Title page DIGITAL PERFORMER 10 User Guide 1280 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 Business voice: (617) 576-2760 Business fax: (617) 576-3609 Technical support: (617) 576-3066 Tech support web: www.motu.com/support Web site: www.motu.
About the Mark of the Unicorn License Agreement and Limited Warranty on Software TO PERSONS WHO PURCHASE OR USE THIS PRODUCT: carefully read all the terms and conditions of the “click-wrap” license agreement presented to you when you install the software. Using the software or this documentation indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions of that license agreement. Mark of the Unicorn, Inc. (“MOTU”) owns both this program and its documentation.
Contents at a glance Contents at a Glance Part 1: Managing Projects 15 25 33 47 49 53 The Digital Performer Project Import and Export Soundbites Window Content Browser Audio File Management Project File Interchange Part 2: Customizing Your Workspace 69 89 95 101 111 Preferences and Settings Time Formats and Display Commands Consolidated Window Window Sets Part 3: Sequences and Tracks 115 117 123 131 139 145 149 153 157 177 Sequence Basics Track Basics Bundles MIDI Tracks Audio Tracks Instrument Tracks
iv CONTENTS AT A GLANCE
Contents Contents Part 1: Managing Projects 15 15 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 18 18 18 18 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 20 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 The Digital Performer Project 25 25 25 25 27 28 28 32 Import and Export 33 33 33 34 35 35 39 39 39 39 43 44 44 44 45 45 45 45 45 Soundbites Window 47 47 47 48 48 48 48 Content Browser Overview Components of a DP Project Creating a new project Creating a new project with Create Tracks Creating a new project from a template Opening an existing project Open Recent sub-menu
125 126 127 127 128 Bundle channel formats Reassigning bundles Bundles and surround sound The instruments tab The MIDI Devices tab 154 155 156 156 156 Shared tracks and nested VCA groups VCA tracks and mix automation Releasing a VCA track from its group MIDI tracks and VCA tracks Exporting to earlier versions of DP 131 131 131 131 131 131 131 132 132 132 132 133 133 134 135 135 135 135 135 136 MIDI Tracks 157 157 158 160 161 161 163 163 168 170 175 Tracks Window 177 177 177 178 Track Folders and Tr
276 Hints 277 277 278 279 280 280 280 280 280 281 281 281 281 282 282 282 282 283 283 284 284 285 285 Clips Window 287 287 288 289 289 290 290 290 290 291 291 291 291 292 292 292 292 293 293 293 293 294 294 294 294 294 295 296 POLAR 297 297 297 297 297 298 299 299 300 301 301 301 303 304 304 Movie Window Overview Quick reference Clip window mini-menu Opening the Clips window Clip window basics The track Stretch setting Clips versus clippings Showing, hiding and arranging track columns Track types Trac
400 401 402 403 404 405 405 406 406 407 409 412 413 413 414 414 414 414 Selecting Notes Editing Notes The Continuous Data Grid Three continuous data display modes The Continuous Data Ruler Showing/hiding continuous data types Cont.
568 Smart Selections 569 569 569 570 570 570 579 585 591 594 594 597 598 601 604 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 613 614 615 617 617 617 617 618 618 619 619 619 Region Menu 621 621 622 622 622 622 622 622 624 625 625 626 626 626 627 627 627 627 628 628 629 631 632 632 632 632 Audio Menu 633 633 633 634 636 637 638 638 Fades and Crossfades Overview Region command windows Previewing Region command preferences Transpose Quantize Groove Quantize Create (Extract) Groove Smart Quantize Humanize DeFlam Change Ve
750 750 750 750 750 751 751 751 751 752 752 752 753 753 753 753 754 754 754 754 755 755 755 755 Switching between sequences and songs Scrolling during playback Creating new markers Changing the name of a marker Changing a marker time location Marker streamer, punch & Flutter settings Custom pre-gap for CD Burn Setting the counter to a marker location Marker locate numbers Jumping to a marker with a shortcut Selecting markers Using markers to define an edit region Selecting with markers Markers in edit wind
898 898 898 899 900 901 Editing MIDI and audio together Constructive editing Audio quality is preserved Handling lengthy processing tasks ZTX Preferences Soundbite preferences 903 903 903 903 904 904 Background Processing 907 907 907 907 908 908 908 908 908 908 909 Spectral Effects 911 911 911 912 919 920 920 920 921 921 921 Transposing Audio 923 923 923 923 923 923 923 Scale Time Overview Background processing The Background Processing window Background processing and Undo/Redo Background process
xii CONTENTS
Part 1 Managing Projects
CHAPTER 1 The Digital Performer Project OVERVIEW COMPONENTS OF A DP PROJECT This chapter reviews basic procedures for handling Digital Performer projects. Most are standard File menu procedures; however, Digital Performer is in some ways unique in how it manages projects and their many associated files. A typical Digital Performer project consists of the following components: Components of a DP Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a new project. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Project Folder When you first create a new project, Digital Performer makes a project folder in which it places your new Digital Performer project file. In addition, several additional folders, described below, are created to store files that Digital Performer may generate as you work on the project. Audio Files folder An audio file is a document on your computer’s hard disk that contains digital audio data.
New sub-menu. This opens a new, empty project (with no data in it) formatted as prescribed by the template you choose. OPENING AN EXISTING PROJECT Here are several ways to open a Digital Performer project: Action What happens Double-click the project file icon. Launches Digital Performer (if it’s not already running) and opens the project. Choose Open from Digital Performer’s file menu. A standard open dialog appears, from which you can select the project you wish to open.
Your project is saved on the disk in its current state under the new name. In addition, the project you currently see on your computer screen is the newly created project. SAVE A COPY AS The Save a Copy As command works exactly the same way as the Save As command described above, except for the very last sentence. When you’ve completed the Save a Copy As operation, the project you see on your computer screen is not the newly created project; instead, it’s the original project that you were saving from.
AVOIDING DISASTER Digital Performer project files often represent many hours of hard work. If something bad should happen to the file, and it’s your only copy, you’ve lost all that hard work forever. So please follow these guidelines and make them habit: ☛ Save early and save often ☛ Make incremental backups with Save As ☛ Backup early and backup often For details about incremental backups, see “Using Save a Copy As for incremental backups” on page 18.
1 Choose Revert to Saved from the File menu. A dialog box asks you to confirm this choice. 2 Click on OK to confirm the action, Cancel to withdraw it. Reverting to the last saved version of the project means that all changes you’ve made since you opened or last saved the project will be lost. Reverting to a previously saved version is useful when experimenting with a project. You can quickly discard all changes by using this command.
You can quickly access this folder with the “Open Document Templates Folder” button under Preferences > Startup Options. Creating a default New Template When you check the Use as default New Template option, Digital Performer remembers the exact state of the project file and reproduces it when you request a new project. The File menu> New submenu command will produce an untitled, empty new project identical to the source project.
Loading a song automatically loads its component sequences (and songs). For example, you choose to load Song-1, which contains Seq-1, Seq-2, and Song-2. Song 2 contains Seq-3 and Seq-4. When you execute the Load command, all six Chunks (two songs and four sequences) will be loaded in and added to the Chunks list of the open project. ADDING PROJECT NOTES Choose Project menu> Project Notes to type in notes about your project.
Summarized below, these menu commands are discussed in detail in chapter chapter 43, “QuickScribe Editor” (page 457). Formatting command Brief description Score Options (Mini-menu) Provides control for title page, staff names, measure numbering and spacing, and staff spacing. Page Margins (Mini-menu) Lets you adjust top, bottom, left, and right page margins. 5 Add text and musical symbols as desired with the text and symbol tools in the Tools palettes.
SETTING DIGITAL PERFORMER’S STARTUP PREFERENCES When Digital Performer first launches, you have four choices for what it can do: ■ Open a new project ■ Present you with the Open file dialog box, which lets you open either an existing project or a new project with the “New” button Neither of the above, which lets you either choose Open or New from the File menu ■ ■ Be sure to backup your projects as often as is bearable, at least at the end of every working session and several times during the session i
CHAPTER 2 Import and Export OVERVIEW This chapter provides a summary of the numerous importing and exporting features in Digital Performer. Importing project files in other formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exporting a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exporting selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interchanging with Final Cut Pro XML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Importing and exporting audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2 If you are saving a MIDI file, and you want the tempo and meter map of the sequence to be saved with the MIDI data, choose Conductor Track from the Tempo control menu in the Control Panel. 6 If you are saving a standard MIDI file or OMF/ AAF interchange document, you’ll now see another window with several options that are specific to that file format. 3 Choose Save A Copy As from the File menu. Exporting songs Only sequences can be exported in other file formats.
File format Digital Performer can export the following types of standard MIDI files: MIDI file format Description Format 1 Separate tracks with tempo and meter information as the first track. Format 0 One multi-channel track One multi-channel track with tempo/ meter information at the beginning.
Exporting a selection as a clipping file To export the currently selected audio and/or MIDI data as a clipping, choose File menu > Export > Selection As Clipping File. See chapter 55, “Clippings” (page 681) for more information about clippings. INTERCHANGING WITH FINAL CUT PRO XML Digital Performer can interchange projects using the Final Cut Pro XML format, using the Import Final Cut Pro 7 XML and Export Final Cut Pro XML File menu commands. See “Final Cut Pro XML interchange” on page 59.
imported” on page 29, and for details on the conversion settings, see “Automatic Conversions” on page 896. Importing and exporting audio by drag & drop Digital Performer supports standard drag and drop techniques for importing audio files from the computer desktop into any window in Digital Performer that holds audio, such as the Soundbites window. This is true for all of the supported file formats listed in “Audio file formats that can be imported” on page 29.
■ QuickTime movies ■ AVI movies ■ Audio CD files ■ MuLaw files You can import any of the file formats above by dragging the file into Digital Performer and dropping it into the Soundbites window or — in most cases — any window that holds audio. If you drag and drop an audio file into Digital Performer’s Soundbites window, all of the regions in the audio file are imported. Importing REX files Recycle 1.0 and 2.
Importing REX files into the Soundbites window You can import REX files using the Import Audio command in the Soundbites window mini-menu (or the File menu). This opens the audio import window, in which the REX file can be auditioned before importing. Just enable auditioning by clicking the speaker button and the click on the REX file in the file list. After importing, all of the REX file’s individual slices are handled as individual soundbites, with no further grouping or association.
