Setups & Troubleshooting
Getting Started | Setups & Troubleshooting | Basic Production | Voice Editing

by Jeff Towne

Ok, so you have a computer, you loaded up some extra RAM, you downloaded
the ProTools Free application (or purchased the CD) and you’re ready to go.
Now what?

Sadly, it’s a minefield. Although ProTools Free is an extremely powerful
and flexible editing and mixing environment, getting your audio “acts and
tracks” into the computer is more complicated than it ought to be. The
good news is that I’m confident that there will be an easy solution very
soon. The bad news is that we have stumbled into the realm of the early
adopter, and will have to improvise a bit until some of the kinks have been
worked out.

The trouble starts with PTFree’s refusal to accept input from external
hardware. I suppose this is a bid to encourage the serious musician or
audio producer to spend some money and at least buy an interface that ships
with the LE version of the program, or a fully-loaded system. It’s
frustrating though, because the technology exists right now, but all the
parts are not talking to one another.

Complicating things is that many of the newest Mac computers are not
shipping with audio inputs of any kind. The presumption is that one will
use an external USB device, or pull soundfiles from the internet, or via
the CDROM drive. But right now, PTFree will not launch with USB audio
selected as the system audio input.

So one is stuck with a couple of work-arounds.

• If your Mac or PC has analog inputs, use those.
• Record audio via a USB device into another program, then save or
  export as a file type that ProTools will read (SD2 or aiff on the Mac, .wav
  on the PC.) Then import the audio into PT for editing and mixing.

 

• If you have access to a stand-alone CD Recorder, record all your
  tracks to CDR, and then import the audio as a soundfile extracted from the
  CDR.

 

• Bite the bullet and spend the money to get a hardware interface (if you
  have an available PCI card slot.) This won’t help if you have a laptop, or
  an iMac or a Cube.Can it possibly be worth all the trouble? Yes. Even with all this
  annoyance, it’s still so easy to edit and mix in ProTools Free that you’ll
  still be ahead of the game.

  Option One: Analog

  The simplest path is to just go in through the computer’s analog inputs (if
  you have them.) All but the latest Macs have audio built-in, and most PCs
  are built with soundcards. PC soundcards vary widely in quality and
  configurations, so you may need to do some experimenting, or (gasp!) read
  the manual to be sure you are making the correct connections.

  Here are the things to keep in mind:

  • Built-in or bundled sound interfaces on either platform often use
    less-than-ideal connectors, such as eighth-inch “mini” plugs, or if you are
    lucky, RCAs. And the components are unlikely to be the highest quality.
    Try to make the best of the situation and use good quality cables, and
    always feed the loudest levels possible without distortion.

   

• Using built-in sound means that the sensitive processes of analog to
  digital conversion, and perhaps even microphone preamplification, are
  occurring inside the computer case, where they are more likely to be
  affected by electromagnetic interference. You are likely to get some
  background noise using this process, but you may find that it is at
  acceptably low level.
• It is crucial that you know what level the sound input is designed to
  accept. There are three likely possibilities: Microphone level, -10dB or
  +4 dB. Many computers, including most Macs, have a mic-level input. This
  is the worst-case, but also the most common. Microphone levels are very
  low, and need to be amplified before going to the digital converters.
  Conversely, line-level signals such as would be output from a DAT machine,
  Minidisc, or mixer are too loud to plug directly into a microphone level
  input, and will distort.Most “consumer” tape recorders and minidisc machines that output their
  signals on RCA cables or mini connectors operate at -10dB level. Similarly,
  soundcards with RCA or unbalanced 1/4″ inputs and outputs are usually
  operating at that same level. Pro machines, typically using balanced XLR
  or Tip-Ring-Sleeve (TRS) 1/4″ connectors usually operate at +4 nominal
  levels. The short version is that the pro machines’ outputs are louder.

  Headphone outputs are another flavor altogether, with variable
  amplification, usually louder than line level. Headphone outputs are
  notoriously noisy, and should only be used as a last-resort.

  It is crucial to match your levels when transferring audio, to reduce noise
  levels or overloading of inputs. Let’s say you want to get the output of
  your D7 DAT machine into your iMac, but the input is mic level. In a
  perfect world you would insert a transformer in-line to knock the level
  down. But here are some work-arounds:

  Most of the Mackie VLZ mixers have a button on the back that switches the
  XLR outputs from +4 line level down to mic level. You will need to get a
  special cable, or use adapters to change the XLR to mini (or dual XLR to
  stereo mini) but these cables can be purchased, or anyone handy with a
  soldering iron could make some up for you. Don’t have a Mackie VLZ? You
  can use a simple cable from Radio Shack made to extend walkman headphones,
  that has a volume control in-line. This is not an electronically perfect
  way to do it, but it will work. Insert this cable in between your DAT
  player or Minidisc’s line-outs and the computer’s stereo-mini mic-in, then
  adjust the volume control down until the sound is clean, and registering
  properly on the Pro Tools meters. If you are REALLY desperate, take a
  stereo mini male to male cable, plug it from the headphone output to the
  mic-input and turn the headphones WAY down. Not pretty, but it will work
  in a pinch if your headphone volume knob isn’t too dirty.

