Term
| What does DAW stand for and what functions does one typically perform? |
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Definition
| Digital Audio Workstation. Multi Track Recording, Playback, Mixing and editing |
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Term
| What is the number of voicable tracks for a stock LE or M-Powered system? MIDI Tracks? What is the highest sample rate an Mbox can record? 002? |
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Definition
| 32 Audio, 256 MIDI, 96kHz (48k for Mbox) |
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Term
| What is range of human hearing? |
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Definition
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Term
| How many dB would you have to boost a signal for there to be a perceived doubling in loudness? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the sampling rate and bit depth of a CD? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the Nyquist Theorem and how does it affect digital recording? |
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Definition
| Nyquist Theorum: In order to produce an accurate representation of a given sound, each cycle of the sound’s vibration must be sampled a minimum of 2 times. |
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Term
| What is the binary word length or bit depth and how does it relate to a digital signal? How many amplitude levels are there in 24 bit and 16 bit recording? |
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Definition
| A 16bit digital word could define 65,536 discrete amplitude levels (216), and a 24bit digital word could define 16,777,216 discrete amplitude levels (224). As such, larger binary words are able to qualify variations in amplitude with much greater accuracy. |
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Term
| The theoretical dynamic range increases by approximately how many dB for each bit added to the binary word length? |
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Definition
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Term
| How many tracks (stereo or mono) does the Music Production Toolkit expand a M-Powered of PTLE system? |
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Definition
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Term
| Can the DV Toolkit be used on a M-Powered System? |
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Definition
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Term
| How many MIDI ports does the Mbox have? Mbox2? 002? |
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Definition
| MBox: None; Mbox 2: 2 MIDI Ports 002/003 3 (1IN, 2OUT) |
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Term
| What 3 letter file extensions do PT versions 5 – 6.9? PT 7? |
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Definition
| PT 7+ “.ptf”; PT5.1-6 “.pts” or “.pt5” |
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Term
| What ASCII characters are incompatible with PT? |
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Definition
| / (Slash) \ (backslash) : (colon) * (asterisk) ? (question mark) “ (quotation marks) ‘ (apostrophe) < (less than) > (greater than) | (vertical line or Pipe) |
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Term
| When you create a new session, what does PT automatically create inside the folder? |
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Definition
| Pro Tools Session File, WaveCache File, Audio Files, Fade Files, Region Groups Folder, Plug-In Settings, Session File Backups |
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Term
| What is a Wavecache file and what purpose does it serve? What happens if it is deleted? |
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Definition
| WaveCache folder stores all of the waveform display data for the session and enables it to open more quickly. If it is deleted, Pro Tools will recalculate the session waveform data, causing the session to open more slowly |
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Term
| What aspects of your session are saved inside the Pro Tools Session file? |
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Definition
"Everything but the Preferences" The Session file contains a map of all the audio tracks, audio and video files, settings, and edits associated with your project. It DOES NOT contain any media files (Audio or Video) it simply references this media from other folders. |
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Term
| When recording in Pro Tools where are the audio files that are created saved to? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the proper start-up procedure for Pro Tools? |
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Definition
| 1) Make sure all your equipment (including your computer) is off 2) Turn on any external hard drives and wait about 10 seconds for them to spin up to speed 3) Turn on any MIDI devices (including MIDI Control surfaces) and synchronization peripherals 4) Turn on your Pro Tools audio interfaces. Wait at least 15 seconds for the interface to initialize 5) Turn on your computer 6) Turn on your monitoring system |
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Term
| What is an iLok and what is it used for? |
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Definition
| iLok is a USB dongle that is used to store plug in licenses and authorizations. |
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Term
| When arming a track, does the volume fader affect the level of the signal path or does it affect the signal to the monitor path? |
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Definition
| The Volume Fader in the Mix window does not affect the input gain (record level) of a signal being recorded. |
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Term
| What key do you hold down while clicking and dragging with the Zoomer tool to enable Marquee Zooming? |
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Definition
| Command (Mac) or Control (Win) |
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Term
| How can you get a full track view that files the Edit Window with the longest track in the session? |
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Definition
| Double Click the Zoomer Tool |
