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Troubleshooting (and Avoiding!) Common Problems in ProTools

We all have technical difficulties from time to time, especially when using software as intricate as ProTools.  But, after years of making what seems like every mistake in the book, hanging out on Avid DUC, and stalking Gearslutz.com, I pride myself in my ability to overhear frantic technical freakouts and supply solid advice on the best course of action. Here are a few of the problems I see most often, and how to get through them while salvaging as much of your work and sanity as possible.

 


Problem: My Session Is Missing Audio Files

This happens all the time.  And as a supervisor, nothing is more annoying to than sitting down to review work and then finding that not everything links up.

How to Solve It

When you open a session with this issue, a dialogue box will pop up tell you that you have missing files.  Always choose “Manually Find & Relink.” Letting your computer automatically do so will take forever. Select the files you wish to relink (hopefully, all of them), and check out the path.  This will tell you where the session believes that the files live. Most likely, this will be on another drive or another computer. Once you see where the files are, you have a few options:

  1. Plug in the drive that contains the files, select that drive in the area to search, and choose find links and then commit links once the files have been found.  At that point, any files which were missing will still be missing from your audio files folder. They will only be linked to the session when the drive is plugged in.  So, you will then need to “Save Session Copy In” to save a session which does include all audio files.
  2. If you know that the files also live somewhere else on your local computer (such as a library drive), relink to that drive. Again, you will need to Save Session Copy In if you would like the files to be saved into your audio files folder where they belong.
  3. Find all of the missing files manually, and then drop them into your session’s audio files folder.  Then, relink to that folder. You may need to choose to relink the file name only if it does not work to use file name and ID.  There is no need to Save Session Copy In.
  4. If the files ARE in fact in your audio files folder, but ProTools isn’t recognizing them, you may need to search your audio files folder and relink by file name only instead of file name and ID.  Every once in a while, the file IDs become corrupt, and ProTools mistakenly can’t use them to locate your audio files.

How to Avoid It In the Future

When saving your work to give to another person or to take to another computer, always use either Save Session Copy In or Export Selected Tracks as New Session.  Doing so gathers all audio files that are linked to your session from locations other than your audio files folder (like if you didn’t have “copy on import” selected or chose to import tracks by linking to files instead of copying) and copies them into the new session’s audio files folder so that they live in one place.  If you simply click and drag your working session’s folder, any files which are linked from other locations will not be copied and will be missing once the session has been moved.


Problem: My Session Keeps Crashing While Saving

This is one of the most aggravating things that can happen and always seems to occur at the end of a really long day. But there’s hope!

How to Solve It

In my experience, the most likely culprit is that your drive is near capacity.  Check the drive to which you are attempting to save, and make sure to clear off enough space.  Even if you technically have just barely enough space, this can cause the bits to be written in every tiny nook and cranny on your drive, which makes it take forever to process the request.

If drive space isn’t the issue, then you’re probably dealing with a corrupt file.  Here are your options:

  1. Close your session, open the most recent backup in your Session File Backups folder and save it off with the correct name (if you can). Then, you’ll need to redo any work between that backup and where you ended.
  2. If the above does not work, then there is probably a corrupt file somewhere in your session.  The next thing to try is to close your session, create a whole new session (checking that all of your settings such as frame rate, sample rate, etc. are the same), and then import all of your tracks through the Import Session Data file menu.  Make sure to copy all audio files instead of linking.

How to Avoid It In the Future

Keep track of your available drive space at all times.  Have a system in place for archiving old work onto separate drives to make sure that your project drive always has space.


Problem: Whenever I try to use the function keys to change tools or modes, nothing happens, or another application opens.

If you’re working on a mac, you will need to disable the function key features in order to select your tools/modes with the keyboard function keys.

How to Solve It

Open System Preferences, and click on Keyboard. Then, check the box that says, “Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.”

How to Avoid it in the Future

Once you check this setting, you won’t have to think about it again until you purchase a new computer or reinstall your operating system.


Problem: All of the waveforms appear to have the audio zoomed in to different degrees.  Quiet-sounding files have waveforms that look huge and vice versa.

