As a researcher, Anke currently writes her doctoral thesis at Bergische Universität Wuppertal, supervised by Bazon Brock and Prof. Dr. Heike Sperling on the topic of “Google and the Promotion of Digital Art. Experiments and alliances between artists and the American multinational technology company”
Furthermore, Anke Eckardt conducted a research project on material in the arts at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne together with Prof. Dr. Lilian Haberer and Karin Lingnau in 2018-2020. This research project aimed at a new concept of an artistic archive based on the processuality of multimedia artistic creation. Additionally Anke is dedicated to investigating new audiovisual materials since 2014 within the framework of the interdisciplinary research platform BAU KUNST ERFINDEN/BUILDING ART INVENTION based at the University of Kassel, Germany.
Video Documentation from February 2012
BETWEEN | YOU | AND | ME Generative Audiovisual Installation (2011) Adjustable in size. The wall fits into a given architectural space. 6 hypersonic loudspeakers 4 projectors / 2 hazers absorbers adjusted for the space video documentation from February 2012
What audio file formats can be imported to Pro Tools without requiring conversion? (See “audio file formats” beginning on page 118. ) —Wav, aff
What condition would cause a file in one of Pro Tools’s native format to require conversion on import? (See “audio file formats” beginning on page 118.) —it happens when the sample rate and bit depth of the file format are different from s.r. and b.d. of the session.
Name some common audio file formats that Pro Tools can convert on import. (See “audio file formats” beginning on page 118.) —AIFF, Audio Interchange File Compressed (AIFC), WAV, MP3.
What are some video file formats that can be imported by Pro Tools? (See “video file formats” beginning on page 119.) —QuickTime, Avid MXF video formats (Enable Video Engine SETUP >PLAYBACK ENGINE) note: PT2019.12 / Catalina OS compatibility issue.
What is the difference between split stereo and interleaved stereo? Which is/are supported for importing into ProTools? (See “split stereo versus interleaved files” beginning on page 119.) ––Split Stereo (multi mono) audio is represented in separate mono files for left and right channels. —In an interleaved stereo file, stereo information is combined (interleaved) into a single file that contains both left and right channel information. Using interleaved files can simplify file management and work with audio files outside of Pro Tools, as well as helping with project organisation and mix tasks.
What is the difference between the Add button in the Import Audio dialogue box and the Copy button? Which button will force-copy the files into your session’s Audio Files folder? (See “importing audio with the import command” beginning on page 121.) —Add / Add All imports compatible files or clips into the session without copying and copying them to the Audio Files folder.Clips that do not match the sample rate of the current session can be added, but they will not playback at the correct speed and pitch. —Copy / Copy All imports compatible files or clips and force-copies them to the session’s Audio Files folder. The Copy button is changed to Convert when the selected audio file clip is not directly compatible with the current session (it will force copy the files into the session).
What happens when you use the Workspace browser to import audio that is not compatible with your session’s parameters (in other words, audio that requires conversion)? What happens when you import audio that does not require conversion? (See “importing audio with workspace browsers” beginning on page 122.) —Files imported into the session by dragging from the Workspace window they automatically convert to into a session from a Workspace browser window (alt+I)—Imported audio that is directly compatible with the session parameters will be referenced in its original location and not copied into the sessions Audio Files folder. To force copy a file, hold opt while dragging the file to the clip list
What steps are required to conduct a search for an audio file using the workspace browser? (See “importing audio with workspace browsers” beginning on page 122.). —WORKSPACE > ADVANCED SEARCH >Choose the volume of folder that you want to search by selecting it in the LOCATION panel on the right side of the window. Click on the search column selector in the advance search tools and select KIND. Click on the File Type Selector and select Audio File
How would you go about importing a QuickTime movie file to Pro Tools while simultaneously importing the audio embedded in the file? (See “working with video tracks” beginning on page 126.) —First you must enable the Avid Video Engine. SETUP > PLAYBACK ENGINE – Enable checkbox next to the Video Engine option. Then FILE > IMPORT > VIDEO. Video Import Options check Import Audio from File.
