® Pro Tools|HD User Guide Version 8.
Legal Notices This guide is copyrighted ©2010 by Avid Technology, Inc., (hereafter “Avid”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Avid.
contents Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools|HD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Pro Tools|HD Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Pro Tools|HD System Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Pro Tools HD Software Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 5. Making Studio Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Setting Up Your Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Example Studio Setup with a Mixing Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Example Studio Setup without a Mixing Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix D. DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Introduction to DSP-Induced Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Using Delay Compensation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Appendix E. TDM Mixing and DSP Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Benefits of TDM II . . . . . . .
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chapter 1 Welcome to Pro Tools|HD Pro Tools|HD® provides high-definition digital audio recording, editing, signal processing, mixing, and I/O capabilities. This guide covers installation and configuration of Pro Tools|HD hardware and Pro Tools® software on Mac and Windows platforms. Pro Tools HD supports up to seven Pro Tools|HD cards in systems using an expansion chassis. For more information, see the Expanded Systems Guide.
All Pro Tools|HD systems also require at least one Pro Tools|HD audio interface (sold separately). See “Pro Tools|HD Audio Interfaces” on page 4. For more information on the print, electronic, and web-based resources available to help you use Pro Tools, see Appendix G, “Resources.” Audio Recording and Playback Capabilities Pro Tools|HD 1 Pro Tools|HD 1 systems provide recording and playback of 24-bit or 16-bit audio files with the following voiced track counts: • Up to 96 tracks at 44.
Pro Tools|HD Hardware HD Accel Core Card All Pro Tools|HD systems include a Pro Tools|HD Accel Core PCIe card. The HD Accel Core card provides up to 96 voiceable tracks of direct-to-disk recording and playback, as well as DSP power for mixing and plugin processing. The Pro Tools|HD Accel Core card supports up to 24-bit, 192 kHz sessions. HD Accel cards provide additional channels of direct-to-disk recording and playback, as well as additional DSP power for mixing and plug-in processing.
Pro Tools|HD Audio Interfaces • Soft Clip and Curv limiting circuits to protect against clipping on analog input. To record and play audio with Pro Tools HD, you must have at least one Pro Tools|HD audio interface connected to the Pro Tools|HD Accel Core card.
• Input mixer for low latency direct monitoring of a variety of incoming signals (configured in the Pro Tools Hardware Setup) Synchronization • Loop Sync input and output for connecting additional Pro Tools|HD interfaces and peripherals • External Clock input and output for synchronizing HD OMNI with external Word Clock devices. For more information about HD OMNI, see the HD OMNI Guide. HD I/O Audio Interface HD I/O is a multichannel digital audio interface designed for use with Pro Tools|HD systems.
Expandability • Optional addition of I/O cards to expand analog or digital I/O • Simultaneous use of multiple Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces to further expand system input and output (for more information see the Expanded Systems Guide) For more information about HD I/O, see the HD I/O Guide. HD MADI Digital Audio Interface HD MADI is a 64-channel, digital audio interface designed for use with Pro Tools|HD systems.
• Analog: 8 channels, DB-25 (balanced) connectors, inputs selectable between +4 dBu or –10 dBV, outputs +4 dBu only. Expandable up to 16 analog inputs or 16 outputs using an optional 192 AD or 192 DA expansion card, respectively. • Digital (Enclosure): 2 channels, XLR (AES/EBU) connectors; 2 channels RCA (S/PDIF) connectors. • Optical (Enclosure): 8 channels, one pair of Lightpipe (ADAT Optical) connectors (switchable to 2 channels, S/PDIF).
96i I/O Audio Interface 888|24 I/O Audio Interface 96i I/O™ is a multichannel digital audio interface designed for use with Pro Tools|HD systems. 96i I/O features high quality 24-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converters, and supports sample rates of up to 96 kHz.
Additional Pro Tools|HD Hardware Hard Drive Requirements Pro Tools HD also supports the following Pro Tools|HD hardware options. For optimal audio recording and playback, all Pro Tools|HD systems require one or more qualified hard drives.
Conventions Used in This Guide All of our 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.
chapter 2 Installing Pro Tools Hardware This chapter provides information on installing and connecting Pro Tools|HD cards and audio interfaces. Install your Pro Tools|HD hardware before installing Pro Tools HD software. To install Pro Tools|HD hardware, first install Pro Tools|HD cards. For systems with more than one card, connect the cards using TDM FlexCables. Once the cards are installed, connect Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces. To install cards into an expansion chassis, see the Expanded Systems Guide.
