From the course: Pro Tools 2021 Essential Training: 101 - The Basics

Timeline selections versus edit selections - Pro Tools Tutorial

From the course: Pro Tools 2021 Essential Training: 101 - The Basics

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Timeline selections versus edit selections

And they affect your playback range. You can make a timeline selection with any edit tool, and it will act like a selector tool edit tool, and it will act like a selector tool when you're working in the timeline. when you're working in the timeline. You can also adjust your timeline selections You can also adjust your timeline selections using the timeline selection in and out points. These are the blue, down-pointing arrows These are the blue, down-pointing arrows that you'll see at the start and end of the selection, and they can be used as handles to adjust the selection boundaries. Another way to adjust your timeline selection is by using the start, end, or length fields in the transport window. in the transport window. So here we have the timeline selection starting at bar 4, beat 3, tick number 000, and ending at bar 6, beat 3, tick number 480. If I want the selection to start at bar 5 instead, I can just type that value in and hit enter, or return, to change the start location. to change the start location. So, again, the timeline selection affects your playback range, and you can use this to determine the portion of the session that you want to listen to. Now, an edit selection is a selection that's made on one of your tracks in the track playlist area. As we've seen before, we can use the selector tool to make an edit selection, and that will affect any edits that we make on the track. For example, if I were to hit the delete key at this point, the selected range gets deleted. I'll use undo to bring that back. Now, the edit selection can also be adjusted using numeric values. In this case, we'll type in the values in the edit window toolbar. So, if I wanted to make this selection end exactly at bar 6, I would type 6 here and hit return. And now I have a selection starting at bar 3 and ending at bar 6. Now an edit selection normally creates a timeline selection as well. timeline selection as well. You'll notice, in this case, that my edit selection is here on the track, and up above I have a here on the track, and up above I have a timeline selection in the rulers. timeline selection in the rulers. That's normal behavior, and it's useful for That's normal behavior, and it's useful for basic operation and general purpose work, because it allows you to play back the range you're editing. because it allows you to play back the range you're editing. This behavior is based on the Link Timeline and Edit Selection option, which is available under the Options menu here, and can also be toggled on or off in your edit window toolbar, using the button here. Now notice this button location has moved in Pro Tools 2019. So if you're working on an earlier version, you'll see the same button in a slightly different location. Now I highly recommend leaving this option enabled for the work you're doing in this course. for the work you're doing in this course. So those are some basics for creating and working with selections in Pro Tools. If you want to set a selection for playback purposes only, you can use a timeline selection by clicking and dragging in a ruler. To make a selection for edit purposes, work in the tracks playlist area. And to simplify working with selections, be sure to keep the Link Timeline and Edit Selection option enabled.

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