How many video files can be associated with a standard Pro Tools session at once? —1
What does the term MIDI stand for? How is MIDI data different from the data stored on an audio file? (See “MIDI basics” beginning on page 134.) —Musical Instrument Digital Interface . MIDI data is different from data stored in audio file in that MIDI data does not represent soundwaves; instead it represents information about a performance, such as the pitch duration and intensity of the notes used . MIDI devices transmit performance data via midi instruments which are composed of 8-bit numbers (or bytes)
How many channels of MIDI information can be sent over single MIDI cable? (See “MIDI basics” beginning on page 134.) —16 channels
What two types of tracks does Pro Tools provide for working with MIDI data? What is the difference between the two track types? (See “MIDI in Pro Tools” beginning on page 135.) —MIDI tracks and Instrument Tracks. A MIDI track stores MIDI note and controller data only; no audio can pass through a MIDI track. MIDI tracks are often used in conjunction with Aux Input tracks for monitoring and playback of a synthesiser or virtual instrument that is triggered by the MIDI data. An Instrument track provides MIDI and audio capability in a single channel strip. This capability simplifies the process of recording editing and monitoring MIDI data
How many ticks are there in a quarter note in Pro Tools? (See “Tick-based operation” beginning on page 136.) —960
Describe three ways to set the Main Time Scale to Bars|Beats. (See “setting the time base ruler and main timescale” beginning on page 137.) ––VIEW > RULERS > Bars |Beats then either click on bars beats in the rule of you area of the edit window, —VIEW > MAIN COUNTER > BARS | BEATS —click on the Main Counter Selector in either the Edit window or the Transport window and select Bars | Beats from the pop-up menu.
What is the default meter in Pro Tools? How do you go about changing the meter? (See “setting the base meter” beginning on page 138.) —4/4 —with the Meter ruler displayed in the Edit window, click on the ADD METER CHANGE button, the Meter Change dialogue box will open.
What is the default tempo in Pro Tools? (See “setting the base tempo” beginning on page 139.) —120 bpm
What physical connections can you use to connect a MIDI controller to your system for recording on a MIDI or Instrument track? (See “connecting a MIDI device” beginning on page 141.) —5 pin MIDI, or USB
Give some examples of virtual instrument plug-ins that are installed as standard components of Pro Tools. On which track types are virtual instruments plug-ins typically placed? (To see “using virtual instruments” beginning on page 145.) —Xpand!2, Boom. Instrument Tracks
How many parts can be included in an Xpand!2 patch? How can each part be turned on/off? (See “Working with Xpand!2” beginning on page 146.) 4 parts (A, B, C, D). —Sound parts can be turned on or off any time by clicking on the power button above the part letter
What kind of virtual instrument is Boom? What does the Boom Matrix Display show? (See “working with boom” beginning on page 147.) —Boom is a virtual drum machine featuring a selection of percussion sounds. The Boom user interface provides a simple drum-machine-style pattern sequencer. Boom comes with 10 drum kits inspired by classic electronic drum machines. The Matrix Display on the left side of the plug-in window shows the current pattern in Boom sequencer. The matrix lets you work with patterns and keep track of each step as Boom plays. The lit LEDs in the sequencer correspond to the kit pieces that sequenced to play at that step.
What track views are available for MIDI data in the Edit window? Which view allows you to scroll up or down to see notes of different pictures? (See “viewing MIDI data on MIDI-compatible tracks” beginning on page 151.) —Notes view, Clips view, Velocity view. —MIDI notes view shows individual MIDI notes in a piano roll format, with pitch showed on the vertical axis and duration shown on the horizontal axis. A mini keyboard on the left side of the track allows you to scroll up or down to see all pitches in the track.
What track types can display data in MIDI Editor windows? (See “MIDI added to window views” beginning on page 153.) —Instrument, MIDI and Aux Input tracks
What is the Notation Display Enable button used for in the MIDI Editor window? (See “MIDI editor window views” beginning on page 153.) —To toggle between Notes view and Notation view of the displayed MIDI and Instrument tracks
How much disk space is consumed per minute by a mono track at a sample rate of 44.1 kHz and a bit depth of 16-bit? What happens to disk space consumption if the sample rate is doubled to 88.2 kHz with the same bit depth? (See “audio storage requirements” beginning on page 96.) —At a sample rate of 44.1 KHz, each track consumes approximately 5 MB of storage per minute for 16-bit audio (mono). With increasing bit depth in sample rate, drive consumption increases correspondingly; recording at a sample rate of 88.2 Khz, therefore consumes twice as much drive space as recording 44.1 kHz. Similarly recording in stereo consumes twice the space of recording in mono.
