Chapter 30: Making Selections

Pro Tools provides many tools for selecting To link or unlink the Timeline and Edit selections,
material in the Edit window. do one of the following:

 Select or deselect Options > Link Timeline and

Edit Selection.
Linking or Unlinking Timeline In the Edit window, a MIDI Editor window, or
and Edit Selections


the Score Editor window, click the Link Time-

Pro Tools lets you link or unlink the Timeline and line and Edit Selection button so it becomes
Edit selections. highlighted (selected) or unhighlighted (not se-
lected). Enabling or disabling the Link Timeline
When the Timeline and Edit selections are linked, and Edit Selection button in any editor window
selecting in a track’s playlist (making an Edit se- affects all editor windows.
lection) also defines the play and record range (the
Timeline selection).

Unlinking Timeline and Edit selections lets you

make a selection within a track for editing pur-
poses that is distinct from the selection in the
Timeline (which determines the playback and re-
cording range). Link Timeline and Edit Selection button enabled in the
Edit window

Press Shift+Forward Slash (/) to toggle Link

Timeline and Edit Selection on and off.

Chapter 30: Making Selections 669

 If you are working on a film or video scene, you Timeline and Edit Selection
may want to unlink the Timeline and Edit selec- Markers
tions to find or audition material that is at a differ-
Timeline selections are displayed in the Main
ent location than the current Timeline selection.
Timebase ruler with Timeline Selection Markers,
Edit selections can be played (choose Edit > Selec-
which appear as blue arrows (red when recording).
tion > Play Edit) without disrupting the current
In addition, there are Pre- and Post-Roll Flags
Timeline selection. Once you find the material,
(which are green when enabled) indicating the lo-
you can then go back to the Timeline selection and
cation for pre- and post-roll.
place it within the context of the scene.

The following figure illustrates another reason

why you might want to unlink the Timeline and
Edit selections. In this example, the Timeline se- Timeline Selection Markers with Pre- and Post-Roll
Flags
lection sets a range to be looped on playback, while
a MIDI clip (residing within the loop) is selected When the Timeline and Edit selections are un-
for editing purposes. linked, Edit selections are displayed in the ruler
with Edit Markers, which appear as black brackets.
During playback, the Edit selection can be nudged,
quantized, or transposed while the loop plays back
completely independent and uninterrupted.
Edit Markers

If the Timeline and Edit selections are linked, Edit

selections are represented by the blue Timeline Se-
lection Markers.

See the following topics for more information on

working with Timeline and Edit selections:
Timeline and Edit selections unlinked
• “Selecting Track Material” on page 671
While you could theoretically do this with the
• “Timeline Selections” on page 682
Timeline and Edit selections linked, as soon as
playback is stopped, the playback range would • “Setting Punch and Loop Points” on page 562
then be updated to that of the more recent edit • “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 565
range, or to a single note when editing MIDI.

670 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Linking or Unlinking Track Selecting Track Material
and Edit Selections
Before audio and MIDI material can be edited, it
Pro Tools lets you link or unlink Track selection must first be selected. The Track View determines
with Edit selections. how the material is viewed and selected.

When Track and Edit selections are linked, you When you make a selection, it appears as a high-
can make a selection within a track or across mul- lighted area of the tracks, and is also indicated by
tiple tracks for editing and each associated track is blue start and end arrows (Timeline Selection
selected (track names automatically highlight). Markers) in the Main Timebase ruler. If any track
This lets you quickly apply track-level commands (audio or MIDI) in the session is record-enabled,
(such as Track View toggle, change track heights) even if it is hidden, these markers appear red.
and have the command apply to all tracks you are
working on.

When Track and Edit selections are unlinked,

making an Edit selection does not automatically
select all associated tracks.

To link or unlink Track and Edit selection, do one of

the following:

 Select or deselect Options > Link Track and Edit Timeline Selection Markers indicating Edit selection
Selection.
If the Timeline and Edit selections are unlinked,
 In the upper left of the Edit window, under the the Edit selection range is indicated by Edit Mark-
Edit tools, click the Link Track and Edit Selec- ers in the Main Timebase ruler. See “Linking or
tion button so it becomes highlighted (selected) Unlinking Timeline and Edit Selections” on
or unhighlighted (not selected). page 669 for details.

Selections and Edit Groups

When making selections on tracks that are part of

an Edit Group, all tracks within the group become
selected.

Link Track and Edit Selection enabled Selections and Hidden Tracks

When editing tracks that are part of an active Edit

Press Shift+T to toggle Link Track and Edit Group, any tracks within the group that are hidden
Selection on and off. are not affected by the edits. To edit all members of
a group, make sure they are visible by highlighting
their names in the Tracks List.

