Tips & Techniques:Two Ways To Sum

Two ways to sum in Pro Tools Bounce vs. Record- Which is better? Years ago an engineer showed me how to "trick" Pro Tools in to doing something more akin to an analog sum. I know several engineers who use and swear by this method.

This is how you do it:

1. Route all channel outputs through a bus
2. Create a new stereo audio track (this is where master will sum to) with the same bus as the input, and main (A1&2) outs as the output.
3. Set the master fader output to the same bus
4. Once you have the stereo audio file with the master audio, highlight it and hit shift +apple+k (don't know what is for PC sorry) this will open up a window that allows you to export the audio file direct to desktop without bouncing.

The master fader will behave as the gain level that is being pushed into the master audio file (summed tracks).

The logic here is that you are using the recording engine in Pro Tools software rather than the bounce function which is in some way a different algorithm.

The result is a more dynamic master, which can then be sent to final brick wall limiting or whatever you're final mastering spices, comp, eq, etc.. Or you can still master on the master fader that sums to your final track.

So for those of you that can't afford an OTB summing box or care to put the $$ elsewhere, this is an alternative that may not be better, but will certainly give you a different sound that may suit your vibe better.

Has any on this forum been using this? Comments? Ideas?

I will soon post a audio file shootout of the two summing styles on gear shootouts.

[Mark Norup]

There is no different at all... the two tracks completely null's out...

The metode is fine though.. because you have easy access to setting your final level 2 track... and if your mixing through a buss comp on the master fader, the master fader controls how hard your hitting it..

[chiro]

Im a logic user, but ive played around a couple times and noticed a similar 'not better, but different vibe' when, instead of bouncing, i run the audio output from my computer into my sony PCM d50, and record on the d50 while playing back in logic. then, that file is dragged and dropped back into a new logic file for cropping, normalizing, whatever else.

theres surely some risky hardware variables in this route, and im not saying this route is a better sound, but sometimes if im in a situation where, during mixing, it sounds about how i want to, but the bounced file has a different sound and strays a little from the mark, maybe on the low end level or the dynamic feeling or something, ill do the output record method and sum it manually with the pcm d50