Setup Guide Pro Tools|HD® Version 8.
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contents Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools|HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Pro Tools|HD Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Pro Tools|HD System Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pro Tools HD Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 4. Configuring Your Pro Tools System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Checking the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Configuring Pro Tools Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix D. Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Audio MIDI Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 MIDI Patch Name Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Appendix E. DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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chapter 1 Welcome to Pro Tools|HD Welcome to Pro Tools|HD®. Pro Tools|HD audio cards and interfaces bring high-definition digital audio recording, editing, signal processing, mixing, and I/O capabilities to Pro Tools. Pro Tools|HD (for PCI) Systems This guide covers installation and configuration of Pro Tools|HD hardware and Pro Tools® software on Windows and Mac platforms.
Pro Tools|HD System Packages All Pro Tools|HD systems include the following: Pro Tools HD on Windows or Mac provides the following capabilities: • Pro Tools Installer disc containing Pro Tools software, DigiRack™ TDM, RTAS™ (Real-Time AudioSuite), and AudioSuite™ plug-ins • Up to a total of 256 audio tracks, 160 Auxiliary Input tracks, 64 Master Fader tracks, 128 VCA Master tracks, 256 MIDI tracks, 128 Instrument tracks, and 64 video tracks per session • Pre-authorized iLok for running Pro Tools HD • 1
Audio Recording and Playback Capabilities Pro Tools|HD 1 (for PCIe and PCI) Pro Tools|HD 1 systems provide recording and playback of 24-bit or 16-bit audio files with the following track counts: • Up to 96 tracks at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz Pro Tools Hardware Overview This section describes each hardware component of a Pro Tools|HD system. The number of Pro Tools|HD cards in your system will differ depending on your system configuration. Pro Tools|HD (for PCIe) Hardware • Up to 48 tracks at 88.
HD Accel (for PCIe) Card The HD Accel (for PCIe) card is included in Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel (for PCIe) and Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (for PCIe) systems. The HD Accel (for PCIe) card is an expansion card, and requires the presence of at least one Accel Core (for PCIe) card. The HD Accel (for PCIe) card provides additional channels of direct-to-disk recording and playback, as well as additional DSP power for mixing and plug-in processing. The HD Accel (for PCIe) card supports sessions up to 24-bit and up to 192 kHz.
HD Accel (for PCI) Card TDM FlexCable The HD Accel (for PCI) card is included in Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel (for PCI) and Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel (for PCI) systems. The HD Accel (for PCI) card is an expansion card, and requires the presence of at least one HD Core (for PCI) card. The TDM FlexCable is used to connect a pair of cards in your Pro Tools system so they can share data along the TDM bus. One FlexCable comes with each expansion card.
Audio Interfaces 192 Digital I/O Audio Interface To record and play audio you must have at least one of the following Digidesign audio interfaces: • Supports sample rates up to 192 kHz. (At least one 192 I/O or 192 Digital I/O must be connected to your Pro Tools|HD system for 192 kHz recording, processing, and playback.) 192 I/O Audio Interface • Supports digital connections, including AES/EBU, S/PDIF, TDIF, and ADAT Optical: • Supports sample rates up to 192 kHz.
96 I/O Audio Interface Optional Legacy I/O Audio Interfaces • Supports sample rates up to 96 kHz. For additional input and output channels, older Digidesign audio interfaces (or Legacy I/Os) can be connected to the 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, or 96 I/O™ (the 96i I/O™ does not support Legacy interfaces). The following supported legacy interfaces can only be used with 44.
System Requirements and Compatibility Pro Tools|HD systems can be used with a Digidesign-qualified Windows or Mac computer running Pro Tools HD software. A DVD drive is required to use the Pro Tools Installer disc. Digidesign can only assure compatibility and provide support for hardware and software it has tested and approved.
Conventions Used in This Guide All Digidesign guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices and key commands: Convention Action File > Save Choose Save from the File menu Control+N Hold down the Control key and press the N key Control-click Hold down the Control key and click the mouse button Right-click Click with the right mouse button The names of Commands, Options, and Settings that appear on-screen are in a different font.
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chapter 2 Installing Pro Tools on Windows This chapter contains information for Windows systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools on a Mac computer, see Chapter 3, “Installing Pro Tools on Mac.” Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools Installer disc.
Installing Pro Tools|HD Cards This section shows how to install Pro Tools|HD cards into a Windows computer. To install cards into an expansion chassis, see the Expanded Systems Guide. 6 If you are installing additional Pro Tools cards (or other cards), skip to the next step. If you have no additional cards to install, do the following: • Secure the card in place with the slot access port screw you removed earlier. • Close the computer case.
Connecting Pro Tools|HD Cards In systems that include more than one card, you must connect all the Pro Tools|HD cards to each other with TDM FlexCables. Each Pro Tools|HD card has two ports along the top of the card, labeled Port A and Port B. The FlexCable has two connectors, also labeled Port A and Port B, to ensure proper connection. Data communication across multiple cards is achieved by connecting Port B of the first card to Port A of the next card with a TDM FlexCable.
4 Verify the connection. Make sure the FlexCable ports seat flat against the sockets on the cards, and are firmly attached. PORT A PORT PO RT AA PO PORT RT BB PORT B PORT A PORT B Side view of two HD cards connected with TDM FlexCable 5 For systems with more than two cards, con- nect each additional card to its preceding card. Use FlexCables to connect card pairs together, as described above, until all cards are connected. (Each HD Accel or HD Process card is packaged with a FlexCable.