Chapter 30: Making Selections 671

 Selections in Multiple Tracks To select an entire track, do one of the following:

To make a selection in multiple tracks:

 Click in the track with the Selector tool and then
choose Edit > Select All.
 With the Selector tool, drag vertically to include
adjacent tracks in a selection (drag horizontally  Triple-click with the Selector tool in the track.
to define the time range).
Press Command+A (Mac) or Control+A
(Windows) for Select All.
Selecting Clips
To select all clips in all tracks:
To select a portion of a clip:
1 Select the “All” Edit Group in the Groups List
 With the Selector tool, drag within a clip (left or menu.
right) to select the material on a single track.
2 Do one of the following:
(You can also use the Selector tool across mul-
tiple, adjacent tracks to make multitrack selec- • Click in any track with the Selector tool and
tions.) choose Edit > Select All.
• Triple-click with the Selector tool in any track.

Another way to select all clips in all tracks,

without having to select the “All” Edit
Group, is to press Return (Mac) or Enter
(Windows), then press Command+A (Mac)
or Control+A (Windows). The Link Timeline
Selecting a portion of a clip and Edit Selection option must be enabled.
To select an entire clip, do one of the following:
Clips List Selection Follows Edit
 Click the clip with the Time Grabber tool. Selection
 Double-click the clip with the Selector tool. When the Editing preference for Clips List Selec-
tion Follows Edit Selection is enabled, selecting a
To select two clips and the time range between
clip in a track also causes the clip to become se-
them:
lected in the Clips List.
1 With the Time Grabber, click the first clip.
Conversely, if the Editing preference for Edit
2 Shift-click the second clip. Both clips are se-
Selection Follows Clips List Selection is enabled,
lected, along with the time range between them
selecting a clip in the Clips List causes the initial
(including any other clips).
occurrence of that clip to become selected within
the track.

672 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Selecting All from Timebase 5 Press the Up Arrow key at the point where you
Rulers want the selection to end. The selected range
becomes highlighted.
To select all material in all displayed audio and
MIDI tracks: 6 To stop playback, click Stop in the Transport (or
1 Enable Link Timeline and Edit Selection press the Spacebar).
(Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection). To automatically scroll to the beginning of the se-
2 Double-click in any Timebase ruler. All clips in lection (or to the location of the on-screen cursor),
all displayed audio and MIDI tracks are se- press the Left Arrow key. To scroll to the end of
lected. Tracks that are hidden are not selected. the selection, press the Right Arrow key.

To select all material in all tracks, including

While in Page Scroll or Continuous Scroll mode,
Conductor events: making a selection in the Timeline or a playlist
during playback as the playback cursor moves off-
1 Enable Link Timeline and Edit Selection
screen suspends page scrolling. To resume page
(Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection).
scrolling and jump to the current playback loca-
2 While pressing Option (Mac) or Control (Win- tion, click the Playback Cursor locater in the Main
dows), double-click in any Timebase ruler. All Timebase ruler (see “Locating the Playback Cur-
clips in all displayed audio and MIDI tracks are sor when It Is Off-Screen” on page 514).
selected, including all events in each of the
Conductor tracks. Object Selections
Use the Object Grabber tool to select noncontigu-
Making Selections While Playing
ous clips on one or more tracks. Noncontiguous se-
Pro Tools lets you make selections during play- lections must encompass entire clips. If you want a
back with the Up and Down Arrow keys. noncontiguous selection to include a portion of a
clip, first turn the portion into a new clip with the
To make a selection while playing: Separate Clip command (see “Separate Com-
1 Enable Link Timeline and Edit Selection mands” on page 694).
(Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection).
The Object Grabber is not available when the
2 With the Selector tool, click somewhere near Edit mode is set to Shuffle or Spot.
the beginning of the track in which you want to
make the selection. To select noncontiguous clips:
1 Set the Edit mode to either Slip or Grid.
3 Click Play in the Transport window (or press
the Spacebar) to begin playback. 2 Click the Grabber tools pop-up menu and
select Object.
4 When playback reaches the point where you
want the selection to begin, press the Down Ar-
row key.

Object Grabber tool

Chapter 30: Making Selections 673

 3 Shift-click each clip you want to include in the To change a Time selection to an Object selection:
selection. The clips can even reside on different 1 Drag with the Selector tool in any track to de-
tracks. fine a selection, or select in a Timebase ruler to
select across all tracks.

Noncontiguous selection

Each clicked clip is surrounded by a dark border, Selected clips

indicating it is selected.
2 With the Object Grabber tool selected, double-
The Object Grabber tool ignores Edit Groups when click the Grabber icon in the toolbar. Clips fall-
making selections. For instance, selecting a clip on ing within the selection range become selected
a grouped track does not cause clips in the other as objects. Clips that were partially selected be-
tracks in the group to become selected. come deselected.

Object to Time Selection

You can convert between Time- and Object-based
selections. Time selections are made with the Se-
lector and Time Grabber tools. Object selections
are made with the Object Grabber tool.
Clips selected as objects
Converting to an Object selection is useful when
you are working with large selections, especially To select clips that were partially selected, press
across multiple tracks, and you want to remove Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) while double-
certain clips from the selection. clicking the Grabber icon.

Converting to a Time selection is useful if you To change an Object selection to a Time selection:
want to select all clips between a noncontiguous
1 Select any number of clips with the Object
Object selection.
Grabber tool.
2 Double-click the Selector tool in the toolbar.
The time range between the first and last clip
becomes selected.

