®

Pro Tools | First Installation Guide

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 Contents

Installing Pro Tools | First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Pro Tools | First Software Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
System Requirements and Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Creating your Avid and iLok Accounts for Pro Tools | First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Installing Pro Tools | First Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
First Avid Loopmasters 1.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Avid Application Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Launching and Authorizing Pro Tools | First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Configuring Pro Tools | First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Uninstalling Pro Tools | First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Optimizing a Mac System for Pro Tools | First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Optimizing a Windows System for Pro Tools | First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Backing Up Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
What’s Next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Contents iii
Contents iv
Installing Pro Tools | First

Welcome to Pro Tools® | First from Avid®. This • Audio processing with up to 10 real-time
guide documents how to install and authorize your plug-ins per track, depending on your
Pro Tools | First software on Mac and Windows computer’s capabilities
systems. • Up to 10 sends per track
For detailed information on configuring your • Up to 24 internal mix busses (mono or stereo)
system, and for complete information about for routing and mixing
Pro Tools First software capabilities and func-
tionality, see the Pro Tools | First Help (avail- For information about the I/O capabilities of
able from the Help menu in Pro Tools | First). your audio interface, see the documentation
For tutorials on using Pro Tools | First, see the that came with your audio interface.
Introduction to Pro Tools First.pdf.

System Requirements and

Pro Tools | First Software Compatibility
Capabilities Pro Tools | First can be used with any qualified
Pro Tools | First software provides the following audio interface running on a qualified Windows or
capabilities, depending on your hardware Mac computer.
configuration: An internet connection is required to download the
• Support for up to four channels of audio input Pro Tools | First installer, and to log in and create
and output (depending on audio hardware) projects.
• Up to a total of 16 audio tracks (mono or stereo) Avid can only assure compatibility and provide
per session support for hardware and software it has tested and
• Up to 16 Auxiliary Input tracks (mono or stereo) approved.
• Up to 4 Master Fader tracks (mono or stereo) For complete system requirements and a list of
• Up to 16 MIDI tracks qualified computers, operating systems, hard
• Up to 16 Instrument tracks (mono or stereo) drives, and third-party devices, visit:
www.avid.com/compatibility
• 32-bit floating point audio resolution, at sample
rates up to 96 kHz (depending on your
hardware) MIDI Requirements
• Non-destructive, random-access editing and mix USB, FireWire, and PCI MIDI interfaces work
automation effectively with Pro Tools | First systems on Mac
or Windows.

For a list of supported MIDI interfaces and

controllers, visit www.avid.com/support.

Installing Pro Tools | First 1

 Hard Drive Requirements Your iLok Account
Pro Tools | First can only record to the system Create an iLok account if you don’t have one al-
drive. Ensure that you have enough free hard drive ready. Your iLok account manages your Pro Tools
space for recording audio. For optimal audio software and plug-in authorizations. It is free to
recording and playback, make sure that this is an create your iLok account. If you have an iLok USB
Avid-qualified hard drive. key, you can store your authorizations on your
iLok. However, if you don’t have an iLok, you can
For information on qualified hard authorize Pro Tools | First on your computer in-
drives for use with Pro Tools | First, stead.
visit www.avid.com/support

Installing Hardware Drivers Installing Pro Tools | First

Before installing Pro Tools | First, ensure that you Software
have installed your audio and MIDI hardware
After you have created your Avid Master Account
interfaces (if any) and that you have installed the
and iLok ID, you can download the installer for
latest drivers for your hardware (if any). Refer to
Pro Tools | First from your Avid Master Account
the documentation that came with your hardware
and install Pro Tools | First software on your
for more information. For Avid audio interfaces,
computer.
visit www.avid.com/drivers to download and
install the latest drivers for your device. Before installing Pro Tools | First, refer to the
included Read Me for late-breaking informa-
Pro Tools | First will not recognize your audio
tion and any known issues.
interface if you do not install the drivers.

