And You re Going to Need

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Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 02/13/2006 02:25 PM Page xii Do you ever wake up in the morning, turn on the coffee pot and think, Hey, I wonder how this machine works?

1 Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 02/13/ :25 PM Page xii Do you ever wake up in the morning, turn on the coffee pot and think, Hey, I wonder how this machine works? and then decide to take it apart and figure it out? Me neither. I simply want to turn on the machine and drink my coffee. I find the same thing in recording my music. I don t want to be a technician; I simply want to be a musician and songwriter. That s the premise of Pro Tools for Musicians and Songwriters. If you want to sit down and be creative, and make music without being overwhelmed with technical details, then you made a wise choice in picking up this book. So many new users of computer-based audio systems are intimidated by the technology and overwhelmed at the thought of setting up and learning it. If you feel that way, you re not alone. I always remind new users that at some point in their lives, the knobs and buttons on the dishwasher or washing machine looked complicated too but now they re common knowledge. That s the comfort zone where I hope this book will take you. I believe this book will make it possible for songwriters and musicians to learn Pro Tools in a fun, unintimidating way. My goal is to turn even the staunchest technophobes into download-savvy Pro Tools whizzes. So, make a fresh pot of coffee and let s get started. xii

2 Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 01/28/ :35 AM Page xiii I m Going to Assume that musicians already know how to play their instruments and that songwriters already know how to write songs. I m going to assume that all of you understand common song structure, as well as tempo and meter. But other than that, you ll need to know almost nothing about making music with your computer in order to read and learn from this book. You won t need to know much about the computer itself beyond how to turn it on, and the difference between clicking and double-clicking. And You re Going to Need A computer with an Internet connection A Pro Tools interface, such as Digidesign s Mbox Digi 002 or 002 Rack Any Pro Tools compatible M-Audio interface Pro Tools LE 7 or M-Powered Pro Tools 7 A separate, external hard drive to record to A MIDI keyboard Version 7.4 updates We are pleased to provide you with several updates to the book for the current version of Pro Tools. To access these updates, please visit and register your copy of the book. A microphone, your instrument, and cables Headphones and/or speakers A CD burner and CD burning application A computer with an Internet connection. It s very important to have an Internet connection on the computer that you ll be recording with. This book will require many downloads from the Internet throughout the various chapters, with the specific goal of helping you become more comfortable using the Internet to download and import audio files. In today s professional music industry, a basic understanding of the Internet and of how to upload and download files will open up your world as a writer and musician. The Internet provides a limitless palette of sounds, musicians, and resources for your music. A Pro Tools interface. Until very recently, there were only two hardware choices for Pro Tools LE Digidesign s Mbox and the Digi 002. Now that M-Audio has become part of the Avid/Digidesign family, the choice of interfaces has drastically expanded. M-Audio supports 11 different interfaces that work with Pro Tools LE. Four that I recommend are the Ozonic Interface and Controller, the FireWire Solo, the FireWire 410, and the FireWire xiii

Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 02/13/2006 02:25 PM Page xiv If you buy an Mbox or Digi 002, the Pro Tools software is included.

Take note that an M-Audio FireWire Solo combined with Pro Tools M-Powered software costs almost exactly the same as an Mbox.

3 Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 02/13/ :25 PM Page xiv If you buy an Mbox or Digi 002, the Pro Tools software is included. However, if you buy an M-Audio interface, you ll also have to buy Pro Tools M-Powered software. Take note that an M-Audio FireWire Solo combined with Pro Tools M-Powered software costs almost exactly the same as an Mbox. Given the choice, I would definitely choose the FireWire Solo because it uses a FireWire connection and also provides MIDI functionality; the Mbox uses USB and does not support MIDI. I personally find FireWire to be much faster and more reliable to work with. That said, I d choose a Digi 002 or 002Rack over the M-Audio FireWire 1814 because I find the Digi 002 to be a sturdier, more substantial piece of gear. A separate, external hard drive to record to. A common question I get from new users is, Doesn t the computer have a hard drive? Why do I need another one? The answer is: Your computer s hard drive is for the programs you use; the external hard drive will be the one onto which you record your music. In other words, the computer is the tape machine, and the external hard drive is the reel of tape. The hard drive that came with your computer is already running your operating system, as well as your applications. If you force it to do all that, and also record and play back multiple audio tracks, you re going to have nothing but headaches. So do yourself a favor before you get started with Pro Tools invest $100 in a 7200 RPM FireWire hard drive. What s a Hard Drive, Anyway? Remember 45 records? They were called 45s because they rotated at 45 RPMs (revolutions per minute). Hard drives work the same way. Inside the metal case of a hard drive is simply a disk that looks almost exactly like an old record album but it s spinning thousands of times faster. Just as the old records turned at 45 or 33 RPM, hard drives come in different speeds. Pro Tools requires the hard drive used for recording to spin at a minimum of 7200 RPM. So make sure when you buy a hard drive for Pro Tools that the speed is sufficient to allow problem-free playback and recording. Platters Spindle Head Arm xiv

Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 02/13/2006 02:25 PM Page xv I recommend using an external drive because it is much more convenient for moving around, working at another studio or with other musicians.

