Help with Pro Tools First and VoiceOver

[Toby Davey]

Hi, 

I have used many DAWS over the years for editing speech for radio features, interviews, packages, etc.  Want to move to Pro Tools First, have installed it managed to import some audio but looking for any guides for getting started with Pro Tools (First) with VoiceOver, how do you get to start working with an audio track to edit it, how do you scrub through the audio to make fine edits, when adding more tracks to include in the package how do you do it, how do move from one track to another, etc.  Sorry lots of questions but really looking for a guide for getting started with Pro Tools First with VoiceOver and using the keyboard to navigate around, scrub through audio, edit and mix. 

I know there are some good videos but most of them seem to be more for musicians and making music which is not want I want to use Pro Tools for.  

So any help, resources, links, would be greatly appreciated.  

Best and thanks 

Toby 

[Dammie Onafeko]

Hey Tobey:


Welcome to the group. I do exactly what you do. I produce for radio
myself. I just started using Protools. I'm not hot in it yet, but I
can provide you with the little I know for now. I just actually made
my first production in ProTools on Saturday. I don't, however, know if
ProTools First and ProTools 2019 work the same. Toget started,
1. you'll need to download Flowtools down the line to make production
in ProTools faster.
With that said, to make selection, you can use the up and down arrow.
The down arrow is for the beginning of selection while the up arrow is
for the end of selection. There are other ways, but that's the
simplest one.
2. To jump into the track list from anywhere you are in the edit or
mix window, hold down the VO key and push J.
if you continuously push J while still holding down the VO key, you'll
move from the track list to the clip list and then to the group list
and track list over again
2. To move from track to track, hold down VO key and push down arrow
to go down the list or push the up arrow to go up the list.
When you find the track you want to work on, hold down VO key and push
the space bar to select it. When you want to move to another track,
hold down the VO key and push space bar on the selected track to
unselect it and then you can move to the track you want next and
select it.

Before I go further, sometimes you may mistakenly turn the quick nav
on, thereby disabling the up and down arrow from working as your
beginning and end selection keys When this happen, that is, when you
push down or up arrow and they are not doing their work, turn quick
nav off by holding down the left and right arrow keys at the same
time.

Try this little tips and see how they work. Plus, add the cut, delete,
paste command keys you know. I'll be back to help later on. I need to
quickly run somewhere. Catch you when I get back. I know what I'm
leaving you here is nothing compared to what you need, but be patient.
Hopefully, others in the group will get back with you before I get
back. Ciao!

Best,

Dammie

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Pro Tools Accessibility" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to ptaccess+u...@googlegroups.com.
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/0a1fe95b-67b5-4ced-921d-b3cc9d821b73%40googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>

[Toby Davey]

Hi Dammie  

That’s great and many thanks for your quick response and great tips!  I will certainly give it all a go over the weekend.

I have been googling around quite a lot over the last few days and noticed some good videos and one which listed a whole load of changes to the Mac and Pro Tools preferences and not sure if I really need to do what they were saying apart from un selecting Command and spacebar to stop it activating spotlight search so it does not conflict with the Pro Tools record short cut.  As the video dates back a few years are there any recommended changes I need to do to make Pro Tools First, VoiceOver and my Mac work better?

  

Are you saying that it would be best to download Flowtools now to make things easier and quicker?

Where did you find out about the VoiceOver key stroke, was it by trial and error or is there a manual somewhere out there!

Sorry for lots more questions! 

Best and thanks again. 

Toby 

  

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "Pro Tools Accessibility" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/ptaccess/NppNxrISMx4/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to ptaccess+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/CAN%3Dh5d_jcLEZM%2BCgRgCRPYx-FcbTdFoamvd_rwnGdOrBsTrYfg%40mail.gmail.com.

[CHUCK REICHEL]

Hi Toby,

First of all read the manual & as many youtubes on Avid's Pro tools as you can,

you'll be surprised how much you can get from the YouTube's.

Second of   all Flo tools is not needed at all.

It just adds another layer of keyboard commands which are not listed in the Avid Pro tools manual and might confuse you at first.

Its always best to try and understand Pro tools first.

I run a pro tools hdx system every day just by using apples voiceOver and hotspots & window spots.

