Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools

Pro Tools provides four Edit modes and various then “shuffle” their order, but you cannot separate
Edit tools to help you successfully edit material. them from each other and you cannot make them
overlap as in Slip mode. However, if there is si-
lence between existing clips, and the clips are shuf-
Edit Modes fled, the silence is maintained, and not removed.

Pro Tools has four Edit modes: Shuffle, Spot, Slip, In Shuffle mode, adding another clip to the begin-
and Grid. Grid mode provides two modes of oper- ning of a track moves all subsequent clips to the
ation, Relative and Absolute, explained below. right (later in time) by the length of the added clip.
The Edit mode is selected by clicking the corre-
When using any of the Trim tools in Shuffle mode,
sponding button in the upper left of the Edit win-
changing a clip’s start or end point automatically
dow.
moves any subsequent clips as necessary. The
placement and insertion of MIDI notes is not af-
fected by Shuffle mode.

Press F1 to enable Shuffle mode.

Edit mode buttons

Shuffle Lock
The Edit mode affects the movement and place-
With certain workflows, it is important to exclude
ment of audio and MIDI clips (and MIDI notes),
Shuffle mode in order to ensure that clips stay
how commands like Copy and Paste function, and
time-aligned while editing. Shuffle Lock prevents
also how the various Edit tools (Trim, Selector,
you from inadvertently entering Shuffle mode by
Grabber, and Pencil tools) work.
disabling all key commands and control surface
Use the Accent key ( ` ) to toggle through the switches for Shuffle mode. You cannot invoke
Edit modes. Shuffle Lock while in Shuffle mode.

Shuffle Mode
In Shuffle mode, you can move, trim, delete, cut,
or paste clips freely within a track or to other Shuffle Lock enabled
tracks, but their movement is constrained by other
clips. That is, if you place several clips in a track,
they automatically snap to each other. You can

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 639

 To lock out Shuffle Mode: When Spot mode is enabled, Pro Tools asks you to
 While in any Edit mode other than Shuffle specify a destination location when a clip is
mode, Command-click (Mac) or Control-click dragged from the Clips List, a Workspace browser,
(Windows) the Shuffle button on-screen. A lock Windows Explorer, or the Mac Finder.
icon appears in the Shuffle button.
Press F3 to enable Spot mode.
To unlock Shuffle Mode:

 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- Grid Mode

dows) the locked Shuffle button on-screen.
In Grid mode, clips and MIDI notes that are
moved, trimmed or inserted “snap” to the currently
selected Grid value, or to precise increments on a
Slip Mode user-definable time grid.
In Slip mode, clips can be moved freely within a
track or to other tracks. In this mode, it is possible Press F4 to enable Grid mode.
to place a clip so that there is space between it and
other clips in a track. When the track is played Displaying Grid Lines
back, this space is silent. It is also possible to move
To show (or hide) the Grid lines in the Edit window
a clip so that it overlaps or completely covers an- or in a MIDI Editor window, do one of the following:
other clip.
 Select (or deselect) the Grid button.
Use Slip mode when you want the Trim, Selector,
Grabber, and Pencil tools to work without any re-
strictions to placement in time.

Press F2 to enable Slip mode.

Grid button selected in the Edit window

To temporarily suspend Slip mode and switch
to Grid mode while editing, Command-click  Click the Name of the currently selected Time-
(Mac) or Control-click (Windows) while mak- base ruler.
ing the edit.

Spot Mode
Use Spot mode to place clips at precise locations.
In Spot mode you can specify a frame location (or
a location based on any of the other time formats),
capture an incoming Timecode address, or use a
clip’s time stamps as reference points for spotting.
This can be particularly useful when performing
Turning on Grid lines from a Timebase ruler
post production tasks around Timecode frame lo-
cations.

640 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Absolute and Relative Grid For example, in Shuffle mode, with Snap To Grid
enabled, you can make a selection in a clip based
Grid mode can be applied in Absolute or Relative
on the Grid, cut the selection, and any clips to the
mode:
right of the edit shuffle to the left.
 In Absolute Grid mode, moving any clip (or se-
lected MIDI data) snaps the clip start to Grid
boundaries. If a clip’s start point falls between
beats, and the Grid is set to 1/4 notes, dragging the
clip will snap its start time to the nearest 1/4 note
(the current absolute Grid value).
 In Relative Grid mode, clips (or selected MIDI
Shuffle mode with Snap To Grid enabled
data) can be moved by Grid (or Nudge) units. If a
clip’s start point falls between beats and the Grid is To enable Snap To Grid while in another Edit
set to a 1/4 note (assuming the 1/4 note gets the mode:
beat), dragging the clip will be constrained to 1/4  Shift-click the Grid mode button.
notes, preserving the clip’s relative position to the
nearest beat. For more information on Relative Press Shift+F4 to enable Snap To Grid while
Grid mode, see “Arranging Clips in Grid Mode” in another Edit mode.
on page 943.
To enable Shuffle, Slip, or Spot while in Grid mode:
To select Absolute or Relative Grid mode:  Shift-click the Shuffle, Slip, or Spot mode but-
 Click the Grid mode selector and choose Abso- ton.
lute or Relative.
Press F1+F4 to enable Snap To Grid and
To temporarily suspend Grid mode and switch Shuffle mode; press F2+F4 to enable Snap
to Slip mode while editing, Command-click To Grid and Slip mode; and press F3+F4 to
(Mac) or Control-click (Windows) while mak- enable Snap To Grid and Spot mode.
ing the edit.
Configuring the Grid
Snap To Grid The actual Grid size, chosen from the Grid value
Pro Tools lets you enable Snap To Grid while in selector can be based on a time value using the
Shuffle, Slip, or Spot mode. When in any of these Main Time Scale; or, if the Follow Main Time
modes with Snap To Grid also enabled, placing the Scale option is deselected, another time format can
Edit cursor and making Edit selections is con- be used for the Grid size.
strained by the Grid, but any clip editing is also af-
The Grid Value indicator and selector are located
fected by the other selected Edit mode.
in the Edit window. Also, the Score Editor window
and MIDI Editor windows each provide an inde-
pendent Grid Value indicator and selector.

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 641

 Grid Mode Lock
To ensure that you do not inadvertently change the
Grid mode setting when using Edit mode keyboard
shortcuts, you can enable Edit/Tool Mode Key-
board Lock.

To lock (or unlock) the selected Grid mode:

1 Click the Grid mode selector and choose
Absolute or Relative.

2 Select (or deselect) Options > Edit/Tool Mode

Keyboard Lock.

