Mixes usually need to be turned around quickly.  They also need to be good.  So if you’re in the hot seat, it’s best to get a handle on the automation techniques in Pro Tools that allow you to work well and efficiently.  Fortunately with the arrival of Pro Tools 9, all of the professional automation features can finally be had on even the smallest of setups.

Hopefully you’re already familiar with the basic automation modes of read, write, latch, and touch.  These modes form the core of the mixing functionality within Pro Tools, but it’s the advanced options beyond these functions that really make Pro Tools shine.

The first additional automation feature that Pro Tools 9 brings to the equation is Latch Prime.  Previously only available in Pro Tools HD, Latch Prime is an advanced automation option for any track that you set to latch mode.  It allows you to change any automatable parameter on that track (or tracks) while stopped, and have it immediately start writing the change when you hit play.  For instance, let’s say you want to make your reverb plugin change over to a different setting on a scene-change.  Here’s how Latch Prime enables you to do this with the greatest of ease.

– First, set your reverb aux track’s automation mode to “Latch.”
– Second, go to Preferences –> Mixing and check the box for “Allow Latch Prime in Stop”
– Third, find your scene change and place your insertion point there
– Fourth, open your reverb plugin (whose parameters all must be automation-enabled) and change its setting; you will notice that its automation mode selector will hilight in red, indicating that the track is “primed”
– Fifth, hit play and watch as Pro Tools automatically starts writing your new reverb setting!

Since the track is in latch, it will simply keep writing the new setting until you stop it by either hitting stop or auto-matching out.   It goes without saying that this only makes sense for tracks in latch mode; touch or read logically don’t behave this way.  Write-mode of course does, but it also JUST KEEPS WRITING, which is why it’s dangerous and often avoided.

Basically Latch Prime gives you the benefit of write mode without the danger.  That’s a great thing!

To add even more power to Latch Prime, add a “Write on Stop” option on your Automation Enables window.  First bring up the automation window by hitting cmd-4 or going to the Window Menu and choosing Automation.  Then under “Write on Stop” I recommend either turning on “write to end” or “write to next break point”.  Now when you stop playback after doing a fader move, the value you left the fader at is written to the end of your session (or the next automation break point on that track).  This dramatically speeds up background/ambience mixing as well as music mixing.  It’s also incredibly helpful for SFX tracks when the same sound is used over and over throughout the program (and hopefully has been cut on the same track each time!).

So to recap, a few very powerful starting tools for speedy mixing in Pro Tools are the Latch Prime preference and “write to next break point” on the Automation Enables window.