When using the Object Grabber tool on tracks that

belong to an Edit Group, clips in the other grouped
tracks are selected if they fall within the range of
the selected clip.

674 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Changing a Selection Length Nudging a Selection Range
The selection range can be shortened or length- The selection range (not the material within the se-
ened. This does not affect the material within the lection) can be moved by the Nudge value.
selection.
To nudge a selection range:
To change the length of a selection, do one of the 1 Configure the Nudge value. For details, see
following:
“Defining the Nudge Value” on page 700.
 With the Selector tool, position the cursor over
2 Make the initial selection with the Selector tool.
one end of the current selection and Shift-click,
or Shift-drag left or right. 3 While pressing Shift, press Plus (+) or Minus (–
) on the numeric keypad to move the selection
 In the Main Timebase ruler, drag the Timeline
range by the Nudge value.
Selection Marker for the selection’s start or end
point.
Nudging Selection Start/End
Points
Start and end points for selections can be moved by
nudging them.

Dragging a Timeline Selection Marker To move a selection start or end point by the
Nudge value:
 If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is disabled,
drag the Edit Marker to change the selection 1 Configure the Nudge value. For details, see
length. “Defining the Nudge Value” on page 700.
2 Make the initial selection with the Selector tool.
3 Do one of the following:
Edit Markers • While pressing Option+Shift (Mac) or Alt+Shift
To make a long-length selection: (Windows), press Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the
numeric keypad to move the selection’s start
1 With the Selector tool, click at where you want point by the Nudge value.
the selection to start.
• While pressing Command+Shift (Mac) or Con-
2 Scroll to the end point and Shift-click at the trol+Shift (Windows), press Plus (+) or
point where you want the selection to end. Minus (–) on the numeric keypad to move the
selection’s end point by the Nudge value.
To verify the start and end points of a long selec-
tion, press the Left Arrow key to scroll to the be-
ginning of the selection, or press the Right Arrow
key to scroll to the end.

Chapter 30: Making Selections 675

 Extending Selections in Time To extend the selection to a Marker or Memory
Location:
You can extend the Edit selection to clip start and
1 With Link Timeline and Edit Selection enabled,
end points, to include an adjacent clip, to Markers
do one of the following:
and Memory Locations (Edit and/or Timeline se-
lections). • Click in a track with the Selector tool at the start
or end point.
To extend the selection to a clip start or end point: • Make a selection with the Selector or Time
1 With the Selector tool, select a portion of a clip, Grabber tool.
or click anywhere in the clip.
2 Do one of the following:
2 Do one of the following: • Shift-click a Marker in the Markers ruler.
• Press Shift+Tab to extend the selection to the • Shift-click a Memory Location in the Memory
clip’s end point. Locations window.
• Press Option+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con-
trol+Shift+Tab (Windows) to extend the selec- The selection is extended from the original Inser-
tion to the clip’s start point. tion point to the Marker or Memory Location.

To extend the selection to include an adjacent clip: Doubling or Halving the Edit
1 Select the first clip with the Time Grabber tool. Selection
2 Do one of the following: Pro Tools lets you double or halve the current Edit
selection. This can be especially useful for music
• With Tab to Transients disabled, press Con-
production when working with audio loops and
trol+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Start+Shift+Tab (Win-
MIDI in Grid mode.
dows) to extend the selection to the next clip
boundary. To double the Edit selection, do one of the
• Press Option+Control+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con- following:
trol+Start+Shift+Tab (Windows) to extend the  Choose Edit > Selection > Double Selection.
selection to include the previous clip boundary.
 Press Command+Option+Control+Shift+’
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+’
(Windows).

To halve the Edit selection, do one of the following:

 Choose Edit > Selection > Halve Selection.

 Press Command+Option+Control+Shift+L
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+L
(Windows).

676 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Duplicating and Extending the Using the Edit Selection
Edit Selection Indicators (Start, End, and
Length)
Pro Tools lets you Duplicate and Extend the Edit
selection. This can be especially useful for music The Edit Selection indicators at the top of the Edit
production when working with audio loops and window can define precise Edit selections. Time
MIDI in Grid mode. values for the Edit Selection indicators use the
time format for the Main Time Scale.
To duplicate and extend the Edit selection, do one
of the following:

 Choose Edit > Selection > Duplicate and Extend

Selection.
Edit Selection indicators
 Press Command+Option+Control+Shift+D
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+D To make a selection with the Edit Selection
indicators:
(Windows).
1 Click with the Selector tool in the track you
Any track content in the Edit selection is dupli- want to select.
cated and the selection extends from the original
start time to the end of the duplicate. 2 Click in the Start field at the top of the Edit win-
dow.