(shown in Figure 2-6) for your convenience, as well as the Bounce to Disk format menu (Figure 84-7 on page 933). To use an export preset, simply choose it from the menu when bouncing or exporting. These presets are saved as a preference, so they are not project-specific. They are global to all projects. See also “Editing audio export presets” on page 933. BOUNCING AUDIO FILES Digital Performer’s Bounce to Disk feature is a powerful and convenient way to export material, from small phrases to entire mixes.
CHAPTER 3 Soundbites Window OVERVIEW QUICK REFERENCE This chapter assumes that you are familiar with terms like audio file, region, soundbite, playlist and audio track. If not, review chapter 8, “Hard Disk Recording Concepts” (page 51) in the DP Getting Started Guide. As you work with Digital Performer, you’ll create many soundbites. The soundbites window helps you manage them. Think of the Soundbites window as your “catalog” of audio data.
SOUNDBITES WINDOW MINI-MENU Create New Folder: Adds a new folder to the soundbite list. This command is only available when Folders is chosen in the View by menu at the top of the Soundbites window. Select unused soundbites: Highlights all soundbites in the list that are not currently being used in any tracks in any sequence in the file. The highlighted soundbites can be removed from the list or deleted entirely from their parent audio file. (Note that the audio data itself is not removed by deleting.
is the last one in the parent audio file to be deleted, Digital Performer asks if you would like to delete the parent audio file entirely. OPENING THE SOUNDBITES WINDOW To open the Soundbites window, choose Project menu>Soundbites, or press its keyboard shortcut, Shift-B. To open it in a sidebar, choose it from any sidebar cell menu (Figure 10-5 on page 107).
rename the soundbite. Double-click the name to edit the soundbite in Digital Performer’s built in Waveform Editor or in a third-party audio editor such as Bias Peak™ (see page 45). Sample Rate: Indicates the rate in samples per second at which the audio data making up the soundbite was sampled. Format: Displays the bit depth (e.g. 16-bit, 24-bit, Original time: The time at which the soundbite was originally recorded (or created), regardless of where it currently resides.
Keyboard shortcuts are also available for viewing the selected soundbite in the Sound File Information window (Command-OptionControl-A on the Mac and Ctrl-Alt-Win-A on Windows) or in the Waveform Editor (CommandOption-Control-W on the Mac and Ctrl-Alt-WinL on Windows). View By menu The View By menu at the top of the Soundbites window is a powerful sorting feature that allows you to view soundbites hierarchically by the characteristics shown below in Figure 3-5: Figure 3-6: Sorting by file name.
example, the source might say “Transpose from Guitar.1” or “Bounce”. This setting can often help you trace the relationships between soundbites. Viewing soundbite sources hierarchically with ‘By Folder’ view The By Folder view has one additional feature over other views: it displays the sources of soundbites and newly generated audio files hierarchically, so that you can trace their origins.
MONO, STEREO AND MULTI-CHANNEL AUDIO Soundbites may be mono, stereo or multi-channel (surround). Digital Performer supports both interleaved and deinterleaved audio files as native formats. Figure 3-9: Searching the Soundbites list As you type a search term, the window will update in real-time to display the relevant results. To clear the search results and return to the regular view, click the “x” button at the right side of the search field, or press the Escape key.
window as your “catalog” of audio data. It lists all of the portions of audio that you are dealing with in the file. It helps you save the ones you want to keep and throw away the ones you don’t. Renaming a soundbite To rename a soundbite in the soundbites window, Option/Alt-click its name. Sorting the soundbites list The View by menu at the top of the Soundbites window lets you sort soundbites by any criterion shown in the list. For details, see “View By menu” on page 37.
line at the moment. In this case, Digital Performer displays the move handle of the soundbite with a question mark as shown below: Figure 3-13: Digital Performer displays this icon when it cannot play back the soundbite for some reason. Figure 3-12: Digital Performer displays this icon when it does not currently know the location of the audio file containing the soundbite.
To select unused soundbites, choose Select unused soundbites from the Soundbites window minimenu. All soundbites that are not being used in a track become highlighted in the Soundbites window list. Deleting soundbites The Delete command in the Soundbites window mini-menu removes currently selected soundbites from the list.
Bypassing warning dialogs when deleting audio files You can bypass warning dialog boxes by holding down the Option/Alt key while you choose Delete or Remove from list from the mini-menu. Digital Performer proceeds as if you answer Yes to the alerts. Deleting an audio file that contains regions If an audio file contains regions, but you are absolutely sure that you want to throw away the file, you can do so by dragging the file into the trash on the computer desktop.
In the Sequence Editor, the soundbite is placed where the cursor is located when you drop. If you hold down the Command/Ctrl key while dragging, the soundbite will “snap” to the end of the previous soundbite in the track from the drop point or the beginning of the track. For more information, see “Dragging and dropping audio into the Sequence Editor” on page 372.
different sample rate, bit depth or tempo. For complete details, see “Automatic Conversions” on page 80. RELOAD SOUNDBITE Reload Soundbite (Audio menu) updates a soundbite to match its corresponding region in the audio file. For example, if you trim the edges of a region with other software, the Reload Soundbite command updates the soundbite in your Digital Performer project to use the new edge boundaries. This command is useful after using the Edit in Waveform Editor command (see below).
SOUNDBITES WINDOW
CHAPTER 4 Content Browser OVERVIEW The Content Browser gives you immediate access to assets that you can quickly drag and drop into your Digital Performer project. Examples include audio files, loops, plug-ins, virtual instruments and clippings. Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Content Browser mini-menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opening the Content Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plug-ins: This section provides access to assets that OPENING THE CONTENT BROWSER are specific to plug-in operation, such as virtual instruments and plug-ins you have installed in your system, plug-in presets (as clippings), and samples used by virtual instruments. To open the Content Browser as a separate window, choose Project menu> Content Browser, or press its keyboard shortcut, if you’ve already assigned one. To open it in a sidebar, choose it from any sidebar cell menu (Figure 10-5 on page 107).
CHAPTER 5 Audio File Management OVERVIEW RENAMING AUDIO FILES This chapter tells you: You can rename audio files at any time by editing the file name on the computer desktop or by Option/Alt-clicking its name in the Soundbites window. In either case, Digital Performer automatically updates the name in the other location so that they always match.
the audio file before deleting it, use Digital Performer’s Soundbites window. Open the Digital Performer file associated with the audio file (or import its soundbites into Digital Performer) and do the following: hard disk space. Just be aware that they permanently remove audio data, so be careful when choosing what to delete. The next few sections cover these techniques. Selecting and deleting unused soundbites The Soundbites window mini-menu has an item called Select Unused Soundbites.
that deletes portions of an audio file that are not part of a soundbite and then closes the gaps between the leftover regions. Digital Performer does not delete any regions in the audio file, even if they are not used in the currently open Digital Performer file. As shown in Figure 5-1, the unused data between soundbites is removed, and the remaining soundbites are placed end to end.
operation. If you click Don’t Flush, then the compacted data is preserved in the undo history, and you’ll still have a chance to recover it if you change your mind. If you click Flush, then the undo history is flushed, and the data removed by the compact operation is permanently discarded (and therefore becomes unrecoverable). they might take up hard disk space without you even knowing it. If this is the case, import the region into Digital Performer and then delete the soundbite with the Delete command.
CHAPTER 6 Project File Interchange OVERVIEW Digital Performer can exchange projects with other applications using industry-standard formats such as OMF, AAF, and Final Cut Pro XML. Digital Performer’s support for import and export of these formats is built-in — no additional software is needed (though the other application you’re interchanging with may require additional plug-ins or add-ons to import the files). Introduction to OMF and AAF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
■ Digital Performer can accept OMF or AAF files at any of the frame rates Digital Performer can use as its project frame rate: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97 (drop & non-drop), and 30 (drop & non-drop). Files at HD frame rates of 50, 59.94 (drop & non-drop), and 60 (drop & non-drop) can also be imported, but the frame rate is set to the corresponding half rate.
data. Because the Digital Performer Project and OMF/AAF file refer to the same set of audio, use this option when you are making permanent (“destructive”) changes to the audio data in the audio files that you would like to be reflected in both Digital Performer and the program you are interchanging with. For example, you might be removing clicks and pops, normalizing, etc. It can also help to simply save disk space when you are interchanging with another application on the same computer.
Reference existing audio files exceptions When the Reference existing audio files option is selected, Digital Performer will try to reference the existing files if possible. However, there are some cases where your choices for the other export options will force the creation of new audio: When the export format (OMF or AAF) does not support audio files in the file format of those in your project, any files in non-supported formats are exported as audio files.
Export audio data as Sound Designer II/AIFF/ WAVE files These options apply to audio being copied during the export operation, if any. Choose the desired file format for the audio files being copied to the AAF or OMF project. The Sound Designer II file option is disabled (not available) when you are exporting to an AAF file because AAF files do not support Sound Designer II files. In general, exporting as WAVE or AIFF is recommended.
If the Enforce Pro Tools compatibility or Enforce Logic compatibility options are checked, then the Export clip-based pan option is grayed out because Pro Tools and Logic do not support pan automation interchange via OMF or AAF. If you are exporting an OMF file intended for use with DigiTranslator 1.0, leave both options unchecked as these options are not supported by DigiTranslator 1.0.
■ Export fades as pre-computed regions ■ Export sample-accurate edits ■ Export soundbite names Exporting to NLEs Non-linear video editing applications, such as Avid Xpress and Final Cut Pro, require that edits are aligned with frame boundaries; this means that the Quantize edits to frame boundaries option must be enabled, which in turn forces Consolidate audio files and Export fades as precomputed regions.
composer/editor can simply import, to then compare and conform all music and audio tracks to the latest picture edits. All changes are displayed in Digital Performer’s Import Final Cut Pro 7 XML window, which provides a complete, detailed list of every new picture edit. Double-click any edit in the list, and Digital Performer scrolls to and highlights the location of the edit in the Sequence Editor time line.
you are sending the XML to Final Cut Pro Version 5. XML Version 4, used by Final Cut Pro Version 6 and later, is a more robust file format that can identify audio and video clips by ID and recognize them even after they have been reordered. This more advanced format provides much better support for Digital Performer’s XML Compare feature (explained later in this chapter).
anything. These features allow you to conform a Digital Performer project to the current version of cues in a Final Cut Pro project. Include video When the Include video option (Figure 6-4) is enabled, Digital Performer searches for the first movie clip in a video track for each imported Final Cut Pro sequence. If it finds one, it will install it as the movie associated with that Digital Performer sequence.
