tails, see “Output Windows” on page 62.

To open an Output window:
Click the Output Window button (it’s the
Standard Controls
small fader at the right edge of the Output selec- All Output windows provide standard Pro Tools
tor for a track in the Mix or Edit window (I/O controls for routing, path assignment and other
View). track features. These controls are located at the
top of all Output, Send, Insert, and Plug-in win-
dows. Some controls are specific to the type of
window.
Show meters
Track selector Path selector Target icon
Output selector Automation Safe
Panner Control section
Track Fader, Solo, Mute, and Auto

All Output windows provide track volume and
mute controls. You can adjust and automate
track volume, or mute, directly using these con-
trols. The larger fader and Mute button are
equivalent to those in the Pro Tools Mix win-
Opening a multichannel Output window
dow.

Surround Panner Controls
When assigned to tracks or paths with four or more channels, the Output window provides an X/Y
Grid for surround panning. The speakers associated with the panner’s multichannel format are dis-
played in their relative positions outside the Panner Grid. These speakers are also used as Snap Pan to
Speaker controls.
This section identifies all the controls and features found in Pro Tools multichannel panners.
Click to show meters
Snap Pan to Speaker icons
Pan Location LFE fader

cursor
X/Y Grid
Track Automation.
Panning Mode button Solo, and Mute
Position
Track fader and meter
(knob panners)
Center %
Divergence
Figure 16. Output window with a 5.1-format multichannel panner

The X/Y Grid and Pan Location Panning Mode Button
Cursor This button, located below the X/Y Grid, pro-
The X/Y Grid is where multichannel panning vides access to Surround panning modes (see
information is input and displayed. You can in- “Panning Modes” on page 67).
put pan information using X/Y mode, 3-Knob
mode, or by entering numeric values in the Po-
sition data fields. You can also edit pan automa-
tion graphically in the Edit window. X/Y mode icon
Panner Mode button set to X/Y mode
Position Controls
The Position controls let you set the positions of
Pan Location the panner.
cursor
X/Y grid
X/Y Grid and Pan Location cursor Position and Center % controls
Multichannel panners default to X/Y mode. In Front Displays and controls the current front X-
X/Y mode, the track’s current pan position is axis (left/right) position of the panner.
represented by a green dot. This dot is the Pan
Location cursor, and its color indicates track au- Rear Displays and controls the current rear X-
tomation status using standard Pro Tools colors: axis (left/right) position of the panner. In de-
fault X/Y Panning mode, Rear is linked to Front
Green The track is in automation Read mode. position and cannot be controlled indepen-
dently.
Red The track is in automation Write, Touch,
Latch, or Touch/Latch mode. F/R (Front/Rear) Displays and controls the cur-
rent Y-axis position of the panner.
Yellow The track is in automation Off mode (or
Automation Suspend) mode.
Center % Control
Center % controls how much of the signal is
routed to the center speaker. This lets you mix a
track to the front with a phantom center (0%
Center value) or to three-channel (LCR) when
panning front.

Divergence Controls The LFE fader determines how much of the cur-
rent track’s signal will be routed to the LFE chan-
Divergence determines the width of the panned nel. LFE faders in Track and Send windows can
signal with respect to neighboring speakers. (For follow groups. The Pro Tools LFE channel is al-
more information, see the Pro Tools Sync & Sur- ways full-bandwidth. For more information on
round Concepts Guide). There are three Diver- how to use the LFE fader, see “LFE Faders in Mul-
gence controls: tichannel Panners” on page 72.
Front, Rear, and F/R Divergence Provide sepa-
rate, automatable divergence control over front Multichannel Panner Linking
speakers, rear speakers, and between front/rear,
respectively. Stereo tracks with multichannel outputs provide
left and right multichannel panners. The Out-
put window provides controls to link the left
and right channels for precise panning.
When you create a stereo track that is routed to

a multichannel output, the following pan link-
Divergence controls age controls are active by default:
• Link (links Left and Right pan controls)
For examples of how divergence settings af- • Front Inverse (inverts Left and Right pan
fect output panning, see “Divergence and control linkage across front)
Center Percentage” on page 70. • Rear Inverse (inverts Left and Right pan
control linkage across rear)
Snap Pan to Speaker Icons
The Front/Rear Inverse pan control is unlinked
The Snap Pan to Speaker icons let you force the
by default.
panner to the speaker’s location. For example,
clicking on the upper left speaker moves the Pan
Link
Location cursor to the upper left corner of the Front Inverse
X/Y Grid.
Front/Rear Inverse
LFE Fader
Rear Inverse
The LFE fader is only available in “.1” surround
Stereo multichannel panner controls showing default
formats (5.1, 6.1, and 7.1). linking
LFE fader

To enable a Panning Mode:
Panning Modes Click on the Panning Mode button in the Sur-
The Panning Mode button provides access to round Panner until the desired mode icon is dis-
four panning modes: X/Y mode, Divergence Ed- played.
iting, 3-Knob mode, and AutoGlide mode. Pan-
ning controls can be automated in all four
X/Y Panning
modes.
To pan in X/Y mode:
1 Click on the Panning Mode button until the
X/Y mode icon is displayed.
X/Y mode icon
Panner Mode button set to X/Y mode
2 Drag the Pan Location cursor, or click any-

where in the Grid and drag to pan the track. The
Panning Mode button location of the Pan Location cursor determines
Panning Mode button (X/Y mode shown) the pan position of the signal. For example, to
pan something to the left rear speaker, move the
Panning Modes Pan Location cursor to the lower-left corner of
the Grid.
X/Y Mode Joystick-style panning by dragging
the Pan Location cursor within the X/Y Speaker It is not necessary to click exactly on the Pan
Grid. See “X/Y Panning” on page 67 for more in- Location cursor. Clicking anywhere in the
formation. Grid will move the Pan Location cursor rel-
ative to where you click or take over with a
3-Knob Mode Point-to-point panning, between
hardware panner. Panning does not jump to
pairs of speakers. See “3-Knob Panning” on
the click position.
page 68 for more information.
Divergence Editing The divergence X/Y Grid can

be dragged to resize the divergence boundaries.
See “Divergence Editing Mode” on page 71.
AutoGlide Mode Point-to-point panning from

the Pan Location cursor to a new destination
over a specified AutoGlide Time. See “AutoGlide
Mode” on page 69 for more information.
X/Y Panning