Edit Tools
Grid Value indicator and pop-up menu Pro Tools provides the following Edit tools: the
Zoomer, Trim, Selector, Grabber, Scrubber, and
The current Grid value is also used for the Pencil tools, and the multifunctional Smart Tool.
Quantize to Grid command (see “Quantizing
Clips to Grid” on page 703) and Separated Zoomer Scrubber
Zoom buttons Smart Tool Pencil
Clip At Grid command (see “Separate Com-
mands” on page 694).

To increase the grid value incrementally:

 Press Shift+Equal (=)

Zoom Toggle Grabber
To decrease the grid value incrementally: Selector
Trim
 Press Shift+Minus (–)
Zoom buttons and Edit tools
The Clips/Markers option in the Grid Value menu
To select an Edit tool:
allows events to be placed freely (as in Slip mode),
but they will snap to clip locations (start, end, and  Click the icon for the tool you want in the Tool-
sync points), markers, and Edit selections when bar.
placed near them.

MIDI notes inserted with the Pencil tool ig-

nore the Clips/Markers option, and instead
snap to the time value selected in the Grid
Value selector.

642 Pro Tools Reference Guide

The Zoomer, Trim, Grabber, and Pencil tools have Pencil Tool Use the Pencil tool to draw automation
multiple modes, which you can select from a pop- and MIDI data.
up menu when you click the tool.
For information on using the Edit tools in
You can use F5 (Zoomer), F6 (Trim), F7 (Se- Notes view on MIDI and Instrument tracks,
lector), and F8 (Grabber), F9 (Scrubber), see Chapter 35, “MIDI Editing.”
and F10 (Pencil) to select and toggle through
the modes for each tool.
For information on using the Edit tools in
Warp view and Analysis view on Elastic
Press the Escape key to toggle through the Audio-enabled tracks, see “Editing in Warp
Edit tools. View” on page 1023 and “Editing in Analy-
sis View” on page 1030.
Zoom Buttons Use the Zoom buttons to zoom in
and out vertically and horizontally on MIDI and
audio track material. You can also store and recall Zooming Options
five Zoom presets.
Zooming options in Pro Tools include Zoom but-
Zoomer Tool Use the Zoomer tool to select a zoom tons, the Zoomer tool, the Zoom Preset buttons,
view in a track. and the Zoom Toggle command.
Zoom Toggle Use the Zoom Toggle to switch be-
tween the current zoom view and a defined zoom
view. Zoom Buttons
Trim Tools Use the Trim tools to trim clips and clip Pro Tools includes different Zoom buttons for
groups. zooming in and out on track data.

Selector Tool Use the Selector to make selections The Edit window, MIDI Editor windows, and the
on tracks. Score Editor window also provide Zoom buttons
above and below the right vertical scroll bar (see
Grabber Tools Use the Grabber tools to select, “Edit Window Zoom Buttons” on page 211,
separate, or move clips on tracks. “MIDI Editor Zoom Controls” on page 835, and
“Score Editor Zoom Controls” on page 856.)
Smart Tool Use the Smart tool to Trim, Select, or
Grab clips, or apply or adjust fades in tracks.
Horizontal Zoom In and Out
Scrubber Tool Use the Scrubber tool to scrub Buttons
through track material.
The Horizontal Zoom In and Out buttons let you
zoom in and out horizontally on track data.

Horizontal Zoom Out and In buttons

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 643

 To zoom in horizontally for all tracks, do one of the To zoom in vertically for all audio tracks, do one of
following: the following:

 Click the Horizontal Zoom In button.  Click the Audio Zoom In button.
 Drag on the Horizontal Zoom In button to zoom  Drag on the Audio Zoom In button to zoom
in continuously. continuously.
 Press Command+] (Mac) or Control+] (Win-  Press Command+Option+] (Mac) or Con-
dows). trol+Alt+] (Windows).

To zoom out horizontally for all tracks, do one of To zoom out vertically for all audio tracks, do one
the following: of the following:

 Click the Horizontal Zoom Out button.  Click the Audio Zoom Out button.
 Drag on the Horizontal Zoom Out button to  Click the Audio Vertical Zoom buttons.
zoom out continuously.
 Press Command+Option+[ or Command+Op-
 Press Command+[ (Mac) or Control+[ (Win- tion+] (Mac) or Control+Alt+[ or Con-
dows). trol+Alt+] (Windows).

To zoom all audio vertically to show the default

Audio and MIDI Zoom In and Out waveform height:
Buttons
 Press Command+Option+Control+[ (Mac) or
The Audio and MIDI Zoom buttons let you zoom Control+Alt+Start+[ (Windows).
in and out vertically on audio and MIDI data
respectively. To zoom in vertically for all MIDI and Instrument
tracks, do one of the following:

 Click the MIDI Zoom In button.

 Press Command+Shift+] (Mac) or Con-
trol+Shift+] (Windows).

To zoom out vertically for all MIDI and Instrument

Audio Vertical Zoom button tracks, do one of the following:

 Click the MIDI Zoom Out button.

 Press Command+Shift+[ (Mac) or Con-
trol+Shift+[ (Windows).

To zoom MIDI vertically to show all notes (lowest to

highest) in MIDI and Instrument tracks:

MIDI Vertical Zoom button  Press Command+Control+Shift+[ (Mac) or

Control+Start+Shift+[ (Windows).
MIDI Vertical Zoom only affects tracks in not
in Clips view.

644 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To zoom in or out vertically for a single MIDI or Audio waveforms revert to the default vertical
Instrument track: zoom; on tracks set to Notes view, MIDI notes
1 Make sure the Track View is not set to Clips. zoom vertically to show all notes in the track (same
as the vertical zoom in Clips view); and the Tempo
2 Select the Zoomer tool.
Editor zooms vertically to show all tempo events.
3 Hold Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) and
drag upwards to zoom in, or downward to zoom To zoom horizontally to show the entire session
without affecting vertical zoom or scrolling, do
out.
one of the following:

Press Option+Control+A (Mac) or Alt+Start+A

Additional Zoom Key Commands


(Windows).
To return to the previous zoom level, do one of the  Press Command+Control+[ (Mac) or Con-
following:
trol+Start+[ (Windows).
 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
of the Horizontal, Audio, or MIDI Zoom but- To set horizontal zoom to “overview scale” (256
tons. samples per pixel):

 Press Command+Option+E (Mac) or Con-  Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-

trol+Alt+E (Windows). dows) the Zoomer tool.