■ The path could be incorrect on the host machine, and therefore DP can’t find the media file ■ The media file could have an unsupported format (meaning DP can’t play it and can’t convert it) ■ The media file could be in a format that DP understands, but cannot play natively. These three conditions are now reported with alerts during the import process, along with information about the offending file.
option is most useful when comparing XML sources to see how audio changed, not how video changed. Click the disclosure triangles in the left column to show or hide portions of the comparison report. If you Option/Alt-click on a triangle, all of the triangles will open or close.
Here’s an example. Suppose you select the following change in the comparison report: Figure 6-8: Selecting a change in the comparison report list. This results in a gray highlighted area in the Sequence Editor (Figure 6-9). To make the gray highlight go away, deselect the change line in the comparison report list by Shift-clicking it, or close the Import Final Cut Pro 7 XML window entirely.
Volume and pan information Final Cut Pro allows you to automate volume and pan settings within each audio clip (what Digital Performer would call a soundbite). Final Cut Pro does not support track automation of volume or pan, independent of the clips in the track. Final Cut Pro allows a maximum +12 dB boost in clip volume automation, whereas Digital Performer allows only a maximum +6 dB boost.
Part 2 Customizing Your Workspace
CHAPTER 7 Preferences and Settings OVERVIEW THE PREFERENCES WINDOW The Preferences command in the Digital Performer menu (Mac OS) or Edit menu (Windows) lets you further customize your DP workspace. To view a set of preferences, click their name in the list. The settings are displayed on the right. Fly-over help is supplied in the Description section below: when you move the cursor over a setting, a brief explanation of it appears below. The Preferences window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Closing the Preferences window Changes you make in the Preferences and Settings window go into effect as soon as you make them. To close the window, click its close button, or click the Done button. AUDIO FILES ☛ How quickly you create a 4 GB file depends on the channelization, sample rate, and sample format. When recording a mono 16 bit 44.1 kHz file, it takes about 13.4 hours to create a 4 GB file, but less than an hour when recording an interleaved stereo 24 bit 192 kHz file.
need to be converted. However, you may find it to be convenient for Digital Performer to automatically copy the imported file into the project’s Audio Files folder anyway, so that all audio for the project, imported and otherwise, is consolidated in one place. If so, choose the Always copy Imported Audio To Project Folder option. If you only want this to happen when the imported audio is in non-native format and needs to be converted, choose the Only when format is not a playable file format option.
Autosave Autosave can be toggled on or off, and the save interval can be specified (from 1 to 60 minutes). You can keep all Autosave files or limit to a certain number of the most recent ones. Autosaved files go in an Autosave sub-folder in the project folder. Document Templates This “Open” button will open the folder on disk which contains your Document Template files. There, you can rename, copy, delete, etc. your template files.
in the Control Panel. These settings are controlled in the Control Panel preferences pane. Also see “Displaying the full tool palette” on page 209. Figure 7-7: The Shortcuts window preferences As you hover the cursor over each item in the list, a description appears below along with a picture of what its button looks like. All major windows have a shortcut button available, with these two exceptions: ■ To open the Configure Studio Settings dialog, Option/Alt-click the Configure Hardware Driver button.
Pitch Display The Pitch Display preference lets you choose how note octaves are numbered. Also lets you control how pitches are displayed. Your choices are by note spelling/octave (C3) or by MIDI note number (60). Regardless of how the tempos are displayed, you can type them in using either format and Digital Performer will convert between the formats at an extremely high degree of resolution (well beyond a hundredth of a bpm).
Audio pitch automation reference The Audio pitch automation setting lets you adjust the reference frequency for audio pitch automation. This preference defines the A above middle C, with a default setting of 440 Hz. THEMES Digital Performer’s user interface can be changed with themes, configured in the Themes preference pane. Selection Color Selection color can also be further customized.
Managing theme files Themes are installed in the following location: Platform Path macOS /Library/Application Support/MOTU/Digital Performer/Themes/ Windows C:\ProgramData\MOTU\Digital Performer\Themes\ Press the Open button (Figure 7-13 on page 75) to open the folder on disk which contains your theme files. There, you can rename, copy, delete, etc. your theme files. TRACK COLORS Digital Performer allows you to choose any display color you want for each track.
To the same color: when a new track is created, this option gives it the exact same color you choose from the swatch menu at the bottom of the Track Color Preferences dialog. Edit Color Schemes This “Open” button provides quick access to the Edit Color Schemes dialog (View menu > Colors).
Performer provides several preset schemes, and you can freely change between them at any time. You can also create your own schemes. Changing the color scheme To switch to a different color scheme, go to the View menu, choose Colors and choose the desired scheme from the sub-menu. Modifying a color scheme To modify a color scheme, double-click it in the Edit Track Color Schemes dialog (shown in Figure 7-16). When you do, the color palette appears as shown below in Figure 7-17.
Using the Color Picker The color palette (as shown in Figure 7-17 on page 78) also lets you create your own colors using the Mac OS or Windows Color Picker. To open the color picker for a swatch, just double-click the swatch. Remember, only the swatches in the leftmost and right-most columns of the palette can be modified. The swatches in the middle of each row are automatically filled with a gradual blend between the colors on either end of the row.
Assigning colors The Assign Track Colors sub-menu command (View menu) lets you Assign Track Colors to multiple tracks at one time. Numerous options are provided, as shown below in Figure 7-20: The ‘Pick Colors Randomly’ option The Pick colors randomly option appears for several of the choices above it in the Assign Track Colors dialog. When it is checked, it assigns the specified colors at random to all currently selected tracks.
Enabling and disabling automatic conversions Use the Enable Automatic Conversions check box to turn automatic conversions on or off for the current project. This setting is saved with the project. You can also toggle this setting with a key binding. in the Soundbites list, or a soundbite that belongs to it, and choose Studio menu > Sound File Information. In the Sound File Information window, check or uncheck the items in the Automatic Conversions section as shown below in Figure 7-22.
For details about the Continuous Data Icons, see “Cont. Data Icons” on page 405. EDIT WINDOWS Fix partial measures automatically A partial measure is a measure that does not have a complete set of beats in it as determined by the current meter. Partial measures can be created in Digital Performer by inserting a Meter Change event in the middle of a measure. Since meter change events always start a new measure, a meter change event truncates any measure if it is inserted in the middle of the measure.
MIDI EDITING MIDI Editor options These two preferences control the MIDI Editor. If you would like a separate editor window for each MIDI track (that displays data only for that one track), choose Open one editor for each track. If you would like one global MIDI Editor window that can display one or more MIDI tracks in one window (with collapsible track selector list on the left side of the window), then choose Open one MIDI Editor for each sequence.
Option-tilde (~) to toggle the Tool palette between a vertical or horizontal orientation. When it is vertical, it will snap to the left or right edge of the front-most edit window. When it is horizontal, it will snap to the top or bottom edge. TRACKS LIST For details about the Tracks List preferences, see “Showing and hiding columns in the Track List” on page 163.
Show alert when playback overloads the processor(s) When this preference option is checked, Digital Performer will display an alert dialog when system resources do not allow it to play back audio without interruption. In other words, if the clip light in the Audio Performance Monitor lights up, this option will also cause an alert dialog to appear.
The Stretch and Pitch and Stretch Cache options let you choose whether these features are enabled for tracks that you add in new projects and the current project. For information about these features, see “Stretch” on page 141 and “Pitch and Stretch Cache” on page 142. The ZTX-related settings also have an effect on the nature and quality of pitch-shifting processing, from pencil tool edits in the Sequence Editor pitch layer to wholesale transposition using the Transpose command.
Help Tags There is a Show Help Tags checkable item under the Help menu. When checked, you can hover over most items for a second or two and a “tooltip” description of the item will appear. ˙ Checking for updates Digital Performer can automatically check for new versions. When a new version is available, a dialog will prompt you with options to download or skip the update. Figure 7-27: Automatic update check This automatic check can be disabled by deselecting Help menu > Check for Updates Automatically.
P R E F E R E NC E S AND SE T T I NG S
CHAPTER 8 Time Formats and Display OVERVIEW Digital Performer can display cursor and event information in a variety of formats, configured with the Time Formats window (Setup menu). To configure the time formats for the Control Panel counters, see “Setting the counter time format” on page 192. Specification of time formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Time Formats window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Frame time (hours:minutes:second:frames) Figure 8-3: Specifying SMPTE time in hours, minutes, seconds and frames. Frame time is a visual display of SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) time code. It is generally used in film and video work, but is also used for synchronization in audio production. Unlike measure time, frame time is used when absolute time location is necessary. It is displayed similarly to real time, in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames.
Customizing the time format display Click the Details triangle to further customize which time formats are displayed in various areas of Digital Performer. You can specify certain time formats as needed. Saving time format settings with the project By default, time format settings are global: they control the display of any project that you open. However, there are several commands in the time Formats window mini-menu that allow you to apply time format settings to the current project.
names. The Next Time Format command cycles through all global time formats, including any custom formats you may have created and saved. Command Default keyboard shortcut Next Time Format Shift-period (.
move a note by 0.0001 of a tick. In doing so, you’ve just nudged it by one one-hundred millionth of a quarter note. Figure 8-9: If you’re a seasoned Digital Performer user, you can stick with 480 ticks per quarter note, and simply add decimal places to increase precision. In this example, three decimal places are being used, producing a thousand times the resolution of previous versions of Digital Performer.
TIME FORMATS AND DISPLAY
CHAPTER 9 Commands OVERVIEW NAVIGATING THE COMMANDS WINDOW The Commands window lets you assign keyboard shortcuts and/or MIDI events to Digital Performer functions. This allows you to use the wide variety of MIDI controllers as well as your computer’s keyboard to quickly execute Digital Performer operations. For example, a MIDI note value of C0 could operate the Stop button in the Transport; controller 64 On could operate the Skip Forward button.
COMMAND GROUPS Commands are visually organized into logical groups. For example, all menu items found under the File menu are grouped together. Each group can be displayed or hidden by clicking the disclosure triangle to the left of the group name. Option/Alt-clicking a disclosure triangle will show or hide all groups. The General Master governs all commands that are not covered by the other master commands (Navigation, POLAR, Sound Selection, etc.
in your setup, you may want to dedicate a controller exclusively to executing Digital Performer commands. NUMERIC BASE NOTE The Numeric Base Note is an arbitrary MIDI note of your choice. It is used to specify numbers from your MIDI controller when using other remotes that require you to specify something by number. To designate the base note, choose Set Numeric Base Note from the mini-menu in the Commands window.
