Elastic audio

How Elastic Audio Works

Elastic Audio works by using advanced algorithms to detect transient events in audio clips, such as drum hits, notes, or chords. These events become control points that you can manipulate to stretch, compress, or pitch-shift the audio. Any audio track in your Pro Tools session can be Elastic Audio enabled.

How to Enable Elastic Audio

Elastic Audio can be enabled on any audio track in your Pro Tools session, allowing you to manipulate the timing and pitch of audio clips. Follow these steps to enable Elastic Audio on your track:

1. Choose Between Tick-Based or Sample-Based

• Tick-Based: Select this if you want the audio to follow tempo changes. In the track header, click the Timebase Selector and switch to Tick-Based. This is ideal for music projects where you need the audio to adjust to tempo changes.
• Sample-Based: Choose this if you want the audio to remain unaffected by tempo changes. This is often used in post-production or sound design.

2. Choose an Elastic Audio Algorithm

Click the Elastic Audio plug-in icon (clock icon) in the track header and select an algorithm based on the type of audio you're working with:

• Polyphonic: For complex audio material, such as full mixes, harmonic content.
• Rhythmic: For percussive and drum tracks.
• Monophonic: For single-note instruments or vocals.
• Varispeed: For adjusting both pitch and tempo simultaneously.
• X-Form: The highest quality algorithm, which requires rendering.
• élastique Pro: Use the élastique Pro plug-in by zplane.development for Elastic Audio processing. élastique Pro is a general purpose time-stretching engine that offers unmatched quality for professional productions and broadcast applications. élastique Pro sounds especially good when stretching long material or whole songs

3. Switch to Warp View or Analysis View

Once Elastic Audio is activated and an algorithm is chosen, switch to a specialized track view to work with markers. There are two special Track Views for Elastic Audio-enabled tracks: Warp and Analysis.

Warp View

Warp View lets you manually “time warp” (Elastic Audio process) audio. In Warp view you can create and edit Warp markers. If you are using Elastic Audio to correct the timing of a performance, or to achieve special effects, work in Warp view.

Analysis View

Analysis View lets you edit detected Event Markers, which represent transients (such as drum hits, notes, or other sharp audio events). Event Markers appear as gray vertical lines that do not fully extend to the top and bottom of the track.

In most cases you will not need to use Analysis view. However, with material that does not have clear transients, you may want to work in Analysis view to add or relocate Event markers, or to delete erroneous Event markers. For example, when using Elastic Audio to correct the timing of a performance, you may need to add, move, or remove Event markers in Analysis view to achieve the highest quality Elastic Audio processing.

Advanced Techniques with Elastic Audio

• How to Time-Stretch Audio in Pro Tools: Learn how to stretch or compress audio timing using Warp Markers, boundary markers, and different Elastic Audio algorithms to keep your performance aligned with your project’s tempo.
• How to Transpose Audio in Pro Tools: Discover how to change the pitch of audio clips without affecting the timing, using pitch-shifting algorithms and the Varispeed tool for creative sound manipulation.