To zoom in horizontally on the Edit selection

without affecting vertical zoom: Zoomer Tool
 Press Option+F (Mac) or Alt+F (Windows). Use the Zoomer tool to zoom in and out around a
If the selection contains MIDI notes, the selected particular area within a track.
MIDI notes are vertically scrolled to show in tracks The Zoomer tool offers two modes:
as necessary.
Normal Zoom The Zoomer tool remains selected
To zoom in horizontally on a selection without after zooming.
affecting vertical zoom or scrolling, do one of the
following: Single Zoom The previously selected Edit tool is
 Press Option+Control+F (Mac) Alt+Start+F automatically reselected after zooming.
(Windows). Press the F5 key to select the Zoomer tool
 Press Command+Control+] (Mac) or Con- and toggle between Normal and Single Zoom
trol+Start+] (Windows). modes.

To zoom horizontally to show the entire session,

do one of the following:

 Double-click the Zoomer tool in the toolbar.

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

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 645

 Normal Zoomer Tool
To zoom around a certain point in a track:

1 Do one of the following:

• Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select
Normal Zoom mode.

Zoomer tool

• Right-click on any track and select Tools > Zooming horizontally with Zoomer tool
Zoomer Tools > Normal Zoom. The zoomed area fills the entire Edit window.
2 Click once with the Zoomer tool at a location
within the track. All tracks are zoomed in by Single Zoom Mode
one level and the Edit window is centered
around the zoomed location. Single Zoom mode returns you to the previously
selected tool after a zoom has been performed.
3 To zoom back to the previous level, Option-
click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) with the For example, when using the Smart Tool you can
Zoomer tool. click the Single Zoomer tool, and once the Zoom
operation has been performed, Pro Tools automat-
To zoom into a particular track area: ically switches back to the Smart Tool.
1 Do one of the following:
To use Single Zoom mode, do one of the following:
• Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select
 Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select
Normal Zoom mode.
Single Zoom mode.
• Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Zoomer Tools > Normal Zoom.  Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Zoomer Tools > Single Zoom.
2 Do one of the following:
 Press the F5 key to toggle to Single Zoom
• To zoom horizontally only, drag with the
mode.
Zoomer tool in the track’s playlist.
• To zoom horizontally and vertically, press Com-
mand (Mac) or Control (Windows) while drag-
ging in the track’s playlist.

646 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Single Zoom is identified with an arrow to the right Continuous Zoom with the
of the Zoomer icon. Zoomer Tool
Use the Zoomer tool to zoom in or out continu-
ously.

To use continuous zoom on one track or a group of

Single Zoom mode
tracks:
Normal Zoom mode does not have the arrow. 1 Select the Zoomer tool.
2 Hold the Control (Mac) or Start key (Windows)
Zooming in a Ruler and do one of the following:
To zoom horizontally in a ruler: • Drag up to continuously zoom in vertically.
1 Press Command+Control (Mac) or Con- • Drag down to continuously zoom out vertically.
trol+Start (Windows) and move the cursor into
• Drag to the right to continuously zoom in hori-
the ruler area, so the Zoomer tool appears.
zontally.
• Drag to the left to continuously zoom out hori-
zontally.

For horizontal zoom, all tracks zoom together.

Tracks will zoom in or out centered horizontally
on the location where you click.

Vertical Zooming In or Out of All

Audio Tracks Continuously
Zooming in a ruler
To vertically zoom in or out of all audio tracks
2 Do one of the following: using continuous zoom:

• Click once to zoom in one level around a certain  Drag up or down on the Audio Zoom In or Out
point. button.
• Drag to zoom in around a particular ruler range.
To vertically zoom in or out of all MIDI and
Instrument tracks that are set to Notes view using
continuous zoom:

 Drag up or down on the MIDI Zoom In or Out

button. Any waveform height offsets will be
maintained.

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 647

 To zoom horizontally and show the entire session
or project, and to reset the audio waveform to Zoom Preset Buttons
show the default height, zoom MIDI to show all
notes in a track, and zoom the Tempo Editor to Pro Tools lets you save up to five horizontal Edit
show all tempo events, do one of the following: window Zoom presets, which can be recalled by
typing a number or by clicking a Zoom Preset but-
 Double-click the Zoomer tool.
ton.
 Press Option+A (Mac) or Alt+A (Windows).
To store a view as a Zoom preset:
This will also affect your MIDI note heights.
1 Use the Zoomer tool to configure the Track
View.
To reset the default audio waveform heights
2 Click and hold one of the Zoom Preset buttons
without affecting the horizontal zoom level or
(1–5) and choose Save Zoom Preset from the
MIDI note heights, press Command+
Zoom Preset pop-up menu. The preset button
Option+Control+[ (Mac) or Control+
flashes momentarily, and any previously stored
Alt+Start+[ (Windows).
Zoom preset at that number is replaced.
To only zoom horizontally to show the entire
session without affecting vertical zoom or
scrolling:

 Press Option+Control+A (Mac) or Alt+Start+A

(Windows).

To set all audio track waveform heights to match Zoom Preset pop-up menu
the waveform height of the topmost audio track in
To recall a saved Zoom preset, do one of the
the Edit window:
following:
 Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Control-Shift-
 Click the appropriate Zoom Preset button (1–5).
click (Windows) the Audio Zoom button. All
waveform height offsets will be lost.  Click and hold the Zoom Preset button and
choose Recall Zoom Preset from the Zoom Pre-
To set all MIDI and Instrument track note heights to set pop-up menu.
match the note height of the topmost MIDI or
Instrument track in the Edit window: If the 1–5 Number Keys Control Editing
 Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Control-Shift- Preference is set to Zoom Presets, press
click (Windows) the MIDI Zoom button. All Control+1–5 (Mac) or Start+1–5 (Windows)
note height offsets will be lost. to recall the corresponding Zoom preset.

648 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Zoom Toggle For MIDI Editing, set the Zoom Toggle pref-
erences as follows: Vertical Zoom to Last
Zoom Toggle lets you define and toggle between
Used, Horizontal Zoom to Last Used, Track
zoom states in the Edit window.
View to Waveform/Notes, and Track Height
to Fit to Window.
Zoom Toggle Parameters
The Zoom Toggle stores and recalls the following For audio editing, set the Zoom Toggle
parameters: preferences as follows: Vertical Zoom to
• Vertical Zoom Selection, Horizontal Zoom to Selection,
Track Height to Fit to Window, and Track
• Horizontal Zoom
View to No Change.
• Track Height
4 Click OK.
• Track View
• Grid setting Vertical Zoom

Selection When selected, zoom toggling in zooms

Zoom Toggle Preferences vertically to the current Edit Selection.
The Zoom Toggle preferences determine how Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in
Zoom Toggle works. Adjust the Zoom Toggle zooms vertically to the last stored Zoom Toggle
preferences to fit your workflow. state for MIDI notes in Notes view only.
To change the Zoom Toggle preferences:
Horizontal Zoom
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
Selection When selected, zoom toggling in zooms
2 Click the Editing tab. horizontally to the current selection. This is espe-
cially useful for audio editing.
3 Change the Zoom Toggle settings and options.
Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in
zooms horizontally to the last stored Zoom Toggle
state. This option can emulate a separate editor
window. This is especially useful for editing MIDI
notes.

