Using the Capture Clip command

Use the Capture Clip command to create a new clip within an existing one. The new clip is still part of the original clip, but it has its own name. If you want to create a clip that can be moved around separately from the original, use the Separate Clips command, as detailed in the next section. To use the Capture Clip command, follow these steps:

1. Choose the Selector tool from the top of the Edit window.
2. Click and drag the track’s clip in the playlist section of the Edit window where you want to create a new clip.
3. Choose Clip ⇒ Capture from the main menu or press ⌘  +R (Mac) or Ctrl+R (PC).

4. In the Name Clip dialog box that appears, enter the name of this clip and then click OK.

   The new clip is created, and the clip’s name appears in the Audio Clips list menu in the track’s playlist.

Employing the Separate Clips command

If you want to create a clip that can be moved around separately from the original, use the Separate Clips command. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Choose the Selector tool from the top of the Edit window.

2. Click and drag on the track’s clip in the track’s playlist where you want to create a new clip.

   To select more than one track, drag across the desired tracks.

3. Choose Edit ⇒ Separate Clip from the main menu or press ⌘  +E (Mac) or Ctrl+E (PC).

   Here you have three options of where to create the clip:

   • At Selection: Choose At Selection to create a new clip with boundaries at the selection start and end points.
   • On Grid: Choose On Grid to create a clip according to the current grid resolution.
   • At Transients: Chose At Transients to automatically create clip boundaries on detected transients within a selection. The program does this with the same method as when you employ the Tab to Transients feature.

4. In the Name Clip dialog box that appears, enter the name of this clip and then click OK.

   The new clip is created, and its name appears in the Audio Clips list menu. You can now move, copy, cut, or otherwise edit this clip.

If you don’t want to have to type in a name for this new clip, you can use the Pro Tools Auto-Name feature, which automatically gives your new clips such exciting names as kick drum_02. To activate this feature, choose Setup ⇒ Preferences from the main menu, click the Editing tab in the Preferences dialog box when it appears, and then select the Auto-Name Separated Clips check box on that tab.

If you have a bunch of takes that you recorded in succession (when you loop-record, for example) and you want to separate them all at the same place, select the Separate Clip Operates on All Related Takes check box on the Editing tab of the Preferences dialog box. (Choose Setup ⇒ Preferences from the main menu to get to the Preference dialog box.) If you do this, make sure that both the Take Clip Names That Match Track Names and Take Clips Lengths That Match options are also selected on the second Editing tab of Preferences dialog box.

Using the Separation Grabber tool

If you want to separate and move a clip in one step, you can use the Separation Grabber tool, located in the Edit Tools section of the Edit window. You can toggle between the Grabber tool and the Separation Grabber tool by clicking and holding the Grabber button and choosing the Separation option from the pop-up menu that appears, as shown in Figure 3-1.

To use the Separation Grabber tool, follow these steps:

1. With the Selector tool, drag over the part of the clip you want to separate in the playlist section of the Edit window.

   This selection can be across multiple tracks or clips within a single track.

2. Click and hold the Grabber tool and choose the Separation option from the pop-up menu that appears.

3. Click the selection you made in Step 1 and drag the selection to where you want.

   Pro Tools automatically creates three new clips: the separated section as well as the parts before and after this section. These three sections all show up in the Audio Clips list menu.

If you want to leave the original clip as it is and grab a section from it to put somewhere else, press Option (Mac) or Alt (PC) when you drag the selection with the Separation Grabber tool. The original clip remains intact, and your selection is simply copied and moved.

Trying the Trim to Selection command

Use the Trim to Selection command to choose a section of a clip and remove the unselected parts of that clip. Follow these steps to trim unwanted parts from a selection:

1. Choose the area you want to keep by selecting it in the track’s playlist with the Selector tool.

2. Press ⌘  +T (Mac) or Ctrl+T (PC) or choose Edit ⇒ Trim Clip ⇒ To Selection from the main menu, as shown in Figure 3-2.