I recommend FireWire drives because they are the simplest and best hard-drive solution for Pro Tools.

4 Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 02/13/ :25 PM Page xv I recommend using an external drive because it is much more convenient for moving around, working at another studio or with other musicians. Simply unplug your hard drive and go. If you ever replace your computer, you have all your songs ready to move with you. I recommend FireWire drives because they are the simplest and best hard-drive solution for Pro Tools. Since all new Macintosh computers come with a FireWire port, hooking up an external drive is fast and easy. Windows users may need to add a FireWire card, but it is worth the extra money and effort in order to work with a FireWire drive, because external USB 2.0 drives are not supported by Digidesign at this time and may have playback issues. Rename Your External Hard Drive I always recommend renaming the hard drive used for recording, changing it to Audio Drive so that it s very clear which hard drive you are recording to and saving to. To rename a hard drive on the Macintosh, click the drive s name (below its icon) on the desktop. When you click once on the name, it will turn into a type-able field. In Windows, your hard drives are found under My Computer, and also in Windows Explorer. Rename the drive by right-clicking it and choosing Rename. This is my System Hard Drive This is the hard drive I record to A MIDI keyboard. If you re a keyboard player, this is a must and if you re not a keyboard player, it s still a must. So many people say, I don t want to use MIDI, I just want to record audio. That s what you think now. But I promise that you ll find many creative uses for a MIDI keyboard. And if you re intimidated by MIDI, this book will change all that and will teach you MIDI simply and painlessly. A microphone, your instrument, and the proper cables. A few exercises in this book require the use of a microphone. Make sure that you use a real microphone cable, known as an XLR cable. It s very common for inexperienced users to try to use a 1/4" cable for a microphone. If you want to have proper volume levels and less noise, use a professional microphone cable. If you play keyboard, bass, or guitar, have a 1/4" cable on hand for that, too. Headphones and/or speakers. Ideally, you ll have both headphones and speakers. When you record, you turn the speakers down and put the headphones on. When you re mixing, you use the speakers. Sony 7506 headphones are very popular. KRK speakers are an affordable, quality choice found in many personal studios. xv

5 Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 02/13/ :25 PM Page xvi A CD burner and CD-burning application. These days, most computers come with a CD burner (writer) installed. If yours didn t, you re going to need one. You ll also need a special application for burning the CDs. You can use what comes with your computer, but I recommend Roxio Toast and/or Jam for Mac, and Roxio Easy Media Creator for Windows. These applications make possible the reordering or changing of your songs audio level, where the stock applications don t. These applications will be invaluable not only for burning your audio CDs but for backing up your data, as well. Why This Book? This book takes an unconventional approach by teaching Pro Tools from the musician s and songwriter s perspective. The chapters comprise a series of step-by-step exercises. Each step is followed by a screenshot a picture of what you ll see on your monitor that allows you to follow along visually. The exercises will increase your skill gradually, demonstrating Pro Tools and helping you acquire the knowledge you need to use this application not as a technician, but as a musician and/or songwriter. The Pro Tools manual is extremely informative, but it s written as a reference guide rather than a tutorial and has an overwhelming amount of information. Since Pro Tools is such a versatile program, it s used not only for music production but also for film and video production, sound design, radio production, mastering, and more. There are many Pro Tools functions that you, as a musician, will simply never use. So think of this book as your shortcut to the information that you need, and a way around the information that you don t. By the end of the book, you ll be comfortable importing audio, recording, editing, automating, mixing, and bouncing. You ll know the keyboard shortcuts for many common commands, and you ll have learned lots of tips and tricks for becoming fast and effective using Pro Tools. The goal of this book is to give you the skills that you need so that you can concentrate more on your music and less on the technology required to record. Working in Bars and Beats If you re a musician or songwriter and you re going to learn Pro Tools (or any music software), and create your songs without a click track and without a designated meter and tempo, then you may as well be using a 20-year-old analog tape machine. The greatest strength of Pro Tools for creating music is using it in Bars and Beats mode. In Bars and Beats, you specify a fixed tempo for your song and record to a click track. As a result of this fixed tempo, your song is displayed on a linear timeline and divided visually into bars and beats, providing a grid to work with as you edit. Bars and Beats mode gives you xvi

