Pro Tools Editing on Autopilot

Pro Tools has a hidden weapon in its arsenal: the Grabber Tool.

This seemingly simple tool has three modes, each a master of a different editing task.

Let's untangle the grabber and see how it can make your audio editing purr like a well-oiled engine.

Your Go-To Grabber: The Time Grabber

The Time Grabber is your everyday hero.

It's the Michael Jordan of grabber modes, the one you'll use for the vast majority of your editing tasks.

This mode is all about speed and efficiency, making those quick adjustments a breeze.

When to Separate the Pack: Using the Separation Grabber

But what if you only want to move a specific section of an audio clip?

My most common roadblock: mono files on stereo tracks.

Here's where the Separation Grabber steps up.

Hitting shortcut key "cmd + 4" 2x will enable the separation mode.

If your AAF has mismatched stereo and mono files on the same track, this is perfect for being able to grab a mono clip that’s on the left channel of the stereo track into your mono tracks.

It also makes edits surgically for any selection, ignoring any fades. If you move this around, it will replace anything on the timeline with what’s in your selection, even if there’s no clips overlapping. 

Don't Forget Your Object Grabber: The Multitasking Master

Finally, there's the Object Grabber, the multitasker of the bunch.

Think of it like juggling multiple balls – the Object Grabber lets you grab and move several non-contiguous clips at once.

This is ideal for situations where you need to rearrange a group of sound effects or quickly move disparate audio clips within a selection.

With a simple click, any clips that are connected by fade are considered one “clip” allowing lightning fast selection.

My favorite use is to audiosuite many clips at a singular time whilst ignoring any muted or unwanted clips.

However, there’s some drawbacks with object mode.

You can’t create fades with clips you have selected.

If you have object mode activated with the multi-tool, highlighting a selection with the time cursor tool and then selection an area with clips within it, will void the time selection and only select the audio clip grabbed. 

So, the next time you find yourself wrestling with audio clips in Pro Tools, remember the Grabber Tool!

With its three distinct modes – Time Grabber for overall movement, Separation Grabber for precise edits, and Object Grabber for multi-clip control – it's the ultimate tool for taming the chaos and achieving editing mastery.

Now go forth and edit with confidence, your trusty Grabber Tool by your side!