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Passing On The Torch
One year ago this month I returned to audioMIDI.com to start a weekly feature on Pro Tools in hopes of giving the Pro Tools community a place to hang their hat and talk about the latest news, exciting new products and impart some tips and tricks for working with and learning Pro Tools along the way. I did this gig because I genuinely love Pro Tools and sharing that excitement with all of you is more fun than it is work.
This has been an amazing year for the Pro Tools Corner. We always had the scoop on new updates and plug-ins, and uncovered some of the best features Pro Tools has to offer. The real treat however, has been working with those of you who sent email to suggest topics for discussion, share your view on new products or even ask a question. I have met so many wonderful people through the Pro Tools Corner whose input greatly shaped the journey.
Although I would love nothing more than to write on the joys of Pro Tools until I am old and gray, recent opportunities have sent me down some new roads such as the mixingbox which has been an incredible experience.
This month I was able to land what can only be described as my dream job working at Digidesign as the Music Creation Product Manager. These last few weeks I have not only been able to meet the talented team of people behind Pro Tools, but take a peek behind the curtain of a truly innovative company. Although it feels like I am a kid in a candy store right now I look forward to brining all that I have learned from speaking with all of you, and sharing those ideas to help shape Pro Tools so it continues to drive our industry.
Of course when one door closes another door opens and it gives me great joy to pass the torch along to Brian White. Not only is Brian White a partner in the mixingbox and a Digidesign Certified Expert Instructor, but he is perhaps the smartest and most well-spoken Pro Tools guru out there. I know that I will enjoy reading what he has to share each week, and hope that you all make him feel as welcomed in your lives, as you have made me. I have nothing but love for this corner, and look forward to its future.
Say Hello To Brian
Wow, thanks Scott for the glowing introduction. First off, I would like to say how truly honored I am to be taking over the column for Scott and getting a chance to work with the wonderful folks here at audioMIDI.com. These are some big shoes to fill and I hope that moving forward we can all learn a lot from each other and have some fun along the way.
So who does this guy think he is anyway, taking over mighty Mr. Church’s acclaimed column? Well allow me to introduce myself. My name is Brian White and I will be your new resident Pro Tools geek here at aM.
I am a producer, engineer, songwriter, and musician residing in the beautiful California Bay Area. I serve as head instructor and co-owner of Future Rhythm, a Digidesign Authorized Pro-School and Apple Authorized Training center, where I teach certification classes in Pro Tools, Logic, and Reason. I also serve as Vice President and co-founder of the mixingbox. In between my myriad entrepreneurial ventures, I somehow find time to work with a diverse variety of local artists, producers, and engineers, making music and having as much fun as possible.
So at this point I’m sure you are asking yourself, “What is in store for the Pro Tools Corner?” Not to worry, as the Corner moves forward under my humble watch, this will still be the place to be for the latest in Pro Tools gadgets, gizmos, and geek-outs.
However, I am also committed to bringing you some really great tips, tricks, and workflow's that are sure to power-charge your recordings. Of course everything is still open for discussion here at the Corner, I encourage your feedback and I’m always open to learning and sharing new things.
New Pro Tips:
So I bet you thought I was going to try and pull a fast one on you with this week’s column with all introductions and no cool tips or news right? Wrong! That wouldn’t be fair. So just to give everyone one more reason to stop by the Corner, I would like to introduce a new section I am calling Pro Tips. Every week I will showcase a short little Pro Tools tip that plays an integral part in my daily workflow, a little bit like Scott's, “Tips & Tricks" sidebar but shorter and more focused, and I will have a new one for you every week. It might be a key command, a plug-in trick, who knows? Think of it as a chance to climb inside the head of someone who spends 10-12 hours a day in Pro Tools, you’ll just have to stick around and see what happens.
I will try my best to balance the tips between basic, intermediate and advanced levels, but just to warn you in advance, some tips may demand a little pre-requisite knowledge (hey I have to try and please everyone, even the Pro Tools gurus out there). So enough talking, let’s get to the tips!
Key Command: Enabling and Disabling Pre/Post Roll
This week’s tip was inspired by a conversation I had recently with a fellow producer/engineer here in San Francisco. He was complaining about wasting time in tracking sessions from constantly having to switch the pre-roll on and off between takes using his mouse.
Now pre-roll is great thing for punching in on tight spots (remember pro tools won’t record anything during pre or post roll time), but it gets super annoying when you go to playback or edit your new take and everything starts unexpectedly 2 bars before your insert point. Try using the key command: CMD+K (MAC) or CNTRL+K (PC) to toggle the pre/post roll on your transport.
Once you use this command a few times it will become automatic. I find myself unconsciously doing it now during tracking sessions, so I never look embarrassed when clients are waiting to hear back a punch or edit and I am caught off guard when pro tools starts playing back 10 measures earlier.
What’s Next
Next week I will dive deep into some of my favorites from this years AES show, taking a first look at Digidesign's new “Velvet” instrument plug-in, among other must-see show gems. Plus, as promised, a brand new Pro Tip.
Pro Tools Tidbits
- Waves showed a sneak peak of their new Mercury bundle and Vintage Neve emulations at AES
- FXpansion has a new website up, they also announced and showed off a new Percussion expansion pack for BFD at AES and new 3rd party expansion packs from Platinum Samples
- Digidesign’s Advanced Instrument Research group (AIR) releases “Velvet” a new RTAS electric piano instrument.
- Arturia’s Analog Factory is now shipping along with Analog Factory Reloaded, a refill containing 1000 new presets.
If you have a Pro Tools related question that you would
like me to take a shot at answering or have any feedback,
please send it to scott@audioMIDI.com. I will do my best
to select the questions that seem to stump the most people.
As always, stay tuned to the audioMIDI.com eNews for the latest reviews and new product info.
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