Pro Tools 101: Pro Tools Fundamentals I: Lesson 3

Selector Tool

Trim Tool

Grabber Tool

Scrubber Tool

• The Trim tool non-destructively trims excess audio, MIDI, or video from the beginning or end of a clip.
• You may quickly crop a clip, or adjust the cropping to re-expose material of the underlying source file.
• Pro Tools adds a new item to the Clip list the first time you trim an uncropped clip.

• The Grabber tool selects an entire clip with one mouse click, moves clips along the Timeline, and also between tracks.
• To select a clip, click it with the Grabber tool; to move it along the Timeline, click it and drag to the desired location; dragging it vertically moves the clip to another track.
• Using the Grabber in Slip mode allows a clip to be moved freely along the Timeline; in Spot mode it may be positioned numerically; in Shuffle mode a clip will snap to other clips; in Grid mode it will snap to the Timeline Grid.

• The Scrubber tool allows you to find a specific audio or MIDI event by dragging the tool left or right on a track.
• Scrubbing originated in tape editing by rocking the tape back and forth past the playhead to locate a precise position.

• The Selector tool positions the playback cursor or selects an area in a track for playback or editing.
• Click with the tool where you want playback to begin.
• Drag with the tool across an area on one or more tracks (Fig. 3.5) to select it for playback or editing.
• To add or remove from an existing selection hold the Shift key and click (or click and drag).
• For a lengthy selection: Click with the SELECTOR tool to position the cursor; Scroll to the desired endpoint with the scroll bar and shift-click.

Tip: The Trim tool button also provides access to the Time Compression/Expansion (TCE) Trim tool, the Loop Trim tool, and the Scrub Trim tool (Pro Tools HD only).

Tip: The Grabber tool button provides access to the Separation Grabber and Object Grabber tools.

Tip: Dragging the Scrubber tool between two adjacent mono or stereo Audio tracks allows you to scrub the two tracks together.

Alternate Grabber tools are covered in the Pro Tools 201 course.

Alternate Trim tools are covered in detail in the 200-level Pro Tools courses.

In the Avid

Learning Series

Zoomer Tool

Smart Tool

Pencil Tool

• The Zoomer tool zooms into and out of a track or portion of a track and has two modes:

• Normal mode, where the Zoomer tool remains selected after zooming.
• Single Zoom mode, where the previously selected tool is reselected after zooming.

• The Smart tool provides instant access to the Selector, Grabber, and Trim tools and is useful for fades and crossfades.
• It is active when the three tools are all selected (highlighted in blue).
• To activate click any of the tools and then Shift-click on another member tool.
• To use as a Selector, position it over the middle of the clip; as a Grabber, in the lower half; as a Trimmer, near the start or end of the clip.

• The Pencil tool allows you to redraw waveform data most commonly to repair pops and clicks. (The Edit window must be zoomed in to the sample level.)
• It also lets you create and edit MIDI data.
• The different shapes (Freehand, Line, Triangle, Square, and Random) can be used for drawing and editing automation and MIDI control data--e.g., Line for volume, Triangle for pan, Freehand for pitch bend, and Square or Random for velocity.

• You may click to zoom on a specific point or drag the tool over an area you wish to view.

TIP: Marquee zooming allows horizontal and vertical zooming on a waveform. To use, Ctrl-drag (PC) or Command-drag (Mac) with the Zoomer tool.

The functions of the Smart Tool are covered in detail in the Pro Tools 201 course.

TIP: Double-click on the ZOOMER tool to get a full track view that fills the Edit window with the longest visible track.

In the Avid

Learning Series

Reverse an Operation with the Alt/Option Key

The Alt (PC)/Option (Mac) modifier provides several functions. Among these is the Reverse Operation function. With the Trim tool it reverses the trim direction; with the Pencil tool when editing MIDI notes, it becomes an eraser.

Edit Tool Functions

• The Edit tools in the toolbar allow for audio and MIDI editing functions.
• The Edit tools included: the Zoomer tool, the Trim tool, the Selector tool, the Grabber tool, the Scrubber tool, the Pencil tool, and the Smart tool.

Slip Mode

Shuffle Mode

• In Slip mode you can move, trim, cut, or paste clips without affecting the placement of other clips on the track.
• Use Slip mode when you want the Trim, Selector, Grabber, and Pencil tools to work without restrictions to placement in time.

• In Shuffle mode, clip movement is determined by other clips. When you move a clip in Shuffle mode, it will snap to the previous or next clip on the track.
• Use Shuffle mode to make clips line up next to each other without overlap or silence between them.

Edit Modes

Tool Tips

Tempo Field

• The four Edit Modes (Shuffle, Slip, Spot, and Grid) are selected by clicking the mode buttons on the left side of the toolbar in the Edit window.
• The Edit mode affects the movement and placement of clips (also notes in MIDI), how commands such as Copy and Paste function, and how Edit tools work (Trim, Selector, Grabber, and Pencil.

• The Tempo field displays the current tempo.
• In Manual Tempo mode, you can enter a beats per minute (BPM) value in the field.
• When the Tempo field is selected you can tap a tempo from a MIDI controller or from the keyboard using the "T" key.