HD Core 12-foot DigiLink cable Loop Sync cables 18-inch DigiLink cable Figure 1. Two 96 I/Os (32-channel system) HD Core 12-foot DigiLink cable 18-inch DigiLink cable Loop Sync cables TDM FlexCable Loop Sync cables HD Accel card or HD Process card 12-foot DigiLink cable Figure 2.
If you are connecting both 192 I/O (or 192 Digital I/O) and 96 I/O audio interfaces to your system, connect the 192 I/O (or 192 Digital I/O) to your HD Core (for PCI) card, followed by any additional 192 I/O (or 192 Digital I/O) interfaces connected to subsequent cards. Then connect 96 I/O interfaces to subsequent cards, or to other interfaces, then connect 96i I/O interfaces. You can also connect a single Pro Tools|HD interface to each Pro Tools|HD card in your system using the provided DigiLink cables.
“A” to first Legacy I/O “B” to second Legacy I/O To Legacy Port on Pro Tools|HD audio interface Optional 16-channel peripheral cable adapter 3 To properly clock the Legacy I/O, connect the Ext. Clock output port on the Pro Tools|HD I/O to the Slave Clock IN on the Legacy I/O. The Legacy I/O will switch to Slave mode once the proper clock is outputting from the Pro Tools|HD I/O. Always use the Ext. Clock Out port of the same I/O to which the Legacy I/O is attached.
Installing Pro Tools HD Software After your Pro Tools|HD hardware is installed and connected, you are ready to install Pro Tools software. 8 At the Select Features page, do one of the fol- lowing: • To install all Pro Tools application files and free plug-in suites (and associated content), leave the default Installation options selected and click Continue. – or – Make sure you have disabled Driver Signing warnings before beginning software installation.
Installation Options Pro Tools HD Options To install a subset of Pro Tools software and plug-ins (and associated content), click the plus (+) next to Pro Tools HD 8.0 option in the Select Features page of the installer, and deselect any of the following options that you do not want installed. Application Files (Required for Pro Tools) Installs the Pro Tools application and supporting library files needed to run Pro Tools. This option must be selected to install Pro Tools.
Launching Pro Tools To use Pro Tools HD, you must always have an inserted iLok with an authorization for Pro Tools HD. One pre-authorized iLok is included with your Pro Tools HD system. To launch Pro Tools HD software: 1 Make sure HD hardware is connected to your computer. 2 Insert the pre-authorized iLok into an available USB port on your computer. Do not remove the iLok during Pro Tools launch or use. 3 Do one of the following: • Double-click the Pro Tools HD shortcut on the desktop.
HD Pack Plug-ins Digidesign ASIO Driver Your Pro Tools package includes the HD Pack collection of plug-ins from Digidesign and Digidesign Development Partners. Once you've completed your Pro Tools installation, you can install the contents of HD Pack. The Digidesign ASIO (Audio Sound Input Output) Driver is a single-client multichannel sound driver that allows third-party audio programs that support the ASIO standard to record and play back through Digidesign hardware.
Pro Tools Demo Session The Pro Tools HD Installer disc includes a demo session that you can use to verify that your system is working. The demo session for Pro Tool HD is named Meant To Be. Uninstalling Pro Tools If you need to uninstall Pro Tools software from your computer, use the Uninstaller application. To remove Pro Tools from your computer: Before installing the demo session to your audio drive, make sure your audio drive is configured as described in “Formatting an Audio Drive” on page 76.
chapter 3 Installing Pro Tools on Mac This chapter contains information for Mac systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools on a Windows computer, see Chapter 2, “Installing Pro Tools on Windows.” Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools Installer disc. Installing Pro Tools Hardware To install Pro Tools|HD hardware, you first install Pro Tools|HD cards, then for systems with more than one card, connect the cards with a TDM FlexCable.
Installing Pro Tools|HD Cards in a Mac Pro 5 Remove the clamp that holds secures the The PCI Express-equipped Mac Pro has three PCI Express (PCIe) slots (named slots 2, 3, and 4). The PCI Express slot numbers increase from bottom to top as you face the open computer case from the side. Install the Accel Core (for PCIe) card into PCI slot 2. 6 Remove the metal access port covers for the metal access port covers to the chassis. slots you want to use. 7 Remove your computer’s SATA drive trays.
• Carefully slide the front of the card down into slot 2’s grey plastic PCIe card support (where the slot numbers appear), as in Figure 5. Do not force the card into the PCI card support slot. When you have the correct installation angle, the card should slide in easily. If you do not have the correct angle, reposition the card. 9 Install the first expansion card (if any) in the second slot (slot 3). 10 Install the second expansion card (if any) in slot 4.
Installing Pro Tools|HD Cards in a Power Mac G5 PCIe slot 4 Follow these instructions to install Pro Tools|HD cards in PCI or PCI Express equipped Power Mac G5 computers. PCIe slot 3 PCIe slot 2 PCIe slot 1 (video card) To install Pro Tools cards in a Power Mac G5: 1 Turn off your computer and any peripherals. Leave your computer’s power cable plugged in so the computer is grounded.