   The unselected parts of the clip disappear.

Placing a clip in a track

Follow these steps to place a clip in a track:

1. Select the clip you want to place in a track by highlighting it in the Audio Clips list.

   The Audio Clips list is located on the right side of the Edit and the Mix windows.

2. Click the clip’s name and drag it into the track where you want it.

Depending on the Edit mode that you select (from the options located at the upper-left corner of the Edit window), your clip is placed in one of several possible ways:

• In Shuffle mode: Placing a clip while in Shuffle mode slides existing clips to make room for the one you’re placing. This places clips end to end: They touch one another automatically.
• In Spot mode: Placing a clip while in Spot mode opens a dialog box where you can enter the position of the clip you’re placing. This mode allows you to place a clip at a precise point.
• In Slip mode: Placing a clip while in Slip mode lets you drag the clip anywhere you want within the track’s playlist, allowing you to overlap another clip or be separated from it.
• In Grid mode: Placing a clip in Grid mode places the clip to the nearest grid boundary. Pro Tools lets you temporarily disable the grid by pressing ⌘   (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) while you drag your selected clip into a track.

You can adjust the grid value for your session by opening the Grid Value drop-down menu, as shown in Figure 3-4. (To open this menu, click and hold the arrow to the right of the Grid title in the center of the Edit menu, right below the Edit tools.)

Placing a clip at the Edit Insert point

You can designate an Edit Insert point by clicking your cursor within a track in the playlist section of the Edit window; you can then place your clip right at this point. You can have either the clip’s start or end point snap to the Edit Insert point.

To designate an Edit Insert point, start by locating your cursor at the place in the track where you want the clip placed, as shown in Figure 3-5. Then, depending on where you want your clip to end up, do one of the following:

• To place the start of a clip at the Edit Insert point: Press Control (Mac) or Windows (PC) while you drag the clip from the Audio Clips list to the track.
• If the clip is already in the track and you want to move it: Press Control (Mac) or Windows (PC) while dragging with the Grabber tool.
• To place the end of a clip at the Edit Insert point: Press ⌘  +Control (Mac) or Ctrl+Windows (PC) while you drag the clip from the Audio Clips list to the track.
• If the clip already resides in the track: Press ⌘  +Control (Mac) or Ctrl+Windows (PC) while dragging with the Grabber tool.

Creating a synch point

To define a clip’s synch point, follow these steps:

1. With the Selector tool, click within a track where you want your synch point to be.

2. Choose Clip ⇒ Identify Synch Point from the main menu, as shown in Figure 3-6, or press ⌘  +, (comma; Mac) or Ctrl+, (comma; PC).

   A small arrow appears at the bottom of the clip, as shown in Figure 3-7, to show you where you placed the synch point.

You can remove the synch point by choosing Clip ⇒ Remove Synch Point from the main menu.

Each clip can have only one synch point at a time. To change the location of this synch point, simply select a new place in the clip and choose Clip ⇒ Identify Synch Point again from the main menu. The old synch point is removed, and a new one appears at the new location.

Placing a clip’s synch point at an Edit Insert point

After you have a synch point defined, you can use it to place or align a clip within your track’s playlist. To place the synch point of the clip to the Edit Insert point in the track’s playlist, do the following:

1. With the Selector tool, click a point in the target clip to define your Edit Insert point.

2. Press Shift+Control (Mac) or Shift+ Windows (PC) while dragging the clip you want to insert — the one containing the synch point you added, following the procedure outlined in the previous step list — from the Audio Clips list into the track.

   The clip’s synch point snaps to the selected position in the track’s playlist.

   or

   If the clip with the synch point already resides within the track, switch to the Grabber tool and then press Shift+Control (Mac) or Shift+Windows (PC) while clicking the clip.

   The clip’s synch point snaps to the selected position in the track’s playlist.