This is the result of using the audio zoom in function when you are not showing all tracks.  Clicking on the audio zoom in/out button only affects clips which are visible in your current display of tracks.  When you show all tracks, the newly displayed tracks will have non-zoomed waveforms. Yet, the audio which was visible when you zoomed in/out will continue to display the new size.

How to Solve It

To reset all waveforms to their actual size, use the quick key Control+Option+Command+[ on a mac.

How to Avoid It In the Future

If you want to avoid this issue altogether, only zoom your waveforms while all tracks are visible. Otherwise, the key command is a very quick fix.


Problem: I keep spotting my video into place, but when I re-open my session, the first frame of the video is off by a frame or more.

This is most likely the result of having your session set at an incorrect frame rate.

How to Solve It

  1. Open your video in QuickTime and hit Command+i to get info.  This will display the video’s frame rate.
  2. In ProTools, open your Session Setup window and choose the corresponding frame rate.
  3. Re-spot your video into place.

How to Avoid It in the Future

Always check the frame rate of your video in Quicktime before importing into ProTools. If you prefer not to do this, your video track in ProTools displays the frame rate below the track name. If your video’s frame rate does not match your session’s frame rate, the number will appear red. Change the frame rate in your Session Setup window to match the video.


Problem: I keep spotting my video into place, but the ProTools timecode display gets further and further away from the timecode burned into the video.

This issue is known as drift and is the result of having your session set to an incorrect frame rate.

How to Solve It

  1. Open your video in QuickTime and hit Command+i to get info.  This will display the video’s frame rate.
  2. In ProTools, open your Session Setup window and choose the corresponding frame rate.
  3. Re-spot your video into place.

How to Avoid It in the Future

Always check the frame rate of your video in Quicktime before importing into ProTools. If you prefer not to do this, your video track in ProTools displays the frame rate below the track name. If your video’s frame rate does not match your session’s frame rate, the number will appear red. Change the frame rate in your Session Setup window to match the video.


Problem: I accidentally worked on a project at the wrong frame rate.  When I was done, I set the frame rate to the correct one in the Session Setup window, but now everything is out of sync.

If you have already begun working on a project with your session set to the wrong frame rate, you cannot fix the problem by simply setting your session to the correct frame rate.  You must perform a sample rate conversion to re-sync your work.

How to Solve It

  1. Open your video in QuickTime and hit Command+i to get info.  Check the correct frame rate of the video.
  2. Open a new ProTools session with the correct sample rate and bit depth.
  3. Open the Session Setup window and choose the new (correct) frame rate to match your video.
  4. Go to File > Import Session Data, and navigate to your project, which was done at the wrong frame rate.
  5. Select all of your tracks, and make sure you are copying all audio (not linking).  Click the Apply SRC checkbox, and choose the correct pull-up/pull down from the Source Sample Rate dropdown menu. To do this, choose your sample rate from the bottom of the list and then choose which direction you need to adjust.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Import your video, and re-sync it to your session.
  8. Check that the timecode burn-in matches the ProTools timecode window.  Your audio should be in sync.

How to Avoid It in the Future

Always check the frame rate of your video in Quicktime before importing into ProTools. If you prefer not to do this, your video track in ProTools displays the frame rate below the track name. If your video’s frame rate does not match your session’s frame rate, the number will appear red. Change the frame rate in your Session Setup window to match the video.


Problem: I was working in ProTools, and now my computer is displaying the “spinning beachball.” I can’t click on anything.  What should I do?

Your session has crashed.  You will need to force quit and open one of your backups (and pray that it was set to back up fairly recently).

How to Solve It

  1. Use the key command Control+Option+Command+Esc to bring up the force quit window.
  2. Force quit ProTools and any other applications that are listed as not responding.  If you still cannot click on anything, you may want to force quit the Finder as well.
  3. If that does not work, you will need to “hard restart” your computer by holding down the on/off button on the computer until you hear it restart.
  4. Once you are able to use your mouse again, navigate to your Session File Backups folder and choose the most recent version. You will need to redo any work that was accomplished after that copy was saved.
  5. Re-save this as your original file name and it will replace your previously saved session.

How to Avoid It in the Future

Crashes are unavoidable. But, you can usually get used to which actions in ProTools are most likely to bog down your system. Take note of what you were doing each time this happens, and try to avoid it in the future. If a particular file is causing the crash, try to save a new copy of the file, or revert to an old version which doesn’t cause the issue.