How can you monitor the storage space available on your system to determine the amount of record time remaining for each mounted drive? (See “disk usage window” beginning on page 97.) —WINDOW > DISK USAGE
How can you create a click track for a session? What kind of track is used for a click track? (See “creating a click track (Optional) ” beginning on page 97. —TRACK > CREATE CLICK TRACK(OPTIONS > CLICK to enable the CLICK track) (Alpha numeric 7 – toggle click)SETUP > CLICK / COUNT OFF
What window(s) can you use to record– enable an audio track? (See “record – enabling tracks” beginning on page 100.) —EDIT or MIX windows
What selector can you use to route a signal from an input on your audio interface to a track for recording? (See “input path” beginning on page 100.) —AUDIO INPUT PATH SELECTOR in the tracks I/O section.
How can you adjust the input level going to a record – enabled track? Can you use the volume fader to achieve a strong signal going to disk? (See “input level” beginning on page 102.) —By adjusting the level of your analog source, while monitoring the indicator lights on your on-screen track meter. No – Record levels cannot be adjusted within Pro Tools. (For best results, aim for an average peak input level around -6DBFS, keeping the track meter in the yellow range.)
How can you place a session in Record Ready mode after record–enabling a track? What modifiers/shortcuts are available to initiate recording without first entering Record Ready mode? (See “recording and managing audio” beginning on page 102.) —Click the RECORD button in the Transport Window / controls in EDIT window). cmd + SPACEBAR or f12
Where are recorded audio files stored for Pro Tools sessions? (See “organising audio files and clips” beginning on page 103.) Session hierarchy / —AUDIO FILES
What term is used to describe an unedited audio file in Pro Tools? What term is used to describe the smaller, edited pieces of the original sound file? (See “recognising audio files and clips” beginning on page 104.) —Audio files / Whole-file clips. Subset / clips .
What types of clips are represented by boldface text in the clip list? What type is represented by normal (plain) text? (See “recognising audio files and clips” beginning on page 104.) —Whole-file clips are in boldface. All other clips are in normal type.
How do track names affects the default names of the audio files you record in Pro Tools? (See “default naming conventions” beginning on page 105.) —When you record audio on a track, Pro Tools names the resulting file (a whole-file clip) using the name of the track as the base name.Pro Tools also appends an underscore and take ID to the clip name.
Describe two ways to rename an audio file after recording into Pro Tools. (See “changing file and clip names” beginning on page 105.) —Double click the file or clip in the Edit window (with the GRABBER tool) or in the Clip list. Right-click on the file or clip in the Edit window or Clip List and select RENAME from the pop-up menu .
How would you go about removing unwanted audio from the Clip List without deleting the files from disk? (See “removing audio clips” beginning on page 106.) —Select the clips in the Clip List that you want to remove (to select multiple clips cmd+click, to select a continuous range click on the first clip and shift+click to the last clip) then click the down arrow at the top of the Clip List and choose CLEAR from the Clip List pop-up menu. Click REMOVE in the resulting Clear Clips dialog box.
How would you go about deleting unused whole –file clips to erase from your storage drive? Can this action be undone? (See “moving or deleting audio files” beginning on page 107 —As above, but in the Clear Clips dialog box choose DELETE. It CAN NOT be undone.
Lucia H Chung is a Taiwanese mediator-performer, broadcaster and independent curator based in London. What makes Lucias story as an artist particularly interesting, is her background in visual arts (she’s holding a Master degree in Sculpture from Winchester School of Art). For her Phd, Lucia had decided to study further in the field of sonic arts.
She spoke about how cultural differences she encountered and how simple communication was often a problem (which I can relate to as a foreigner). This brought up the concept of dualism in her work (her and other/s) and quite naturally Lucia’s art became the search for new language and interconnection between her audience and her. Language above the words and peoples conditioning.
Lucia Chung performs under the alias en creux. She puts a lot of emphasis on where in the room she is situated when performing, location of the receivers and arrangement of the speakers. Painting the space with the noise generated via feedback on digital and analogue equipment. She is mediating between the sounds intertwining in the self-regulated environment.
C-drík in Kortrijk, Belgium. Photograph taken by Stephan Vercaemer.
