Beginner living on Kauai needs tutoring on LE 8.0

[WADIO]

Aloha. I am a newbie to digital recording. I am coping with the sudden impact of Pro Tools and its demands in my life. I have questions!
It would be quite easy for me to shut down my PC, walk to the shining shore with my 6 string, my terrier, my imagination, etc. and play music into the windy expanse. No! Not again.
Today I will grind my pre historic mind through this simple software program called Pro Tools LE 8.0. because I am sure that once I learn a few basic commands and short cuts I will easily record my musical dittys and be on my way to perpetuating the song dreams that live in my head. I will commit the time it takes to become familiar with this new world and hopefully here at this forum I will find kind hearts and patient minds that will spoon feed me as I progress.
To this end I emplore you, Digidesign User Forum to guide me along as I forgo the wonderful Hawaiian outdoors to sit here at my monitor grappling with the Pro Tools process.
Surely there are others like me: Bred on Beatles, bald headed, guitar oriented, song writing....ooops, wrong profile.

Surely there are others like me: New to Pro Tools, inefficient with Windows and generally, overall, dumb navigating new software.
I thank you for the opportunity to post my mesage and now, at this time would like to pose my first dumb question:
I have created a Click/Instrument track and I wish to insert a plug in called Enhance2, (which is supposed to be pre loaded with LE 8.0)
but the drop down menu only shows : Click (mono) or...TL Metro
I am simply trying to build a beat track with the plug in voices, but I cannot find the Enhance2.
I will be able to push ahead with my project if I can solve this and not trouble the forum again for at least a week.
Once again thank you in advance for any guidance from anyone.
WADIO

[Shan]

Do you mean the "AIR Enhancer" plug-in or perhaps Xpand2?

Shane

[Keybeeetsss]

Hello WADIO & WELCOME TO THE DUCZ where things are the best it ever was


Sounds like ur not sure about what u want here as u speak of a VI caleed Enhance Nevertheless, I|we realize u could easily mis-pronounce what u speak pf, but I would say to 1st, make a Stereo instrument track & see if u see 'Enhance'(I'm jus callin it what u called it)

[John_Toolbox]

Welcome to the DUC. One thing I have found that really helps you learn pro tools is to live in a frigid, barren wasteland like Minnesota. The desolate, unending winters force you to sit close to your computer and turn all of your gear on just to keep your brain from freezing. Trade perhaps?

[arkitek1]

Welcome WADIO and hi to all you other (highly respected) DUC participants. I am an architect and have designed over $100 million of buildings in the Seattle area, used all kinds of software, but brand new to Protools and DAW. (Looooooooooong time amature muscian/preformer/local bands... unrecorded). I'm 3 months into PR 8.0.1, and it took me 2 months to even get my PT software running and not freezing, so you're doing OK from my book. Experienced users, please remain friendly and helpful and keep us new users in mind. I find this forum and also U-tube videos extremely helpful.

[Keybeeetsss]

Well we too WELCOME ARKITEK to the DUCZ; maybe u can build AVID some air conditions(ADC)

[albee1952]

Welcome to all those that are new to this. There is a learning curve, but being slow and methodical is the order of the day. Spend some quality time with the manual. Then hit DigiTV and youtube for some tutorials. Maybe buy the Secrets of the Pro's volume 1. It feels daunting now, but it does get better. For those using Mbox USB family, twist that MIX knob to the middle until you learn how and why to use it(that should save some head scratching over not hearing anything). I'll bet some PT guru would love to spend some vacation time on the islands in exchange for some PT lessons..........................

[WADIO]

Well I am overwhelmed at the responses. I thank you all, especially now that I must confess to poor phrasing of my question.
It is not Enhance2 that I search for, but, as Shan and Keybeetsss suggested, it is Xpand2 I meant to say. Sorry about that. I could at least get the question right ! Duh.
Nonetheless, I cannot find Xpand2. on my drop down menu. In the printed manual it shows a menu with 8 different plug ins ( Boom, D8-33, Mini Grand, TL metro, Xpand2, etc) but my menu shows only TL Metro availabe. I may have chosen to not load all these plug ins during Pro Tools Install worried my little PC had enough to deal with already, but I want them now.

Question #1 Must I uninstall Pro Tools and then reinstall in order to load these plug ins and will my work, currently saved on an external drive remain intact?
Question #2 Do you normally create a drum kit track first and play to it or do you just use a click and build drums around the music later?
Question #3 Do try to perform a tune from beginning to end and then fix the mistakes or do you approach it section by section? Intro, verse, chorus, bridge, etc. and fit them together later?

A big Mahalo from Kauai to all of you.
WADIO

[necjamc]

Your question #2. Personally I tend to play scratch tracks to a click or a basic drum beat that fits the time/feel of what I am working on. Then I will build an actual drum track to the scratch tracks. Then re record new tracks over them to the new drums. Some songs scream guitar, some drums, some bass. I tend to try to get a good rhythm track with whatever the song screams first and build around it. (I play guitar, and some bass. Drums and the relationship with bass is not my forte, so I spend a lot of time with them.)

[Shan]

Originally Posted by WADIO

Nonetheless, I cannot find Xpand2. on my drop down menu. In the printed manual it shows a menu with 8 different plug ins ( Boom, D8-33, Mini Grand, TL metro, Xpand2, etc) but my menu shows only TL Metro availabe.

Make sure you're looking in the proper menu. Make sure you also installed the PTIEP.

Shane