Moving the Edit Selection in 3 Type in the start point for the selection and press
Time the Forward Slash key (/) to enter the value and
automatically move to the end field.
Pro Tools lets you move the Edit selection earlier
or later by the selection amount. You can also 4 Type in the end point for the selection and press
move the Edit selection to the next track above or Enter to accept the value.
below the current Edit selection.
Numeric Entry Shortcuts for Selection
To move the Edit selection earlier by the selection Indicators
amount, do one of the following:
You can use the following shortcuts for entering
 Choose Edit > Selection > Move Edit Left. values in the Edit Selection indicators:
 Press Command+Option+Control+L (Mac) or • Press the Forward Slash (/) key to cycle through
Control+Alt+Start+L (Windows). the three Edit Selection indicators.
• Use Period (.) or the Left and Right Arrow keys
To move the Edit selection later by the selection
amount, do one of the following:
to move through the different time fields in each
Edit Selection indicator.
 Choose Edit > Selection > Move Edit Right.
• Press the Up or Down Arrow keys to increase or
 Press Command+Option+Control+’ (Mac) or decrease numerical values.
Control+Alt+Start+’ (Windows).
• Move the mouse scroll wheel up or down to in-
crease or decrease numerical values.

Chapter 30: Making Selections 677

 • Drag in a field to scroll to a new value. For finer Selecting Across Multiple
resolution, Command-drag (Mac) or Control- Tracks
drag (Windows).
To perform edits across multiple tracks or all
• Press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) tracks, you must first select the tracks. Do this by
and Plus (+) or Minus (–), then type a number, to including other tracks in the selection, or by select-
add or subtract from the current field value. For ing in a Timebase ruler (for all tracks).
example, to add 10 to a current field value, press
Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) and To make a selection in multiple tracks:
Plus (+) key, type “10,” and press Enter.
 With the Selector tool, drag vertically to include
• Press Escape to exit the Edit Selection indicators adjacent tracks in a selection (drag horizontally
without entering any values. to define the time range).

These shortcuts can also be used to enter start To extend a selection to another track:
and end values in the Transport window.
1 Using the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make
Calculator Entry Mode a selection in the first track or tracks.

You can perform calculator-style editing of values 2 Shift-click in additional tracks with the Selector
in the Edit Selection indicators. tool. An identical range is selected for each ad-
ditional track.
To subtract time values:
To shorten or lengthen the selection across each of
1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the the tracks, press Shift while dragging to change the
time field you want to change. range of the selection.
2 Press Minus (–) on the numeric keypad.
To select across all tracks, do one of the following:
3 Type the amount you want to subtract from the
 Enable the All Edit Group and make a selection
current time value, then press Enter.
in any track.
4 Press Enter again to apply the change.
 Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
To add time values:
ruler (make sure the Timeline and Edit Selec-
tions are linked).
1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the
time field you want to change. These selections include all tracks in the Edit win-
dow, but do not include the Conductor tracks (for
2 Press Plus (+) on the numeric keypad.
Tempo, Meter, and Markers).
3 Type the amount you want to add to the current
time value, then press Enter. To select across all tracks, including the
Conductor tracks (for Tempo, Meter, and Markers):
4 Press Enter again to apply the change.
 Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) with
the Selector tool in any Timebase ruler.

678 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Moving the Edit Selection To remove the top track from an Edit selection
Across Tracks spanning more than one track, do one of the
following:
To move the Edit selection to the next track above  Choose Edit > Selection > Remove Edit From
the current selection:
Top.
 Press Control+P (Mac) or Start+P (Windows).
 Press Option+Control+P (Mac) or Alt+Start+P
To move the Edit selection to the next track below (Windows).
the current selection:
To remove the bottom track from an Edit selection
 Press Control+; (Mac) or Start+; (Windows). spanning more than one track, do one of the
following:

Extending (or Contracting) the  Choose Edit > Selection > Remove Edit From
Edit Selection Over Multiple Bottom.
Tracks
 Press Option+Control+; (Mac) or Alt+Start+;
To extend the Edit selection to the next track above (Windows).
the current selection, do one of the following:

 Shift-click with the Selector tool (within the Moving and Extending
same time as the current Edit selection) on the Selections Between Tracks with
track just above the current Edit selection. Commands Keyboard Focus
 Choose Edit > Selection > Extend Edit Up. With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled, Edit
selections can be moved or extended to adjacent
 Press Control+Shift+P (Mac) or Start+Shift+P
tracks.
(Windows).
To move a selection to an adjacent track:
To extend the Edit selection to the next track below
the current selection, do one of the following: 1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key-
board Focus” on page 26).
 Shift-click with the Selector tool (within the
same time as the current Edit selection) on the
track just below the current Edit selection.
 Choose Edit > Selection > Extend Edit Down.
 Press Control+Shift+; (Mac) or Start+Shift+;
(Windows).

Commands Keyboard Focus button enabled

2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a

selection.

Chapter 30: Making Selections 679

 3 Do one of the following: 3 Do one of the following:
• Press P on your computer keyboard to move the • Press Tab to move the cursor to the next clip or
selection to the previous track. clip group start, end, or sync point.
• Press semicolon (;) to move the selection to the • Press Option+Tab (Mac) or Control+Tab (Win-
next track. dows) to move the cursor to the previous clip or
clip group start, end, or sync point.
In either instance, the original Edit selection be-
comes deselected. To make a selection with the Scrubber:

To extend a selection to an adjacent track:

1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Operation tab.
1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key-
board Focus” on page 26). 2 Select the option for “Edit Insertion Follows
Scrub/Shuttle,” then click OK.
2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a
selection. 3 Scrub with the Scrubber to find an appropriate
start point for the selection, then release.
3 Do one of the following:
4 While pressing Shift, scrub to an appropriate
• Press Shift+P to extend the selection to the pre-
end point for the selection, then release. The
vious track.
range between the initial and final scrub be-
• Press Shift+Semicolon (;) to extend the selection comes selected.
to the next track.
To move a selection to an adjacent clip on the
In either instance, the original Edit selection re- same track:
mains selected.
1 Select a clip with the Time Grabber.