Remove Range Selection After Zooming In

When the Remove Range Selection After Zoom-

ing In option is selected, the current Edit selection
collapses into an insertion point after zoom tog-
Zoom Toggle preferences
gling in.

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 649

 Track Height Separate Grid Settings When Zoomed In

Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in When this option is selected, the Grid setting
changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection to stored with Zoom toggle is recalled when zoom
the last used Track Height. toggling in. When this option is deselected, the
same (current) grid setting is used whether zoom
Medium When selected, zoom toggling in changes
toggling in or out.
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Me-
dium Track Height. Zoom Toggle Follows Edit Selection
Large When selected, zoom toggling in changes When selected, this option ensures that zoom tog-
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Large gle automatically follows the current Edit selec-
Track Height. tion. When disabled, changing the Edit selection
Jumbo When selected, zoom toggling in changes
has no affect on the currently toggled-in track.
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the
Jumbo Track Height. Using Zoom Toggle
Extreme When selected, zoom toggling in changes Depending on the Zoom Toggle preference set-
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Ex- tings, the Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window
treme Track Height. lets you define a zoom state and toggle between it
and the current zoom state, or it zooms to the set-
Fit To Window When selected, zoom toggling in tings in the Zoom Toggle preferences. When
changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection to Zoom Toggle is enabled, the Edit window displays
the Fit To Window Track Height. the stored zoom state. Additionally, any changes
made to the view while Zoom Toggle is enabled
Track View
are also stored in the zoom state.
Waveform/Notes When selected, zoom toggling in
When Zoom Toggle is disabled, the Edit window
changes the Track View for audio tracks to Wave-
reverts to the last zoom state.
form view, and changes the Track View for Instru-
ment and MIDI tracks to Notes view. To store a zoom state using Zoom Toggle:
Warp/Notes When selected, zoom toggling in 1 Set the Zoom Toggle preferences.
changes the Track View for audio tracks to Warp
2 Make an Edit selection.
view, and changes the Track View for Instrument
and MIDI tracks to Notes view. 3 Click the Zoom Toggle button. It lights to indi-
cate that Zoom Toggle is enabled and Pro Tools
Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in
zoom toggles in based on the settings of the
changes the Track View to the last used Track
Zoom Toggle preferences.
View that was stored with Zoom Toggle.

No Change When selected, the track view does not

change when zoom toggling in or out.

650 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 To clear the stored Zoom Toggle state:
1 Make sure the Zoom Toggle button is lit (en-
abled).
2 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
Zoom Toggle button.

Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window To use Zoom Toggle without changing playlist
views:
If Last Used is selected for any of the following,
you can adjust the corresponding zoom, height, or 1 Make a selection on one or more tracks.
view in the Edit window to update the stored zoom
2 Do one of the following:
state:
• Press Option+Control+E (Mac) or Alt+Start+E
• Vertical Zoom
(Windows).
• Horizontal Zoom
• With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled (see
• Track Height “Keyboard Focus” on page 26), press Option+E
• Track View (Mac) or Alt+E (Windows).

In Commands Keyboard Focus mode (see

“Keyboard Focus” on page 26), press the
E key to enable or disable Zoom Toggle.

Press Option+Shift+E (Mac) or Alt+Shift+E

(Windows) to cancel Zoom Toggle without
reverting to the previous view.

To modify the stored Zoom Toggle state if Last

Used is selected:

1 Make sure the Zoom Toggle button is lit (en- Using the Zoom Toggle
abled).
2 Adjust the Track Height, Vertical Zoom, Track
View, or the Grid depending on which prefer-
ences are set to Last Used. Changes are stored
as the new Zoom Toggle state.

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 651

 Auto-Toggle When Changing To scroll the contents of the Edit window or Mix
Selection window horizontally:

1 Focus the window you want to scroll by click-

When Zoom Toggle is enabled, selecting a differ-
ing in it or bringing it forward.
ent range of material, or selecting material on a dif-
ferent track affects Zoom Toggle as follows: 2 Hold the Shift key while turning the mouse
• Changing the selection length does not re-zoom scroll wheel.
the window, the current zoom level is main-
tained.
• Changing the selection to a different track sets Using the Trim Tools
the toggle-in state for track height and view. Trim tools provide clip, note, and data trimming
However, horizontal zoom remains unchanged. functions. The following Trim tools are available:
When moving the selection from a toggled in
• Trim tool; also called the Standard Trim tool
track, the toggled out track height and view are
restored. • Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool; also
called the TCE Trim tool
Auto-Toggle does not work for Edit se-
• Scrub Trim tool (Pro Tools Ultimate only)
lections across multiple tracks that are
Zoom-toggled to Fit to Window. • Loop Trim tool

The Standard and Scrub Trim tools are only con-

strained by the boundaries of the whole-audio file
Zooming with a Scroll Wheel referenced by the clip. The TCE Trim tool is only
If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can constrained by the maximum TCE amount when
use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out of tracks, using the TCE Trim tool.
both vertically and horizontally.
The TCE, Scrub, and Loop Trim tools do not apply
To continuously zoom horizontally using a scroll to fades.
wheel:

 Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while

turning the mouse scroll wheel. Trim Tool
With the Trim tool, you can quickly shorten or ex-
To continuously zoom audio (vertical zoom) in the
pand a clip (up to the entire length of the source au-
Edit window:
dio file). The first time you trim a clip, Pro Tools
 Hold Option+Shift (Mac) or Alt+Shift (Win- automatically adds it to the Clips List as a new clip
dows) while turning the mouse scroll wheel. (with a name derived from the original) in order to
differentiate it from the original.
To continuously zoom MIDI (vertical zoom) in the
Edit window: The Trim tool is a nondestructive tool and does not
 Hold Option+Control (Mac) or Alt+Start (Win- actually modify the original audio or MIDI data
dows) while turning the mouse scroll wheel. (when working on clips). To return to the length of
the original clip, drag it from the Clips List, or re-
size the edited clip with the Trim tool to its original
length.

