I know a lot of you is wondering if Pro Tools can allow you to work on a grid if a recorded material is not in sync with the click track. Here's something that might help. It's called tempo mapping.
First, I use the "seperate region" command (cmnd-E) on the precise downbeat transient of every two bars or so (on the kick track usually), depending on how consistent the drummer is. I find that two-bar chunks are usually good enough. BTW, Tab to Transient makes this process reasonably fast.
Once I have the two-bar regions created, I go through and cmnd-I (Identify Beat) each one, and specify the meter, starting bar/beat and ending bar/beat. This will create tempo change events every two bars. Go through the whole song this way (which will take about 2 or 3 minutes).
After I'm done, I highlight over all the regions, and cmnd-H (Heal Seperation) to remove all the cuts, but preserving the tempo map.
Keep in mind that if the drummer was really inconsistent, then two bar chunks might be too large. You could use single measures, half measures, or individual beats if you have the patience to do it that way.
Often times when I create a tempo map for a live performance, I'm about to use Beat Detective anyway, so it will make the individual beats and subdivisions perfectly tight by its own virtue. That's why two-bar chunks are usually good enough.
Hope this helps.
Cheers!
