Article Preview - Creating Your Own Pro Tools Shortcuts & Macros

Pro Tools doesn't officially support macros or assignable keyboard shortcuts, but with a little know-how and a copy of QuicKeys, you can use custom key commands to bring up anything from simple menu items to complex chains of commands.

Mike Thornton

Over the years, Digidesign have added more and more keyboard shortcuts to Pro Tools, but there is still no option to have different profiles for different users. Nor is it possible to reassign shortcuts within Pro Tools, or create macros to implement complex operations with one keyboard shortcut. This approach has its advantages — you'll never find yourself at a loss as to how to use someone else's Pro Tools system — but some users find its inflexibility frustrating. Fortunately, there are 'unofficial' ways around these restrictions, and in this month's Pro Tools workshop we're going to explore the options that are available if you want to add your own keyboard shortcuts or macro functionality to Pro Tools.

Panther Tracks

Since OS 10.3 'Panther', Mac OS X has included what some would describe as a hidden feature which makes it possible to add your own keyboard shortcuts to menu items, either globally or on an application-specific basis. One advantage of this approach is that it requires no extra software, and is free!

System Preferences in Mac OS 10.3 and above has the ability to assign key commands to menu items.

To set up your own keyboard shortcuts, you need to run System Preferences either from the dock or from the Apple menu. Select Keyboard & Mouse from the Hardware section of the System Preferences window, then choose the Keyboard Shortcuts tab, and you will get to the window from which you can add, edit and delete keyboard shortcuts. Click on the '+' icon near the bottom left-hand corner and a small window will pop up.

To create a Pro Tools-specific shortcut, click on the Application drop-down menu, go straight to the bottom and select Other (it would appear that the OS can only see applications that are not nested in sub-folders for the drop-down menu). This will bring up a standard navigation window, within which you should navigate your way to the Pro Tools application, and click the Add button.

Here I've added new shortcuts to the Preferences menu item and the No Scrolling sub-menu item using System Preferences.

Next you need to type the exact menu option you want to create a shortcut for. In the example screenshots I am going to create a shortcut to display the Pro Tools Preferences window. You have to remember to type the name of the menu item exactly as it appears in Pro Tools, including the ellipsis (...) at the end of the word 'Preferences...' Finally, select a keyboard shortcut that hasn't already been assigned. You have to quit Pro Tools and reboot it for the new shortcut to become active. If all has been successful, your new shortcut will be in the menu, just like all the rest.

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