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Term
| When selecting a range of audio using the Selector Tool, what key do you hold down in order to add to the selection? |
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Definition
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Term
| When using the Scrubber Tool, what happens when you drag it between two adjacent Mono or Stereo tracks? |
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Definition
| It allows you to scrub the two tracks together |
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Term
| What Seven things does the Smart Tool do? |
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Definition
| The Smart Tools: Selector, Grabber, Trim, Fade in, Fade Out, Crossfade, Edit Insertion |
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Term
| What are ALL the key commands that allow you to switch between the 6 tools and the 4 modes? |
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Definition
Esc key will cycle through the modes. Tiling will cycle through the tools
F1 (Shuffle) F2 (Slip) F3 (Spot) F4 (Grid)
Option+ 1 thru 4 on the QWERTY for the modes; Command+1 thru 6 on the QWERTY for tools |
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Term
| What is the difference between Absolute Grid Mode and Relative Grid Mode? |
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Definition
| In Absolute Grid Mode, moving any region snaps the region to the Grid; same with Trim. It snaps the region to the nearest quarter note (or whatever the Grid value is). In Relative Grid Mode, regions are moved and Trimmed by Grid (or Nudge) units. |
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Term
| What are the two of rulers that can be displayed in the Edit Window? |
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Definition
Main Timscale and Sub Timescale -or- Timebase Rulers and Conductor Rulers |
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Term
| When clicking the mouse on a Ruler Name in the timebase display area, what key do you hold down to remove the ruler from the display? |
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Definition
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Term
| With the numeric key pad set to Transport mode, what key will enable/disable the click? Which key enable/disable the count off? MIDI Merge? |
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Definition
| Numeric Keypad functions: 7 enables the Click; 8 enables the Count Off; 9 MIDI Merge |
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Term
| How do you “tap tempo” instead of entering it manually? How many taps does PT average together to give you the tempo? |
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Definition
| In Manual Tempo Mode: Click the Tempo Ruler Enable (aka the conductor button) so it becomes un-highlighted. Click the Tempo field so it becomes highlighted. Tap the T button repeatedly. To compute the tempo PT uses the last 8 to determine the tempo. |
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Term
| What do the Audio File acronyms stand for and what limitations do they have? |
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Definition
| SDII : Sound Designer II – Mac Only support only up to 44.1 and 48 kHz. Digidesign Proprietary format created by Digi and Avid. AIFF: Audio Interchange File Format – Primarily Mac format with some Windows Based PT versions support. AIFC: Audio Interchange File Compressed – An updated variant of the original AIFF format that allows user to apply audio compression standards to the AIFF file. WAV: WAVE files are cross compatible between Win or OSX. Pro Tools saves these files as BWF files, or Broadcast Wave Files which is the default for PT. BWF files also carry metadata, in which session data (Producer, Frame-Rate, etc.) are normally stored. MP3 (MPEG-1 LAYER 3): Most popular with a 10:1 compression ratio. Must be converted to import into PT. Windows Media Audio WMA: Standard format is compressed and second in popularity to the MP3. The newer professional format offers higher quality with sample rates up to 96 kHz and 24bit resolution. |
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Term
| What are the file sizes for Mono and Stereo files recorded at 44.1kHz at both 16 bit and 24 bit for one minute? |
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Definition
| 44.1k Mono 16bit: 5MB 44.1k Mono 24bit: 7.5MB 44.1k Stereo 16bit: 10MB 44.1k Stereo 24bit: 15MB 48k Mono 16bit: 5.5MB 48k Mono 24bit: 8.2MB 48k Stereo 16bit: 11MB 48k Stereo 24 bit: 16.4MB |
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Term
| What is the key command to bring up the New Track Dialog box? Which keys will let you toggle between the number of channels and the types of tracks? |
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Definition
| Shift+Command+N; Command+Arrow keys; Option+Command+up/down Arrows for Ticks/Samples |
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Term
| What are the 3 Scrolling options? How do you change them? |
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Definition
| No Scrolling, After Playback, Page; Options>Scolling |
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Term
| What key command allows you to toggle between Mix and Edit Window? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do you set up a click track? |
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Definition
Create>Click Track (PT v. 7.3 only) -or- Options>Click to enable Click option. Create a new Aux Track, Insert the "Click" on the panel. Bring your fader up to unity gain and enable the "metronome" icon" |
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Term
| What key commands will allow you do begin recording? |
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Definition
| Command+Space Bar, F12, 3 on the numeric keypad |
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Term
| What is the difference between an audio file and an audio region? |
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Definition
"An audio file is digital audio stored on a drive. An Audio Region is a graphical object representating audio." An Audio File is an entire unedited continuous audio recording. Audio file – or whole file are stored externally from your session file and have a max of 2GB. As you begin to edit you create smaller more manageable files called subset regions, or more simply Regions. |