Installing Pro Tools | First on

Mac
Creating your Avid and iLok
Accounts for Pro Tools | First To install Pro Tools | First on Mac:

To get started with Pro Tools | First and create your 1 Download the installer for Mac from your Avid
Avid Master Account and iLok account, visit Master Account. After downloading, make sure
my.avid.com/protoolsfirstactivation and follow the the installer is uncompressed (.dmg).
on-screen instructions.
2 Locate and double-click the Pro Tools First disk
image.
Your Avid Master Account
3 On the disk image, locate and double-click In-
Create a new Avid Master Account or log in to stall Pro Tools | First.pkg.
your existing Avid Master Account (my.avid.com).
4 Follow the on-screen instructions to install
Your Avid Master Account gives you access to
Pro Tools | First.
downloads, Marketplace purchases, support, and
more. An Avid account is required to download 5 When installation is complete, click OK.
and activate Pro Tools | First.

2 Pro Tools | First Installation Guide

Installing Pro Tools | First on
Windows Avid Application Manager
The Avid Application Manager is installed with
To install Pro Tools | First on Windows:
Pro Tools | First. The Avid Application Manager
1 Download the installer for Windows from your is used to manage your software entitlements re-
Avid Master Account. After downloading, un- lated to your Avid Master Account.
compress the Pro_Tools_First_Installer.zip file.
The Avid Application Manager helps you maintain
2 Once the .zip file is uncompressed, locate the
Pro Tools | First software and audio plug-in up-
Pro Tools First folder.
dates that you are entitled to when new versions
3 In the Pro Tools First folder, locate and double- become available. For more information about the
click setup.exe. Avid Application Manager, see the Avid Applica-
tion Manager Guide (available online through the
4 Follow the on-screen instructions to complete
Avid Knowledgebase).
the installation.
5 When installation is complete, click Finish.
Starting Up or Shutting Down
Your System
First Avid Loopmasters 1.0 To ensure that the components of your system
First Avid Loopmasters 1.0 sample pack provides communicate properly with each other, start them
500 MB of royalty fee audio loops and sounds. in the following order.
This content is automatically accessible through
the Soundbase window in Pro Tools | First and in- Start up your Pro Tools | First system in this order:
stalled in the following locations depending on 1 Lower the volume of all output devices in your
your operating system: system.
Mac OS X /Users/<username>/Documents/ 2 Turn on any MIDI interfaces and devices.
Pro Tools/Sound Libraries/
3 For systems with audio interfaces that require
Windows \\Users\<username>\ external power, turn on the hardware. Wait at
My Documents\Pro Tools\Sound Libraries\ least fifteen seconds for the audio interface to
initialize.
4 Turn on your computer.
5 Launch Pro Tools | First (see “Launching and
Authorizing Pro Tools | First” on page 4).

Installing Pro Tools | First 3

 Shut down your Pro Tools | First system in this • On Windows, double-click the Pro Tools
order: First shortcut on your desktop (or the applica-
1 Quit Pro Tools (on Mac: Pro Tools > Quit, or on tion in Program Files\Avid\Pro Tools First).
Windows: File > Exit).
4 When the Pro Tools activation screen appears,
2 Turn off or lower the volume of all output de- click Activate.
vices in your system.
5 Log into your iLok.com account.
3 Turn off your computer.
6 When the list of available licenses appears, se-
4 For systems that use an audio interface that re- lect the license for Pro Tools | First and click
quires external power, turn off the hardware. Next.

5 Turn off any MIDI interfaces and devices. 7 When prompted, enter your iLok.com account
credentials and click Next.
6 Turn off any control surfaces.
8 Select either your computer or your iLok (if you
7 Turn off any external hard drives.
have one) as the location for the license and
click Next.

Launching and Authorizing 9 After activation is complete, click Continue to

Pro Tools | First launch Pro Tools | First.

The first time you launch Pro Tools | First you are 10 On launch, you are prompted to sign in to your
prompted to authorize your software using your Avid Master Account with your registered
iLok.com account credentials with the iLok Li- email address and password. Enable the Keep
cense Manager application. Once your computer me signed in option if desired.
or your iLok USB key is authorized, you will be 11 Click the Sign In button and sign in to your Avid
able to launch Pro Tools | First without having to Master Account.
go through the authorization procedure again.
You can also sign out or sign in while
For information about iLok license manage- Pro Tools | First is running by choosing
ment, visit www.ilok.com. File > Sign In.

