This tutorial brought to you in association with Avid is the first of a series, aimed at people who are new to recording or new to Pro Tools. We follow the development of a demo recording from the point of view of someone with no prior experience of recording.

In this free video tutorial we meet Jess, a singer-songwriter who has written a song and needs guidance through the process of choosing a setup, setting it up and recording the song.

Part 1 - What Do I Need? Equipment Choices

First, we look at the choices of Pro Tools software and consider what other equipment is necessary to get started. There are three different versions of Pro Tools and there are options to pay monthly or yearly. We look at using iLoks to licence software and we consider what additional hardware will be needed to make a good quality vocal recording and to track an acoustic guitar.

Pro Tools - 3 Flavours - Which One?

1. One Year Subscription (Paid Monthly) £20.75 per month - Save money when you commit to 12 months. Includes an All-Access Upgrade & Support Plan, giving you access to all new releases and expert help for the duration of your subscription. Includes FREE Plug-ins: Biotek Virtual Synth, Pro Sound Effects First Library, and pureMix.net tutorials
2. Monthly Subscription (Paid Monthly) £25.00 per month - Enjoy the freedom and flexibility of a month-to-month contract. Best suited for users who need short-term access. Includes an All-Access Upgrade & Support Plan, giving you access to all new releases and expert help for the duration of your subscription.
3. Perpetual License (Physical Box) £499.00 - Buy it once and own it forever. Comes with a one-year Annual Upgrade and Support Plan. Includes iLok authorization device and 12 months of software upgrades.

ILok Resources

• iLok Help and Resources on Pro Tools Expert
• Support pages on iLok.com
• Buy an iLok - you can get iLok copy protection dongles from iLok or most pro audio dealers.

Pro Tools Compatible Interfaces

If you are looking for an audio interface to use with your Pro Tools system then check out our extensive database of audio interfaces we have tested with Pro Tools showing features, price and a link to our product review where we have conducted one.

Microphones and Headphones

Check out our Dedicated searchable Reviews page to see what we think of a wide range of audio equipment to suit all budgets. See what microphones and headphones we have reviewed to help you choose which ones will suit you.

Pro Tools Computer

Check out our resources page covering computers you can use with Pro Tools.

What Will We Cover In The Rest Of This Series?

Over the coming weeks, we will cover...

1. Equipment choices
2. Setting everything up
3. Creating a session
4. Recording to click and guide tracks
5. Microphone positioning
6. Overdubbing and latency
7. Comping
8. MIDI and Virtual Instruments
9. Mixing and Bouncing  

Part 2 - Session Setup

Come back for part 2 in which we look at opening Pro Tools for the first time and setting up a Pro Tools session.