To snap the Pan Location cursor to a location in 3-Knob Panning
the Grid:
Pro Tools provides 3-Knob mode as an addi-
Control-Shift-click (Windows) or Command-
tional way to input pan moves.
Shift-click (Mac) at the desired location in the
X/Y Grid. 3-Knob mode lets you:
• Pan in straight lines, moving the Pan Location
Grid Options and Shortcuts cursor using the Position rotary knobs with
Fine-Adjust Mode Hold down the Control key full movement of front, rear, and front-rear
(Windows) or Command key (Mac) for fine ad- position.
justment of all Panner controls. – and –
Constraining to X or Y Movement Shift-drag the • Pan discretely between pairs of speakers.

Pan Location cursor to constrain its movement
For example, when panning front-left to rear-
to the X or Y direction.
right in 3-Knob mode, audio will be heard from
Reset to Default Alt-click (Windows) or Option- just those two speakers (assuming full diver-
click (Mac) in the Panner Grid to reset all con- gence is in effect).
trols to their default position.
Snap Pan to Speaker Click one of the Snap Pan

to Speaker icons to force the panner to that
speaker location.
3-Knob trajectory
Display Automation in Edit Window Control-
Start-click (Windows) or Command-Control-
click (Mac) a control to display that control’s
playlist in the Edit window.
All Pan controls can be automated, includ-

ing pan position and divergence.
3-Knob mode
Panning and metering in 3-Knob mode
By comparison, in X/Y mode a diagonal pan

may result in audio being heard in some or all
channels.
The difference is that 3-Knob mode pans dis-

cretely between the front and rear position of
the panning trajectory, while X/Y mode panning
takes place in the full 360° Panning Grid. Diver-
gence and Center Percentage are variable in
both Panning modes.

To enable 3-Knob Panning mode: AutoGlide Mode
Click on the Panning Mode button until the AutoGlide mode lets you quickly write Surround
3-Knob mode icon is displayed. Panner automation by clicking new locations in
the Surround Panner window, instead of manu-
ally moving the Surround Panner controls.
When writing automation in AutoGlide

3-Knob mode icon
mode, the Pan Location cursor cannot be
Panner Mode button set to 3-Knob mode dragged from its location.
The panner trajectory line appears across the The time it takes to glide from point to point
Grid, extending from the front (X-axis) to the (from the Pan Location cursor to the new desti-
rear (Y-axis). nation) is called the AutoGlide Time. This time
is set in the Mixing Preferences page and has a
To pan in 3-Knob mode: range of 10 msec to 10000 msec (10 seconds).
1 Adjust the Front and Rear Position knobs to
set the trajectory line. To set the AutoGlide Time
2 Rotate the Front/Rear Position knob to pan 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Mix-
along the trajectory. The Pan Location cursor is ing tab.
constrained to the white trajectory line. 2 Set the AutoGlide Time in the Automation sec-
tion.
To change the 3-Knob trajectory angles, do one of
the following:
To do an AutoGlide automation pass:
Drag either end point (Front or Rear) of the
1 Click the Panning Mode button until the
trajectory line.
AutoGlide mode icon is displayed.
– or –
Adjust the Front or Rear Position controls.
To change the current trajectory position (left-to-

AutoGlide mode icon
right) and retain its current angles:
Drag the trajectory line (not its end points) to Panner Mode button set to AutoGlide mode
a new position.
The Panning Mode button displays a slanted
dotted line that ends with a filled in dot (repre-
senting a cursor) at its top right corner.
2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-

tion Mode selector and select an Automation
mode for the track you want to automate.
3 Press Play to begin playback.

4 Set a new destination for the cursor by doing
one of the following: Divergence and Center
• Click a Snap Pan to Speaker icon to glide to Percentage
its speaker location.
The Divergence and Center Percentage controls
– or – range from 0 to 100, and can be automated.
• Click in the pan window to glide to a spe- They are especially useful for ensuring audibility
cific location in the X/Y Grid. and coverage in large venues, and to increase
clarity of voices.
Snap Pan to
Speaker icons Front Divergence Controls divergence between
front speakers (X-axis only).
Pan Location Rear Divergence Controls divergence between

cursor
the rear speakers (X-axis only).
Front/Rear Divergence Controls divergence be-

tween front and rear (the Y-axis).
Center % (Percentage) Determines whether

there is a discrete center image, a completely
AutoGlide mode
phantom center image, or a variable amount in
Panning Mode button (AutoGlide mode shown) between.
The Pan Location cursor will begin to move to-

wards the new destination in the time it takes to Divergence
travel the AutoGlide Time. When the new desti-
In the Panner Grid, the current divergence val-
nation point is reached, a new breakpoint will
ues are displayed using a purple outline.
be written at the new location.
5 Repeat the previous step if you want to write

additional panning moves.
6 Stop the transport when finished.
Divergence display
Divergence controls
Divergence display and controls

By default, Pro Tools surround panners are To adjust divergence graphically:
100% or fully divergent, meaning that a signal
1 Click on the Panning Mode button until the
that is panned completely to one speaker will
Divergence Editing icon is displayed.
only be audible in that speaker.
Lower divergence settings result in a progres-

sively wider source signal. When Divergence is
less than 100%, tracks will be routed to neigh-
Divergence Editing icon
boring speakers to some degree, even when the
Pan Location cursor is positioned next to a sin- Panner Mode button set to Divergence Editing
gle speaker.
2 Drag in the Grid to resize the divergence
boundaries.
Center % (Percentage)
Pan Location
cursor Center Percentage controls whether there is a
discrete center channel for the track or a phan-
tom center channel.
Center Percentage Example

Front
Divergence
In film and video production, the center chan-
nel often contains dialog. To enhance the clarity
Front Divergence at less than 100% for wider panning of dialog, it is often beneficial to keep elements
such as music out of the center speaker. By re-
To adjust divergence:
ducing the Center Percentage on music tracks,
Adjust the Front, Rear, and Front/Rear Diver- music panned to the front of the sound field can
gence controls as necessary. be panned to only the left and right speakers,
forcing them to have a variable phantom center
Divergence Editing Mode image.
In Divergence Editing mode, you can adjust the

To adjust Center Percentage:
divergence boundaries by dragging directly in
the Divergence Grid. Adjust the Center Percentage knob as appro-
priate.

