Chapter 25: Audio Recording

In Pro Tools, you record audio to audio tracks. Au- Basic Recording Steps
dio tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel as
appropriate for the recording source. To record an audio track:

1 From the track’s Input Path selector, select the

When recording a mono source, record to a single,
audio Input Path you want to record (see “As-
mono audio track in Pro Tools. A single, mono au-
signing Hardware I/O on a Track” on page 547).
dio file is written to disk, and the file appears as a
clip both in the track’s playlist and in the Clips 2 From the track’s Output Path selector, select the
List. main monitoring path.

When recording a stereo audio source, record to a 3 Click the Record Enable button for the audio
single, stereo audio track in Pro Tools. A single, track. It lights red.
mono audio file is written to disk for each channel
of a stereo track: one for the left channel, and one
for the right channel. These files appear as a stereo
clip both in the track’s playlist and in the Clips
List.

Recording a multichannel source to a multichannel

track (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only) is sim-
ilar to recording stereo audio tracks. A single,
mono audio file is written for each channel in the
track, and these files appear as multichannel clips
in both the track’s playlist and in the Clips List (see
“Multichannel Audio Tracks” on page 1277).
Record enabling a track in the Mix window

Before Recording 4 Adjust the output level of your sound source

(instrument, mixer, or preamp). Monitor the
Before you start recording in Pro Tools, you need track’s meter levels in Pro Tools to ensure that
to set up your Pro Tools system, a session, and one levels peak within at least –6 dB to –12 dB on
or more tracks for recording. You will also need to the input meter without triggering the clipping
configure how Pro Tools monitors the input you indicator on your audio interface.
intend to record. For information, see Chapter 24,
“Record Setup.”

Chapter 25: Audio Recording 559

 5 Do one of the following: The newly recorded audio is written to disk and ap-
• In the Mix window, adjust the track’s volume pears as an audio clip both in the track’s playlist
and pan faders. These settings are for monitoring and in the Clips List.
purposes only and do not affect the recorded ma-
To play back the audio track:
terial.
1 Click the Record Enable button for the audio
• In the Output window for the track, adjust the
track so that it is no longer record-enabled.
track’s Volume fader and Pan sliders. These set-
Track volume faders now function as playback
tings are for monitoring purposes only and do
level controls.
not affect the recorded material. (See “Output
Windows for Tracks and Sends” on page 1124.) If a record-enabled track is in Auto Input
6 Choose Window > Transport to display the Monitor mode, you will hear “through” the
Transport window. Click Return to Zero to go to input while the Transport is stopped. The
the beginning of the session. track automatically switches to playback
when you press play, then back to Input
Rewind mode when you either stop, or punch into re-
Return to Zero Fast Forward cord. For more information, see “Auto Input
Go to End Monitoring” on page 553.

2 To have playback start from the beginning of

the session, click Return to Zero in the Trans-
port.

Online Stop Record 3 To start playback, click Play in the Transport or

Play press the Spacebar.
Transport window

7 Click Record in the Transport window to arm Undo or Cancel Audio Recording
Pro Tools for recording. The Record button Once you have recorded an audio track and the
flashes red to indicate that Pro Tools is ready to transport is stopped, you can undo the record take.
record.
To undo an audio recording:
8 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected
(see “Record Modes” on page 543).  Once the Transport has been stopped, choose
Edit > Undo Record Audio.
9 When you are ready to start recording, click
Play or press the Spacebar.

If using Countoff, Pro Tools counts off the speci-

fied number of measures and then begins record-
ing. See “Recording with a Click” on page 538.
10 Record your performance.
11 Click Stop in the Transport window or press the
Spacebar when you are finished recording.

560 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The track’s playlist is restored to its previous state For each record-enabled track, a new audio file is
and material is discarded as follows: written to disk, and a new clip is created that ap-
• When in normal Record mode, only the most re- pears both in the track’s playlist and in the Clips
cent take is discarded. List.

• When in Loop Record mode, all takes from each If you have a Pro Tools system with multiple
record pass are discarded. drives, and you intend to record multiple
• When using QuickPunch, TrackPunch, or tracks simultaneously, you may want to des-
DestructivePunch mode, all punches from the ignate the System drive as a Transfer only
last recording pass are discarded. drive for optimal performance.

