Freeze Tracks

[prophonic]

Although it is not as elegant as Logic, we use a method for freezing tracks on PT which also works for printing RTAS instruments and outboard inserts.

If you set your templates with this in mind, it is a breeze to print tracks in real time with this method. We do it all the time.

http://www.songphonic.com/ProToolsTutorials.htm

This works with PT 7.1 onwards (including 8)

Osman

[tonwurm]

Originally Posted by HassanDavis

...Freeze is far more than a 'me too' feature. Those of us using Pro Tools in conjunction with other audio programs are fully aware of this.

Cheers,
Hassan

totally agree

[EvilElfBoy]

Originally Posted by HassanDavis

Logic's Freeze functionality is elegant. Click the snowflake for the desired tracks and hit play. Logic then renders the tracks in-place, disables DSP usage for those tracks and seamlessly plays the rendered audio for frozen tracks (honoring mutes, volume changes, etc).

Logics freeze and CB freeze are not really implemented well. You can't edit a frozen file (i.e. copy, paste) the best freeze function I have seen out there is in Abelton Live. You can freeze, edit and flatten audio in a few clicks. It rocks!

Resource hungry synths make freezing indispensable.

Yes this is true. But how good is a freeze if you have to unfreeze to edit? In logic this can take quite a long time to do the above described. If it is a pointer based system, why can't it point to an audio file that is in the background or a segment of it? This defies the point of how a DAW works.

Want to make a change to what you played on a track? Simply toggle the snowflake, make your change and hit the snowflake again. Logic deletes the backing, rendered freeze files and re-renders them. Your project does not fill up with various stages of renders...

This is still time consuming. Every one that I know that uses CB and Logic exclusive, don't like the way it is implemented at all. I happen to agree with them.

Please, let us stop making excuses for various aspects of Pro Tools (especially when it comes to workflow). Except for limitations due to previous design decisions, we do not hear Digi making excuses about current limitations. Best believe, the folks at Digi likely find Freeze an elegant and desirable feature.

Also, just because an operation is cumbersome does not mean that it is 'pro'. It just means that it is unnecessarily cumbersome. Underneath it all, pro features should be as powerful and flexible as practical. On the surface, however, there is absolutely nothing wrong with them being elegant. Power, flexibility and elegance need not be mutual exclusive in software.

Freeze is far more than a 'me too' feature. Those of us using Pro Tools in conjunction with other audio programs are fully aware of this.

A big reason why there is no offline bounce is because PT was designed to be realtime in order to have sample accurate automation, as well as having your favorite outboard gear.

Cheers,
Hassan

[usastra]

since all virtual instruments are running native (except Indigo), I think it should be possible to at least have the option to freeze instrument tracks.
btw I second the Ableton Live freeze implementation, it's the best there is!

[HassanDavis]

@EvilElfBoy

Yes, AL's impl beats out Logic's.

IMHO, offline bouncing is not a necessary component for Freeze. So, if PT implements Freeze in an upcoming version, offline bouncing need not necessarily be included.

Hassan

[Siegfried Meier]

Originally Posted by HassanDavis

@EvilElfBoy

Yes, AL's impl beats out Logic's.

IMHO, offline bouncing is not a necessary component for Freeze. So, if PT implements Freeze in an upcoming version, offline bouncing need not necessarily be included.

Hassan

Agreed, this is what I was getting at with my initial post. I've heard the "TDM architecture doesn't allow for it" and "analog hardware gear patched in needs a realtime bounce" arguments all before, but there's no reason why the Freeze function can't just do a realtime bounce, and do what Logic or AL does to the track. Seems intelligent, to me.

Sig

[EvilElfBoy]

Originally Posted by Siegfried Meier

Agreed, this is what I was getting at with my initial post. I've heard the "TDM architecture doesn't allow for it" and "analog hardware gear patched in needs a realtime bounce" arguments all before, but there's no reason why the Freeze function can't just do a realtime bounce, and do what Logic or AL does to the track. Seems intelligent, to me.

Sig

If it does it in realtime, there is no point of having a freeze in PT, Thats the same as printing a track. In order for freeze to work in our favor it would have to be offline bouncing. The reason why we can't have native freeze is because the whole HD engine goes of the TDM cards. PT would have to be a completely different program in order for for freeze to be implemented properly, Like in AL. If it's like LP or CB, I don't even want it. That's just my opinion.

[Siegfried Meier]

It would certainly help workflow, even if it was only realtime, to just freeze a track. I've had many occasions where I am using up all 96 voices on a 88.2k mix session with my HD3 system, and I cannot make new tracks without deactivating something else. Everything gets all cluttered and annoying, so to just be able to hit a button, have it do the bounce and have it just be a regular track would be VERY MUCH welcome. The idea is to remain creative, and not have to go through several steps just to bounce it down, as it certainly stifles things for me at that stage.

Just a thought.
Sig

[EvilElfBoy]

Originally Posted by Siegfried Meier

It would certainly help workflow, even if it was only realtime, to just freeze a track. I've had many occasions where I am using up all 96 voices on a 88.2k mix session with my HD3 system, and I cannot make new tracks without deactivating something else. Everything gets all cluttered and annoying, so to just be able to hit a button, have it do the bounce and have it just be a regular track would be VERY MUCH welcome. The idea is to remain creative, and not have to go through several steps just to bounce it down, as it certainly stifles things for me at that stage.

Just a thought.
Sig

In that case that would maybe help if you couldn't create any audio tracks due to lack of voices. Why don't you start your programming sessions in 44.1 with a 160 voices, this could help with maintaining your creative flow and then when you are ready to print things down then save copy in and up sample to get your final takes with the higher sample rate. Just a suggestion.

[peppertree]

Originally Posted by Siegfried Meier

It would certainly help workflow, even if it was only realtime, to just freeze a track. I've had many occasions where I am using up all 96 voices on a 88.2k mix session with my HD3 system, and I cannot make new tracks without deactivating something else. Everything gets all cluttered and annoying, so to just be able to hit a button, have it do the bounce and have it just be a regular track would be VERY MUCH welcome. The idea is to remain creative, and not have to go through several steps just to bounce it down, as it certainly stifles things for me at that stage.

You're not gettin it. Digi's business model is to motivate upsales via annoyance. If they implemented a really nice freeze function, why would you upgrade your HD3 to an HD6? You wouldn't. So they don't.