To launch and authorize Pro Tools | First software: 12 In the Dashboard window, do one of
1 Make sure your audio interface (if any) is the following:
connected to your computer and powered on. • Create a new project from template.
2 Make sure that you are connected to the internet • Create a new blank project.
(this is only necessary the first time you launch • Open an existing project (if any).
Pro Tools).
• Click the Cancel button to configure
3 Do one of the following: Pro Tools | First without a project open.
• On Mac, click the Pro Tools First shortcut in For more information about the Dashboard
your Dock (or double-click the application and projects, refer to Pro Tools | First Help
icon in Macintosh HD/Applications/ (Help > Pro Tools | First Help) or the Intro-
Avid/Pro Tools First). duction to Pro Tools First.pdf.

4 Pro Tools | First Installation Guide

 Default Output
Configuring Pro Tools | First
From the Default Output selector, select stereo out-
Before you get started using Pro Tools | First put channels on your audio interface or the built-in
software you should configure Pro Tools | First to sound of your computer that you want to be the de-
meet the specific needs of your studio. Launch fault output channels for newly created tracks.
Pro Tools | First, cancel out of the Dashboard This also controls your audition path and what is
window, and configure the Setup options. displayed for the main output meters in both the
Edit and Transport windows.
For detailed information on configuring your
software, see Pro Tools | First Help (which is
Sample Rate
available from the Help menu in
Pro Tools | First). If no project is open, the Sample Rate selector lets
you specify the sample rate for new projects and
Playback Engine your audio interface (not all audio interfaces sup-
port all Pro Tools | First sample rates). If a project
The Playback Engine lets you select your audio in-
is open, the sample rate of the project is displayed.
terface and set the default stereo channel outputs
for Pro Tools tracks. You can also optimize the au- Optimize Engine For
dio engine for recording or playing back audio.
Select one of the following options for optimizing
the audio engine. Note that you will want to switch
between these two options depending on whether
you are recording audio and MIDI or if you are
playing back and mixing audio.

Record

Select the Record option for recording in

Pro Tools | First. This option provides the lowest
Playback Engine dialog
latency between the audio input and output of your
Playback Engine audio interface. The option is also useful for reduc-
ing performance latency if you are playing Virtual
From the Playback Engine selector, select your au- Instrument plug-ins from a MIDI controller.
dio interface or the built-in sound of your com-
puter for playback and recording in Playback
Pro Tools | First.
Select the Playback option for playback and mix-
When Windows Audio Device is selected as ing with plug-ins. This option introduces notice-
the Playback Engine, you can choose both an able latency between the audio input and output of
Input and Output device. Avid recommends your audio interface, so it is not intended for mon-
that the same device be selected for both In- itoring while recording or for real-time perfor-
put and Output. mance of Virtual Instrument plug-ins. However,
this option is optimized for plug-in processing, as

Installing Pro Tools | First 5

 well as audio and MIDI playback. If you encounter Uninstalling Pro Tools | First on
problems in sessions with lots of plug-ins when the Windows
Record option is enabled, try using the Playback
option instead. To uninstall Pro Tools | First on Windows:
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
Hardware Setup 2 Click Programs and Features.
Configure your audio interface using its own Con- 3 Click Uninstall a program.
trol Panel (consult the manufacturer’s instructions
for information specific to your audio interface). 4 Select Avid Pro Tools First from the list of
installed applications.
To configure your audio interface: 5 Click Uninstall.
1 In Pro Tools | First, choose Setup > Hardware.
6 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove
2 Pro Tools | First launches the Control Panel for Pro Tools.
your audio hardware.
Note that you will have to uninstall plug-ins
3 Configure your audio hardware to suit your (such as Avid Effects), as well as any audio and
needs according to the manufacturer’s instruc- MIDI device drivers separately.
tions.