I had a pleasure of meeting (online) a great composer, musician, mastering engineer, author, independent researcher, concert organiser, and curator -Cedrik Fermont. Apart from releasing music under many aliases (Alien Vegan Sect, C-drík, D-Drik, F-Drik, Y-drík and many more), he explores electronic, experimental and noise music from Asia, Africa and South America.
During the lecture, Cedrik took us on the fascinating journey through the world of non-Western alternative music and sound art.
In his work as a researcher, Cedrik is focusing on decolonisation of a history of music. I find this topic particularly interesting. I believe that in the context of arts, music and culture, decolonisation is a process of overthrowing the Western-centrism in those spheres. The most efficient way of it is by educating. Cedrik, through his journeys, have made lots of contacts all around the world and created an unprecedented network between Asia, Africa, South America, Eastern Europe, Middle East and the West. It’s worth mentioning, that his work began years before the internet became commonly accessible, and the only data carriers were vinyl records and tapes.
He is proving that alternative music like noise, ambient, electroacoustic music etc., have existed outside of Western Europe and USA and Japan way longer before people of the West would have imagined. By performing and and searching for alternative scenes in places like Kosovo, Myanmar, Indonesia and Iraq, he discovered unbelievable amount of new music from the most alternative nooks and crannies, like noise, ambient or break-core in places more or less untouched by the Western Culture. This made Cedrik want to rewrite the music and sound history, make The West aware of many amazing artists from the rest of the world.
And that’s how his record label, Syrphe http://syrphe.com/ was born. Thanks to being a citizen of the global village, I am able to listen to all those pieces from places I haven’t even dreamt of going to. I must say that researching Syrphe and different music projects of Cedrik got me into a deep Bandcamp hole of electroacoustic and noise masterpieces, industrial drones, metallic tingling and jungle sounds. I also discovered what chordophones are and other unbelievable instruments.
Going through hours of those magical sounds, my attention was caught by one project. “Chordophone” is a piece composed by C-drik in early 2021, from which samples were provided for free use by other artists. Some of them sent their tracks over to Cedrik which resulted in publishing the compilation on Bandcamp- syrphe.bandcamp.com/album/chordophone.
It’s a great example of how many different concepts and ideas can be created by collaboration. Tracks are vastly diverse and I think this project itself is a great source of inspiration that I will be using during my work with sound.
I took a great pleasure in discovering and listening to Axiome – collaboration project between C-drik and Olivier Moreau.
Operating in a field of rhythm, break core and industrial, its been the oldest project in which C-drik is involved, founded in 1991 and active to this day. Most of their work is available on CDs, but luckily I managed to find this live performance recording from October 2012.
CAUTION! Contains unbelievable amount of broken bits, hypnotic electronic sounds and overwhelming bass ! ! !
The only available digital music by Axiome I found is album released in December 2020, called “Who will control us”, featuring some juicy, trembling, drexciyan electro: https://axiomeduo.bandcamp.com/album/who-will-control-us.
What are some actions that can be initiated from The Dashboard? (See “The Dashboard” beginning on page 70.) —Create a new blank session on local storage. Create a new blank project, with or without cloud backup. Create a new session or project from a template. Open a session or project from a list of recently opened Pro Tools documents. Open a project that you created or are a collaborator on. Open a session from a connected storage location on your system.
What is the difference between a session and a project in Pro Tools? (See “Creating and configuring a Pro Tools document” beginning on page 70.) —A session file is saved to local storage. A project is stored remotely (on the cloud)
What is required to create a project document? What are some reasons you might want to create a project instead of a session? (See “Creating and using project documents” beginning on page 71.) —An Avid account, and Internet connection. Some reasons to use a project: to protect your Pro Tools work against loss in the event of Drive failure or other computer mishap. b.To be able to access your projects from anywhere with an Internet connection. c.You can collaborate with other Pro Tools users anywhere in the world.
What are some available options for parameter settings in the dashboard? (See “Choosing parameter settings” beginning on page 71.) —Create from Template, Audio file type, Sample Rate, Bit Depth, I/O settings, Interleaved, Prompt for Location, Show on Start-up
What audio file types are supported in Pro Tools? What is the default file type? (See “Choosing Parameter Settings” beginning on page 72.) —WAV or AIFF.
