Preface
Since its release in 1991, Pro Tools has been ubiquitous in professional audio environments by providing a powerful software interface with high-quality audio hardware. Even after removing the hardware requirement in 2010, Avid’s digital audio workstation and its accompanying hardware options are seen throughout the professional audio world in music studios and mix theatres for motion pictures. While there are a myriad of audio tools out there, Pro Tools still commands a strong presence in the world of audio, and the ability to use it well can help bolster your path into the industry.
If you ask 100 different Pro Tools users what the best way to perform a specific task is, you’ll get 100 different answers. Pro Tools is powerful in its flexibility but creates a bit of a dilemma when trying to figure out what workflows fit best for certain situations. This book is not the way to use Pro Tools, but my way.
Instead of trying to show you all the tools and how they operate with their nuances, I’ve taken a typical project workflow from start to finish and written out how I do it, focusing on the core competencies. In this book, you’ll find the different ways I’ve learned to get the most out of Pro Tools to complete projects in a fast and efficient manner.
After covering the major aspects of a project workflow, you’ll get some tips and tricks for working with specific mediums. The goals and processes for audio differ depending on whether you’re working on motion pictures, music, or podcasts and spoken word, so the last chapters of this book focus on ways to work within those modes.
Pro Tools can be daunting to begin with, and even after decades of working with it, I still learn new things about it every day. I hope you’ll find new ways to look at your projects and faster techniques through the recipes outlined in this book and have a little fun along the way.