Suggested PT Session Interchange Guidelines

This article was written by Charles Dye. Look for news, updates, and contact info at www.charlesdye.com

Making the PT World A Better Place
There once was a time in the not too distant past when you could immediately go to work after opening up a reel of two inch from another engineer, after simply glancing at the track sheet. In the last few years, with Pro Tools replacing the tape machine on so many projects, the amount of time between opening a session and going to work has definitely increased. It has even caused a number of high-end mixing engineers to hire a separate operator and add an extra half-day to all their mix sessions just to make sense out of the session and all its tracks.

Why is this? And why did it used to be so easy? The answer is that over the years engineers developed a number of conventions with linear tape and track sheets that, when they opened up the tape box they pretty much knew what to expect, and after looking at the track sheet to confirm a few basics they could start pulling up the faders. Up until now with PT, no real conventions of this kind have been established. That’s what the Suggested PT Session Interchange Guidelines attempt to do. They are a set of recommended guidelines and practices that will aide in improving session interchange. If followed they can make the transferring of sessions from one engineer/operator to the next – from pre-production to recording/overdubbing and to mixing – as seamless as possible.

These Guidelines should be seen as a living document. I’m sure they are not complete, and in some cases not appropriate for everyone’s actual work situation, but they are a starting point at helping all of us work together more efficiently.
Introduction
It is important to note that I am intentionally not reinventing the wheel. Many of these suggestions are simply adapted versions of common practices that were established for recording with tape, but made to apply to Pro Tools. These guidelines are based upon my experiences with guiding recording projects from initial composition through mix, while working the entire time with Pro Tools. Along the way, many new practices were devised to replace the organization and record keeping methods that no longer applied to this new medium. Over the years, I have refined them, distilling them down to this set of basic guidelines.

The guidelines focus mainly on how the engineer/operator can organize, cleanup, and save their session data at the end of the day to make the next person’s job a lot easier. The guidelines are meant to help projects where the sessions are being passed from one operator to the next and for those where there is only one operator on the entire project. When followed, they can eliminate much confusion for all operators, provide answers to anticipated questions, solve certain problems before they arise, and shorten the time between the point at which the next operator opens the session and when he/she is able to go to work.

There are different guidelines depending on the work being done with the sessions, and they breakdown into essentially two different types. Recording Sessions – those being used for pre-production, recording, and overdubbing work. And Mixing Sessions – those being prepared for mixing, or in the mixing phase, either on a console or inside Pro Tools. So, let’s take a look at the guidelines.

Recording Sessions
These guidelines are for sessions at any point during the pre-production, recording, and overdubbing phase.

The Basics

Always label audio tracks before recording.

This will prevent audio files from being named “Audio 01-01”, which makes it difficult to differentiate and locate them later.

Use comments section liberally.

This is very important. Include any information you feel may assist future engineers in understanding your or the producer’s intentions.

Always label busses.

This is a tremendous timesaver for the next engineer.

When Creating a New Session

Create some form of tempo map in the conductor track.

This should be one of the first things done during the basic tracking session, or at least at the earliest possible stage. You can simply place a single tempo marker at the beginning of the song, use Beat Detective to create a Tempo Map, or import from a MIDI sequence. Editing in bar/beat grid mode is one of biggest timesaving aspects of Pro Tools. If there is no tempo information, this benefit is lost.

Create Memory Location markers of song’s arrangement.

This may be imported with the tempo map from a MIDI sequence. This allows all operators after you to quickly understand the structure of the song and easily move about.

Always record or create an audio click track. Keep at the top of the session if possible (shown or hidden).

There are no track limitations, and therefore there should always be a click track.

Include key and modulation information in Get Info…

It’s nearly essential when tuning tracks, just as tempo information is useful when setting delay times. Give key with additional accidentals. Example: “Key: G min w/ A, C#.”

Cleaning up

Clean all edits and punches, put in crossfades if necessary, and insure that there are no clicks and pops.

This is simply considered good Pro Tools etiquette and greatly appreciated by all who follow you.

Consolidate tracks into solid audio starting from the beginning of the session when you are completely finished editing them.

This has many benefits. Among them, it improves session playback, lessens the number of audio files and crossfades, simplifies archiving and restoration (fewer files), and, by starting from the beginning of the session, it is a second way to confirm sync.

Always print tuned tracks to another track when you are finished tuning them.

It is not a good idea to leave auto-tuning plug-ins inserted and expect that they will always playback the same, or that the next system will have enough DSP power.

Delete all tracks that are no longer needed in the session.

This will also make the session more manageable.

Periodically delete redundant or unnecessary playlists.

Depending on your working style, it is possible for the playlists to become very cluttered and unmanageable. To make it easier to find alternate takes in the future, delete those you don’t need.

Remove unused audio files before closing the session.