If you’ve saved specific Region menu command presets, you can use the command group section of the results list to recall them quickly. There are several Run Command preferences. See “Run Command Window” on page 72. EXPORT KEY BINDINGS other sequencing and digital audio packages. If you are upgrading to Digital Performer from another software package, you may find it helpful to import the key bindings from your old software to ease the transition. Be sure to check the MOTU web site (www.motu.
Ignore new commands This option does not add new commands introduced in a new version of Digital Performer (if any) to the Commands window. Merge new commands This option merges any new commands included with a new version of Digital Performer with your current set of commands. If you have customized any key bindings, they will be preserved.
C O M M ANDS
CHAPTER 10 Consolidated Window OVERVIEW The Consolidated Window serves as Digital Performer’s document window, giving you access to primary features (main Control Panel, Tracks Window, Sequence Editor, Mixing Board, Waveform Editor, etc.) in one window with tabs across the main central section. You can quickly access the desired feature by clicking its corresponding tab, without having to switch to a different window.
QUICK REFERENCE Main body: This is the main section of the Left/right sidebar dividers: Drag these dividers to resize the sidebars; double-click the divider to open or close the sidebars. Consolidated Window. It displays tabs across the top for switching among Digital Performer’s various editors and other windows. Window selector: Lets you choose what is Tabs: Click the tabs to switch the main body to the displayed in the sidebar section. Each sidebar cell has its own window selector. desired editor.
Tab bar: The tab bar displays tabs for the cell (or window). Double-click any empty portion of the tab bar to remove the window or sidebar cell from the Consolidated Window and makes it a separate window. The tab bar area then turns into a popback-in area, which puts the window back into the Consolidated Window. WINDOW MENU These items under the Window menu apply to the Consolidated Window. Show/Hide Left/Right Sidebar: Shows or hides the sidebar. Keyboard shortcuts are Shift-[ and Shift-].
CONSOLIDATED WINDOW PREFERENCES To open the Consolidated Window preferences, choose Preferences from the Digital Performer menu (Mac OS) or the Edit menu (Windows) and the click on Consolidated Window item in the list, as shown below in Figure 10-2: Consolidated Window and then close the window, the next time you open that window during the session, it will open as a stand-alone window.
This preference only limits how many Event Lists will be opened when using the normal methods of opening and closing Event Lists. It does not limit the number you can create manually (using the sidebar cell menu as shown in Figure 10-5 on page 107).
■ by double-clicking the pop-back-in area (Figure 10-8 on page 109) on an individual window. GOING FULL SCREEN The Consolidated window supports the full-screen feature in Windows and macOS 10.7 or later. When the Consolidated window is full screen, plug-in windows float above it. Height option conserves even more screen space. To access these settings, visit the Control Panel preferences (Figure 7-8 on page 73), or right-click anywhere on its background (Figure 10-4 below).
towards the edge of the Consolidated Window, until it disappears, or use its keyboard shortcut (Shift-[ and Shift-]). Sidebar cell menu Splitting the sidebar For information about splitting the sidebars into several sections, see “Using Horizontal Dividers” on page 108. Using multiple tabs in one cell Each sidebar cell contains one window by default; choosing a different window from the window selector menu will change the current window to the newly selected window.
DRAGGING CELLS You can drag a window from one cell to another by grabbing its tab bar with the hand cursor and dragging it to the desired location. Some of the main tabs in the center section cannot be dragged (or displayed) in sidebar cells. But you can freely drag sidebar sections to any new location within either sidebar, as well as freely drag body sections above or below one another in the center section. Figure 10-6: Displaying the Mixing Board in the body section of the Consolidated Window.
POPPING WINDOWS IN AND OUT The empty space in the Tab bar of each cell constitutes its popout button. Double-click this area to move the cell out of the Consolidated Window and make it a separate window. The keyboard shortcut for this is Control/Win-1 (which pops out the cell that currently has the focus). Tab bar Blue border Working with the Consolidated Window can feel much different than working with the separated window layouts in previous versions of Digital Performer.
these older files into the Consolidated Window at your leisure, as you get accustomed to working with the Consolidated Window. If this is the case, uncheck the Open old documents using Consolidated Window preference option (Figure 10-2 on page 104). On the other hand, if you wish to directly migrate the window layout of your old documents into the Consolidated Window as soon as you open them, then check the Open old documents using Consolidated Window preference option (Figure 10-2 on page 104).
CHAPTER 11 Window Sets OVERVIEW The Window Sets feature in the Window menu lets you save, name, and recall your favorite window layouts. You can create as many window sets as you want. You can assign each window set to keyboard shortcuts on your computer keyboard for instant recall. Creating a new window set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Choosing a window set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Changing an existing window set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Renaming a window set To rename a window set, click its name in the Edit Window Sets dialog as shown in Figure 11-2 to highlight it and then click the Rename button. Deleting a window set To delete a window set, click its name in the Edit Window Sets dialog as shown in Figure 11-2 to highlight it and then click the Delete button.
Part 3 Sequences and Tracks
CHAPTER 12 Sequence Basics OVERVIEW Digital Performer is modeled after the straightforward, conventional concept of a multitrack recorder. For a multitrack tape recorder, the basic unit of musical organization is a reel of tape. Typically, one song would be recorded on one reel of tape. In Digital Performer, the basic unit of organization is called a sequence (a term that originates from Digital Performer’s roots as a MIDI sequencer). A sequence holds a set of tracks.
SE Q UE NC E B ASI C S
CHAPTER 13 Track Basics OVERVIEW Each track in Digital Performer holds an individual stream of MIDI or audio data. Each track has its own settings, input/output assignment, and a separate mixer channel. Tracks can be edited individually or together with other tracks. They can be grouped into track folders. Basic track types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Special track types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Track settings .
which you have assigned a group of audio tracks. You can then control (automate, process, etc.) them as a group with the master fader. TRACK SETTINGS VCA tracks Similar to their analog mixing console counterparts, VCA tracks are used to control the relative volume, and other mixing parameters, of a group of other tracks with a single VCA track. You can create as many VCA tracks as you want in your mix, and you can even have VCA tracks control other VCA tracks as sub-groups.
The track type icon Digital Performer provides the following types of tracks, with the following icons to identify them in the Track List: When Solo mode is engaged, clicking the play button toggles between play-enabled (blue) and muted (orange) or disabled (gray), depending on its state before entering solo mode. Icon The Conductor track contains no MIDI or audio data, so it therefore has no Play-Enable button.
also be toggled in the track settings menus in the Sequence Editor and the Mixing Board (below the track name). Figure 13-1: Solo-exempted tracks will not be muted when other tracks are soloed. In this example, the track “Aux-1’ and the master fader are exempted. Output assignment the Output column displays the destination for the MIDI or audio data in the track. MIDI tracks, are assigned to a MIDI device in your studio followed by a dash and a MIDI channel number (between 1 and 16).
You can edit the comments for each track in succession: after bringing up a comment box, press the Down Arrow key to approve the changes you’ve made and move to the comment for the next track. The Up Arrow key likewise moves to the comment for the previous track. CREATING A TRACK To create a track, choose the desired track type from the Project menu > Add Track submenu: MIDI, mono audio, stereo audio, and so on.
RENAMING A TRACK Option/Alt-click the track name to change it. DELETING A TRACK To delete a track, select it and choose Delete Tracks from the Project menu. The track will be removed from the sequence. Delete several tracks at once by selecting them all before choosing the Delete Track command. When a track is deleted, all of its data is gone. You can undo the Delete command. You may also assign a keyboard shortcut to the Delete Tracks command.
CHAPTER 14 Bundles OVERVIEW AUDIO BUNDLES The Bundles window serves as the crucial link between the virtual mixing world in Digital Performer and the audio and MIDI hardware that is physically connected to your computer. The Bundles window provides a convenient layer between them that lets you effectively manage audio and MIDI inputs and outputs. Audio inputs, outputs and busses are all accessed via audio bundles.
switch a bus from an outboard reverb to an internal plug-in, the Bundles window allows you to rewire your entire project in a single operation. You can even change the behavior of existing bundles. If you decide you want to make a surround mix of your stereo project, simply change your primary output assignment from a stereo bundle to a surround bundle.
WORKING WITH TILES ON THE GRID BUNDLE CHANNEL FORMATS The Bundles window consists of a grid where you can place and move tiles that connect audio bundles (rows) to their sources or destinations (columns). You make a connection by placing a tile in the grid square that intersects the bundle (row) with its source or destination (column). After you’ve created a bundle, choose a channel format for it (mono, stereo, 5.1 surround, etc.) from the menu to its right, as shown below.
Bundles and panners The output bundle assigned to a track determines the type of panner it has. There are three primary types of panners: Surround Panners, Stereo Panners and mono (direct). Stereo panners look and operate exactly like stereo pan knobs on a normal mixing console. Surround panners consist of a panning ‘puck’ inside a panner dish. The operation is similar to how a joystick works. Mono bundles remove the panner altogether, offering a direct path from the channel to the bus or output.
To swap the left right output of a stereo bundle, drag the bundle tile onto its opposite channel. Stereo bundles can be split over non-adjacent destination pairs. You can double-click a box to move the tiles in that row directly to the box (without having to drag them). BUNDLES AND SURROUND SOUND Surround output bundles can be rewired quickly.
THE MIDI DEVICES TAB Once you’ve connected your MIDI hardware devices, you are ready to configure them in Digital Performer for use in all of your Digital Performer projects. To do so: 1 Launch Digital Performer. 2 Create a new project from the File menu. 3 Choose Studio menu > Bundles to open the Bundles window. 4 Click the MIDI Devices tab (Figure 14-8). The MIDI devices tab lets you create and configure MIDI devices connected to your MIDI hardware.
MIDI device properties Click a MIDI device in the left-hand column to select it and then click the Edit button to specify the manufacturer and model for the device and to make additional device property settings (Figure 14-9). Figure 14-9: MIDI device properties. Device Choose the manufacturer of the device from the Manufacturer pop-up menu, then choose the model of the device from the Model pop-up menu. The Name field will be automatically filled in.
BUNDLES
CHAPTER 15 MIDI Tracks OVERVIEW This chapter covers topics that are specific to the setup of MIDI tracks for playback and recording. For audio track setup, see chapter 16, “Audio Tracks” (page 139). features are still available (i.e. features that don’t involve the real-time recording or playing of audio data). For example, you can create new audio tracks and edit existing audio data. WHAT IS A MIDI TRACK? Integrated MIDI and hard disk audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 MIDI only . . . . . . . . .