What is the maximum sample rate supported in Pro Tools? What is the maximum bit depth? (See “choosing parameter settings” beginning on page 72.) —192Khz. 32-bit
What menu command lets you add tracks to your session? What keyboard shortcut can you use to access this command? (See “adding tracks ” beginning on page 74.) —Track. cmd+shift+N
How many tracks can you add to a session at one time? (See “adding tracks” beginning on page 74.) —You can simultaneously add as many tracks with as many different configurations as your session will allow. (e.g. 128 Audio in PT Standard, 768 for PT Ultimate).
Describe some primary track types that are available in Pro Tools. Describe the two types of folder tracks. (See “track type “beginning on page 76.) —Primary Track Types: Audio, MIDI, Instrument, Video, Auxiliary, VCA, MasterFader. —Basic Folders: purely for organisational purposes, essentially just containers for visually grouping sets of related tracks together into a collapsible view. Basic folder tracks do not have any signals rooted through them. Aside from solo and mute functionality that propagates to their constituent tracks, basic folder tracks have no mixing controls. —Routing Folders: have all of the signal routing functionality of an Auxiliary input track (audio input an output selectors, insert points and send routing), along with mixing controls (Pan and Volume) and all associated automation controls in the Mix and Edit windows. Routing folders are designed primarily for sub mixing and stem mixing workflows combining key features of Auxiliary inputs and VCA master tracks with folder behaviour for organising and managing sets of tracks.)
Which timebase do Audio tracks use by default? Which timebase do MIDI and Instrument tracks use by default? (See “Track Time base” beginning on page 78.) —Audio tracks are Sample-based by default, while MIDI and Instrument Tracks are tick-based.
What happens to the Audio and MIDI data on a track when the track gets deleted from your session? Can the Track > Delete command be undone? (See “deleting tracks” beginning on page 80.) —When you delete tracks, your audio or MIDI clip data will remain in the Clip list, but your arrangement of clips on the deleted track (the tracks playlist) will be lost.It CAN NOT be undone.
Name the two types of cursors available in the Edit window. What is the difference between them? (See “controlling playback” beginning on page 80.) —The Playback cursor is a solid, non-blinking line that moves across the screen during playback and indicates where the current playback point is. —The Edit cursor is a blinking line that appears on a track playlist when you click with the selector tool in a track .
Which tool can be used to set the playback point by clicking directly on a track? (See “starting and stopping playback ” beginning on page 81.) —Selector Tool
What is the Playback Cursor Locator used for? Where will the Playback Cursor Locator appear (in what Ruler)? (See “locating the playback cursor” beginning on page 82.) —To help locate the playback cursor when it might have moved off screen after reaching the edge of the Edit window. It appears in the Main Timebase Ruler.
What is the purpose of the Save As command? Which session will be opened after completing the Save As command – the original or the renamed copy? (See “save as command” beginning on page 83.) It’s useful for saving a copy of a session under a different name or in a different drive location. —The Save As command leaves the original session unchanged and allows you to continue working on the renamed copy. And such, it is particularly useful when experimenting, to save alternate versions of your work. This command is also useful for saving stages of your work under different names. By working in this way you can always retrace your steps if you ever need to go back to an earlier stage of the project. It is the renamed copy that will remain open to continue working on.
What is the purpose of the Save As New Version command? What type of Pro Tools document does this command apply to? (See “save as new version command” beginning on page 84.) —It provides similar benefits to the Save As command, but is available only when working on project documents
How can you open a session after locating it in a workspace browser? (See “opening a session” beginning on page 86.) —Double-click
What icon is used for the Zoomer tool in the Edit window? How can you use this tool to quickly zoom out, filling the Edit window with the longest track in the session? (See “Zoomer Tool” beginning on page 52.) —Magnifying glass. Double click to see ALL (fn+f5 to use Zoomer)
Which Edit tool is represented by a hand icon? What is this tool used for? (See “Grabber Tool” beginning on page 54.) —Grabber Tool. It is commonly used for arranging clips. You can use the grabber tool to select an entire clip with a single mouse click you can also use the gravity movie clip along the timeline, within its current track into movie clips between tracks (fn+f8 to use Grabber)
Which tool is active when the Trim, Selector, and Grabber icons are all selected (highlighted in blue) in the Edit window toolbar? (See “Smart Tool” beginning on page 55.) —The Smart Tool
What are the four Edit modes in Pro Tools? How can you switch between them? (See “Edit Modes” beginning on page 56.) —Shuffle (fn+f1). Slip (fn+f2). Spot (fn+f3). Grid (fn+f4)
Why should you use caution when editing synchronized material in Shuffle mode? When is Shuffle mode useful? —Movements and edits made on shuffle mode will cause timing changes for the media on affected tracks. This mode should be used with caution when editing material that is synchronised to other tracks or are aligned to a timing reference or tempo. It’s useful as a way to make clips line up next to each other without overlapping or leaving silence between them. This can be convenient when you need to shorten a line of dialogue by removing a pause, cough repeated word, or similar unwanted material.
