Pro Tools 101_ An Introduction to Pro Tools 11 ( PDFDrive )

A sample rate of 44.1 kHz, the industry standard for audio CDs, is often
adequate for home- and project-studio recordings. Higher sample rates can
be chosen for demanding projects, to capture a greater frequency response
from the source audio and to minimize sound degradation throughout the
project lifecycle. However, with higher sample rates come greater disk
space requirements for your session. (See Table 3.1 in the “Bit Depth”
section of this lesson.)
For more details on sample rates, see the “How Sample Rate Affects
Frequency Resolution” section in Lesson 1.
I/O Settings
Pro Tools provides preset input and output configurations for Stereo Mix or
various surround sound options (Pro Tools HD), such as 5.1 Mix I/O. You
can also choose Last Used to load the settings from your last session. Use the
settings that match the intended output of your final mix. For the Pro Tools
101 course, we will use the Stereo Mix setting only.
Tip: Use the STEREO MIX setting whenever you are recording music or
other audio intended for a general consumer market, such as music
to be burned to audio CDs or to be posted as MP3 files.
Bit Depth
Pro Tools 10 and later works with files in 16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit floatingpoint
audio resolution. The 16-bit option generates smaller files and is
typically adequate for basic recordings destined for audio CDs. The 24-bit
and 32-bit float options provide greater dynamic range in your recorded
audio (see the “How Bit Depth Affects Amplitude Resolution” section in
Lesson 1) and lower the noise floor. These options should be used for highend
recordings that include very quiet passages (such as a classical orchestra
piece), recordings that require intensive processing, and recordings intended
for media that support higher resolution audio, such as DVD and Blu-ray
disc.
Tip: For the highest quality audio, record at 24-bit or 32-bit float and
properly dither down, if needed, during the final mix. Dithering is
covered in the Pro Tools 110 course.