Pro Tools Shortcuts For Mac



  1. Pro Tools Shortcut Stickers
  2. List Of Pro Tools Shortcuts For Mac
  3. Pro Tools Shortcut To Move Tracks
  4. Keyboard Shortcuts For Mac Pro

Music software for Mac or Windows to create audio with up to 128 audio tracks. Pro Tools includes 60 virtual instruments (thousands of sounds), effects, sound processing, utility plugins, 1 GB of cloud storage and 75 individual plugins. Create, Collaborate. Press Command+Option+1 (Mac) or Control+Alt+1 (Windows). The following table lists all Commands Keyboard Focus key command mappings in QWERTY keyboard order (from left to right and top to bottom): Pro Tools Custom Keyboard labeld with keyboard commands (Mac keyboard shown) Action Commands Focus Shortcut Recall Zoom Memory 1 1 Recall Zoom Memory 2 2. Pro Tools Keyboard Shortcuts for Creating, Playing, and Recording a New Track. Recording audio is what Pro Tools does best (well, that and editing it). This article guides you through the keyboard shortcuts for creating and recording a new track, as well as playing it back. To create a new track: Press Apple Command+N (Mac) or Ctrl+N (PC).

The navigating to, and selection of clips can be one of the most widely used aspects in Pro Tools. Keyboard shortcuts can help you with speed and efficiency

Tools

Amongst the myriad of things you'll find yourself doing while working a session, the most simple acts are often the most used. Such is the case with the most fundamental aspect of editing within Pro Tools. Being able to move around, and select, within your timeline is the key to all aspects of editing. While it may be easy to overlook this detail due to the existence of a 'mouse', there are keyboard shortcuts that are much faster, and more fluid than using a mouse.

Command Focus

Pro tools shortcuts list

Did you know Pro Tools has multiple layers of keyboard shortcuts? Not only does the keyboard have multiple functions, these functions change based on which Pro Tools Window you are looking at in the foreground. The Edit Window, Mix Window, MIDI Editor, Score Editor, all have multiple layers of keyboard shortcuts.
For the purpose of this article, we will be focusing on the Edit Window. In order to make sure everything is working correctly, you'll want to make sure the Command Focus is turned On for editing. In the upper right-hand corner of the edit area, you'll see a small button labeled [az], make sure this button is selected (yellow).
Command Focus - Edit Window

Once this function is active, your keyboard now has a secondary set of editing commands that are accessible. While some functions are repetitions of standard keyboard shutcuts, other features can only be accessed via using Command Focus. FYI: If you've ever seen the 'Pro Tools Keyboard', the printed keys represent these shortcuts via Command Focus.
Avid Pro Tools Custom Keyboard

Navigation

No matter what type of work you do with Pro Tools, you will no doubt have a need to navigate across tracks, and clips within a session. Moving the cursor between clips on a track can be accomplished with the keyboard shortcuts of L and the ' keys. When you want to navigate to the previous clip boundary, use the L key, if you want to navigate to the next clip boundary, use the ' key.
Press the ' key to move the cursor forward to next clip boundary
You can use the keyboard shortcut to keep moving the edit cursor to the next clip on the track, while never using the mouse.
Press the L key to move the cursor back to the previous clip boundary

Along with being able to now navigate across the material on a track, you will find yourself needing to move the cursor, or selection, to different tracks within the session. This is where the keyboard shortcut of P and : come in handy. The P moves your cursor up to the previous track, the : moves cursor down to the next track.
Use the shortcut of P or : to move the cursor/selection up or down
P - move cursor/selection up
: - move cursor/selection down

Making Selections

More often times than not, moving around in the session also requires making selection of clips. By adding the Shift key to these shortcuts, you can also make a selection while moving the cursor. As we stated - L moves the cursor earlier in time, ' moves the cursor later in time. If we add the Shift key to these shortcuts, we will move and select at the same time.
If you repeat this command, you can add multiple clips on the track to the selection

Once you have a clip selected, you might have a need to select the entire next, or previous, clip on the track. Since we already know the L and ' keys move between previous or next, you can add the modified keys of Command along with Control (mac) to select the clip before, or after, the one currently selected. This is especially useful when working with loops and samples.

Alternate Method

There is another set of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to achieve the same results, without having to use the Command Focus shortcuts. The standard shortcut for moving a cursor to the next clip boundary if the 'Tab' key on your keyboard. Since the Tab key moves forward (next) it has to be modified with the 'Option' key to move backward (previous). If you include the Shift key along with Tab / Option+Tab it will move and select.
Here is a list of the standard keyboard shortcuts:

  • Tab - move cursor to next clip boundary
  • Tab + Option - move cursor to previous clip boundary
  • Tab + Shift - move + select to next clip boundary
  • Tab + Option + Shit - move + select to previous clip boundary
  • Tab + Control - select entire next clip on track
  • Tab + Option + Control - select entire previous clip on track
  • P + Control - move cursor/selection up to previous track
  • ' + Control - move cursor/selection down to next track

There are countless scenarios where these shortcuts will expedite and improve your workflow, there are also many scenarios in which you won't find these any more helpful. Due to the wide range of things encountered in the production process, it's impossible to commit to just a singular workflow. You'll find certain shortcuts and tools more useful in music production than in post production, or in voice over recording as opposed to sound design, the possibilities are endless.