As you reduce the Center Percentage value, the LFE Enable
center speaker at the top of the Grid becomes
less visible. At 0, the center speaker is com- Some multichannel plug-ins, including the mul-
pletely invisible, reflecting the setting for fully tichannel DigiRack Dynamics III Compres-
phantom center. sor/Limiter, provide LFE Enable. This lets you
enable or bypass processing of the LFE channel
if present.
Center % set to 0 (no center speaker shown)
LFE Faders in Multichannel

Panners
LFE Enable in the multichannel DigiRack Dynamics III
The LFE fader controls how much of the track is Compressor/Limiter
sent to LFE. LFE faders are only available when a
track is assigned to a path whose format sup- To process the LFE channel in a multichannel plug-
ports LFE (5.1, 6.1, or 7.1). in:
Click to enable LFE Enable in supporting mul-
To mix to the LFE channel: tichannel plug-ins. LFE Enable is highlighted

when LFE processing is enabled, and unhigh-
Adjust the LFE fader in any “.1” surround for-
lighted when LFE processing is bypassed.
mat Output window.
For general information about LFE, sub When LFE Enable is unavailable, try using
channels, and related topics, see the the multi-mono version of the plug-in.
Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide.
LFE Faders and Groups Pan Playlists

Track and send LFE faders can follow Mix and Multichannel panners have an automation
Edit Groups by being enabled in the Group At- playlist for each position and divergence con-
tributes page in either the Create Groups or trol.
Modify Groups dialog. LFE faders can be as-
signed to follow groups as a global attribute or Pan automation can be drawn, edited, cut,
on a group by group basis. copied, and pasted from the Edit window.
For more information, see the Pro Tools
Reference Guide.

Surround Scope Plug-in
The Surround Scope plug-in provides a 360°
meter for metering multichannel paths during
mixing.
5.1 Format Track Layouts
All 5.1-format meters (including those displayed

in the Surround Scope meter, on tracks, and in
Output windows and their Path Meter Views)
are always arranged in the following order:
L C R Ls Rs LFE
For more information on Pro Tools meter-

ing, see “5.1 Tracks, Formats, Mapping,
and Metering” on page 47.
To use the Surround Scope Plug-in:

On a multichannel Master Fader, click an In-
sert button and select Multichannel TDM plug-in >

Sound Field > Surround Scope.
Surround Scope displays output levels in both a

360° Grid, and in traditional LED meters.
For detailed information on Surround

Scope, refer to the Digidesign Plug-ins
Guide.

chapter 9
Time Code and Synchronization Features
Complete Production Toolkit enables various Pro Tools supports the following frame rates:
time code and synchronization features for • 23.976 FPS
working with audio, film, video, or digital video • 24 FPS
in Pro Tools LE.
• 25 FPS
For more information on working in • 29.97 FPS
Pro Tools with time code and synchroniza- • 29.97 FPS Drop
tion, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide. • 30 FPS
• 30 FPS Drop
Timebase Rulers Secondary Time Code Ruler A secondary time

code ruler, labeled Time Code 2, lets you refer-
Complete Production Toolkit adds three addi- ence video frame rates in the Timeline that are
tional Timebase rulers to Pro Tools LE sessions: different from the session Time Code rate. How-
Time Code, Time Code 2, and Feet+Frames. In ever, you cannot Spot to the Time Code 2 ruler
Pro Tools LE with the Complete Production and it cannot be set as the Main Time Scale. The
Toolkit option, you can spot audio to Time secondary time code ruler can be set to show
Code or Feet+Frames. any Pro Tools supported frame rate. The Time
Code 2 ruler can also display the additional fol-
For information on other Timebase rulers,
lowing frame rates:
see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
• 50 FPS
To add one of these rulers to the Timebase ruler: • 59.94 FPS
Do one of the following: • 59.94 FPS Drop
• Select View > Rulers > Time Code. • 60 FPS
• Select View > Rulers > Time Code 2. • 60 FPS Drop
• Select View > Rulers > Feet+Frame.
Feet+Frames Displays the Time Scale in feet and
Time Code Displays the Time Scale in SMPTE frames for referencing audio-for-film projects.
frames. The Time Code Rate and Session Start The Feet+Frames time display is based on the 35
time are set from the Session Setup window. The millimeter film format. The Feet+Frames Time
Time Code Time Scale is absolute based on the Scale is absolute based on the frame rate.
frame rate.
Chapter 9: Time Code and Synchronization Features 75

