Track Material - DigiDesign Pro Tools Reference Manual

Track Material

Each time you record or import audio and MIDI,
Pro Tools creates regions for the new track data,
which not only indicate where the material be-
gins and ends, but also provides good feedback
on its general shape and content. When you
record additional takes, or "punch in" on a spe-
cific location within a track, Pro Tools creates
additional regions.
Regions are also created by cutting and pasting,
resizing, separating, and re-capturing existing
regions. Regions in a session are listed in the Re-
gion List, where they can be dragged to existing
tracks. A track can contain any number of re-
gions, in any arrangement. The order and loca-
tion of regions in a track define its playlist.
In addition to audio and MIDI regions,
tracks also provide automation playlists.
Automation can be recorded and edited in
the Mix or Edit windows. For more informa-
tion, see Chapter 27, "Automation."
Region Types
There are different types of audio and MIDI re-
gions, based on how they are created:
Whole-File Audio Regions These audio regions
are created when recording or importing audio,
consolidating existing regions, and when non-
destructively processing with an AudioSuite
plug-in. Whole-file audio regions reference an
entire audio file that resides on your hard drive.
Whole-file audio regions are displayed in bold
in the Region List (see "The Region List" on
page 275). Normal regions often reference only
a portion of the parent audio file and are created
in the course of editing and, in some instances,
when punch recording.
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User-Defined Regions These are regions that are
explicitly defined, such as when you record or
import audio or MIDI; capture, separate, or con-
solidate a selection; trim a whole-file audio re-
gion; and rename an existing region.
Auto-Created Regions These regions are auto-
matically created in the course of editing, and,
in some instances, when punch recording over
existing regions. Since these regions can accu-
mulate rapidly in a session, you can hide them
so they do not appear in the Region List (see
"Naming and Displaying Regions" on
page 396). Auto-created regions can be turned
into user-defined regions by renaming them.
Offline Regions Regions are offline when their
parent audio files cannot be located, or are not
available, when opening a session or importing
a track. Offline regions appear in the Region List
as italicized and dimmed; they appear in playl-
ists as light blue regions with italicized names.
Offline regions can be edited like other regions,
but they cannot be processed with AudioSuite
plug-ins.
Multichannel Regions These regions, which are
displayed as a single region in the Region List,
reference multiple regions and audio files for
stereo and surround tracks. Multichannel re-
gions can be expanded (by clicking the triangle
next to their name) to see the individual chan-
nels, which can be dragged independently to
tracks.
Region Groups A region group is a collection of
any combination of audio and MIDI regions
that looks and acts like a single region. Region
groups are essentially containers holding one or
more regions. Region groups can be created on a
single or on multiple adjacent audio, MIDI, and