The Musician's Guide to Pro Tools

I got a copy of Pro Tools LE with my Mbox about a year and a half ago. I installed it but never really loaded it as I found the interface very confusing (I am not a pro audio person by any means). One day I up and decided to take some time and learn Pro Tools and I came across this book as it seemed to be the "definitive title" on the subject. If you're the step-by-step type this book's is definitely for you. If not, you may not like this book at all. Keane takes you step by (sometimes grueling) step on how to precisely use Pro Tools. Warning: It does get mind-numbing at times. For example, you'll see things like: "Step 23: Copy the F chord from bar 12|1|0 to bar 12|1|720 on guitar region 1. Step 24: Paste the copied F chord to guitar region 2 at 24|2|1." It may look easy, but if you lose focus you can really get lost at times and end up with a track not following the author's prescription. Regardless, if you take the time to do the exercises in this book you *will* learn your way around Pro Tools. Keane does not teach you how to mix, because that's a whole other subject, but he does teach the ins and outs of Pro Tools in a light, fun to follow manner. Now I am adept enough at Pro Tools to inflict my horrible music upon the world. At least now I have enough skills to cut and paste my way out of my lack of talent :)

Finally, finally, I was able to become adept at Pro Tools -- software known for its steep learning curve -- after reading the first edition of this book. Now I've learned a whole new spate of tricks and trouble-shooting techniques from this newly expanded and highly useful guide. I teach broadcast writing part time at the University of Georgia. I'm also an independent producer for Georgia Public Radio. I worked through this new version of Keane's book because I wanted to know whether to recommend it to students. The answer is: yes, I'd recommend it highly. Almost everyone who has worked with Pro Tools gets bogged down at first. Things can go awry because you've toggled something accidentally or used the wrong mode or tool. Then, you're lost -- or more critically, you may have lost something you've been working on for hours. But Keane's book guides you through the thicket, showing you the pitfalls to avoid and the ways to get out of inevitable tangles. He does this by systematically introducing tools just when you need them. He then anticipates common mistakes and teaches remedies to fix or prevent each one. It's pretty remarkable how well and relatively seamlessly the guide serves all types of readers (Mac and Windows users - with each group further differentiated by those using the latest or earlier versions of operating systems and Pro Tools). The information about moving to Mac's OS X is especially useful for the many producers out there making the switch, finally, with trepidation. The book is geared primarily toward musicians - as the book's name underscores -- but the information has been just as suitable for my work producing features and commentaries for public radio. I bet John Keane could pretty much offer a guarantee that readers will feel they've gotten their money's worth. I learned invaluable new shortcuts, tricks, and safety mechanisms for this industry-standard audio editing software -- and actually for my computer generally. The book has a great chapter on trouble-shooting and provides crucial information about hard drives and improving system efficiency. Everyone striving to master Pro Tools faces the same challenges on the steep climb in. Keane shows us the way -- all the while stressing tactics that save space and time and avert disaster. Learning those good habits right at the outset is worth every penny.

I am new protools operator and have about 3 other protools "help" books. This is the one I have been looking for. It is clear, concise, well organized, informative, fun to read/learn, well laid out and accurately written. It takes you by the hand and walks you through the program in a very logical and intuitive way and gets you through the foundation and most-used functions of protools. It may not be so helpful/insightful for an experienced protools user, but if you are just starting out, or feel you don't quite "grok" the program, you would be hard pressed to find a better book! NOW I feel that I understand the program, how it "thinks" and can tackle any other aspect of it without intimidation!

I purchased three other Pro Tools books before this, to get up and running with Pro Tools as a newbie to the software/hardware. Then, I got this one. This book rocks as it is a hands on, practical tutorial taking the reader step by step through the user interface, recording, editing, tweaking things the way you'll eventually use the software.I've just rebuilt my system and ready to continue on with the book. I can't recommend it too highly! Nice work John Keane!!!