• The user interface provides Tool Tips in all main windows by parking the cursor over an abbreviated name or unlabeled icon or tool.
• Tool Tips can be controlled by the Tool Tips Display options (Fig. 2.23) in the Display Preferences pane (SETUP > PREFERENCES, DISPLAY tab). Two options are available: Function and Details. Either or both may be displayed or turned off.

Fig. 3.10

Edit mode buttons

Shortcut: The Edit mode may be set by the function keys: F1 (Shuffle), F2 (Slip), F3 (Spot), and F4 (Grid).

Meter Display

Lesson 3

Grid Mode

Spot Mode

• The Meter display indicates the session's current meter.
• Double-click it to open the Meter Change dialog box.

Pro Tools Basic Controls

• In Spot mode, you can move clips to precise locations by specifying them in a dialog box.
• As in Slip mode, edit operations do not affect the placement of other clips.
• Use Spot mode when you want to control the placement or duration of a clip with precise numerical values.

• In Grid mode, clips and MIDI notes that are moved, trimmed, or inserted will snap to the nearest time increment selected.
• Grid mode can be applied using Absolute or Relative positioning.
• Use Grid mode for precise editing, and aligning clips and selections to precise time intervals.

GOALS

• Recognize the Edit tools and their functions
• Recognize Pro Tools' Edit modes and understand their differences
• Recognize displayed Time Scales and Timebase Rulers
• Recognize the available MIDI controls

Tempo Ruler Enable

• When selected, the tempo map defined in the Tempo Ruler controls the tempo during playback and recording.
• When deselected, Pro Tools ignores the tempo map and switches to Manual Tempo mode.
• In Manual Tempo mode the tempo can be adjusted by typing a value directly into the Tempo field or by tapping in a Tempo. (See Tempo Field.)

MIDI Control

Features

Main Time Scale

Time Scales

and Rulers

The Main Time Scale determines the timebase units for the following:

• The Main Counter in the Edit window.
• The Main Location Indicator in the Transport window.
• Selection Start, End, and Length values.

The Main Time Scale may be set to Bars|Beats, Minutes:

Seconds, Time Code, Feet+Frames, or Samples. To set it:

• The Main Time Scale is used for Transport functions; selection Start, End, and Length fields; and Grid and Nudge values.
• The Sub Time Scale provides additional timing reference and can be displayed in the Counters area.
• Rulers can be displayed for a variety of time formats and appear in the Timeline display area at the top of the Edit window.

• The Edit and Transport windows allow for various MIDI control options (Fig. 3.21).
• These include: Wait for Note, Metronome, MIDI Merge, Tempo Ruler Enable, Countoff, Meter, and Tempo.

• Select using the VIEW > MAIN COUNTER menu (Fig. 3.15).
• Select from the MAIN TIME SCALE pop-up menu for the Main Counter at the top of the Edit Window (Fig. 3.16).
• If a Ruler is displayed for the desired Timebase, click on its name to highlight it (Fig. 3.17).

MIDI Merge Mode

• When MIDI Merge is selected, recorded MIDI data is merged with existing material. When deselected, recorded MIDI data replaces existing material.
• Click on the MIDI Merge button in the Edit or Transport window to engage MIDI Merge. Click again to return to Replace mode.

Tip: With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport, you can press [9] to enable MIDI Merge.

Hide Views with the Alt/Option Key

The Alt (PC)/Option (Mac) key allows you to hide various views. Hold Alt/Option and click on the nameplate of a Ruler or Edit window column to hide it.

TIP: The Ruler that corresponds to the session's Main Time Scale cannot be hidden.

Sub Time Scale

Ruler Display Options

Countoff Controls

Metronome

Wait for Note

The Pro Tools Timebase Rulers (aka Timelines) include:

• Bars|Beats
• Minutes:Seconds
• Samples
• Time Code
• Time Code 2
• Feet+Frames

• When the Metronome button is selected, a metronome will sound during playback and recording.
• The simplest way to enable metronome playback is to set up a click track.
• To modify the settings select SETUP > CLICK/COUNTOFF or double-click the METRONOME button.

• When Count Off is selected, Pro Tools counts off a specified number of bars before playback or recording.
• Choose SETUP > CLICK/COUNTOFF or double-click the Count Off field to change settings.

• When Wait for Note is selected, recording only begins when a MIDI event is received.
• This allows recording to begin when you are ready and for the first MIDI event to be recorded exactly at the beginning of the record range.

• The Sub Time Scale provides a secondary timing reference and is set to Samples by default.
• It also can be set to Bars|Beats, Minutes:Seconds, Time Code, and Feet+Frames.
• To display it, select SHOW SUB COUNTER from the Main Time Scale pop-up menu.
• To set it, select the desired timebase from the Sub Time Scale pop-up menu.

The Pro Tools Conductor Rulers include:

• Markers
• Tempo
• Meter
• Key
• Chords

Tip: F11 can be set to Wait for Note in the MIDI Preferences (SETUP > PREFERENCES > MIDI).

Tip: With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport (default), you can press [7] to enable the click.

Tip: To set the mode for the numeric keypad, choose SETUP > PREFERENCES > OPERATION. Select the desired mode under Numeric Keypad in the Transport section.

To display a Ruler, choose VIEW > RULERS or click the RULER VIEW SELECTOR and select the desired Ruler.

Tip: With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport, you can press [8] to enable the countoff.