MTEC 70B: PRO TOOLS 110-AVID CERTIFICATION
Foothill College Course Outline of Record
| Heading | Value |
|---|---|
| Effective Term: | Fall 2026 |
| Units: | 4 |
| Hours: | 3 lecture, 3 laboratory per week (72 total per quarter) |
| Advisory: | Not open to students with credit in MUS 82B. |
| Degree & Credit Status: | Degree-Applicable Credit Course |
| Foothill GE: | Non-GE |
| Transferable: | CSU |
| Grade Type: | Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass) |
| Repeatability: | Not Repeatable |
Description
Pro Tools production concepts and techniques with Avid Certification training material. Recording, editing, routing audio, and MIDI data. Managing Pro Tools sessions, using virtual instruments, plug-ins, loop recording, Elastic Audio, Beat Detective, and music notation. Conform loops and beats to any tempo. Introduction to control surfaces, automation modes, and signal path workflows. Practical applications with examples from professional recording artists, including pop, rock, jazz, and hip-hop that reflect diverse racial, ethnic, and gender backgrounds. Create tempo maps, meter changes, and transpose key signatures. Required for Avid Pro Tools Certification.
Course Objectives
The student will be able to:
- Complete the Pro Tools User Certification Exam.
- Operate Pro Tools in a recording environment to Avid standards.
- Explain the Pro Tools file system.
- Operate Pro Tools with a control surface.
Course Content
Study and analysis of Avid 110 level approved curriculum:
- Multitrack editing using assigned groups, both mix and edit
- Application of AAX plug-in effects via busses and aux inserts
- Advanced automation
- Instrument tracks and virtual instruments within the Pro Tools environment
Lab Content
- Track count
- Elastic audio settings and rendering levels
- Plug-in and bus considerations
- Insert tracks and routing importing and exporting file types
- Bit rate encoding
- Bouncing audio to disk
- Consolidating audio clips, etc.
- Other items may include subjects such as number of plug-ins per insert track, bus assignments for efficient recording operation, and mastering compression settings
Special Facilities and/or Equipment
1. When taught on campus: classroom with 30 Pro Tools native systems; 30 Apple iMacs; projection system for video and multimedia content.
2. When taught online/hybrid: on-going access to computer with email software and capabilities; email address; JavaScript-enabled internet browsing software.
2. When taught online/hybrid: on-going access to computer with email software and capabilities; email address; JavaScript-enabled internet browsing software.
Method(s) of Evaluation
Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:
Pro Tools User Certification Exam
Hands-on demonstration of Pro Tools techniques, including keyboard commands and operation of a control surface in a recording environment
Tests on mixing and mastering theory as presented in the Pro Tools 110 curriculum
Method(s) of Instruction
Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:
Lecture presentations and classroom discussion of the techniques for producing audio in Pro Tools
In-class viewing of Pro Tools sessions followed by instructor-guided interpretation and analysis
Presentations of major music and post-production projects followed by in-class discussion and evaluation
Demonstration of techniques for recording, editing, and mixing audio in Pro Tools
Representative Text(s) and Other Materials
Avid Technology. Pro Tools 110. 2023.
Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments
- Written critiques and analyses of audio production projects, including albums, soundtracks, television, video games, and internet multimedia.
- Written summaries documenting technical and artistic elements for corresponding submitted assignments and audio projects.
- Written proposals, session logs, learning outcomes, and reflections supporting submitted musical works and final master recordings.
Discipline(s)
Commercial Music