6 Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 02/13/ :25 PM Page xvii complete musical freedom to copy and paste one section to another and edit the arrangement of your songs. Using Bars and Beats ensures that your edits will be perfectly synchronized with other tracks, and provides a seamless solution for bringing your work to other players and other studios. When you present a Pro Tools session recorded to a click track to other musicians, they have the same luxury of being able to move, edit, and copy and paste any new parts to and from any bar. You and your fellow musicians become more flexible and efficient, only making your songs better in the end. Note Every exercise in this book will be done using Bars and Beats. I can honestly say that 99 percent of every professional piece of music recorded in Pro Tools is recorded to a click track or drum loop. Most every piece of music that I ve had the honor to work on over my 15-year career as a studio owner and Pro Tools engineer whether it was pop, country, rock, metal, new age, world, techno, R & B was created using a click track and Bars and Beats. Some of you may be unaccustomed to working with a click track, and may even argue that it makes music sterile. But a click track doesn t have to be just a rim shot or cowbell it can be a shaker or tambourine loop or even a drum loop. I find it much easier to play to something musical other than just a click track. You ll learn how to do this in Chapter 1. I promise that our journey using Bars and Beats will take your music to the next level. My Drummer Won t Play to a Click Track Over the years, numerous artists and bands have played their demos for me. Many of these are extremely well produced, but their tempo drifts: Verses feel slow, choruses feel rushed. What I call 1970s drum fills are everywhere, further varying the tempo. All this makes the demo sound unprofessional. When I gently suggest they should have recorded the song to a click track, a common answer is, My drummer won t play to a click track. I m going to piss off a lot of drummers out there, but I m going to say this anyway: A drummer in a modern studio who refuses to play to a metronome shouldn t be recording. Get another drummer immediately. Any drummer playing today s music and recording with today s technology must be able to record to a metronome. There are definitely exceptions to working with a metronome, but a studio drummer should actually prefer working with a click track whenever possible. I ve heard some sob stories about bands who finally achieved that record deal but once they got into the studio with a professional producer, the drummer couldn t or wouldn t play or practice to a click track. Many, many times, though, producers will only let the band s drummer play in live concerts and will hire a session drummer to record the album. xvii

7 Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 02/13/ :25 PM Page xviii Why Did I Write This Book? My father was a gadget addict. Back in the early 70s when the first calculators and tape recorders became available, he continually brought home the latest technological toys. He also traveled to Japan quite frequently, and he returned from every trip with some kind of electronic gadget that we would both sit down and figure out how to use. He often gave up in frustration, and I would take the gadget to my room and learn how to use it. Then I would go and teach my father. It always felt like such a victory when I conquered a new piece of gear, and I got double the satisfaction teaching him how to use it. Over the years, I, too, became a gadget addict, and to this day I have an odd assortment of old and new electronic toys. Today it includes PDAs, Game Boys, digital video cameras, ipods not to mention mountains of software. I started playing piano and guitar and writing songs around the age of 11. With my high-tech Japanese tape machines, I began creating some very terrible demos. I started working in recording studios at the age of 18 and opened my first studio, Blue World Music, in 1992 in New York City. With every job I was hired to engineer, I bought and sold gear to stay up with the latest technologies. When I purchased my first digital audio system in 1992, it changed my life as a songwriter, musician, and engineer. I was, and still am, passionate about the endless creative possibilities a digital audio system has provided for me. For many years, when I wasn t working in my own studio, I was consulting, installing, and training for other studios, advertising agencies, game design companies, musicians, songwriters, producers, and engineers helping as many as I could to also make the transition into the digital world. I ve received enormous personal satisfaction in seeing the huge difference this knowledge has made in the lives of so many creative individuals. Training people to use Pro Tools has become second nature to me. At present, I m in the process of creating esession.com, which I optimistically anticipate will mean my doing more and more training and support. Fortunately and unfortunately, I can no longer keep up with the numbers of people buying personal studios. So, with a little urging from clients and family, I decided to write a book. What better way to reach a large number of people and to make an even bigger difference than with one-on-one training? I hope you find my approach as a writer and musician valuable in turning the usual struggle of learning software into a fun, unintimidating, and musically captivating experience. xviii

8 Ch00 ProTools (xii-xix) Intro 01/28/ :38 AM Page xix To Users of Pro Tools 7.4 I wrote this book using Pro Tools 7.0 so there are some very subtle changes in various sections of the book but nothing that should prevent you from doing the lessons. If you ever get stuck or confused due to a different software version, look for updated chapter PDFs at You are also always welcome to contact me at my blog at Thank you, Gina Fant-Saez xix

Getting Started. Pro Tools LE & Mbox 2 Micro. Version 8.0

Getting Started. Pro Tools LE & Mbox 2 Micro. Version 8.0 Getting Started Pro Tools LE & Mbox 2 Micro Version 8.0 Welcome to Pro Tools LE Read this guide if you are new to Pro Tools or are just starting out making your own music. Inside, you ll find quick examples