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Term
| What is the maximum size of an audio file that can be used in Pro Tools session? |
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Definition
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Term
| How can you change the name of a region or an audio file? |
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Definition
| Double click the file region to get the dialog box |
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Term
| How do you remove regions and audio files from a session? |
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Definition
| Select which regions or audio files you want to remove and select “Remove” from the drop down list. |
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Term
| What’s the difference between Split Stereo and Interleaved Stereo files? What type does Pro Tools use internally? |
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Definition
| Split Stereo: This is the default format of PT where the stereo information is stored between two separate left and right channel mono files. Interleaved Stereo: In a interleaved stereo file the information in combined (interleaved) into one single file that contains both the left and right channel; Pro Tools uses Split Stereo Files internally |
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Term
| What’s the difference between a MIDI Track and Instrument Track? |
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Definition
A MIDI Track is a DATA ONLY track and requires an Aux track to hear the triggered sounds. An Instrument track combines both a MIDI track and an Aux track into one channel. |
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Term
| What’s the difference between sample-based tracks and Tick based tracks? |
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Definition
| Sample Based operation refers to recorded information ties to fixed points in time relative to the beginning of the session. In Tick Based operation, recorded information is tied to specific bar|beat locations in an arrangement |
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Term
| In Pro Tools, many ticks are there per quarter note? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do you set up a soft synth? |
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Definition
| On an Instrument Track, select the synth you want from the inserts menu |
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Term
| What is the default tempo and meter for a new PT session? |
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Definition
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Term
| When looking at a MIDI track in Notes view, what key can you hold down while clicking the mini keyboard to audition pitches? |
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Definition
| With the Edit Tool selected, Option+Click on any key in the mini keyboard |
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Term
| What key command will toggle a MIDI or Instrument Tracks between Notes view and Regions View? |
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Definition
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Term
| What keys do you use to mark the in and out points of a timeline selection while PT is playing back? |
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Definition
| Up (IN) and Down (OUT) Arrows |
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Term
| How do you turn on the Tab to transients fuction? |
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Definition
Click on the Tab to Transients |
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Term
| What can you hold down to change the Zoomer Tool from zooming in to zooming out? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do you create Zoom presets in your session? How do you recall them? |
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Definition
| Using the Zoom buttons or the Zoomer Tool set the screen to the desired screen size. Then pressing the Command Key select one of the five preset buttons located underneath the Zoom buttons. You can recall Zoom Presets by pressing the Control Key followed by the 1 thru 5 on the alphanumeric keyboard. |
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Term
| How many memory locations are available in PT v.7? In eariler versions? |
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Definition
999 in v.7+ 99 in versions up to v.6.9 |
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Term
| How do recall the memory locations? What types of memory locators are available? |
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Definition
| Command+5 (on the numeric keypad) Markers and Selections. On numeric keypad type “period” and the corresponding memory location number. Absolute: This option sets the marker at a sample-based location. Bars/Beats: This option set the marker at a tick-based location in the time line. |
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Term
| What are the various ways to delete the memory locations from a session? |
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Definition
| Option Click the entry. Clear Name from the pop-up menu. Highlight them on the Marker timeline and press delete. Option drag the marker into the playlist on the Edit Window. |
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Term
| When loop playback is enabled, what is the minimum length a selection must be in order for it to loop? |
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Definition
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Term
| When Pro Tools is in Grid Mode, what key can you hold to temporarily suspend Grid Mode, enable Slip Mode for an edit? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the key command for Capture Region? Why would use this instead of Command E? |
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Definition
| Command R. To create any entirely separate, new and independent region. |
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Term
| What is the key command for Separate Region? |
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Definition
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Term
