pro tools Innovative Techniques for Pro Tools 1.1

[Anderton]

Dive Deep Into Pro Tools’ Potential with 130+ Innovative Tips!

 

With over 1/3 more content compared to v1.0, this updated gold mine of Pro Tools tips and tricks is the key to help you maximize Pro Tools’ potential. With 24 “learn-by-doing” Session files, 40 Track Presets, 53 Effects presets, and 96 audio examples, elevating your music with Pro Tools becomes a stimulating, interactive experience. The tips cover mixing, mastering, signal processing, vocals, guitar and bass, drums, sidechaining, a new chapter on MIDI plugins, rhythmic processing, virtual instruments, workflow, and more. Suitable for Pro Tools versions from Artist to Ultimate, this clearly written, profusely illustrated e-book by industry legend (and award-winning engineer) Craig Anderton will be your trusted Pro Tools assistant.

 

[Anderton]

Here's the complete contents for the eBook, which lists all the tips. If a tip heading say .ptx, .ptxp, or .tfx, it means those kinds of files are included with the tip. Many of these are "learn-by-doing" files where you load the file, and go through the lesson in the book. Tips with (1.1) are new to this version.

 

Chapter 01 | Mixing and Mastering

 

Why Mono Matters for Mixing

The Virtual “How Does It Sound in a Car?” Tester (with .ptxp)

Channel Strip Deep Dive (1.1)

Add a Dim Solo Monitoring Function

The Collapse-to-Mono Reality Check

Convert Mono Tracks into Stereo Tracks

Mono-to-Stereo Converter (with .ptxp)

Manual Limiting

“Automating” the Unautomatable

Understanding Pan Depth

About LCR Mixing and Panning

Fix Phase Issues (1.1)

Before You Master: Mixing for Vinyl

The Varispeed Mastering Trick

Tempo Changes for Already Mixed Songs

Compare Mixes With and Without Mastering Processors (1.1)

Mastering Meets Bluetooth

Load VST3 and AU Plugins (1.1)

 

Chapter 02 | Equalization

 

Applying the “Rule of Half” (1.1)

How to Find and Reduce Annoying Resonances (1.1)

The Plateau and Valley Filter Responses (1.1, with .tfx)

Widen Mono into Stereo with EQ (with .ptxp)

Create “Virtual Mics” with EQ (with .ptxp)

Dynamic EQ Processing with the Channel Strip (1.1)

The “Tightener” for Mixing (with .tfx)

The Air Machine (with .ptxp)

Five Simple, Single-Stage EQ Fixes (1.1)

Hum Reducer (with .tfx)

Use Equalization to “Focus” Effects (1.1)

Bi-Amp Processing (with .ptxp)

 

Chapter 03 | Dynamics

 

Dynamics Effects Order

Dynamics Processors, Amp Sims, and Presets

Gate Out Unwanted Low-Level Audio (with .tfx)

The Gentle Sound of Series Dynamics (with .ptxp)

Understand Downward and Upward Expansion

3-Band Dynamics Processor (with .ptxp)

Parallel Compression (with .ptx, .ptxp)

Zero-Latency/Zero-Artifact Transient Shaper

Multiband Limiter (with .ptxp)

Magic Moving Stereo (1.1)

Create a Transient Shaper (with .ptxp)

“Decompress” Overcompressed Sounds (with .tfx)

Advanced Parallel Compression (with .ptx)

 

Chapter 04 | Mid-Side Processing

 

Do Mid-Side Processing with Any Multi-Mono Plugin (with .ptxp)

Mid-Side Reverb (with .ptx, .ptxp)

Edit Mid and Side Levels (1.1, with .ptxp)

Monitor Mid-Side Mic Positioning in Real Time (1.1, with .ptxp)

 

Chapter 05 | Modulation and Time-Based Processing

 

Vintage Slapback Echo (with .tfx)

Pitched Resonators (with .tfx)

Authentic ADT/Automatic Double-Tracking (with .ptxp)