9 Check to be sure that your cards are installed in the proper order for your system, starting with the lowest numeric slot: • Pro Tools|HD (for PCIe) Systems • Display card for your computer monitor • Accel Core (for PCIe) card • HD Accel (for PCIe) cards • Digidesign-approved video capture card • SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) card • Pro Tools|HD (for PCI) Systems • Display card for your computer monitor • HD Core (for PCI) card • HD Accel (for PCI) cards The slot numbering in your computer determines whet
3 Connect the Port A connector of the FlexCable to Port A on the second card. Push gently but firmly until the cable is fully connected to the card. Attach the other end of the FlexCable (labeled Port B) to Port B on the core card. HD Core PORT A PORT B PORT A PORT B HD Accel Top view of two cards connected with TDM FlexCable 4 Verify the connection. Make sure the FlexCa- ble ports seat flat against the sockets on the cards, and are firmly attached. Each Pro Tools|HD card supports up to 32 channels.
HD Core or Accel Core card 12-foot DigiLink cable Loop Sync cables 18-inch DigiLink cable Figure 7. Two 96 I/Os (32-channel system) HD Core or Accel Core card 12-foot DigiLink cable 18-inch DigiLink cable Loop Sync cables TDM FlexCable Loop Sync cables HD Accel card or HD Process card 12-foot DigiLink cable Figure 8.
To connect Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces: Connecting Loop Sync 1 If you are using a single 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O, connect its Primary Port to the Accel Core (for PCIe) or HD Core (For PCI) card with the DigiLink cable provided with the card. You must attach at least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O to your system in order for Pro Tools to launch.
To connect Digidesign Legacy I/Os: 1 Connect the “MIX card” end of the peripheral cable that came with your Legacy I/O (60-pin side) to the Legacy Port on the primary Pro Tools|HD audio interface. Connect the other end to the Computer Port on the Legacy I/O. If you are using the Y cable to connect multiple MIX audio interfaces, you must also connect the Slave Clock Out of the first Legacy interface to the Slave Clock In of the second Legacy interface with the provided BNC cable.
Installing Pro Tools HD Software After your Pro Tools|HD hardware is installed and connected, you are ready to install Pro Tools software. Do not install or operate Pro Tools while logged in as a root-level user. File permissions of a root-level user make it possible to perform actions that may conflict with Pro Tools file management tasks. 9 Select your work environment.
Additional Options The Pro Tools installer provides the following additional options to install along with Pro Tools software and plug-ins. DigiDesign CoreAudio Driver This option installs the Digidesign CoreAudio Driver, which lets you use Digidesign-qualified audio interfaces with third-party applications that support the CoreAudio Driver standard. Avid Video Engine The Avid Video Engine is required to use Pro Tools with Avid video peripherals such as the Avid Mojo or the Digidesign AVoption|V10.
Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc The Pro Tools HD Installer disc provides additional software for your system, including the HD Pack collection of plug-ins, third-party applications and plug-ins, audio drivers (for playing other audio applications through your Digidesign hardware) and a Pro Tools demo session. Refer to your Pro Tools Installer disc for additional software and installers.
Pro Tools Demo Session The Pro Tools HD Installer disc includes a demo session that you can use to verify that your system is working. The demo session for Pro Tool HD is named Meant To Be. Uninstalling Pro Tools If you need to uninstall Pro Tools software from your computer, use the Uninstaller application. To remove Pro Tools from your computer: Before installing the demo session to your audio drive, make sure the drive is configured as described in “Formatting an Audio Drive” on page 76.
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chapter 4 Configuring Your Pro Tools System After you have connected your system and installed Pro Tools software, you are ready to start up and configure your Pro Tools system. 7 With the volume of all output devices low- Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System 8 With the volume of all output devices low- ered, turn on any Pro Tools Legacy I/Os (such as an 888|24 I/O or 882|20 I/O). Wait at least fifteen seconds for the audio interface to initialize and the status LEDs to stop flashing.
7 Turn off any control surfaces or worksurfaces. 8 Turn off any external hard drives. Checking the System Before you use Pro Tools, you may want to run the DigiTest diagnostic application to ensure that all Pro Tools|HD cards in the system are recognized, installed in the proper order, and have valid TDM FlexCable connections. Running DigiTest DigiTest is installed with Pro Tools and resides in the following folder on your hard drive: Digidesign/Pro Tools/Pro Tools Utilities.
6 When prompted, power cycle all Pro Tools peripherals in your system. Click Continue. 4 Check the card seating. 7 To test the interfaces connected to your sys- Check the orientation of the cable from card to card (ports B to A), and check the integrity of the FlexCable connections to the cards. tem, check “Test I/O Box.” LEDs on your digital interfaces may light up during this test. This is normal.
Identifying Digidesign Cards with DigiTest Updating Audio Peripheral Firmware with DigiTest You can use DigiTest to identify which cards are in which slots in your system. This is especially useful if you have multiple Digidesign cards of the same type installed in your system. If firmware updates are available for any of your Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces (192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O), you can use DigiTest to perform the update.
Configuring Pro Tools Software Pro Tools System Settings In the Playback Engine dialog, Pro Tools lets you adjust the performance of your system by changing system settings that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and recording. These system settings are available in the Playback Engine dialog (Setup > Playback Engine). In most cases, the default settings for your system provide optimum performance, but you may want to adjust them to accommodate large or processing-intensive Pro Tools sessions.
RTAS Processors The RTAS Processors setting determines the number of processors in your computer allocated for RTAS (Real-Time AudioSuite) plug-in processing. With multiprocessor computers, this setting lets you manage multi-processor support for RTAS processing. With multiple processor computers that support Hyper-Threading (and have it enabled), you must disable Hyper-Threading for this setting to become available.