To install Pro Tools cards in a Mac Pro: 1 Turn off your computer and any peripherals. Leave your computer’s power cable plugged in so the computer is grounded. Do the following: • Hold the card above slot 2 at a slight angle so that the front of the card is higher than the back of the card (where the card’s DigiLink connector is located), as in Figure 2. 2 Disconnect all cables attached to the com- puter (such as hard drives, displays, USB and FireWire devices) except for the power cable.
• With the card’s PCIe connectors facing down, carefully slide the card straight down and firmly seat the PCIe connector into the slot 2 PCIe slot, making sure that all card components on the front of the card have clearance from the grey plastic PCIe card support, as in Figure 4. 13 Reattach the clamp that secures the cards and the slot covers to the chassis.
Installing Pro Tools|HD Cards in a PC To install Pro Tools cards: For the latest slot order and configurations for Windows computers, visit www.avid.com. 1 Turn off your computer and any peripherals. 6 If you are installing additional Pro Tools cards Leave your computer’s power cable plugged in so the computer is grounded. (or other cards), do the following, otherwise, skip to the next step.
8 Check to be sure that your cards are installed in the proper order for your system (note that this may vary depending on your machine): • Display card for your computer monitor • HD Core card • HD Accel cards (optional) • Host Bus Adapter (HBA) card (optional) To connect Pro Tools|HD cards: 1 Shape the FlexCable before installing it on the card by holding the cable with its printed side facing you, and moving the Port B portion of the cable away from you and outwards, as shown below.
3 Connect the Port A connector of the FlexCa- ble 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 Connecting Audio Interfaces Each Pro Tools|HD audio interface provides several different input and output options.
Pro Tools|HD supports up to a maximum combination of ten total of the following audio interfaces: • HD OMNI (only one HD OMNI is supported in a single Pro Tools|HD system) • HD I/O • HD MADI (up to three HD MADI can be used simultaneously—requires six HD cards) • 192 I/O • 192 Digital I/Os • 96 I/Os • 96i I/Os (up to five 96i I/Os can be used simultaneously) For examples of connecting multiple I/Os, see Figure 5 and Figure 6 on page 19.
If you are connecting 96 I/O or 96i I/O audio interfaces to your system in addition to HD OMNI, HD I/O, 192 I/O (or 192 Digital I/O), be sure to connect the HD OMNI, HD I/O, 192 I/O, or 192 Digital I/O to your HD Core card as the primary interface, followed by any additional HD I/O, 192 I/O, or 192 Digital I/O connected to subsequent Pro Tools|HD cards. Then connect 96 I/O interfaces to subsequent cards, or to other interfaces, then connect 96i I/O interfaces.
12-foot DigiLink Mini to DigiLink cable Pro Tools|HD Core card 18-inch DigiLink Mini cable Loop Sync cables Pro Tools|HD Accel card Figure 6. Making DigiLink and Loop Sync connections with HD OMNI and three HD I/Os Connecting Legacy I/O Each 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, and 96 I/O can support up to 16 channels of audio to and from Pro Tools|24 MIX™ audio interfaces using the built in Legacy I/O port. Compatible Legacy I/Os include the 888|24 I/O™, 882|20 I/O™, 1622 I/O™, and the 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O™.
To connect Pro Tools|24 MIX audio interfaces: 1 Connect the “MIX card” end of the peripheral cable that came with your Pro Tools|24 MIX audio interface (60-pin side) to the Legacy Port on the primary Pro Tools|HD audio interface (192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, or 96 I/O only). Connect the other end to the Computer Port on the Pro Tools|24 MIX audio interface.
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 4, “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. 3 On the Installer disc, locate and double-click the Install Pro Tools HD.mpkg file. 4 Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with installation.
10 Click Continue. 11 When installation is complete, click Restart. Installation Options Pro Tools HD Options To install a subset of Pro Tools software and plug-ins (and associated content), click the reveal triangle for the Pro Tools HD 8.1 option in the installer, and deselect any of the following options that you do not want installed. Eleven Rack Driver The Eleven Rack Driver is required if you are using an Eleven Rack with your Pro Tools|HD system.
