By TOM BOWSER
Consolidating a track joins all of the "cut" sections (separate clips) of a track and creates one continuous track. Why would you want to consolidate a track?
Consolidating a track makes it:
- easier to transfer the consolidated track/file to someone else
- impossible to accidently move individual cut regions from their original position on the time line
- possible to use clip gain to adjust the level of the consolidated track as a whole
NOTE: For the best results you want to add "fades" to the beginning and end of every clip/cut section BEFORE consolidating the track or tracks. Review how to add fades…
How to consolidate a track:
- Duplicate the tracks playlist. This will allow you to easily go back to the original track playlist if you don't like the results of the consolidation process. Review how to duplicate a tracks playlist...
- Select all the clips in the track you want to consolidate:
- Left click in the top half of the track.
- Press and hold down the CTRL key then press the letter a.
- Press and hold down the ALT + SHIFT + 3 keys. You can also left click on Edit then Consolidate Clip within the Pro Tools menu bar. The consolidation process will immediately begin.
NOTE: Any muted clips or sections within a track will be included in the consolidated track as silence. Automation data is NOT integrated within the consolidated track. You must use the Bounce to Disk process to include automation in a file.