Music Technology Lab
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Tutorial VII: Transfer / Edit Audio

This tutorial will guide you through the steps of transferring audio from a source (we will use a DAT tape) into the computer.
It will then show you the proper editing methods.

Transfer Audio from DAT
1. Open Pro Tools (Apple Menu > Audio > Pro Tools)
  1. If you get an apple talk message, select "Leave it On"
2. Select File >> New Session.
3. Name the Project and save it in an appropriate folder.
4. Now the main Pro Tools windows should pop up.
  1. There are two main windows: The Edit window, which should appear on the Main monitor, and the Mix window, which should appear on the right monitor.
  2. If you do not see these windows, go to the Windows menu and choose "Show Edit Window" or "Show Mix Window."
5. Select File > New Track.
6. Create 2 new Mono Audio Tracks.
7. Look at the Tracks in the Mix window (one on right).
  1. Put the tracks into record mode.
  2. Pan Track 1 to the left and Track 2 to the Right.
8. Place the DAT tape into the DAT machine and press play.
  1. Make sure that when you press play you see activity with the Peak Meters on the DAT Display Screen. If you don't, then the tape is blank or needs to be rewound.
9. Press the Digital I/O button in the Display Access Panel on the O2R.
10. Keep pressing it until you reach screen 1/5.
  1. You can tell what number screen it is at the very top of the O2R Display Screen.
11. Most commonly for recording, INT 44.1k will be selected in the bottom row of this screen. Move the cursor to 2TR-D1 in the bottom row (third one in from the right) and select it.
12. Press the Digital I/O button again to move forward to screen 2/5.
13. In the row labeled LINE 17/18, move the cursor from INT 44.1k to 2TR-D1.
14. Press the LINE button on the far right side of the Peak Meter Bridge on the Master O2R.
15. o. Play the DAT tape. You should be receiving signal on channels 15, 16,17 & 18. 15 & 16 are for Analog Transfer and 17 &18 are for Digital Transfer. We will be doing a Digital Transfer.
16. Turn the channel 17/18 and the Master Fader ON and UP. (Channels 17 & 18 are combined onto one fader)
17. Select this channel fader. Press the SEL button located just above the ON button.
18. Route the signal to channels 1 & 2.
  1. These are the channels (left & right) that go to Pro Tools.
  2. Go to the Routing section of the Selected Channel Panel to the right of the Display Screen on the Master O2R.
  3. Press 1 & 2. The signal is now being routed to Pro Tools.
  4. You should be receiving a signal in Pro Tools now. You can tell that you are when there is activity on the Channels' Peak Meters. (example to the right)
19. Stop the DAT tape and rewind it.
20. Press the Record button, then press the Play button in the Transport Window (shown below).
  
  The counter should begin to run and you are now recording to Pro Tools.
  1. If you do not see the Transport Window when you open up Pro Tools, go to the Windows pull down menu and select Show Transport (about halfway down).
21. Press play on the DAT deck.
22. You should begin to see a Wav form being drawn on the Pro Tools screen. Wait for the tape to finish. Then press Stop on the DAT deck and in the Transport Window.

Editing your Transferred Audio

The objective in Editing Audio is to break up the WAV form into pieces (songs / movements).

Move to Playback mode
1. Select Digital I/O screen 2/5.
2. In the first row, select CARD SLOT 3.
3. Turn Faders 1 & 2 ON and UP on the Master O2R.
4. Take the Audio tracks OUT of record mode.
Play the Recorded Audio
1. Take the tracks OUT of Record Mode (click them again).
2. Press Play on the Transport Window, or press the Space Bar when in Pro Tools and it will start to play the audio beginning at where the cursor is positioned.
You should now be able to hear back the audio that you just recorded.
Editing Tools
1. Zoom IN / OUT
2. Increase or Decrease the amplitude of the wav form.
3. Move Boundaries
4. Cursor - use this tool to move to any point in the wav form or select a portion of the wav form.
5. Zoom - zoom in on a specific section of the wav form. Double click to view the entire wav form.
It is best to edit a performance with the program in front of you so that you know exactly how many pieces were played or how many movements that section had, etc...
Typically, you will be able to see in the wav form where a piece has ended and where the next one begins. Using the cursor, move to this point in the wav form and play audio.

On the far left side of the Edit window, near the bottom, under Edit groups, select ALL. This will make it so that both tracks are highlighted at the same time as opposed to just one.
Select the section between the ending of one piece and the beginning of another using the cursor. Press delete.
Fades
1. Highlight from the beginning of the edited section to the beginning of the wav form (1st picture).
2. Select Create Fade (Edit > Fades > Create Fades), or press Apple-F.
3. Pro Tools will automatically recognize this as a Fade In or Fade Out and a window (2nd picture) will pop up. You may choose a fade of that shape, or change the shape. A straight diagonal line is usually best. Select OK.
4. A fade in has now been created (3rd picture).
5. Generally, for fades, you want to follow these guidelines:
  - For fade-ins, begin with two seconds of silence before the piece. Depending on the piece, you might feel like this silence is too long. Trim off silence bit by bit until what you're left with sounds natural (usually 2 beats of the piece, but don't leave less than a half a second.) Fade in the silence you are left with.
  - For fade-outs without applause, count two seconds after the very last sounds of the piece have ended. You wonÕt need any audio after that. Fade from the very end of the sound to the end of those two seconds.
6. Applause
  - Normally, for faculty or department ensemble concerts we don't necessarily need applause, and fade out as in #2 above. For student recitals, we leave the applause in. If the piece is not at the end of the concert, leave about 10 seconds of applause and fade out the last two thirds of it. If it is the very end of the concert, you can leave 15-20 seconds and fade the last two thirds of the applause.
  - Use your best judgment. If you think it would sound better with applause, leave it in, if not, leave it out. If it sounds like too much, cut it off; if it sounds too short, use the Move Boundaries tool to make the applause fade last longer.
7. Once finished, your once very large wav form should be broken up into pieces that are faded in and out.