How to Record Guitar in Pro Tools

In this tutorial you will learn how to record your guitar in any version of Pro Tools (in 4 easy steps).

 

1. Get an Audio Interface

To begin you will need an audio interface to get started. This is what you will directly connect your guitar or microphone into, which in turn will connect via a USB into your computer. There are many options available to purchase, but today we will be using the Scarlett Solo by Focusrite.

For best results connect your guitar straight into your interface, bypassing all external pedals/ effects. This will give you a clean signal and a great starting point to play with everything Pro Tools has to offer. Adding effects to a clean signal is much easier then taking them away from a dirty one.

Note: It is important when first starting off to obtain as clean of a sound as possible, as this is ideal for mixing and mastering. The more experienced you are the more you can experiment with the pedals you have at home to capture the exact sound you want.

2. Setup Pro Tools

When you first open Pro Tools you will be given the option to create a brand-new blank project, or open one of the pre-existing templates. It is recommended to explore the pre-existing templates to get a feel for how to tackle and structure different genres, but for now we will be starting from scratch. To do so uncheck the “create from template” box and click “create” at the bottom right to begin. 

Welcome to Pro Tools! You should now see a blank workplace.

Now you will need to setup the playback engine to select which audio driver your computer needs to operate your hardware (Setup > Playback Engine). This will be the first step to setup your audio interface and speakers/ studio monitors. This should be a one-time setup unless you change your equipment down the line.

You will need to make sure you have all the correct drivers installed with Pro Tools. ASIO4ALL is recommended as it will cover almost all interfaces making this step as stress free as possible, and in our case is already connected. If you are using another driver or audio interface, you will see a drop-down menu to choose the different options.

Next you need to setup your hardware (Setup > Hardware). This will let you select the exact inputs and output you currently have plugged in and installed to your computer.

Note: Click the wrench icon in the corner to open the advanced options.

Make sure you also adjust your latency compensation once you are familiar with your speakers. Latency is the time it takes for your computer to interpret the signal coming from your guitar or microphone and send it through your speakers as sound. This may result in a slight delay in your output that needs to be compensated for.

Note: Latency compensation should be done after step 3, as you won’t be able to hear your guitar through your speakers until then.

3. Create a New audio Track

You are now ready to add your first audio track (Track > New). To record your guitar, make sure the settings are set to mono, and audio track. There are many different types of tracks that you can add to your workspace, but for now we’ll start with the basics. You also have the option to rename the track, which is useful when organizing a large project (can always adjust later).

Once you create the track, you will see it in your main workspace, but before you can use it you need to assign the correct inputs and outputs to the new audio track, that we just added to your system. If you don’t see the I/O section you can add it to your track by pressing the symbol at the top left of the track.

Next, arm your track to record by hitting the small record button on the right side. Arming a track is how Pro Tools knows which track you want to record on, which is needed when many tracks and instruments are being used in the same session. This will now let you hear your guitar being played through your speakers for the first time. You’ll know everything is working correctly when you see the sound meter levels reacting to your guitar.

Note: If the sound level is at the very top of the meter (in the red), you’ll hear unwanted noise making for a bad signal for Pro Tools to manipulate. Adjust the gain and/or volume input to be lower on your guitar and/or interface. Aim for the clearest input as possible. Latency compensation can also be adjusted at this stage. 

4. Record Your Guitar

With everything setup and ready to go, you are now ready to record your guitar! Press the Record Enable button at the top right of your screen, then hit the space bar or play button and Pro Tools will start recording. 

Click the space bar again or stop button to stop recording and save the audio you just played. You can now adjust and edit this track as you want to get the exact sound you are looking for. 

You can also add different effects on top of your audio file, using the built-in plug-ins Pro Tools has to offer, or third-party plug-ins available to purchase. To do so hit the blank space under the Inserts section of your track.

Many effects can be added on to one track, acting just as your external guitar pedals would, routing through your amp at home.

