Specifications

Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 557
Setting a SMPTE Session Start
Time (Start Frame)
The Session Setup window also allows you to set
a SMPTE Start Frame for your session. Video
work tapes are rarely striped beginning at a
SMPTE frame address of 00:00:00:00. You can
quickly enter a start time for your session based
on an appropriate frame number from your
project tape. The Pro Tools SMPTE-related func-
tions (such as Spot mode) will then use this
value as their reference for the session’s start
point.
Start Time When Striping Tape
If you are generating time code, it is a good prac-
tice to stripe your time code beginning at
01:00:00:00 (subtracting time for initial black,
bars and tone, or logos). This prevents problems
that can occur with some synchronizers when
the striped time code crosses from 23:59:59:29
to 00:00:00:00 (commonly referred to as the
“midnight” boundary).
To set a SMPTE Start Time for your session:
1 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup.
2 Enter a SMPTE frame number in the Session
Start field.
To capture an incoming SMPTE address as the
session start time:
1 Click in the Session Start field.
2 Begin playback of the time code source.
3 At the desired location, press Equal in the nu-
meric keypad.
4 Press Enter to accept the value. You can then
edit the captured address. The session uses the
frame number you enter as its SMPTE start frame
when online.
If there are existing regions on the tracks and
you are changing the original SMPTE start frame
to a later time (from 00:00:00:00 to 01:00:00:00,
for example), all existing regions on tracks will
remain in their relative positions, but will start
later by the time value added to the start frame.
5 If you are changing the session start time in an
open session in which tracks already exist, a
warning dialog appears after Session Setup win-
dow. Choose from one of two options:
Maintain Time Code Places the additional ses-
sion time at the start of the session, and keeps
existing regions in their original time code loca-
tions.
Maintain Relative Position Places the additional
session time at the start of the session, and
maintains the relative position of existing re-
gions to the new start frame. For example, if you
change the session start frame from 01:00:00:00
to 00:59:00:00, Pro Tools adds one minute of
session time to accommodate the new start
frame, and moves all existing regions earlier in
time to maintain their relative position to the
start frame.
To redefine a Timecode position:
1 Choose Setups > Redefine Current Timecode
Position
2 Enter a new SMPTE frame number in the dia-
log.
3 Click OK