Specifications

Chapter 15: Editing Basics 213
Different types of sounds produce different
types of waveforms. Drums, for example, gener-
ally produce waveforms with sharp transients
(peaks of short duration) that are clearly de-
fined. A drum hit has a loud, sharp attack and a
rapid decay.
Other sounds, such as vocals or sustained key-
board sounds, produce very different wave-
forms, ones that have less pronounced peaks
and valleys. That’s because these sounds gener-
ally have softer attacks and longer decays.
Draw Waveforms Rectified Preference
When the Display Preference for Draw Wave-
forms Rectified is selected (Setups > Preferences
> Display), audio waveforms are displayed so
that their positive and negative waveform ex-
cursions are summed together and viewed as a
single positive-value signal. However, even
when this preference is enabled, zooming in be-
yond a certain point will cause the waveforms to
be displayed normally.
Rectified mode displays more detailed wave-
forms when using track heights of Medium or
Small, and can be particularly useful when edit-
ing volume automation data, since it depicts
waveform “levels” as starting at the bottom of
the track.
Guidelines for Editing Waveforms
With the Selector tool in the Edit window, you
can select portions of audio waveforms and di-
vide them into segments called regions, so that
you can rearrange and manipulate them in
tracks.
While editing, try to create regions that allow
you to maintain a consistent beat. If you always
define regions so that they contain a whole
number of beats, you’ll be able to string the re-
gions together and maintain a smooth, steady
rhythm.
It’s sometimes useful to have a steady, well-de-
fined waveform (such as a drum track) as a guide
when selecting and defining other regions. If
you’ve played in time with the beat, chances are
that you can create rhythmically accurate re-
gions by referring to the drum waveform.
Some important rules to keep in mind when de-
fining regions:
◆ Whenever possible, begin a region precisely
before a volume peak, and end it immediately
before another volume peak.
◆ Whenever possible, make sure a region starts
and ends on exactly the same part of a beat.
Avoiding Clicks and Pops
If an edited region begins or ends at a point of
high amplitude, you may hear an unpleasant
click when Pro Tools plays from one region to
another. In order to avoid clicks or pops do any
of the following:
◆ Make sure that the start and end points of
your selection are as close as possible to the
point where the amplitude of the waveform
tapers down to meet the zero-crossing line (the
Audio displayed in Rectified mode
Audio displayed in Normal mode