

What can you do with the numeric keypad in Pro Tools? In short, a lot, but I’ll explain my own most frequently used shortcuts first. The important message here is that extended keyboards are indispensable if you want to use Pro Tools efficiently, and for the rest of this article I’m going to illustrate just some of the ways getting to know the numeric keypad can make your Pro Tools experience faster and easier. Without a numeric keypad, neither of these approaches is possible a way around the second would be to open the Memory Locations window by hitting Command+5 on the numeric keypad, except, well, you probably see the problem. Next, I’ll audition points of interest for closer inspection by recalling the dropped markers using the numeric keypad. To do this, I’ll listen to the song and drop markers as I go using Enter on the numeric keypad. In a typical preparation session, when I’ve received a project and am preparing it for mixing, I’ll use markers to delineate the sections of the song this makes session navigation quicker and helps build a mental picture of the arrangement.

I have come to rely on extended keyboard shortcuts throughout the editing and mixing process. USB or Bluetooth number pads are available, as are extended keyboards - but they represent one more thing that you have to remember to bring, charge and carry around with you.
#Pro tools 2018 mac keyboard short cuts Pc
Using Pro Tools without an extended keyboard is like trying to type while wearing gloves: it’s possible, but it’s really frustrating.Ī small number of large PC laptops have numeric keypads, but these aren’t very common, while Apple have not only left them off their laptops, but have also started shipping desktop machines with laptop‑style compact keyboards as the default option. However, I find the experience of using it on such a machine frustratingly inefficient unless I’ve had the foresight to bring an extended keyboard with me. This is not because of performance issues: a well‑specified laptop is more than capable of running a large Pro Tools session. In 2018, it seems odd that it shouldn’t be possible to use the program efficiently on a portable computer, but that is definitely my experience. I had the misfortune of using Pro Tools on a laptop this week. To get the most from Pro Tools, you need an extended keyboard - and here’s why. The standard Return key on a Mac laptop can act as an Enter key if you hit Fn before pressing it, thus allowing you to drop markers on the fly.