00:00:07
Good morning children!Today we're going to talk aboutcreating your ownPro Tools shortcuts.

00:00:12
Pro Tools has a lot ofbuilt-in shortcuts,an enormous amount actually.

00:00:15
And we have a video about that.

00:00:17
But there are thingsthat the good people at Avidthought you would not need.

00:00:20
But you still do.So here's a way around that.

00:00:24
The first thing youneed to do is go toyour little apple on theupper left corner here...

00:00:28
System Preferences.

00:00:30
You have now theSystem Preferences Dashboard.

00:00:33
Hit Keyboard.

00:00:35
Hit Keyboard Shortcuts.Here you go.

00:00:38
Before we create our own shortcut,why don't we go to Spotlightand remove'Show Spotlight search field'being Cmd+Spacebecause that's alsoRecord in Pro Toolsand it's a conflictand it sucks.

00:00:49
Now we can go toApplication Shortcuts.

00:00:52
While you're here, disablethe 'Show Help menu'because that conflicts withthe 'Update Automation' shortcutin Pro Tools.And it's very handy.

00:00:59
And I'd rather be able to updatemy automation than show my help menu.

00:01:03
The next step is togo back to Pro Toolsand pick something thatyou wanna automate.

Tools

00:01:09
I use the Color Palette a lotin Pro Tools.

00:01:11
But there's no shortcut forit so I'm gonna make one.

00:01:13
I have to go into themenu and find it.

00:01:15
It's in 'Window'...

00:01:17
Color Palette.

00:01:18
You have to memorize exactlyhow it's written.

00:01:21
It's exactly how it's written.

00:01:23
I see Color...

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Palette, takes to Ts.

00:01:27
I go back to mySystem Preferences.

00:01:32
Click the little + here.

00:01:35
And then you have toselect your application.

00:01:38
Oddly enough,because Pro Tools is containedwithin a folder,it's not in the list.So you have to click 'Other'.

00:01:45
And then go into the folder,and then...

00:01:50
Select it. Yes, I havea lot of applications.

00:01:53
Pro Tools, 'Add'.

00:01:54
So now I'm telling the system,for the application Pro Tools,and the menu called'Color Palette', with two Ts,I would like my keyboardshortcut to be,I don't know, something thatis not used anywhere else,for exampleCtrl+Opt+Cmd+C.

00:02:11
Add.

00:02:13
So now, every timePro Tools is forwardand you hitCtrl+Opt+Cmd+C,your Palette comes up.

00:02:20
Isn't that wonderful?Another function in the same menuthat I use all the time is 'System Usage'.

00:02:27
I use Ctrl+Opt+Cmd+U for usage.

00:02:31
I'm in and out that window 20 timesa session, it's worth a shortcut.

Pro Tools Shortcut Stickers

00:02:36
In the 'Setup' menu I use'Hardware' and 'Playback Engine' a lot.

00:02:41
The Playback Engine because of thedelay compensation, short or long,and the number of voicesand stuff like that.

00:02:47
You have to be careful when youset up the Playback Engine one,it does wanna see the three little dotsafter, they're not just for decoration.

00:02:53
The system wants tosee the exact name.

00:02:56
If you don't enter the three littledots in the Playback Engine namePro Tools will notrecognize the shortcut.

00:03:02
My shortcut for Playback Engineis Ctrl+Opt+Cmd+P.

00:03:06
I actually use Ctrl+Opt+Cmdfor all my personal shortcuts.

00:03:09
That way I know it's alwaysthe start of my shortcut,I don't have to think too muchbecause I don't like to think.

00:03:15
In the 'Setup' menu, I alwayscreate a shortcut for the I/O setup.

00:03:19
Here.

00:03:20
I'm in and out of that windowabout 700 million times per sessionso it's worth a shortcut.

00:03:24
My shortcut is Ctrl+Opt+Cmd+I.

00:03:29
Another shortcut I alwayssetup is 'Save as'.

00:03:31
It's in 'File' menu...

00:03:33
And it's 'Save As...'With the capital A.

00:03:37
I chose the shortcutShift+Opt+S.

00:03:40
Because that's what it isin most pieces of softwareand I don't wanna memorizea different one for Pro Tools.

00:03:46
The good thing isthat, in case you get confusedand you forgetwhat you just setup,Pro Tools has the good tasteof reminding you your choices.

00:03:53
For example, here inthe Window setup,my Color Palette isCtrl+Opt+Cmd+C.

00:03:59
My 'System Usage'Ctrl+Opt+Cmd+S.

00:04:02
In my 'Setup', my I/Ois Ctrl+Opt+Cmd+I.

00:04:06
And my 'Save as' isOpt+Shift+S.

List Of Pro Tools Shortcuts For Mac

00:04:10
That's it.

Pro Tools Shortcut To Move Tracks

00:04:12
So there you have it.

00:04:14
You know how to playGod and create your ownshortcuts in Pro Tools on a Mac.

Keyboard Shortcuts For Mac Pro

00:04:17
It's time for you togo cut something short.

00:04:19
Et VoilĂ !