How to change sample rate Pro Tools

In this guide, we’ll show you how to set or change your sample rate for a project, so you have crisp, clear audio every time.

If you need a quick refresher on sample rates, keep reading the next 2 sections. Otherwise, scroll down to the tutorial labeled “How to change the sample rate in Pro Tools.”

What is a Sample Rate?

The sample rate is how many times per second a sample is taken of your audio track. Samples are like “snapshots” of one part of an audio wavelength at one time.

So, for example, if you have an audio project with a sample rate of 44.1kHz, this means that the audio is being sampled 44,100 times per second.

When and Why Should You Change The Sample Rate for Your Project?

Put simply, the higher the audio sampling rate, the higher-quality the audio renders overall. This is because the highest frequency that can be rendered is equal to around half the sample rate. Anything above that threshold will not render properly and can cause blips on the audio spectrum known as “aliasing.”

Different applications use different “standard” sample rates. For professional audio production, the standard sample rate is 48kHZ. For consumer audio publishing, it’s 44.1kHz. To decide on which sample rate to use, it’s essential to consider your final publishing method and what sample rates are considered standard for that medium.

How to Change The Sample Rate in Pro Tools

The easiest way to change the sample rate in Pro Tools is when you’re creating a new session or project. To do this, follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Create a new session in Pro Tools

Step 2: In the New Session option box, locate the sample rate drop-down menu in the session parameters.

Step 3: Select the sample rate drop-down menu by clicking on the drop-down tab and choose your sample rate from the set of options available.

You will be able to choose from 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, or 192 kHz sample rates. If you’re working on a music or podcast project, 44.1 kHz should work fine. If you’re working on audio for a film or TV show, you may want to select 48 kHz, which is more standard for surround-sound audio. When choosing your sample rate, it is always important to consider your final playback devices.

Step 4: Hit “OK,” and you will now have a session that samples at your chosen audio rate

Ok, but what if you need to change the sample rate of an existing project? Unfortunately, you cannot simply hit "convert file" in Pro Tools to change the sample rate. If you haven’t rendered your project, the best way to do this is to save a copy of an existing session as a new project with a different sample rate. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Pro Tools

Step 2: Open an existing Pro Tools Session

Step 3: Go to “File” then select “Save Copy As..”

Step 4: In the Save Copy option box, set session sample rates for your new session. Then hit "Save session copy."

And that’s it; you’ll now have a copy of your current project with the correct sample rate applied. You can now import session data from your previous session into this project. Also, be sure to save your audio files to a new location than the previous session to avoid file confusion.

Practice Makes Perfect

Working with audio is as much of an art as it is a science, and sample rates are an excellent example of this. There is much debate about how much audio improves at higher sample rates, but there are many reasons that engineers use higher sample rates for their projects. The best way to figure out which sample rates work best for your projects is first to consider the final publishing platform for your project and then decide which sample rate will give you the best results for that platform.

And if you’re looking for a better way to bring your remote audio production team closer together and collaborate more efficiently from a distance, check out Evercast. Evercast allows you to stream your Pro Tools edit sessions in HD while video chatting and exchanging notes with your team, all under one platform. Because we believe collaboration is the magic behind the movies, and you shouldn’t be slowed down no matter where your team is working in the world.

11-22-2018, 07:09 AM

Member   Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Beaumont, Texas Posts: 171

Changing sample rate of existing project I have been working for quite sometime with a client creating a series of projects incorporating midi tracks that he intends to use as backing tracks in live performance. His intent is to bounce the final mixed product to mp3 files and play/sing along with them. We have done quite a few thus far and it works to his satusfaction. we have created these tracks at a sample rate of 192khz bps sample rate, partly because I pretty much exclusively work at that rate and want to avoid back-and-forth issues of varying sample rates at the studio. My client has purchased a system with a Scarlett 18i20 interface and Windows PT12, as the understanding all along has been for me to teach him the rudimentary techniques to create or at least add to his own production. We discovered last week that his interface will only monitor and play back at 96 bps sample rate- this from the Sweetwater tech advising us, significantly after the fact, even though the unit is marketed as 192 bps capable, and will in fact record at that rate. You just can�t HEAR it. (!) Thus, my question: since we have about 75 projects more or less completed, is there any way to change the sample rate, either through some modification or by copying the project in some way? I realize I can create new projects and import the midi tracks, but for 75 or so songs- that�s a pretty big project.

11-22-2018, 07:23 AM

Member   Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,155

Re: Changing sample rate of existing project Yes look at the menu item under "File" named "Save Copy As..." and look over the options there. You can tell it to make a copy of the complete session with all the audio files converted to your target rate/bit depth. I would recommend saving the copies in a separate location on your drive to save yourself from confusing the new files with the old. Since it sounds like most of your work is in midi, the size of these new sessions should all be pretty small, but for the record there's no way to just switch the sample rate over in a session once it's been created. If there's really NO audio in any of the sessions, then maybe it would be OK to keep all the files in the same place and just relabel the new session as being at the new rate. __________________ HD Studio, PT2022.6, UA Apollo x6, 2018 MacBook Pro, 32 Gig, Big Sur

11-22-2018, 07:25 AM

Member   Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Austin TX Posts: 13,735

Re: Changing sample rate of existing project Yeah import session data onto new projects, and convert on import That is probably about it, make sure you charge BTH. It�s that or he gets an interface and computer that can run 192k, which would probably be cheaper __________________ Daniel HDX - PT12.5.1 - HD I/O 16x8x8 Win10-Pro (v1709)- 6 Core i7-6850k - ASUS X99 Deluxe ii D-Command Main Unit - 'Ole Blue http://www.sknoteaudio.com/ plugins rock and are affordable.

11-22-2018, 07:34 AM

Member   Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,155

Re: Changing sample rate of existing project Quote: Originally Posted by YYR123 Yeah import session data onto new projects, and convert on import OK that works too. Either pushing it out one way, or pulling it in by another... __________________ HD Studio, PT2022.6, UA Apollo x6, 2018 MacBook Pro, 32 Gig, Big Sur

11-22-2018, 07:47 AM

Member   Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Austin TX Posts: 13,735

Re: Changing sample rate of existing project Quote: Originally Posted by bashville OK that works too. Either pushing it out one way, or pulling it in by another... Actually I believe your way would have less steps and be quicker. But the OP should still make sure and charge by the hour __________________ Daniel HDX - PT12.5.1 - HD I/O 16x8x8 Win10-Pro (v1709)- 6 Core i7-6850k - ASUS X99 Deluxe ii D-Command Main Unit - 'Ole Blue http://www.sknoteaudio.com/ plugins rock and are affordable.

11-22-2018, 07:48 AM

Member   Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,277

Re: Changing sample rate of existing project If you haven't rendered/frozen any audio then 'Save Copy In' with convert option should be good for MIDI only. __________________ PT 2022.4 DP 11.1 MOTU M4 HP Envy 8G i7 Quad Laptop Win11 PT 2022.4 DP 11.1 828es ADA8200 MTP-AV HP Z2 G4 Xeon Workstation Win11 2011 Mac Mini i7 Quad High Sierra.6 VEP 7.x hosting various VIs

11-22-2018, 07:52 AM

Member   Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Beaumont, Texas Posts: 171

Re: Changing sample rate of existing project Groping pays off. Realized it can be done in �save copy...�.

How do you change a sample rate?

What sample rate should I use in Pro Tools?