| When can you use the Heal Separation command and when will it not work? |
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Definition
| Command+H. If their relative start and end points have changed it will not work. |
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Term
| What key can you hold down to reverse the Trimmer Tool’s direction? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do you lock regions so they can’t be moved or edited? |
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Definition
| Command+L; Select the region and under Edit Window select Lock/Unlock |
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Term
| When trimming a region in Slip Mode, what key do you hold down to extend a region up to, but not beyond the border of a neighboring region? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is key command to trim a region to selection? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do you Nudge Regions and how do you change the Nudge Value? |
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Definition
| Click the Nudge Value pop-up selector in the tool bar area of the Edit Window. Choose the desired Time Scale. Or Command+Option+Plus/Minus (+/–) keys to change value and + or - keys on the numeric keypad to Nudge. |
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Term
| How do you create Fade-Ins, Outs, Batch Fades and Cross-Fades? |
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Definition
| Select the beginning or ending of the region. Command+F. |
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Term
| How many levels of Undo are available in Pro Tools? |
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Definition
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Term
| What actions are NOT undo-able in Pro Tools? |
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Definition
| Deleting tracks, Closing a session and/or quitting PT, Clearing audio from a region list, Destructive Recording |
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Term
| What are the key commands for Undo and Redo? |
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Definition
| Command Z, Command+Shift Z |
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Term
| How do you change the input or output routing? |
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Definition
| Change the Audio Input or Output Path Selector |
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Term
| What is the difference between Inputs/Outputs being routed to the Interface vs. the Busses? |
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Definition
| Inputs Routed to the interface are external and the Busses are virtual |
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Term
| What is a Channel Insert and how do you use them with plug-ins? |
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Definition
| The Channel Insert routes 100% the signal through a Plug-In. It is primarily used for Dynamic Plug In (EQ’s, Compressors/Limiters, Gates/Expanders) |
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Term
| How do you change your Sends view from showing you the assignments of all the Sends to showing a more detailed view of a single send? |
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Definition
| By Command Clicking on the Send Selector |
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Term
| How many Aux Sends are available on each Channel strip in PT v.7? How many are available on previous versions? |
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Definition
| 10 sends in v.7+ / 5 in earlier versions |
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Term
When writing real time automation, what is the difference between Write, Latch, and Touch Modes? |
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Definition
Write: writes automation from the time playback starts to the time it stops; Touch: only writes automation when the fader is touched or “clicked” during playback; Latch: similar to Touch, where automation is only written when "touched" BUT continues to write automation until playback is stopped |
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Term
What is the Master Automation Window Enable and what key command to you use to bring it up? |
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Definition
The master automation window allows for global control of all automation in a session. Command+4 (on numeric keypad) |
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Term
What is the difference between Audiosuite, RTAS, HTDM, and TDM Plug Ins? How are they used? Which plug-in type is no longer used on v. 7? Where are the Plug-Ins processed? |
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Definition
Audiosuite: Non Real-time file based; RTAS:Real-time Audio Suite, Host based, only real-time effects for PTLE/M-Powered; TDM: Time Division Multiplexing, audio is processed on DSP chips on PCI cards; HTDM: Host Time Division Multiplexing, only available for TDM systems up to v. 6.9.2 |
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Term
What is the difference between Mono Plug-ins, Multi-mono Plug-Ins, and Multi-channel Plug-ins? Under what circumstances would you use each of these types? |
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Definition
Mono: apply the effect to one track of audio; Multi-mono: used to apply the same effects w/different settings for each channel; Multi-Channel: used to apply the same effect w/identical settings to all channels of the track |
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Term
What is the difference between Save, Save As, and Save Session Copy? What would you use each of these types? |
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Definition
Save: saves data to the session file name already created; Save As: Saves a different version of a previously saved session (useful when making different “mixes” of a track); Save Session Copy: saves a complete copy of the session, including the sub-folders (Fade, Audio, wavecache, etc.) |
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Term
How do you perform a Bounce to Disk? What is the key command to do so? |
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Definition
Under the file menu: File > Bounce or Command+Option+B |
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