Chapter 15. Editing Basics; Pro Tools Editing - DigiDesign Pro Tools Reference Manual

Chapter 15: Editing Basics

Pro Tools Editing

The Edit window in Pro Tools provides a power-
ful collection of tools for editing and assembling
audio and MIDI. Track material can be edited
nondestructively and in real time during play-
back.
The Edit window also lets you graphically edit
track automation. For more information on Au-
tomation in the Edit window, see Chapter 27,
"Automation."
Nondestructive Editing
The vast majority of audio editing in Pro Tools is
nondestructive. Whether cutting, pasting, trim-
ming, separating, or clearing regions, you are
only performing these functions on a map of
the actual audio data. The source audio files re-
main untouched. If a particular process or tool
works destructively (that is, if it can perma-
nently change audio files on your hard disk),
this guide alerts you.
While editing for MIDI tracks is in some in-
stances destructive, with a few precautions you
can keep important MIDI tracks and regions safe
when performing edits (see "Nondestructive
MIDI Editing" on page 264).
Editing During Playback
Pro Tools lets you perform many editing tasks
while the session plays. This powerful capability
allows you to interactively modify and edit a
session, hearing the changes as you make them.
You'll find many instances where you can use
this capability to increase your productivity
when working with a session.
Following are just a few examples of editing that
can be performed while your tracks loop or play:
• Capture, separate, and trim regions
• Place, spot, or rearrange regions
• Add fades or crossfades to audio regions
• Transpose, quantize (including Groove
Quantize), and otherwise modify MIDI
tracks
• Nudge audio or MIDI regions
• Audition different playlists
• Adjust or scale automation data
• Insert a real-time plug-in
• Process audio with an AudioSuite plug-in
• Automation breakpoint editing
There are a few things that cannot be changed
while Pro Tools plays, as noted throughout this
guide. These include routing to sends and as-
signing outputs.
Chapter 15: Editing Basics 253