One of the most important rules I learned while working in a recording studio was to not waste anyone’s time. Most projects are on a budget and clients are concerned about not wasting time or money on unnecessary session setup. If you want to keep your clients happy and provide them will a great value for your service you have to be fast on your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).
I’ve compiled a list of key commands that I use to keep sessions going smoothly, and to keep set up and session management easy and to a minimum. Most tasks we use the mouse can be executed using key strokes in less than half the time.
In this article I’ll share a list of Key Commands that I use to save time in my sessions. I have broken this article into 3 time sensitive area of the recording process:
Session Setup
Group Management
Tracking.
NOTICE:
- This article is focused on hot keys for the MacBook Pro.
- Most commands are similar for Windows; the command key is swapped with the control key.
- There is a Free Downloadable Companion to this Article at the end of the Post.
Session Setup
The initial setup of a Pro Tools session can be time consuming. At this stage we need to create the Audio Tracks, Master fader, Aux tracks etc. as well as set the Inputs to each track. Luckily, all this can be done with the time saving magic of Key Commands!
New Session:
Command + N to open a new session
Command Shift + N will open the create new track window
While holding Command, use the left and right arrows to toggle mono or stereo
Use the up and down arrows to cycle through track types.
Once all your tracks have been created the next step is to set the I/O.
This can definitely be tedious if you use the mouse to do each track individually. This step used to cause me alot of stress on larger sessions because I had to click and select each individual input like a caveman. I didn’t know how to Cascade my tracks!
Simply select your first track (input 1) while holding down Shift + Option + Command.
This will cascade all tracks and will assign input one to track one, input two to track two and so on…
The less time spent setting up means more time tracking and capturing ideas!
Group Management
Grouping tracks is necessary and very simple. Select multiple tracks and press Command + G to group the selected tracks.
These groups are just as simple to suspend if you want to edit tracks individually. this can be done by pressing Command + Shift + G.
Common group ideas include different microphones on a Drum Kit, Piano, or Guitar Amplifier. By grouping these tracks we can record enable the entire group by changing any one of the groups individual tracks.
Some of the most useful and time saving Key Commands are for creating and duplicating grouped playlists. While you’re tracking a band, this allows you to grab take after take with little wait time in between. This is essential for keeping sessions running smoothly during the next stage of the process.
Tracking
The Tracking stage is where the actual recording takes place. It’s at this time that we want to focus on keep the creative juices flowing. We are going to focus on capturing recorded takes effectively and organizing them using playlists.
When the band is ready to go, its important to be able to capture tracks in a quick and organized matter.
Option + Click on the red record button to record enable all tracks!
Some of the most useful and time saving Key Commands are for creating and duplicating grouped playlists. While you’re tracking a band, this allows you to grab take after take with little wait time in between.
New Playlist (Selected Tracks ) Control + Shift + \
New Playlist (All Tracks) Control + Option + Command + \
Duplicate Playlist (Selected Tracks) Control + Command + \
Takes can easily be kept and refreshed for the next consecutive take in an instant. Of corse if the band is confident the take is garbage you can use Command + . to cancel the take. BUT WARNING THIS IS PERMANENT AND CANNOT BE UNDONE!
Usually its a good idea to leave the first playlist open for comped takes later on. When creating a new playlist hold down Control + Option + Command + \ to create a new playlist for EVERY TRACK. This is one of my favorites! It’s such a time saver.
Thank you for reading this article and as promised…..
Here is my list of essential PRO TOOLS KEY COMMANDS.
Free to Download!
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