101 study guide-student

P r o T o o l s 1 0 1 S t u d y G u i d e Greetings! Congratulations on taking a first step into the world of official Digidesign training. The entire curriculum, created by leading professionals spanning the globe, can take you from the very basics of Pro Tools operation all the way up to the highest expert levels. The Pro Tools 101 is more than just an introductory class – it’s a thorough exploration of the essential skills of being a Pro Tools user. The techniques you explore in this level will serve you throughout your entire Pro Tools career. With that in mind, we’ve created this study guide to help you prepare for the Pro Tools 101 exam. Thanks, and good luck!

The Pro Tools Training and Education Program at a Glance The Digidesign Training & Education Program includes courses designed for Operator- and Expert-level certification in Pro Tools, VENUE, and ICON systems. Within the Pro Tools training path, students can choose a Music or Post-Production emphasis. The available courses and certification levels are shown below.

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The Pro Tools Training and Education Program at a Glance

The Pro Tools 101 Exam The Pro Tools 101 exam is an online, timed, multiple choice exam, designed to test your knowledge of Pro Tools. This format is used throughout our courses. Since this is the first time you’ll be taking the exam, let’s take a moment to go through the details of the exam: Exam Policy

• Exam Attempts: Students are given two attempts at the online exam for the course they have completed (for example Pro Tools 101: Introduction to Pro Tools). In the event that you require more than two attempts, each subsequent attempt will incur a Retake Fee, and may require additional study at the discretion of the training center. For attempts requiring a Retake Fee, you will be presented with a web page asking for valid credit card information. You will need to provide this information before the next attempt at the exam will begin.

• Passing Grade: Digidesign sets a 90% passing grade on each of the online exams. Once a passing grade is achieved you are then eligible to proceed to the next level of the Digidesign Training and Education Program.

• Exam Location: All Digidesign exams must be taken at an Authorized Digidesign Training Partner facility.

• Exam Environment: All exams are to be taken under full exam conditions, including no books (“closed book”) and with the Pro Tools application closed.

Exam Procedure: Sometime prior to or during the course, your Instructor will add your name and e mail information into the exam system, and you will receive an email from Digidesign informing you of your Digidesign Training account log in details. Save this information; you will need it to log in for the exam.

1. When your Instructor is ready for you to take the exam, you will go to the Digidesign Home page, and from there, go to the “My Digi” homepage, as shown here:

2. Next, you must enter your e-mail address and password, as provided by e-mail from

Digidesign. Enter your information and click Login:

3. Once in your “My Digi” page, click the “Take Exam” link as shown below:

4. From the next page, again enter your e-mail address and password, and click Login:

5. The next page is the last page before the exam starts - click the “Click Here to Begin your

Exam” link, and the exam will begin. Good luck!

Preparing for the Pro Tools 101 Online Test The Pro Tools 101 online test is structurally like any of our exams. These questions will challenge not only specific recall, but conceptual understanding as well. While these questions are designed to be appropriately difficult, the purpose of the exam is not to trick you, nor is it designed to test your ability to take a test! When approaching the online exam, here are a few things to bear in mind.

• Breathe. You’ve got an hour to complete 50 questions, which is more time than most students need to submit their answers. It’s important to remember that individual questions are not timed, but rather the exam as a whole, so you’ve got time to spend on the more difficult questions. Relax!

• Read. When students are hurried or stressed, they often race through

questions with only a cursory read – resist this temptation. As with all of our exams (and the Expert exams in particular), the devil is in the details, and skipped words (like “not”, “never”, or “always”) can become very important.

• Read – Again. Even if you understand the question completely, it’s

important to completely read the answers as well. In some cases there are multiple correct answers, and your job is to pick the best answer. For example, take a look at this question:

Which is a synonym for “smart”?

a) Brilliant b) Dull c) Genius d) A and C e) None of the above – “synonym” is a spice

In this case, though answers A and C are both correct in and of themselves, answer D is the best and most comprehensive answer.

