DigiDesign Pro Tools, Reference Manual, Page: 348 / 886

Pro Tools Reference Guide 334
There are a few things that cannot be changed
while Pro Tools plays, as noted throughout this
guide.
Track Material
Each time you record or import audio, video,
and MIDI, Pro Tools creates
regions for the new
track data, which not only indicate where the
material begins and ends, but also provides
good feedback on its general shape and content.
When you record additional takes, or “punch
in” on a specific location within a track,
Pro Tools creates additional regions.
Regions are also created by cutting and pasting,
resizing, separating, and re-capturing existing
regions. Regions in a session are listed in the Re-
gion List, where they can be dragged to existing
tracks. A track can contain any number of re-
gions, in any arrangement. The order and loca-
tion of regions in a track define its
playlist .
Region Types
There are different types of audio and MIDI re-
gions, based on how they are created:
Whole-File Audio Regions
These audio regions
are created when recording or importing audio,
consolidating existing regions, and when non-
destructively processing with an AudioSuite
plug-in. Whole-file audio regions reference an
entire audio file that resides on your hard drive.
Whole-file audio regions are displayed in bold
in the Region List (see “The Region List” on
page 357). Normal regions often reference only
a portion of the parent audio file and are created
in the course of editing and, in some instances,
when punch recording.
User-Defined Regions These are regions that are
explicitly defined, such as when you record or
import audio or MIDI; capture, separate, or con-
solidate a selection; trim a whole-file audio re-
gion; or rename an existing region.
Auto-Created Regions These regions are auto-
matically created in the course of editing, and,
in some instances, when punch recording over
existing regions. Since these regions can accu-
mulate rapidly in a session, you can hide them
in the Region List (see “Naming and Displaying
Regions” on page 488). Auto-created regions
can be turned into user-defined regions by re-
naming them.
Offline Regions Regions are offline when their
parent files cannot be located, or are not avail-
able, when opening a session or importing a
track. Offline regions appear in the Region List
as italicized and dimmed; they appear in playl-
ists as light blue regions with italicized names.
Offline regions can be edited like other regions,
but they cannot be processed with AudioSuite
plug-ins.
Multichannel Regions These regions, which are
displayed as a single region in the Region List,
reference multiple regions and audio files for
stereo and surround tracks. Multichannel re-
gions can be expanded (by clicking the triangle
next to their name) to see the individual chan-
nels, which can be dragged independently to
tracks.
In addition to audio and MIDI regions,
tracks provide automation playlists of any
automation data (such as volume). Auto-
mation can be recorded and edited in the
Mix or Edit windows. For more informa-
tion, see Chapter 30, “Automation.”
For information on video regions, see
Chapter 36, “Working with Video in
Pro Tools.”