4 Use the Quick Start dialog to do one of the fol- lowing: • Create a new session from a template. • Create a new blank session. • Open a session. For more information on the Quick Start dialog and session templates, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
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. Removing Pro Tools If you need to remove Pro Tools software from your computer, follow the instructions below. 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 Appendix A, “Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance.
Optimizing a Mac System for Pro Tools To ensure optimum performance with Pro Tools, configure your computer before using Pro Tools software. Before configuring your computer, make sure you are logged in as an Administrator for the account where you want to install Pro Tools. For details on Administrator privileges in Mac OS X, see your Apple OS X documentation.
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.
chapter 4 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. 3 Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc in your DVD drive. 4 On the Installer disc, locate and double-click the Setup.exe file.
10 Select your work environment. This loads an initial set of Pro Tools Preferences that include some of the more popular settings for the selected work environment: • Post Production • Music Production (Audio and MIDI) • Music Production (Audio Only) Preference settings can be customized at any time in Pro Tools. See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more information. 11 Click Next. 12 Click Install.
Command|8 Controller and Driver The Command|8® Driver is required if you are using the Command|8 control surface. To launch Pro Tools HD software: 1 Ensure that Pro Tools|HD hardware is cor- rectly installed and connected to your computer system. Installing QuickTime 2 Insert the pre-authorized iLok into an avail- QuickTime is required for Pro Tools if you plan to include movie files, or import MP3 or MP4 (AAC) files in your sessions.
HD Pack Plug-ins ASIO Driver Your Pro Tools package includes the HD Pack collection of plug-ins from Avid and Development Partners. Once you've completed your Pro Tools installation, you can install the contents of HD Pack. The 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 Pro Tools hardware.
To install the demo session: 1 Insert the Pro Tools HD Installer disc into your DVD drive. 2 On the installer disc, in the Additional Files folder, locate and open the Pro Tools Demo Session Installer folder. 3 Double-click the HD Demo Session Setup.exe file. 4 Follow the onscreen instructions to proceed with installation. 5 When prompted, select your audio drive as the install location and click Next to begin the install. 6 When installation is complete, click Finish.
Optimizing a Windows System for Pro Tools To configure Windows Power Management: 1 Choose Start > Control Panel. 2 Double-click Power Options. To ensure optimum performance with Pro Tools|HD, configure your computer before using Pro Tools hardware and software. Before configuring your computer, make sure you are logged in as an Administrator for the account where you want to install Pro Tools. For details on Administrator privileges, see your Windows documentation. 3 Click the Power Schemes tab.
Optional Optimizations The following system optimizations may help Pro Tools perform better on some systems. It is recommended that you only try these optimizations if necessary, as they may disable or adversely affect the functionality of other programs on your system. Disabling Network Cards If applicable, disable any networking cards (other than a FireWire card that you might use to connect an external drive to your system).
Disabling System Startup Items The fewer items in use by your computer, the more resources are available for Pro Tools. Some startup applications may be consuming unnecessary CPU resources, and can be turned off.
chapter 5 Making Studio Connections This chapter provides information on making common studio connections—including including analog and digital sources, effects devices, MIDI gear, and SMPTE synchronization devices.
Example Studio Setup with a Mixing Console Optical in/out to ADAT Digital Inputs/Outputs to DAT recorder Analog Inputs Analog Outputs Digital Effects Device (set to external sync) Effects Devices Channel Outputs Tape Returns or Inputs Instruments Connected to Console Figure 7.
Example Studio Setup without a Mixing Console Figure 8.
Optical in/out to ADAT Analog Output Digital Inputs/Outputs to DAT recorder Hardware Inserts Power Amp and Speakers Figure 9.
Connecting Equipment with Digital Audio Ins and Outs Each Pro Tools|HD audio interface includes at least one AES/EBU, S/PDIF, or Optical (ADAT) digital option. For example, the HD I/O (with an HD I/O Digital Expansion Card) includes additional AES/EBU and optical ports, as well as TDIF, AES/EBU at 192 kHz, and sample rate conversion on input. The 96i I/O provides two channels of S/PDIF only. (See the documentation for your audio interface for details.
When you are using an effect in this send and return type of configuration, make sure the unit’s internal mix or balance between direct (unprocessed) and wet (effected) signal is set so that only the processed signal is returned to Pro Tools. On most effect units, a balance setting of 100% (completely wet) is the appropriate setting. If you’ve been using an effects unit in an instrument setup, such as a guitar effects rack, you’ll probably find the balance to be below 50%.