Optimizing a Mac System for

Uninstalling Pro Tools | First Pro Tools | First
If you upgrade from Pro Tools | First to the full To ensure optimum performance with
version of Pro Tools, be sure to uninstall Pro Tools | First, configure your computer before
Pro Tools | First before installing the full version launching Pro Tools | First.
of Pro Tools.
For a complete list of recommended optimiza-
tions for your operating system, visit
Uninstalling Pro Tools | First on www.avid.com/optimize.
Mac
Before configuring your computer, make sure you
To uninstall Pro Tools | First on Mac:
are logged in as an Administrator for the account
1 Make sure you are logged in as an where you installed Pro Tools | First. For details
Administrator for the account where on Administrator privileges in Mac OS X, see your
Pro Tools | First is installed. Apple OS X documentation.
2 Go to Applications folder and locate
Do not use the Mac OS X automatic Software
Pro Tools | First.
Update feature, as it may upgrade your sys-
3 Drag the Pro Tools | First application to the tem to a version of Mac OS that has not yet
trash and empty the trash. been qualified for Pro Tools. For details on
qualified versions of Mac OS, visit
www.avid.com/compatibility.

6 Pro Tools | First Installation Guide

Turning Off Energy Saver • “Show Dashboard”
• “Mission Control > Move left a space”
To turn off the Energy Saver feature:
• “Mission Control > Move right a space”
1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple
menu. • “Mission Control > Switch to Desktop n”
• Under “Keyboard & Text Input”
2 Click Energy Saver.
• “Turn keyboard access on or off”
3 Set the Computer Sleep setting to Never.
• “Move focus to the window drawer”
4 Set the Display Sleep setting to Never. • “Move focus to the Dock”
5 Deselect “Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when • “Move Focus to active or next window”
possible” option. • Under “Services”
• “Send File To Bluetooth Device”
Disable or Reassign Mac
Keyboard Shortcuts Used by • “Search With Google”
Pro Tools • “Spotlight”

To have the full complement of Pro Tools | First • Under “Spotlight”

keyboard shortcuts, you need to disable or reassign • “Show Spotlight search field”
conflicting Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts in the • “Show Spotlight window”
Apple System Preferences.
• Under “Accessibility”
To disable or reassign Mac keyboard shortcuts • “Zoom”
used by Pro Tools | First:
• “Contrast”
1 From the Apple menu, choose System Prefer-
• Under “Application Shortcuts”
ences.
• “Show Help menu”
2 Click Keyboard.
3 Click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. Enabling Journaling for Audio
Drives
4 You can disable or reassign Mac OS keyboard
shortcuts that conflict with Pro Tools keyboard To yield higher performance from audio drives,
shortcuts. The following list includes several enable journaling.
common Mac keyboard shortcuts that, depend-
ing on the make and model of your Mac, may To enable journaling:
also be used by Pro Tools: 1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in
• Under “Launchpad & Dock” Applications/Utilities.
• “Turn Dock Hiding On/Off” 2 Select the volume in the left column of the Disk
• Under “Mission Control” Utility window.

• “Mission Control” 3 Select Enable Journaling in the toolbar.

• “Application windows”
• “Show Desktop”

