Advanced bouncing in Pro Tools – Use the print track…

Everyone working with audio samples professionally wants them to be high quality in every aspect. Perfect usability is one of them, which include clean and correct file lengths and starts.

Here’s a weak point of Pro Tools revealed. After every bouncing, Pro Tools adds a bit of air to the start of the audio. This bit of air can get into a serious latency, when you’re using heavy plugins in your Master track and depending on your system.

If you want to get rid of that extra air, there are two ways:

1. Import all bounced audio into a new session and cut away the air by hand.

2. Use the print track bouncing technique to bounce clean and correct files in your actual session.

The print track technique is a simple way to bounce latency free audio from your session, just by using the right routing. Check how it’s done!

Add an aux track and an audio track to your master. The aux track will be called ‘Pre Master’ and the audio track will be called ‘Print Track’

Drag your mastering plugin chain from your Master to your Pre Master. All your audio needs to get through that Pre Master, so create a Pre Master bus and route your session to your Pre Master. The Pre Master audio will go out to your Master track.

Add a send to your Pre Master, which needs to be routed to the Print Track, which is muted.

And now, here’s the trick:

When you’re ready to bounce, record enable your Print Track and just start the record. Your whole element will be recorded as audio in your Print Track, while you can monitor it via your master track. Un-mute your print track, play it in solo mode and you can easily cut of that extra air (tab to transient is a massive help there), name the file, export it and you’re done.

Especially when you’re bouncing a lot of audio and need it to be bounced without extra air, then add the Print Master combo to your session template. Cut, rename and export all your audio and various mixouts in one session.