User Manual

Pro Tools Reference Guide1080
Custom Multichannel Paths
The I/O Setup dialog lets you create and custom-
ize signal paths for any supported multichannel
mixing format.
Multichannel paths and sub-paths are assigned
to input and output channels in the Channel
Grid. When you select a preset 5.1 I/O Settings
file, default layout for the corresponding multi-
channel format paths you create will match the
selected format’s track layout.
In addition, the I/O Setup dialog, like the Main
page of the Hardware Setup dialog, provides
controls for routing the physical inputs and out-
puts on your audio interface to available inputs
and outputs in Pro Tools.
Reassigning Channels
The I/O Setup dialog and its Channel Grid also
let you reassign channels. This is especially use-
ful for routing channels within a multichannel
path, without having to repatch your audio in-
terfaces.
You can reassign paths to any required configu-
ration, limited only by your systems resources,
and the I/O Setup dialog requirements for chan-
nel overlapping and naming (see “Valid Paths
and Requirements” on page 108 for more infor-
mation).
Example LCRS Setup
The following example shows one possible way
to configure the I/O Setup dialog to mix in
4-channel LCRS format, with an HD I/O.
To define an LCRS path:
1 Choose Setup > I/O, and click the Output tab.
2 Click New Path.
3 Select LCRS from the Path Format selector.
4 Name the path LCRS.
5 In the Channel Grid, click in the box below
the first (left-most) audio interface channel for
the path. Pro Tools automatically fills up the ad-
jacent units to the right. If you click in the LCRS
row under channel 1, the LCRS path will be as-
signed to channels 1–4.
6 Click the Bus tab.
7 If the Bus page does not show the correct out-
put bus mappings for the LCRS output, click the
Default button (for All Busses or for Output Bus-
ses).
8 Select the new LCRS path and click the Reveal
Sub-paths triangle.
When creating 5.1 format paths, you can
specify the default track layout. See “De-
fault Path Order for 5.1 Tracks” on
page 1082.
See also “Example Paths and Signal Rout-
ing for a Surround Mix” on page 1092.
For additional I/O Setup information, see
“Output Busses” on page 108.
Output page, LCRS output path