The Melodyne Envelope Flanger (1.1)

Shimmer Reverb (with .ptxp)

BloomVerb (with .ptxp)

Purified D-Verb (with .ptxp)

Back to the 60s—with Preverb

Flanger Lab (with .ptxp)

Bell Tree Effects (with .ptxp and .tfx)

Add “Vintage Digital” Effects to Acoustic Drum Loops (1.1)

Authentic 60s Flanger (1.1)

Enhance Your Reverb’s Image (1.1)

Ambient Flanging (with .ptxp)

Flangeosaurus (1.1, with .ptxp)

 

Chapter 06 | Vocals

 

Better Vocals without Dynamics Processors

Narration Enhancer

Add a Lyric Track

Fix Vocals with Clip Gain

Three Virtual Pop Filter Options (1.1)

 

Chapter 07 | Guitar and Amp Sims

 

Stack Amps and Cabs with Eleven MK II (with .ptxp)

Virtual “Nashville Tuning”

Create Amp Sim Cabs with EQ (with .tfx)

Multiband Distortion for Guitar (with .ptx and .ptxp)

Tribute to Wes Montgomery: Octave Guitar Solos

The Amp Sim Sweetener (with .ptx, .tfx)

Amp Sim “Creamifier” (1.1, with .tfx)

Humbucker-to-Single-Coil Conversion with EQ (with .tfx)

Play Bass with Guitar

Compress Only the Bass’s Midrange (with .tfx)

Retain a Guitar’s “Sparkle” While Compressing (with .tfx)

Authentic Wah Pedal (with .ptxp)

The Acoustifier for Electric Guitar (with .ptxp)

Advanced Guitar Tremolo (with .tfx)

Harmonic Tremolo (with .ptxp)

Combi-Band “Amp Construction Kit” (with .ptxp)

Attack Delay Processor (with .tfx)

Widen Your Guitar’s Image (1.1, with .ptxp)

Make Bass “Pop” in Your Mix (1.1)

Real-Time 6- to 12-String Converter (1.1, with .ptxp)

Pseudo-Feedback Guitar (1.1)

Blues Harmonica (with .ptxp)

 

Chapter 08 | Drums and Percussion

 

Using Upward Expansion with Percussion (with .tfx)

Enhance Drum Room Sound (with .tfx)

Tighten Mixed Drum Loops (with .ptx, .tfx)

Percussion in Motion (with .ptx)

Shape Drum Transients with Only Compression (with .tfx)

Make Boom More Expressive

Fix Boring Acoustic Drum Loops (1.1)

 

Chapter 09 | Sidechaining and Rhythmic Processing

 

About Sidechaining

Duck a Music Bed with Narration

Modular Synth Mojo: The Pseudo-VCA (with .ptx)

80s Gated Reverb (with .ptx, .ptxp)

Pumped Drums (with .ptx)

Pumped Drums with Internal Sidechain (with .ptx)

Lock Bass to Kick (with .ptx)

Process Sidechain for Rhythmic Effects (with .ptx)

Drum Sound Enhancement (with .ptx)

Add Pseudo-Lookahead for Dynamics Processors (with .ptx)

Reliable Attack Delay (with .tfx)

Cross-Triggering Effects (with .ptx)

Pulsed Reverb (with .ptx and .ptxp)

Multiband Gating for Rapturous Rhythms (with .ptx, .ptxp)

Versatile Sidechain Dynamics (with .ptx)

Dual Pulsing Tremolos (with .ptx, .ptxp)

 

Chapter 10 | Virtual Instruments and MIDI

 

Grander Piano (with .ptx, .ptxp)

Create Polyphonic MIDI Guitar Parts with Melodyne Essential

How to Play Realistic MIDI Bass Parts

Polyphonic Glide-to-Pitch with Any Synth

Pads that Loop Perfectly

Using Jam Origin’s MIDI Guitar 2 Software with Pro Tools

MIDI-Accelerated Delay Effects (1.1)