So read all you can and experiment!

YMMV

HTH

Chuck

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/95295D5A-D2B1-4100-94FF-BA3CB62E09F6%40gmail.com.

[Dammie Onafeko]

HI Tobey:

My pleasure man! I found myself in your position around this time last
year. And that I'm able to put a promo together for the first time in
ProTools is a milestone for me. I didn't find most videos useful too.
And even when I asked people in the group how to mix in ProTools, they
referred to me ProTools' documentation and reference guide. The
documentation showed me some things but couldn't helped me get onto
producing anything as the tutorial I bought sometimes 3 years ago did
for me. I can send you the tutorial directly, but it's also music
production oriented.

Yes, you'll need the FlowTools down the line. For instance, when you
want to apply compression onto the mix at the end or go into the EQ
parameters. With the Flowtool, you won't have to go the the instructor
in the tutorial I'll send you went through.

I found some of the keys from the tutorial and some other ones from
the class I took this winter from ISeeMusic. For the most part, the
command keys I learned from ISeeMusic are FlowTools commands, which
are online on the FlowTools page.

This PTAccess Group has ProTools documentation in the PTAccess Group
DropBox. Send another message if you don't hear or read anything from
the group in regard to it by Monday. Slau, one of the guys leading the
group, will add you on to group. Also when you look into the ProTools
menu by holding down VO key and pushing M and then with the VO key
still held, push right arrow and then push down arrow to go down the
columns to find command keys for some tasks under file, Edit, and so
on.

Hope this helps.

> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/95295D5A-D2B1-4100-94FF-BA3CB62E09F6%40gmail.com.

[Slau Halatyn]

Hi Toby,

To clarify something that Dammie mentioned, using the down and up arrows during playback select a range in the timeline but do not select any audio unless there's an insertion cursor in the track. Also, a selection will only be made if the insertion is not following playback. There are a number of things that need to be configured correctly in order for Pro Tools to behave as expected for a VoiceOver user. There's a lot of documentation to read. Follow the setup instructions for the OS in the Intro to Pro Tools PDF found in your Documents/Pro tools/Documentation folder.

Despite Dammie's encouragement to download Flo Tools right away, you should get to know Pro Tools by itself first. That way, when you're ready, Flo Tools will turbo charge your productivity and you'll be able to navigate the interface much faster. also, I think Dammie mentioned using VO down and up arrows to move the track selection up or down. It's actually Control up/down arrows. I might have misread his response but just wanted to clarify that in case.

Slau

[Slau Halatyn]

I just reviewed Dammie's message and his comment about VO up/down arrows was regarding navigation of the Tracks List with VoiceOver and that is correct. However, I was referring to moving the insertion cursor up and down through visible tracks without having to go to the track list. In some cases, it's a timesaver to not have to navigate to the list and arrow down a bunch of tracks.

HTH

On May 31, 2019, at 9:50 AM, Toby Davey <tobyda...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Toby Davey]

Hi Slau 

Many thanks for your emails.  

I have tried to find the PDF documentation regarding set up instructions for optimising Pro Tools for use with VoiceOver and this may be a Pro Tools First thing but on my Mac within Documents/Pro Tools First there does not seem to be a Documentation folder. 

PT First does seem to be crashing a lot but that might be due to it not being properly optimised.  

I may have to consider purchasing the full version of Pro Tools but looking at the system requirements for the full version it states that it needs 16GB of RAM and my MacBook Pro 13” 2016 model only has 8GB of RAM.  

If PT First keeps on crashing I may have to try contacting Avid support but I know from past experience they don’t seem to provide telephone support for PT First. 

Best 

Toby  

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "Pro Tools Accessibility" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/ptaccess/NppNxrISMx4/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to ptaccess+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/D52BFF83-70AE-4101-8BBB-4302D35C091B%40gmail.com.

[Slau Halatyn]

Given that PT First is a free product, it makes sense that they don't offer support. Also, I guess PT First doesn't have a similar setup for documentation which also makes sense, given that it's stripped down. 

Here's an article from Avid that talks about Mojave optimization:

http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/troubleshooting/Optimize-10-14

HTH,

Slau

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/682B9DBC-AC78-4F4D-B215-490D37381E92%40gmail.com.