How does editing a clip in Slip mode affect the timing of other clips on the track? (See “Slip Mode” beginning on page 56.) —In Slip mode, you can move, trim, cut, or paste clips freely within a track without affecting the placement of other clips on the track. All selections, clip movements and edit operations at unconstrained
When is it helpful to work in Spot mode? When it is helpful to work in Grid mode? (See “Spot Mode” and “Grid Mode” beginning on page 57.) —Spot mode lets you move and trim clips using precise locations or durations specified in a dialogue box. —In Grid mode selections, clip movements, and trim operations are constrained by the grid, i.e. it is useful for quantising material.
What are some ways to set the Main Time Scale in Pro Tools? (See “Main Time Scale” beginning on page 59.) —VIEW > MAIN COUNTER. Main TimeScale pop-up menu
What are the two types of Rulers available in Pro Tools? What is the difference between them? (See “Ruler Display Options” beginning on page 60.) —Timebase rulers measure time in various ways (they include Bars| Beats, Minutes: seconds, samples, timecode, timecode 2, Feet+Frames). —Conductor rulers contain events that map out locations, characteristics and changes within a session (these include Markers, Tempo, Meter, Key, Chords)
What are some ways to hide Rulers that you do not need displayed in a session? (See “Hiding Rulers” beginning on page 61.) —VIEW > RULERS. Opt+click directly on a Ruler’s name in the Timeline display area.
Which Pro Tools windows provide access to MIDI controls, such as Wait for Note, Metronome, and MIDI Merge? (See “MIDI Control Features” beginning on page 62.) -The MIDI Control section in the Edit and Transport windows
What is the purpose of the Metronome button in the MIDI Controls area? What kind of track must be added to a session for the Metronome button to work? (See “Metronome” beginning on page 62.) —The metronome button is used in conjunction with a click track and controls whether or not the click will be audible. When the Metronome button is active, a metronome click will sound during playback and recording, as specified by the settings in the Click/Countoff options dialog box (SET-UP > Click/ Countoff).Metronome playback requires a click track on the click source to be configured for your session.
What are the two states or modes available for controlling the current session tempo? How can you switch between these modes? (See “Tempo Ruler Enable” beginning on page 63.) —Tempo Map Mode and Manual Tempo Mode
What is displayed by the Tempo field in the MIDI Controls area? What are some ways to set the session tempo using this field? (See “Tempo Field” beginning on page 64.) —The session’s current tempo based on the play selection. In manual tempo mode (or when the session tempo has not yet been defined) you can enter a BPM value directly into this field. In addition when the tempo field is selected, you can tap in a tempo from a midi controller or from the computer keyboard using the T key
– Pro Tools File Structure – Pro Tools menu Structure – Main Pro Tools Windows
1.Name some of the folders and files that ProTools creates as part of the session hierarchy. Where is the session file (. ptx) stored?
Pro Tools Session folder is a top level session folder that contains the session file and subfolders for various supplemental files.
2. What is the WaveCache.wtm file used for? What happens if the WaveCache file gets deleted or goes missing?
–WaveCashe file is created for every Pro Tools sessions. It contains waveform display data for all the audio files in the session and enables the session to open quicker.
-Deleting the WaveCashe file will not cause any harm to the session or the system – ProTools is able to recalculate the waveform data when it’s next open. However, it may cause the session to take longer to open and display.
3. Where are audio files stored in the session hierarchy?
–Each audio file is stored as a separate file in Audio Files folder.
4. Where are Pro Tool’s MIDI files normally stored ?
–MIDIfiles are stored within the Pro Tools session; they will not exist outside the session document, but can be exported ( they will have .mid extension)
5. Which components should you turn on first when powering up a Pro Tools system? Which component should you turn on last?
