PT110 Module 3 (2023) - Working with Tracks

Folder tracks in Pro Tools act like folders on your computer, grouping tracks together for better organization.

Basic folder tracks are used for simple organization, just like you would organize files on your computer.

Routing folders can route audio to different outputs and control bussing, providing more control over your audio mix.

Basic folder tracks can be grouped together like folders within folders on your computer, allowing for more complex organization.

A Basic folder track's Solo button only allows the tracks within that folder to be heard, making it easier to isolate and work on specific parts of your session.

Muting a Basic folder track silences all the tracks within that folder.

When any track within a Basic folder track has an audio signal, the Audio Signal Indicator will light up green.

When any track within a Basic folder track has MIDI data played, the MIDI Signal Indicator lights up orange.

Double-clicking within the edit, mix, or tracks list window while no new tracks have been added to the session creates a new Stereo Audio Track.

Holding down a modifier key while double-clicking creates a new track of a specific type. The track's width will be the same as the last created track.

The exception to the track type creation rule is the Instrument track, which is always created as a stereo track.

Holding down multiple modifier keys when double-clicking creates several new tracks.

Pro Tools' Batch Rename feature allows you to efficiently rename multiple tracks.

The Batch Track Rename dialog box provides various options for renaming multiple tracks.

The Replace option in the Batch Track Rename dialog allows you to replace existing track names, clear them entirely, or find and replace text based on specific criteria.

The Trim option allows you to remove characters from the beginning, end, or within a specific range of the track name.

The Add option allows you to add text to the beginning, middle, or end of track names.

The Numbering option allows you to apply numbers to your renamed tracks in a variety of ways.

You can save your Batch Rename settings as a preset to easily recall and implement them later.

The Batch Track Rename Librarian Menu allows you to manage and recall saved Batch Rename presets.

You can also save your Batch Rename settings as a separate file from the Batch Track Rename Librarian Menu.

The Batch Rename feature is a valuable time-saver for efficiently renaming multiple tracks.

A system that assigns colors to tracks based on their voice assignment (Dyn or Off for non-HDX systems) or MIDI channel assignment.

This feature assigns colors to tracks based on their voice assignment or MIDI device assignment.

This system uses color to categorize tracks based on their group membership.

Assigns a distinct color to each track type, making it easier to identify them visually.

A type of track in Pro Tools that represents a collection of other tracks.

Tracks in Pro Tools that are used to record and edit audio signals.

Tracks used for bringing external audio from external devices into Pro Tools.

A special type of track used for controlling the overall volume level of the mix.

Specialized tracks in Pro Tools used for controlling groups of channels.

Tracks used for recording and editing MIDI data.

Tracks designed specifically for recording and playing virtual instruments.

A window in Pro Tools that allows you to customize the colors of tracks.

A feature in Pro Tools that allows you to create a new track by double-clicking an empty space in the Tracks List.

A modifier key on a computer (Command on Mac or Ctrl on Windows) that can be used to change the type of track created when double-clicking.

Adding tracks within existing folder tracks creates a nested structure, which can be visually represented by descending lines.

A powerful track type that combines the features of a Basic Folder track and an Auxiliary Input track.

Routing Folder tracks are often used to control subgroups of tracks, allowing you to manage their visibility and adjust their volume levels.

Adding a Folder track to your session is similar to adding any other type of track, but it requires a slight adjustment to navigate the different track types.

Moving tracks into a Folder track is easy. You can drag the desired tracks onto the Folder track in the Tracks list, and a yellow outline will appear when the tracks can be dropped.

While dragging tracks into a Routing Folder doesn't automatically route their outputs, you can route them manually. This involves setting the output of the tracks to the Routing Folder track.

When a Folder track is selected, tracks created in the session will automatically be placed inside that Folder track.

In the Edit window, you can collapse or expand a Folder track by clicking the folder icon located in the lower left section of the Folder track. This hides or reveals the tracks within the folder.

In the Mix window, you can collapse or expand a Folder track by clicking the folder icon in the lower right-hand corner of the channel strip.

You can delete a Folder track by using the standard methods, but you have options for what happens to the tracks inside: Cancel, Delete, or Keep.

Different methods exist for viewing track colors in the Edit and Mix windows, including using the View menu or the Edit Window View and Mix Window View selectors.

Track colors can help you organize your session by assigning different colors to tracks based on their purpose or category.

You can choose the default track colors based on your preference. This means you can decide if your tracks will be colored by default or remain black.

You can assign colors to specific tracks according to your preference.