MIDI TRACK SETTINGS CHOOSING AN INPUT SOURCE Each MIDI track has the following universal track settings: When Multi Record mode (in the Studio menu) is turned off (unchecked), a record-enabled MIDI track will record data from any MIDI channel.
MIDI Devices MIDI device groups interface, and the connection is accurately reflected in your MIDI configuration, then the device shows up in the output assignment list with the same name it has been given in MIDI Devices tab in the Bundles window (Setup menu). You can make any necessary changes to your MIDI device list there. MIDI ports which do not have a device connected to them will be listed in the “Unconfigured Ports” sub-menu, as shown in Figure 15-2.
channels from any combination of devices in your MIDI setup. To create a MIDI device group, read the next section. Click the check boxes to quickly add MIDI channels to the MIDI device group. ☛ Hint: if a track is currently assigned to a MIDI device group, and you want to make changes to the MIDI device group, Option/Alt-click the MIDI device group name in the Tracks window. Click this exposure icon to toggle the check box display shown here.
Clear a default patch Click the device name to select it and choose Clear Default Patch from the mini-menu. Remove a device or device group from the list Click the name to select it and choose Delete from the minimenu. Duplicate a device group Click the name to select it and choose Duplicate from the mini-menu.
If you would like to choose a patch for the track, but you do not want the patch to be remembered with the project, choose it from this Patch menu. If you do, however, want it to be remembered, choose it from the Default Patch menu. Octave display Displays the current octave being played by the MIDI Keys, as controlled by the octave up/down keys. Or click anywhere on the octave display keyboard to jump directly to the desired octave. MIDI KEYS Note-on velocity Press the Z through period ( .
Recording into a MIDI track with MIDI Keys To record into a MIDI track with MIDI Keys, simply record-enable the MIDI track, start recording and play MIDI Keys. Playing a virtual instrument with MIDI Keys To play a virtual instrument with MIDI Keys, set up a virtual instrument track and a MIDI track for it as described in “Creating an instrument track” on page 145, record-enable the MIDI track and then play MIDI Keys.
MIDI TRACKS
CHAPTER 16 Audio Tracks OVERVIEW This chapter covers topics that are specific to the setup of audio tracks. For MIDI track setup, see chapter 15, “MIDI Tracks” (page 131). Integrated MIDI and hard disk audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Types of audio tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Audio (disk) tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Mono, stereo, and surround tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
you’ll see the inputs for the track shown as pairs (e.g. 1-2, 3-4, etc.) You can create as many audio tracks as you like, although the maximum number that you’ll be able to simultaneously play and record depends on your computer. For further details on these universal settings, see “Track settings” on page 118.
section). If you have a more elaborate studio setup, you can set up your audio bundles in advance using the Bundles window. For further information, see chapter 14, “Bundles” (page 123). Multiple audio tracks may be record-enabled at one time, although there is a preference that can restrict them to being record-enabled only one at a time, if you wish.
☛ If you lock the track (“Lock” on page 120) when the Stretch layer is enabled, doing so disables track stretching, as if it is turned off. Beat editing, however, remains available for editing. There are preferences for enabling Stretch in the current project and new projects. See “Pitch and Stretch” on page 85. activity during playback, check this menu item for any tracks that have pitch edits in them — or that have Stretch enabled.
checkable menu item. When a track is disabled, it relinquishes all of its system resources. But note that bringing it back on line is not instantaneous. Audio track enable Figure 16-2: Audio track enable. Figure 16-3: The Track Assignments feature. MONITORING AN AUDIO TRACK INPUT Digital Performer lets you listen to the live input signal being fed to a track via its chosen hardware input by “patching thru” the input signal to the track’s output destination. See “Audio input monitoring” on page 231.
hardware driver” on page 25 in the DP Getting Started Guide to optimize your system for the maximum number of audio tracks. Track bouncing with the Bounce command One way to hear more tracks at once is to mix many tracks down to one track. You can do this freely in Digital Performer because in the realm of digital audio, there is no noise accumulation as a result of digital mixing.
CHAPTER 17 Instrument Tracks OVERVIEW CREATING AN INSTRUMENT TRACK Virtual instruments, also called “software synthesizers” or “soft synths”, are MIDI instruments which are software-based rather than hardware-based. These appear on instrument tracks in Digital Performer. To create an instrument track, choose Project menu> Add Track. Instrument tracks work very much like synthesizers, samplers and other hardware instruments.
An option is also provided to place the new instrument and MIDI tracks together in a new Track Folder, if desired. Each instrument is placed in its own folder, with its MIDI tracks. 2. Choose Add Unassigned Instrument. Doing so creates the new instrument track with no instrument yet assigned. You can then assign an instrument in the Mixing Board from the instrument insert, as explained later. 3. Choose a specific instrument from the Instruments sub-menu.
■ Sequence Editor track menu ■ Mixing Board track menu ■ Track Inspector/Info Bar button If a MIDI track is not assigned to a virtual instrument, the Open Instrument command will be unavailable. INSTRUMENT TRACK AUTOMATION Figure 17-3: Assigning a MIDI track to an instrument plug-in. Make sure that the MIDI channel you choose matches the MIDI receive channel for the virtual instrument. If the instrument is multi timbral, such as MachFive, you can set up one MIDI track for each independent part.
can then be accessed from all sequences in the project. See chapter 68, “V-Racks” (page 779) for more information. MULTIPLE AUDIO OUTPUTS Some instrument plug-ins provide multiple audio outputs. You can access them in the Instruments tab in the Bundles window (Studio menu) as shown in Figure 17-4. Creating instrument output bundles To make the instrument plug-in’s outputs appear across the top of the Bundles window, instantiate the instrument plug-in as usual.
CHAPTER 18 Aux Tracks and Master Fader Tracks OVERVIEW Aux tracks and Master Fader tracks are special kinds of audio tracks for routing and grouping audio signals in the Digital Performer project. Aux tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Master Fader tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 AUX TRACKS An Aux track is a special kind of audio track that routes an input directly to an output.
The most likely cause of these situations is the presence of an Aux track. If you have created an Aux track that patches an input directly to an output, you’ll always hear the signal from the Aux track’s assigned input — unless you un-playenable the Aux track altogether. So if you encounter monitoring problems, check your Aux tracks. For further details on these universal settings, see “Track settings” on page 118.
■ Output assignment ■ Take ■ Automation settings ■ Lock ■ Color ■ Comment For further details on these universal settings, see “Track settings” on page 118.
AUX TRACKS AND MASTER FADER TRACKS
CHAPTER 19 VCA Tracks OVERVIEW On large-format analog mixing consoles, a VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) is a channel gain control used to adjust the volume faders of multiple tracks simultaneously. In Digital Performer, a VCA track does the same thing: after being assigned to a track group, it controls the relative volume of all the tracks in the group. It also controls the Solo, Mute and Record-enable status for all tracks in the group.
The VCA track output menu For VCA tracks, the output menu shows available track groups that the VCA track can be assigned to control. If two or more tracks are selected when you access the output menu, choosing Make New Group from the menu creates a new group consisting of the selected tracks, and the VCA track is assigned to the new group. If you wish to disconnect a VCA track from its currently assigned group, choose None from its output menu. See “Releasing a VCA track from its group” on page 156.
VCA TRACKS AND MIX AUTOMATION VCA track automation VCA tracks can be automated, just like audio tracks. Two types of automation data are supported: volume and track mute. Automation is handled in the same fashion as audio tracks. See chapter 71, “Mix Automation” (page 827). If a VCA group track contains volume automation, the group’s VCA track fader will affect that automation.
VCA track mute automation VCA track mute automation overrides any track mute automation in the grouped tracks controlled by the VCA track. Similar to volume automation, green lines in the group track indicate the effect of the VCA mute automation. Setting the colors for VCA volume and mute automation To customize the colors for VCA volume and mute automation, choose View menu > Colors > Set VCA Volume Color and View menu > Colors > Set VCA Mute Color.
Tracks Window CHAPTER 20 OVERVIEW Quick Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158 Tracks Window Mini-menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160 Opening the Tracks window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 Sequence management in the Tracks window . . . . . .161 The Marker menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163 The Track List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
QUICK REFERENCE Track List: Displays the track names and important information about each track: the MIDI output device assignment, the current patch setting, audio track input and output assignments, the play and record buttons, comments, etc. Option/Alt-click the track name to rename it. Conductor Track: A special track that contains the tempo map, meter changes, and key signatures for the sequence. The Conductor track also contains Markers.
Sequence Name: The Window Target tab displays the name of the sequence. A Digital Performer project can contain any number of sequences, each with their own Tracks window. Click to view a different sequence in the window. Marker well: Allows you to drag and drop an unlimited number of markers anywhere into the Time Ruler. Option/Alt-click the marker name to rename it. Drag it left and right to move it. Drag makers downwards until the cursor turns into a trash can to delete them.
Activity Meters: Indicate the intensity of playback Track locking toggle: Locks or unlocks the track. coming from the track. For MIDI tracks, they monitor either note-on velocities or amount of data, including controllers and any other types of MIDI data. For audio tracks, the level meters provide a rough indication of audio level. For a more accurate level reading, use the full length level meters in the Mixing Board.
Tracks Overview Preferences: Displays the tracks overview preferences. For details, see “Configuring the MIDI activity meters” on page 165 and “Customizing MIDI phrasing blocks” on page 171. Open Edit Windows: This is the same as doubleclicking a track to open its default editor window. MIDI Track Annotations: Lets you quickly add (or remove) information about MIDI playback device and patch settings to track names and comments.
The Sequence menu Figure 20-3: The Sequence menu lets you display a different sequence in the Tracks window. Using the Window Target to switch sequences You can also use the Tracks window Window Target menu to change which sequence is displayed. To do so, just click the sequence name in the title bar’s Window Target menu as shown below.
THE MARKER MENU THE TRACK LIST The Marker menu, as shown in Figure 20-6, contains markers and other significant locations in the sequence. Use it to conveniently and instantly jump to any location in the sequence. The Tracks window is divided into two portions, as shown in Figure 20-7: the Track List on the left and the Track Overview on the right. The following sections discusses the Track List. For the Track Overview, see “The Track Overview” on page 170.
