The Editing Environment

Pro Tools is set up around two main working environments: the Mix window (a virtual mixing console) and the Edit window (a multitrack editing area). The Edit window (similar, for comparison's sake, to the Arrange window in Cubase) is where audio and MIDI data are displayed as linear tracks, allowing you to work on them and build your song using the program's editing tools.

MIDI tracks can be set to various display modes, including two main view modes: Regions and Notes (the other modes are dedicated to automation data, which I'll cover later). In Regions mode, MIDI tracks are displayed as segments (Cubase users would call them Parts) that you can resize, duplicate, erase or copy in order to build your song.) Earlier versions of Pro Tools always displayed MIDI data in Regions mode; the new Notes mode, is Digidesign's implementation of the piano-roll editing environment found in all major sequencing programs.

Each track can be set to a choice of six different heights, from small to jumbo, and vertical/horizontal zoom buttons allow any adjustment of the display resolution. These parameters can be stored along with others such as cursor position in the song in one of the hundred memory locations for instant recall.

In the upper area of the window is the time rulers section. Pro Tools 5.0.1 offers a choice of five different timescales (bars:beats, minute:seconds, timecode, feet:frames, samples), as well as tempo, time signature and marker strips. Any combination of rulers may be displayed simultaneously, which will let you know your position in bars and beats into a song and at the same time check the duration of the intro or the sample size of a region.

The Mute Region in Pro Tools applies to MIDI Regions as well, which allows you to very quickly mute selected parts, and experiment with various arrangements. (The shaded regions are muted.)

The resolution of the bars:beats time ruler is 960 ppqn (pulses per quarter note). However, it is quite possible to nudge MIDI notes one sample at a time. The manual indicates that the sequencer engine has a resolution of 960,000 ppqn, which yields 21,77 pulses per sample at 44.1 kHz! If that's not tight enough for you, you'd better stick to analog tape recording.

Next page: Recording