Shannon Deane – Post-Production Engineer and Stunt Car Driver

Shannon Deane has been working in post-production sound for over 15 years. Shannon has been working as a freelance engineer for the last ten years, and her specialties are sound design, editing, and mixing for film, TV and new media. She owns, operates and works as creative director and ninja for DeaneCreative.

Shannon attended The University of Texas (UT), graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Radio-TV-Film, with a concentration in audio. While at UT, Shannon’s interest in post-production audio was piqued with an assignment to recreate a scene from a movie using only audio, entirely from scratch/field recordings. “My partner and I chose a prison riot scene from the film Carandiru, based on actual events at the prison in Sâo Paulo, Brazil. Hearing the scene come to life as we added layer after layer of sound was exciting to me. There’s something magical about being able to evoke emotions through sound alone.”

Shannon reflects on this assignment “I wouldn’t say this project single-handedly led me down the sound design rabbit hole, but it does stand out as having had a notable impact on me and my choice to pursue post sound seriously.” But her internship at Emmis Austin Radio would, as it soon led to a job doing sound design/production for a cluster of six commercial radio stations in Austin, TX. “My boss, Jimbo, was a huge inspiration to me – he was a fantastic mentor. He’s an exceptionally talented creative mind who always offered me thoughtful guidance, insight, and encouragement, all with the patience of a saint.”

KaosBriefAnarchy

Shannon has worked on a variety of projects and mixed small gigs with Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell. She has worked on a full season of the Brody Stevens Show for Comedy Central and done sound design for Netflix internal projects, which she found amazing but challenging due to crazy turnarounds! Some of Shannon’s favorite gigs “are actually the smaller ones, where I got to wear many hats. I did full post sound on a feature called The Kaos Brief, which is a supernatural thriller. I got to design “alien” sounds from the ground up, combining a lot of arguably opposing elements to get the effect I wanted. I regularly collaborate with a talented artist/director named Nadav Heyman, whose stories always speak to me in a powerful way. Our styles totally clicked right off the bat, and it’s a joy to work with another artist that you’re so in tune with creatively.”

Shannon is also a touring, recording musician playing guitar and bass, production sound mixer, and she spent seven years as a music instructor.  She also had a brief detour working a stunt driver. Yes, you heard that correctly a stunt driver.  Shannon explains how she stumbled into this “I was chatting with a college friend years ago at a party, whom I didn’t realize had become a stunt coordinator. When he discovered I had a background in martial arts, roller derby, bike racing, etc., he asked: “why aren’t YOU doing stunts?” I paused for a second, laughed, and said: “I don’t know.” He hooked me up with local stunt guru Richard Hancock, and I ended up training with him and getting little movie parts here and there for about three years until I moved to LA. My favorite gig was doubling a lead actress in a car chase scene, in which I spent nine hours power sliding around corners and smashing into another car. The other car caught fire at the end of the day (not planned).”

What do you like best about post sound?

I love that every day is different, every project is different, and I get to be creative with basically everything I put my hands on.  Picture is obviously essential, but if the sound is no good, then, well…bad sound can ruin a film or show. Mediocre sound is almost as bad – the image will never live up to its full potential. As a sound designer, I have to be sensitive to the needs of the project. What’s the best choice for x or y project? The answer is whatever helps tell the story the best – whatever drives the story, compliments it and makes it as compelling as it can possibly be.  I have to be objective and subjective at the same time – as an artist, you have your own ideas about what might sound cool, and you can get attached to specific ideas, but you have to be objective enough not to get married to something if it just isn’t working. Filmmaking is a collaborative endeavor, and I like the process of balancing my own creativity with that of the editor, director, writer, etc. I’m always striving to compliment the stories and images in ways that are unique or exciting. I may not achieve that to my satisfaction with every project, but I sure get a lot of opportunities to do so, and sometimes I feel like I succeed. That’s extremely rewarding.

What is your favorite day off activity?

I race motorcycles, so you can usually find me on a motorcycle of some sort. Or a bicycle. I also train Muay Thai and Gracie Jui-Jitsu.