Secondary Time Code Ruler Selecting Time Code and Time
Pro Tools LE with the Complete Production
Code 2 Rates
Toolkit option provides an additional Timebase The Time Code Rate and Time Code 2 Rate for
ruler, labeled Time Code 2. This secondary time the session can be set in the Session Setup win-
code ruler lets you re-reference video frame rates dow with the Time Code Rate and Time Code
in the Timeline that are different from the ses- Rate 2 selectors. The Time Code ruler displays
sion time code rate. the Time Scale in SMPTE frames (hours:min-
utes:seconds:frames).
The Time Code 2 ruler can be set to show any of
the following rates: Pro Tools supports the following rates and for-
• 23.976 FPS mats: 23.976 fps, 24 fps, 25 fps, 29.97 fps Non-
• 24 FPS Drop, 29.97 fps Drop, 30 fps Non-Drop, and
• 25 FPS 30 fps Drop. In addition, Complete Production
Toolkit supports audio pull up and pull down
• 29.97 FPS
(see “Pull Up and Pull Down Commands” on
• 29.97 FPS Drop page 78).
• 30 FPS
• 30 FPS Drop See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more
information on time code and synchroniza-
• 50 FPS
tion.
• 59.94 FPS
• 59.94 FPS Drop
• 60 FPS Selecting Feet+Frame Rate
• 60 FPS Drop
The Feet+Frame Rate for the session can be set in
The Time Code 2 ruler cannot be set to the Main the Session Setup window with the Feet+Frame
Ruler in Pro Tools. Rate selector. Supported rates are 23.976, 24,
and 25 fps.
Half-Frame Nudge/Grid Set this rate to match the rate of the film projec-
Pro Tools provides an additional grid resolution tor, or the video if the film projector speed is
of 1/2 Frame to allow for easy alignment of ma- taken into account.
terial when referencing a high-definition (HD)
frame rate on the secondary time code
(Time Code 2) ruler.

To set the Main Time Scale to SMPTE Time Code,
Redefining Time Code do one of the following:
Position Choose View > Rulers > Time Code.
– or –
Redefining a Time Code Position
Click the Main Counter selector in the Edit
Use the Current Time Code Position command to window and select Time Code.
redefine the current time code position and ses-
sion start time. By creating an insertion point Pro Tools displays time code values in the cur-
(or selection), and then entering the new time rently selected SMPTE frame rate.
code position for that location, the session start
time will be recalculated based on the new, rela- Sub Counter and Sub Time Scale
tive Time Code location. Display
You can display a Sub Time Scale in the Sub
To redefine a current Time Code code position:
Counter. For example, if the Main Time Scale is
1 With the Selector tool, click in a track (or set to Time Code, and you want to compare
make a selection) where you want to redefine SMPTE time to “wall clock,” when you are using
the position. 29.97 Non-Drop frame rate, click the Sub
Counter selector and select Min:Secs as the Sub
If your insertion or selection is not on a grid Time Scale.
boundary, it will round to the closest
boundary.
2 Choose Setup > Current Time Code Position. Redefining Current

3 Enter a new SMPTE frame number in the dia- Feet+Frames Position
log to correspond to the time code shown in the
Use the Current Feet+Frames command to rede-
dialog.
fine the Feet+Frames position at the current in-
4 Click OK. sertion point. The session start time is recalcu-
lated based on the new, relative Feet+Frames
location.
Displaying Time in SMPTE Frames
Typically, this command is used for integrating
In Pro Tools, you can set the Main Time Scale to
test tones, pre-roll, Academy leader, and similar
Time Code (SMPTE) and this will be displayed in
pre-program material into Pro Tools sessions.
the Main Counter. Though Pro Tools will still
Redefining Feet+Frames does not redefine the
synchronize to incoming SMPTE time code if
session start time.
the Time Scale is displayed in Bars|Beats, Min-
utes:Seconds, or Feet.Frames, it is usually more
useful to use SMPTE time code as your reference.

To set a relative frame position for a session
(Feet+Frames): Pull Up and Pull Down
1 With the Selector tool, click in a track (or Commands
make a selection) where you want to redefine Use Audio Rate Pull Up/Down and Video Rate
the position. Pull Up/Down for audio layback to film or
video, or when recording audio for film or
If your insertion or selection is not on a grid
video. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more
boundary, it will round to the closest
information.
boundary.
When using Audio Rate Pull Up/Down,
2 Choose Setup > Current Feet+Frames Position.
Complete Production Toolkit does not auto-
3 Enter a Feet+Frame position to correspond to matically adjust the Pro Tools sample rate
the time code shown in the dialog. clock during playback or recording. To syn-
chronize to your external device, or to do a
4 Click OK.
real-time transfer, you must manually ad-
just your external (S/PDIF or Optical) clock
device according to the pull factors that are
Use Subframes Option being used.
When spotting or shifting material in Pro Tools,

or using the Go To dialog, enable the Use Sub- When using a video I/O (such as the Avid
frames option for greater precision. Mojo®) as the S/PDIF clock source, Audio
Rate Pull Up/Pull Down is not supported.
Audio Rate Pull Up/Down Applies pull up or pull

down factors to session audio record and play-
back. The Audio Rate Pull Up/Down pop-up
menu is located in the Session Setup window.
Video Rate Pull Up/Down Lets you change the

frame rate of video playback independently
from the audio pull-ups (if any). The Video Pull
Up/Down pop-up menu is located below the Au-
dio Rate Pull Up/Down pop-up menu in the Ses-
sion Setup window. Choices are determined by
Shift dialog with the Use Subframes option enabled the file format of the video clip, as well as its
A subframe is 1/100th of a frame. The Use Sub- frame rate.
frames option enables you to use these smaller
units for greater accuracy. When enabled, this Audio Pull Down Factors and QuickTime Movies
command adds a decimal and two decimal Audio “pulls” are an industry standard method
places of additional time for subframes in of adjusting the speed of audio playback to line
SMPTE and Feet+Frames–based fields in the up with off-speed picture.
Spot, Shift, and Go To dialogs.

