Pro Tools Pointers #6
Useful but Obscure Tips
by Dave Whittaker
SECTIONS:
Okay, I admit it: the April column on digital sync and video black made for perhaps less-than-riveting reading. To try and make up for that, this month's column will cover some useful tricks that aren't well known, even to many Pro Tools veterans.
A little-known "Import Audio" shortcut that's worth knowing unless you really enjoy feeling like you're wading through miles of mag again
You've probably used the "Play" and "Stop" buttons in the Import Audio window to audition audio files before importing. But this function always plays the audio file from the top, which often makes auditioning a tedious business. However, there is a quick way to jump ahead and back within the audio file: just click on the numbers that display your location within the audio file (the ones directly above the buttons) and you'll jump ahead in the file. Click near the left side of the numbers and you'll move forward just a bit, click farther to the right and you'll move a lot more. You can also click a bit above and below the numbers and this function will also work.
Play with this feature to get the feel for it and you'll undoubtedly find yourself using it a lot in the future.
The quick and easy way to slip sync and still maintain the same start and end of a region
Try holding the Control key down when you nudge a region with the + or - keys. You'll find that the audio file slips forwards and backwards inside the region boundaries. The usefulness of this feature, I think, is self-evident.
Session documents and 3rd party software - handle with care!
There are several programs from vendors other than Digidesign that perform valuable functions by using the data within session documents, including several cue sheet programs and the "Track Transfer" utility (Digidesign is now including it in the Pro Tools software package). It's best to run these programs from a copy of the session document, just on the off-chance that the session gets corrupted by the operation, and this does happen on occasion. I suggest you make a copy at the Finder level by simply selecting the session document and using the Mac "duplicate" command (Command-D). This clearly labels the copy as a copy so there's no confusion about which document to use.
Why you should check out "Read Me" documents in new software releases (in your "spare" time)
The "Read Me" document that accompanies Version 3.2 is full of useful stuff, in particular the chapters about Late-Breaking Info Not In Your User's Guide, New Features and Performance Improvements and Miscellaneous Tips. The frustrating part is that new features can sometimes be described in such cryptic terms that figuring them out can take some time and experimentation.
One such new feature is "Batch Importing" into an open session. It works like this: at finder level, select all the files you wish to import into a session that's already running and "drag and drop" them onto a Pro Tools icon alias on your desktop. The Mac will switch back to your open session and the audio files will quickly appear in your region list. No more wading through the "Import Audio" window to select files one by one!
Here's how to get into the "Read Me" document if you don't already know how: Find the folder on your internal drive that contains the Pro Tools program. Inside it is the Pro Tools program itself, perhaps a folder for Sound Designer if you have it (and you really should), and TDM folder if you're running on version 3 level hardware (such as the 882 and 888 audio interfaces), and at least two "Read Me" documents. Double click the "Read Me" for Pro Tools and follow the instructions to navigate about the document.
Dave Whittaker is currently at Weddington Productions which is now an all-Pro-Tools facility.
He has been working on Pro-Tools for 3 years, ever since mothballing his Moviola.
Thanks to Geoff Rubay for help with this column.
Reprinted from
The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter
Vol. 17, No. 4 - Sept/Oct 1996.