Remember to start with all your equipment (including your computer) powered off.
Any components that use external power:
external storage drives and devices
external MIDI interfaces
MIDI controllers
audio interface(s) – unless they’re USB powered (bus powered)
Start your computer and launch Pro Tools.
Turn on the speakers
6. What type of processing does the hardware buffer size affect? What type of processing does it not affect?
it’s affecting host-based (native) processing
H/W buffer size does not affect DSP processing
7. What kinds of commands can be found under the ProTools View menu? How does the view menu differ from the window menu?
View menu commands affect the display within Pro Tools windows, tracks, and clips. Most commands show or hide parts of the main Pro Tools windows or change, how the elements within a window are arranged.
Commends in the Window Menu show or hide entire windows or change the display of windows on the screen.
8. What kind of commands can be found under the ProTools Options menu? How does the options menu differ from the setup menu?
loop recording, toggle pre- and post-roll on and off, engage Dynamic Transport mode, set scrolling options, etc.
9. Which main Pro Tools window displays audio waveforms and can be used to work directly with audio, MIDI, and video files on tracks?
Edit Window
10. Which ProTools window provides access to Pan controls and Volume faders for each track?
SOUND is a variation in the air pressure around us. This variation occurs from the vibration in material object, like a table knock or a car engine. The vibrating object is moving through a back and forth motion which produces the the variation in air pressure that becomes the sound in our ears, if it falls within our hearing range.
Wave – the shape of a sound, it’s unique character and tone.
Frequency – the pitch of a sound, it’s the frequency of the air pressure variations. It creates our perception of the pitch of the sound.
The more CPS – the higher the pitch we hear.
Each time the frequency doubles – the pitch rises by 1 octave.
Amplitude – the intensity of a sound, its loudness. It’s measured in decibels – logarithmic units used to describe a ratio of sound pressure. It has not linear relation to how we perceive the loudness.
Answers to discussion questions:
1. Name and describe five types of production tasks that ProTools can be used for.
-Pro Tools can be used for :audio and MIDI recording, composition, editing, mixing. It also provides the support for the desktop video.
2. What’s the frequency range of human hearing?
-Frequency range of human hearing differs between 20Hz and 20kHz (also CPS – cycles per second).
3. What does the frequency of a sound wave affect in terms of how we perceive the sound? How is frequency measured?
-Frequency affects the pitch of the sound.
4. What does the amplitude of the sound wave affect? How is amplitude measured?
-Amplitude affects the intensity of the sound we hear, it’s loudness. It is measured in decibels.
5. How does the sample rate of a system relate to the frequency of audio it can capture? What is the name of the law that specifies the relationship between sample rate and audio frequency?
-Sampling is the process of taking measurements of an electrical signal at various moments in time. The sample rate is the frequency with which these digital measurements are taken. The Nyquist Theorem ( or Sampling Theorem) states that in order to produce an accurate representation of a given frequency of sound, each cycle of the sound’s vibration must be sampled a minimum of two times, which is at least 40 kHz (twice the top range of human hearing). If the sample rate is any lower, the system will read the incoming frequencies inaccurately and produce the wrong tones (alias tones).
6. How does the bit depth relate to the dynamic range of audio it can capture. How can you estimate the dynamic range of a system?
-The number of bits used for each sample is called the bit depth (binary word length). The more binary letters, the more accuracy in each sample measurement. Therefore, larger binary words are able to quantify the variations in amplitudes of the sound with better precision.
To estimate the useful dynamic range of an Audio/Digital system, we multiply the size of binary word by 6.
7. What are some common digital connections available on Pro Tools audio interfaces? What type of connector jack does each use?
-Digital connections include S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface – standard), which uses RCA jacks (coaxial jacks), and AES/EBU (Audio Engineering Society/European Broadcast Union – professional), which uses XLR-type connectors.
RCA jacksXLR connector
8. Name some audio interfaces that are compatible with standard Pro Tools software.
any audio interface that includes a supported Core Audio (Mac) or ASIO-Audio Stream Input Output (Windows) driver is compatible with standard Pro Tools Software.
Some examples: M-Audio M-Track, Focusrite Scarlett, Behringer UMC 22, Audient iD4 MKII USB and many more.
9. Name some Avid audio interfaces that are compatible with Pro Tools | Ultimate software.
