Is there a primer on playlists somewhere?

[RolandK]

I've read the manual and PT books, searched the DUC and I still can't quite wrap my pea brain around the basics of using edit and automation playlists. I know how to make one for a single track but how about multiple tracks? Is there a link out there or can someone explain it? For example, using a playlist for a vocal track to be comped later, or recording an entire band. Thanks!

[KingFish]

Playlists are like virtual tracks, so...

You name a track "Vox" record a vocal pass, (in the track name field, you're really looking at the "Top playlist Name" rather then master track name)

The name "vox", is your track name, and the current Playlist name, if you stop and start, punch in etc.... on this "vox" playlist / track it would create wave files based on "vox.wav"

ie vox_01.wav vox_07.wav etc....

As soon as you create a new playlist on that track, the "track name" becomes the "New playlist"

if you just let it "auto name" It will be called "vox.01"

Record a vocal to that "playlist" (empty grid space / with new track name) it will create wav forms based on the filename vox.01.wav ie... vox.01_01.wav vox.01_07.wav - or if you name your playlist something different then the autoname, ie.. 2nd pass vox - the files will be "2nd pass vox_01.wav", "2nd pass vox_07.wav" etc....

If you do this several times, you get many performances (Playlists) on the same track, and can recall each playlist, from the playlist drop down menu.

getting into discussing "comping" is opening a completely different discussion on "how to do it" I guarantee, most people in here have "their own way of doing it" and are religious about the efficiency of their process. some spread all the tracks out, and spot the audio into a new track, some manually paste it, crawling upa and down the tracks, using "P" and ";" in command focus mode. you'll also find that many of the "pro-tools veterans" still use "single tool mode" one tool at a time, simply because we used pro-tools for years, without the multi-tool option. I personally forced myself to turn the multi-tool on, and get used to it with my work flow, it has considerably sped up my work flow.... but I'm getting way off track again.... playlists...


I'll tell you what I do, not as the "right way" to do anything, but just sharing my meathod of working with playlists.

I keep everything I'm comping (all performances of a track / playlists) on the same track, so I don't have to worry about muting, and navigating beyond my track.

I create a new playlist, call it "Vox.Comp" and I go to the playlist withy my favorite performance, that I feel was mostly there, copy the entire playlist (all regions) - navigate back to my "vox.comp" playlist, paste the performance there, and listen for areas I'd like to fix.

I highlight an area, a few words, (or sometimes a part of a word) that i don't like on the performance, flip through the playlists, with that area highlighted, listen through the performances of that highlighted section, copy the one I want to use, navigate back to the vox.comp playlist... and paste.

repeat through the song, ( I check edit's, crossfades, pops, double breaths, as I go, and make sure the edits are all transparent) then, consolodate the comp playlist, select unused regions from session, and clear unused regions.

Now.... Multiple tracks, Comping drums, or beds, on multiple playlists.

all of the above applies to multiple tracks, when those tracks are grouped, in "Mix and Edit" mode.

if I group, kik, snare, hat, t1, t2, t3, ohL, ohR, roomL, roomR, bassDI, bassAmp, elec1, elec2.

(CTRL+G) and select MIX AND EDIT, when the Group is enabled, if I create a new playlist on any of the tracks in the group, it creates a new playlist on ALL in the group.

group all your tracks that are armed, Record a performance of the band, create a new playlist on any one of the tracks, and right away, you'll see your current audio dissapear into a hidden playlist, and your tracks will be ready to record on the new playlists at the top...

kik.01, snare.01, hat.01, t1.01, t2.01, t3.01, ohL.01, ohR.01, roomL.01, roomR.01, bassDI.01, bassAmp.01, elec1.01, elec2.01, etc....

This is only really effective for editing beds, if you are recording to a click track, paralelled with the Grid / tempo settings in pro-tools.

hope some of this helps.

[RolandK]

Awesome, that helps a lot. What I've done in the past is to record several takes on the same track and drag and drop different takes back and forth from the audio list. If I understand correctly using playlists is basically the same thing but better.

[KingFish]

Yes... if you record a track... then on that track select "New Playlist" it keeps all of the audio, already on the track... on "virtual tracks" soret of stacked on top of one another.

there is no need to drag regions from your regions list of previous takes, just click on the little triangles beside the track name, and a list of all of the playlists you recorded on one track, will appear, for selection.

LOOK HERE (http://kingfishproduction.com/playlists.jpg)

this is a track that I recorded many takes of background vocals on, I named my final comp, the singer's name "Laura" and consolodated my edits, you can see all of the other playlists, or "takes" on that track, that I comped from.

[RolandK]

Gotcha, thanks. I'm recording a bunch this week so I'll try it out.