What a scene is and why you'd create one
A scene in Pro Tools is a saved snapshot of your entire session — every track's volume, pan, mute status, plugin settings, and automation state frozen at one moment. When you create a new scene, Pro Tools remembers exactly how your mix sounded. Switch to a different scene, and everything snaps back to those settings instantly. This is useful when you're mixing multiple songs in one session, testing different versions of a mix, or preparing for live playback where you need the mix to jump between songs without manual adjustments.
Unlike a track preset, which saves only one track's settings, a scene captures your entire mixing state. You can have dozens of scenes in a single session, each one a complete mix snapshot you can recall with one click.
Key Takeaways
- Scenes save your entire mix state — all volumes, pans, mutes, and plugin settings — so you can switch between different versions instantly.
- You create a new scene by opening the Scenes window, clicking the plus button, and naming it while your mix is set the way you want it.
- Adjusting a scene means changing your mix settings and then updating that scene to remember the new state, or creating a fresh scene with different settings.
- Scenes work best when you name them clearly — "Verse Mix", "Mastering Reference", "Live Version" — so you know what each one contains.
- Recalling a scene takes one click and overrides all current mix settings, so save your session before testing unfamiliar scenes if you're unsure.
Opening the Scenes window and creating your first scene
Start by opening the Scenes window. Go to Window in the menu bar, then select Scenes. A floating panel will appear, usually empty if this is your first time. This panel is where you create, name, and recall all your scenes.
Before you create a scene, set up your mix the way you want it. Adjust your track volumes, pan positions, mute any tracks you don't want playing, and tweak any plugin settings. Once your mix sounds right, you're ready to save it as a scene. Click the plus button (usually at the bottom left of the Scenes window). Pro Tools creates a new scene and highlights it, waiting for you to name it. Type a clear name — "Intro Mix", "Chorus Version", "Reference Level" — then press Enter. Your scene is now saved.
Recalling a scene to hear what it contains
To hear what a scene sounds like, simply click its name in the Scenes window. Pro Tools instantly recalls every setting that scene captured: volumes jump to their saved positions, pans move, muted tracks unmute (or vice versa), and all plugin settings snap back. This happens in real time, so you hear the change immediately.
If you click a scene and the mix doesn't sound like you expected, you may have accidentally changed it since you created it. Check your track volumes and mute buttons — they should match what you remember setting. If they don't, the scene itself is fine; your current session state has just drifted from when you saved it.
Updating an existing scene with new settings
If you've adjusted your mix and want to save those changes to an existing scene, right-click the scene name in the Scenes window and select Update Scene. Pro Tools overwrites the old snapshot with your current mix state. Everything you've changed — volumes, pans, mutes, plugin tweaks — becomes the new version of that scene.
Be careful with this step: updating a scene erases the old version permanently. If you're not sure whether you want to keep the old mix, create a new scene instead by clicking the plus button. You can always delete scenes later if you end up with too many.
Creating a new scene from your current mix
To save a different version of your mix as a separate scene, adjust your mix to the new state you want, then click the plus button in the Scenes window again. Name this new scene something that distinguishes it from your first one — "Verse Mix v2" or "Brighter EQ" — and press Enter. Now you have two separate scenes, each with its own mix snapshot. Click between them to compare how different settings sound.
This is the safest way to experiment: create a new scene, adjust the mix, and if you don't like it, just delete the new scene and go back to your original. Your original scene remains untouched.
Organizing and deleting scenes you no longer need
As you build more scenes, the list can get long. You can delete a scene by right-clicking its name and selecting Delete Scene. Pro Tools removes it from the window permanently, though your session file itself is not affected — you can undo the deletion if you change your mind immediately.
To keep your Scenes window readable, use consistent naming. Start each name with the song or section it belongs to: "Song A - Verse", "Song A - Chorus", "Song B - Intro". This way, when you're scrolling through a long list, you can find what you need quickly. You can also drag scenes up and down in the window to reorder them, though Pro Tools doesn't sort them alphabetically — you arrange them manually.
Troubleshooting scenes that don't recall correctly
If you recall a scene and some settings don't change the way you expect, the most common cause is that those settings are not part of the scene. By default, scenes capture track volumes, pans, mutes, and plugin settings. They do not capture things like track names, colors, or the arrangement of tracks themselves. If you've renamed a track or moved it since you created the scene, the scene will still recall the mix settings but won't restore the track order.
Another reason a scene might not sound right: you may have added new tracks to your session after creating the scene. Those new tracks won't have any settings saved in the old scene, so they'll play at their current state (usually unmuted and at 0 dB). If you want the new tracks included in an old scene, update that scene after adding them, and Pro Tools will capture the new tracks' settings going forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I copy settings from one scene to another without recalling?
No, Pro Tools doesn't have a direct copy function for scenes. The workaround is to recall the scene you want to copy, adjust anything you need to change, then create a new scene with those settings. This takes a few extra clicks but gives you full control over what the new scene contains.
What happens to a scene if I delete a track?
The scene keeps all the settings it had for the remaining tracks. When you recall it, those tracks snap back to their saved state. The deleted track's settings are simply gone — Pro Tools doesn't store them anymore. If you undo the track deletion, the scene will recognize the track again.
Can I use scenes to save automation?
Yes. Scenes capture the automation state of your tracks at the moment you create the scene. If you have volume automation written on a track, that automation is part of the scene. When you recall the scene, the automation returns to that state. However, scenes do not capture the automation mode (Record, Read, Touch, Latch) — only the automation data itself.
Do scenes save my plugin window positions?
No. Scenes save plugin settings — the knob positions, parameter values, presets — but not where you've positioned the plugin windows on your screen. If you close a plugin window and recall a scene, the window stays closed. You'll need to open it manually.
Can I rename a scene after I create it?
Yes. Double-click the scene name in the Scenes window to edit it, type the new name, and press Enter. The scene's settings don't change — only the label does.