Lower CPU Usage Limit settings limit the effect of Pro Tools processing on other CPU-intensive tasks, such as screen redraws, and are useful when you are experiencing slow system response, or when running other applications at the same time as Pro Tools. RTAS Engine (RTAS Error Suppression) Higher CPU Usage Limit settings allocate more processing power to Pro Tools, and are useful for playing back large sessions or using more real-time plug-ins.
Number of Voices The Number of Voices setting lets you control the number of voices available on your system. For example, the default number of voices on an Pro Tools|HD 1 system is 48 voices, using one DSP (at sample rates of 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz). Changing the number of voices affects DSP usage, the total number of voiceable tracks, and overall system performance.
You can change the sample rate when creating a new Pro Tools session by selecting a different sample rate in the New Session dialog. You can also change the default Sample Rate in the Hardware dialog, as long as no session is open. To change the default Sample Rate in the Playback Engine: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate pop-up menu. 3 Click OK.
Delay Compensation Settings There are three settings in the Playback Engine dialog for dedicating DSP resources for Delay Compensation: None Allocates no DSP resources for Delay Compensation. Short Allocates minimum DSP resources of Delay Compensation for each channel. This is the most efficient setting for Pro Tools|HD Accel systems. For sessions with only a few plug-ins that do not induce too much DSP-based delay, this setting should be sufficient.
Cache Size System Memory Allocation The Cache Size determines the amount of memory DAE allocates to pre-buffer audio for playback and looping when using Elastic Audio. When you start your computer, Pro Tools automatically reserves a portion of system memory for the DAE Playback Buffer. This reserved memory is unavailable to other applications, even if Pro Tools is not running. The optimum Cache Size for most sessions is Normal.
• Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size settings higher than 250 msec (Level 2) improve the reliability of sample playback, but they also decrease the amount of memory available for other system tasks, such as RTAS processing. Using a larger Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size leaves less system memory for other tasks. The default setting of 250 ms (Level 2) is recommended unless you are experiencing problems with the reliability of streaming playback from disk.
Configuring Pro Tools Hardware Settings In the Hardware Setup dialog, Pro Tools lets you set the default sample rate and clock source for your system, as well as a range of controls specific to each type of audio interface.) Default Sample Rate The Sample Rate setting appears as the default sample rate when you create a new session. (This setting is available in the Hardware Setup dialog only when no session is open.
Configuring Audio Interfaces To identify audio interfaces in your system: Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces support 16 channels of simultaneous I/O and multiple I/O formats (including analog, AES/EBU, ADAT Optical, S/PDIF, and TDIF). 1 Choose Setup > Hardware. The Main page of the Hardware Setup dialog is where you define which physical inputs and outputs on your audio interface are routed to available inputs and outputs in Pro Tools.
In many cases, you will use Internal. The other choices are for resolving Pro Tools to external clock sources. Depending on your audio interface, Clock Source options can include: AES/EBU [Encl], S/PDIF, Optical [Encl], AES/EBU 1–8, TDIF, ADAT, and Word Clock (optional Word Clock rates are available when operating at higher sample rates). 5 If you want to send clock output to other de- vices attached to the audio interface, select the appropriate output from the Ext. Clock Output pop-up menu.
Configuring 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O Controls To configure controls for a 192 I/O: 1 With the 192 I/O selected in the Peripherals list, click the Analog In tab for the following options: 2 Click the Analog Out tab for the following option: • Each of the analog channels in the 192 I/O has two Output Trims, labeled A and B, respectively. You can select Output Trim A or B on a channel-by-channel basis.
Configuring 96 I/O Controls Configuring 96i I/O Controls To configure controls for a 96 I/O: To configure controls for a 96i I/O: 1 With the 96 I/O selected in the Peripherals 1 With the 96i I/O selected in the Peripherals list, configure your I/O front panel meters for input or output metering from the Meters pop-up. list, configure your I/O front panel meters for input or output metering from the Meters pop-up.
To select analog or digital input for channels 1-2: 1 Choose Setup > Hardware, and select 96i I/O in the Peripherals list to display the 96i I/O window. 2 Click to set Ch 1–2 Input to Analog or S/PDIF, as appropriate. The 96i I/O only supports analog and digital switching for channels 1–2, and only from within the Hardware Setup and I/O Setup dialogs. The 96i I/O does not support path remapping within I/O Setup. 7 From the Interface pop-up, select the type of Legacy I/O you connected.
Peripherals list of the Hardware Setup dialog. For example, if you have a 96 I/O and an 882|20 connected to a 192 I/O, and the 96 I/O is offline, it will appear in the Peripherals list as “[96 I/O].” Peripherals will also go offline if the audio interface or card to which they are attached is made inactive.
This lets you send the same signal (such as a stereo pair, a stem mix, or a multichannel mix) to multiple destinations (such as multiple mastering devices). To route a Pro Tools output channel pair to multiple audio interface output ports: 1 Choose Setup > Hardware. 2 From the Peripherals list, select an interface.
Enabling DMA To disable User Account Control (UAC): Enabling your computer's DMA (Direct Memory Access) frees up CPU bandwidth so your computer can do other Pro Tools tasks. 1 Choose Start > Control Panel. 2 Double-click User Accounts. 3 Click “Turn User Account Control on or off.” In most cases the DMA option will already be set correctly, as Windows detects and activates DMA mode by default. 4 Deselect the “Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer” option. 5 Click OK.