If you undo a record pass during recording,

Pro Tools removes any previously undone re- Recording Shortcuts
cord pass from the session and lets you delete
In addition to clicking the Record button in the
the previous record pass from your hard drive.
Transport or Edit window to arm Pro Tools record-
If no actions are available to undo, the menu dis- ing, you can arm and start recording with the fol-
plays a grayed out Can’t Undo. lowing keyboard shortcuts:
• Press F12 to start recording immediately.
Canceling a Record Take
On Mac systems, to use F12 for recording, the
While recording, it is possible to discard the cur- Mac “Dashboard” feature must be disabled or
rent record take. This removes the audio (recorded remapped. See your User Guide for details.
up to that point) from your hard drive and deletes
the clip from the track’s playlist and the Clips List. • Press Command+Spacebar (Mac) or Con-
When using Loop Record mode, all takes from trol+Spacebar (Windows) to start recording.
each record pass are discarded. Canceling record-
On Mac systems, to use Command+Spacebar
ing when in Destructive Record mode is prohib-
for recording, the Mac “Spotlight” feature
ited.
must be disabled or remapped. Refer to Apple’s
To cancel a record take while recording:
documentation for more information.

 Press Command+Period (.) (Mac) or • Press 3 on the numeric keypad (when the Nu-
Control+Period (.) (Windows) before the meric Keypad mode is set to Transport) to start
Transport is stopped. recording.

To initiate recording at half speed, press

Recording Multiple Audio Tracks Command+Shift+Spacebar (Mac) or
Pro Tools can record multiple audio tracks simul- Control+Shift+Spacebar (Windows). See
taneously, up to the track recording limits of your “Half-Speed Recording” on page 577.
system. To record to multiple tracks, configure and
record enable each track, then record. Follow the
same steps as in “Basic Recording Steps” on
page 559.

Chapter 25: Audio Recording 561

 • Select a range in a Timebase ruler.
Prime for Record Mode
• Drag the Timeline Selection Markers in the
When recording a large number of tracks or chan- ruler.
nels, or playing back a large number of tracks
• Enter start and end times in the Transport win-
while recording, Pro Tools may take a little longer
dow.
to begin recording. To avoid this delay, put
Pro Tools in Prime for Record mode before begin- • Recall a Memory Location that includes an Edit
ning to record. selection (with Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selection enabled).
To enable Prime for Record mode and start
recording: To set the record range in a track’s playlist:

1 Click Record in the Transport. The Record but- 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
ton flashes. rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.

2 Do one of the following: 2 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
tion.
• Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) Play
in the Transport to put Pro Tools in Prime for 3 Do one of the following:
Record mode.
• With the Selector tool, select the record range in
• Right-click the Play button and select Prime for a track’s playlist.
Record.

The Stop button lights and both the Play and Re-
cord buttons flash.
3 To begin recording instantaneously, click Play.
4 Click Stop to stop recording.

When synchronizing to timecode, use Prime

for Record mode to record or play back large
numbers of tracks. This decreases the time it Playlist selection
takes to lock to timecode.
• If a clip’s start and end points define the record
range, select the entire clip.

Setting Punch and Loop You can also enter a start and end point
Points during playback. Press the Down Arrow to
set the start point, and press the Up Arrow to
The start and end points of a record range for
set the end points. Note that when in Grid
punch and loop recording can be set by the follow-
mode, start and end point when entered in
ing methods:
this manner do not snap to the grid.
• Select a range in a track’s playlist (with
Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection
enabled).

562 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To set the record range in a Timebase ruler: To set the record range by dragging the Timeline
Selection Markers:
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. 1 If you want the Timeline Selection Markers to
snap to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode
2 Select the record range in any Timebase ruler. to Grid
2 Drag the first Timeline Selection Marker (down
arrow) to the start point of the range.

Timeline selection

If the Selector tool is not active, you do not

Dragging a Timeline Selection Marker (start time) in
need to manually select it. Other Edit tools
the Main Timebase ruler
(such as the Time Grabber tool) automati-
cally turn into the Selector tool when used in 3 Drag the second Timeline Selection Marker (up
Timebase rulers. arrow) to the end point of the range.

If the current record range is already the

Timeline Selection Markers
right length and the range needs only to be
When tracks are record-enabled, Timeline Selec- moved to a new location, Option-drag (Mac)
tion Markers for start and end times appear as red or Alt-drag (Windows) either Timeline Selec-
up and down arrows in the Main Timebase ruler. If tion Marker to move both to a new location
no tracks are record-enabled, the Timeline Selec- (while keeping the same length).
tion Markers are blue.
Start, End, and Length Fields
In its Expanded view, the Transport window can
display start, end, and length times, and pre- and
post-roll settings. When setting a record or play
Timeline Selection Markers in the Main Timebase range, the range is reflected in these fields.
ruler

The Timeline Selection Markers can be moved, ei-

ther separately or at the same time, to set record
and play ranges.