What if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

The sheer volume of talented folks in this industry, especially here in Los Angeles, means you have to work really hard to stand out and keep work coming in, especially as a freelancer. You have to be driven, passionate, and extremely persistent. I’m still a tiny fish in this big pond, but I feel fortunate to have built a solid client list of talented folks, and it just keeps growing and growing.

How have you dealt with them?

Perseverance. Never give up. It’s been challenging at times, but I buckled down and kept driving forward, and I’ve found that the reward has been great as a result.

Advice you have for other women and young women who wish to enter the field?

If you’re truly interested in and/or passionate about a career in audio, don’t let anyone or anything stop you. It’s a male-dominated field, but who cares? I don’t let that intimidate me, and neither should any other female. Gender doesn’t matter. I’m in this because I love it, and that’s all that matters. So stay focused on what you want and never lose sight of your goal.

Also, don’t feel like you have to do it alone. Seek out mentors, don’t be afraid to ask questions, be humble and be a kind human. Also, don’t be scared to make mistakes and don’t be afraid to fail. It’s often out of the failures and mistakes that we learn and grow the most. Cheesy? Maybe. But it’s true.

Must have skills?

Know your gear! For me, that means Pro Tools, synths, MIDI controllers, plugins, and production sound gear for gathering original sounds. Take the time to learn as much as you can about the tools of your trade. Once you’ve gained a decent level of technical proficiency, you can get right to the (arguably more fun) business of being creative with your sound.

Favorite gear?

I’m biased, but my Manley Ref C and VOXBOX are staples in my studio. I record 99% of my VO through them and even do a lot of Foley with them as well. Output’s Arcade is a really rad tool for sound design. It’s easy to use, and highly customizable. You can drop in your own loops and manipulate them on the fly. (Full disclosure – I create content for Output). I’m a huge fan of Native Instruments stuff, as well as Soundtoys plugins. Izotope, Altiverb. I love my Grace Designs m906 monitor controller, and my Universal Audio Apollo for ease of use and sound, especially for the price point.

What are your long-term goals?

To be as good as I possibly can at what I do. To tell stories that matter. To represent the under-represented whenever possible. I’d like to be able to collaborate with as many talented people as possible with the time I have, and hopefully, leave behind some art that really matters for generations to follow.

Shannon’s Studio

 

 

Post-Production

SoundGirls Panel Discussion: Career Paths in Film & TV Post-Production


Interviews & Articles

7 Sound Alternatives to Working for Free

Favorite Foleys Ele Matelan

La La Land’s’ (Female) Sound Team Wants More Women Behind the Camera: Young People “Don’t Even Know These Roles Exist”

La La Land’ sound mixer Ai-ling Lee makes Oscar history with an ‘invisible’ art . . . and car horns

Breaking the Sound Barrier: 4 Top female audio professionals share the secrets of success

Description of different jobs in Post-Production Sound

How to Succeed in Sound Design for Games, Animation and Television – with Anne-Sophie Mongeau & Kate Finan

The industry is smaller than you think’ Grey’s Anatomy re-recording mixer shares thoughts on sound (Karol Urban)

Emmys: ‘Game of Thrones’ Re-recording Mixers Onnalee Blank & Mathew Waters on the Epic “Battle of the Bastards

In the Spotlight… Sophia Hardman, Foley Mixer at Twickenham Studios

In Conversation with Emma Butt

Interview with Sound Editor Lucy Johnstone

Meet Jane Tattersal: Sound Supervisor for Penny Dreadful

Meet Paula Fairfield Sound Designer on Game of Thrones

Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (Midge Costin)

Vickie Sampson reflects on a 40-year sound editing career


Podcast Episodes

Tonebenders Podcast

The Tonebenders podcast is a resource for anyone involved in post-production sound, with insights on everything from field recording to editing, designing and mixing in the studio. One of their co-hosts is Teresa Morrow, who is a re-recording mixer based in Toronto.

The Right Scuff Podcast

Industry Related

Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE)

Cinema Audio Society (CAS)

  • CAS has interviews and articles in their Quarterly Magazine
  • CAS has student memberships and the CAS Student Recognition Award

Glass Elevator

  • Glass Elevator is a networking and skill sharing tool for professional women in the industry.  It is a free, membership-based international community. Membership grants you access to peer-to-peer career advancement classes, social events, a searchable database of our Member Directory and an internal Avail Check system.