Other Useful Selection 2 Do one of the following:

Techniques • Press Control+Tab (Mac) or Start+Tab (Win-
dows) to move the selection to the next clip.
Following are some additional useful selection ed-
iting techniques. • Press Option+Control+Tab (Mac) or Con-
trol+Start+Tab (Windows) to move the selection
To position the edit cursor precisely at a clip start, to the previous clip.
end, or sync point:
In either instance, the original clip becomes dese-
1 Make sure the Tab to Transients button is not
lected.
enabled. (See “Tabbing to Transients” on
page 681.)
2 Click with the Selector tool in the track.

680 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To slide an Edit selection in the Main Timebase To apply a command to an object while keeping the
ruler: current selection:

1 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a  Command-Right-click (Mac) or Control-Right-
selection. click (Windows) the object and choose a com-
mand from the pop-up menu.
2 While pressing Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows),
move the cursor over either of the Timeline Se-
lection Markers in the ruler (the Time Grabber Tabbing to Transients
appears).
With the Tab to Transients button enabled, you can
automatically navigate to transients in audio wave-
forms in Waveform view, placing the cursor just
before the detected transient peak. This lets you
define selections and play ranges, as well as start
and end points for new clips, without having to
zoom in on the waveform.
Sliding an Edit selection in the Main Timebase ruler

3 Drag left or right to move the Edit selection

back or forward in time while preserving its
length.

If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is disabled

(Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection), Op- Tab to Transients button enabled
tion-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) the Edit
Markers instead. To toggle Tab to Transients on and off,
press Command+Option+Tab (Mac) or
Right-Click Commands and Control+Alt+Tab (Windows).
Selection Preservation
In Warp view, Tab to Transients tabs to all Event
You can use Right-click commands with key com- and Warp markers in a clip. Normal Tab tabs to
binations to perform operations on objects while clip boundaries and all Warp markers. In Analysis
maintaining selections in the Edit and Mix win- view, pressing Tab always tabs to Event markers,
dows. For example, you can maintain selections in regardless of whether or not Tab to Transients is
the following areas while carrying out certain com- enabled.
mands:
• Clip selections in the Timeline With MIDI and Instrument tracks when Tab to
Transients is disabled, pressing Tab moves the in-
• Clip name selections in the Clips List sertion point to the next MIDI clip boundary re-
• Track selections gardless of the track view (just like with audio
clips).

Chapter 30: Making Selections 681

 With MIDI and Instrument tracks when Tab to Tab to Transients Across Multiple
Transients is enabled, pressing Tab moves the Edit Tracks
insertion to the beginning of the next note or clip
With the edit cursor inserted across multiple
boundary regardless of the track view (just like
tracks, you can use Tab to Transients to tab to the
with audio transients), but does not make note se-
next transient on any of those tracks. When tran-
lections.
sients on multiple tracks are closely aligned, Tab to
For more information, see “Keyboard Short- Transients tabs to the first transient on any of those
cuts for Navigating MIDI” on page 807. tracks.

To set the start and end points of a selection with

Tab to Transients:
Timeline Selections
1 In the upper left of the Edit window, click the
Tab to Transients button so it becomes selected. With the Link Timeline and Edit Selection option
disabled, selections can be made in the Timeline
2 If you will be setting the play range with this se- that are distinct and separate from Edit selections.
lection, enable Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selection. With the Timeline and Edit selections linked, any
Edit selections that are made are mirrored in the
3 Click in the audio track just before the begin- Timeline, and any Timeline selection is mirrored
ning of the material you want to select. as an Edit selection across all tracks.
4 Press Tab repeatedly until the cursor locates to
Whether the Timeline and Edit selections are
the transient where you want to start the selec-
linked or not, the range indicated by the Timeline
tion.
Selection Markers always determines the range for
If necessary, you can move to the previous tran- playback and recording (except when in Dynamic
sient by pressing Option+Tab (Mac) or Con- Transport mode, see “Dynamic Transport Mode”
trol+Tab (Windows). on page 523).

5 Press Shift+Tab until the cursor locates to the With Pro Tools Ultimate or Studio, when the
end of the material you want to select. Scrolling option is set to Center Playhead, it deter-
mines where playback begins (see “Playing Time-
To move the selection end point to the previous line and Edit Selections with the Playhead” on
transient, press Option+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con- page 521).
trol+Shift+Tab (Windows).

Once selected, the material can be looped for re-

cording or playback, or it can be turned into a new
clip with the Separate or Capture command.

Peak transients are usually visible in the

waveform. However, some low-frequency
transients may not appear as visible peaks in
the waveform.