Transport window with Start, End, and Length fields

displayed

Chapter 25: Audio Recording 563

 You can enter locations in the start and end fields To save an Edit selection with a Memory Location:
to set the record or play range. The Timeline Selec- 1 Ensure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit
tion Markers in the Main Timebase ruler are up- Selection is selected.
dated accordingly.
2 Set the record range by making an Edit or Time-
To set the record range by entering start and end line selection, or by entering start and end times
times in the Transport window: in the Transport window.
1 To see the start, end, and length times, do one of 3 To save the pre- and post-roll values, enable and
the following: set the pre- and post-roll amounts by entering
• Select View > Transport > Expanded. them in the Transport window, or by dragging
the Pre- and Post-Roll Flags in the ruler that
• Shift-click the Expand/Collapse “+” button in
represents the Main Time Scale (see “Setting
the Transport window.
Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 565).
2 Do one of the following:
4 Press Enter on the numeric keypad or click the
• In the Transport window, click in the Start field. Add Marker/Memory Location button in the
• Press Option+/ (Mac) or Alt+/ (Windows) on the Edit window.
numeric keypad to select the start field in the
5 In the New Memory Location dialog, set Time
Transport window.
Properties to Selection, and if saving pre- and
3 Type in the start location and press Option+/ post-roll values, select the Pre/Post Roll Times
(Mac) or Alt+/ (Windows) on the numeric key- option in the General Properties section.
pad to enter the value and automatically move
to the end field.
4 Type in the end location and press Enter to ac-
cept the value.

Use the Period (.) or Left/Right Arrow keys to

move through the different time fields for
Start and End. Use the Up/Down Arrow keys
to increase or decrease the numerical values.

Memory Locations
You can store Edit selections as Memory Loca-
tions, which can also include current pre- and post-
roll values.

For more information on Memory Locations,

see Chapter 40, “Memory Locations.”

New Memory Location dialog

564 Pro Tools Reference Guide

6 Type a name for the new Memory Location. Pre- and post-roll amounts can be entered in the
Transport window, set from a track’s playlist or
7 Click OK.
Timebase ruler, or by recalling a Memory Loca-
To recall an Edit selection with a Memory Location:
tion.

1 Make sure to select Options > Link Timeline and

Edit Selection. Setting Pre- and Post-Roll in the
Transport Window
2 Choose Windows > Memory Locations.
Pre- and post-roll can be enabled and set in the
Transport window.

To set and enable the pre- and post-roll times in

the Transport window:
1 Select View > Transport > Expanded.
2 In the Transport window, click in the pre-roll
field.
Memory Locations window 3 Type in the pre-roll amount and press Forward
Slash (/) on the numeric keypad to enter the
3 Do one of the following:
value and automatically move to the post-roll
• In the Memory Locations window, click the field.
name or number of the Memory Location.
4 Type in the post-roll amount and press Enter to
• Recall the Memory Location by typing Period
accept the new value.
(.), the Memory Location number, and Period (.)
again on the numeric keypad. (See “Numeric
Keypad Modes” on page 28).

The start and end times and pre- and post-roll set-
tings stored with the Memory Location are re- Pre-roll enabled for 2 beats; Post-roll disabled
called.
5 To enable either pre- or post-roll, click the ap-
propriate button so it is highlighted.
Setting Pre- and Post-Roll Use the Period (.) or Left/Right Arrow keys to
Pre- and post-roll times appear as flags in the ruler move through the different time fields for pre
that represents the Main Time Scale. When pre- and post-roll. Use the Up/Down Arrow keys
and post-roll are enabled, the flags are green, oth- to increase or decrease the numerical values.
erwise they are gray.

Green Pre- and Post-Roll Flags (enabled) in the Main

Timebase ruler

Chapter 25: Audio Recording 565

 Setting Pre- and Post-Roll in a Enabling Pre/Post-Roll from the
Playlist Options Menu
You can use the Selector tool to enable and disable Pre- and post-roll (as a pair) can be enabled and
pre- and post-roll by clicking in a track’s playlist. disabled from the Options menu.

To set and enable the pre- and post-roll by clicking To enable both pre/post-roll from the Options
in a playlist: menu:
1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-  Select Options > Pre/Post-Roll.
tion.

