Pro Tools Books

As a relative newcomer to the world of Pro Tools I was more than a little under-whelmed by the documentation that comes with the product. Like so many manuals have become, the included Pro Tools documentation is more about telling you in painstaking detail what every menu item does, but not how to actually use the product effectively. Even the demonstration DVDs that came with our Pro Tools HD2 system do not do much more than scratch the surface.

So, I started searching around for some good books on the subject and hit pay dirt. The first is Pro Tools for Musician’s and Songwriters. At first blush the title makes it sound like this would only be applicable if you are indeed a musician or songwriter, but that is not the case. Simply put, this is one of the best technical manuals on a piece of software I’ve ever read. The author takes you from the very beginning on how to set up and use Pro Tools correctly and effectively all the way through the recording and basic editing processes. She not only explains the what of the software but the why. It doesn’t get terribly advanced, but gives you a fantastic foundation from which to build. The author also has a web site where she personally answers questions from those whom have purchased the book. Highly recommended for anyone new to Pro Tools and trying to find your way around.

The second book I found is called Multi-Platinum Pro Tools and is the complete opposite of the first book. In this one it is assumed you know your way around Pro Tools reasonably well, and the primary focus is on editing, not recording. It does a good job of detailing specific software settings that you should use to make editing easier and more efficient, but the real gem in this book is getting the “inside scoop” from a real Nashville producer/engineer as to how he actually works. The root of his method is called “pocketing”, where you take the recorded tracks and hyper-edit them so that everything – bass, drums, vocals, etc — are time-aligned corrected and “in the pocket” rhythmically. Some purists would find such micro-editing of tracks abhorrent, but such is the way much modern music is produced, so if you’re looking for “that sound” this book will tell you how to get it. The authors also have a web site where you can purchase instructional DVDs to further enhance what the book has started.