DigiDesign Digidesign Pro Tools 8.0, Reference Manual

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Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords 663
Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key,
and Chords
In Pro Tools, editing and arranging is typically
done on tracks against a fixed
Timeline .
Regions and events can be anchored to points in
absolute time, or relative time, as measured on
the session’s Timeline. The Timeline includes
two different types of rulers for measuring time:
Timebase rulers and Conductor rulers.
The Timebase rulers can measure time in two
different ways: sample-based time (absolute
time) and tick-based time (relative time). For ex-
ample, the Minutes:Seconds ruler measures ab-
solute time and the Bars|Beats ruler measures
relative time.
The relative time of the Bars|Beats ruler is deter-
mined in part by tempo and meter. Tempo,
Meter, and Key Signature rulers reside in Con-
ductor tracks. Tempo and meter events affect
the timing of tick-based tracks, and also provide
the tempo and meter map for the Bar:Beat grid
and Click. You can edit tempo events in the
Tempo ruler or Tempo Editor.
Key changes can affect MIDI notes when apply-
ing transposition. You can edit key and key
changes in the Key Signature ruler.
Timebase Rulers and
Conductor Rulers
Timebase Rulers
Any or all of the following Timebase rulers can
be displayed at the top of the Edit window and
in MIDI Editor windows:
Bars|Beats
Displays the Time Scale in bars and
beats. Use this Time Scale if you are working
with musical material that must align with bars
and beats. The Bars|Beats Time Scale is relative
and is affected by the session’s tempo and meter
map.
Pro Tools also provides a Markers ruler for
Memory Locations. For more information,
see Chapter 34, “Memory Locations.”
All rulers displayed