Grid and Nudge Configuration in Pro Tools
This blog is part of our new series of tutorials based on Avid’s flagship Digital Audio Workstation, Pro Tools.
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Getting started on the Grid and Nudge Configuration in Pro Tools
Both the Grid and the Nudge values can be configured in this software. These parameters do not have to necessarily be linked, meaning they can be expressed in different units or scales.
The Grid and Nudge values are located at the center-top of the Edit window as:
But, the question is, how do you configure these parameters?
Here we go!
1. Open or create a new Pro Tools session:
2. Locate the Grid/Nudge area on the Transport area of the Edit Window:
3. Click on the small 1/8 note next to the word “Grid”:
This will open the possible Grid values and scales as:
The top area of this window shows the possible Grid value we can assign. In this case the scale is set to “Bars/Beats” meaning that we will see note values as the possible Grid values:
Under that area we have the “dotted” and “triplet” options. These options let you add the signature triplet/dotted notation to the grid:
After that we have the scale options, which are:
As you can see, there are other scales besides “Bars/Beats” such as Mins/Secs, Timecode, Samples, etc.
You would select the desired scale depending on the use and the session.
In general, for music recording and editing, “Bars/Beats” tends to work fine.
4. Now click on the small quarter note next to the word “Nudge”:
The nudge options will appear as:
Just as we saw with the Grid options, the Nudge options let us select the Nudge value as:
We can also change the Nudge scale from the lower part of the window as:
Just as with the Grid, the scale options include Bars/Beats, Mins/Secs, Timecode, etc.
For the purpose of this tutorial we will set the Grid to 1/4 notes and the Nudge value to 1 ms.
5. Configure the Grid to 1/4 note and Nudge to 1 ms as:
Grid:
Nudge:
After applying these values, the Grid and Nudge configurations should look as:
Also keep in mind, the Grid can be shown or hidden by clicking on the word “Grid”:
If “Grid” is shown in light green, the Grid is ON, therefore shown:
If “Grid” is shown in dark green, the Grid is OFF, therefore it is hidden from the timeline:
And that is it!
At this point, we have successfully explained the Grid and Nudge Configurations in Pro Tools.
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