The move handle The move handle allows you to shift the position of a track in the Track List. Use it to rearrange the tracks in an order that is most useful to you. To use the Move Handle, press on it and drag the track where you want it to go. The loop indicator This column displays a loop icon if the track contains one or more loops. Lock button “Lock” on page 120 in chapter 13, “Track Basics”. Figure 20-8: Showing and hiding columns in the Track List.
The record-enable button The record-enable button arms the track for recording. When the track is armed, the button is red. Record-enable buttons are only present if the sequence is selected for playback in the Chunks window or it is record-enabled in a Song window. Multiple audio tracks may be record-enabled at one time, although there is a preference (Setup menu) that can restrict them to being recordenabled only one at a time, if you wish.
☛ MIDI activity meters do not function like audio level meters. For both MIDI activity and velocity, the MIDI level meter is triggered by a MIDI data byte, such as a note-on event or controller, at the time it is played back. The level does not sustain during the duration of the note. Monitoring Activity meters can monitor MIDI data being played back, recorded, or both.
Track color See “Color” on page 120 in chapter 13, “Track Basics”. The current patch (MIDI tracks only) This column displays the name of the currently selected patch (sound) for the device that is assigned to the MIDI track. If a patch has not been selected, no patch name appears in the column. For further details, see “The current patch” on page 135. The default patch (MIDI tracks only) The default patch is the sound that the track always begins with.
add the track somewhere in the middle of the Track List, click an existing track first to highlight it. The new track is added just below the highlighted track. Figure 20-12: The MIDI track annotations sub-menu. The commands in the MIDI Track Annotations menu affect all MIDI tracks. Use the four checkable items at the bottom of the menu to determine what will be included in the text that will be copied to the track name or comment. Then choose the desired operation from the upper portion of the menu.
Creating and saving track layouts You can take a snapshot of which tracks are currently shown and hidden and save it for future recall. See “Track Layouts” on page 313. Duplicating track layouts “Duplicating a track’s settings” on page 121 in chapter 13, “Track Basics”. Duplicating tracks “Duplicating a track’s settings and data” on page 121 in chapter 13, “Track Basics”. Transferring tracks to another sequence The Track Overview allows you to duplicate tracks and even transfer them to another sequence.
To open an edit window, highlight the track name or an event in the track and click as follows: To open this Do this Your default editor (as specified in Preferences) Double-click Event List Command–Option/Ctrl-Alt– double-click MIDI Editor Command/Ctrl–double-click a MIDI track MIDI Drum Editor Command–Control/Ctrl-Win– double-click a MIDI track QuickScribe Editor (MIDI) Control/Win–double-click a MIDI track Notation Editor (MIDI) Option–Control/Alt-Win– double-click a MIDI track Sequence Edi
Stereo audio soundbite Block of MIDI data Mono Audio soundbite Tempo data in the conductor track Automation data Figure 20-14: The Track Overview automatically and musically groups MIDI data into singular blocks that you can view and edit as units. It is designed to give you a “bird’s-eye” view of your music. Customizing MIDI phrasing blocks The Phrase setup settings in the Tracks Overview preferences lets you customize the way that data is phrased in the Track Overview.
Folder contents overview Folders show an overview of their contents in the Tracks Overview. When the folder is collapsed, the overview reflects the colors of the individual tracks contained in the folder; when the folder is expanded, the overview is grayscale (see Figure 20-7, below).
nudging snaps to columns, but you can set the nudge amount as desired. For details, see “Nudge” on page 342. Zooming Zooming the Time Ruler in the Track Overview changes the amount of time shown in each column. If you zoom out, each column represents more time, resulting in a more global view of the sequence. If you zoom in, each segment represents less time, allowing for more detailed work.
Working with markers in the Time Ruler The Time Ruler lets you display and edit Markers. Here is a summary: Filter to temporarily hide all other data types. For more information about using the View Filter, see “View Filter” on page 314. To accomplish this Do this Create a new marker Click on the “marker well” to the right of the Time Ruler and then drag and drop a marker onto the Time Ruler. The marker will “snap” to the nearest column.
CUSTOMIZING THE TRACKS WINDOW The Tracks window can be completely customized. This allows you to set it up in the way that best suits the way you work.
TRACKS WINDOW
CHAPTER 21 Track Folders and Track Groups OVERVIEW Track folders allow you to visually group, collapse, and manipulate multiple tracks in any window that displays tracks, including the Tracks window, Sequence Editor, Mixing Board, QuickScribe Editor, etc. Track groups allow you to functionally link multiple tracks for editing and mixing purposes. In the Track List, you can drag tracks in and out of track folders using the track move handles.
TRACK GROUPS Digital Performer allows you to create an unlimited number of track groups. Tracks can be linked for editing, mixing, editing and mixing, a customized set of operations that you specify, or VCA control. Tracks can be a member of more than one group. Groups can also be “nested” within each other. ☛ Tracks can also be organized into track folders, which allows you to show or hide them as a group. See “Track folders” on page 168. Track folders are independent of track groups.
Use the Track Groups window as follows to manage track groups: To do this: Do this: To rename a track group Double-click or Option/Alt-click its name. To delete a track group Click it to highlight it and choose Delete Track Group from the mini-menu.
wish to control in the group. If you choose Edit, Mix, Edit & Mix or VCA from the menu at the top of the window, the check boxes in the window will update to show you what the default settings are for these preset groups. ☛ If the custom group is being controlled by a VCA track, the Volume Fader option will be grayed out to indicate that volume faders are solely under the control of the VCA track (not individual track faders within the group).
the Track Groups window. The track group name is displayed in italic text when it is temporarily suspended. To temporarily suspend track groups globally, choose Project menu>Modify Track Groups>Suspend Track Grouping, or press Command-Option-Control-G (Mac) or Ctrl-AltG (Windows). To do so even more temporarily, hold down the G key. Doing so temporarily toggles the current suspension state. Temporarily overriding the group on the fly To temporarily override a group when moving a fader, Option/Alt-drag it.
TRACK FOLDERS AND TRACK GROUPS
Part 4 Playing and Recording
CHAPTER 22 Control Panel OVERVIEW Digital Performer’s Control Panel contains all the functions that make Digital Performer “go”: buttons to record, play, rewind, set tempo, and more. The Transport controls look and act just like the transport controls for a standard recorder. Additional buttons provide immediate access to many of Digital Performer’s significant features. The Control Panel appears across the top of the Consolidated Window.
QUICK REFERENCE Transport Controls: These are Digital Performer’s Aux Counter: Displays the current playback position in an alternative time format. main controls for playback, recording, etc. Counter settings: Independently for each counter, Main Counter: Displays the current playback choose from the time display formats: measures|beats|ticks, real time, SMPTE time, samples, or markers. position in one of Digital Performer’s four time formats: measures|beats|ticks, real time, SMPTE time, or samples.
Main/Alternate Tool: Click to choose the desired Wait button: Causes Digital Performer to wait for a main and alternate tool for the cursor. To temporarily switch to the alternate tool, hold down the semicolon key. keystroke (or any other MIDI event) from a MIDI or computer keyboard as a signal to start playing back or recording. Wait can also be used together with Countoff to create an indefinite countoff.
Tempo Control menu: Selects the current source of CONTROL PANEL PREFERENCES the tempo from a menu. Tempo can be controlled from the Tempo Slider, the Conductor track, the Tap Pad, or remotely from a MIDI controller such as a mod wheel. Tempo control can be changed during playback. The Control Panel appears across the top of the Consolidated Window. Like other cells, it can be popped in or out (see “Popping windows in and out” on page 109).
in that they are programmable via the Memory buttons (on the left of the window), utility buttons (on the right) and menu commands. The Play button and playback Clicking the Play button starts playback of the currently play-enabled sequence or song. Playback will begin from the current time specified in the Counter. Playback can be delayed by the Countoff button and held by the Pause and Wait buttons. Figure 22-4: Digital Performer’s Rewind button.
Turning on the Pause button during playback will cause playback to be suspended without turning any notes off. Turning it off will cause playback to resume. If the Pause button is turned on before playback, playback will be suspended until the Pause button is turned off. While the Pause button is on, you can use the Rewind button and Counter window to adjust the current playback location. You may also set times in the Edit, Memory, and Auto-Record bars.
COUNTER The number field will highlight. The Counter displays the current playback position in the currently play-enabled Chunk (sequence or song), expressed in different forms: measure time (measure|beat|tick), real time (hours:minutes:seconds.hundredths), frame time (hours:minutes:seconds:frames), samples (digital audio samples), or markers (the most recent marker in the sequence). Two of these formats can be displayed at the same time: one as a main counter and the other as an auxiliary counter.
Setting the counter time format To change which time format is shown in the Main or Auxiliary Counter, click the Time Format menu buttons to the right of each counter. become 4|1|000, 5|1|000, 6|1|000, etc.; with “Round on Entry” disabled, the counter value will become 4|2|017, 5|2|017, 6|2|017, etc. Marker counter The Markers time format displays the most recent marker in the sequence.
Setting the start time The start time of the sequence is what you see in the counter when you rewind to the very beginning. Normally, the default start time for a sequence or song is measure time 1|1|000, real time 0:00:00.00 and frame time 0:00:00:00. The start times you enter for measure and real time are arbitrary and only affect the display of time locations.
Preserving locked markers when changing the start time If your project contains locked markers, you can either preserve their location relative to the start of the sequence or preserve their absolute frame time when changing the sequence’s SMPTE start time. For details, see “Locked markers and the sequence start time” on page 754. Figure 22-13: The Set Chunk Start dialog lets you choose completely different start times for each of Digital Performer’s various time formats.
4 Highlight all track names in the Tracks window and double-click the “Load Selection” button in the Selection Information window. A side effect of this is that the counter may not always be accurate. It should therefore not be used as a metronome. In general, the counter display should not be used as a visual indication of tempo. This selects the entire sequence. 5 Choose Shift from the Edit menu. 6 Choose the Later option and type in the number of pickup measures that you previously added.
Resizing the Counter window The Counter window is freely resizable, and the text size scales along with the window size. At larger sizes, the Counter window is easily visible from across the studio or across the stage. Setting the Counter window display The counter window can display one or more of the four time formats in any combination. One format is designated as the Main Counter. It will appear at the top of the window.
the sequence reaches the specified Memory Cycle time rage. When the Counter reaches the end of the cycle range, it seamlessly returns to the beginning and will continue to do so until you press the stop button, un-highlight the Memory Cycle button, or cue past the end time.
