We have had a number of queries about the inner working of the Session I/O Setup window, as it's a part of Pro Tools so few of us ever visit, when we do, it can be confusing because Avid has made improvements since we last used it. To help reduce the fear of the I/O Setup window, Pro Tools guru Mike Thornton explains everything you need to know about the Pro Tools I/O Setup window.

Why Now?

Some of you may be wondering why we are shining the spotlight on the I/O Setup window and workflow now. The simple answer is that because most of us don’t live in this part of Pro Tools when we need to use it, we are not sure what to do, competed by the fact that for some of us the workflow may have changed since we last used it.

What surprised me was that even I hadn’t completely clocked the new workflow added back as far back as 2015, and it was only when I was researching for this article and ran some tests to help me better understand what is going on that I realised just how much it has changed. 

The Development Of The I/O Setup Window In Pro Tools

The I/O Setup window, like so many parts of Pro Tools, has been developed over the years and the development process is worthy of telling because it helps to explain how we have got to where we are today. Don’t skip this article, The Development Of The I/O Setup Window In Pro Tools, as it not only explains how the I/O Setup window used to work but how it works now.

Output Mapping In The Pro Tools I/O Setup Window

It is well worth understanding how the bus to output remapping works because once you understand how it is designed to work and work with it, it will save you countless visits to the I/O Setup window in the future. In this article, we lift the lid on Mapping Outputs To Buses In the Pro Tools I/O Setup Window.

The I/O Setup Window And Dolby Atmos In Pro Tools

With the introduction of Dolby Atmos into Pro Tools, Avid developed various features, which extends the fold-down option for going down from 7.1 to 5.1 to stereo and takes it one stage further for Dolby Atmos, handling objects, so that you can continue to work on Atmos Sessions in Pro Tools without needing a Dolby Atmos Renderer. For more, check out our article The I/O Setup Window And Dolby Atmos In Pro Tools.

How To Configure And Backup The I/O Setup Window In Pro Tools

In this article, How To Configure And Backup The I/O Setup Window In Pro Tools, we cover how to set up the I/O Setup window, the best order to do things, like hardware inputs and outputs first, then busses and the importance of saving and backing up your I/O Settings file.

Troubleshooting Pro Tools I/O Settings

As we have said before, it is best to understand how Pro Tools uses I/O Settings so that you can work with it, rather than fighting against it and if you do need to visit I/O Setup to troubleshoot a problem, in this article, Troubleshooting Pro Tools I/O Settings, we offer some tips to help you work out what has gone wrong.

In Conclusion

Because most of us don’t live in this part of Pro Tools when we need to use it, we are not sure what to do, further complicated by the fact that for some of us the workflow may have changed since we last used it!

The good news is the design of Pro Tools reduces the need to take a nervous look at the I/O Setup Window when things don’t work, especially when it comes to working on sessions that have come from a different studio or Pro Tools rig.

More often than not, with the Monitor Path remapping, we can get straight to work. However, if we have a lot of other outputs, some planning, consistent naming, and the use of templates can save us unexpected visits to the I/O Setup window.