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cassette tape playback too fast. how to fix in Protools?
- Thread starter billiard
- Start date
There are a bunch of ways to do this in Pro Tools.
Firstly, trim the audio clip so that it's just the material you wish to keep / process.
Select the clip in the timeline.
From the Audiosuite dropdown menu, select the "Time Shift" plugin, set to Varispeed mode, in the Pitch section, set either the Transpose amount in semi-tones, and hundredths of semi-tones, or choose a Shift percentage (they're linked).
Alternatively, if you knew the correct length of the piece, you could enter that value into the Length field, in the Processed section, with the units set to minutes & seconds.
Done.
Another fast way, is to use the TCE Trim Tool - you just have to have done some ground work; in Preferences set the TCE tool to use the Time Shift plugin, and in the Time Shift plugin set the default preset to Varispeed mode.
On the timeline, just trim the clip length in, or out to until it's at the correct pitch.
Done.
There's also a couple of different ways to do it using Elastic Audio :
Enable Elastic Audio for that track, and set it to Varispeed mode.
Select the clip on the timeline, then open the Elastic Properties window, and set the Pitch Shift amount.
Done.
Alternatively, set the tracks timebase to Ticks, enable Elastic Audio for the track, and set it to Varispeed mode.
Adjust the Tempo of the session, until the clip is at the desired pitch.
Done.
As you have no doubt noticed, Varispeed mode is the key.
The beauty of Varispeed mode is that because the relationship between speed & pitch is maintained, it's simply a case of sample rate playback speed - meaning absolutely zero artefacts are introduced.
For the most part; not what the OP is trying to achieve, as that demonstrates changing duration without changing pitch (except for the last few seconds, where the tutor stumbles across the Varispeed mode in Elastic Audio, and finally realises what it does).
I had forgotten that switching on Elastic Audio overrides the behaviour of the TCE Tool algorithm that you've set in preferences, on a track by track basis - so that highlights yet another way to skin this particular cat, in Pro Tools
Thanks everyone for the replies!!!!!!
Specifically, this is a cassette tape of my old band doing a show. For example, we did a tune is say the key of D. It is playing back at 2/3 of a half step towards E Flat and is sharp and faster than we performed it.
I am trying to put the key back to D and also put it back as close to the original tempo as possible. it is a mono recording to two tracks. Double mono.
Will this be a two step type of fix or can both things be achieved at the same time?
Thanks again for all the replies. It's all chinese to me at this point.
Specifically, this is a cassette tape of my old band doing a show. For example, we did a tune is say the key of D. It is playing back at 2/3 of a half step towards E Flat and is sharp and faster than we performed it.
I am trying to put the key back to D and also put it back as close to the original tempo as possible. it is a mono recording to two tracks. Double mono.
Will this be a two step type of fix or can both things be achieved at the same time?
Thanks again for all the replies. It's all chinese to me at this point.
Just figure out what key it's playing back in currently (either by playing along on your bass, or if you can find a section where an instrument is playing a known pitch, loop that section through the stock tuner plugin), so you know how much to transpose it by, then do it in one hit using any of the processes I detailed earlier.
You can either drop both clips into a stereo track (perhaps you even transferred it in stereo in the first place), run the process, and then use the split to mono function, which will create two mono tracks from the selected stereo track. Or you can select the clips on both tracks to do both simultaneously, or create an edit group including both tracks to do both simultaneously.
Just so I am understanding please. Once I am able to identify how many cents it is off from the original pitch, I select the audio to edit to the pitch and it will, in this case, elongate the track as well to match the correct pitch?
Last edited:
Yeah,
1) Select the audio on the timeline
2) Open the Audiosuite version of Time Shift
3) Set the mode to Varispeed
4) Enter the Semi-Tones & Cents value into the Transpose field, in the Pitch section of the plugin
5) Hit the Render button
Varispeed behaves exactly like varying the speed of a tape deck :
Faster = shorter length & higher pitch
Slower = longer length & lower pitch.
if I was you I'd just stretch the audio til it sounds right. forget being perfect. you don't have isolated tracks. So do what every producer and mastering tech does use your ears. and an eq. to reduce the annoying freq. and the freq that cause fatigue of the ears.