“Strums” Made Easy with Step Recording (1.1)

 

Chapter 11 | MIDI Plugins

 

Power Chord Note Stack (1.1)

Handclap/Percussion Note Stack (1.1)

Robot Percussion Loop Generator (1.1, with .ptx)

Quantize Note Pitches to Scales (1.1)

Simplify Keyswitching (1.1)

Velocity Control Applications (1.1)

Serial MIDI Plugins, Chains, and Recording (1.1)

 

Chapter 12 | Workflow and Techniques

 

Using External Hardware Signal Processors with Pro Tools

Resolve the Windows “Drag-and-Drop-from-Desktop” Issue

Play Faster with Time-Stretching

Play Faster with Varispeed Resampling

Sound Design for the Rest of Us (with .ptx)

Experiment with Binaural Beats (1.1, with .ptxp)

[Dave Bryce]

This look awesome, Craig!  

‘

’Makes me wish I wasn’t so addicted to Digital Performer - I would love to a resource like this for DP.

 

dB

[Anderton]

Actually, several tips were "ported" over from the Studio One book. A tip involving, for example, an equalizer, expander, and a couple buses is pretty universal for any program.

 

However, there are several unique features in any program. For example, Pro Tools has an AutoPanner plug-in but it's invaluable for doing splits with Multi-Mono plug-ins, which are another Pro Tools thing. This mades it easy to do mid-side processing, and tricks like stacking guitar amps or doing bi-amping effects. Doing those kinds of things in many other programs requires busing signals around. 

 

[Anderton]

Question to anyone who has thoughts on the subject:

 

The audio examples are included as MP3 files with the eBook download package, but there are also links in the eBook that take you to the audio examples on YouTube.

 

Which do you find more useful/helpful? Do you like having both options, or would you prefer just one or the other?

 

Any and all comments would be appreciated to help with the process of planning future updates. Thank you!

[Dave Bryce]

On 8/18/2022 at 9:42 AM, Anderton said:

Question to anyone who has thoughts on the subject:

 

The audio examples are included as MP3 files with the eBook download package, but there are also links in the eBook that take you to the audio examples on YouTube.

 

Which do you find more useful/helpful? Do you like having both options, or would you prefer just one or the other?

 

Any and all comments would be appreciated to help with the process of planning future updates. Thank you!

 

For me, it’d be the mp3 files with the book because it adds value to the purchase.

 

I might still consider putting one or two curated examples on YouTube to make people aware of the books and/or to lead them to the forum…but to get them all, you’d need to get the ebook.

 

dB

[jerrythek]

Yes, I think MP3 are the right first choice... I can listen to them without having to fend through YT ads etc, and being "followed".

 

Jerry

 

 

P.S. The tips all sound so useful, regardless of the platform. Does the Studio One version have the majority of them? Plenty to learn from, for sure.

 

 

[Anderton]

37 minutes ago, jerrythek said:

Does the Studio One version have the majority of them? 

 

Yes, although some use elements unique to Pro Tools (however, many of them are in the Studio One book, but implemented differently). The Studio One book is up to version 1.3, so it has had more time to accumulate tips. It currently has 230 tips, 107 free presets, 135 audio examples, and it's over 600 pages. You can see the table of contents that lists all the tips on the book's landing page, or in the Studio One book thread in this forum. FWIW it's still a free update for anyone who has an earlier version. Thanks for the interest, and the comment about MP3s! Looks like MP3s are winning so far.

[jerrythek]

Cool - just what I need - more things to study/learn!

 

But it looks too good not to explore. Thanks for all you do, my friend.

 

[Anderton]

Just now, jerrythek said:

Thanks for all you do, my friend.

 

 In return, all I ask is you teach me how to play keyboards as well as you do

 

As to more things to study/learn, I think of the tips books as a smorgasbord. There's no narrative, you can just pick out something that looks interesting, and check it out. Most tips are relatively short.