[John Covici]

Also, protools first may not work correctly, you can't change a lot of
preferences which voiceover needs to work properly and I think it
won't work with flotools at all. I agree with others who have said
you should learn it without flotools for quite a while before going on
to flotools. You should get a monthly subscription to the 2019
version and you will do much better that way.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/CAN%3Dh5d9D9x40yTkmRRSS7rTHQVKeo8yznozXzbSnakDa7ukdyQ%40mail.gmail.com.

> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
>

--

Your life is like a penny. You're going to lose it. The question is:
How do
you spend it?

John Covici wb2una
cov...@ccs.covici.com

[Stefan Albertshauser]

Hi,

Here are some basic things about the Pro Tools user interface: There are two main windows: the Edit window and the Mix window. The titles of these windows speak for themselves. If you want to edit with the keyboard you must first make sure that the following options are checked (Options menu): Link timeline and edit selection and link track and edit selection. After that, you can actually get started. With Control + ; you move the cursor one track down and with Control + P one track up. If you add the Shift key, you expand the selection depending on the direction you are navigating in. Scrubbing also works, but only with the mouse or a control surface. You have to work differently with the keyboard: When you play audio material and come to the point you want to cut, first press the down arrow key. If you come to the end of the piece, you want to delete, press the up arrow key. Provided the above options are enabled, you have made a selection. If you then want to delete the audio, make sure that the Edit Mode is set to Shuffle. This can be set with the F1 function key. But make sure that the cursor is on the track you want to edit. Otherwise, this action runs empty and nothing happens. An extended keyboard with numeric keypad is recommended in any case. It helps enormously. The best way to look up the keyboard shortcuts is to consult the Short cuts guide.

So far my crash course.

Have a nice weekend.

Stefan

[Jesse Kragiel]

Avid's basic system requirements are 16GB of Ram, but if I'm being totally honest, I'm running 19.5 on a 2015 MBP Retina with 8GB. No problems, but you'll be limited in how many plugins you can run at once, and you may be forced to commit your tracks or freeze them, but it can be done if you can't lay the cash out for a newer machine.

[Toby Davey]

Hi There everyone,

Thanks so much for all the comments, suggestions and advice.  You are all right that Pro Tools full version is best and that PT First is too much of a stripped down version to work with VoiceOver.

It's a real shame as I don't need the music side of Pro Tools and unlikely that I am going to need more than 8 tracks for what I want to use PT for.  For me at the moment paying out about £25 a month is not something I could afford however, I would be happy to pay for a one off price a stripped down version of PT if it fully worked with VoiceOver.

I know there are other DAW out there which do what I want from PT but I want to use a control surface to scrub through the audio with a jog wheel and control the tracks of the mix with faders.

I had hoped that PT First would have been the solution for me.  I am going to have to think hard about getting some cash together for the full version of PT. 

This group is great and thanks again. 

Best 

Toby  

[Dammie Onafeko]

Hi Toby:

A great afternoon to you. You don't have to pay that much at all. I
don't know where you got that info. If you're a student, you'll only
need to pay $100 for yearly subscription and some change for the full
purchase. Don't walk away now. Call Sweetwaters Sounds to see what
your options are. Give it a shot before you bid it a farewell.

Best wishes,

Dammie

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Pro Tools Accessibility" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to ptaccess+u...@googlegroups.com.
> To view this discussion on the web visit

> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ptaccess/5c1dae41-9d0b-437b-8e80-b50b70bb227c%40googlegroups.com.

[Steve Martin]

Once again, probably committing blasphemy on the pro Tools list, but have you looked at GarageBand. It may fit the bill for what you need on a budget. Control surface support is rather limited though but for a one time upgrade fee of $199 there is Logic and you will have much greater variety of controller support than you will have in Pro Tools, and more flexibility with editing workflows over GarageBand,  Regarding Pro Tools Your First Purchase will be $599 if you buy it outright and that covers a year of updates then you  can renew the license yearly for as little as $99. There is student discount available as well both for logic and pro tools so that’s also an option if it applies in your case.  

If you already have a Mac GarageBand is free so grab it and check out the GarageBand section of https://logic.band and see if it works for you.