Got any questions about Pro Tools? Ask away....

Ray Digga · 09-18-2006, 10:45 PM

After the success the Reason, and Cubase thread and the interest in Pro Tools, I created this thread to help users improve their knowledge of this program.

There are many versions of this program. The version I will be referencing is Pro Tools M-Powered 7.1 or otherwise specified. Those who use the HD, TDM, LE versions, feel free to ask questions as well.

Digga

.KeyNote. · 09-19-2006, 02:35 AM

i wanna know if you can mix a beat you did in Fruity Loops with pro tools to make it sound cleaner

is there a way?

Ray Digga · 09-19-2006, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Key-Knucks

i wanna know if you can mix a beat you did in Fruity Loops with pro tools to make it sound cleaner

is there a way?

Yes, you can mix a track you made in FL with PT via rewire. As for sounding cleaner, its up to the person mixing. PT has a great sound engine, but unless you know how to mix, you wont get full benefit of using PT.

Digga

Ray Digga · 09-22-2006, 07:13 PM

Those who are sitting on the fence about buying PT, you need to seriously consider getting a powerful computer if you have one now.

Digga's recommendation:
Dual Core CPU minimum (Core 2 Duo)
SATA HD 300 GB minimum
2 GB of RAM
19 inch LCD
Optical Keyboard and Mouse
USB extention for your Ilok smart drive (this will prevent accidental damage)

Out the box, PT 7.1 uses 280 - 300 MB of RAM and if you are a fan of rewire, you wont like this setup if you have a slow computer.

Something to think about if going PT

Digga

Dre Derelict · 09-22-2006, 11:02 PM

I didn't know you can rewire PT with Fruity Loops. I always knew Pro Tools was a resource hog and won't let me play anything or have anything open when it is.

How do I rewire PT with FL?

But the question I came in here to ask is...how do I edit a specific waveform, and a specific part of a waveform? Like in Adobe Audition, when I used to use it, all I had to do was highlight the portion I wanted to edit and that would be that. So I could have a whole portion of a wave one way, and in let's say in the middle somewhere I had an echo on that specific part. I can't figure out how to do that with PT. Not only for effects, but also just to amplify or anything. Thanks, pz

Xabiton · 09-23-2006, 12:18 AM

Plug Fruity Loops in via the mixer like a vst as for editing wave forms u can link Pro Tools to an audio editor and that sounds like it would be better for u vs clip editing which is whats done in the arranger screen

doctah · 09-23-2006, 10:24 AM

For someone familiar w/ PT and Cubase:

Can I get a comparison between how to two apps handle VSTi tracks. I don't really like the way Cubase does it. It seems so awkward...

...and if you can speak on Sonar (xabiton) or Samplitude or any other popular PC based daw..go for it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dre Derelict

So I could have a whole portion of a wave one way, and in let's say in the middle somewhere I had an echo on that specific part. I can't figure out how to do that with PT. Not only for effects, but also just to amplify or anything. Thanks, pz

While I don't use PT...the word "automation" comes to mind. I'd bet that's the direction you should be looking...

Xabiton · 09-23-2006, 03:49 PM

I havent used Vsts with Pro Tools but it handles rewire pretty well. It works like a plug in. I insert it via the mixer and I had no issues with it. Cubase handles them pretty well too but I happen to like Pro Tools more than Cubase. Sonar gave me a bit of a stutter when I tried reason and vsts with it but I think that had more to do with my pc I had to clean out some stuff and had no more problems with rewire but havent tried any vsts since.

F Major · 09-23-2006, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctah

For someone familiar w/ PT and Cubase:

Can I get a comparison between how to two apps handle VSTi tracks. I don't really like the way Cubase does it. It seems so awkward...

...and if you can speak on Sonar (xabiton) or Samplitude or any other popular PC based daw..go for it.

While I don't use PT...the word "automation" comes to mind. I'd bet that's the direction you should be looking...

PT doesnt handle VST natively, so it requires an intermediate software by FXpansion. This means more resource bottomline. I dont really dig using PT for midi sequencing yet because it doesnt handle well with simple thing such as maintaining a simple loop points if you are doing loop record. Thats enough to piss just about anyone off. I know about using markers, but shit any other software can maintain a loop point with no extra steps. ..

Ray Digga · 09-24-2006, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctah

For someone familiar w/ PT and Cubase:

Can I get a comparison between how to two apps handle VSTi tracks. I don't really like the way Cubase does it. It seems so awkward...

...and if you can speak on Sonar (xabiton) or Samplitude or any other popular PC based daw..go for it.

While I don't use PT...the word "automation" comes to mind. I'd bet that's the direction you should be looking...

If you think Cubase is awkward, wait til you try PT. PT is very stiff when it comes to instrument tracks. Any "instrument" via RTAS is slave to PT, you can't edit in real time in the slave application. You to stop, make edits, then play. Unlike in Cubase, you can make edits in real time, change loop points, etc...In Cubase, you have more control over workflow. The latest PT requires lots of CPU power just to run an average mix. If there is any bottleneck in your DAW configuration, PT will expose it.

I think both programs are pretty direct in how they handle instrument plugins. Its just the matter of getting over the learning curve.

For Cubase: Main Menu->Devices->VST instruments->select instrument desired. Cubase will create a track with that instrument in it.

For Pro Tools M-Powered: Main Menu->Track->New->Create 1 new track in stereo
Main Menu->Window->Mix->Goto the Mixer->Insert Selector A (This is where you a choose your plugins)->Multi Channel Plugin->Instrument->Choose desired instrument plugins that are installed on your system.

After that, the plugins function the same.

