Prepare a project in my DAW following the project checklist

Create a Project Folder with Proper Project Name and LocationDigital Audio Preferences Recording File Type Hardware Settings Buffer Size

 This may look as an unimportant step but it is actually a big deal. If you are organized when managing your project folders you will avoid managing issues and your work will go smoothly. You will also easily identify which session is recorded in an specific project folder and your DAW will be able to call back audio files, effects settings and other sort of data without problems. When bad management occurs the DAW may not find certain files or maybe it wont even open a session if the folder is not found. So it is really important to be organized and pay attention to this step. I decided I would have my personal folder created specifically to save my Pro Tools project folders. I save every project I make inside that folder and inside are more subfolders where I save projects from specific circumstances or from collaborations with specific people

 I own Pro Tools SE which is a basic version of Pro Tools that comes for free with certain audio interfaces.

(Its in spanish, sorry)

 When I choose to create a new session by default it will ask me to name the project folder and to choose a location to save it

Empty Session

Choose

Proper Location
Save New Session As

Proper Project Name

 Click Save and the Session is ready

 The project folder is created with the session file and subfolders where audio files and data, such as fade, plug-in settings, etc., are saved.

Do not create a session folder inside anoher session folder. The DAW will have a hard time recognizing which audio files belongs to which session and other management problemems

 The digital audio preferences refer to the Sample Rate and Bit depth. Setting them is only second to creating the project folder because before hand theres no project at all. It is important to check these preferences are the correct ones because changing them afterwards may cause problems with your recordings (such as pitch-shifting and halving the duration of the recordings).

 The sample rate is the numer of samples of audio carried per second that are created during the Analog to Digital process (Sampling). For audio work, bandwidth is normally about 20 Hz less than the highest recorded frequency. 44.1 kHz is the sampling rate of audio CDs giving a 20 kHz maximum frequency. 20 kHz is the highest frequency generally audible by humans, so making 44.1 kHz the logical choice for most audio material. The limit of human hearing falls with age. While people in their teens can hear 20 kHz, many older people cannot hear above 14.5kHz. High quality tape decks using metal tape and medium quality LP equipment can reproduce 20 kHz (higher for top quality LP equipment, though some of this is harmonic distortion inherent in the medium) which is why 44.1 kHz is the CD-quality standard. 48 kHz is the studio sampling rate standard. However certain audio interfaces dont work with that sampling rate, so the specs of the audio interface should be checked to set the correct sampling rate.

 Bit Depth is the number of bits used to carry the data of each audio sample. Bit depth will affect the dynamic range of the recording. It is also called resolution because it affects file size. For example a 48 bit file is twice as large as a 24 bit file. 16 bit matches audio CDs, and is thus suited where the better dynamic range and S/N ratio of CD quality audio is required. 24 bit recording may be used for signals that will be manipulated but still need to maintain the full 16 bit quality of CD audio. 24 bit is good for mastering.

In Pro Tools Preferences you can Choose the Sample Rate and Bit Depth you wish

In my SE version of Pro Tools these options come by default because the specs of my interface are set to work with those parameters.

 File type standards are .WAV and AIFF files which are both uncompressed pulse-modulated audio that reatins all the samples of the original signal. .WAV files: WAV is a variant of the RIFF format type (Resource Interchange File Format) AIFF files: One advantage of AIFF over WAV is that it has standardized support for metadata (including album and track information and cover art). In iTunes, AIFF files can support lyrics and cover art, while WAV cannot. On some DAWs, such as mine, the recording file type comes by default (.WAV). In other versions of Pro Tools the recording file format is set when creating the session.

Again, the .WAV format comes as the default recording file type in my SE version of Pro Tools for the files created when recording audio.

 To check the Hardware Setting means to choose the input and output audio device for audio in the DAW

In my version of Pro Tools that is checked at the preferences window, in the audio tab. There it asks for an audio interface to be connected (as a reminder: Pro Tools doesnt run without an audio interface and this version only recognizes M-Audio interfaces)

 Buffer Size: The buffer size is a nurmber of samples ready to be thrown to the Digital to Analog converter when playing back audio. Choosing a buffer size will have a direct impact on the amount of latency in the recording process. The higher the buffer size the more plug-ins you can use but also the longer the latency will be (recommended for mixing). The lower the buffer size, the less plug-ins you can use but the latency wont be noticed by the human ear (recommended for recording).

Playing and Recording Option

In my DAWbthe audio tab in preferences, offers me way to choose between a configuration set for Playing and Recording or Mixing and Production. Choosing either of them will automatically change the Buffer Size

Mixing and Production Option

Another way to change the Buffer Size is manually setting it in the Interface properties in the Control Panel

 Although following this steps may seem a pretty obvious thing, understanding the things behind it give us knowledge about how our DAW works and the escentials of it. Also the checklist is a good thing to follow when working with a new DAW and getting to know it.