  On the other hand, many Mac Powerbooks and PC soundcards have only
  line-level inputs, and if you want to go directly in with a microphone, the
  mic signal must be amplified up to line level, via a mixer or dedicated
  mic preamp. If you just plug a mic in and crank the levels up later, you
  will end up with an extremely noisy and “coarse” signal.

  If you are outputting from a studio DAT machine into a -10dB input, again,
  you will have too much signal and will likely get clipping and distortion.
  Insert a mixer in-between and try to use an output with proper -10dB
  levels, often labeled a “tape out”. Or worst-case, simply reduce the
  output levels from the mixer.

• It is almost always a good idea to mediate the input to the computer
  with a mixer. You need to carefully control the input levels, and few
  soundcards allow you to adjust the input sensitivity. Leave those
  on-screen faders alone! They can’t help you! They are for output level.

  Unsurmountable Sonic Barrier?

  USB and Firewire offer some really promising options for inputting and
  outputting audio, especially for laptops and closed systems like the iMac
  or Cube. Sadly, not all kinks have been worked out. There have been
  reports of Tascam’s 428
  interface working with PTFree, but both Tascam and Digidesign are
  noticeably silent about this. I presume that these kinks will get worked
  out soon, and there will be easy to plug-in interfaces that will allow
  multi channel I/O and more importantly digital transfers.

  Here’s a catalog that has a good run-down of available USB interfaces and some
  surprisingly candid descriptions of problems and incompatibilities.

  Firewire interfaces are just starting to appear, and they seem the most
  promising of all, because they have much more bandwidth and will be able to
  move more channels of higher resolution audio than USB can. So far, I’ve
  only found two models, and neither can record directly into ProTools.

  Another program?!?

  Whether using USB or Firewire, a viable solution is to simply record into a
  USB-capable program and then port the files over to ProTools for further
  work. Or perhaps you will find that you like the interface’s bundled
  software. The Tascam USB box ships with Emagic software that is more of a
  midi sequencer, but will record and edit audio as well. New versions of href=”http://www.bias-inc.com” target=”new”> Bias Deck will address USB interfaces.
  (Although the web site is unclear whether Deck LE or Peak LE can do
  this (stay tuned over at the USB audio discussion.) The href=”http://www.motu.com” target=”new”>MOTU Firewire device ships with its own
  Audiodesk software, or will work with Digital Performer.

  I think you will find that editing in PTFree will be easier and smoother
  than in these other programs, but it is a serious annoyance to have to
  switch programs, and have to convert or even bounce files just to get them
  in or out of the computer.

  The CDR Solution

  Some users have developed a clever work-around that serves two purposes.
  They digitally dub field recordings made on DAT or Minidisc to a
  stand-alone CD Audio Recorder, which makes it easy to load into the
  computer, and creates a back-up copy at the same time. Narration tracks
  can be treated the same way, either dubbed over from a work DAT, or
  recorded directly to CDR.

  Once the audio is encoded on CDR, it’s a breeze to extract it as a file
  that ProTools can read. On the Mac, ProTools will do this internally,
  although it’s a perplexingly named and implemented procedure. Under the
  “Movie” menu, choose “Import Audio from Other Movie”. Navigate to the
  track on the CD, and choose “convert”. PT first makes a Quicktime movie
  out of the file, and then converts the audio from that, asking you where
  you would like to put it. You can get rid of the Quicktime file once the
  audio is converted, but along the way, you end up with some extra files,
  and inefficiently used disc space.

  A better option is to use another utility to extract the audio, such as
  Toast Audio Extractor. This program will allow you to import portions of a
  track instead of the whole track. Select a track, click on “preview” then
  use the selector tool to highlight the section you want. Or just click on
  the track name if you want the whole thing. Under “options’ choose SD2 as
  your file type and “split” instead of Stereo. Click “extract,” name it
  and save it in the audio files folder of your project. Then, in PT, under
  the “file” menu, choose “Import Audio/track” to get it into your session.
  Toast for Mac or Easy CD Creator for PC, by href=”http://www.roxio.com” target=”new”>Roxio (formerly Adaptec) will do this
  simply.

  The Upgrade

  If you have the money, the most efficient option is to simply upgrade to
  ProTools LE, using the Toolbox PCI card (about $500) for stereo or the digi
  001 card and breakout box combination (about $800) for multiple channels
  with two built-in mic preamps. Both directly support digital inputs and
  outputs on SPDIF connections, and give slightly better performance overall
  (more tracks, more available plug-ins, etc.)