682 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To make a Timeline selection with the Selector To set the Timeline selection by typing into the
tool: Transport window:

1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur- 1 If necessary, resize the Transport window to Ex-
rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. panded view so the start and end times are dis-
played (View > Transport > Expanded).
2 Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
ruler. 2 Do one of the following:
• In the Transport window, click in the start field.
• Press Option+Forward Slash (/) (Mac) or
Alt+Forward Slash (/) (Windows) on the nu-
meric keypad to select the start field in the
Transport window.
Making a Timeline selection with the Selector tool
3 Type in the new start location and press For-
The Timeline selection is indicated in the Main ward Slash (/) to enter the value and automati-
Timebase ruler by the blue Timeline Selection cally move to the end field.
Markers (or if a track is record-enabled, the Time-
4 Type in the new end location and press Enter to
line Selection Markers are red). The start, end, and
accept the value.
length for the Timeline selection is displayed in the
corresponding fields in the Transport window. Shortcuts for entering start and end values in
the Transport window are listed in “Numeric
To select all tracks, including Conductor
Entry Shortcuts for Selection Indicators” on
tracks, press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows)
page 677.
while dragging in a Timebase ruler with the
Selector tool.
Sliding a Timeline Selection
To set the Timeline selection by dragging the
Timeline Selection Markers:
Like Edit selections, Timeline selections can be
slid in the Main Timebase ruler.
1 If you want to constrain movement to the cur-
rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. To move a Timeline selection in the Main Timebase
ruler:
2 With the Time Grabber, drag the first Timeline
Selection Marker (down arrow) to set the start 1 While pressing Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows),
point. move the cursor over either of the Timeline Se-
lection Markers (the Time Grabber appears).
3 Drag the other Timeline Selection Marker (up
arrow) to set the end point. 2 Drag left or right to move the Timeline selection
back or forward in time, while preserving its
length.

Dragging a Timeline Selection Marker

Chapter 30: Making Selections 683

 Timeline Selections to/from Edit The Main Counter displays the playback location
Selections in the time format for the Main Time Scale. The
Sub Counter can be set to any of the other Time
When the Timeline and Edit selections are un-
Scale formats for another timing reference.
linked, you can copy selections between them.
The Edit Selection indicators (to the right of the
To change the Timeline selection to match the Main and Sub counters) display the Start and End
current Edit selection:
times, and Length of the current Edit selection ac-
 Choose Edit > Selection > Change Timeline to cording to the Main Timebase.
Match Edit.
The Main and Sub Counters, as well as the Edit Se-
Press Option+Shift+5 (Mac) or Alt+Shift+5 lection indicators, also appear in the Transport
(Windows) to change the Timeline selection to window when it is set to display Counters.
match the Edit selection.
To navigate with the Edit window Main Counter (or
To change the Edit selection to match the current one of the Edit Selection indicators):
Timeline selection:
1 Do one of the following:
 Choose Edit > Selection > Change Edit to Match
• Click in one of the counters.
Timeline.
• Press asterisk (*) on the numeric keypad to high-
Press Option+Shift+6 (Mac) or light the Main Counter in the Edit window (or
Alt+Shift+6 (Windows) to change the Main Counter in the Transport window or
the Edit selection to match the Time- Big Counter window, if either are displayed).
line selection.
2 Type in the new location. Press Period (.) to cy-
cle through to the different time fields.
Navigating the Timeline with the
Edit Window Counters and 3 Press Enter to accept the new value and auto-
Indicators matically locate there.
The counters and indicators at the top of the Edit
window display the current playback location and Scrolling in a Timebase Ruler
Edit selection. These include the Main and Sub
You can scroll the contents of the Edit window by
Counters, and the Edit Selection Start, End, and
dragging in a ruler. While this does not actually up-
Length indicators.
date the session’s Current Location, it does let you
All Edit window counters and indicators (except conveniently shift the display left or right for the
the Sub Counter) let you enter a location in their sake of finding and editing material.
counter display to navigate to a specific time loca-
This method of scrolling is especially useful when
tion.
using the Continuous Scrolling option, which does
not update or follow Timeline selections.

Main and Sub Counters, Edit Selection indicators

684 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To scroll the entire contents of the Edit window
from a ruler: Auto-Scrolling Tracks in the
 While pressing Command+Option+Control
Mix and Edit Windows
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start (Windows), drag If you are working with more tracks than can be
left or right in any of the Timebase rulers. displayed at one time in the Mix or Edit windows,
you can select a track in one window and Pro Tools
will automatically scroll to that track in both win-
dows.

Scrolling in a ruler To auto-scroll the Mix and Edit windows to show a

track, do one of the following:
Scrolling with a Scroll Wheel  In the Tracks List, Right-click the track name
If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can and select Scroll Into View.
use the scroll wheel to scroll vertically or horizon-  In the Tracks List, Control-click (Mac) the track
tally in any Pro Tools window that has a scroll bar name and select Scroll Into View.
(such as the MIDI Event List).
The track becomes selected, and the Mix and Edit
To scroll a Pro Tools window vertically: windows both scroll to display the selected track.
1 Place the mouse over the window you want to
scroll (for example, in the Edit window you
might want to scroll either the track display or
the Clips List).
2 Scroll the scroll wheel up or down to scroll the
window up or down.