One cool thing about plugins is that your custom settings work with other compatible DAW programs...So for me migrating to PT was pretty easy.

Dre Derelict · 09-24-2006, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Digga

For Pro Tools M-Powered: Main Menu->Track->New->Create 1 new track in stereo
Main Menu->Window->Mix->Goto the Mixer->Insert Selector A (This is where you a choose your plugins)->Multi Channel Plugin->Instrument->Choose desired instrument plugins that are installed on your system.

Is that the same for the LE version?

Ray Digga · 09-24-2006, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dre Derelict

Is that the same for the LE version?

Yes, PT M-Powered is PT LE for M-Audio audio interfaces. Both function the same. The only thing I could think of that would be a significant difference is Mac vs. Windows.

Digga

Arcane · 09-24-2006, 04:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dre Derelict

But the question I came in here to ask is...how do I edit a specific waveform, and a specific part of a waveform? Like in Adobe Audition, when I used to use it, all I had to do was highlight the portion I wanted to edit and that would be that. So I could have a whole portion of a wave one way, and in let's say in the middle somewhere I had an echo on that specific part. I can't figure out how to do that with PT. Not only for effects, but also just to amplify or anything. Thanks, pz

there's a few ways to do that

1) the audiosuite menu...highlight where you want the effect and apply it
note, this is only reversable through the undo command

2) automate an aux send on the specific part to a bus with your effect on the bus

3) cut out the part you want the effect on and put it on a new track, apply the effect plugin you want to that track only

option 2 is the best one, with option 3 being a close second. I wouldn't reccomend using the audiosuite menu unless you're using so many plugins that you're cpu is already overtaxed

doctah · 09-24-2006, 09:47 AM

Thanx for the feedback folks.

I find having a midi track AND an associated vsti track awkward in cubase. If I don't hide the midi tracks in the mixer, I find myself messing w/ the midi track volume/pan instead of the VSTi track...and then I get pissed @ myself because it doesn't always work. Guess I won't bother w/ PT.

...how about editing in PT? Better yet:

What do you like about PT in comparison to similar apps? I don't think I've ever read a good thing about pro tools! It's always "...I'll use Pro Tools when I have to, but would rather use [xyz]"

Arcane · 09-24-2006, 04:08 PM

doctah for what you're talking about logic pro would probably be the best application...as the midi and the vsti track is one and the same

as far as editing, i like pro tools editing way better than cubase/nuendo, but that's just because i'm more fluent in it

Dre Derelict · 09-28-2006, 12:23 AM

When I get the Digi001 installed, when they installed the card, I guess the original card to my cpu wasn't there (must have been taken and kept by COMP USA when I had the Emu1212). Anyways they installed the Pro Tools card and now I don't have the other audio source. So if I'm trying to listen to something on the internet that streams to my mp3 player (like winamp or Windows Media Player) the file doesn't work.

It took me a while to get the other internet sites to play shit. I figured out how to do that though. I only can listen to internet files through shit directly on the internet. Like for example...I can listen to F Major's soundclick page because it streams to soundclick's player. But can't listen to say...INFO's soundclick page because when I click it, it streams to Windows Media and/or Winamp.

Is there anyway I can get these shits to play? Or am I actually going to have to buy a cheap soundcard for my computer to have that backup resource just for internet files? And by doing so, that's not going to fuck up my Digi installation at all will it?

Arcane · 09-28-2006, 12:38 AM

the core audio drivers for pro tools should let you use any audio application provided pro tools itself isn't running at the same time

search digidesign's site for a download if they weren't included with your digi 001

Dre Derelict · 09-28-2006, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcane

the core audio drivers for pro tools should let you use any audio application provided pro tools itself isn't running at the same time

search digidesign's site for a download if they weren't included with your digi 001

That didn't work. There was nothing on the site (that I could see) where there was a download which even remotely related to what I was dealing with.

I don't know what the problem is but it's been pissing me off since I've got it. I also can't listen to more than one music source at a time. And whatever I open first plays. Like if I want to listen to something in Fruity Loops, I have to open up Fruity Loops before I open up the internet or Adobe Audition or what have you or I get this message:

"Not enough ASIO output channels available. At least two channels are needed."

And whenver I click on a file on the internet which needs to be opened in a media player or something to play it gives me this message:

"Can not open device. Another application may be using it."

or

"sound device is not functioning properly"

Shit is starting to piss me off. Before I could have Reason, Fruity Loops and the internet open and choose which one I wanted to play or play them all at the same time. Now I can't even come close to doing that. Hell I can't even listen to a lot of shit on the internet. Everything was installed properly when I installed Pro Tools. I already did the Digi MME Helper thing and literally put any and every playback application on there to make sure it would work (that's how I got the internet to play its files by putting the Internet Explorer exe. in there). But after that. There's nothing.

Any ideas? ANYONE?

Arcane · 09-29-2006, 12:26 AM

you can't do anything about it

that's the way it works

you can ONLY use the drivers for one application at a time

welcome to the world of pro audio

Dre Derelict · 09-29-2006, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcane

you can't do anything about it

that's the way it works

you can ONLY use the drivers for one application at a time

welcome to the world of pro audio

I've lived with not being able to play things with multiple software open. It was really that important to me. Fortunate sometimes, yes...but far from something I really needed.

So, yeh, that's fine...but that still doesn't solve the internet thing. I know cats that can have Pro Tools that can play whatever is on the net. As you said on a few prior posts that I should be able to. That's the main one. I figured I wouldn't be able to have Reason and FL open or some shit and play them both when I got PT.

But until I have my computer that's solely for the internet I would like to solve this issue.