  Ready?

  Read the documentation. I know it’s no fun, but there are several
  non-intuitive things about setting up your system. You CAN just wing it,
  and PTFree will often run even if you haven’t set everything as it
  recommends, but you might end up tearing your hair out trying to figure
  out why something won’t work, when it all is because you didn’t set your
  memory control panel correctly. Speaking of which: open the memory control
  panel. Turn OFF virtual memory. Set the memory cache to a custom size:
  512K. Turn the RAM disc off. Restart.

  Launch PTFree. You may get a dialog box asking you to configure OMS. If
  you don’t have any MIDI devices connected, you can’t, so just click
  “cancel”. Under “file” choose “New Session” and name it something unique
  and identifiable. You should save the session on the hard drive that you
  wish to record your audio onto. When you create a new session, PT will put
  make a folder containing your session file, and folders for your audio
  files and fade files. As you record or import files, be vigilant about
  always saving the files in the proper folders, it will make archiving much
  easier, and will lessen the odds that you will accidentally delete or lose
  track of a needed soundfile.

  Similarly, resist the urge to just use the default names for audio tracks
  “audio1-01-00.r” etc. You will quickly lose track of what that file is, so
  double click on the file in the clip bin on the right, or in the edit
  window using the grabber tool. A dialog box will open asking you to name
  the file. Call it something short but descriptive. As you cut these
  soundfiles into segments, you will have the option to name the individual
  sections. You will discover as you work whether you want to do this.
  Sometimes it makes sense, such as if you loaded all the narration into one
  file, you may want to name the individual segments with indicators of what
  they say.

  Set Ups

  If there is no Digi hardware on your system, under the “set-ups” menu you
  probably won’t have any options. Of you are using ProTools LE with digi
  interfaces, you can choose between Hardware set-ups (internal and digital)
  and Playback Engine. If you have multiple drives, you can choose which
  disc the audio is recorded onto. If you are recording or playing back many
  tracks, it is often preferable to distribute the tracks across several
  drives, reducing the seeking required by any one drive. If possible, your
  first choice should be to record onto a non-system drive: that is to say, a
  different hard drive than where your system and the ProTools program
  reside. It makes sense. As the program works with the audio, it needs to
  get information from the system, and from the program, as well as accessing
  the sound drives. If you can spread out those access requests, you will
  have better performance. Similarly, audio drives MUST be kept
  defragmented, so it makes sense to dedicate a physical drive, or if that’s
  not possible, at least a partition of a drive solely to audio.

  Your general preferences are also located under this menu, but the defaults
  are a pretty safe place to start.

  Record Something

  Under “file” choose “New Track” (or use the keystroke: command-shift-N) and
  when the dialog box opens, select 2 new audio tracks (for stereo). Click
  on the “rec” button in each track, in either the mix or edit windows
  (choose “show edit window” under display if you only see a mixer window.)
  Adjust the Pan controls (the small horizontal faders above the main volume
  faders) in the mixer window if you want to monitor in stereo. Play some
  audio from your source and take a look at your levels. Adjust the output of
  your source until you have strong levels, but NO red on the meter. (Click
  on the red box at the top of the meter to clear it, if you register a clip,
  and it is staying red.) Don’t fiddle with the faders, they don’t affect
  the input gain.

  Then, hit the record button on your transport control, then play (or use
  command-spacebar) and you are recording. Start your source, and you should
  be on your way. Additional tracks can be recorded at the end of that
  soundfile, or in another panel.

  You may want to plan out your production from the beginning and start
  recording into tracks in an organized way. A typical arrangement might be
  to use the top channel for narration. The next can be used only for
  actualities. Tracks 3 and 4 could be for music or ambience. Additional
  tracks can be used for layers, work tracks, etc.

  As you start to record, you might run into an alert telling you that PT
  “cannot allocate disc space” which could be that your drive is too
  fragmented to record audio to in real-time. To fix it, defragment
  (optimize) your drive. (Back-up first!) Unfortunately, you could be
  confronted with this message if your disc is just too slow. Not much to do
  about that beyond adding a faster drive.

  Assuming you avoid the fragmentation issue, you should now have a
  soundfile. Congrats! Now, play around with it, you won’t hurt anything,
  unless you have “destructive record” checked in the “operations” menu. If
  it’s checked, Uncheck it. Read through the PT documentation and get
  familiar with some of the controls. Play the audio, fling the faders
  around. Select a segment, separate it, and move it around. You’ll get the
  hang of it. If not–
  Until then, check href=”/?p=7532″>Barrett
  Golding’s great advice, and the href=”http://talk.transom.org/WebX?14@21.6fdCa8a6aVe^5@.ee79d51″>Talk
  section for more tips.

  ~Jeff Towne
  Tools Editor, Transom

   

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