Digidesign Pro Tools 8 Tips and Top Features

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Atom Troy

NEW FEATURE IN PRO TOOLS 8

Pro Tools 8 includes the following new or enhanced features:

• Restore Last Selection. We get a new command in 8 that enables us to restore our last Edit or Timeline selection, should we accidently lose our selection. Like this never happens. Ctrl + Alt + Z (Windows) or Command + Option + Z (Mac)
• New to 8, all WAV, AIFF, and SD II files can coexist in a session without requiring conversion when import copying or adding audio files into your session as long as the bit depth and sample rate are the same as your session.
• New Ruler view, Chord Symbols, allows you to add chord symbols to the session to indicate chord changes.
• Xpand 2 is multi-timbral, and allows for 4 individual sounds with separate MIDI channel and settings to be played seperately, rather than all as one patch.
• Strip Silence now goes to a threshold of -96db.

GENERAL PRO TOOLS FEATURES AND ENHANCEMENTS

• Improved, modernized user interface
• Pro Tools QuickStart dialog for quickly and easily creating new sessions from templates, from scratch, or opening existing ones
• New Session Templates
• Auto-update Notification and Checking for Software Updates
• Open Session with Plug-ins Deactivated
• DSP Cache maintained for faster session opening and closing
• Improved window management:
• Tile windows
• Cascade windows
• Window Configurations include Score Editor window and targeted MIDI Editor window
• New RTAS Hardware Buffer Settings
• Increased File Size Limit
• Increased Waveform Overview Bit Depth
• MIDI Beat Clock Sample Offset on a port-by-port basis

CHANGES TO PRO TOOLS PREFERENCES

Display Preferences

• “MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity” option Operation Preferences
• “Latch Forward/Rewind” option
• “Automatically Create New Playlists When Loop Recording” option
• “Show Quick Start Dialog When Pro Tools Starts” option

Editing Preferences

• Moved the following “Matching Start Time” Takes List options to the Match Criteria dialog
• “Includes Take Region Names That Match Track Names”
• “Includes Take Region Lengths That Match”

MIDI Preferences

• Moved the “Play MIDI Notes When Editing” option to the Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows
• “Remove Range Selection After Opening the MIDI/Score Editor” option
• Moved the “Default Note On Velocity” setting to the Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows
• “Double-clicking a Region Opens…” options:
• MIDI Editor
• Score Editor
• MIDI Event List
• Name Dialog
• MIDI/Score Editor Display section:
• “Additional Empty Bars in the Score Editor” setting

Synchronization Preferences

• Synchronization section:
• “Delay Before Locking to Longitudinal Time Code” setting
• “Delay Before Locking to Serial Time Code” setting
• Satellite Link section:
• Transmit Solos
• Receive Solos
• Solo Independent Of Linked State
• DAE Errors Stop All Linked Systems
• Transmit Play Selections
• Receive Play Selections

EDITING FEATURES AND ENHANCEMENTS

Edit Window Features

• New Universe View
• New MIDI Editor View
• New Waveform Views
• Customizable Toolbar
• Chord Symbol ruler
• Restore Last Selection
• Edit selection enhancements and key commands
• Region Edit and Time Locking
• MIDI and Instrument tracks now default to Regions view in the Edit window
• Timeline Insertion Follows Playback indicator
• Strip Silence to –96 dB
• MIDI/Score Editor Display section:
• “Additional Empty Bars in the Score Editor” setting

Synchronization Preferences

• Synchronization section:
• “Delay Before Locking to Longitudinal Time Code” setting
• “Delay Before Locking to Serial Time Code” setting
• Satellite Link section:
• Transmit Solos
• Receive Solos
• Solo Independent Of Linked State
• DAE Errors Stop All Linked Systems
• Transmit Play Selections
• Receive Play Selections

Edit Window Features

• New Universe View
• New MIDI Editor View
• New Waveform Views
• Customizable Toolbar
• Chord Symbol ruler
• Restore Last Selection
• Edit selection enhancements and key commands
• Region Edit and Time Locking
• MIDI and Instrument tracks now default to Regions view in the Edit window
• Timeline Insertion Follows Playback indicator
• Strip Silence to –96 dB

Elastic Audio Region-Based Pitch Transposition (Semitones and Cents)

• Event Operation Transpose can now be applied to Elastic Audio Regions
• Pitch Elastic Audio Property setting

Track Compositing

• Playlists Track view
• Rating Regions
• Match Criteria

MIDI Editor Window

• Superimposed MIDI and Instrument tracks
• Auxiliary Input tracks
• Multiple Automation and Controller lanes (such as Velocity, Volume, and Pan)
• Notation or Piano Roll view
• MIDI Region Group editing
• Additional MIDI editing improvements:
• Separate MIDI notes
• Consolidate MIDI notes
• Mute MIDI notes
• MIDI Scrub and Shuttle
• Audition velocity changes
• Play MIDI notes when tabbing

