DigiDesign Pro Tools, Reference Manual

Page: 272 / 886

Pro Tools Reference Guide 258
Set Input Levels High But Not High
Enough to Clip
When you feed a signal into any audio record-
ing system, including Pro Tools, make sure to
adjust the input level to optimize the dynamic
range and signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded
file. If the input level is too low, you will not
take full advantage of the dynamic range of your
Pro Tools system. If the input level is too high,
the waveform clips and distorts the recording.
Try to set levels so that they register within the
top 6 dB of the input meter without triggering
the clipping indicator on your audio interface.
Calibration Mode
(Pro Tools HD Only)
You can use the Calibration mode in Pro Tools
to adjust the input and output levels for your
audio interface so they match those of your
mixing console and other audio devices in your
studio.
The 192 I/O has two sets of adjustable trim pots
for its inputs, and two sets of adjustable trim
pots for its outputs. Additionally, the reference
level for the input can be set to +4 dBu or
–10 dBV. The 888|24 I/O has adjustable trim
pots for its inputs and outputs.
There are no input or output trims on the fol-
lowing audio interfaces: 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O,
96i I/O, 882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, and 24-bit ADAT
Bridge I/O. Some Digidesign I/Os that do not
have output trims (such as the 96i I/O) offer
software-controllable input levels, adjustable
from Setup > Hardware (refer to the guide for
your particular I/O).
Record Enabling Tracks
To record to a track you must first enable the
track’s Record Enable button. To record simulta-
neously to multiple tracks, record enable multi-
ple audio, Instrument, or MIDI tracks.
When one or more tracks are record-enabled,
click the Record button (in the Transport or Edit
window) to arm recording, and then click the
Play button (in the Transport or Edit window) to
start recording.
For more information on calibrating your
audio interface, or using Calibration mode,
see the 192 I/O Guide (or Calibration Mode
Instructions included with earlier ship-
ments of 192 I/O), or the 888|24 I/O
Guide .
MIDI and Instrument tracks can be record-
enabled during playback or record. To
record enable audio tracks, the Transport
must be stopped, or QuickPunch, Track-
Punch, or DestructivePunch must be en-
abled. For more information on Quick-
Punch, TrackPunch, and DestructivePunch,
see “Record Modes” on page 268.
For information on digitizing (recording)
video in Pro Tools, see Chapter 36, “Work-
ing with Video in Pro Tools” or the Avid
Video Peripherals Guide.