652 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Use of the Trim tool is affected by the current Edit 4 Do one of the following:
mode: Shuffle, Slip, Spot, or Grid (see “Edit • If trimming the end, drag left to shorten the clip,
Modes” on page 639). right to lengthen.
The Trim tool can also be used to lengthen • If trimming the start, drag right to shorten the
and shorten MIDI notes (see “Trimming Note clip, left to lengthen.
Start and End Times” on page 796), and also
to scale automation and controller data up or When working with audio, you cannot trim
down. See “Drawing Automation” on past the boundaries of adjacent clips.
page 1215.
When trimming clips in a stereo or multichannel
To trim a clip with the Trim tool: track, all channels are trimmed.

1 Select the Trim tool. The standard Trim tool trims the edges of all selected
clips (not just the one you click and trim).
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
Standard.

Trim tool

• Right-click on any track and select Tools > Trim

Tools > Standard.

3 Move the cursor near the start or end of the clip,

so the Trim Tool cursor appears.
Trimming all selected clips

When using Shuffle mode, subsequent clips are

slid as necessary to make room for the edited clip.
If using Grid mode, the dragged start/end times
snap to the nearest Grid boundary. If using Spot
Trim tool mode, the Spot dialog opens, where you can enter
To reverse the direction of the Trim tool, press Op- the new location for the clip’s start or end point.
tion (Mac) or Alt (Windows).

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 653

 AudioSuite TCE Trim Tool
Time Compression/
Expansion Trim Tool On audio tracks without Elastic Audio enabled, the
Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool works by
The Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool using the Time Compression/Expansion (TCE)
(TCE Trim) is a convenient tool for matching an AudioSuite plug-in selected in the Pro Tools Pro-
audio clip to the length of another clip, a tempo cessing preferences to create a new audio file.
grid, a video scene, or to practically any other ref-
erence point you want.
Time Compression/Expansion
Plug-In Preferences
You can select which AudioSuite plug-in is used
for trimming with the TCE Trim tool on non-Elas-
tic Audio-enabled audio tracks.

Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool over a clip To set the AudioSuite plug-in for use with the TCE
Trim tool:
The TCE Trim tool unloops and consolidates 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
looped clips.
2 Click the Processing tab.
3 From the TC/E Plug-In pop-up menu, select the
You can match an Edit selection to the length
AudioSuite plug-in to be used with the Time
of a Timeline selection by selecting Edit > TCE
Compression/Expansion Trim tool.
Edit to Timeline Selection command (see
“TCE (Time Compression and Expansion)
Edit To Timeline Selection” on page 706.

When using the TCE or Elastic trimmer, hold

Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) to con-
strain the trim to the edge of adjacent clips. TC/E Preferences

4 From the Default Settings pop-up menu, select

Elastic Audio TCE Trim Tool the plug-in setting best suited to the material
On Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, the TCE tool you work with most (such as Stereo Mix De-
fault).
uses the track’s selected Elastic Audio plug-in
(Real-Time or Rendered) to apply Real-Time or 5 Click OK.
Rendered Elastic Audio processing. The resulting
clip displays a Warp indicator to indicate Elastic For more information about AudioSuite
Audio processing. plug-ins, see Chapter 43, “AudioSuite
Processing.”
For information on Elastic Audio plug-ins,
see “Elastic Audio Plug-Ins” on page 1019.

654 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Using the TCE Trim Tool in Grid Using the TCE Trim Tool in Slip
Mode Mode
The TCE Trim tool can be used in Grid mode to To use the TCE Trim tool in Slip mode:
match a clip to the tempo of a session or a section
1 Set the Edit mode to Slip.
of a session. For example, you might import a one-
bar drum loop with a tempo of 90 BPM into a ses- 2 Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
sion with a tempo of 120 BPM. In Grid mode, you TCE.
can use this tool to simply and quickly “time com-
3 With the TCE Trim tool, drag the clip’s start or
press” the drum loop to the length of one measure,
end point to compress or expand the clip freely.
with no noticeable to minimal loss of audio fidel-
ity.
Using the TCE Trim Tool in Spot
Trimming clips while in Relative Grid mode Mode
will trim the clips in grid increments while
In Spot mode, clicking with the TCE Trim tool in a
maintaining their relative offset (if any) from
clip opens the Spot dialog. You can specify the lo-
the grid.
cation you want the clip to start or end at, or the du-
To use the TCE Trim tool in Grid mode: ration of the clip, and the clip is automatically
compressed or expanded as specified.
1 Set the Edit mode to Grid.
2 Do one of the following: To use the TCE Trim tool in Spot mode:

• Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select 1 Set the Edit mode to Spot.
TCE. 2 Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
TCE.
3 Click the clip near its start or end point. The
Spot dialog opens. Using any Time Scale, enter
a new start or end time (or duration) for the clip,
Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool
then click OK.
• Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Trim Tools > TCE.

3 With the TCE Trim tool, drag the audio clip’s

Scrub Trim Tool
start or end point to compress or expand the clip (Pro Tools Ultimate Software Only)
to the Grid (for example, by quarter notes).
The Scrub Trim tool is a convenient tool for audi-
tioning material (on up to two tracks) to find a trim
point. You can drag in a track to hear the audio in-
formation, then trim at a specific location by re-
leasing the mouse button.

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 655

 This action creates a new clip. Note that the Scrub
Trim tool changes into a “right trim” or “left trim” Loop Trim Tool
shape as it is placed over the right or left side of a Use the Loop Trim tool to create or trim looped
clip. To reverse the direction of the Scrub Trim clips (see “Clip Looping” on page 959).
tool, press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) before
you click the clip.

Loop Trim tool

Creating Loops with the Loop

Scrub Trim tool over a clip Trim Tool
Scrub playback speed and direction vary with con- To create loop clips using the Loop Trim tool:
troller movement. Scrubbed audio is routed 1 Do one of the following:
through the track signal path, so you hear any ef-
• Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
fects in the signal path.
Loop.
To scrub trim a track: • Right-click on any track and select Tools >
1 Do one of the following: Trim Tools > Loop.

• Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select 2 Position the cursor over the top half of an un-
Scrub. looped audio or MIDI clip, or clip group. The
cursor changes to indicate that you can loop
• Right-click on any track and select Tools >
trim the clip. (Positioning the cursor over the
Trim Tools > Scrub.
bottom half of the clip results in the Standard
The tool changes to a speaker with a bracket. Trim cursor.)

2 Drag within a track to the left or right. Audio

from a scrubbed track is routed through the
track signal path, including any DSP effects.
When you locate the trim point, release the
mouse button to trim the clip.
• To scrub trim two tracks, drag with the Scrub Loop Trim cursor
Trim tool between two adjacent tracks.
• To scrub with finer resolution (without having to
zoom in), press Command (Mac) or Control
(Windows) while scrubbing.