To scroll a Pro Tools window horizontally:

1 Place the mouse over the window you want to
scroll (for example, in the Edit window you
might want to scroll either the track display or
the Clips List).
2 Shift-scroll the scroll wheel up or down to scroll
the window to the left or right.

Chapter 30: Making Selections 685

 Universe View
The Universe view displays an overview of the entire Pro Tools session above the tracks pane in the Edit
window.

Universe view at the top of the Edit window

This overview represents audio and MIDI material on all tracks in the session that are not hidden (including
tracks that are inactive, or that contain offline clips). The order in which material is displayed in the Uni-
verse view corresponds to the track order in the Edit window.

In the Universe view, audio, MIDI, and video clips on tracks are represented by horizontal lines that are the
same colors as the clips on the tracks. Each audio track is represented at the same height regardless of how
many channels it has. Additionally, tracks that show Automation, Controller, or Playlist lanes are repre-
sented with increasing height for each lane shown.

Since Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and VCA Master tracks do not contain audio or MIDI clips, they are
displayed as blank areas in the Universe view.

686 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Showing the Universe Window  Click the Show/Hide Universe/Clip Effects
view button.
To show or hide the Universe view in the Edit
window, do one of the following:

 Select or deselect View > Other Displays > Uni-

verse.

 Double-click the divider above the Main Time-

base ruler.
 From the Edit window menu, select or deselect
Universe. Show/Hide Universe/Clip Effects view button

 Press Option+7 (Mac) or Alt+7 (Windows).

Framed Area in the Universe

View
The framed area in the Universe view represents
what is visible in the Tracks pane in the Edit win-
dow. If you change what is displayed in the Edit
window—by zooming, scrolling horizontally or
vertically, hiding or showing tracks, or changing
track heights—the framed area in the Universe
view relocates and resizes accordingly. During
playback, if the Edit window is set to scroll, the
framed area in the Universe view also scrolls.

When all tracks are visible in the Edit window and

the session is zoomed all the way out, with all clips
visible, the entire Universe window is framed.

Selecting Universe view from the Edit window menu

Framed area representing what part of the session is

viewed in the Tracks pane of the Edit window

Chapter 30: Making Selections 687

 Navigating with the Universe
View
By clicking in the Universe view, you can scroll
the material displayed in the Edit window horizon-
tally, vertically, or both. This provides a conve-
nient method of focusing the Edit window any-
where in the session.

To navigate the session using the Universe view:

1 Ensure that Universe view is shown (View >

Other Displays > Universe). Resizing the Universe view

2 Click anywhere in the Universe view to move Scrolling the Universe View
the framed area and the Edit window updates
accordingly. If you have more tracks in the session than are vis-
ible in the Universe view, you can scroll up or
down to show the other tracks.

To scroll the Universe view up or down:

 Click the Scroll Up or Scroll Down Arrows on

the right of the Universe view.

Resizing the Universe View

You can resize the height of the Universe view to
fit the total number of tracks in the session, or to
Scroll Up and Down Arrows in the Universe view
show more of the Edit window.

To resize the height of the Universe view:

Navigating a Pro Tools
1 Click the area between the bottom of the Uni- Session with Keyboard
verse window and the top of the Timebase rul- Shortcuts
ers. The cursor changes to show that you can
resize the Universe view. In addition the Universe view, Pro Tools lets you
quickly and easily navigate a session using key-
2 Drag up to decrease the height of the Universe board shortcuts. This topic provides an overview
view or drag down to increase the height of the of the essential key commands for navigating and
Universe view. making Edit selections in a session.

688 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Zooming to the Entire Session 3 Do one of the following:
and to the Edit Selection • Press Control+E (Mac) or Start+E (Windows)
To zoom your entire session into view:
again to revert to the preview zoom state.

1 Press Option+Control+A (Mac) or Alt+Start+A • Press Option+Shift+E (Mac) or Alt+Shift+E

(Windows) to horizontally fit the beginning and (Windows) to cancel Zoom Toggle without re-
end of the session to the length of the Edit win- verting to the previous view.
dow.
Creating Edit Selections with
Press Option+Control+Up Arrow (Mac) or
2
Tab to Transients
Alt+Start+Up Arrow (Windows) to fit all of the
tracks in the session to the height of the Edit If you are editing audio with clear transients, you
window. can use Tab to Transients to make Edit selections.

To zoom to an Edit selection: To toggle Tab to Transients on and off:

1 With the Selector or the Grabber tool, make an  Press Command+Option+Tab (Mac) or Con-
Edit selection. trol+Alt+Tab (Windows).

Press F7 for the Selector tool or F8 for the To navigate and extend selections forward with
Grabber tool. Tab to Transients:

1 With the Selector tool, place the Edit cursor be-

2 Press Option+Control+F (Mac) or Alt+Start
fore the first transient your want in your selec-
(Windows) to fit the length of the selection to
tion.
the length of the Edit window.
2 Press Tab to place the Edit cursor at the first
3 Press Command+Control+Up Arrow (Mac) or
transient.
Control+Start+Up Arrow (Windows) to zoom
the Track Height of the Edit selection to fit to 3 Press Shift+Tab to extend the selection to the
the height of the Edit window. next transient.