In normal industry standard workflows, when Since Complete Production Toolkit for
audio is pulled down, video and time code Pro Tools LE does not have any means to adjust
maintain their current speed, and only the au- the Pro Tools sample clock, it instead simulates
dio and MIDI are pulled down, in relationship the audio/video pull relationship by pulling up
to the video and time code. the video instead of pulling down the audio.
This maintains the proper video/audio speed re-
For example, when 24 frame film to 29.97 NTSC lationship when using the fixed Pro Tools inter-
video transfers are made, it is necessary to slow nal clock. The audio sample clock is not pulled
the film playback speed during the transfer pro- down, so the digital outputs are not outputting
cess by 0.1%. a pulled down sample clock.
In order to make the same speed change for pro- If you are using an external clocking source
duction audio to match the speed of this new (such as S/PDIF or ADAT Optical), Pro Tools au-
slower picture, Pro Tools audio needs to also be dio and MIDI are resolved to the digital input’s
“pulled down” by 0.1%. clock speed. If you select audio pull down, the
To slow audio in Pro Tools, the audio can either audio still doesn’t pull down in Pro Tools LE;
be sample rate converted on import or the in- the video still pulls up to maintain the proper re-
coming word clock sample rate source must be lationship, and the actual Pro Tools sample rate
“pulled down” by 0.1% (resulting in a 48,000 Hz is now dependent on the digital clock source.
session speed to be pulled down to play in real However, if the incoming digital clock speed is
time at 47,952 Hz). The pull down setting in pulled down, Pro Tools audio and MIDI will run
Pro Tools adjusts the visual representation of re- at a pulled down rate, and the video will play
gions on the timeline to equal the word clock back at its normal speed.
pull up/down change. When pull down is selected in Complete Pro-
When the clock is reset to the non-pulled down duction Toolkit for Pro Tools LE, the following
sample rate, the audio plays at the original film occurs:
speed. • If the external clock is not pulled down, the
actual sample rate of Pro Tools LE audio
MIDI is always pulled in line with audio and MIDI is not pulled down, but the video
pulls. is pulled up.
• If the external clock is pulled down, the ac-
Complete Production Toolkit for Pro Tools LE
tual sample rate of Pro Tools LE audio and
offers limited pull capabilities, primarily for
MIDI is pulled down, and the video plays at
Pro Tools HD users who have a secondary
its original non-pulled speed.
Pro Tools LE system that they use to perform
smaller tasks or for remote work.
Although Complete Production Toolkit for

Pro Tools LE offers some pull down options, it
does not have the ability to adjust the internal
sample clock the same way Pro Tools|HD sys-
tems do in tandem with the Digidesign
SYNC I/O peripheral.

chapter 10
Video Features
Complete Production Toolkit enables additional You can perform all of the same operations with
session and track features (including DigiBase video playlists as you can with audio playlists,
Pro) for working with video in Pro Tools LE. including:
• Duplicating a playlist
For more information on working with
• Creating a playlist
Pro Tools sessions and tracks, see the
Pro Tools Reference Guide. • Assigning a playlist to another video track
• Renaming a playlist
• Deleting a playlist
Video Track Support
Complete Production Toolkit adds the follow- Multiple Codecs on an Individual
ing video track support to Pro Tools LE: Video Track
• Multiple video tracks in the Timeline A single video track can contain video regions
• Multiple QuickTime movies on individual compressed with different video codecs of the
video tracks same type of video. For example, you can add
• Multiple playlists for video tracks QuickTime files that were compressed using
multiple codecs to the same video track.
Multiple Video Tracks in the However, once the first video file has been
Timeline added to a session, all additional video files
added to the Timeline must have the same video
You can add multiple video tracks to the Time-
frame rate as the first video file.
line, but only one video track can be played back
at a time. This track is known as the main video
track.
Support for Video Import
Multiple Video Track Playlists Options
Playlists provide an easy way of changing back Complete Production Toolkit adds the follow-
and forth between alternate versions of a video ing options to Pro Tools LE when using the
track. Video Import Options dialog to import video
into Pro Tools:
Chapter 10: Video Features 81

Destination Section
Video Regions
Region List Imports the video file directly into
the Region List, where it will be available to drag You can create video regions that function in
and drop into Pro Tools. much the same way as audio regions.
Additional Video Import Options

Gaps Between Regions When you import more
than one video file into a track, they will be
shuffled together by default. This option lets
you indicate the number of seconds by which
each video clip will be separated when imported Video region as displayed in Frames View in the
Timeline
into the video track.
A video region is a segment of video data, and
can be a portion of video or an entire video file.
Bypassing the Video Import
In Pro Tools, video regions are created from
Options Dialog
QuickTime, Windows Media, or Avid video files,
and can be arranged in corresponding video
To bypass the Video Import Options dialog when
importing video into Pro Tools: track playlists. Video regions can also be
grouped, looped, and color coded.
Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) one
or more video files from a DigiBase browser into Just like audio regions, video regions display in
the Region List. Pro Tools in the Region List or the Timeline.
Dragging Video Files from the Video Regions in the Region List
Region List to the Timeline
A video region displays in the Region List with a
You can add video files to the Timeline by drag- small video icon next to its name.
ging and dropping directly from the Region List
to a video track.
To add video files to a video track by dragging

them from the Region List:
1 Select one or more video files in the Region
List.
2 In any Edit mode, drag the selected video files

to a blank area in the Timeline (to create a new Video region icon
video track) or an existing video track (to place it
within that track).
Video region as displayed in the Region List

Showing or Hiding Video Regions in the Playing and Selecting Video Track Material
Region List • Selecting within video frame boundaries
The Region List menu provides commands that • Selecting and editing across multiple Video
let you show or hide video regions in the Region and audio tracks
List. • Link or unlink track and Edit selections
• Auto-scroll video tracks
To show or hide video regions in the Region List:
• Loop playback
1 In the Edit window, click the Region List
menu, and choose Show. • Video Universe window
2 Select the Video option to show or hide video

Working with Regions and Selections
regions.
• Capture regions
• Separate regions and Separate Grabber Tool
General Video Editing • Region overlap and underlap