656 Pro Tools Reference Guide

3 Do one of the following: To Loop Trim a looped clip:

• Click at the end of the clip, and drag left or right 1 Select the Loop Trim tool.
to the point you want the loop to stop.
2 Move the cursor over the top half of the looped
• Click at the beginning of the clip, and drag left or clip (not over a Loop icon). The cursor indicates
right to the point you want the loop to start. the Loop Trim tool.
Loop Trim tool

Loop icon

Looped clip Loop Trim tool

Trimming Looped Clips 3 Trim the looped clip.

You can trim looped clips in two ways:

• Loop Trim a looped clip to change how long the
clip is looped. For example, Loop Trim a looped
clip from 2 bars to four bars. With a 1 bar clip,
the number of loops changes from 2 to 4. Each
loop iteration remains the same length, but the Loop trimming a looped clip
length of the entire looped clip changes. The number of loops increases or decreases to fill
• Trim the source clip (loop iteration) while keep- the new length of the entire looped clip.
ing the overall loop length unchanged. The num-
ber of loop iterations within the looped clip Hold the Start key (Windows), or the
changes accordingly. For example, trim a 2 bar Control key (Mac) while trimming to trim
loop iteration of a 4 bar looped clip to 1 bar. The in loop iteration increments.
4 bar looped clip remains constant, but the num-
ber of loop iterations changes from 2 to 4. Each Trimming a looped clip does not trim any un-
loop iteration’s length changes, but how long the derlying Fades.
clip is looped does not.

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 657

 To trim the source clip (loop iteration) of a looped
clip: Tandem Trimming
1 Select the Loop Trim tool. Tandem trimming lets you trim the start and end of
two adjacent clips in tandem as long as one clip over-
2 Move the cursor over a Loop icon in the looped
laps the other. Tandem trimming can be used in con-
clip, or anywhere along the bottom of the clip. junction with Loop trimming and Scrub trimming.
The cursor indicates the Trim tool icon. However, TCE and Elastic trim do not support tan-
dem trimming.

To use Tandem trimming:

1 Select the Trim tool (or the Smart tool).
2 Command-Control-trim (Mac) or Control-
Start-trim (Windows) between two adjacent
overlapping clips. The cursor updates to show
two brackets and an arrow to show the direction
Loop Trim tool of the tandem trim.

3 Trim the start or end of the loop iteration.

Tandem trimming
Trimming a looped clip
When in Slip mode, Grid mode can be tempo-
The number of trimmed loop iterations increases
rarily enabled by holding the Command key
or decreases to fill the original length of the entire
after releasing the Control key (Mac) or by
looped clip.
holding the Control key after releasing the
Start key.

Trimmed looped clip

658 Pro Tools Reference Guide

 Making an Edit Selection with
Using the Selector Tool the Selector Tool
Use the Selector tool to place the edit cursor in a
To make an Edit selection with the Selector tool:
track or Timebase ruler, or to make Timeline selec-
tions or Edit selections on tracks. 1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window.
2 Do one of the following:
Placing the Edit Cursor • To make an Edit selection in a single track, drag
in the track.
To place the edit cursor with the Selector tool:
• To make an Edit selection across multiple tracks,
1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window.
drag across the tracks.
2 Click the location in a track or on a Timebase
• If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is enabled,
ruler.
drag on the Timebase ruler to make an Edit se-
lection across all tracks.

Placing the edit cursor with the Selector tool

Making a selection with the Selector tool

To select an entire clip with the Selector tool:

1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window.
2 Double-click a clip on a track.

To select an entire track with the Selector tool:

1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window.
2 Triple-click in the track.

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 659

 Making a Timeline Selection Object Grabber Lets you select multiple, noncon-
with the Selector Tool tiguous clips. For more information, see “Object
Selections” on page 673.
To make a Timeline selection with the Selector
tool:

1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window.

2 Do one of the following:
Object Grabber tool
• Drag on a Timebase ruler.
• If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is enabled, To select one of the Grabber tools, do one of the
following:
drag in a track.
 Click the Grabber tool in the Edit window and
select the Grabber tool from the pop-up menu.
Using the Grabber Tools
Use the Grabber tools to select, move, separate,
and arrange clips on tracks. There are three modes
for the Grabber tool: Time Grabber, Separation
Grabber, and Object Grabber. For more informa-
tion about arranging clips, also see Chapter 41,
“Arranging Clips.”

Time Grabber Selects an entire clip on a track with

a single click. For more information on selecting
clips, see “Selecting Track Material” on page 671. Selecting a Grabber tool

 Right-click on any track and select the Grabber

tool from Tools > Grabber Tools.

Time Grabber tool

Using the Smart Tool
Separation Grabber Cuts and pastes an Edit selec-
tion from one location to another by dragging. For With the Smart Tool, you can instantly access the
more information, see “Separation Grabber Tool” Selector, Grabber, and Trim tools, and you can
on page 695. also apply and adjust fades and crossfades. The po-
sition of the cursor in relation to a clip or note, or
within an automation playlist, determines how the
Smart Tool functions.

Separation Grabber tool

Smart Tool enabled in the Edit window

660 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To select the Smart Tool, click its icon in the upper  For a crossfade, position the cursor between two
left of the Edit window, or press F6+F7 (or F7+F8) adjacent audio clips, near the bottom of the clip.
simultaneously. Once the Crossfade cursor appears drag left or
right to set the crossfade length. The crossfade is
The Smart Tool in Waveform created automatically with the Default Fade Set-
View (Audio) or Clips View tings (in the Editing Preferences page).
(MIDI)  To adjust a fade-in, fade-out, or crossfade (if
present), position the cursor over the fade in the
Fade In Selector tool Fade Out
vertical middle of the clip. Once the corresponding
Fade or Crossfade cursor appears, drag to the left
or right to adjust fade shape.
Trim Trim
tool tool
(start) (end)
To temporarily switch the Smart Tool to the
Scrubber, place the cursor over the clip so
that the Selector tool is enabled, then press
Adjust Fade Crossfade Control (Mac) or Start (Windows).
(if present)
Grabber tool

The Smart Tool in Warp View

Smart Tool in Waveform view
Trim Trim
tool Selector tool tool
The following capabilities are available with the (start) (end)
Smart Tool when working with audio tracks in
Waveform or Blocks view, or MIDI or Instrument
tracks in Clips view:
 For the Selector tool, position the cursor over
the middle of the clip, in the upper half of the clip.
 For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over Grabber tool
the middle of a clip, in the lower half of the clip.
Smart Tool in Warp view
 For the Trim tool, position the cursor near the
The following capabilities are available with the
clip’s start or end point.
Smart Tool when working with Elastic Audio-en-
 For a fade-in or fade-out, position the cursor abled audio tracks in Warp view, or MIDI or In-
near an audio clip’s start or end point, near the top strument tracks in Clips view:
of the clip. Once the Fade cursor appears, drag into
 For the Selector tool, position the cursor over
the clip to set the fade length. The fade is created
the middle of the clip, in the upper half of the clip.
automatically with the Default Fade Settings (in
the Editing Preferences page).  For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over
the middle of a clip, in the lower half of the clip,
but not over an Event marker or Warp marker.