To configure Windows Power Management (Windows XP): 1 Choose Start > Control Panel. 2 Double-click Power Options. 3 Click the Power Schemes tab. 4 From the Power Schemes pop-up menu, select Always. 5 Verify that the following settings are set to Never: • Turn off hard disks • System standby Optional Optimizations The following system optimizations may help Pro Tools perform better on some systems.
5 Under the Processor Scheduling section, select 5 After restarting, the computer displays a Sys- the Background Services option. tem Configuration message. Check to see if Pro Tools performance has increased before you deselect the “Don't show this message again” option. If performance has not changed, run “msconfig” and return your computer Startup Selection back to Normal Startup - load all device drives and services. Alternatively, try disabling Startup items and non-essential processes individually.
Turning Off Software Update To turn off the Software Update feature: 1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu and click Software Update. 2 Click the Software Update tab. 3 Deselect Check for Updates. 1 Turning Off Energy Saver To turn off the Energy Saver feature: 1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu and click Energy Saver. 2 Click the Sleep tab and do the following: • Set the computer sleep setting to Never. • Set the display sleep setting to Never.
Reassign Spaces Keyboard Shortcuts Disabling Spotlight Indexing If you want to use Spaces, you should reassign the Spaces keyboard shortcuts to avoid conflicts with important Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts. You can reassign Spaces keyboard shortcuts to use a combination of modifier keys (Command+Option+Control+Shift) in addition to the default Spaces keyboard shortcut assignments to avoid these conflicts.
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chapter 5 Making Studio Connections This chapter provides general information on connecting Pro Tools to your system, including digital equipment, effects units, MIDI gear, and SMPTE synchronization devices.
Example Studio Setup with a Mixing Console Optical in/out to ADAT Analog Inputs Digital Inputs/Outputs to DAT recorder Analog Outputs Digital Effects Device (set to external sync) Effects Devices Channel Outputs Tape Returns or Inputs Instruments Connected to Console Figure 9.
Example Studio Setup without a Mixing Console Mic Preamp, Direct Box, Synth Digital Inputs/Outputs to DAT recorder Analog Inputs Optical in/out to ADAT Analog Outputs Digital Effects Device (set to external sync) Effects Devices Power Amp and Speakers Figure 10.
192 I/O 96i I/O The 192 I/O features two DB-25 breakout connectors for two sets of eight inputs each, at +4 dBu and –10 dBV respectively. The 96i I/O analog connectors are balanced TRS 1/4-inch with TIP wired hot (or “+”), RING cold (or “–”), and SLEEVE ground. If connecting to unbalanced loads, use unbalanced TS cables. There are no –10 dBV outputs, however; analog outputs break out from a single DB-25 output at +4 dBu operating levels.
2 Connect the AES/EBU or S/PDIF input on the enclosure to the AES/EBU or S/PDIF output of your DAT deck. Route the digital input to Pro Tools inputs in the Hardware Setup dialog. You can route any of the physical input or output pairs to any of the input and output channel assignments in the Pro Tools mixer. (The 96i I/O does not support input mapping, however.) For more information see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
Connecting Effects Units Digitally To connect MIDI devices to your system: To use your audio interface’s inputs and outputs as effects sends and returns to a digital effects device, set your interface’s Clock Source to Internal in the Hardware Setup dialog (unless it is referenced to another clock source or peripheral). You should then set your digital effects devices to accept an external digital clock so that they will synchronize themselves to Pro Tools.
SYNC peripherals integrate into the Loop Sync configuration of a Pro Tools|HD system, offering extremely fast lockup, near-sample accurate synchronization, and an exceptionally low-jitter clock. These features provide professional performance and maximum audio fidelity under a wide range of synchronization conditions. For more information, refer to the SYNC HD Guide.
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appendix a Connecting SCSI Drives SCSI hard drives are supported recording media for Pro Tools|HD systems on Windows and Mac. Although Pro Tools will let you record to your system drive, this is generally not recommended. Performance for recording and playback on system drives is sometimes worse than on non-system drives, resulting in lower track counts and fewer plug-ins. Be aware that recording to your system drive can quickly use up available hard drive space.
SCSI Cables Distribute Audio Across Multiple Drives Use shorter SCSI cables to improve reliability. Table 1 provides guidelines for maximum cable lengths according to SCSI type. For best recording and playback performance, don’t record and play back all audio files in a session from the same drive. Instead, use Pro Tools Disk Allocation features to distribute audio files between multiple drives. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for details.
5 Verify that the last SCSI device in the chain is properly terminated. (See “SCSI Termination” on page 73.) 6 Make sure each SCSI device has a unique ID. SCSI ID 7 is reserved for the host computer. Do not use ID 7 with any of your SCSI devices. 7 Attach power cables to the hard drives. SCSI HBA Card SCSI Termination Your computer’s SCSI chain must be properly terminated or your system will not function correctly.
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appendix b Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance It is recommended that you start with a newly formatted external or secondary internal audio drive. You should also periodically defragment your audio drive to ensure continued system performance. Always back up any important data on your drive before formatting it, as it will erase all data on the drive. Avoid Recording to the System Drive Recording to your system drive is not recommended.
SCSI Hard Drives Digidesign recommends qualified SCSI hard drives and a qualified SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) card or (on Windows systems) a qualified built-in SCSI HBA connector on the motherboard. For more information, see Appendix A, “Connecting SCSI Drives.” For complete information on track count and the supported number and configuration of SCSI drives, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com/compatibility).