• Trust. Our questions have been designed to test you, not to deceive you,

and we’ve avoided “trick” questions. That doesn’t mean that they won’t be puzzlers – just that they’ve been made with fairness in mind.

Pro Tools 101 Core Concepts Knowing what details to focus on is key to successful completion of this course and the exam. The following list provides a summary of the core concepts that students should be comfortable with after completing the Pro Tools 101 course and prior to progressing on to Pro Tools 110. Many of these topics are represented in the 101 online exam:

• General Audio Concepts

o Frequency and Amplitude • Range of Human Hearing

o Sample Rates and Bit-Depth • What do they give you

• The Nyquist Theorem • Dynamic range

• What do they cost you • Quantity • Storage considerations

o Tip: Storage calculations (always start with Sample Rate x Bit depth = bits per second)

o Red Book Audio CD Specifications o Digital Audio transfer

• Different connection types o Terms and Acronyms

• DAW • DSP • DAE

• System Information o Power-up sequence o HD/LE/M-Powered Comparison

• Sample Rate • Track Count • Expandability • Interfaces

• Pro Tools General Information

o Files and Hierarchy • Audio File formats

• Where are they stored (by default)? • Wav is default • SDII – 48K sample rate maximums

• Fade Files • Session File

• What’s in it, what’s not • Pointer-based DAW theory • Regions

o Whole-file vs. subset o Opening a session

• Different methods (including Workspace Browser) o Saving Session

• Save • Save As

• You continue working on the copy • Save Copy

• You continue working on the original • Allows for session attributes (sample rate, bit-

depth, etc.) o Configuring your system

• Playback Engine Options • Hardware buffer

o When to use different settings in an LE system

• I/O Setup Window o Primary windows

• Edit • Mix • Transport

o Tracks • Track types • Changing track order • Changing track heights

o Rulers • Ruler views • How to show, how to hide • Timebase vs. non-timebase (or conductor) rulers

o Menu General Rules

• How do you launch the transport window? • Scrolling options? • Playback modes? • Undo History?

• Recording o Creating a Click Track

• What kind of track is it? • What does the “click” plugin do?

o Starting a recording • Editing

o Importing Audio • Using the workspace browser • When is conversion needed? • Importing interleaved files

o Playback • Loop Playback

• Minimum duration for loop playback o Edit Modes

• How are each different? • Including absolute vs. relative grid • How do edit modes affect cut or trimmed regions?

o Edit Tools • Trim

• Reverse Trim • Zooming

• Zoom Presets o Setting presets

• Zoom Toggle o Including options

o Making Selections • Making selections during playback • Adding selections to multiple tracks

o Undo • Maximum levels of Undo • Changing undo levels • Using the Undo History window • What can be undone vs. what cannot be undone!

• Mixing

o Signal Flow • Inserts • Sends

o Using Memory Locations • Creating • Recalling • Different Memory Location Types • Maximum # of memory locations (Note: The version of

Pro Tools is an important factor!) o Automation

• Know what makes each automation mode unique • Editing automation with the Grabber tool

• Create automation breakpoint • Move automation breakpoint • Delete automation breakpoint

o Plug-ins • The EQ and Dyn III plugins and how to use them.

o Bounce to Disk • Basic Shortcuts

o Do to all o Recording o Zoom out to see longest track o Transport Numeric Keypad mode shortcuts o Tab and Tab to Transient o Nudging

• Regions • Selections • Start/End only • Nudging and edit modes

o Toggling between notes/regions view on MIDI-based tracks

• MIDI

o Specs • Channels

o MIDI Signal Flow • Using the traditional MIDI/Aux track combination • Using a single Instrument track

o Digidesign Virtual Instruments • Structure Free

o MIDI Defaults • Tempo • Key Signature

• Video o Importing o Editing o Bouncing to Quicktime

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