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 661

  For Elastic Audio warping, position the cursor  For the Velocity Trim tool, position the cursor
over an Event marker or a Warp marker, in the over the note and press Command (Mac) or Con-
lower half of the clip (for more information on trol (Windows).
warping audio, see “Editing in Warp View” on
page 1023).
 For the Trim tool, position the cursor near the
clip’s start or end point, in the upper half of the
clip.

To temporarily switch the Smart Tool to the

Scrubber, place the cursor in the upper half
of the clip so that the Selector tool is en-
abled, then press Control (Mac) or Start Trimming the velocity of a note
(Windows).
To temporarily switch the Smart Tool to
The Smart Tool in Notes View the Pencil tool, press Control (Mac) or
Start (Windows).
Selector tool (marquee)

To temporarily switch the Smart Tool to the

Eraser, press Option+Control (Mac) or
Alt+Start (Windows).

The Smart Tool in Automation

Trim note start Grabber tool Trim note end and Controller Views
Smart Tool in Notes view The following capabilities are available with the
Smart Tool when working in both automation and
The following capabilities are available with the controller views:
Smart Tool when working with MIDI and Instru-
• For the Selector tool, position the cursor any-
ment tracks in Notes view in the Edit window and
where in the bottom 75% of the playlist for the
in MIDI Editor windows:
Selector tool. Drag with the Selector tool to se-
 For the Marquee Selector, position the cursor so lect breakpoints.
it does not cover any notes. • For Trim tools, position the cursor in the top
 For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over 25% of the playlist for the Trim tool. Drag with
the note, near its middle. the Trim tool to trim breakpoints. Press Com-
mand+Shift (Mac) or Control+Shift (Windows)
 For the Trim tool, position the cursor near the while trimming for fine control.
note start or end point.

662 Pro Tools Reference Guide

• To add a breakpoint with the Smart Tool, press While viewing an audio waveform in Pro Tools
Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) to tem- can be helpful in visually finding an edit point,
porarily change the cursor from the trimmer to sometimes a waveform display (because of its
the insertion grabber. When this occurs, other sonic characteristics) may not reveal the desired
command key behaviors such a Grid toggle and spot in the audio material. By scrubbing back and
High Resolution editing are superseded by the forth in Pro Tools, you can listen and locate an ex-
insertion operation. act edit point.
• For Grabber tools, Command (Mac) or Control When the Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle op-
(Windows) for the Grabber tool, then click in on tion is enabled in the Operation Preferences page,
the automation line to create breakpoints. the edit cursor automatically locates to the point
• To edit existing breakpoints, move the cursor where scrubbing stops.
near a breakpoint for the Grabber tool.
When the Scrolling option is set to Continuous
• To vertically constrain Grabber tool movement, (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only) or Center
press Shift. Playhead (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only),
• To vertically constrain Grabber tool movement clicking with the Scrubber in a track’s playlist cen-
with fine control, press Command+Shift (Mac) ters the Edit window around that point, and moves
or Control+Shift (Windows). the Playhead there. With these Scrolling options,
scrubbed material moves past the Playhead, which
The Smart Tool with Stereo and remains stationary and centered.
Multichannel Tracks
To scrub a single audio track:
When using the Smart Tool on stereo and multi-
1 Select the Scrubber tool.
channel tracks, individual channels cannot be inde-
pendently edited. All edits affect all channels as a 2 Drag within the track: left for reverse or right
whole. for forward.

Tool switching for the Smart Tool in stereo and

multichannel tracks is determined by the position
within the entire track, and not within individual
channels.

Scrubbing an audio track with the Scrubber

Using the Scrubber Tool The distance and speed with which you drag (with
either the mouse, or the scrub wheel on a control
The Scrubber tool lets you “scrub” up to two tracks
surface) determine the length and speed of the
of audio in the Edit Window. Scrubbing is a tech-
scrubbed audio. Audio from the scrubbed track is
nique that originated in tape editing, where the tape
routed to its output, along with any effects as-
was rocked back and forth past the playhead at
signed to the track.
slower than normal speeds to find a particular loca-
tion (usually for cutting and splicing).

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 663

 The resolution for the Scrubber is dependent on the To scrub in Shuttle mode (at several times normal
zoom factor for the scrubbed track. speed):

1 Select the Scrubber tool.

You can temporarily switch the Selector tool
to the Scrubber tool by Control-clicking 2 While pressing Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows),
(Mac) or Start-clicking (Windows). For finer drag within the track—left for reverse, right for
resolution, Command-Control-click (Mac) or forward. The Fast Forward and Rewind buttons
Control-Start-click (Windows). in the Transport window engage.

To scrub multiple audio tracks, do one of the The distance and speed dragged determine the
following: speed for the scrubbed audio.
 With the Scrubber selected, drag between two
adjacent tracks. Shuttle Lock Mode
Shuttle Lock mode lets you use the numeric key-
pad to shuttle up to two tracks forward or back-
wards at specific speeds: 5 is normal speed, num-
bers from 6 up to 9 provide increasingly faster fast-
forward speeds, and numbers from 4 down to 1
provide progressively faster rewind speeds (4 is
the slowest rewind Shuttle Lock speed, 1 is the
fastest). If multiple tracks are selected, only the
first two tracks are shuttled.
Scrubbing between two audio tracks
To play one or two tracks with the shuttle lock:
 Scrub within a selection that contains multiple
1 With Pro Tools Ultimate, make sure the Opera-
tracks.
tion preference for Numeric Keypad mode is
When scrubbing multiple tracks, only the first two not set to Shuttle (see “Operation Preferences”
tracks are heard. on page 118).
2 With the Selector tool, click in the track where
The maximum number of channels scrubbed
you want playback to begin. To shuttle on two
in Pro Tools is eight, which lets you scrub a
tracks, Shift-click in a second track.
7.1 track, two stereo tracks (four channels),
but not two 5.1 surround tracks (12 chan- 3 Press the Control (Mac) or Start key (Windows)
nels). and a number on the numeric keypad: 0–9 (9 is
fastest, 5 is normal speed, and 0 stops shuttling).
Scrub/Shuttle Mode
Once Shuttle Lock mode is initiated, Fast Forward
When scrubbing normally, you can scrub at nor- and Rewind become highlighted in the Transport
mal playback speeds or slower. Scrub/Shuttle window.
mode, however, lets you scrub at several times nor-
mal speed, which is helpful in playing through 4 Press additional keys to change the playback
large ranges and locating material. speed, or press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to switch
the playback direction (plus for forward, minus
for backward).