• All trimming commands except for TCE
Most editing operations that are available for au-
dio regions can also be applied to video regions. • Heal separated regions
This section describes all available video editing • Place, align, slide, shuffle, and spot regions
operations. Unless noted, the procedure for each
• Sync points
video editing operation is the same as its audio
editing counterpart. • Nudging (quantized to frame boundaries)
• Shift command (moving track material back
Basic Video Editing Features or forward in time by a specified amount)
• Nondestructive editing • Quantize Region to Grid (rounds to nearest
• Display of region names, region times, and video frame)
other data in playlists
• Replace Region command
• Multiple video playlists
• Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear commands
• Multiple Undo
• Video regions and video region groups in • Special Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear commands
Region List • Repeat to fill selection
• All Edit modes • Editing across multiple tracks
• All Edit Tools (except for Time Compres- • Duplicate command
sion Expansion and Pencil tools) • Repeat command
• Region groups
• Region looping

Managing Regions Selecting and Editing Across
• Insert space Multiple Audio and Video Tracks
• Compact Selected (nothing happens to the You can create a selection across multiple audio
video, and at least one audio track must be se- and video tracks, and cut, copy, or paste audio
lected) and video simultaneously.
• All naming and displaying of region com-
mands before
Editing Caveats
The following caveats apply to video editing in
Pro Tools:
• MPEG-2 video in the Timeline cannot be ed-
ited.
• If you create and enable a track group contain-
ing audio and video tracks—and any audio
track has region boundaries that do not line after
up with video frame boundaries— you cannot
tab through those region boundaries.
General Editing Operations Not

Applicable to Video Regions
The following editing operations are applicable
to audio regions, but are not applicable to video
regions:
• Fades
Selecting and editing across multiple tracks (Slip mode
• Mute/unmute regions shown)
• AudioSuite plug-ins Audio and video that is selected and cut, copied,
• Waveform Repair with the Pencil tool or pasted follow the current Edit mode.
• Strip silence
• Consolidate regions

Selecting within Video Frame To insert space into a video track:
Boundaries 1 Make a selection in a track or tracks. The
length of the selection determines the duration
Pro Tools does not let you select, play back, or
of the space inserted.
edit a partial video frame. The following rules
apply when selecting or editing video: 2 Choose Edit > Insert Silence.
• When you make a selection in a video track,
the selection boundaries follow the current
Grid setting but round to the nearest video Video Region Groups
frame boundary, as follows:
• If the selection includes more than half of a You can include video regions within region
video frame, the full video frame is in- groups for the following operations:
cluded within the selection. • Creating region groups
• If the selection includes less than half of a • Creating multitrack region groups (includ-
video frame, that video frame is not in- ing audio tracks)
cluded in a video selection. • Editing region groups
• When you paste a selection containing video • Creating fades and crossfades for audio files
to a video track, the insertion point automat- in region groups
ically aligns with the closest video frame • Importing and exporting region group files
boundary.
When you paste audio and video simulta-

neously, this video frame re-alignment may Browsing Video in the Video
result in the audio not being positioned ex- Universe Window
actly where you placed it. A warning dialog
The Video Universe, lets you view, navigate,
displays when this occurs.
zoom, and select video regions on the main
video track.
Using the Insert Silence Command
to Insert Space in Video Tracks The Video Universe window displays the center
video frame of each video region in the main
The Insert Silence command lets you make a se-
video track. Video frames are ordered sequen-
lection on a track (or tracks) and insert precisely
tially according to their order in the Timeline,
that amount of space. You can also select across
and the colored strip under each frame repre-
video and audio tracks, and use the Insert Si-
sents the color coding for that region.
lence command to insert audio silence and
space simultaneously.
In Shuffle mode, all video data on the track is

shuffled later in the track by an amount equal to
the selection. In Slip, Grid, or Spot mode, the In-
sert Silence command works just like the Edit >
Clear command.

To display the Video Universe window: To use the Video Universe window to zoom video
regions in the Edit window:
1 Make sure the Video Online button in the
main video track is set to online status (blue). 1 Move the cursor over the top half of any video
frame until it becomes a zoom tool.
2 Choose Window > Video Universe.
• To move the beginning of a video region to
the far left of the Timeline while maintain-
ing the current zoom resolution in the Edit
window, click the video frame representing
the region once.
• To zoom in on a video region so that it fills
the entire Edit window, double-click the
Video Universe with video frames representing video video frame representing the region.
regions on the main video track • To zoom a range of selected regions so that
they fill the Edit window, click and drag on
Increasing or Decreasing the Size of
the video frames that represent the regions.
Video Frames
To increase or decrease the size of video frames in Selecting Ranges in the Video Universe
the Video Universe window:
When you move the cursor over the bottom half
Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-click of a video frame in the Video Universe, it dis-
(Mac) anywhere in the Universe, and select In- plays and behaves as a selector tool. This tool
crease or Decrease. lets you select ranges within one or more video
regions in the Edit window.
Selecting Zoom Resolutions in the
Video Universe
When you move the cursor over the top half of
a video frame in the Video Universe, it displays
and behaves as a zoom tool. This tool lets you
zoom in on one or more video regions to fill the
entire Edit window display.
Video frame with selector tool
Video frame with zoom tool

To use the Video Universe window to select ranges Selecting Zoom Resolutions and
in video regions in the Edit window: Ranges Simultaneously in the Video
1 Move the cursor over the bottom half of any Universe
video frame until it becomes a selector tool.
When you move the cursor over a video frame
2 Do one of the following: in the Video Universe while pressing Alt (Win-
• To place the cursor at the beginning of a dows) or Option (Mac), the cursor appears as a
video region, click the video frame repre- selector tool. This tool lets you zoom and select
senting the video region. ranges simultaneously.
• To select an entire video region from start

To use the Video Universe window to select and
to end, double-click the video frame repre-
zoom simultaneously in the Edit window:
senting that region.
• To select one or more entire regions from 1 Move the cursor over any area of any video
start to end, drag the video frames repre- frame in the Video Universe window until it be-
senting the video regions. comes a selector or zoom tool.
2 To select a range of video regions while simul-