Connecting SMPTE Synchronization Devices Connecting Ethernet Work Surfaces If you intend to synchronize Pro Tools to external devices with SMPTE, your system must be connected properly. For details on SMPTE and synchronization, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide or the SYNC HD Guide. If you are using a direct Ethernet connection (rather than across a network) to a Pro Tools Work Surface—such as D-Control®, D-Command®, or C|24™—the TCP/IP address must be set manually.
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chapter 6 Configuring Your Pro Tools System Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System Whenever you start your system, turn on all of your system components in a specific order. 8 With the volume of all output devices low- ered, turn on your Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces. Wait at least fifteen seconds for the audio interface to initialize and the status LEDs to stop flashing. 9 Turn on your computer.
Configuring the Pro Tools Playback Engine 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.
Host Processors The Host Processors setting determines the number of processors in your computer allocated for RTAS (Real-Time AudioSuite) plug-in processing and other host processing tasks. With computers that have multiple processors, or that feature multi-core processing or hyperthreading, this setting lets you enable multiprocessor support for RTAS plug-in processing and other host processing tasks.
CPU Usage Limit Host Engine (Error Suppression) The CPU Usage Limit setting controls the percentage of CPU resources allocated to Pro Tools host processing tasks. Used in combination with the Host Processors setting, the CPU Usage Limit setting lets you control the way Pro Tools tasks are carried out by the system. The Host Engine option determines RTAS error reporting during playback and recording. This is especially useful when working with instrument 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.
Delay Compensation Engine Delay Compensation Settings The Delay Compensation Engine setting determines how much DSP resources are dedicated for Delay Compensation. There are three settings in the Playback Engine dialog for dedicating DSP resources for Delay Compensation: To maintain phase coherent time alignment, Pro Tools adds the exact amount of delay to each track necessary to make that particular track’s delay equal to the total system delay.
• DAE Playback Buffer Size settings higher than 1500 msec (Level 2) allow higher track count, higher density of edits in a session, or the use of slower hard drives. However, a higher setting may increase the time lag when starting playback or recording, or cause a longer audible time lag while editing during playback. Using a larger DAE Playback Buffer Size leaves less system memory for other tasks.
The optimum Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size for most sessions is 250 ms (Level 2). Optimizing the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size • Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size settings lower than 250 msec (Level 2) reduce the amount of system memory used for sample playback and frees up memory for other system tasks. However, reliability of sample playback may decrease.
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.) The Hardware Setup dialog can be opened and configured whether or not a Pro Tools session is open. Default Sample Rate The Sample Rate setting appears as the default sample rate when you create a new session.
Configuring Audio Interfaces Identifying Audio Interfaces HD I/O, 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, and 96i I/O audio interfaces support sixteen channels of simultaneous I/O in multiple formats (such as analog, AES/EBU, ADAT Optical, S/PDIF, and TDIF). HD OMNI supports up to eight channels of I/O in multiple formats. MADI I/O supports up to 64 channels of I/O.
3 Click the Main tab. Press Command+Left or Right Arrow keys (Mac) or Control+Left or Right Arrow keys (Windows) to move though the different pages of the Hardware Setup dialog. You can also press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) and the number keys (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) at the top of the QWERTY keyboard to select the corresponding page of the Hardware Setup. For example, press Command+4 (Mac) or Control+4 (Windows) to select the Monitor page for HD OMNI.
9 Configure any specific controls for your audio interface: • “Configuring HD OMNI Controls” on page 54. • “Configuring HD I/O Controls” on page 55. Configuring HD OMNI Controls For detailed information about configuring HD OMNI, see the HD OMNI Guide. To configure HD OMNI in Pro Tools: • “Configuring HD MADI Controls” on page 56. 1 Choose Setup > Hardware. • “Configuring 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O Controls” on page 57. audio interface. • “Configuring 96 I/O Controls” on page 58.
5 Click the Analog In tab and configure the options. Configuring HD I/O Controls For detailed information about configuring HD I/O, see the HD I/O Guide. To configure controls for HD I/O: 1 Choose Setup > Hardware. 2 From the Peripherals list, select the HD I/O au- dio interface. 3 Click the Main tab and configure the options. HD OMNI Hardware Setup, Analog In page 6 Click the Main tab and configure the options.