Doing this after doing the above two items will really clean out all the files in the session that you were no longer using. This makes the session even more manageable, lessening the number of files for archiving and restoration. (Caution: Do NOT Delete unused audio files. This is something you should do ONLY when you fully understand the command after reading the manual. This command will permanently ERASE files from your hard drive and cannot be undone.)

Organization

Try to leave tracks organized in an order that makes sense to you when closing the session.

Possibly in the same order as you might organize them on a tracksheet (for example: drums, perc, bass, gtrs, etc.). This really makes the next operator’s job much easier when they are trying to get a feeling for what elements are in the session so they can go to work.

Keep the Aux Input returns of submixed tracks (e.g., BG Vocals) adjacent to the source tracks.

Along with labeling the busses, this makes it much easier to track the routing of the audio.

Keep FX Returns (Aux Inputs) and Mix Bus (Master Fader) preferably to the right and bottom, or optionally at the left and top.

This makes it much easier than if they are scattered about the session.

Deactivate, mute, hide, and generally move to the bottom/far right all tracks that are no longer being used in the song.

As tracks accumulate and multiple versions of the same instruments begin to appear, this is the clearest way to communicate that these tracks are no longer being used. Usually they are just being kept for reference purposes. Clearly label in the comments section why they are not being used.

Keep all tracks that are still being used in the session showing and generally to the top/far left.

When the next operator opens the session, this easily communicates which tracks are currently active. If tracks are hidden that are playing, especially in larger sessions, it can really slow things down when the operator is trying to locate something.

Additional Items

Keep a recent Rough Mix labeled with the date on a pair of tracks at the top of the session.

Very useful when anyone wants to see how something sounded previously.

Use Mute Regions instead of muting with automation to mute audio tracks.

This is preferred for a number of reasons. First, it visually tells you what is being used and what’s not, as well as letting you see parts you may want to unmute later. Secondly, it is more reliable because the automation can be turned off later and your mutes will not be maintained.

Optional Suggestions

Using send and return (aux inputs) routing for reverb, chorus, and delay effects is generally preferred instead of inserting them on the audio tracks.

This is much more DSP efficient, and how these effects are traditionally handled anyway.

Mixing Sessions
The following guidelines are for sessions that are being prepared for mixing, either on a console or inside of Pro Tools. These steps should be followed in addition to the Recording Sessions guidelines above. Certain guidelines are repeated because their application – or the reasoning behind them – may have changed.

The Basics

Use comments section.

If you didn’t before, you may now include any notes that will assist the mixing engineer, including the producer’s suggestions for effects + processing on specific tracks.

Label any unlabeled busses.

Make sure that all busses being used are labeled for the mixer.

Make sure that some form of tempo map is in the conductor track.

If this has not been done yet, simply place a single tempo marker at the beginning of the song and confirm that it stays in time until the end. If it doesn’t, quickly use Beat Detective in Bar resolution to create a tempo map from the click track, kick drum, or main drum loop. Alternatively, you may import a tempo map from the original MIDI sequence.

Make sure that there are Memory Location markers of the song’s arrangement.

This may be imported with the tempo map from the original MIDI sequence. This allows the mixer to quickly understand the structure of the song and easily move about.

Make sure that the key and modulation are in Get Info…

This does not imply that the mixer should be left to tune any tracks. This should definitely be done before they receive the session. Nonetheless, it can be very useful if the mixer hears something that needs to be tweaked. Give the key with additional accidentals. Example: “Key: G min w/ A, C#.”

Print “Final Rough Mix” labeled with the date on a pair of tracks at the top of the session.

It is standard to send a rough mix out when sending multitrack masters out to be mixed. With Pro Tools, you can make it even easier for the mixer by printing the rough on a pair of tracks (or by bouncing and importing it) into the session.

Plug-Ins

All essential plug-ins should be printed to another track.

If the sound of a track must include the sound of any inserted plug-ins, you should definitely print them to another track. If, for any reason, the receiving system can’t play back these plug-ins, an important element will be lost from the production. Do not assume that other Pro Tools systems will have even the most common plug-in if it is essential to your sound.

Leave in only nonessential plug-ins that the producer would like the mixer to reference and remove the rest.

These you should not print. If the mixers had these plug-ins in their system, they can reference them and afterwards deactivate them. The rest of the plug-ins should be removed, because, after all, this is what mixers are hired to do.

Automation

If volume automation is used to fade-in or fade-out of regions, replace it with created audio fade-ins and fade-outs.

One of the first things most mixers do is turn off the automation when mixing to a console or delete all of it if mixing in Pro Tools. Following this guideline is the only way you can be sure that the intended fades are maintained.

Use Mute Regions instead of muting with automation to mute audio tracks.

In conjunction with reasons outlined above, this also allows you to mute parts that the producer isn’t sure whether he or she will want in or out. This also allows the mixer to easily find them.