Aligning a start point of a clip with the start point of a clip on another track

To align a start point of a clip with the start point of a clip on another track, follow these steps:

1. With the Grabber tool, click the clip in the playlist of the track you want to align to.

2. If the clip you want to move already exists in the playlist of the track from Step 1, press Control (Mac) or Windows (PC) and then click the clip you want to move.

   The clip automatically moves into position.

   or

   If the clip you want to move resides in the Audio Clips list, press Control (Mac) or Windows (PC) and then click and drag the clip onto the track’s playlist.

   Both start points are aligned.

Aligning the end point of a clip with the start point of a clip on a different track

To align the end point of a clip with the start point of a clip on a different track, follow these steps:

1. With the Grabber tool, click the clip you want to align to in the track’s playlist.

2. If the clip you want to move is located in the playlist of the track from Step 1, press ⌘  +Control (Mac) or Ctrl+ Windows (PC) and then click the clip.

   The clip automatically moves into position.

   or

   If this clip isn’t already in the track’s playlist, press ⌘  +Control (Mac) or Ctrl+Windows (PC) and click and drag the clip you want to move from the Audio Clips list onto the playlist.

   The end point of the clip you moved is aligned to the start point of the first clip you chose.

Aligning a clip’s synch point with the start point of another track’s clip

To align the synch point of a clip with the start point of a clip on a different track, follow these steps:

1. With the Grabber tool, click the clip you want to align to in the track’s playlist.

2. If the clip you want to move is located in the playlist of the track from Step 1, press Shift+Control (Mac) or Shift+Windows (PC) while clicking with the Grabber tool on the clip.

   The clip automatically moves into position.

   or

   If the clip doesn’t already exist within the track’s playlist, you can place and align a clip from the Audio Clips list by pressing Shift+Control (Mac) or Shift+Windows (PC) while clicking and dragging the clip from the Audio Clips list.

   The synch point of the second clip aligns to the start point of the first, as shown in Figure 3-8.

Using the Standard Trimmer tool

Use the Standard Trimmer tool to shorten or lengthen (to the maximum length of the parent audio file, anyway) a clip without altering the original file. Whenever you trim a clip, a new clip is created in the Audio Clips list.

To trim a clip with the Standard Trimmer tool, first call up the tool by clicking the Trimmer Tool button. Then do one of the following:

• Place the cursor near the start or end point of a clip and drag the clip’s start or end point to shorten or lengthen, as shown in Figure 3-9.

• Place your cursor where you want to trim the clip and click with your mouse, as shown in Figure 3-10.

  The clip is trimmed to the start point or the end point, depending on where you place the cursor. If the cursor is located closer to the start point, you trim the start point; conversely, if the cursor is closer to the end point, you trim the end point. You can reverse the default here by pressing Option (Mac) or Alt (PC) while you trim.

You can tell which way the trim is going to happen by the direction of the cursor. Figure 3-11 shows the cursor as it is set to trim the start point (left) and the end point (right).

The Trimmer tools (both the Standard Trimmer and the Time Trimmer) behave differently depending on the Edit mode you’re using. Here’s a quick rundown of the differences:

• Shuffle mode: In this mode, any adjacent clips slide over while you expand or trim the clip.
• Spot mode: In this mode, the Spot dialog box appears, prompting you to type in the exact placement of the clip’s start or end point.
• Grid mode: In this mode, any trimming or expanding that you do automatically snaps to the nearest grid boundary.
• Slip mode: In this mode, your clip moves to wherever you place it. Any other clips in the playlist remain where they are.

If you want to return the clip to its original size, you can

• Drag the original clip from the Audio Clips list to the track’s playlist.
• Drag the start or end point of the clip with the Trimmer tool to its original length.