To zoom to an Edit selection using Zoom Toggle: To navigate and extend selections backward with
Tab to Transients:
1 With the Selector or the Grabber tool, make an
Edit selection. • Press Option+Tab (Mac) or Control+Tab (Win-
dows) to move the Edit cursor to the previous
Press F7 for the Selector tool or F8 for the transient.
Grabber tool.
• Press Option+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con-
2 Press Control+E (Mac) or Start+E (Windows) trol+Shift+Tab (Windows) to extend the selec-
to enable Zoom Toggle. tion to the previous transient.

Set the Track Height option for Zoom Toggle

to Fit To Window in the Editing Preferences.

Chapter 30: Making Selections 689

 Making an Edit Selection During To move the selection up to the next track:
Playback  Press Control+P (Mac) or Start+P (Windows).
To make an Edit selection during playback:
To extend the Edit selection up across
1 Place the Edit cursor in the track or across mul- tracks, Press Control+Shift+P (Mac) or
tiple tracks where you want to make the selec- Start+Shift+P (Windows).
tion.
To move the selection forward by the selection
2 Start playback. amount:

3 Press the Down Arrow to place the Edit cursor  Press Command+Control+Option+’ (single
at the current playback location and mark the quote) (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+’ (single
beginning of the Edit selection. quote) (Windows).
4 Press the Up Arrow to mark the end point of the To move the selection backward by the selection
Edit selection. amount:
5 Stop playback.  Press Command+Control+Option+L (Mac) or
Control+Alt+Start+L (Windows).
6 Do one of the following:
• Press the Left arrow to locate the beginning of To double the Edit selection:
the Edit selection.
 Press Command+Control+Option+Shift+’ (sin-
• Press the Right arrow to locate the end of the gle quote) (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+’
Edit selection. (single quote) (Windows).

Moving the Edit Selection To halve the Edit selection:

 Press Command+Option+Control+Shift+L
Pro Tools provides several keyboard shortcuts for
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+L
moving and extending or decreasing the range of
(Windows).
an Edit (or Timeline) selection.
To go to and select the previous clip, do one of the
To move the selection down to the next track:
following:
 Press Control+; (semicolon) (Mac) or Start+;
 Press Option+Control+Tab (Mac) or
(semicolon) (Windows).
Alt+Start+Tab (Windows).
To extend the Edit selection down across  Press Command+Control+L (Mac) or
tracks, Press Control+Shift+; (semicolon) Control+Start+L (Windows).
(Mac) or Start+Shift+; (semicolon) (Win-
dows).

690 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To go to and select the next clip, do one of the Restoring the Last Selection
following:
There are times when editing that you can lose
 Press Control+Tab (Mac) or Start+Tab
your selection. If you lose the current Edit (or
(Windows).
Timeline) selection and want to restore it, use the
 Press Command+Control+’ (single quote) Restore Last Selection command.
(Mac) or Control+Start+’ (single quote)
(Windows). To restore the last selection:

 Choose Edit > Restore Last Selection.

To extend the selection to include the previous
clip, do one of the following: You can also press Command+Option+Z
 Press Option+Control+Shift+Tab (Mac) or (Mac) or Control+Alt+Z (Windows) to restore
Alt+Start+Shift+Tab (Windows). the previous selection.

Press Command+Control+Shift+L (Mac) or


Changing Track Heights
Control+Start+Shift+L (Windows).
To fit the Track heights of tracks containing he Edit
To extend the selection to include the next clip, do selection to the height of the Edit window:
one of the following:
 Press Command+Control+Up Arrow (Mac) or
 Press Control+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Control+Start+Up Arrow (Windows).
Start+Shift+Tab (Windows).
To change Track height proportionally for tracks
 Press Command+Control+Shift+’ (single
containing the Edit selection:
quote) (Mac) or Control+Start+Shift+’ (single
quote) (Windows).  Press Control+Up or Down Arrows (Mac) or
Start+Up or Down Arrows (Windows).
Moving the Insertion to the To change Track views for all tracks together:
Beginning or End of the
Selection  Press Option+Control+Up or Down Arrows
(Mac) or Alt+Start+Up or Down Arrows
With the Transport stopped, you can use the Down
(Windows).
and Up Arrows on your alphanumeric keyboard to
the beginning or end of the Edit (or Timeline) se-
lection (and collapse the selection). Changing Track Views
To change Track views for tracks containing the
To move the insertion to the beginning of the
Edit selection:
selection:
 Press Command+Control+Left or Right arrows
 Press the Down Arrow.
(Mac) or Control+Start+Left or Right arrows
To move the insertion to the end of the selection: (Windows).

 Press the Up Arrow. To change Track views for all tracks together:

 Press Command+Option+Control+Left or
Right arrows (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Left
or Right arrows (Windows).

Chapter 30: Making Selections 691