All nonessential automation should be deleted.

Generally speaking, automation is not useful to the mixer – this, as well, is what he/she have been hired to do. Therefore, most automation should not just be turned off – it should actually be deleted.

Any automation that the producer may want kept should be labeled clearly in the comments.

At this point, there probably won’t be any automation. If there is, just make sure the mixer knows why it’s there and how it’s supposed to be used.

Make Sure You Have These Elements

Before sending the session out to mix, look it over a few more times to double-check that you have these very important items:

Every track is there that is supposed to be.

All parts are there that are supposed to be on each track.

All flys have been completed.

All comps (composite tracks) are completed and clearly labeled.

The correct lead vocal is there and VERY clearly labeled.

All tuned tracks have been printed to another track and are clearly labeled as tuned.

Never send a session out to be mixed without printing the tuned tracks.

If the lead vocal is tuned, always leave a clearly labeled untuned version of the vocal.

This gives the producer and mixer the option to switch to the untuned track for any sections they prefer that way.

Optionally, you may leave untuned versions of other key tracks that were tuned. Label clearly.

Cleaning up

Once you know you have everything, go through and clean out everything you don’t need.

Clean up tracks by going through them and deleting loud noises and other extraneous elements that you don’t want in the mix.

This does not mean to clean the tracks to the point of sterility. Leave in elements that give the performance character and life, such as breaths on the vocal tracks. Just delete those elements you are certain you don’t want to be in the mix, similar to when a multitrack master is cleaned up before it is sent out to mix.

Check that all edits and punches are clean, put in crossfades if necessary, and make sure there are no clicks and pops.

At this point in the process it is no longer PT etiquette, this is essential.

Consolidate tracks into solid audio starting from the beginning of the session when you are completely finished editing them.

At this stage, this can present the mixer with the cleanest possible session. A 64 track session could potentially have only 64 files and no fades, all starting from the beginning of the session. It will be very clean, easy to look at, and easy to see where things are. As well, all files will have the same starting point, down to the sample, should there be any question about sync.

Delete all tracks that are not needed for the mix.

This will also make the session more manageable.

Delete all playlists that are not needed for the mix.

At this point, you should really trim down your session to just the tracks that are needed for the mix.

Remove all unused audio files before closing the session.

Doing this after completing the above two guidelines should bring your session down to just the files that will be needed for the mix. This will make the session extremely manageable, really consolidating the number of files for archiving and restoration. (Once again, do NOT Delete unused audio files. This command will permanently ERASE files from your hard drive and cannot be undone. Please consult your manual.)

Organization

Put tracks in an order that makes sense to you.

Put them possibly in the same order as you might organize them on the console (for example: drums, perc, bass, gtrs, etc.). This will be greatly appreciated by the mixer.

Keep the Aux Input returns of submixed tracks (e.g., BG Vocals) adjacent to the source tracks.

Along with labeling the busses, this makes it much easier to track the routing of the audio.

Place FX Returns (Aux Inputs) and Mix Bus (Master Fader) preferably to the right and bottom or optionally at the left and top.

Doing this makes it much easier than if they are scattered about the session.

Leave any optional tracks showing, but muted and clearly labeled in the comments as to their status.

This applies to any parts that the producer has not decided whether to include or not at the time of sending out the session. Explain this clearly to the mixer in the comments.

Deactivate, mute, hide, and generally move to the bottom/far right any remaining tracks that are no longer being used, but are being left for reference.

After having cleaned out all unneeded tracks, there may be a few left over that aren’t intended for the mix but that the producer wants to keep for reference. Clearly label in the comments section why they are not being used and then deactivate and hide them.

Keep all tracks that are to be mixed showing and to the top/far left.

Nothing is more confusing and a waste of time to a mixer than not knowing what to mix. Please, make sure that all the tracks for the mix are showing.

Leave comments showing for the mixer to see when opening the session.

At this point, you may have left a number of important comments to the mixer. The best way to make sure the comments are seen to save the session with the comments showing. When the mixer opens it, he/she will see the comments immediately.

Mixing on a Console

Route outputs as you would like them to come up on the console whenever possible.

If you have more tracks than you have outputs for, route all the remaining tracks to the last two outputs.

Mixing Inside Pro Tools

Leave tracks routed to Outputs 1-2, or routed internally through a stereo bus and then routed to Outputs 1-2.

In Conclusion
So, there is Version 1.0 of the Suggested PT Session Interchange Guidelines. The full Guidelines actually include a third type of session not included here, and that’s Final Archive Sessions. They are still being finalized, but as I said before, the Guidelines are a living document, so for the latest version you can always check my website @ charlesdye.com. I’ll put all updates and additions there. I hope you find these Suggested Guidelines useful and that they help make your work process more productive. They certainly have for me.

Knowledge Base