2 With the Selector tool, select the record range in Dragging Pre- and Post-Roll
the track’s playlist. Flags in the Timebase Ruler
3 With the Selector tool, Option-click (Mac) or The Pre- and Post-Roll Flags can be moved in the
Alt-click (Windows) in the track’s playlist be- Main Timebase ruler, either separately or at the
fore the selection to enable the pre-roll at that same time, to set their location.
location.
To set the pre- and post-roll amounts by dragging
4 With the Selector tool, Option-click (Mac) or in the Main Timebase ruler:
Alt-click (Windows) in the track’s playlist after 1 If you want the Pre- and Post-Roll flags to snap
the selection to enable the post-roll at that to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode to
location. Grid.
To disable the pre- and post-roll by clicking in a 2 Drag the Pre-Roll Flag to a new location in the
playlist: ruler.
1 With the Selector tool, Option-click (Mac) or
Alt-click (Windows) in the Edit selection near
the start to disable the pre-roll.
2 With the Selector tool, Option-click (Mac) or
Alt-click (Windows) in the Edit selection near Dragging a Pre-Roll Flag in a Timebase ruler
the end to disable the post-roll.
3 Drag the Post-Roll Flag to a new location in the
In the Timeline, you can reset the pre- and Timebase ruler.
post-roll to zero. First, drag the Pre-Roll
To set pre- and post-roll values to the same
Flag to the Timeline Selection In Point, then
amount, Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag
drag the Post-Roll Flag to the Timeline Se-
(Windows) either the Pre- or the Post-Roll
lection Out Point.
Flag in the ruler. The deselected flag will im-
3 Drag the Pre-Roll Flag to the Timeline mediately reset to the same value, and will
Selection In Point. adjust accordingly as you drag the
selected flag.
4 Drag the Post-Roll Flag to the Timeline
Selection Out Point.

566 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Audio Punch Recording Over Pre-roll flag Post-roll flag
a Specified Range Punch In Punch Out

You can set Pro Tools to automatically punch

record over a specific range in an audio track (for
example, to replace a portion of a recorded track).
The range’s start (punch in) and end (punch out)
points must be specified before recording.

To manually punch in and out on record-en-

abled audio tracks during playback, see
Chapter 27, “Punch Recording Modes.”

Though there are several ways to set record and

play ranges (see “Setting Punch and Loop Points” Pre-roll Post-roll
enabled enabled
on page 562), perhaps the easiest is to select within
the track’s playlist the range for recording. Timeline selection for punch recording with Pre-roll
and Post-roll
To set a record or play range by selecting To punch record on an audio track:
within a playlist, the Edit and Timeline selec-
tions must be linked (select Options > Link 1 Do one of the following:
Timeline and Edit Selection). • To record nondestructively, make sure that
Options > Destructive Record is not selected.
During the recording process, playback begins at
• If you do want to permanently record over the
the pre-roll time (if enabled) and proceeds to the
specified record range, select Options >
start time (the punch-in point), where recording
Destructive Record.
begins. When the end time (the punch-out point) is
reached, Pro Tools automatically switches out of If you are recording in any mode other than
Record mode and continues playing through the Destructive Record mode, punches do not
specified amount of post-roll. This automated permanently replace previously recorded
punch-in/out feature is a powerful and precise way material. If you do want to permanently
of recording or re-recording on a track. record over the specified record range (and
keep only the most recent take), select
Options > Destructive Record.

2 Record enable the track.

3 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selection.

Chapter 25: Audio Recording 567

 4 With the Selector tool, drag in the track’s play-
list or in one of the Timebase rulers until the se- Recording Additional Takes
lection encompasses the punch range (see After recording to an audio track, you can record
“Setting Punch and Loop Points” on page 562). additional takes to the same track. Any of these ad-
5 To hear any existing track material up to the ditional takes can be used in the main playlist. For
start point, or after the end point, enable and set information about accessing alternate takes, see
pre- and post-roll times (see “Setting Pre- and “Alternate Takes” on page 572.
Post-Roll” on page 565).
Recording additional takes in Destructive Record
6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools mode overwrites previous take. To keep the audio
for recording. from previous takes, record the new takes in Nor-
mal (Nondestructive) Record mode.
7 Click Play to start recording.
For information on audio file and clip
Pro Tools starts recording from the punch-in (start)
names for new takes, see “Configuring
point. If there is any pre-roll, recording starts when
Default Names for Audio Files and Clips”
the punch-in (start) point is reached. Recording
on page 546.
continues until the punch-out (end) point is
reached (unless you manually stop recording first). To nondestructively record a new take on the same
If post-roll is enabled, playback continues for the track:
specified post-roll amount. 1 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected
If recording nondestructively, a new audio file is (see “Record Modes” on page 543).
written to your hard drive and a new audio clip ap- 2 Record enable the track.
pears both in the track and the Clips List.
3 Do one of the following:
If recording in Destructive Record mode, the new • To record from the beginning of the session,
audio overwrites the previous material in the exist- click Return to Zero in the Transport.
ing audio file and clip.
• If Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is
Monitoring during Punch-Ins enabled, click anywhere in the track’s playlist to
begin recording from that point.
Pro Tools provides two monitoring modes for re-
cording: Auto Input monitoring and Input Only To record a specific track range, with precise
monitoring (see “Selecting a Record Input Moni- start and end points, see “Audio Punch Re-
toring Mode” on page 553). cording Over a Specified Range” on
page 567.