Score Editor Window

• Multiple MIDI and Instrument tracks can be shown in the Score Editor window independently of the Edit window and MIDI Editor window
• Real-time transcription of MIDI
• Real-time editing (linked between Edit, MIDI editor, and Score Editor windows)
• Page layout
• Print score or parts as displayed
• Global and local staff attributes
• Each Track displayed on a grand staff or a single staff:
• Grand Staff with automatic or user definable split point
• Treble, Alto, Tenor, and Bass clefs
• Display Transposition for Transposing Instruments
• Display and edit Key Signatures
• Display and edit Meter Changes
• Display and edit Chord Symbols
• Export Sibelius (.sib) files

PRO TOOLS 8 MIXING FEATURES AND ENHANCEMENTS

• Track Automation and Controller lanes for editing track automation (such as Volume, Pan, and Plug-in automation) and MIDI CC (such as Velocity, Pitchbend, and Modulation) without changing Track views
• 10 inserts per track
• Improved Automatic Delay Compensation

Score Editor Window

• Multiple MIDI and Instrument tracks can be shown in the Score Editor window independently of the Edit window and MIDI Editor window
• Real-time transcription of MIDI
• Real-time editing (linked between Edit, MIDI editor, and Score Editor windows)
• Page layout
• Print score or parts as displayed
• Global and local staff attributes
• Each Track displayed on a grand staff or a single staff:
• Grand Staff with automatic or user definable split point
• Treble, Alto, Tenor, and Bass clefs
• Display Transposition for Transposing Instruments
• Display and edit Key Signatures
• Display and edit Meter Changes
• Display and edit Chord Symbols
• Export Sibelius (.sib) files

PLUG-INS

• DigiRack EQ III -- stereo version
• DigiRack D-Verb -- chorusing added to RTAS version

Additional plug-ins included with Pro Tools 8 (previously only available by purchase)

• Digidesign Maxim now DigiRack Maxim
• Digidesign D-Fi now DigiRack D-Fi
• Sci-Fi
• Lo-Fi
• Recti-Fi
• Vari-Fi
• Bomb Factory Sans Amp now DigiRack Sans Amp
• TL Utilities free and installed with Pro Tools
  -- TL Metro
  -- TL InTune
  -- TL MasterMeter

A.I.R. Creative Collection Plug-ins

• Instrument Plug-ins:
• Boom
• DB-33
• Mini Grand
• Structure Free
• Vacuum
• Xpand2
• Effects Plug-ins:
• Chorus
• Decimator
• Distortion
• Dynamic Delay
• Enhancer
• Ensemble
• Filter-Gate-Sequencer
• Flanger
• Frequency Shifter
• FuzzWah
• KillEQ
• MultiChorus
• MultiTap Delay
• Nonlinear Reverb
• Phaser
• Reverb
• Spring Reverb
• StereoWidth
• Talkbox
• Vintage Filter
• Drag and drop to plug-ins:
• MIDI regions
• Region groups

Pro Tools Controller Features and Enhancements

• Accessing 10 inserts
• Plug-in mapping
• New Matrix Assign mode
• New AutoWrite layout
• Interrogate I/O Settings on a per-track-basis
• D-Command Enhancements:
• Plug-in Channel Strip Editing
• Change Plug-in Settings
• ICON Soft Keys Enhancements:
• Support for Pro Tools Window Configurations
• Write Memory Locations
• Show MIDI Editor (toggle)
• Audio Files Softkey
• Modes Softkey
• Operations Softkeys for D-Command
• Softkeys With No Session Open
• Identify Empty Sends and Inserts
• No Group Members on VCA Master Encoders
• Removing Multiple Assignments from ICON

Pro Tools Video and Avid Interoperability

Support for QuickTime HD playback using the Blackmagic DeckLink Extreme and Intensit (Mac Only)

Windows Vista support for Interplay

Media Composer Video Satellite Software Option

-- Support for Video Satellite with Pro Tools and Avid Media Composer 3.1 with Mojo DX and Nitris DX peripherals

Video Satellite LE Software Option (Mac Only)

-- Lets you connect a Pro Tools LE Mbox 2 Micro system to a Pro Tools HD system for use as a QuickTime HD video satellite

Satellite Link Software Option

-- Support for linking Pro Tools transport with multiple Pro Tools|HD systems and Avid Media Composer with Video Satellite or Pro Tools LE with Video Satellite LE

ADD-ONS FOR PRO TOOLS LE AND M-POWERED

COMPLETE PRODUCTION TOOLKIT (PRO TOOLS LE ONLY)

The new Complete Production Toolkit for Pro Tools LE provides an extensive set of Pro Tools features and enhancements. It also includes several additional plug-ins and software options for Pro Tools.