Installing Pro Tools | First 7

 Configuring System Standby and Power
Optimizing a Windows Management
System for Pro Tools | First
When using Pro Tools | First, the Windows Sys-
To ensure optimum performance with tem Standby power scheme must be set to Always
Pro Tools | First, configure your computer before On. This prevents long record or playback passes
launching Pro Tools | First. from stopping due to system resources powering
down.
For a complete list of recommended optimiza-
tions for your operating system, visit To configure Windows Power Management:
www.avid.com/optimize.
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
Before configuring your computer, make sure you
2 Click on System and Security.
are logged in as an Administrator for the account
where you want to install Pro Tools | First. For de- 3 Click Power Options.
tails on Administrator privileges, see your Win-
4 Click on the arrow to Show Additional Plans.
dows documentation.
5 Select High Performance.
Required Optimizations 6 Click Change plan settings.
To ensure optimum performance with 7 Click Change advanced power settings.
Pro Tools | First, configure the following settings.
8 In the Power Options dialog, reveal Hard disk >
When you are finished changing Windows Turn off hard disk after.
system settings, restart your computer. 9 Click Setting option.
Disabling User Account Control 10 Select the value in the Setting (Minutes) field
and press Backspace on your computer key-
To disable User Account Control (UAC): board or scroll the value to Never.
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
11 Click OK. The hard disk setting changes to Never
2 Click User Accounts and Family Safety. and the Power Options dialog closes.
3 Click User Accounts. 12 In the Edit Plan Settings window, click Save
changes and close the window.
4 Click on Change User Account Control settings.
5 Set the slider to Never Notify. Pro Tools | First automatically switches to the
“High Performance” Power Management set-
6 Click OK. tings on launch. Windows reverts to the previ-
ously selected Power Management settings (if
different) when exiting Pro Tools | First. Con-
sequently, when optimizing the Power Man-
agement settings for Pro Tools | First, you
should always only optimize the High Perfor-
mance configuration.

8 Pro Tools | First Installation Guide

Recommended Optimizations Disabling System Startup Items

Pro Tools | First can also be affected by other soft- The fewer items in use by your computer, the more
ware and hardware drivers installed on your com- resources are available for Pro Tools | First. Some
puter. For best possible performance, it is recom- startup applications may be consuming unneces-
mended (but not required) that you do the sary CPU resources, and can be turned off.
following:
If you disable any of the following startup items,
• Avoid running any unneeded programs at the do so carefully:
same time as Pro Tools | First.
• Portable media serial number (required for some
• Turn off any software utilities that run in the applications that utilize a copy protection key)
background, such as Windows Messenger,
calendars, and disk maintenance programs. • The Plug and Play service

• Turn off any non-essential USB devices while • Event log

running Pro Tools. • Cryptographic services

Optional Optimizations
To disable System Startup items:
1 From the Start menu, type “msconfig” in Start
The following system optimizations may help Search and press Enter to open the System
Pro Tools | First perform better on some systems. Configuration Utility.
It is recommended that you only try these optimi-
zations if necessary, as they may disable or ad- 2 Under the General tab, choose Selective Startup.
versely affect the functionality of other programs 3 Deselect Load Startup Items and click OK.
on your system.
4 Click Restart to restart the computer.
Adjusting Processor Scheduling
5 After restarting, the computer displays a System
To adjust Processor Scheduling performance:
Configuration message. Check to see if
Pro Tools performance has increased before
1 Right-click Computer and choose Properties. you deselect the “Don't show this message
2 Click Advanced system settings. again” option. If performance has not changed,
run “msconfig” and return your computer
3 Under the Performance section, click the Set- Startup Selection back to Normal Startup - load
tings button. all device drives and services. Alternatively, try
4 In the Performance Options window, click the disabling Startup items and non-essential pro-
Advanced tab. cesses individually.

5 Under the Processor Scheduling section, select

the Background Services option.
6 Click OK to close the Performance Options win-
dow.
7 Click OK to close the System Properties win-
dow.

Installing Pro Tools | First 9

 Backing Up Your System
After setting up your system and installing
Pro Tools | First, you should save an image of your
system drive using a backup utility. By doing this,
you can quickly restore your system configuration
and settings if you encounter any problems.

What’s Next?
Now that you have Pro Tools | First installed, au-
thorized, optimized, and running, start your first
project!

Check out the Intro Pro Tools | First.pdf (available

through your Avid Master Account), view some of
the Getting Started with Pro Tools | First videos
online at www.avid.com, refer to the online help
(Help > Pro Tools | First Help), and join the online
Avid Pro Tools community to discover what’s pos-
sible with Pro Tools as the instrument of your tal-
ent and creativity.

10 Pro Tools | First Installation Guide

Avid Technical Support (USA) Product Information
280 N Bernardo Avenue Visit the Online Support Center at For company and product information,
Mountain View, CA 94043 USA www.avid.com/support visit us on the web at www.avid.com