More Joy of Six Last time around we took a look at the coolest new features available under Pro Tools LE 6.0 for Mac OS X. This time we're going to delve deeper into three of the most important upgrades:
Though it's not necessarily new to Pro Tools LE 6.0 software, we're also going to discuss cover the most useful tab-to-transient function as well. All the above are deep features, ones that have the potential to radically rework your Pro Tools techniques. At the very least, they will greatly accelerate your tracking and editing. Start by downloading this month's sample session: PC | Mac. New Groove Review
Select the entire track and open the Groove Quantize screen (MIDI>Groove Quantize). This window exists in addition to the basic quantize window you've encountered in previous versions of Pro Tools. Click on the "Groove Template" pulldown and scope out all the options: Here you can mimic the feels of other popular sequencers or tap into the subtleties of the Feel Injector templates from Canada's Numerical Sound. Dial in some drum sounds and listen to the various patterns. The results differ dramatically according to which of the option fields you select. Remember, you can always recapture the original feel by selecting "Restore Performance" from the pulldown — another feature new in PT 6.0.
Now mute, hide, or delete the "MIDI 1" track. We're moving on to audio. Focus Pocus I know several Pro Tools engineers — good ones! — who have opted not to use command focus, usually because they're already so fluent in the original commands. But if you're still getting up to speed, I can't think of any reason why you ought not to use this powerful tool. You initiate command focus by highlighting the little "a...z" icon in the upper left-hand corner of the edit window. Note that there are also similar icons above the regions list and MIDI list to right, and that only one of the three can be selected at once. If one of the latter is selected, you can choose audio or MIDI regions alphabetically, as in standard Mac Finder windows. But I suspect that most users, once they get the hang of command focus, will leave it locked in the left-hand corner. You get a list of key commands (including command focus ones) functions when you purchase Pro Tools. But rather than tackle them all, you may want to start with some of the handiest ones:
My promise: Learning the above commands will dramatically speed up your editing. Tab-happy
Take, as an example, our session's "Cowloop" track. Select the first region, engage tab-to-transient, and press the tab key and watch the locator advance from accent to accent. Now try it again, but this time, slice it at each transient. You could use the Command+E move, but I know a blossoming, command-focus-mode ace such as yourself will opt for the B key instead. You can use this technique for more than groove adjustments — removing unwanted background noise before the start of a performance, say, or writing rhythmic mutes. Here, for example, try muting individual segments of the "Cowloop" pattern, and then listen to the thinned-out version against the other beats. Chances are you'll concoct something cool. Shrink (and Stretch) to Fit
Take it for a spin: Set the grid value to "1 Bar" and unmute the track labeled "BleepLoop120." It's a — big surprise — a bleepy-sounding loop recorded at 120 beats per minute. But since our session clocks in at 73 beats per minute, this one-bar pattern is out of sync with everything else. Click the time trimmer tool somewhere near the beginning of bar 4, and watch the loop shrink to fit one bar at 73 BPM. Have a listen.
Finally, try importing some loops of your own and synchronizing them with these beats. You'll find the process more fun than before — and a lot faster. Click here to read previous columns.
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