Pro Tools

Version 6.9 of Pro Tools is here, bringing with it the usual slew of improvements and changes — and the odd pitfall for the unwary. Here's what you need to know if you are thinking of taking the plunge.

In a busy recording studio, no-one wants to be hanging around while you duplicate individual tracks or try to locate 'take six'. Here we lift the lid on some essential session-smoothing tips and techniques.

This month sees a high-quality, free EQ plug-in gracing the Digirack suite, some intriguing options for collaboration via the Internet, and a host of updates.

For the first time ever, Digidesign's Pro Tools recording software is available as a stand-alone product, which can be used in conjunction with any of five audio interfaces from M-Audio.

Most people find that learning keyboard commands for their DAW enables them to get things done faster, and for the advanced user, Pro Tools has a special mode which turns the entire QWERTY keyboard into a bank of one-press shortcuts.

We bring you all the latest news from the Digidesign universe...

Whatever computer recording system you use, the chances are it's going to fall over sooner or later, and Pro Tools is no exception. So before you call the technical support line, take a look at Sound On Sound's guide to diagnosing and fixing the most common faults.

We look at a range of techniques you can try to help you produce a better vocal sound for your project.

We take a closer look at one of the more understated improvements introduced in the version 6.7 upgrade. What are tick-based audio tracks, how do they work, and what can you do with them?

Pro Tools was originally designed as an audio editor, and it still has some very powerful tools for quick and accurate editing. This month we explain the mysteries of Shuffle mode, and looks at the ways in which key commands and memory locations can speed up your editing.

Our new columnist provides the detailed lowdown on a new version of Pro Tools...

There's an outbreak of literary criticism in this month's column, as we take a look at some of the Pro Tools books currently doing the rounds.

While Pro Tools is widely known for its dominance in the field of computer-based audio recording, little is made of the fact that it also features fully fledged MIDI sequencing facilities.

Digidesign's Samplecell products once had a huge army of users, many of whom still have well-loved sample libraries stranded in this format. We look at the options available to continue using these sample patches in Pro Tools.

We feature a bumper crop of handy tips in this month's guide to all that's good in Pro Tools...

PT version 6.4 comes with some surprising and long-awaited new features.

A common occasion for grief in Pro Tools is when moving projects from one system to another. Here are some tips to help you keep your hair.

You don't need a Pro Control to get some hands-on control of Pro Tools. You don't even need one of the 'supported' MIDI control surfaces: pretty much anything with knobs on will do. Read on...

Public service time in Pro Tools Notes this month as we respond to user queries on recording via plug-ins and Rewire, creating gated effects, and bouncing.

All Pro Tools systems now come with a bundle of extra software: Reason Adapted, Live Digidesign Edition, Amplitube LE, Sampletank SE and T-Racks EQ. Here we use Live's powerful time-warping features to run tempo-shifted vocals alongside a remix.

Many users probably never venture into Pro Tools's Calibration Mode, but you could be compromising the sound quality of your Pro Tools rig and external gear if you don't think about lining up your analogue connections correctly.