Women in Post Production PR List

  • If you’re interested in sharing your knowledge publicly and help the ongoing issue of industry panels and events with all men, join this list! More on Why All-Male Panels Matter.

Sites about Post-Production Sound

Designing Sound The Art and technique of sound design

Soundworks Collection is dedicated to profiling the greatest and upcoming sound minds from around the world and highlight their contributions. The SoundWorks Collection was created in 2009 by filmmaker Michael Coleman as an online destination that takes you behind the scenes and straight to the dub stage for a look into audio post-production for feature films, video game sound design, and original soundtrack composition.

Boom Box Post provides insights into the creative sound design process of Boom Box Post’s owners and employees.

Sound Libraries for Post-Production & Music

BBC Sound Effects

The Alan Lomax Collection at the Library of Congress

The Acoustic Atlas collects the sounds of Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, along with habitats and species from throughout the Western United States.

Yellowstone National Park release massive catalog of ambient sounds into the public domain for your sampling pleasure Soundly

Free Sound Effects Library

ProSound Effects

Sonniss.com

You can build your own medieval soundscapes in this interactive website. Based on extensive research on Mystery Plays, it allows you to explore how the plays could have been affected by acoustic changes and sounds.

Film & TV Production Sound

 

Workshop in Sound Post-Production

SoundGirls is excited to offer this workshop in Post-Production Sound with Katy Wood a freelance sound supervisor and sound editor. Katy’s career spans over 20 years working in sound for film and television. She has worked on projects ranging from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, American Sniper, A Wrinkle in Time, and Ant-Man and the Wasp to compelling documentaries like Disarm, Girl Rising and No Dress Code Required.  Katy will be joined by Stephanie Brown an assistant sound editor, Brittany Ellis and Unsun Song who work as Mix techs, and Onnalee Blank who is a re-recording mixer.

Space is limited to 12 SoundGirls Members. Apply and Register here

(Times below are approximate)

Bios:

Katy Wood is a freelance sound supervisor and sound editor originally from New Zealand. Her career in sound for film and television has spanned the last 20 years and four countries. She has worked extensively in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Katy has covered all aspects of sound production and post-production on projects ranging from large feature films, such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, American Sniper, A Wrinkle in Time, and Ant-Man and the Wasp to compelling documentaries like Disarm, Girl Rising and No Dress Code Required. She has a Masters Degree in Film and Television Specializing in Sound from the Australian Film Television and Radio School. In addition, Katy has taught courses on sound post production in Australia, Mexico, and Chile.

Stephanie Brown is a freelance sound editor who has 19 years of experience in the business. She started off as an intern and worked her way up to being a dialogue and ADR supervisor on projects such as ‘The Dirt’ (upcoming Netflix feature) and ‘The Disaster Artist.’ She is also a dialogue editor whose most recent work is ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ and ‘Antman and the Wasp.’ Her career has afforded her opportunities to also work on foreign language dubbing of big studio features such as ‘Aquaman,’ ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ and ‘Wonder Woman,’ to name a few. She has also sound supervised documentaries such as ‘Bigger, Stronger, Faster’ and ‘Crips and Bloods: Made in America.’ She currently serves on the Board of Director for the Motion Picture Editor’s Guild (Local 700) and has a Bachelor of Science in Recording Technology from Middle Tennessee State University.

Brittany Ellis is an Indie feature re-recording mixer and feature and television Mix Technician who works primarily at Warner Bros. Burbank in California. She grew up in Northern NJ and went to school at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). She obtained her sound design BFA and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her passion to become a re-recording mixer for artistic works.

Unsun Song has been a film sound industry professional for 20+ years. She studied Music and Audio Engineering at USC, and through connections there got her first gig at Soundelux sound editing company.  From there Unsun had moved onto mixing stages, having working on almost all major studio feature stages in Los Angeles, mainly Universal Studios and now Warner Bros Studio Dub Stage 9. This premiere stage mixes films for Christopher Nolan, Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips and Ben Affleck, to name a few. 

Onnalee Blank is known for her work on Game of Thrones (2011), Apollo 18 (2011) and Never Back Down (2008)

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