![]() ![]() The preamp in the example we just looked at has a VU meter that measures the voltage of the signal passing through it, calibrated with values both above and below a zero point (its 'best' operating level). This process is known as 'lining up'.īefore we get down to the specific considerations of lining up, we should recap the idea of headroom as it relates to analogue and digital gear (please skip this if you've heard it a hundred times before!). Typically this is achieved by adjusting the preamp's output trim, but if your interface is connected fairly permanently, say to a mixer, you should consider setting your Pro Tools trim controls to match well with this piece of kit. Either way, one or another of the pieces of equipment in the recording chain is being compromised what you want is for a signal that meters around 0VU (optimum level) on the preamp to equate to a healthy recording level in Pro Tools. The opposite could also be the case, where you have to turn the preamp right down to avoid a red clip light in Pro Tools. This will mean your preamp is distorting the signal before it even gets to Pro Tools. However, you might find that you have to boost the gain on the preamp until it's going way into the red on its own meter before you get a good level in Pro Tools. Being a good student of digital recording, you know that you should get a nice high level showing on your Pro Tools mixer channel to make full use of your 24 bits. Imagine a mic preamp unit that is connected to an input on an 888/24 interface (which has no built-in preamps). ![]() ![]() Use an external MIDI device that isn't patched through Pro Tools, or safer still, just use an audio track with an imported click sound and forget about MIDI clicks altogether. However, this is a pretty bad idea, as your click will suffer from the normal latency associated with virtual instruments. In the Click Options (MIDI Menu) you can set an internal plug-in instrument, such as the free Sampletank SE, to be the click sound source.Make the original track Inactive so that you don't waste DSP power. You can, however, use the Duplicate Track command to try out different automation and effects. While you can have multiple playlists for audio (or MIDI) in a track, you can only have one version of the automation.This way the levels will match across your inputs. If you have a mixture of interfaces such a 192 and a 96, or 888/24 and 882/20, it sometimes makes sense to calibrate the 192 or 888 to -14dB headroom to match the other units that are hard-wired to this setting.It's likely that you also connect to instruments, mic preamps or a mixer, and thinking about your signal levels at these points is not just an academic beardy thing - it has a very real effect on your audio. It's pretty obvious, though, that your Pro Tools system has to be connected via analogue signals at some time, even if it's just to a power amp and speakers. Connecting two devices with a digital audio connection is usually much simpler than it is with analogue systems, because they are exchanging abstract data rather than signals that directly represent the sound. Many users probably never venture into Pro Tools's Calibration Mode, but you could be compromising the sound quality of your Pro Tools rig and external gear if you don't think about lining up your analogue connections correctly.ĭifferent audio gear works at different voltage levels, so part of audio engineering has always been making sure that when you connect two things together they operate at levels comfortable to both. ![]()
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