Tackling the Time Trimmer tool

Use the Time Trimmer tool, as shown here in the margin, to expand or compress a clip by using the Time Compression/Expansion (TC/E) plug-in to create a new audio file. Using the Time Trimmer is different from using the Standard Trimmer: Instead of cutting off part of the file when you trim, the Time Trimmer tool shortens how long the clip takes to play.

When you use the Time Trimmer tool to expand or compress a clip, it alters the speed at which the clip plays — and this alters how the material in the clip sounds. Compressing speeds up the clip; expanding slows it down.

To use the Time Trimmer tool, call it up by clicking and holding over the Trimmer tool button and then dragging down to select the Time Trimmer option. Then do one of the following:

• Place the cursor near the start or end point of a clip and drag the clip’s start or end point to shorten or lengthen the clip. (Refer to Figure 3-9.)

• Place your cursor where you want to expand or contract the clip and click with your mouse. (Refer to Figure 3-10.)

  The start or end point of the clip moves out or in depending on which way the Time Trimmer Tool cursor is facing. (See upcoming Figure 3-12.)

The Edit mode you use determines how the Time Trimmer tool behaves and how the clips surrounding the trim react. Check out the previous section for a rundown of the different ways that the Edit modes work with the trim tools.

To return the clip to its original length, follow these steps:

• Drag the original clip from the Audio Clips list to the track’s playlist.
• Choose Edit ⇒ Undo from the main menu (assuming this was the last operation you performed).

Taking advantage of the Trim command

You can trim clips using the Trim command located in the Edit menu. (Refer to Figure 3-2.) The menu gives you three options:

• Trim to Selection: Using this command removes all the clip except the part you selected, as shown in Figure 3-12. To do this trim, select the part of the clip that you want to keep and then choose this command.
• Trim Start to Insertion: This command trims the clip from the start point to the Edit Insert point designated by your cursor, as shown in Figure 3-13. To perform this trim, start by placing your cursor where you want to trim to and then choose this command.
• Trim End to Insertion: Using this command removes that part of the clip from the Edit Insert point to the end point of the clip, as shown in Figure 3-14. Doing this trim is as simple as placing your cursor at the desired place in the clip and then choosing the command from the Edit menu.

Using the Nudge function to trim a clip

You can trim or expand the start or end points of a clip using the plus (+) and minus (–) keys on the number pad section of your keyboard. (To see how to set the Nudge value, go to the next section, “Moving clips.”)

Here’s how to trim the start point by using the Nudge function:

1. With the Grabber tool, select a clip.

2. Press Option (Mac) or Alt (PC) along with the plus (+) key to trim or the minus (–) key to expand the start point.

   Each time you press the key, you move the boundary of the clip by the Nudge value.

To trim the end point with the Nudge function:

1. With the Grabber tool, select a clip.

2. Press ⌘   (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) along with the plus (+) key to expand or the minus (–) key to trim the end point.

   Each time you press the key, you move the boundary of the clip by the Nudge value.

Nudging

If you want to move a clip only a little bit, simply nudge it. With the Nudge function, you can set the Nudge value to be as fine or as coarse as you like.

To set the Nudge value, click and hold the arrow to the right of the Nudge title located just beneath the Counters in the Edit window to open the Nudge Value drop-down menu. Then select the scale and value you want, as shown in Figure 3-15. You can choose Bars:Beats, Min:Sec, or Samples for your Nudge scale. The values you choose depend on this scale. You can also choose to follow the main time scale for the session by selecting that option at the bottom of the dialog box.

To actually nudge a clip or multiple clips, do the following:

1. With the Grabber tool, select the clip or clips that you want to move.

   Select the Grabber by clicking its icon in the upper part of the Edit window.

   To select more than one clip, press the Shift key while you grab each clip.

2. Press the plus (+) key or minus (–) key in the numerical section of your keyboard to move it right or left, respectively.

   Each press of the key moves the clip over by the Nudge value.

