Guide to Pro Tools Digital Audio Recording and Editing

Starting a New Pro Tools Session

The first step: ALWAYS RESTART YOUR COMPUTER.
This clears the computer's memory and helps prevent errors and crashes.

Here's how:

1. You may need to log in as Student. If the dialogue box below appears on the desktop screen, click the down-arrow symbol next to the "Name" box until "Student" is highlighted.

2. Click on the menu in the upper right corner of the screen to select "Finder."
3. Then, at the top-center of your screen pull down the "Special" menu and select "Restart." The computer will shut itself down and restart.
4. Log in as "Student" again when the dialogue box above re-appears.

Next: Double-click on the template icon on your desktop.
The template contains the basic elements of a Pro Tools session that you will need for radio production, including tracks for narration, actuality and ambient sound.

· Select "New Session" when the dialog box below appears.

· Make a new folder for yourself inside the "Students' Folder" on the desktop.

This folder is where you will save all of your work and it will contain all of the elements of your Pro Tools session.

After you've selected "New Session," click once on each of the following in succession:

1. Click on the "Desktop" button
2. Click on the "Students' Folder" line to highlight it
3. Click to select "Open"
4. Click on "New Folder"
5. Enter a name for your new folder

Name your Pro Tools session: LAST NAME, FIRST INITIAL.STORYSLUG.DATE

Click "Save" to complete the setup of your new session.

Once you start working in Pro Tools, your session will contain the following elements:

<session_folder_elements.jpg>

The Session File is basically the instruction manual for Pro Tools. It contains all the information Pro Tools uses to re-construct your session, i.e.

• where audio files are located and on which tracks
• which edits and fades you've created, etc.

The Session File does not actually contain audio itself. It acts as a virtual traffic director, instructing the computer where to find everything it needs for a given session.

• The Audio Files folder contains all of the actual audio recorded during a session.
  When you record new audio to a track, it is saved as a new audio file and automatically placed by Pro Tools into the Audio Files folder.
• The Fade Files folder contains any audio data generated during the session that has been faded in, faded out or cross-faded.

DO NOT MOVE OR REMOVE ANY OF THE ABOVE OR ITS ENCLOSED ELEMENTS FROM YOUR SESSION FOLDER.

If Pro Tools discovers missing items, it may not be able to successfully re-open your session.

Next: Getting Your Sound In