If the Edit window does not display the se-
taneously zooming to fill the Edit window, Alt-
lected video regions, it will automatically
drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) multiple
scroll to show the beginning of the selection.
video frames.

chapter 11
Included Plug-ins
Complete Production Toolkit includes the fol-

lowing plug-ins: Eleven LE
• DINR LE The Eleven LE guitar amplifier plug-in gives you
• Eleven LE stunning guitar amplifier, cabinet, and micro-
• Hybrid phone models of the “best of the best” vintage
• SoundCode Stereo and contemporary gear.
• Smack! LE
For more information, refer to the Digide-
• Structure LE sign Eleven Plug-in Guide.
• TL Space Native
• X-Form
Hybrid Synthesizer
The Hybrid synthesizer plug-in, developed by
DINR LE Digidesign’s Advanced Instrument Research
(A.I.R.) group, combines the warmth of legend-
The LE version of Digidesign Intelligent Noise
ary analog synthesizers with the powerful fea-
Reduction (DINR) is included with the Com-
tures included in popular digital synthesizers.
plete Production Toolkit option. DINR LE pro-
vides broadband and narrowband noise reduc- Hybrid features a sample-accurate synthesis en-
tion for suppressing such unwanted elements as gine with 23 filter modes with true saturation,
tape hiss, air conditioner rumble, and micro- plus endless modulation and performance capa-
phone preamp noise. bilities.
For more information, refer to the Digide- For more information, refer to the Hybrid
sign Plug-ins Guide. Plug-in Guide.
Chapter 11: Included Plug-ins 89

SoundCode Stereo TL Space Native
The Neyrinck SoundCode Stereo plug-in is an TL Space Native is a powerful convolution re-
RTAS plug-in that down mixes a surround mix verb for post production and music applica-
to a stereo mix for Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools tions. The TL Space package includes a compre-
LE surround compatible systems. The plug-in hensive library of high-quality sampled reverb
supports all Pro Tools surround formats (LCR, spaces and effects, from large concert halls to
LCRS, Quad, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 6.1, 7.0, and 7.1). dense plate reverbs.
For more information, refer to the Sound- For more information, refer to the TL Labs
Code Stereo Guide. Plug-ins Guide.
Smack! LE Compressor X-Form

The Smack! LE compressor plug-in features three The X-Form AudioSuite plug-in is based on the
compression modes and unique compression ra- Radius® algorithm from iZotope and provides
tios to get your desired compression sound. the high quality time compression and expan-
sion for music production, sound design, and
For more information, refer to the Digide- audio loop applications. Use it to manipulate
sign Plug-ins Guide. audio loops for tempo matching or to change
vocal tracks for formant correct pitch shifting.
Structure LE For more information, refer to the Digide-

sign Plug-ins Guide.
Structure LE, developed by Digidesign’s Ad-
vanced Instrument Research (A.I.R.) group, is an
RTAS virtual instrument plug-in that adds the
flexibility and power of an advanced sample
player to any Pro Tools system.
For more information, refer to the Structure

LE Guide.

index
Numerics C
3-knob panning 68 Catalogs
5.0 paths in 5.1 mixes 58 Clip Name 21
5.1 formats in Pro Tools 47 Center % (Percentage) 70
Center % in Output window 71
A Channel selector
AAF file format 14 for multi-mono plug-ins 54
Activation Code 7 Collection Mode, Beat Detective 34
Add Unique Triggers 35 Complete Production Toolkit
features 1
alternate channels
installing 5
Expand to New Playlists 30
system requirements 3
Audio Rate Pull Up/Down 78 uninstalling 7
audio regions consolidating media 23
fitting to an Edit selection 29
Continuous Scroll with Playhead option
audio tracks and half-screen 25
5.1 format 43
Continuous Scrolling During Playback option 25
and Output format 51
and half-screen 25
and surround sessions 49
placing audio in multichannel tracks 50 Continuous Scrolling option 25
AutoGlide mode 69 Current Feet+Frames command 77
AutoGlide Time preference 69 Current Time Code Position command 77
automation
and multichannel pan 72 D
and multiple output assignments 51 DigiBase Pro 19
capturing and applying elsewhere 39 Catalogs 21
snapshot 37 consolidating with 23
creating 22
B opening 22
Clip Name 21
Beat Detective
saving a search as a Catalog 20
Collection Mode 34
with multiple tracks 33 Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction (DINR) 89
boxed version 3 DigiTranslator 2.0 option 14
bussing DINR LE 89
multichannel sends 53 discrete signal control 50
surround examples 57 divergence
drawing 71
using 70
Index 91
E import
Edit menu Session Data 11
TCE Edit to Timeline Selection command 29 importing
Trim Automation to All Enabled command 40 multichannel I/O Settings 46
Trim Automation to Current command 40 offline items from Catalogs 24
Write Automation commands 38, 39 tempo and meter map 14
Edit window installation 5
half-screen 25 Instrument tracks
Expand Channels to New Playlists 30 and surround mixing 53
Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF command 14
exporting L
AAF files 14 LCRS path examples 47
OMFI files 14 LFE
enable in plug-ins 72
F example sub-path 58
Feet+Frame Rate 76 examples of discrete versus contribution 60
Feet+Frames faders 72
redefining position 77 Link Enable buttons
Feet.Frames Time Scale 75 in multi-mono plug-ins 54
field recorder linking
expanding alternate channels to new playlists multi-mono plug-ins 54
30 stereo panners 66
file formats (audio)
MP3 15 M
File menu Main Time Scale 77
Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF command Master Faders
14 multichannel 53
files Master Link button
Clip Name 21 in multi-mono plug-ins 54
Find Matching Tracks option 11 meter map
Front Divergence 70 importing 14
Front/Rear Divergence 70 meters
SurroundScope plug-in 73
G MP3 file format 15
MP3 Export Option 15
Glide Automation commands 40
MPEG-1 Layer 3 15
grid panners in Mix and Edit 61
multichannel plug-ins 54
guide conventions 4
multichannel tracks
replacing regions in 28
H multi-mono
half-screen 25 plug-in Channel selector 54
plug-ins 53
I multiple tracks
I/O Setup and Beat Detective 33
and surround sessions 44 fitting audio regions to Edit selection 29
importing for surround 46
surround mix examples 57