If you want to move the clip over faster and still use the Nudge function, you can have Pro Tools move the clip by the next higher Nudge value than the one you chose. For example, if you have the Nudge value set for quarter notes, you can nudge by half notes. Here’s the drill:

1. With the Grabber tool, select the clip(s) you want to nudge.

2. Press Control (Mac) or Windows (PC) as well as the slash key (/) to move the material forward (right) or the M key to nudge it back (left).

   You can skip using the Control (Mac) or Windows (PC) keys if you have the Commands Focus button enabled.

You can nudge the contents within a clip without moving its start or end points. This lets you keep the clip you have as well as its start and end points while changing which material from the clip’s parent audio file is contained within the clip’s boundaries.

1. With the Grabber tool, select the clip you want to nudge.

2. Press Control (Mac) or Windows (PC) and the plus (+) key to move the clip’s content to the right and minus (–) key to move the contents to the left.

   The clip stays put, and the audio from the original file moves within it, as shown in Figure 3-16.

This process works only if audio information is located outside the current clip’s boundaries.

Shifting clips

Use the Pro Tools Shift command to move clips by a specified amount. This is very handy when compensating for latency, such as with the Mbox or with some plug-ins.

To shift clips via the Shift command, follow these steps:

1. Select a clip, using either the Grabber or the Selector tool.

   You can select clips from more than one track. (Check out Book 5, Chapter 2 for details on how to do this.)

2. Choose Edit ⇒ Shift from the main menu.

   The Shift dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-17.

3. Enter the Shift value in the Shift dialog box as well as whether you want to shift the clip earlier or later.

   This value can be in whatever time format you want: bars and beats, minutes and seconds, or samples.

4. Click OK.

   The clip shifts by the amount you specify in Step 3.

The Edit mode you’re in has no effect on how the Shift command works. Your clip moves over by the specified amount regardless of whether any other clips are present on that spot.

Moving with Edit modes

When you move or slide clips around in sessions, each Edit mode treats the clips differently. In this section, I describe how these modes work. (You select your Edit mode by clicking the corresponding mode name in the upper-left side of the Edit window.)

• Shuffle mode: You can shuffle clips by selecting the Shuffle Edit mode. This mode lets you shuffle the clips in a track around, but they always snap to one another — start point to end point.

• Slip mode: In Slip Edit mode, you can move clips around at will. You can have space between them and have them overlap.

  If you place a clip in a track using Slip mode and then switch to Shuffle mode, that clip stays where it is while you shuffle other clips in the track. These other clips might end up overlapping the slipped clip, or you might end up with empty space between them.

• Spot mode: In Spot mode, whenever you select a clip or part of a clip, the Spot dialog box opens, prompting you to enter your destination location.
• Grid mode: In Grid mode, your clips snap to the nearest grid boundary when you move them around. Grid mode offers you two options:
  • Absolute: Whenever you move a clip in Absolute mode, the start point moves to the nearest grid boundary.
  • Relative: When you move a clip in Relative mode, it moves by grid increments (the square units of the grid). This allows you to move a clip around while keeping its start point at the same position relative to a grid boundary.

For example, if you have a clip that starts on the last sixteenth note of a beat and your grid value is set for quarter notes, here’s what the move looks like: Each time you move the clip by one grid increment, the clip moves by the value of one quarter note — but it stays at the last sixteenth note of the beat. This is handy for moving around drum rhythms.

You can change the grid resolution by opening the Grid drop-down menu — refer to Figure 3-4 — and choosing the grid scale and value. You open this menu by clicking and holding the arrow to the right of the Grid title situated under the Edit tools at the upper end of the Edit window.

You can show the grid in the Edit menu by clicking the Timebase ruler icon, located at the top of the Timebase ruler section of the Edit window. This grid is labeled with whatever time format you chose for your main counter. You can also select the Draw Grid in Edit Window option, on the Display tab of the Preferences dialog box, to show the grid. (Choose Setup ⇒ Preferences from the main menu to call up the Preferences dialog box.)