4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools

for recording.
5 Click Play to start recording.
6 Click Stop to stop recording.

568 Pro Tools Reference Guide

An audio file for the new take is written to disk and The audio for the new take is written to disk, per-
appears as an audio clip both in the track’s playlist manently overwriting the original. The new mate-
and in the Clips List. rial replaces the original material within the exist-
ing clip and the clip is not renamed.
The audio from the original take remains on your
hard drive, and is still available as a clip in the
Clips List. Appending New Material to the
End of a Track
To destructively record over a previous take: You can also append new material to the end of a
1 Do one of the following: track.
• Select Options > Destructive Record. When in
To append new material to the end of a track:
Destructive Record mode.
1 Do one of the following:
• Right-click the Record button in the Transport
and select Destructive. • Click the Go to End button in the Transport to lo-
cate to the end of the track (this locates the end
A “D” appears in the Record button. of the session).
• Tab to the end point of the last clip on the track.
2 From there, begin recording.

Pro Tools adds the new material to the end of the

Destructive Record mode enabled
track. If using Destructive Record mode, the new
2 Record enable the track. audio is appended to the audio file and clip from
the first take. In Nondestructive Record mode, a
3 Do one of the following:
new file and clip are created.
• To record from the beginning of the track, click
Return to Zero in the Transport.
Recording to a New Playlist
• If Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is
enabled, click anywhere in the track’s playlist to Instead of recording over existing audio clips,
begin recording from that point. there is another way to nondestructively record
new takes to the same track. Do this by creating a
To record a specific track range, with precise new playlist for the track, then record just as be-
start and end points, see “Audio Punch Record- fore.
ing Over a Specified Range” on page 567.
Tracks can have multiple edit playlists, each of
4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools which stores a list of clips strung together in a par-
for recording. ticular order. Also, since playlists follow groups,
duplicating or selecting alternate playlists for a
5 Click Play to start recording. track in an enabled group will affect all tracks in
6 When finished, click Stop to stop recording. the group.

Chapter 25: Audio Recording 569

 To record to a new playlist for a track:
Loop Recording Audio
1 From the track’s Playlist selector, choose New.
Pro Tools provides a loop recording feature that
lets you record take after take while the same sec-
tion of audio repeats over and over. This is a con-
venient technique for quickly recording multiple
takes of a part without losing spontaneity.

When loop recording, you must first specify the

start and end points for the loop. Though there are
several ways to set record and play ranges (see
“Setting Punch and Loop Points” on page 562), the
easiest is to select the range to be looped in the
track’s playlist (ensure that Options > Link Time-
Playlist selector, creating new playlist
line and Edit Selection is selected).
2 Type a name for the new playlist.
The pre-roll setting, if enabled, is used only during
3 Click OK. the first record pass. Pre- and post-roll times are ig-
nored on each successive loop. To compensate for
When a new playlist is created, its name replaces
this, you may want to make the loop range slightly
the track name. Names for new audio files and
longer. Later, you can trim back the recorded takes
clips are based on the track name.
to the proper length with the Trim tool (see “Using
4 Record enable the track. the Trim Tools” on page 652).
5 To start from the beginning of the session, click When loop recording audio, Pro Tools creates a
Return to Zero in the Transport. single audio file that includes all takes. Takes ap-
6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools pear as individual clips in the Clips List and are
for recording. numbered sequentially. Once you stop recording,
you can audition any of the recorded takes.
7 Click Play to start recording.
To use alternate takes created with Loop
8 Click Stop to stop recording.
Record in other sessions (such as when us-
An audio file for the new take is written to disk and ing Import Session Data), export clip defi-
appears as an audio clip both in the track’s new nitions (see “Exporting Clip Definitions”
playlist and in the Clips List. on page 446). If clip definitions are not ex-
ported, alternate takes created with Loop
Selecting a previous playlist from track’s Playlist Record will be inaccessible when im-
selector recalls its clips as they previously ap- ported into another session.
peared in the track. At any time, all clips from all
playlists are available in the Clips List, and can be
mixed and matched between playlists and tracks.

For more information on playlists and play-

list editing, see “Playlists” on page 731.

570 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To loop record an audio track: If you stop recording before you reach the mid-
1 Do one of the following: point of the loop, Pro Tools discards that take. If
you record more than half of the looped take,
• Select Options > Loop Record. When Loop Re-
Pro Tools leaves the take in the track when you
cord mode is enabled, a loop symbol appears in
stop recording.
the Record button.
• Right-click the Record button in the Transport The recorded takes appear as clips in the Clips List
and select Loop. and are numbered sequentially. The most recently
recorded take appears in the active playlist on the
track. For details on auditioning the different takes,
see “Selecting Alternate Takes” on page 572.

