Basic Recording Steps

To record an audio track:

1 From the track’s Input Path selector, select the audio Input Path you want to record (see Assigning Hardware I/O on a Track).

2 From the track’s Output Path selector, select the main monitoring path.

3 Click the Record Enable button for the audio track. It lights red.

 

Record enabling a track in the Mix window

4 Adjust the output level of your sound source (instrument, mixer, or preamp). Monitor the track’s meter levels in Pro Tools to ensure that levels peak within at least –6 dB to –12 dB on the input meter without triggering the clipping indicator on your audio interface.

5 Do one of the following:

In the Mix window, adjust the track’s volume and pan faders. These settings are for monitoring purposes only and do not affect the recorded material.

– or – 

In the Output window for the track, adjust the track’s Volume fader and Pan sliders. These settings are for monitoring purposes only and do not affect the recorded material. (See Output Windows for Tracks and Sends.)

6 Choose Window > Transport to display the Transport window. Click Return to Zero to go to the beginning of the session.

7 Click Record in the Transport window to arm Pro Tools for recording. The Record button flashes red to indicate that Pro Tools is ready to record.

8 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected (see Record Modes).

9 When you are ready to start recording, click Play or press the Spacebar.

If using Countoff, Pro Tools counts off the specified number of measures and then begins recording. See Recording with a Click.

10 Record your performance.

11 Click Stop in the Transport window or press the Spacebar when you are finished recording.

The newly recorded audio is written to disk and appears as an audio clip both in the track’s playlist and in the Clip List.

To play back the audio track:

1 Click the Record Enable button for the audio track so that it is no longer record-enabled. Track volume faders now function as playback level controls.

If a record-enabled track is in Auto Input Monitor mode, you will hear “through” the input while the Transport is stopped. The track automatically switches to playback when you press play, then back to Input mode when you either stop, or punch into record. For more information, see Auto Input Monitoring.

2 To have playback start from the beginning of the session, click Return to Zero in the Transport.

3 To start playback, click Play in the Transport or press the Spacebar.