2 Drag over the desired time range in any time ruler. 3 Highlight the Memory Cycle button if it is not already highlighted. Figure 22-20: Setting Memory Cycle points with the shortcuts in the Memory Bar menu. To automatically set the times to the current selection bounds, see “Link Memory to Selection” on page 200. To do so manually: 1 Set the Edit resolution in the time ruler.
Selecting the Memory Cycle range for editing If you would like to quickly select the time range within the Memory Cycle repeat barlines to insert a loop, quantize, or any other editing operation, click one of the two repeat barlines.
The Preroll and Postroll text boxes adhere to the current global time format. This allows you to specify the amount of Preroll and Postroll in any time format you wish, including SMPTE frames, milliseconds, etc. For further information about time formats, see “Time Formats window” on page 90. always begin and end at the start and stop of the current time range selection, with preroll and postroll, if any.
and punch out times are specified in the Auto Record Bar: Punch in is the time where recording begins; Punch out is where recording ends. AutoRecord can be used while Digital Performer is slaved to external sync; see chapter 86, “Receive Sync” (page 951) for details on recording while slaved to each type of sync. The Auto-Record button will remain on until you click on it again to disable it. Remember to disable it when you finish using it.
These same techniques are also used in the Selection Bar, and they are described in detail “The Track Overview” on page 170. Quickly selecting what you have recorded You can quickly select the time range between the punch points by clicking one of the arrows. This is a handy shortcut for editing what you have just recorded with auto-record. OVERDUB RECORD MODE If you click the Overdub button, Digital Performer goes into Overdub record mode.
SLAVE TO EXTERNAL SYNC BUTTON When engaged, Digital Performer follows an external clock source, as specified in the Receive Sync command (Setup menu). Double click this button to open Receive Sync settings. For details, see chapter 86, “Receive Sync” (page 951). If you would like to save times that will appear in the menu only when the current chunk is playenabled, use the New Saved Time for This Chunk command instead. Use the Edit Saved Times command to rename and delete saved times.
For details about editing the start and end times in the Memory bar, see “Setting Memory Cycle points” on page 197. name is the Sequences menu, which lets you add, delete, rename and otherwise manage multiple sequences in your project. The Rewind button works differently when the Memory Bar is visible: clicking on the Rewind button once will rewind to the Start time in the Memory Bar; clicking on it again will rewind to the beginning of the sequence.
■ The Conductor track ■ By remote control from an external MIDI controller, such as a modulation wheel ■ The back slash key (Tap to Enter Tempo command) The Tempo Control menu displays the current tempo source with a check mark; choose any other source from the menu to change it. You can change the tempo source at any time, even during playback, and the tempos you set in each mode are remembered. In addition, the tempo control settings are saved with each Chunk.
To set up the Tempo slider for external MIDI control: 1 Choose Remote Control from the Tempo Control menu. Tap to Enter Tempo The Tap to Enter Tempo command in the Commands window (Setup menu) allows you to tap a tempo setting from your computer keyboard (or a MIDI trigger event): 2 Choose Set Remote Source from the Tempo Control menu. A dialog box appears.
type in a number) and then tap the Tap to Enter Tempo keyboard shortcut at the tempo you wish to enter. This allows you to specify the tempo by “feel”, rather than by typing a number. The default keyboard shortcut for the Tap to Enter Tempo command is the back slash key ( \ ). You can easily change this default key binding by searching for the word “tap” in the commands window as shown in Figure 22-43. You can also assign a MIDI event from a drum pad or other MIDI source.
Figure 22-44: You can type in tempos in Digital Performer in frame clicks (using either a dash or a slash). Digital Performer will convert the click tempo to beats per minute at a very high degree of resolution. Use the Display Preferences in the Digital Performer menu (Mac OS) or Edit menu (Windows) if you want to see frame clicks all the time. You can freely switch between the two formats.
The Alternate Tool (Figure 22-1 on page 186) serves as a temporary alternative to the primary tool. To temporarily switch to the alternate tool, hold down the ‘x’ key. This keyboard shortcut allows you to quickly switch between the main and alternate tool, without having to visit the Tool palette (Figure 36-1 on page 331). This keyboard shortcut can be changed in the Commands window (page 95): search for the Alternate Tool shortcut.
DISPLAY PREFERENCES The Control Panel can be configured to be a floating window so it always appears on top of other windows. Its transparency can also be set, from fully opaque to fully transparent. Both options can be enabled in the Control Panel preferences. For more information, refer to “Control Panel” on page 73.
CHAPTER 23 Playback OVERVIEW AUDIO PLAYBACK BASICS Except where noted, this chapter applies to both MIDI and audio track playback. When Digital Performer plays audio tracks, it reads audio data from the hard disk and sends the digitally encoded audio signal to your audio hardware (the built-in speaker output of your computer or your MOTU audio interface, for example).
4 For each MIDI track, choose a MIDI output destination and patch (sound) as explained in “Choosing a MIDI output destination” on page 132 and “Choosing a default patch (sound)” on page 135. 5 For each audio track, choose an audio output destination as explained in “Choosing an audio input and output” on page 141. 6 Set the location from which you want playback to begin. There are many ways to cue Digital Performer.
MUTING AND UNMUTING TRACKS DURING PLAYBACK Both MIDI and audio tracks can be muted and unmuted during playback by using solo mode or by clicking their play-enable button in the Tracks window or Sequence Editor, or their mute button in the Mixing Board. You can also record the action of muting and unmuting tracks. For details, see chapter 71, “Mix Automation” (page 827). When muting a track, the response is instantaneous. SOLOING TRACKS Soloing tracks allows you to isolate tracks for playback.
Partial solo percentage The value you choose is the percent that note velocities in each muted MIDI track will be reduced to when muted. (Velocities are not permanently changed; they are only modified temporarily during playback.) The ‘Solo front-most edit window’ option This option determines what is soloed when you are editing an audio or MIDI track in an edit window (i.e. an Event List, MIDI Editor, QuickScribe Editor, etc. is open and active).
Enable the types of MIDI events that you want Digital Performer to chase. Click Set All to enable event chasing for all types. In some cases, you may not want certain types of MIDI events to be chased. For example, it may be useful to disable event chasing when transmitting MIDI to devices that use MIDI messages for non-musical purposes, such as lighting controllers or console automation systems.
Event chasing and loops MIDI event types that are enabled in the Event Chasing window will be chased inside a loop the same way that they would be chased outside a loop. For instance, controller data inside a loop in a MIDI track will be chased as if the loop were expanded and the data were written linearly in the track. Event chasing in songs Event chasing also works for sequences that are played inside a song chunk.
Paging versus continuous scrolling Digital Performer provides two types of window scrolling: ■ Paging ■ Continuous scrolling Paging When the Continuous Scroll option is unchecked, all Digital Performer windows proceed one windowful at a time during playback. That is, when playback reaches the last measure or event in the current time range being displayed in the window, the window jumps to the next windowful of data, just like clicking in the grey area of a scroll bar.
■ Drag the wiper tab in the time ruler Zooming with the wiper You can zoom in and out by Control/Windragging vertically on the playback wiper handle. Control/Win-drag down to zoom in; drag up to zoom out. Release the Control/Win key to temporarily suspend wiper zooming. This allows you to continue zooming, even after you’ve reached the top or bottom of the computer screen.
conjunction with Partial Solo Mode to only scrub the Edit window you are currently viewing. See “‘Partial-solo’” on page 213 for details. Scrubbing always chases: ■ patch changes ■ notes ■ pitch bend ■ volume controllers ■ sustain pedal controllers STOP SOUNDING MIDI DEVICES (PANIC) The Stop Sounding MIDI Notes command (Studio menu) is a MIDI “panic” command – it will send an “all notes off ” message to all MIDI devices. This is helpful if there is a stuck note or a MIDI feedback loop.
PLAYBACK
CHAPTER 24 Recording OVERVIEW Except where noted, this chapter applies to both MIDI and audio track recording. Digital Performer records very much like a multitrack tape deck: you connect inputs, specify tracks to record into and push the record button. Digital Performer, however, has a great deal more flexibility than a tape deck.
CHOOSING A SEQUENCE TO RECORD INTO If you have more than one sequence or song in the project, be sure to play-enable the one that you wish to record into. To do so, look at the current chunk indicator in the Control Panel. Figure 24-1: The current sequence or song. If you need to switch sequences, use the Sequences menu next to the current chunk name, or use the Chunks window.
INPUT FILTER The Input Filter allows you to specify what types of MIDI data are recorded. To open the Input Filter window, choose Input Filter from the Setup menu. All except: Information from all controllers except the controller numbers you enter will be recorded. Only: Only information from the controller numbers you enter will be recorded. To add and remove controller numbers in the list for the All except and Only options, use the Add and Remove buttons to the right of the list.
Opening the Input Quantize Window To open the Input Quantize window, choose Input Quantize from the Studio menu: rather than the Quantize window. But Input Quantize options behave the same way as their counterparts in the Region menu. For more information about the Input Quantize options, see “Quantize” on page 579. Changing options during recording Any option in the Input Quantize window can be changed at any time, even during recording.
PREPARING A MIDI TRACK FOR RECORDING To prepare a MIDI track for recording: 1 Record-enable the MIDI track. This can be done in several different windows in Digital Performer. In the Tracks window, click the Record button next to the track (in the REC column). If the button is red, the track is recordenabled. In the Mixing Board, click the record button below the solo and mute buttons. In the Sequence Editor, click the record button next to the track name.
from the Mixing Board or Sequence Editor windows (from the menu next to or below the track name). ☛ Record-enabling should be done before you actually begin recording; audio tracks can be record-enabled during playback or recording, but you may experience a brief pause. A better alternative is to punch in and out on the fly. See “Manual punch-in/punch-out on the fly” on page 236 and “Automatic punch-in/punch-out” on page 236 later in this chapter. Press on the current audio input assignment to change it.
When you record-enable an audio track, the corresponding input row in the Audio Monitor turns red. In addition, the takefile name switches to plain text (instead of being italicized) as shown in Figure 24-5. Plain text indicates that the takefile has been created on disk and that the system is ready to record. 5 In the Audio Monitor, check for free hard disk space as shown in Figure 24-5.
MIDI INPUT MONITORING MIDI Patch Thru (Studio menu) allows you to hear incoming MIDI data from your MIDI controller instrument played back on your output synthesizers (Figure 24-6) or virtual instruments. More technically, Patch Thru echoes MIDI data received by Digital Performer to any MIDI device in your studio that you choose. You’ll want to use Patch Thru most of the time because it allows you to hear what you are playing on your MIDI sound modules while recording.