Loop Playback and Audio Recording

Loop Recording enabled
Pro Tools ignores Loop Playback when recording.
2 Record enable the audio track by clicking its
The only way to loop while recording is to enable
Record Enable button.
Loop Record mode.
3 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
tion.
Automatically Create New
4 With the Selector tool, select the loop range on Playlists When Loop Recording
the track. For other methods of setting the re- When loop recording, Pro Tools creates a single
cord range, see “Setting Punch and Loop file containing all recording passes where each re-
Points” on page 562. cording pass is a clip in the file. On the track, only
5 To hear track material up to the start point of the the last recording pass is present as a clip in the
loop, enable pre-roll and set the pre-roll time main playlist. All other clips (recording passes) are
(see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 565). hidden and can only be recalled as matching alter-
nate clips (takes). When enabled, the Automatically
6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools Create New Playlists When Loop Recording option
for recording. in the Operation Preferences automatically copies
7 Click Play to start recording. each clip (take) to a new playlist in the track. This
facilitates using Playlists view for auditioning and
The Record button flashes during the pre-roll. selecting alternate takes.
When the start point is reached, Pro Tools begins
recording. When the end point is reached, To automatically create new playlists when loop
Pro Tools loops back to the start time and contin- recording:
ues recording. 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Op-
eration tab.
8 To cancel all recorded takes while loop record-
ing, press Command+Period (.) (Mac) or Con- 2 In the Recording section, enable the Automati-
trol+Period (.) (Windows). cally Create New Playlists When Loop Record-
ing option.
9 When finished, click Stop to stop recording.

Chapter 25: Audio Recording 571

 To select an alternate take:
Alternate Takes
1 Ensure that Track ID (or Track Name) is se-
When punch recording or loop recording, lected and that Clip Start is selected in the
Pro Tools creates matching alternate takes (clips). Matching Criteria window (see “Matching Cri-
Pro Tools lets you exchange clips in the main play- teria Window” on page 573).
list on tracks with matching alternate clips from
2 Do one of the following:
other playlists associated with the same track, from
other tracks, or from the Clips List. Matching alter- • Right-click the clip with the Selector or the
nate clips are clips that meet certain criteria, for ex- Grabber tool, and select a matching alternate
ample, clips that have the same User Time Stamp take from the Matches submenu in the pop-up
match (see “Matching Alternate Clips” on menu.
page 744).

Selecting Alternate Takes

After recording multiple takes with loop or punch
recording, you can replace the current take in the
track’s active playlist with any of the previous
takes. All takes are numbered sequentially.

Selecting Alternate Takes from the

Clips List

To select a take from the Clips List:

1 In the Edit window, select the current clip (take)

with the Time Grabber tool.
2 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) Right-click Matches submenu
different clips in the Clips List to audition them.
• If the take currently residing in the track is se-
3 Control-drag (Mac) or Start-drag (Windows) lected, Command-click (Mac) or Control-click
the clip you want from the Clips List into the (Windows) anywhere on the selected take with
playlist. the Selector tool, and select a different take from
the Alternate Takes pop-up menu.
The clip replaces the previous take and snaps pre-
cisely to the correct location. • With the Selector tool, Command-click (Mac) or
Control-click (Windows) at the precise begin-
Selecting Alternate Takes on a Track ning of the loop or punch range and select a dif-
ferent take from the Alternate Takes pop-up
Each clip resulting from a punch or loop record menu.
pass has an identical start time (the User Time
Stamp). You can select and audition alternate takes To cycle through matches for the selected clip,
from the Right-click Matches submenu or the Al- press Command+Option+Up/Down Arrows
ternate Takes pop-up menu—even during play- (Mac) or Control+Alt+Up/Down Arrows
back. (Windows).

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 2 With the Selector tool, select the take range for
each track you want to replace.
3 Do one of the following:
• Right-click the Edit selection and select a differ-
ent matching alternate take from the Matches
submenu.
• Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
dows) the Edit selection and select a different
take from the Alternates pop-up menu.

The selected take replaces the previous take and

Alternate Takes pop-up menu
snaps precisely to the correct location on each
track.
The selected matching alternate clip (take) re-
places the clip in the main playlist and snaps pre-
Matching Criteria Window
cisely to the correct location.
The Matching Criteria window lets you select the
One way to ensure that subsequent recording takes criteria for matching alternate clips. This lets you
have the same User Time Stamp (and as such can refine the list of available matching clips in the Al-
be available as matching alternate clips) is to store ternate Takes pop-up menu and Clip Right-click
punch and loop record selections as Memory Loca- Matches submenu.
tions. Then, if you later need to record additional
takes, recall the corresponding Memory Location.