Pro Tools Features

• Session and track features:
• Up to 128 mono or 64 stereo audio tracks of simultaneous playback or recording
• Up to 20 5.1 tracks
• Ability to use QuickPunch on up to 64 tracks
• Up to 64 Instrument tracks
• 128 internal busses
• Multiple video tracks, with multiple video playlists and multiple QuickTime movies per track
• Import Session Data options (Destination Track Names, Time Code Mapping, Find Matching Tracks, Session Data to Import, Track Playlist)
• MP3 export option (for Bounce To Disk and Export Regions as Files)
• DigiBase Pro (including support for Catalog browsers and the ability to search on multiple criteria simultaneously in DigiBase browsers)
• Improved session interchange between Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE
• Mixing and Automation features:
• Surround mixing up to 7.1 with 003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack Pre, Digi 002, and Digi 002 Rack, and up to 5.1 with Mbox 2 Pro
• Snapshot automation for writing or trimming automation data
• Glide Automation commands
• Editing features:
• Continuous Scroll
• Scrub Trim tool
• Replace Region command
• TCE Edit to Timeline Selection command
• Selection of alternate field recorder audio channels in the Pro Tools Timeline
• Expanding alternate field recorder audio channels to new tracks
• Beat Detective features:
• Ability to apply Beat Detective across multiple tracks
• Collection ModeExport Regions as Files)
• DigiBase Pro (including support for Catalog browsers and the ability to search on multiple criteria simultaneously in DigiBase browsers)
• Improved session interchange between Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE
• Mixing and Automation features:
• Surround mixing up to 7.1 with 003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack Pre, Digi 002, and Digi 002 Rack, and up to 5.1 with Mbox 2 Pro
• Snapshot automation for writing or trimming automation data
• Glide Automation commands
• Editing features:
• Continuous Scroll
• Scrub Trim tool
• Replace Region command
• TCE Edit to Timeline Selection command
• Selection of alternate field recorder audio channels in the Pro Tools Timeline
• Expanding alternate field recorder audio channels to new tracks
• Beat Detective features:
• Ability to apply Beat Detective across multiple tracks
• Collection Mode
• Time code and synchronization features:
• Timebase rulers (Time Code and Feet+Frames)
• Time Code Rate selector
• Feet+Frame Rate selector
• Current Time Code Position command
• Current Feet+Frames Position command
• Use Subframes option
• Audio Rate Pull Up and Pull Down
• Video Rate Pull Up and Pull Down

Additional Software

• DINR (Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction) -- LE Plug-in For reducing noise in audio.
• DigiTranslator 2.0 Software Option -- For exchanging audio and video files, and sequences with other AAF and OMFI-compatible applications.
• Eleven LE -- Plug-in for use as a guitar amp and speaker emulation.
• Hybrid Synthesizer -- Plug-in for use as a virtual instrument in your Pro Tools sessions.
• Smack! LE Compressor -- Plug-in for applying compression to your audio.
• Structure LE -- Plug-in For use as a virtual instrument in your Pro Tools sessions.
• TL Space Native Convolution Reverb -- Plug-in for applying convolution reverb to your audio.
• X-Form -- Plug-in for high-quality time compression and expanssion, and formant corrected pitch-shifting (based on the Radius® algorithm from iZotope).

DV TOOLKIT 2 ENHANCEMENTS (PRO TOOLS LE ONLY)

Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 supports up to 64 tracks (128 available voices), mono or stereo, at 48 kHz and up to 48 tracks (96 available voices), mono or stereo, at 96 kHz.

QuickPunch Tracks
Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 supports Quick- Punch simultaneously on up to 32 tracks at 48 kHz and up to 24 tracks at 96 kHz.

Additional Software

• DINR (Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction) LE -- Plug-in for reducing noise in audio.
• DigiTranslator 2.0 Software Option -- For exchanging audio and video files, and sequences with other AAF and OMFI-compatible applications.
• TL Space Native Convolution Reverb -- Plug-in for applying convolution reverb to your audio.
• X-Form -- Plug-in for high-quality time compression and expanssion, and formant corrected pitch-shifting (based on the Radius® algorithm from iZotope).

MUSIC PRODUCTION TOOLKIT 2 (PRO TOOLS LE AND M-POWERED)

Pro Tools LE and M-Powered with Music Production Toolkit 2 support up to 64 tracks (128 available voices), mono or stereo, at 48 kHz and up to 48 tracks (96 available voices), mono or stereo, at 96 kHz.

QuickPunch Tracks
Pro Tools LE and M-Powered with Music Production Toolkit 2 support QuickPunch simultaeously on up to 32 tracks at 48 kHz and up to 24 tracks at 96 kHz.

Enhanced Beat Detective

• Ability to apply Beat Detective across multiple tracks
• Collection Mode

Included Plug-ins and Options

• Eleven LE Plug-in For use as a guitar amp and speaker emulation.
• Hybrid Synthesizer Plug-in For use as a virtual instrument in your Pro Tools sessions.
• Smack! LE Compressor Plug-in For applying compression to your audio.
• Structure LE Plug-in For use as a virtual instrument in your Pro Tools sessions.
• TL Space Native Convolution Reverb Plug-in For applying convolution reverb to your audio.
• MP3 Option For exporting MP3 files from your Pro Tools session.

System Requirements

Mac/Leopard only, Windows XP/Vista

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