664 Pro Tools Reference Guide

5 To stop playback, press Control+0 (Mac) or
Start+0 (Windows). Numeric Keypad Set to
Shuttle
To exit Shuttle Lock mode, do one of the following: (Pro Tools Ultimate Software Only)
 Press Stop in the Transport window. Pro Tools offers another form of shuttling, differ-
 Press the Spacebar. ent from that of Shuttle Lock mode. With the Nu-
meric Keypad mode set to Shuttle, playback of the
current Edit selection is triggered by pressing and
Custom Shuttle Lock Speed
holding the keys on the numeric keypad—play-
Use the Custom Shuttle Lock Speed preference to back stops once the keys are released. Various
customize the highest fast-forward Shuttle Lock playback speeds are available in both forward and
speed (key 9) to better match your editing and au- reverse. In this mode, pre- and post-roll are ig-
ditioning needs. nored.

To configure Custom Shuttle Lock Speed: To shuttle with the Numeric Keypad mode set to
Shuttle:
1 In Pro Tools, select Setup > Preferences and
click the Operation tab. 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Operation tab.
2 Be sure that the Numeric Keypad mode is set to
Transport or Classic (see “Operation Prefer- 2 Set the Numeric Keypad mode to Shuttle and
ences” on page 118). click OK.

3 Enter a percentage for the Custom Shuttle Lock 3 With the Selector tool, click in the track where
Speed setting. The range for this setting is 50– you want playback to begin. To shuttle on two
800%. You can use the Up and Down Arrow tracks, Shift-click in a second track.
keys to increase or decrease the setting. 4 Hold any of the following keys (or key combi-
4 Click OK. nations) on the numeric keypad to trigger play-
back.
The Custom Shuttle Lock Speed setting is saved
with your Pro Tools system preferences (not with Shuttle Speed Rewind Key Forward Key
the session).
1 X Speed 4 6

To enable Custom Shuttle Lock Speed: 4 X Speed 7 9

 Press Control+ 9 (Mac) on the numeric keypad 1/4 X Speed 1 3
or Start+9 (Windows).
1/2 X Speed 4+5 5+6

2 X Speed 7+8 8+9

5 Press a different key to switch the playback

direction or speed. Release to stop.

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 665

 Although you can Undo a Pencil tool edit, it is rec-
Using the Pencil Tool ommended that you create a backup copy of the
The Pencil tool lets you draw several types of target audio before using the Pencil tool. You can
Pro Tools data: do this by using the AudioSuite Duplicate plug-in.

• Audio waveforms (see “Waveform Repair with The Pencil tool is a destructive editing tool
the Pencil Tool” on page 666) that permanently modifies the audio file on
• MIDI data (see “Using the Pencil Tool” on disk and should be used with caution.
page 788)
• Tempo changes (see “Editing Tempo Events in For information about the AudioSuite Du-
the Tempo Editor” on page 893) plicate plug-in, see the Audio Plug-Ins
• Automation (see “Drawing Automation” on Guide.
page 1215). To destructively edit an audio waveform with the
Pencil tool:
When editing automation or MIDI control
data with the Pencil tool, you can switch be- 1 Locate the area you want to edit.
tween the current Pencil Tool shape (such as 2 Using the Zoomer tool or the Zoom buttons,
Line) and Free Hand pencil editing using the zoom down to the sample level so the waveform
Command key (Mac) or the Control key (Win- appears as a continuous thin line. Adjust the
dows). When editing with the selected Pencil Track Height, as necessary, to edit the wave-
shape, the Pencil cursor angles to the left. form with greater precision. You can also use
When editing in Free Hand with the key mod- vertical zoom for greater visual resolution.
ifier, the Pencil cursor angles to the right.
You can recall zoom levels with the Zoom
Waveform Repair with the Pencil Preset buttons (see “Zooming Options” on
Tool page 643), or with Memory Locations (see
“Recalling Memory Locations” on
On audio tracks, the Pencil tool lets you destruc-
page 927). The default setting for Zoom Pre-
tively “redraw” waveform data. This tool is most
set 5 is at the sample level for Pencil editing.
commonly used to repair a pop or click in an audio
file. A pop or click appears as a sudden sharp spike 3 Select the Pencil tool.
in a waveform. This tool only becomes active
when the Edit window is zoomed in to the sample
level.

Pencil tool

4 Carefully draw with the Pencil tool by dragging

over the area of the waveform.

666 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Do not over-edit or the results may be undesirable. To lock (or unlock) the current Edit Tool modes:
However, you can use the Undo command to undo 1 Select the Edit Tool modes you want (such as
your previous edit. the Standard Trim tool, Time Grabber tool, and
the Free Hand Pencil tool).
2 Select (or deselect) Options > Edit/Tool Mode
Keyboard Lock.

Repairing a “pop” with the Pencil tool

The Pencil tool can independently edit different

channels of a multichannel track.

Try to limit editing to smoothing over a very small

problem area, and keep the “fixes” in character
with the shape of the surrounding waveform.

Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard

Lock
Enable Options > Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard Lock
to lock the currently selected Edit Tools (Zoom,
Trim, Grabber, and Pencil only) in place and pre-
vent them from being inadvertently changed when
using keyboard shortcuts. For example, with
Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard Lock enabled and the
Trim tool is set to Standard, pressing F6 repeatedly
will only select the Standard Trim tool and will not
toggle through the other Trim tools (TCE, Scrub,
and Loop). This way you can switch between Edit
tools (such as switching from the Grabber to the
Trim) using keyboard shortcuts without acciden-
tally cycling through Edit tool types.

Even when Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard Lock is

enabled, Edit Tool types can still be changed
using the mouse or by using the Right-click
menu.

When enabled, this option also locks the current

Grid mode (Grid or Relative Grid) in place.

Chapter 29: Edit Modes and Tools 667