To change the User Time Stamp of other clips so

that they can be available as alternate matching
clips for a specific location, use the Time Stamp
command in the Clips List menu.

Matches and Multiple Tracks

If you have loop recorded on multiple tracks, and
each track contains multiple takes with identical
User Time Stamps, you can change all takes simul-
taneously.
Matching Criteria window
To switch takes for multiple tracks:
1 Configure the Matching Criteria window (see Matching Criteria affects MIDI as well as
“Matching Criteria Window” on page 573), so audio clips.
that the following options are enabled:
• Track Name
• Selection Range

Chapter 25: Audio Recording 573

 Alternates Match Options Expanding Alternate Takes to
New Playlists or Tracks
The following Alternates Match options can be se-
lected in any combination: Pro Tools lets you copy alternate takes to new
playlists or tracks. This is especially useful for au-
Track ID Any clips recorded to the same track are ditioning, editing, and mixing multiple alternate
considered matching. Use this option for selecting takes or channels. Alternate takes are created when
alternate takes from loop or punch recording. punch and loop recording.
Track Name Any clips that share the same root
Expanding Alternate Takes to New
name with the track or playlist are considered
Playlists
matching. For example, the Matches for a track
named “Gtr.L” would show the clips “Gtr.L_01” Expanding alternate takes to new playlists readily
and “Gtr.L_02-01,” but not “Guitar.L_01.” facilitates track compositing. Once you have ex-
panded alternate takes to new playlists on a track,
Clip Rating Any clips that have the same Rating
you can audition and edit them in Playlists view to
are considered matching. Enable this option if you
assemble the best takes in the main playlist.
have rated clips (see “Rating Clips” on page 707).
To expand alternate takes to new playlists:
In Addition To Match Options
1 Identify the clip on the main playlist with
The following In Addition To Match options are matching alternate clips (takes).
mutually exclusive.
2 Do one of the following:
All Any clips that include the time location of the
• Right-click the clip and choose Matches >
Edit cursor; or any clips that are either partly or
Expand Alternates To New Playlists.
fully within the current time range of the Edit se-
lection. • If the clip is selected, with the Selector tool,
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
Clip Start Any clips that have the same start time dows) anywhere on the selected clip and choose
as the time location of the Edit cursor or Edit selec- Matches > Expand Alternates To New Playlists.
tion.
• If the clip is not selected, with the Selector tool,
Clip Start and End Any clips that have the same Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
start and end times as the Edit selection. dows) at the precise beginning of the loop or
punch range and choose Matches >
Within Selection Any complete clips that are en- Expand Alternates To New Playlists.
tirely within the Edit selection.
All matching alternate clips are copied to new
None No other criteria in addition to the selected
playlists on the track. To view all playlists for the
Alternates Match options are used to filter match- track, select Playlists view. In any track view, you
ing alternate clips. can also select any available alternate playlist as
the main playlist from the Playlist selector. For
more information, see “Playlists View” on
page 737.

574 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Expanding Alternate Takes to New
Tracks Recording from a Digital
Source
Expanding alternate takes to new tracks readily fa-
cilitates auditioning, editing, and mixing alternate If you plan to use a digital device with your
takes, each on separate tracks. Pro Tools system, make sure it supports the correct
digital format. For example, your Pro Tools audio
To expand alternate takes to new tracks: interface’s AES/EBU inputs and outputs should
only be connected to another AES/EBU device.
1 Identify the clip on the main playlist with
matching alternate clips (takes). For additional information on configuring
2 Do one of the following: your particular Pro Tools system for record-
ing from a digital source, see your User
• Right-click the clip and choose Matches >
Guide.
Expand Alternates To New Tracks.
• If the clip is selected, with the Selector tool, Pro Tools HD Audio Interface
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- Digital Options
dows) anywhere on the selected clip and choose
Matches > Expand Alternates To New Tracks. HD I/O and HD OMNI include AES/EBU,
S/PDIF, and ADAT digital options. Additionally,
• If the clip is not selected, with the Selector tool, the HD I/O with a Digital Expansion card includes
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- TDIF digital I/O options.
dows) at the precise beginning of the loop or
punch range and choose Matches > HD MADI includes both optical and coaxial
Expand Alternates To New Tracks. MADI I/O (for more information, see the
HD MADI Guide).
3 Then choose one of the following from the Ex-
pand Alternates To New Tracks sub-menu: Pro Tools | MTRX includes built-in AES3 and
MADI coaxial digital interfaces. Additionally, you
By Track Name Names all new tracks after the
can install optional digital I/O expansion cards for
source track name.
AES3 I/O, Dual SDI/HD/3G, and Dual MADI I/O,
By Clip Name Names each new tracks after the and a 64-Channel IP Audio Dante module.
corresponding original clip names that you see in
the Matches list. On HD I/O and HD OMNI, Pro Tools can receive
digital audio from the factory-installed Optical
By Track and Clip Name Names all new tracks af- (ADAT) I/O at any time (if it is not set to S/PDIF).
ter the source track name, but with the correspond- However, Pro Tools can only receive digital audio
ing original clip names in parenthesis. from one of its enclosure [Encl] digital sources—
AES/EBU, S/PDIF, or Optical (S/PDIF)—at a
All matching alternate clips are copied to new time.
tracks.

