How much disk space is consumed per minute by a mono track at a sample rate of 44.1 kHz and a bit depth of 16-bit? What happens to disk space consumption if the sample rate is doubled to 88.2 kHz with the same bit depth? (See “Audio Storage Requirements” beginning on page 96.)
Sample Rate x Bit Depth x 60 = Bits per Minute
How can you monitor the storage space available on your system to determine the amount of record time remaining for each mounted drive? (See “Disk Usage Window” beginning on page 97.)
With a session running, you can monitor storage space and estimate the amount of available record time remaining on your storage media using the Disk Usage window.
How can you create a click track for a session? What kind of track is used for a click track? (See “Creating a Click Track (Optional)” beginning on page 97.)
To set up a click track, use the CREATE CLICK TRACK command at the bottom of the TRACK menu. This command inserts the Click II plug-in on a new Aux Input track. The Click II plug-in is a mono sound module that creates an audible metronome click during session playback. You can use this click as a tempo reference when performing and recording.
What window(s) can you use to record-enable an Audio track? (See “Record-Enabling Tracks” beginning on page 100.)
To set up a Pro Tools Audio track for recording, click the track’s RECORD ENABLE button in either the Edit window or the Mix window. The button will flash red when the track is record-enabled.
What selector can you use to route a signal from an input on your audio interface to a track for recording? (See “Input Path” beginning on page 100.)
Each Audio track has an Audio Input Path selector in the track’s I/O section. You’ll use this selector to route a signal from an input on your interface to the track for recording.
How can you adjust the input level going to a record-enabled track? Can you use the Volume Fader to achieve a strong signal going to disk? (See “Input Level” beginning on page 102.)
Adjusting the input level will typically require you to change the source volume, adjust the microphone placement, or modify the incoming signal strength using a mixer or preamplifier, because record levels cannot be adjusted within Pro Tools. Although a track’s Volume Fader can be used to increase or decrease playback levels, the Volume Fader does not affect record levels.
How can you place a session in Record Ready mode after record-enabling a track? What modifiers/shortcuts are available to initiate recording without first entering Record Ready mode? (See “Recording and Managing Audio” beginning on page 102.)
When you’re ready, click PLAY in the Transport window to begin recording (or press the SPACEBAR). You can also press COMMAND+SPACEBAR (Mac), CTRL+SPACEBAR (Windows), or Function key F12 to start recording immediately without first entering Record Ready mode. Certain keyboard operations in Pro Tools conflict with system settings on Mac-based computers. To use these key combinations in Pro Tools, you will need to remap conflicting operations (such as Spotlight) in the Mac’s System Preferences. Consult your course instructor or Pro Tools installation documents for suggested settings.
Where are recorded audio files stored for Pro Tools sessions? (See “Organizing Audio Files and Clips” beginning on page 103.)
Each time you record audio into Pro Tools, you create a single audio file that appears both in the Clip List and in the Track Playlist (i.e., the arrangement of clips on a track in the Edit window). An audio file is an entire unedited, continuous audio recording. Audio files—or whole-file clips, as they are known in Pro Tools—are written and stored externally from your session file. Organizing audio files involves maintaining information both within the Pro Tools session and within the external files.
What term is used to describe an unedited audio file in Pro Tools? What term is used to describe the smaller, edited pieces of the original sound file? (See “Recognizing Audio Files and Clips” beginning on page 104.)
Whole-file clip, Subset clip, Stereo subset clip
What types of clips are represented by boldface text in the Clip List? What type is represented by normal (plain) text? (See “Recognizing Audio Files and Clips” beginning on page 104.)
Pro Tools shows all whole-file clips in boldface type and all other clips in normal type.
How do track names affect the default names of the audio files you record in Pro Tools? (See “Default Naming Conventions” beginning on page 105.)
When you record audio on a track, Pro Tools names the resulting file (a whole-file clip) using the name of the track as the base name.
Describe two ways to rename an audio file after recording into Pro Tools. (See “Changing File and Clip Names” beginning on page 105.)
To rename a clip, do one of the following:
Double-click the file or clip in the Edit window (with the GRABBER tool) or in the Clip List. (Double-clicking on a MIDI clip opens the MIDI Editor window by default. This behavior can be changed using the associated Preference setting (SETUP > PREFERENCES > MIDI)).
Right-click on the file or clip in the Edit window or Clip List and select RENAME from the pop-up menu.
How would you go about removing unwanted audio from the Clip List without deleting the files from disk? (See “Removing Audio Clips” beginning on page 106.)
To remove unwanted audio clips from the Clip List, do the following:
Select the clips in the Clip List that you want to remove. • To select multiple clips, COMMAND-CLICK (Mac) or CTRL-CLICK (Windows) on clips individually. • To select a continuous range, click on the first clip in the range and SHIFT-CLICK on the last clip.
Click the down arrow at the top of the Clip List and choose CLEAR from the Clip List pop-up menu.
In the resulting Clear Clips dialog box, click REMOVE to remove the clips from the session, while leaving all parent audio files on the drive.
How would you go about deleting unused whole-file clips to erase them from your storage drive? Can this action be undone? (See “Moving or Deleting Audio Files” beginning on page 107.)
To remove clips from the Clip List and remove or delete the associated audio files from disk, do the following:
Complete Steps 1 and 2 in from “Removing Audio Clips” earlier in this lesson.
In the Clear Clips dialog box, click MOVE TO TRASH or DELETE to remove the selected clips from the Clip List and remove or delete any selected parent audio files from your storage drive.