Formatting Mac Audio Drives Pro Tools only supports Basic drive types. Do not convert the drive to a Dynamic type. For optimum performance, audio drives should be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). 4 If the volume is “Unallocated,” do the follow- ing: To format an audio drive: • In the Disk Management window, rightclick the hard drive you will use for audio and choose New Partition. 1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in Applications/Utilities.
Partitioning Drives Partitioning creates a logical volume or volumes on a physical drive, almost as if you were creating virtual hard drives. Partitions can then be formatted with the appropriate file system (NTFS for Windows, HFS+ for Mac). The NTFS file system allows drives to be seen as whole volumes. Single Pro Tools audio files cannot exceed 3.4 GB in size.
Optimizing (Defragmenting) Drives To prevent fragmentation, you can optimize your drive, which rearranges your files into a contiguous format. Most optimizing software lets you run a check on a drive to find out the percentage of fragmentation. If your drive shows moderate to heavy fragmentation, you should consider optimizing it.
Hard Disk Storage Space Mono audio tracks recorded with 16-bit resolution at 44.1 kHz (CD quality) require approximately 5 MB of hard disk space per minute. The same tracks recorded with 24-bit resolution require about 7.5 MB per minute. Stereo audio tracks recorded with 16-bit resolution at 44.1 kHz (CD quality) require approximately 10 MB of hard disk space per minute. The same tracks recorded with 24-bit resolution require about 15 MB per minute.
appendix c Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) MIDI Studio Setup MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) lets you configure the MIDI controllers and sound modules that are connected to your system, and control the routing of MIDI data between your MIDI equipment and Pro Tools. MSS automatically finds MIDI interfaces, and lets you specify a custom name for each of the MIDI ports within the MIDI Studio Setup document. MIDI Studio Setup Window The MIDI Studio Setup window is organized into three sections.
Interface Controls Properties Section Create Adds a new instrument to the Instrument Name list. The Properties section lets you edit information for new instruments, or instrument currently selected in the Instrument list. Delete Deletes the instrument or instruments selected in the Instrument Name list. Import Imports an existing MIDI Studio Setup file. Export Exports the current MIDI Studio Setup file.
6 From the Output pop-up menu, choose the output port on your MIDI interface that is connected to the MIDI In of your instrument. 7 Enable the appropriate MIDI channels (1–16) for the Send Channels and Receive Channels options (These determine which channels send and receive MIDI.) Instrument Name The Instrument Name field shows the user-definable instrument name for the currently selected instrument. Manufacturer The Manufacturer pop-up menu provides a list of MIDI equipment manufacturers.
3 Click the Instrument or MIDI track Patch Select button. The Patch Select dialog is populated with patch names and the Patch Name Bank pop-up menu appears in the upper left hand corner of the window. Patch Select button Patch Select button, Edit window Patch Select button Patch Select dialog with patch names Patch Select button, Mix window Once patch names have been imported into Pro Tools, they are available for that MIDI device in all sessions. 4 In the Patch Select dialog, click Change.
appendix d Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only) Audio MIDI Setup Pro Tools recognizes the ports on your MIDI interface as generic ports. With Mac OS X, you use Apple’s Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) utility to identify external MIDI devices connected to your MIDI interface and configure your MIDI studio for use with Pro Tools. 2 Click the MIDI Devices tab. AMS scans your system for connected MIDI interfaces. If your MIDI interface is properly connected, it appears in the window with each of its ports numbered.
5 Connect the MIDI device to the MIDI interface by clicking the arrow for the appropriate output port of the device and dragging a connection or “cable” to the input arrow of the corresponding port of the MIDI interface. To configure an external MIDI device: 1 Select the external device icon and click Show Info (or double-click the new device icon). External Device Icon 2 Select a manufacturer and model for the new device from the corresponding pop-up menus.
3 Click the More Information arrow to expand 4 Click the device image. The window expands the dialog, then enable the appropriate MIDI channels (1–16) for the Transmits and Receives options. (These determine which channels the device will use to send and receive MIDI.) to show images for various MIDI devices (such as keyboards, modules, interfaces, and mixers). Select an icon for your device.
MIDI Patch Name Support Pro Tools supports XML (Extensible Markup Language) for storing and importing patch names for you external MIDI devices. Pro Tools installs MIDI patch name files (.midnam) for the factory default patch names of many common MIDI devices. These files reside in directories, sorted by manufacturer, in /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names/Digidesign. 4 In the Patch Select dialog, click Change.
appendix e DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing This appendix provides an overview of DSP-induced mixer delays, and explains how you can compensate for these delays to improve time and phase alignment of audio in complex or critical mixing situations. Each plug-in, hardware insert, and mixer assignment on a track delays that track by an amount equal to the total of all DSP-delay factors. (For more information on these delays, see “Delay Factors” on page 96.
However, larger sessions with higher track and voice counts, many plug-ins, and/or complex mixer routing can benefit when DSP-induced delays are compensated to maintain phase coherent time alignment. When Delay Compensation is enabled, the Delay Compensation status indicator in the Edit Window Toolbar is displayed. In any session, if you want to maintain absolute time alignment across all tracks you should always compensate for signal processing delays.
To configure the Delay Compensation Engine: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 2 From the Delay Compensation Engine pop-up menu, select a Delay Compensation setting. 3 Click OK. System Delay Delay Compensation Time Mode System Delay in Session Setup window Delay values can be specified in either samples or milliseconds, as selected with the Delay Compensation Time Mode setting in the Operation Preferences page.