5 If you have two HD I/O AD cards, click the An- Configuring HD MADI Controls alog In 9–16 tab and configure the options. For detailed information about configuring HD MADI, see the HD MADI Guide. To configure controls for HD MADI: 1 Choose Setup > Hardware. 2 From the Peripherals list, select either HD MADI Port 1 or HD MADI Port 2 and configure the options. HD I/O Hardware Setup, Analog In 9–16 page 6 If you have at least one HD I/O Digital card, click the Digital tab and configure the options.
Configuring 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O Controls For detailed information about configuring 192 I/O or 192 Digital I/O, see the 192 I/O Guide. 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: • You can set your operating level on a channel-by-channel basis by selecting Reference Level +4 dBu or –10 dBV. These settings correspond to two different input connectors on the back of the 192 I/O.
To configure controls for a 192 Digital I/O or 192 I/O with an optional Digital I/O card: On the 192 Digital I/O or a 192 I/O with an optional Digital I/O card, click the Digital tab to set the Input Format (AES/EBU, TDIF, or ADAT Optical) and enable real-time sample rate conversion (in channel pairs, with the SR Conversion option). • You can set your operating level on a channel-by-channel basis by selecting Reference Level +4 dBu or –10 dBV.
Configuring 96i I/O Controls For detailed information about configuring 96i I/O, see the 96i I/O Guide. To configure controls for a 96i I/O: 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. 2 Set input sensitivity by doing the following: • For Inputs 1–4, set the input trim slider to match the output level of the connected instrument. Choices range from –12 dBV to +4 dBu.
7 From the Interface pop-up, select the type of Legacy I/O you connected. After you select the type of Legacy I/O, the Main page updates with controls that can be configured. If your Legacy interface does not appear, check connections and repeat from step 1, above. 8 Repeat the above steps for each additional Legacy I/O. 9 Click OK to close the Hardware Setup dialog. For information on Hardware Setup controls for each Legacy I/O, refer to the guide for that interface.
Opening the I/O Setup Dialog I/O Settings Pages The I/O Setup dialog can be opened and configured whether or not a Pro Tools session is open. The I/O Setup dialog provides tabs to open pages for configuring the following I/O Settings: To open the I/O Setup dialog: 1 Make sure your audio interfaces are enabled and configured properly in the Hardware Setup dialog. See “Configuring Audio Interfaces” on page 52. 2 Choose Setup > I/O.
H/W Insert Delay Set the amount of Delay Compensation (in milliseconds) for each external device. These times will be used by the Delay Compensation Engine to time align input paths when the hardware insert is in use and Delay Compensation is enabled. The H/W Insert Delay settings are saved with the system. To open any specific I/O Settings page: Click the corresponding tab at the top of the I/O Setup dialog.
Output Busses Pro Tools audio outputs—from tracks and sends—are routed to output busses, which in turn are mapped to Pro Tools output paths. Pro Tools output paths are then routed to physical outputs on your Pro Tools audio interfaces. Output busses are in addition to the 128 available internal mix busses. 3 In the New Path dialog, specify the number of new paths you want to create, the channel width for each path, and the path name.
To map all output busses of the same format to an output path: 1 Do one of the following: • Shift click to select contiguous Output busses. Figure 10 on page 65 shows the signal path from the output of an audio track, through the output bus mapped to a physical output on an HD I/O. – or – Example: • Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) to select noncontiguous Output busses.
1. 2. 4. 3. Figure 10.
Recommended Output Path Naming Schemes Generally, you will want to use standard naming schemes for output paths in your Pro Tools sessions. This facilitates session exchange between different Pro Tools systems. Here are some examples of standard industry naming schemes: 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. 3 Click the Main tab. 4 Select an output pair from an Output pop-up menu.
Backing Up Your System Configuration After configuring your system and Pro Tools, you should save an image of your system drive using a backup utility such as Bombich Carbon Copy Cloner or Time Machine (Mac) or Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost (Windows). By doing this, you can quickly restore your system configuration and settings if you encounter any problems.
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appendix a 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 To format an audio drive: Avid 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. 1 Right-click My Computer and choose Manage. 2 Under Storage, choose Disk Management. For complete information on track count and the supported number and configuration of SCSI drives, visit our website (www.avid.com).