This is the basics of starting to record a track using Pro Tools, but there is much more that Pro Tools has to offer. Once you are an expert, you will breeze through all of this without a second thought. Keep learning and keep exploring all that Pro Tools is capable of!

Written by Mark Major

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If you need further help creating your own music, we offer audio production and online mixing services that will help you elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

We look forward to being a part of your success.

7 Ways Audiobooks Benefit You and Your Health

“Why listen to audiobooks when I can read an actual book?” A question I asked myself all the time when first hearing about the existence of audiobooks. I ended up doing some research on it to see if it was really for me and found out why people do listen to audiobooks instead of actually reading books. Here’s 7 reasons why audiobooks can greatly benefit you and your health for the better. 

1. Improve Listening Skills in Children

Developing something as important as listening skills in young children is crucial, given their age. This is where the majority of their learning skills are developed which makes it so that they are able to learn and adapt to things quicker - like a sponge. 

2. Build and Improve Your Own Literacy Skills

Who says we stop learning and bettering ourselves once we become adults? There is always room to grow and improve ourselves and it can start with the skills that we learned from young. Listening to audiobooks can help build up your literacy skills, particularly in those with learning disabilities or when it comes to learning a new language like English.

3. Positively Affect Your Sleep

Our screens have a blue light that impacts our eyes and brains in not a really great way. It can affect your sleep in drastic ways, making it hard for you to even get to the act of falling asleep. Steering away from the screen and occupying yourself with an audiobook can allow for a sooner and better night’s sleep. 

4. Reduce Negativity In Your Head

In place of unwanted thoughts, listening to something else can allow for a much more positive mood, disrupting any negative thought processes that may occur.

It also makes any menial, everyday tasks more enjoyable when listening to an audiobook while performing them and can assist in helping manage your time. 

5. Just Like Reading A Book

Minus the physical act of holding the book and reading it with your own two eyes, listening to an audiobook does cause the same activity in the brain as it would when having the physical copy in front of you.

6. Relax Your Eyes

On a daily, many people are staring at their screens for most of their waking hours. This can lead to many negative health issues such as poor eyesight, and blurred vision. Putting the phone down and listening to an audiobook can definitely help give your eyes a much-needed break.

7. Immerse Yourself Into Another World

Lay back, relax and fully immerse yourself into the world of the story. Many readers (like myself) visualize the words written across the page, or in this case, the sounds being delivered through our headphones. Through audiobooks, it can make this visualization much more real without the need to focus on what’s in front of us, but rather what we hear. 

Conclusion

There are many benefits to transitioning into audiobooks such as improved literacy skills in children and adults, time management skills, mood (diverting negative thoughts into positive ones), which can also lead to better sleep. It also helps with completely immersing yourself into another world within the pages without the distraction of hundreds of words laid out in front of you. Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, which ones are your favorites and why? Let us know!

Written by Tina Phong

If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audiobook production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales. 

Learn more here and listen to some of our audiobook samples.

7 Top Video Trends You Should Use for Marketing

It’s no secret when someone tells you that video marketing is the best type of marketing there is out there. They’re not only attention-grabbing, but very easy content to consume to the average watcher and if you can tell a story, then even better - this way it gets them hooked to the very end (and watch times are very important). 

But how do you know which way is actually the best way to showcase your product or service? Keep on scrolling to find out.

1. Social Media

There are 2 types of videos that go hand-in-hand with Social Media video trends:

• Ephemeral - temporary videos only available to the viewer for a 24-hour period. Social media platforms that make use of this particular style are Snapchat, and Facebook and Instagram stories.
  
  Due to the its limited time frame of accessibility, it makes this trend super effective as it can be very engaging (especially if you put a poll or quiz) and can in fact, be very addicting to the average social media user.

• Vertical - these types of videos have a higher completion watch rate compared to any other type of videos. In fact, 90% of people are more likely to complete a video that is vertical than one that is horizontal and has become a widespread format most, if not all social media gurus use.