Delay Compensation View Indicators and Field Delay (dly) Indicator The Delay (dly) indicator reports the total plugin (TDM and RTAS) and hardware insert delay on the track. The Delay indicator’s report to Pro Tools Delay Compensation Engine can be bypassed when Delay Compensation is enabled. This is useful for manually time-aligning a track when the total delay on a track exceeds the Delay Compensation limit. See “Delay that Exceeds the Compensation Limit” on page 93.
To bypass the user delay: Start-Control-click (Windows) or CommandControl-click (Mac) the User Offset field. The user-defined delay appears grayed out and does not apply to the track. Track Compensation (cmp) Indicator This indicator shows the amount of Delay Compensation Pro Tools applies to each track. The display color indicates the amount of Delay Compensation applied, as follows: Green Track compensation is enabled and the track does not exceed the Delay Compensation limit.
Tracks that are not record enabled still apply Delay Compensation. Pro Tools automatically compensates for any timing discrepancies between the recorded material and the delay-compensated mix. When the track is played back (with both record-enable and TrackInput disabled) it is correctly time-aligned with the other delay-compensated tracks.
MIDI and Audio Processing Plug-ins Some audio processing plug-ins (such as Digidesign’s Bruno and Reso) and many instrument plug-ins let you process audio while allowing MIDI data to control processing parameters. When you record enable a MIDI or Instrument track that is controlling an audio processing plug-in, the track the plug-in is inserted on will go into low-latency mode, effectively making the processed audio play early.
8 Adjust the Master Fader track’s fader to control the overall volume for the cue mix. With Delay Compensation enabled, it is recommended that you do not use any inserts on any Auxiliary Input or Master Fader tracks you may be using to control the cue mix volume. Also, you should avoid using inserts on any record tracks. (Some low latency inserts may be acceptable depending on the talent’s preference.
Using Sends When you send a track to another track and return it to a track (audio, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader), the following delays are incurred: Sends delays for Pro Tools|HD systems HD Mixer Sends Delay Stereo Mixer Pre-fader send to bus 10 samples Post-fader send to bus 8 samples Pre-fader send to bus 8 samples Post-fader send to bus 12 samples Surround Mixer Hardware sends also produce delays (see below).
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appendix f TDM Mixing and DSP Usage Benefits of TDM II Digidesign’s TDM (or time division multiplexing) technology is based on the concept of a single, high-speed data highway, or bus that transmits data between your Pro Tools CPU, Pro Tools cards, and the DSP chips on the cards. Pro Tools|HD cards feature Digidesign’s enhanced TDM II architecture. The TDM II architecture provides many advantages over the original TDM (or TDM I) architecture in terms of its mixing capacity and flexibility.
Time slot usage on Pro Tools|HD hardware The maximum consumption of the time slots for a single connection occurs when the audio must be sent between the first and last DSP in the system. In this instance, a time slot between each DSP is used to reach the last DSP in the chain. Figure 11. TDM bus on Pro Tools|HD hardware 100 Pro Tools|HD Setup Guide Another example of how TDM II is more efficient than TDM I is to imagine a single HD Core card with one Engine chip and two Mixer chips.
DSP Allocation Digital Signal Processing (or DSP) capability is one of the most powerful elements of your system. The DSP chips in your system provide the real-time processing power for your TDM Mixer and plug-ins. There is a limit, depending on your system, to how many functions a single DSP chip can power at once. This section contains some guidelines for getting the most from your available DSP capacity. Mixing and DSP Usage Pro Tools builds a TDM mixer every time a session is opened.
Monitoring DSP Usage The System Usage window provides a display of DSP usage. With these indicators as your guide, you can try different mixer setups and different arrangements of plug-ins, sends, and Auxiliary Inputs to maximize your use of available DSP power. Pro Tools HD also maintains a Plug-in and Mixer cache for allocated DSP when closing and opening sessions.
DSP Cache Pro Tools HD also maintains a Plug-in and Mixer cache for allocated DSP when closing and opening sessions. While this does not change the time it takes to open the first session after you launch Pro Tools, it does result in being able to open and close all subsequent Pro Tools sessions quickly, especially when using the Revert To Saved command or when opening similarly configured sessions.
DSP Usage and Mixer Plug-Ins Understanding Mixers Pro Tools|HD systems include two mixer plug-in “flavors:” stereo and surround (both of which are available with dither or without). Pro Tools uses these plug-ins to create “dynamic mixers,” meaning that the mixer size can expand or contract as mix channels are added or deleted in Pro Tools. More channels take up more DSP power from your Pro Tools hardware.
For example, creating a new Auxiliary Input track and setting its input to bus 5 will create a 1x2 mixer for bus 5, even if no sources have been created yet. Submixing When the number of channels that must be mixed exceeds the capacity of a single DSP, additional “main” mixers are created automatically, along with summing submixers (which sum together the “main” mixers). The use of submixers allows large mix configurations to be created.
HD card (for PCI), default Standard mixers 48-Bit Mixing Precision The Pro Tools mixer plug-ins use a register area inside of the DSPs on the hardware to hold a full 48-bits of precision when mixing signals together. This allows a fader to be lowered in level without any loss of resolution. (Even if the fader is lowered almost to the bottom, all 24 of the original 24 bits of the signal are preserved.) Mixer Sample Rate (kHz) Usage per Chip Stereo 44.1, 48 68x2 88.2, 96 44x2 176.4, 192 16x2 44.