4 If the volume is “Unallocated,” do the following: • In the Disk Management window, rightclick the hard drive you will use for audio and choose New Partition. To format an audio drive: 1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in Applications/Utilities. • In the New Partition Wizard window, click Next. • When prompted, select the partition type. Avid recommends using Primary partitions, instead of Extended partitions.
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.
Defragmenting Windows Audio Drives To defragment an audio drive: 1 Right-click My Computer (Windows XP) or Computer (Windows 7) and choose Manage. 2 Under Storage, choose Disk Defragmenter. 3 In the Disk Defragmenter window, choose the drive you want to defragment 4 Click the Defragment button and follow the on-screen instructions. When defragmenting is complete, close the Computer Management window.
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appendix b 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 inter- face 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 Making MIDI input and output connections 2 Select a manufacturer and model for the new device from the corresponding pop-up menus.
3 Click the More Information arrow to expand 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.) 4 Click the device image. The window expands 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 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 Se- lect 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 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. Introduction to DSP-Induced Delay In all digital systems, DSP processing causes signal delays of varying amounts.
In any session, if you want to maintain absolute time alignment across all tracks you should always compensate for signal processing delays. Delay Compensation should be enabled during playback and mixing so that all tracks’ outputs are correctly time-aligned. Using Delay Compensation Pro Tools provides automatic Delay Compensation for managing DSP delays from plug-in and hardware inserts, and mixer routing (bussing and sends).
appendix e TDM Mixing and DSP Usage Benefits of TDM II 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 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 86 Pro Tools|HD User 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.
To monitor the usage of DSP resources during a Pro Tools session: Choose Window > System Usage. 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.
with audio tracks, then add sends and Auxiliary Inputs, and finally add plug-ins as available DSP allows. Master Faders do not use additional DSP power. Each Pro Tools|HD card has nine DSPs, which can power a certain number of signal processing tasks. DSP resources are dynamically allocated as the number of mixers and inputs increases. DSP Usage and Mixer Plug-Ins The TDM mixer provides basic building blocks by which applications such as Pro Tools can create a wide variety of mixer configurations.
mixer for its output pair, then a new mixer will be created. A send to bus 3 will make a 1x2 mixer for bus 3 if no other bus 3 sources have been created yet. In addition, adding a new track and assigning its input to a bus source will create a mixer for that bus pair if there is not one already. 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.
HD Accel card, Dithered mixers Mixer Surround Dithered, 7.1 Sample Rate (kHz) Usage per Chip 176.4 and 192 8x6 44.1 and 48 34x8 88.2 and 96 20x8 176.4 and 192 4x8 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.
vides extremely smooth volume changes. In addition, DAE “de-zippers” any “live input” to the mixer so that fast, real-time fader changes that come in from fader movements (on the Pro Tool user interface or control surfaces), do not cause audible artifacts as the mixer tries to “catch up” to fast changes that it receives.
Plug-in Features Switching Mixer Plug-ins Standard Surround and Stereo Mixers To switch TDM Mixer plug-ins: Both the Surround and Stereo Mixer plug-ins provide the following: • 24-bit digital output, from an audio interface output or Bounce to Disk. Mix level scaling stores 48-bit results, using a 56-bit accumulator for maximum precision. • 48 dB of mix headroom. • Output clip indication. • Multichannel mixing formats for surround (Surround Mixer only).
DSP Usage with TDM Plug-Ins To get the best results when using TDM plugins, keep in mind the following guidelines Pro Tools|HD systems use MultiShell™ technology, that lets any MultiShell compatible plug-in share DSP chips HD cards. Up to five types of MultiShell compatible plug-ins can share a single DSP chip. Refer to the Audio Plug-Ins Guide for details on MultiShell plug-ins. Stereo DSP plug-ins generally use up twice as much DSP as mono plug-ins. Master Faders do not require additional DSP.
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appendix f 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. Audio Interface Is Not Recognized Problem When you launch Pro Tools it does not recognize an audio interface, or a connected audio interface is not available.
If you have a large number of cards or audio interfaces, it may take a while for the DigiTest window to appear, as DigiTest scans for all cards and interfaces connected to the system. The more cards and audio interfaces in your system, the longer the test will take. 6 When prompted, power cycle all Pro Tools pe- ripherals in your system. Click Continue. 7 To test the interfaces connected to your sys- tem, check “Test I/O Box.” LEDs on your digital interfaces may light up during this test.
