DAWs

At the heart of Digidesign's drive to turn Pro Tools into a serious tool for music creation are the MIDI and Score editors in Pro Tools 8. We explain how to get the best from these new heavyweights.

As well as the new user interface, MIDI and score editors described in Part 1 of our review, Pro Tools 8 offers an impressive collection of instruments and plug-ins, new ways of working with Playlists, and even the option of surround mixing in LE.

Eight is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture. Will this eighth version of Pro Tools bring prosperity to Digidesign, as they try to establish their world-leading recording and mixing application as a serious contender in the music-creation market?

You can save time and cut down on mouse-clicks by using Pro Tools' window management features.

Digidesign's Transfuser plug-in is a sequencer within a sequencer — not to mention a sampler, loop-slicer, synth, drum machine and effects unit! We offer some expert tips to help you get to grips with it.

The addition of comprehensive support for right-clicking in recent versions of Pro Tools has revolutionised the user experience. We explain how to get the best from the new functionality.

Used correctly, VCA groups can make a big difference when you're faced with a complex mix and lots of automation.

Has a broken iLok or a power cut brought your Pro Tools rig to a shuddering halt? All may not be lost...

When your Pro Tools mix is finished, you'll need to export it as a stereo file. We explain why the obvious Bounce To Disk option might not be the best choice for you...

Like many DAW manufacturers, Digidesign offer their own convolution plug-in as an add-on for Pro Tools. We explain how to get the best from TL Space.

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.

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.

Small and affordable it may be, but Digidesign's Command-8 is also a surprisingly versatile and powerful tool for controlling Pro Tools.

Improving your Pro Tools system needn't always cost money. We look at some essential add-ons that can be downloaded for nothing.

Nowadays, we expect software to be able to change the tempo of recorded audio, but the latest version of Pro Tools integrates this functionality in a new and impressive fashion.

We've all been in that situation — desperate to add one more plug-in, but with a computer on the verge of collapse. We explain how to wring that last ounce of power from your Pro Tools rig.

In sound for picture, there's often a need to lock multiple Pro Tools rigs together. We uncover a neat way to obtain professional sync facilities for a fraction of the price of conventional systems.

If you've time enough to install it all, the extra software bundled with new Pro Tools systems has a lot to offer — particularly if you have the Pro version of Digidesign's Ignition Pack 2.

Ever found yourself struggling to remember what you have connected to Input 7, or which effect is on Bus 3-4? Five minutes' work in the I/O Setup window will end your confusion forever...

If you want other people to hear your surround mixes, you'll need to encode them into a consumer format. Pro Tools users have a choice of software for this purpose. Which should you choose?

Pro Tools doesn't support RAID arrays, but does have its own disk management features that allow you to 'stripe' audio files across multiple disks, or record additional safety copies of everything.