Every Pro Tools engineer will find themselves in a session where they need to make a quick and accurate music edit.

Although there are many ways to accomplish this, (just ask 10 engineers and you’ll get 10 different opinions) here is the tried and true method I use time and again with consistent results.

In this instance we are not locked to any tempo map so cutting to a bar and beat grid is not an option. (I know, we could take Beat Detective and bla bla bla, but hey, we’re just starting out learning to edit down a two track mix, so let’s keep it simple) So . . . when editing a music track I like to think in terms of cutting at transients such as kicks or snares.

Lets say you want to cut out a four measure repeating chorus phrase and the vocal line has a pick up on the “and” of beat 4, meaning the vocal begins on the 8th note prior to the downbeat, or beginning, of the 4 bar phrase you want to delete. The snare that hits exactly on beat 4, prior to the vocal entrance, looks to be a wonderful candidate for the “edit in” point. And beat 4 of the fourth measure you want to delete will be your “edit out” point. So now lets follow along with this foolproof edit scenario.

First, select the “ballpark” edit “on the fly” by starting playback enough in front of your potential edit point so that you know where you are in the song, and while remaining in play, hit your “down arrow” key as you reach beat 4 prior to the 4 bar phrase you want to delete and press the “up arrow” key as you reach beat 4 of the last measure you want to delete, and then hit the spacebar to stop playback. You will now have an approximate 4 measure “selection” ready for deletion.

* Please note that if your selection disappeared after you stopped playback then you have the ”Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker Follows Playback” box “checked” in the Preferences/Operation Menu.

This mode is what I refer to as “tape machine” mode because that’s the way your Pro Tools responds when you hit play and stop, i.e. just like an analog tape machine. Personally, I normally only use this mode when I am trying to transcribe some music. Otherwise I usually leave this box unchecked. Also remember it is very easy to toggle between these two modes, whether you mean to or not, by touching the “N” key right above the space bar when you have “keyboard focus” engaged. Now back to the edit . . . Hit “F1” to put you in “shuffle” mode and then hit the “delete” key to delete your 4 bar selection. Now zoom in close on the edit and, while remaining in “shuffle”, open up the edit with the “trim” tool so you can see the transients of both snares. Now “click and drag” with the selector tool from the peak, or transient, of the first snare to the peak, or transient, of the second snare, and then hit “delete”.

Next, add a short “Full Power” crossfade on that edit and you are golden!

Now lets reiterate these moves so you can see that this is all really quite simple. And just like everything else in the Pro Tools editing world . . . once you have the technique under your fingers then you won’t really think about the process, you will just be making lightning fast, perfect edits every time.

So here it is again:

• make the selection to delete “on the fly”
• in shuffle mode - delete the selection and zoom in
• open the edit to expose both snare “transients” in the waveform
• select similar peak to peak from both snares and hit delete
• in slip mode - open the edit to the left of the snare and add a “Full Power” crossfade

Once you have mastered this simple technique (which shouldn’t take you long) you may soon find some other shortcuts that work for you. One might be utilizing “Tab to Transients” to find the your edit in and out points. Especially now that we have a shortcut in the latest Pro Tools release to toggle “Tab to Transients” mode. (opt + comm + tab), which is very cool. Still, I find the way Pro Tools “determines” the transients a little quirky and inconsistent at times, so I normally wouldn’t use “Tab to Transients” in this particular instance. But hey! That’s just how I do it. Figure out what works best for you and carry on my wayward . . oh sorry, showing my roots again . . .

Happy Choppin’!