Note that clipping the “input” side of a mixer is not a concern on Pro Tools|HD systems. It is virtually impossible to clip the input of any Pro Tools|HD mixer plug-in, because the 48 dB of headroom provided prevents any possibility of overload, even with a maximum number of inputs being fed by full-code signals with fader gains at maximum.
For this reason, we offer both types of mixer plug-in. You may want to use the standard nondithered mixer in most applications because of its greater efficiency (allowing you to mix more channels without running out of DSP power), or the dithered mixer because of its theoretical advantages. A Note About Dithering to 16-Bit and Dither Plug-ins The Dithered mixers provide 24-bit dither at their summing points.
Switching Mixer Plug-ins To switch TDM Mixer plug-ins: 1 Quit Pro Tools. 2 Do one of the following: • On Windows systems, open the “Plug-ins (Unused)” folder (Program Files\ Common Files\Digidesign\DAE). – or – • On Mac systems, open the “Plug-ins (Unused)” folder on your Startup drive (Library/Application Support/Digidesign). 3 Locate the Mixer plug-in that you want to use, and drag it to the Plug-ins folder.
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appendix g Troubleshooting Backing Up Your Work It is highly recommended that you back up your work on a regular basis, and especially before making changes to your system configuration. Backing Up Your Session Data Back up your session and audio data frequently. There are a variety of media that are suited to back up projects of various sizes, from automated tape backup systems to high-capacity optical drives, to CD/DVD burners.
If you tried to launch Pro Tools by doubleclicking a Pro Tools session file, do the following: • Close any error message. • Double-click the Pro Tools application. • In Pro Tools, choose File > Open Session to open the session. Reinstall the Pro Tools application, using the Pro Tools Installer disc. Using DigiTest as a Diagnostic Tool The DigiTest utility performs diagnostic tests on the Pro Tools cards in your system.
Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support Register Your System Register your purchase immediately after reviewing the Digidesign Registration Information Card included with every Pro Tools system. Registering your purchase is the only way you become eligible to receive complimentary technical support and future upgrade offers. Registering is one of the most important steps to complete as a new user.
Diagnostic Information DigiTest If you run DigiTest, be sure to make a note of any error codes or messages it generates. Other Information Note any DAE errors or other error codes you encounter. Additionally, note the ability to reproduce the problem under different conditions, for example, with another session, or after changing settings (such as the Hardware Buffer Size).
appendix h Resources Whether you are new to Pro Tools or just starting out with your new system, we encourage you to read and utilize the many guides that Pro Tools provides. There are also useful online resources available, giving you everything from Pro Tools tips to Pro Tools answers. Printed Pro Tools Reference Guide The printed Pro Tools Reference Guide provides detailed descriptions of all Pro Tools software features, as well as helpful workflows for performing tasks in Pro Tools.
Documentation Installed Automatically with Pro Tools When you install Pro Tools, you get useful PDF versions of many Pro Tools guides and Read Mes. This documentation can be found in the following locations: Mac Applications/Digidesign/Documentation Windows C:\Program Files\Digidesign\Documentation To view or print PDF guides, you can use Adobe Reader or Apple Preview (Mac only).
index Numerics C 1622 I/O 7 16-channel peripheral cable adapter 17, 31 192 Digital I/O 6, 52, 66 192 I/O 6, 52, 66 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O 7 882|20 I/O 7 888|24 I/O 7 96 I/O 7, 53, 66 96i I/O 7, 53, 66 Cache Size 47 Clock Source 49 connecting digital recorders 66 external SCSI drive 72 Pro Tools cards 13, 27 SMPTE synchronization devices 68 CoreAudio driver (Mac) 34 CPU Usage Limit 42 A Accel Core (for PCIe) 3 ADAT Bridge I/O 7 allocating DSP 101, 103 ASIO driver (Windows) 21 audio connections 67 audio
DigiSerial port 3, 4 digital signal processing (see DSP) DigiTest 38 troubleshooting 39 DMA option (Windows), enabling 57 drive formatting Mac 77 Windows 76, 77 drive maintenance 75 drive requirements 8 DSP 101 allocating 101, 103 and Auxiliary Inputs 109 and Master Faders 109 and mixing 101 and TDM plug-ins 109 monitoring usage 102 DSP Cache 103 DSP delays 89 automatic compensation 45 DSP Manager 101 Hardware Buffer Size 41 Hardware Setup Ext.
P S partitioning hard drives 78 Peripherals list 50 phase 89 Playback Engine RTAS Processors setting 42 Plug-in Streaming Buffer 48 Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size 47 plug-ins RTAS Processors setting 42 power management settings (Windows) 57 Preferences 32 Pro Tools capabilities 2 configuration 41 demo session (Mac) 35 demo session (Windows) 22 installing 18, 32 launching 20, 33 preferences 18 removing (Mac) 35 removing (Windows) 22 Pro Tools software installation Mac 32 Windows 18 Pro Tools|HD cards instal
T TDM FlexCable 5 TDM Mixer plug-ins 108, 109 TDM plug-ins and DSP usage 109 MultiShell 109 termination of SCSI drives 73 time alignment 89 Track Compensation (cmp) indicator 93 U uninstalling Pro Tools Mac 35 Windows 22 User Account Control (UAC) disabling 57 User Offset (+/–) field 92 W WaveDriver (Windows) 21 website 116 Window menu System Usage window 102 Word Clock 51 120 Pro Tools|HD Setup Guide
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