Sessions & Tracks : Pro Tools Main Windows : Transport Window : Basic Transport Controls and Counters

Basic Transport Controls and Counters
Online
Puts Pro Tools online so that playback and recording is triggered by an external timecode source.
Return to Zero
Locates to the beginning of the session.
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You can Right-click the Return to Zero button to access the Write to Start and Write to All automation commands.
Rewind
Rewinds from the current play location. You can also click repeatedly to rewind incrementally, by an amount based on the Main Time Scale, as follows:
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With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport, you can rewind by pressing 1.
 
Fast Forward
Fast forwards from the Timeline insertion point. You can also click repeatedly to fast forward incrementally (by an amount based on the Main Time Scale).
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With Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport, you can fast forward by pressing 2.
Go to End
Locates to the end of the session.
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You can press Control+Enter (Windows) or Option+Return (Mac) on the alphanumeric keyboard to locate to the end of the session.
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You can Right-click the Go to End button to access automation commands Write to End and Write to All.
Stop
Stops playback or recording.
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You can also stop the transport by pressing the Spacebar, or with the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport, pressing 0.
Play
Starts playback or (if the Record button was clicked first) recording from the Timeline insertion point or the Play Start Marker location if Dynamic Transport mode is enabled.
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You can also begin playback by pressing the Spacebar, or with the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport, pressing 0.
Right-clicking the Play button lets you select the playback mode from a pop-up menu:
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To initiate playback at half-speed, you can also press Shift+Spacebar (Windows or Mac) or Shift-click (Mac) the Play button.
With the Transport stopped, Start-click Play (Windows) or Control-click Play (Mac) to toggle Loop Playback mode. When enabled, a loop symbol appears in the Play button and Pro Tools plays continuously from the beginning of the selection to the end.
Record
Arms Pro Tools for recording (the button flashes). Clicking Play then starts recording on record-enabled tracks only.
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You can also begin recording immediately by pressing F12, pressing Control+Spacebar (Windows) or Command+Spacebar (Mac), or with the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport, pressing 3.
Right-clicking the Record button lets you select the record mode from a pop-up menu:
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TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD only)
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Destructive Punch (Pro Tools HD only)
You can also cycle through the Pro Tools record modes with the Transport stopped, by Start-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac) the Record button.
The Record button changes to indicate the currently selected mode: blank for Nondestructive, “D” for Destructive, a loop symbol for Loop Record, “P” for QuickPunch, “T” for TrackPunch, and “DP” for DestructivePunch.
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To initiate recording at half-speed, you can press Control+Shift+Spacebar (Windows) or Command+Shift+Spacebar (Mac).
Track Record Enable Indicator
When lit (red), indicates that at least one audio track is currently record-enabled. When off (gray), no tracks are currently record-enabled.
TrackInput Monitor Indicator
When lit (green), indicates that at least one audio track is currently set to Input Only monitoring (regardless of record enable status). When off (gray), all tracks are in Auto Input monitoring.
Transport Window Menu
Lets you select what options to show in the Transport window: Counters, MIDI Controls, Synchronization, Minimal, All, and Expanded Transport.
Pre-Roll
During playback or record, specifies the amount of audio that plays before the Play (Timeline) Cursor or Play Start Marker location, or beginning of the Timeline selection. Pre-roll is particularly useful with punch recording since it gives you time to “catch the beat” before reaching the punch-in point. To set the pre-roll amount, type a new value in this field, or drag the Pre-Roll flag in the Main Timebase ruler.
Post-Roll
During playback or record, specifies the amount that plays after the end of a Timeline selection. Post-roll is useful in punch recording since playback continues after the punch-out point so you can check for a smooth transition to previously recorded material. To set the post-roll amount, type a new value in this field, or drag the Post-Roll flag in the Main Timebase ruler.
Start
Specifies the beginning of the play or record range. You can set the start point by entering a location in this field, or by dragging the corresponding Timeline Selection or Play Start Marker in the Main Timebase ruler. For more information, see Timeline Selection Markers.
End
Specifies the end of the play or record range. You can set the end point by entering a location in this field, or by dragging the corresponding Timeline Selection Marker in the Main Timebase ruler. For more information, see Timeline Selection Markers.
Length
Specifies the length for the play or record range. You can set the length by entering a location in this field, or by selecting a range in any Timebase ruler.
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When the Timeline and Edit selections are linked, you can make an Edit selection in a track’s playlist to set the play and record range. See Linking or Unlinking Timeline and Edit Selections.