External Control Surfaces

Using a mouse or trackball to control all the functions in Pro Tools is perfectly practical. Indeed, this is how the vast majority of Pro Tools users operate. Nevertheless, it is often convenient and far more productive to use an external device with dedicated buttons, faders, and so on for hands-on control. For one thing, multiple physical faders allow you to automate mixes on the fly, moving several faders simultaneously and independently. (With a mouse or trackball, of course, you can only drag one slider at a time.) External control surfaces can vary in size and can be placed in the control room for access from various positions by various people if necessary. Having large, tactile transport buttons and illuminated buttons for record-e....