New Pro Tools, who dis? "FREEZE"

[trodden]

I'm late to the party again!
I was on PT 6 and then PT 9 for many years. Moved to PT 2023 a couple month ago and I just now got the memo of this "FREEZE" function. Interesting! I can see this being really helpful when needing to do a last minute overdub and you've already maxed you fucking session out and switching the buffer will cause problems. Very cool

What other uses do you all use FREEZE for? I'd like to read your TPS reports about it.

[trodden]

OH! and CLip Gain!!! WOW!

I need to look into if there is a way to "lock" the clip gain so I'm not accidentally changing it when doing edits.

[digitaldrummer]

It's nice. I use freeze pretty much how you described. Sometimes I find that certain plugins are cpu hogs and if I have that on a track, I will just "freeze" that track so that it's not consuming cpu cycles (from the plugins) so that my Aux busses can pig out themselves. Another thing is that now that you can bounce fast (and not just real-time like old versions), I find that some plugins cause the bounce to slow down - UAD DSP plugins do this for me. So sometimes I'll freeze those (on a track) and hope the bounces go faster. But sometimes it's plugins on my Aux or masters so...

Also don't overlook "commit". I do this with instrument track a lot. And sometimes other tracks (just don't set it to delete the original track). This is usually when I don't expect to be making edits or changes to the track - but sometimes I do and it's not difficult to unhide and enable the original track and just commit another (it creates a new track and then you can delete or hide the previous render).

And clip gain (not sure if you can lock it) is really nice for getting vocals into a dynamic range where they can play nice with a compressor or other effects. Or bring an over-excitable drum hit back down a bit for the same kinda reason, without doing a bunch of automation on multiple tracks and busses...

[trodden]

It's nice. I use freeze pretty much how you described. Sometimes I find that certain plugins are cpu hogs and if I have that on a track, I will just "freeze" that track so that it's not consuming cpu cycles (from the plugins) so that my Aux busses can pig out themselves. Another thing is that now that you can bounce fast (and not just real-time like old versions), I find that some plugins cause the bounce to slow down - UAD DSP plugins do this for me. So sometimes I'll freeze those (on a track) and hope the bounces go faster. But sometimes it's plugins on my Aux or masters so...

Also don't overlook "commit". I do this with instrument track a lot. And sometimes other tracks (just don't set it to delete the original track). This is usually when I don't expect to be making edits or changes to the track - but sometimes I do and it's not difficult to unhide and enable the original track and just commit another (it creates a new track and then you can delete or hide the previous render).

And clip gain (not sure if you can lock it) is really nice for getting vocals into a dynamic range where they can play nice with a compressor or other effects. Or bring an over-excitable drum hit back down a bit for the same kinda reason, without doing a bunch of automation on multiple tracks and busses...

Thank you for explaining why some of my offline bounces aren't as fast. I was wondering why that was happening.

I used to use the "commit" a lot when I was on a much less powerful computer and using PT LE. Very helpful. I should get back into using it just to make things cleaner, more organized.

[trodden]

And clip gain (not sure if you can lock it) is really nice for getting vocals into a dynamic range where they can play nice with a compressor or other effects. Or bring an over-excitable drum hit back down a bit for the same kinda reason, without doing a bunch of automation on multiple tracks and busses...

I'm really digging the clip gain function. And the fact you can highlight a section to use it without having to cut up the track!!! Amazing!! I do a lot of events for KEXP that are "forums" or "presentations" where it's a group of people on stage, sitting in chairs on stage and either lav'd up or holding a mic. I record the individual tracks on a JoCo recorder, DANTE'd to the console. Clip Gain is going to make editing and mixing those presentations so much easier. People who don't regularly use a microphone have poor technique and the levels are all over the place. This is a fucking awesome tool!!!!

[drumsound]

Freeze and commit also an be handy when you've got a trial plugin that worked on a mix, but maybe you've decided you don't want to purchase it.

Clip gain is so useful, especially when still in tracking and production mode. Fix errant things, get the track lying how you want it, general balance things so that each time you open the session you don't have to think about the little things that might bother you. If you punch or comp a lot, clip gain helps when the player's dynamics are 'wide.'