If a supported card is installed and is not automatically detected: 1 Quit DigiTest. DigiTest Error Codes DigiTest Error Codes Code Description Err3 Cards from different Pro Tools systems are incorrectly mixed. See the configuration chapters. Err4 Cards marked with this error are installed in the wrong order. See the configuration chapters. Err5 Too many cards of this type are installed in the system. Visit our website for compatibility information. Err6 A card is installed in a reserve slot.
Identifying Pro Tools|HD 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 Pro Tools|HD cards of the same type installed in your system. If firmware updates are available for any of your Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces (HD I/O, HD OMNI, HD MADI, 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O), you can use DigiTest to perform the update.
Performance Factors There are several conditions that may adversely affect the performance of Pro Tools. These include: Network Connections Close any network connections unless you are using them for network interchange of audio data. Background Applications Any software utilities that run in the background or generate disk activity, such as virus protection, disk optimization, or file savers, should be turned off or removed.
Other Hardware Refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for operational details. The most common hardware additions include: • SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) cards (manufacturer, model, settings) • 1394 (FireWire) cards for Windows systems (manufacturer, model) • Expansion Chassis (manufacturer, model, bridge chip type) • Video Capture cards (manufacturer, model) To verify that your hardware is qualified for use with your system, visit www.avid.com.
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appendix g 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. Pro Tools|HD User Guide This Pro Tools|HD User Guide provides detailed instructions for setting up and configuring Pro Tools|HD hardware and software for optimum performance.
Guides Accessible in Pro Tools PDF versions of the main Pro Tools guides are accessible from the Pro Tools Help menu. These include: • Pro Tools Shortcuts, provides a complete list of keyboard and Right-click shortcuts for Pro Tools. • Audio Plug-ins Guide, describes the audio plugins included with Pro Tools for both real-time and file-based audio processing as well as many other paid plug-in option offered from Avid. • Pro Tools Menus Guide, covers all the Pro Tools on-screen menus.
appendix h Compliance Information Environmental Compliance Disposal of Waste Equipment by Users in the European Union Proposition 65 Warning This product contains chemicals, including lead, known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling. Perchlorate Notice This product may contain a lithium coin battery.
EMC (Electromagnetic Compliance) Australian Compliance Avid declares that this product complies with the following standards regulating emissions and immunity: • FCC Part 15 Class A • EN55103-1 E4 • EN55103-2 E4 • AS/NZS 3548 Class A • CISPR 22 Class A Canadian Compliance FCC Compliance for United States This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003 Radio and Television Interference This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursua
Safety Compliance Safety Statement This equipment has been tested to comply with USA and Canadian safety certification in accordance with the specifications of UL Standards: UL60065 7th /IEC 60065 7th and Canadian CAN/CSA C22.2 60065:03. Avid Inc., has been authorized to apply the appropriate UL & CUL mark on its compliant equipment. Warning 12) For products that are not rack-mountable: Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the equipment.
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index Numerics 1622 I/O 8 16-channel peripheral cable adapter 20 192 Digital I/O 7, 57, 58 192 I/O 6, 57, 58 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O 8 882|20 I/O 8 888|24 I/O 8 96 I/O 7, 58 96i I/O 8, 59 A Accel Core (for PCIe) 3 allocating DSP 87, 89 ASIO driver (Windows) 30 audio connections 39 audio drivers ASIO driver (Windows) 30 Core Audio driver (Mac) 23 WaveDriver (Windows) 30 audio interfaces connecting 16 connection 17 firmware (Windows) 101 heat and ventilation 17 Legacy 8 Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Mac) 75 automa
E Energy Saver (Mac), turning off 25 error codes DigiTest 99 error suppression 46 Ext.
PRE 9 Pro Tools capabilities 2 configuration 44 demo session (Mac) 24 demo session (Windows) 31 installing 21, 27 launching (Mac) 22 launching (Windows) 29 preferences 28 removing (Mac) 24 removing (Windows) 31 Pro Tools software installation Mac 21 Windows 27 Pro Tools|24 MIX 8 Pro Tools|HD control surfaces 9 synchronization peripherals 9 worksurfaces 9 Pro Tools|HD cards installing 12, 14 Processor Scheduling performance (Windows) 33 Program Change dialog 78, 82 Q QuickTime installing (Windows) 29 R Reg
Avid Technical Support (USA) Product Information 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA Visit the Online Support Center at www.avid.com/support For company and product information, visit us on the web at www.avid.
