Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords

For more information, see the following topics:

Timebase Rulers and Conductor Rulers

Main Time Scale

The Sub Counter

Tick-Based Timing

Tick- and Sample-Based Timebases

Song Start Marker

Tempo

Graphic Tempo Editor

Editing Tempo Events in the Tempo Editor

Changing the Linearity Display Mode

Tempo Operations Window

Identify Beat Command

Meter Events

Time Operations

Change Meter

Insert Time

Cut Time

Move Song Start

Renumbering Bars

Key Signatures

Chord Symbols

In Pro Tools, editing and arranging is typically done on tracks against a fixed Timeline.

Clips and events can be anchored to points in absolute time, or relative time, as measured on the session’s Timeline. The Timeline includes two different types of rulers for measuring time: Timebase rulers and Conductor rulers.

Pro Tools also provides a Markers ruler for Memory Location (see Memory Locations).

The Timebase rulers can measure time in two different ways: sample-based time (absolute time) and tick-based time (relative time). For example, the Minutes:Seconds ruler measures absolute time and the Bars|Beats ruler measures relative time.

The relative time of the Bars|Beats ruler is determined in part by tempo and meter. Tempo, Meter, and Key Signature rulers reside in Conductor tracks. Tempo and meter events affect the timing of tick-based tracks, and also provide the tempo and meter map for the Bar:Beat grid and Click. You can edit tempo events in the Tempo ruler or Tempo Editor.

Key changes can affect MIDI notes when applying transposition. You can edit key and key changes in the Key Signature ruler.