Article Preview - Pro Tools: Using Templates & Real-time Backups

The focus is on better project management in this month's Pro Tools workshop, as we explain the advantages of using template Sessions, and look at some tools that can help you avoid data loss.

Mike Thornton

Many Pro Tools users find that they frequently work on projects where a number of different Sessions are required, but there's a lot in common between each of these. For instance, if you're recording an album with a band, there are likely to be numerous similarities in instrumentation, effects and processing across all the album tracks. In these circumstances, you can save a lot of time by creating a single template Session as a starting point.

To create a template, you build your Session in the normal way, adding tracks, plug-ins, routing and I/O settings to suit. Once you've saved and closed this empty Session, you can use your computer's operating system to configure it as a template.

Template Sessions are very handy where you have multiple projects that require, for example, the same monitoring or routing arrangements.

On the Mac, find the session you have just created in the Finder, single-click it to highlight it, use Get Info (Command+I) and set to Stationery Pad, then close the window. Now when you open the template Session Pro Tools offers you two options: Edit Stationery or Create New Session. If you choose New Session, Pro Tools asks you where you would like to save it on your system, and you can then use the new Session as a starting point for your project.

On Mac OS X, the Stationery Pad option in the Get Info window is used to tell the operating system that a file should be treated as a template.

On Windows machines, you need to find the Session you have just created, right-click the file and select Properties. Under Attributes, tick the Read Only box, and then click OK. (If you ever want to modify your template Session, you will need to untick Read Only, make your changes, save and then re-tick Read Only.) To use this template Session, open it in the usual way, then hit Ctrl+S to save. Pro Tools will ask you to give the Session a new name, and your original template will remain unchanged.

Template Tips

You may want to add audio and MIDI to a template Session if it is likely to be used across most of the Sessions in the project.

Because of how OS X is designed, on Mac systems you should either drag your template Session icon to the Pro Tools icon in the Dock or use the File / Open menu. Don't double-click the template Session: this will create a copy of the template in the same location on your system and you won't be offered the option to Edit Stationery or Create New Session.

...