Brett:
Next thing we will move on to is the two different record modes. Basically, after you have your inputs routed into Pro Tools, you plug your MIDI into your Pro Tools interface, or some of the Pro Tools interfaces come with MIDI built into them, which is a handy unit. These upper ones here allow you to route where that signal is coming from.
For more on that, you consult your “Getting started with Pro Tools” guide. It has some good patching diagrams and stuff like that, really straightforward and easy stuff.
Once we have a track record on, meaning the track is ready to record, and it lights up like that. Then, we will pull up our transport window here.
There are a couple of different ways we can get Pro Tools to record. One way is with our transport window and mouse. We could click, (Demonstration) hit the spacebar, and off it goes.
Bob:
Is there also a keyboard way to—
Brett:
There is. I am glad you asked me that, because we use that all the time. Another mode is called “quick punch”. It is essentially how we punch in and punch out in Pro Tools.
We stay in quick punch pretty much all the time. To get to quick punch, we will go to operations, quick punch. You will see a little “p” light up there on the recording button of your transport. That means you are in quick punch.
The beauty of quick punch is we can just get in or out real quick and on your numeric keypad, you can use your numeric keypad to control to transport. Again, this will be in the shortcuts in key stroke section.
What I love to do is once that I am in quick punch and I have a record on track and we are ready to roll, we hit 0 and that gets us rolling. Then, we hit 3 on our numeric keypad, and we are recording.
Bob:
So, there are several ways to do this.
Brett:
Several ways, and then when we want to punch out, we hit 3 again. This way when you are in quick punch, you will never miss a moment.
Bob:
It is also simple and easy to remember.
Brett:
Exactly. One thing that we all want to be very careful about is our undo button. Once we have recorded a spot of audio, if it is not what we want—
Bob:
Let me guess, undo and make it go away?
Brett:
Undo and make it go away. So, we go to edit, undo, record audio. It knows the last thing that you did in Pro Tools.
If you could take a look at that for a minute, you could see the key stroke for that is Apple Z, which is interesting. When you pull up your edit window, you will have all these commands and next to them is our corresponding letters of keystrokes. Apple Z is what I use a lot.
Bob:
It tends to really come in handy.
Brett:
The most important thing with key stroke you want to get in Pro Tools that I do not think we are able to use enough is your save.
Bob:
Let me guess, it seems like there should be a lot of saving, just in case.
Brett:
Absolutely.
Bob:
Those of us who have computers could relate to that. Go ahead.
Brett:
It is the easiest key stroke, Apple S for save. Obviously, the PC key stroke might be a little different, but again, we would have downloaded a list of those but we are working exclusively at the Mac environment today, but that is Apple S.
If the computer crashes—
Bob:
Or freezes, or any one of the things that could go wrong.
Brett:
Power failure, a building blows up—you saved your audio. Just get the computer out before the building blows up.
Bob:
Exactly.
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