Pro tools relative grid mode

You can simply click on whichever mode you want to select it, or you can use the following keyboard shortcuts:. Edit Modes will affect the movement and placement of audio and MIDI clips, how certain Edit tools function, and how commands such as Copy and Paste work.

If you use Pro Tools primarily for music projects, Grid Mode will be one of the most frequent modes you use. In Grid Mode, clip and MIDI event movements, placements, selections, and trim operations will snap to the nearest time increment, determined by your set Grid Value. The Grid Value setting can be found in the Edit Window toolbar, just to the left of your transport.

Here, you can change your Grid Value, thus changing the time increments to which you can snap your clips. For example, in the figure below, my Grid Value is set to a Quarter Note—this means:.

Although, for music projects, using a rhythm duration is going to be the most efficient option for keeping your edits in time with your song. Grid Mode is extremely useful for constraining your clip and MIDI edits to the underlying rhythm of your song.

Being able to snap the beginning of your clips to your Grid Value will increase your efficiency as you make changes to your arrangement while maintaining rhythmic consistency.

When your Grid Value is set, it will be represented in your tracks as vertical blue lines, as seen in the screenshot below. In this case, each vertical blue line represents one quarter note. These lines are extremely helpful visual cues as you move and edit your audio clips. These can also be toggled between each other by selecting Grid Mode more than once. Absolute Grid mode means that any movement edits you make to your clips will snap directly to your Grid Value, as we just discussed.

Relative Grid mode means that any movement edits you make to your clips will snap by your Grid Value left or right. For example, if you are in Relative Grid mode with your Grid Value set to a quarter note, when you move your audio clip to the right, it will move in quarter note increments regardless of the starting point position. In Slip Mode, you can move, trim, and select clips freely—they will not snap to any set time increments.

Notice in the screenshot below, I have trimmed the beginning of the clip to begin in between Grid Values. The more I zoom in, the greater control I have over where exactly I want my clip to begin. Slip Mode is useful when you want to select and edit audio or MIDI without any restrictions in the time domain.

By hzimmerman Follow. More by the author:. About: Too much television as a kid. More About hzimmerman ». Did you make this project? Share it with us! I Made It! Remote Control Light Switch by alanmerritt in Arduino. Spot Mode can be used to place clips at exact locations, using any of the Time Scales.

This Mode is incredibly useful for post-production where clips need to be positioned to precise frame locations. Each one changes the behaviour of the Pro Tools Edit window, enabling you to edit your session in different ways.

E ngage Slip mode by clicking on the Slip button or pressing [F2]. This is the simplest of the four modes to understand. With this mode engaged you can make selections, and move the cursor or clips freely. Selecting tools with the Smart Tool engaged Pro Tools will automatically select the Trim, Selector or Grabber tools depending on exactly where the mouse pointer is relative to the clip. You can now freely select audio from the timeline with the Selector tool.

Highlight a region of audio and press [B] to separate it to create a new clip requires AZ mode engaged. Now highlight the new clip with the Grabber tool and move it to a new part of the timeline. Note how you can place it on top of other clips, and you have complete freedom over where it lands. Engage Grid mode by clicking on the Grid button or by pressing [F4]. If you accidentally find yourself in Relative Grid mode, press the button or [F4] again to revert to standard Grid mode.

Similarly, when you try to select audio from within a clip with the Selector tool you can only select a full bar at a time. The Smart Tool can also be used to quickly draw fades by clicking with the mouse pointer in the top left or right of the clip the pointer should change to display a square with a diagonal line and shading and dragging inwards.