Most people consume their online content through mobile devices, and thus, video marketing is adjusting accordingly to follow the trend alongside short and quick-to-the-point videos across all social media platforms.

Vertical videos is in and are definitely the way to go.

2. Live

Live videos became extremely popular due to the authenticity and naturalness of the entire video, as well as its connection to social media platforms. You are able to go live on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

While it can be used as a means to simply share something, it is also a cheaper alternative to running live shows especially with things turning that into the world of online since everything’s being done remotely.

However, while doing a live may seem as easy as clicking the ‘start’ button, to stand out (due to its growing nature), to put some work into the presentation to stand out from the rest.

3. Interactive

Out of all of the video trends, interactive video is the one that is most likely to grow even more traction than it already has. It allows for the viewer to directly interact with what is going on in the video, truly immersing them into the world created in the video.

Brands such as IKEA, Amazon, YouTube and Instagram have created interactive videos or more known as shoppable videos where you can shop while you watch.

On the other hand, you can also include polls or quizzes, or even reactions to your videos and live streams to add that interactive aspect with your audience especially depending on the platform.

Regardless of how you choose to make your video an interactive one, it is one of the best ways to engage people in the story you want to tell as you immerse them into another reality.

4. Personalized

Is literally as the name suggests: videos personalized and curated to a specific person. It could even be you! It typically includes the person’s name, email address, profile picture, pretty much anything that directly addresses the person and their interests. 

Personalized videos are so successful because it makes the customer feel valued and important and in turn, they’ll share what they receive to others (and this way you get free marketing!). 

And due to the increase in available insights and data to its users on social media, all the better to strategically market future products and services to its audience, catering to previous and loyal customers while also attracting new ones and increasing engagement. 

5. Animation

Who doesn’t love a good animated video? No matter the age, race or gender animated films are always a classic favourite.

Animated videos became of the utmost importance when in 2020, it was hard to shoot any real footage. Not to mention, being able to create them remotely allowed for businesses to close the gap in the lack of in-person meetings while still delivering their messages in a creative way, specifically in two methods:

• Fluid Animation - similar to that of the motion of water, fluid animation is made up of persistent movement and is rather simple to create. All you need are a few layers and one mask, and soon enough you’ll get people interested in what it is that you have to offer.

• Collage Animation - consists of a mix of photographs and illustrations whereas the animator cuts out parts of an image and combines them to create an animation with what they’ve gathered, making them stand out from the crowd.

6. Searchable

Allowing your video to be ‘searchable’ and ensuring that your SEO is performing at its best is what will make your video marketing strategy effective especially as YouTube, one of the biggest video streaming platforms.

Some tips on how to optimize your SEOs:

• Use keywords in the title and descriptions

• Create eye-catching and original thumbnail images

• Include tags, keywords that are trending and relate to your video

• And don’t forget to include subtitles and closed captions for those who prefer reading

7. Internal Communications

Internal Video Communications are typically used to onboard new employees via training/orientation shifts as a way to increase engagement, collaboration, and communication and will only continue to grow especially in 2021.

It is easily one of the best ways for people to learn as they are watching something on-screen, listening and thinking. It’s not a widely-used teaching strategy simply due to the fact of needing to plan, record, and edit the video and printing out a document, and doing a presentation.

However, more and more people are using it because of how 2021 has turned into whereas this is the most similar way to creating face-to-face and more personal interactions. Soon enough, this will be the norm of how to train new and onboarding employees.

CONCLUSION

So there you have it, the top 7 video trends for the year 2021, from vertical videos posted on social media, to live, interactive, and even training videos! It’s no doubt that video marketing is the smartest and easiest way to get an audience interested in what you have to offer. Which trend are you going to try next? Let us know!

Written by Tina Phong

If you need further help creating your own marketing videos, we offer video production services that will help you elevate your brand!

We look forward to being a part of your success. Contact us here to get started.