First, connect your M-Audio audio interface to your computer and turn it on. After doing do, open M-Powered Pro Tools. M-Powered Pro Tools requires an open USB port for the iLok USB Smart Key, which unlocks the program. Upon starting the program, you will be prompted to insert the key into a USB port, and the program will unlock. Now you have full access to all of the functionality of Pro Tools.
Recording instruments with Pro Tools is simple. Connect your instrument cable or microphone XLR cable to the M-Audio interface. Now it's time to create a new Pro Tools session. Click File, then New Session, and set the sample rate you want for the recording; this has to match the sample rate on the M-Audio interface. Once you have a session open, you have to choose a track to record to. You can do this by clicking "File", then "New Track." This will bring up a box that lets you choose whether you are recording a stereo track or a mono track; after choosing the type, click "Create". Now you need to assign the track to the input you have plugged your instrument or microphone into. To do this, click "Windows", then "Show Mix", then click "Input Selector" in the track you have opened and choose the input from the list. Now click the "Record Enable" button for the track, and then go back to Windows on the top menu and click "Show Transport". Click "Record" in the transport window to get Pro Tools ready to record, then click "Play" and start playing your song on your instrument.
With Pro Tools, you can record multiple instruments and then mix them all into a new stereo track that can be burned to a CD. Pro Tools has a wide variety of powerful tools to create professional sounding mixes, including compression, limiting, pitch correction, and more. After applying these effects to your tracks, it is time to mix them down. To do this, highlight the mix in the Timeline view, then click "File", "Bounce to Disk". Choose .wav for file format, 16 bits for bit rate and 44100 for sample rate. Highlight "Convert After Bounce", then click "Bounce" and name the tracks in the window that pops up. Click "Save". Pro Tools will create a new two-track file that can be burned to CD.