In the Edit window, track colors are displayed as colored tabs on the left end of the tracks.

In the Mix window, track colors are displayed as colored tabs above and below the channel strips, and colored boxes next to the tracks in the Tracks list.

Audio on sample-based tracks is locked to a specific position, regardless of tempo changes.

Audio on tick-based tracks is positioned relative to the tempo, so it moves along with changes in the BPM.

Changing the timebase of a track can be useful when you have audio or automation that needs to stay in sync, regardless of tempo changes.

If a track's timebase doesn't match the rest of your session, your audio and automation might not move together when you change the tempo.

To fix a timebase mismatch, simply change the timebase of the track that's out of sync.

A Routing Folder track is like a container for multiple tracks, allowing you to route their audio to different outputs and control bussing.

A Basic Folder track simply groups tracks for better organization.

You can use the Shortcut Menu to access a variety of useful tools and features for working with tracks, including soloing, muting, and creating folders.

A shortcut that allows you to toggle the solo status of a track with a single keystroke.

A shortcut that allows you to toggle the mute status of a track with a single keystroke.

A shortcut that allows you to toggle the open/closed state of a folder track with a single keystroke.

A feature that places an edit cursor on a track whenever you select it, ensuring that shortcuts like soloing or muting work on the currently selected track.

A shortcut that works only on tracks that have edit cursors placed on them.

A visual indicator in the Counter and Edit Selection section that shows whether any track in the session is currently soloed. Clicking it will un-solo all tracks.

A visual indicator in the Counter and Edit Selection section that shows whether any track in the session is currently muted. Clicking it has no effect on the session.

A feature that lets you easily find and navigate to a specific track in your session, even if it's within a collapsed folder.

Tracks that are currently active and can be manipulated in the session. For example, a track with an edit cursor is active.

Tracks that are not currently active and cannot be manipulated directly in the session. For example, a track that doesn't have an edit cursor is inactive.

A feature of basic folder tracks that activates only the tracks contained within that folder when pressed, so that you can easily isolate and work on specific parts of your session.

A feature of basic folder tracks that silences all the tracks contained within that folder when pressed.

A visual indicator on a basic folder track that lights up green when any track within that folder has audio signal passing through it.

A visual indicator on a basic folder track that lights up orange when any track within that folder has MIDI data played through it.

An inactive track in Pro Tools is a track that is not currently processing audio or MIDI data. It is essentially "asleep" and uses no resources until reactivated.

Deactivating a track in Pro Tools makes it inactive, meaning it won't process any audio or MIDI data until reactivated. Any inserts and sends on the track are also deactivated, making the track completely inert.

A deactivated track is visually different in Pro Tools. In the Edit and Mix windows, it appears darker, and the track name is italicized in the Tracks List, Edit window, and Mix window.

An active track added to an inactive Folder track becomes inactive, matching the Folder's status. However, manually inactive tracks will remain inactive when added to an active Folder track.

When a Folder track's activity status is changed, all tracks that were active when added to it follow the change. Manually inactive tracks retain their status.

A "Trash Can" Folder is a Folder track in Pro Tools that's made inactive and used as a temporary storage area for tracks you are not currently using. This helps keep your session organized and prevents deleting useful tracks.

To create a "Trash Can" Folder, create a new Basic Folder track, name it descriptively, and then make it inactive. You can then drag unwanted tracks into it to make them inactive and hide them.

You can recover tracks from a "Trash Can" Folder by simply dragging them out. The track will become active again, along with its sends and plugins.

Using a "Trash Can" Folder allows you to temporarily store tracks without deleting them, ensuring their recovery if needed. It also automates the inactivation/activation process and preserves Pro Tools' undo history.

Sample-based tracks in Pro Tools have all their elements, such as clips and automation, tied to a specific, absolute position on the timeline. This means changes in tempo do not affect the track's content.

Tick-based tracks are based on a relative time system, where elements are tied to ticks rather than absolute positions. Therefore, changes in tempo will affect the positions of elements on the track.

You can identify a sample-based track in Pro Tools by a blue clock icon displayed in the track's Timebase Selector.

Tick-based tracks are more flexible than sample-based tracks because their elements adjust to changes in tempo. This can be useful for creating musical arrangements that respond to tempo changes.

Tempo changes affect the positions of elements on a tick-based track due to the relationship between ticks and tempo. Elements will move forward or backward on the track depending on the tempo change.

By default, audio tracks, auxiliary input tracks, master fader, VCA, routing folder, and video tracks are all sample-based in Pro Tools.

By default, MIDI and Instrument tracks are tick-based in Pro Tools.