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 Enclosure digital sources come standard with Avid Recording from Digital Sources
HD audio interfaces and are labeled on-screen as
[Encl] versions, to differentiate them from digital To record from a digital source with Pro Tools:
inputs and outputs available on the Digital card in- 1 Connect the digital output of the recording
stalled in HD I/O. For example, the AES/EBU in- source to the appropriate digital input of your
puts and outputs that come standard in the HD I/O audio hardware.
enclosure are identified as AES/EBU [Encl].
2 If you want to start a new session with a differ-
The additional digital ports on the HD I/O are ent sample rate, do the following:
TDIF, AES/EBU, and ADAT. Pro Tools can only • Choose File > New Session
receive digital audio from one of these ports at a
• Select the sample rate.
time.
• Configure the rest of the New Session dialog
Inputs on the HD I/O enclosure I/O and Digital accordingly.
card can be used simultaneously. For example, on
• Click Save.
an HD I/O, it is possible to clock off a source from
one of the enclosure inputs and have another digi- 3 Specify the format (digital) of the inputs of the
tal input from the digital ports doing a sample rate audio interface to which the digital recording
conversion, thus having two digital sources. source is connected:
• Choose Setup > Hardware.
Pro Tools Audio Interface Digital • Choose the audio interface.
Options
• Select the digital format for the appropriate
003, 003 Rack, and 003 Rack+ include S/PDIF channel pair (such as AES/EBU or S/PDIF).
and ADAT digital I/O.
Some Pro Tools audio interfaces only have
Eleven Rack includes S/PDIF and AES/EBU
two channels that can be set for analog or
digital I/O.
digital. For example, Mbox (3rd generation)
Mbox (3rd generation) include only the S/PDIF has S/PDIF L–R (Stereo) digital inputs and In
digital option. 1–2 analog inputs. Mbox (3rd generation)
can record through analog and digital inputs
All digital outputs are active at all times, so you simultaneously.
can actually send digital audio to different digital
devices simultaneously at mix time. 4 For Pro Tools Ultimate, select the appropriate
Clock Master in the Session Setup window or
Hardware Setup dialog.
5 Create a new stereo audio track.

576 Pro Tools Reference Guide

6 Assign the Input Path selector for the track to
the appropriate input. Since this is a digital Half-Speed Recording
transfer, you do not need to worry about input Pro Tools lets you play and record at half speed.
levels. This capability is similar to that of a tape deck
7 Assign the Output Path selector for the track to where you can record material at half-speed and
the appropriate output for monitoring (such as then play it back at normal speed (faster and up an
A 1–2). octave), or record material at normal speed and
play it back at half speed (slower and down an oc-
8 In the Options menu, ensure that the following tave), for special effects.
options are deselected: Destructive Record,
Loop Record, QuickPunch, TrackPunch, and Use half-speed recording to record difficult-to-
DestructivePunch. play MIDI tracks or to record complex automation
moves.
9 To have recording start from the beginning of
the session, click Return to Zero in the Trans- To record at half speed:
port.
1 Record enable the tracks you want to record at
10 Record enable the new audio track. half speed.
11 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools 2 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
for recording. for recording.
12 Click Play to start recording. 3 Press Command+Shift+Spacebar (Mac) or
Control+Shift+Spacebar (Windows). Record-
13 Start playback on the recording source.
ing begins and all existing track material plays
14 When the material from the source has finished, at half speed.
click Stop in the Transport.
4 When you have finished recording, click Stop.
15 Stop playback on the recording source.
For information on Half-Speed Playback, see
After a Digital Transfer “Half-Speed Playback Mode” on page 522.
(HDX or HD Native Systems Only)

After you have finished recording digitally, set the

Clock Master pop-up menu in the Session Setup
window back to Internal. Otherwise, Pro Tools
will not switch back to its own internal clock and
may not record or play audio properly. Failure to
switch back to Internal synchronization typically
results in pitch problems (fast or slow playback),
clicks and pops, or AAE errors, since a DAT ma-
chine or CD Recorder that is idle can default to a
different sample rate or stop outputting a sample
rate clock altogether.

Chapter 25: Audio Recording 577