O R
OMF file format 14 Rear Divergence 70
OMFI file format 14 redefining
Output Window button 63 Feet+Frames position 77
outputs time code position 77
default 5.1 paths and sub-paths 46 regions
format and tracks 51 replacing 26
to multichannel paths 52 Render Sources 24
Replace Region command 26
P and multichannel tracks 28
package contents 3 Replace Region dialog 27
panning requirements 3
3-knob 68 Ruler View options
fine-adjust mode 68 Feet.Frames Time Scale 75
grids 61 Time Code Time Scale 75
guidelines 58
linked stereo 66 S
multichannel automation playlists 72 Scrolling options
take over in grid 67 Continuous 25
trajectory 69 Continuous Scrolling During Playback 25
X/Y mode 67 Scrub Trim tool 25
parallel mixing 51 scrubbing
paths with Scrub Trim tool 26
creating multichannel 46 Secondary Time Code Ruler 75
for surround 55
sends
sub-path surround examples 58
and multichannel mixing 52
plug-ins multichannel 52
and surround mixing 53
Session Data to Import menu 12
Channel selector for multi-mono 54
sessions
for surround 54
creating for surround mixing 44
linking 54
multi-mono 53 signal routing
basics for surround 52
surround examples 58
Snap Pan to Speaker icons 66
snapshot automation 37
adding to empty automation playlists 38
and trim values 39
writing over existing automation 38
Split Into Mono Track command 51
Spot dialog
Use Subframes option 78
stereo tracks
replacing regions in 28
Sub Time Scale 77
subframes 78
sub-paths
examples for surround 55
Index 93
surround Trim Automation commands 40
and sends 52 Trim to All Enabled 40
basic signal routing 52 Trim to Current 40
center percentage (%) 71 Trim to All Enabled Automation command 40
configuring Pro Tools 49 Trim to Current Automation command 40
configuring Pro Tools and sessions 44 Trim tools
discrete level, solo, mute 50 Scrub Trim tool 25
example 5.1 format paths 47
trimming
importing I/O Settings 46
regions with Scrub Trim tool 26
pan playlists and automation 72
panning grids 61
settings files 44 U
using paths 55 unlinking plug-in controls 54
using sub-paths, examples 55 Use Subframes option 78
SurroundScope 73
V
T video
take over (surround pan) 67 Import Options 81
TCE Edit to Timeline command 29 tracks 81
tempo map Video Rate Pull Up/Down 78
importing 14 Video Universe window 85
time code
redefining position 77 W
Time Code 2 ruler 75, 76 website 4
Time Code Mapping options 11 Write 39
Time Code Time Scale 75 Write Automation commands 38, 39
Time Compression/Expansion plug-in 29 writing
Time Scale snapshot automation 37
Feet.Frames 75
Main 77
Sub 77
Time Code 75
Timebase rulers 75
Time Code 2 75
TL Space Native 90
Track menu
Split Into Mono command 51
tracks
5.1 format track layout 50
and surround 49
converting multichannel tracks into mono
tracks 51
trajectory panning 69

www.digidesign.com
DIGIDESIGN TECHNICAL SUPPORT (USA) PRODUCT INFORMATION (USA) INTERNATIONAL OFFICES

2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard Tel: 650.731.6100 Tel: 800.333.2137 Visit the Digidesign website
Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA Fax: 650.731.6375 for contact information
Tel: 650.731.6300
Fax: 650.731.6399

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Complete Production Toolkit

Product features, specifications, system requirements, and

Guide Part Number 9329-59260-00 REV A 11/08

Chapter 3. Session and Track Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 4. DigiBase Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Chapter 6. Beat Detective Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 7. Mixing and Automation Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Chapter 8. Surround Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

iv Complete Production Toolkit Guide

Chapter 10. Video Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Chapter 11. Included Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Complete Production Toolkit • Scrub Trim tool

Overview • Replace Region command

2 Complete Production Toolkit Guide

– and – • Complete Production Toolkit Installer disc

For complete system requirements and a list of

If you purchased a boxed version of the Com-

Registered users receive periodic software update

For information on technical support, visit the

News and Events Get the latest news from

Cross References point to related sections in

4 Complete Production Toolkit Guide

The installer process installs Complete Produc-

1 Do one of the following:

• Download the installer for your computer • Smack!™ LE

3 Follow the on-screen instructions to complete

4 When installation is complete, click Quit

Authorizing Download Versions of

For additional information about iLok tech-

6 Complete Production Toolkit Guide

7 Empty the Trash.

2 Drag it to the Trash and empty the Trash.

To remove Complete Production Toolkit on

2 Double-click Programs and Features.

3 From the list of currently installed applica-

5 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove

To remove Complete Production Toolkit on

2 Double-click Add or Remove Programs.

3 From the Currently installed programs list, se-

4 Follow the on-screen instructions.

5 When removal is complete, close the Add or

8 Complete Production Toolkit Guide

Session and Track Features

Complete Production Toolkit enables additional

For example, at 44.1 or 48 kHz, you can have up

Higher track counts are only supported with

Chapter 3: Session and Track Features 9

Setting a track voice assignment to Off

For the track that was originally higher num-

For more information on track priority and

10 Complete Production Toolkit Guide

Chapter 3: Session and Track Features 11

12 Complete Production Toolkit Guide

Track View Settings Imports the track height

Mix/Edit Groups: Imports track group assign-

Chapter 3: Session and Track Features 13

Pro Tools with DigiTranslator 2.0 does not

For more information on exporting selected

14 Complete Production Toolkit Guide