When a track is tick-based, the clip's beginning is anchored to a specific tick location. This means that changing the tempo will not simply move the clip forward or backward in time, but will also affect the clip's duration, making it longer or shorter depending on the tempo change.

When a track is sample-based, the clip's beginning is anchored to a specific time point in real time, unaffected by tempo changes. Changing the tempo will simply move the clip forward or backward without affecting its duration.

Changing the tempo of a track will affect not only the start time but also the duration of notes played on a MIDI track because MIDI note start and end positions are separate events that respond to tempo changes.

Tempo changes do not affect the duration of audio clips unless Elastic Audio is applied. Elastic Audio is a feature that allows for tempo changes to stretch or compress audio while preserving its pitch.

When a MIDI or Instrument track is set to sample-based, tempo changes will no longer affect their note start and end positions. This makes them behave like audio and stay fixed in time regardless of tempo changes.

To change the timebase of a track, click on its Timebase Selector, which is a blue clock icon for sample-based tracks or a green metronome icon for tick-based tracks.

You can use the Separate Clip at Transients feature to divide a single clip into multiple smaller clips at each transient or beat within the clip.

When you change the tempo of a track with tick-based audio, the clip boundaries will shift based on the tick location, which ensures that the audio follows the tempo changes.

Tick-based audio offers more flexibility for working with tempo changes in music production. It allows you to create more precisely timed audio loops that reliably adjust to tempo changes. However, you need to ensure that the clip boundaries align correctly with the desired tempo changes.

Elastic Audio is a feature that allows for stretching or compressing audio clips without altering pitch, ensuring that the audio follows tempo changes while maintaining a consistent pitch.

Automation in Pro Tools is also affected by track timebases. Tick-based tracks respond directly to tempo changes, while sample-based tracks remain unaffected. This can be utilized for precise timing of automation parameters, ensuring they align with the tempo of the music.

The Solo button on a Basic Folder track will only play the tracks within that folder, muting all other tracks.

The Mute button on a Basic Folder track will silence all tracks within that folder.

A visual indicator on a Basic Folder track that lights up green whenever any track within the folder has an audio signal.

A visual indicator on a Basic Folder track that lights up orange whenever any track within the folder has MIDI data playing back.

The feature allowing you to rename multiple tracks efficiently and with customized settings.

You can visually differentiate various aspects of your session, like tracks based on their MIDI channel or voice assignment, or categorize them by their group membership. This visual aid helps manage larger sessions.

A shortcut that lets you create a new track by double-clicking in the Edit, Mix, or Tracks list window.

Modifier keys like Shift, Option, or Command can change the type of track created when double-clicking.

Audio on sample-based tracks is locked to a specific position in the timeline, independent of tempo changes. This means if you change the tempo, the audio will stay in the same place on the timeline.

Audio on tick-based tracks is locked to a position relative to the tempo. This means if you change the tempo, the audio will shift along the timeline to maintain the correct timing.

Changing the timebase of a track can be useful when you want to ensure that audio or automation stays in sync with tempo changes. This can be helpful when you're working with tracks that have different timebases, such as when you have a sample-based track that you want to change the tempo of.

If you have a track that is sample-based and the rest of your session is tick-based, you might run into problems when you change the tempo. This is because the audio on the sample-based track will not shift with the tempo changes, while the other tracks will.

To fix a timebase mismatch, you simply need to change the timebase of the track that is out of sync. For example, if you have a sample-based track that you want to change the tempo of, you can change it to tick-based.

Default tracks are sample-based are Audio, Aux, Master Fader, VCA, Routing Folder, and Video. Default tracks that are tick-based are MIDI and Instrument tracks.

Tempo changes on a tick-based track will affect the duration of notes played on a MIDI track because MIDI note start and end positions are separate events that respond directly to tempo changes.

Changing the timebase of a tick-based audio track to sample-based will make the audio clips remain fixed in place, unaffected by tempo changes. This can be useful if you don't want the audio to shift with the tempo.

The timebase of a track determines whether it's sample-based or tick-based. This setting influences how audio on the track responds to changes in tempo. Choose the right timebase depending on how you intend to use the track. It's like choosing the right type of vehicle for a journey.

When a tick-based track's tempo changes, the clip's position is anchored to a specific tick location, affecting both its start time and duration. Think of it like a timeline that expands or contracts based on tempo changes.

The Separate Clip at Transients feature divides a single clip into multiple smaller clips at each transient or beat within the clip. Think of it as precisely carving a single chunk of audio into smaller pieces based on the beats or sounds.