pro tools Innovative Techniques for Pro Tools 1.0

[Anderton]

The downloadable package with PDF eBook, audio examples, and session/track preset/effects preset files is now available from Sweetwater for $19.95. Please post suggestions for updates, comments, and questions here - I'm already starting to think about the next update

 

[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.

 

Chapter 1 | Mixing and Mastering Tips 

 

Why Mono Matters for Mixing  

The Varispeed Mastering Trick  

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

Add a Dim Solo Monitoring Function      

Mono-to-Stereo Converter (with .ptxp) 

Widen Mono into Stereo with EQ (with .ptxp)

The Mono Reality Check              

The “Tightener” for Mixing (with .tfx)     

Pitched Resonators (with .tfx)   

“Automating” the Unautomatable          

Before You Master: Mixing for Vinyl        

Manual Limiting               

Mastering Meets Bluetooth       

Understanding Pan Depth           

LCR Mixing and Panning

 

Chapter 2 | Signal Processing

               

Convert Mono Tracks into Stereo Tracks

3-Band Dynamics Processor (with .ptxp)

Shimmer Reverb (with .ptxp)     

The Gentle Sound of Series Dynamics (with .ptxp)            

The “Table” Filter Response (with .tfx)  

The Melodyne Envelope Flanger

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

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

Parallel Compression (with .ptx, .ptxp)  

Understanding Downward and Upward Expansion           

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

Vintage Slapback Echo (with .tfx)             

Ambient Flanging (with .ptxp)   

Create a Transient Shaper (with .ptxp)   

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

Multiband Limiter (with .ptxp)  

BloomVerb (with .ptxp)

Back to the 60s—with Preverb  

Zero-Latency/Zero-Artifact Transient Shaper      

The Air Machine (with .ptxp)      

Flanger Lab (with .ptxp)

Dynamics Effects Order

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

“Decompress” Overcompressed Sounds (with .tfx)          

Dynamics Processors, Amp Sims, and Presets     

Hum Reducer (with .tfx)

Bi-Amp Processing (with .ptxp) 

Advanced Parallel Compression (with .ptx)          

Bell Tree Effects (with .ptxp and .tfx)

 

Chapter 3 | Vocals

 

Better Vocals without Dynamics Processors        

Narration Enhancer

Add a Lyric Track

Fix Vocals with Clip Gain

The Virtual Pop Filter

Purified D-Verb

 

Chapter 4 | Guitar and Bass

 

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             7

Reduce Amp Sim “Edge” with De-Essing

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)             

The Amp Sim Sweetener (with .ptx, .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)

 

Chapter 5 | Drums and Percussion

               

Using Upward Expansion with Percussion (with .tfx)        

Enhance Drum Room Sound (with .tfx)  

Tighten Mixed Drum Loop (with .ptx)     

Percussion in Motion (with .ptx)

Shape Drum Transients with Only Compression (with .tfx)            

Make Boom More Expressive    

 

Chapter 6 | 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)

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 7 | 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              

Blues Harmonica (with .ptxp)     

Using Jam Origin’s MIDI Guitar Software with Pro Tools  

 

Chapter 8 | Workflow and Techniques

               

Using External Hardware Signal Processors with Pro Tools             

The Pre-Master Bus

Tempo Changes for Already Mixed Songs             

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)          

[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.