Output

In Pro Tools, Output refers to a path feeding physical outputs in your system. However since Pro Tools 9 there has been more to outputs than that with the introduction of mapped outputs. Mapped outputs in Pro Tools offer some level of flexibility when transferring projects between systems.

Even so, mapped outputs have never been perfect and often need some intervention from the user to get things right. Although I’m yet to try it, apparently Pro Tools 12 offers new features allowing you to define your monitor path to help with session interchange. I’m sure all will be revealed when we get our hands on a copy of 12.

Object Grabber

It feels like a cheat to reference another A-Z of Pro Tools article in an A-Z article but to review the difference between the Object grabber and the time and separation grabbers read this Pro Tools Fundamentals From last year.

Options Menu

The options menu contains so many useful things but every time I go there I notice something I’ve either forgotten about or was always a bit vague about. The Options and the Setup menu are both places where you find global settings for Pro Tools. The way to remember whether you should be looking under the Options or the Setup menu is to keep in mind the kind of things you find in each. Items under the Setup menu usually open a window offering adjustment of several parameters - for example the Playback Engine or Peripherals windows. The Options menu allows you to toggle parameters on and off (i.e. they are either/or choices) and doesn’t involve a new window full of settings opening. For example I either want Pre/Post roll on, or I don’t - no window, just a tick next to a menu item. If you keep this in mind its pretty straightforward remembering what lives in Setup and what lives in Options.

Open Most Recent

While opening a Pro Tools session might not be the most complicated operation, a shortcut I use every day is “open most recent” using CMD+Shift+O or Ctrl+Shift+O on PC. Simple but definitely one I use daily.