Utilizing the Smart Tool in the Edit Window of Pro Tools

Many Pro Tools users are not aware of the amazing editing power of the Smart Tool. The Smart Tool combines the Trim tool, Selector, and the Grabber into an editing machine that allows you to perform any number of edits without changing modes and is selected by clicking the bar that resides below the three aforementioned tools. Placed in the top half of the waveform, the cursor acts as the Selector tool, in the bottom half it’s the grabber. With the cursor at the top edge of a region, you can access fades while the bottom of the waveform will let you access the Trim tool. One especially nifty feature of the Smart Tool is the ability to access crossfades at any point where two regions meet. This can be especially handy for fixing spots in the recording where a mistake was made. By dragging a different take into the track, you can trim the two regions down to where the mistake has been replaced, and then using the Crossfade Tool to blend the two regions into a seamless edit. Mastery of the Smart Tool will potentially shave hours off editing of Pro Tools sessions.