Specifications

Chapter 11: Sessions 169
6 Select the Sample Rate.
7 Select the I/O Settings to use for the session.
Several pre-configured I/O Settings are in-
cluded with your system, or you can select a
custom
I/O Setting. For more information, see
Chapter 7, “I/O Setup.”
8 Click OK.
9 In the Save dialog, name the session, navigate to
the location where you want to save the new
session and click
Save.
Bit Depths and Sample Rates
When selecting a bit depth or sample rate for your
session, consider fidelity, any compatibility issues
with others systems, and storage space.
Bit depth and sample rate also have an effect on the
amount of mixing power available in a session.
Fewer mixer channels are available with 24-bit and
32-bit floating point sessions, and with sessions at
higher sample rates.
Bit Depths
16-Bit Using 16-bit for audio files is useful for
keeping audio file sizes down. You may want to
use 16-bit for sessions with few tracks, and little
mixing and plug-in processing. CDs (Compact
Discs) use 16-bit.
24-Bit Using 24-bit for audio files is commonly
used for most music production and post-produc-
tion sessions with multiple audio tracks, mixing,
and plug-in processing. 24-bit files take up a third
as much space as 16-bit files.
32-Bit Floating Point Using a 32-bit floating point
bit depth for audio files in Pro Tools sessions can
help avoid clipping or unnecessary dithering with
AudioSuite rendering. It can also help avoid
rounding errors in signal processing (which can
occur during bit-depth conversion for file playback
and real-time plug-in insert processing). However,
32-bit files take up a third more disk space and au-
dio streaming bandwidth, which can be problem-
atic with higher track counts when using slower
hard drives.
You can change the bit depth for all newly re-
corded or imported (and converted) files in the ses-
sion by selecting a different
Bit Depth option in the
Session Setup window.
To change the Bit Depth for the Pro Tools session:
1 Choose Setup > Session.
2 In the Session Setup window, select a bit depth
from the
Bit Depth selector.
Sample Rates
44.1 kHz Is the sample rate used for CDs and is
used in most common music production environ-
ments.
48 kHz Is the standard sample rate for film and
video projects, and is commonly used in post-pro-
duction environments. It is the sample rate used for
DVDs.
88.2 kHz and 96 kHz Each of these sample rates
are twice the standard sample rates for CD audio
and DVD audio respectively. Audio files recorded
at higher sample rates take up more drive space,
but provide higher resolution for time-based plug-
in processing (which can help avoid aliasing). The
88.2 kHz and 96 kHz sample rate options are only
available if you are running Pro Tools with audio
hardware that supports these sample rates.
Session Setup window, selecting 32 Bit Float