[roscoenyc]

Is playlist comping also part of your new reality?

I can't remember when that came out but I've found it indispensable ever since.

[trodden]

Is playlist comping also part of your new reality?

I can't remember when that came out but I've found it indispensable ever since.

OMG!!!!!!! YES!!!! Thank you!!!

[T-rex]

Is playlist comping also part of your new reality?

I can't remember when that came out but I've found it indispensable ever since.

So what is this feature?

I didn't realize there is a free Pro Tools now (8 track maximum, basically to demo it) so I downloaded to mess around with a bit. It's funny cause I used Freeze tracks waaaaay back on Cubase and now on Logic. It's funny that PT just got this. But Logic's drum editing is nightmarish soooo.

[digitaldrummer]

Playlists are great as well (but I think that came out with PT 10 or 11 maybe?). I use it when I'm doing drum tracks. I can do multiple takes (from the same starting point) and then I "expand alternates to new playlists" or something like that with the "match criteria" set to the starting point. then I can expand the playlists and comp from them (even a group of drum tracks). I also use playlists for guitars, vocals, etc. Anything where I'm going to record multiple takes and then comp from that. If you are recording a whole band (to a click) you can even make playlists from that. Way back I would have to make a bunch of separate tracks and record them separately, then cut and paste between them. Playlists are so much more efficient once you understand how it works.

I thought this guy explained it pretty well - https://www.protoolstraining.com/blog-h ... tools.html

[trodden]

Playlists are great as well (but I think that came out with PT 10 or 11 maybe?). I use it when I'm doing drum tracks. I can do multiple takes (from the same starting point) and then I "expand alternates to new playlists" or something like that with the "match criteria" set to the starting point. then I can expand the playlists and comp from them (even a group of drum tracks). I also use playlists for guitars, vocals, etc. Anything where I'm going to record multiple takes and then comp from that. If you are recording a whole band (to a click) you can even make playlists from that. Way back I would have to make a bunch of separate tracks and record them separately, then cut and paste between them. Playlists are so much more efficient once you understand how it works.

I thought this guy explained it pretty well - https://www.protoolstraining.com/blog-h ... tools.html

Playlists have been around since like PT 6 I think? I've been using them since then at least. You used to have to move them to a new track to be able to comp between them though. This playlist comp feature is much easier.

[drumsound]

Playlists are invaluable.

[digitaldrummer]

Playlists have been around since like PT 6 I think?

It's true, "playlists" are just files, so pretty much every file is a "playlist" or at least Avid(or Digidesign) has been using that term forever I think

[T-rex]

Logic just instituted swipe comping not too long ago. They had alternate takes for a while but this allows you to just highlight and drag pieces of audio from the alternate takes below and drag it to the main lane. Basically exactly the same as the video posted but you don’t have to cut and paste.

BUT, you can only do one track at a time. So that leaves me doing the old school thing of multiple takes on a bunch of tracks below and cut and paste as groups. Like drums or two mics on a guitar amp.

You all don’t need to school me on all the ins and outs of pro tools, but I’m assuming the playlist comping can handle multiple tracks at a time?

In playing around with PT it so far my only disappointment is the plugin mgmt. in logic I have custom folders for EQ, Comp, saturation and 2-buss with just the plugins I generally rely on so I don’t have to scroll through a million plugins. From what I’ve read there is pretty much no customizing of the plug in folder at all in PT?

[digitaldrummer]

For Pro Tools playlists you don't have to cut and paste. you simply highlight an area and then click a little "up" arrow and it moves it to the main track for you. And yes, it works with grouped files (like a bunch of drum tracks) too.

And as far as plugins, you can change the sorting/grouping. I just leave it at the default. but then I think you can designate "favorites" too. You can also setup templates for plugins (for example if you use the same on a vocal chain or drums all of the time) and recall that to a track or group of tracks. I usually use the "import session data" to sorta accomplish the same thing (to import tracks with their settings and plugins but not audio from a previous session or template). I have setup plugin default - for example when I open a particular EQ, 98% of the time I use it for a HPF, so why not have it always default to that setting? saves time vs pulling up a setting.