Direct Echo is useful in situations where you want to be able to change the channel you are echoing to from your MIDI controller keyboard by simply changing its transmit channel. Auto channelize Auto Channelize causes incoming MIDI data from your controller to be echoed to the output device and channel for the currently record-enabled MIDI track. The following sections discuss several scenarios that affect Auto Channelize.
Transpose Map that constrains all notes to within a certain scale — which automatically cleans up any wrong notes that you play! Or you can apply a MIDI echo as you record. See “Working with effects plug-ins” on page 821 for details. MIDI Patch Thru on Digital Performer or incoming data will be echoed twice. If you choose to use MIDI Patch Thru in Digital Performer, turn off the echo feature on the interface for the same reason.
AUDIO INPUT MONITORING Audio input monitoring is the process of listening to the live input signal being fed to a track via its chosen hardware input (Figure 24-3 on page 226). Digital Performer lets you do this by “patching thru” the input signal to the track’s output destination (see “Choosing an audio input and output” on page 141). So be sure to choose an output destination assignment that is patched to a listening device.
track input monitoring, whereas the Mixing Board provides both MIDI and audio track input monitoring. when you play it back after recording it, it will be fine (again, as long as you managed to play it in time with the sequence). Monitoring outside of Digital Performer If you are using Digital Performer with an external mixer, or via the hardware-based CueMix DSP monitoring features in your MOTU audio interface, you might choose to monitor in the external hardware instead of through Digital Performer.
128 samples. This gives you the best of both worlds: very low monitoring latency (3-6 ms) with effects processing. The trade-off in this scenario is that the lower buffer settings put more strain on your computer. Setting the input monitoring mode The two choices for input monitoring described in the previous section are provided by choosing Configure Audio System > Input Monitoring Mode from the Setup menu, which opens the dialog shown below in Figure 24-10.
The Record button will turn red, indicating that Digital Performer is recording in real-time. You can also trigger recording by pressing the [3] key on the numeric keypad (with Num Lock engaged under Windows) or, if you have already set up a MIDI remote control, by sending a MIDI event from your controller. ☛ To achieve the fastest response possible when you begin recording, use pause-record. That is, press the pause button first and then record.
■ If your project interleave format is interleaved, the stereo audio will be recorded to a single file. ■ If your interleave format is deinterleaved, recorded audio data is stored as two separate mono files, each with the same name and .L or .R in the file names (e.g., “Guitar-1.L.wav” and “Guitar1.R.wav”). The corresponding soundbites in the track will remain perfectly sample-locked, no matter what you do.
If you are sending data from another sequencer or a time-based MIDI device, you will probably want Digital Performer to synchronize with it. To put Digital Performer in External Sync mode, see chapter 86, “Receive Sync” (page 951). Changing Multi Record on the fly You can toggle Multi Record (Studio menu) during playback. RECORDING SEVERAL AUDIO TRACKS IN ONE PASS Digital Performer lets you record as many audio tracks at one time as your computer and audio hardware allow.
while Digital Performer is slaved to external sync; see chapter 86, “Receive Sync” (page 951) for details. Figure 24-15: The Auto-record bar lets you set precise, automated punch-in and punch-out points during recording. The Auto-Record button will remain on until you click on it again to disable it. Remember to disable it when you finish using it. To use Auto-Record: 1 Arm the tracks you wish to record into. 2 Press the Auto-Record button, which is located below the transport controls.
PUNCH GUARD When recording audio tracks, Digital Performer can capture several extra seconds of audio before and after record passes. This feature is called Punch Guard, and it applies to both manual and automatic punch-ins (on audio tracks). For example, if you clicked the record button a little late, you can edge-edit the recorded soundbite to expose several extra seconds of audio before the beginning.
soundbites. Wherever there is a punch-in, the current soundbite is trimmed and a new soundbite begins. However, only those parts of existing soundbites you recorded over are erased. For example, if you record over the beginning of a soundbite, only the portion recorded over is replaced. If you change your mind about the punch-in and wish to remove it, go back in the Undo History, or remove the punched in soundbite and use the Heal Separation command (“Heal Separation” on page 564) to close the gap.
Memory Cycle start and end points (can be dragged) 3 If the playback wiper is not visible in the Track Overview or Sequence Editor, open the Auto Scroll window (View menu > Scroll) and turn on (check) the cursor option for the window. Erasing the last MIDI pass and MIDI Spot Erasing You can easily accomplish common MIDI cyclerecording tasks such as erasing the last pass and Spot Erasing by opening the Drum Editor or other edit window while cycle-recording.
Figure 24-20: Look in the Transport commands for the Spot Erase command, and other cycle-recording shortcuts, which can all be assigned to MIDI notes for triggering directly from your MIDI controller.
not mixed together, although you can mix them afterwards using the Merge Soundbites command.) For complete details about POLAR, see chapter 31, “POLAR” (page 287). SAMPLE FORMAT Creating a permanent loop After you are satisfied with the MIDI or audio loop you’ve created, you can make it permanent by inserting a loop into one or more tracks. Use the Loop tool in the Tool palette (Studio menu). 24-bit digital audio recording uses a 24-bit word to describe each sample recorded.
representation is that it can support a much wider range of values by allowing the decimal point to “float” among the digits than store the value of each sample. For example, a fixed-point representation that has eight decimal digits, with the decimal point assumed to be positioned after the sixth digit, can represent the numbers 123456.78, 8765.43, 123.00, and so on, whereas a floatingpoint representation with eight decimal digits could also represent 1.2345678, 1234567.8, 0.
R E C O R DI NG
CHAPTER 25 Click and Countoff OVERVIEW CLICK Digital Performer provides flexible, programmable click and countoff features to help you achieve optimal results during recording. The Click is the audible indication of the Metronome beat. The Click can “click” on the beat, or you can customize it to click in any pattern that you prefer. When it clicks on the beat, we refer to the click pattern as a beat click.
Enabling the click To turn on the Click, choose Click from the Studio menu or press Command/Ctrl-5. To turn off the click, choose it again. When the Click is on, the Click menu item will be checked. You can also toggle the click on and off by pressing the Click button (which looks like a metronome) in Digital Performer’s Control Panel. The Click & Countoff Options described in the next section provide many options for customizing the click.
Adding your own click sounds To add your own clicks to the click sound menus, save them as a mono AIFF, or WAVE audio file, give the file the name you wish to see in the menu, and then drop it into the Clicks folder below. You can add as many click sounds as you wish.
No accent removes the accent from the first click in each measure. This option affects both the audio click and the MIDI click. Audition Click If the Audition Click option is enabled, Digital Performer will audition the metronome sound as it is currently configured, at the current tempo. Master click volume The Master Click Volume slider (Figure 25-1) controls the volume of the click. Figure 25-4: Click Default preferences.
allow you to save, rename and delete as many custom clicks as you wish. To save a pattern click, choose Pattern from the menu, type in the desired pattern as explained in “Pattern click” on page 711, and then choose Save Pattern from the menu (Figure 25-6). Saved clicks then become available from the Saved Patterns sub-menu in all projects. Saved click patterns do not hold any meter or tempo information; they just hold the customized click pattern that you specified at the time that you saved it.
The movie window and countoff The movie window runs during countoff. This allows you to see what is happening in the movie during the countoff so that you can better prepare for the downbeat when the countoff is over. It also allows for streamers and punches in the movie window during the countoff. Indefinite countoff For an indefinite countoff (the countoff keeps going until you start playing), turn on the Wait button (discussed in the next section) at the same time as the countoff button.
Default for Meter The default click is similar to the beat value click, except that the click follows the general click guidelines for various meters and tempos as prescribed in “Click Defaults” on page 248. For example, in 12/8 time, the default click clicks on dotted quarter notes at fast tempos and eighth notes at slow tempos. Pattern The Pattern click produces a click according to a pattern specified, with a single specified sound (such as a drum kit). See “Pattern click” on page 711.
CLICK AND COUNTOFF
CHAPTER 26 MIDI Monitor OVERVIEW The MIDI Monitor window displays incoming MIDI activity, broken down by input device, MIDI channel, and type of data. This feature is handy when testing hardware, tracing problems in your MIDI system, or monitoring time codes or other special MIDI data. The MIDI Monitor window will function whether active or inactive. OPENING THE MIDI MONITOR WINDOW Choose MIDI Monitor from the Studio menu; the window will appear.
Active sensing messages, which are sent by some brands of MIDI equipment, are ignored by the MIDI Monitor window. To see if your equipment is “on-line” and working correctly, send note data and observe the Channel Activity indicators.
CHAPTER 27 Audio Monitor OVERVIEW The Audio Monitor (Studio menu) displays important information about the recording settings for each digital audio input. Audio Monitor quick reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Mini-menu quick reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Buses in the Audio Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Virtual instrument inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Available record time Displays the total amount of time available for recording on the hard disk where the take file is currently located. Time is displayed in minutes and seconds. Click the value to toggle between minutes:seconds and megabytes (MB). Option/ Alt-click to toggle all inputs at once. One minute of audio at 44.1 kHz takes up about 5 MB of hard disk space. For other sample rates, see “How much disk space does audio require?” on page 54 in the DP Getting Started Guide.
NAMING A TAKEFILE BEFORE RECORDING If the Base file names on >Track mini-menu item is checked (Figure 27-3 on page 258), then Digital Performer will automatically derive the audio file name from the name of the track currently being recorded into. If the Base file names on >Input mini-menu item is checked (Figure 27-3 on page 258), then Digital Performer will automatically derive the audio file name from the name of the input of the track currently being recorded into.
Checking the current takefile location The current location of the takefile for each input is shown in the Take Folder column in the Audio Monitor as shown below. The abbreviated take file location is shown as the hard disk and folder name separated by two colons. For a signal with a wide dynamic range, use a larger value; for a signal with a fairly consistent and narrow dynamic range, use a smaller value and record it as close to zero as possible. But be sure not to clip. (See the next section.
When clipping occurs, the level meter’s clip indicator will light up as shown below: the record-enabled inputs so you can easily see activity on the input without having to scroll the window manually. Clip indicator SETTING THE INPUT LEVEL Retain clip If Retain Clip is checked in the Audio Monitor mini-menu, the clip indicator lights up at the first occurrence of clipping and remains lit as a reminder that clipping has occurred. To clear the clip indicator, click it.
AUDIO MONITOR
CHAPTER 28 Looping OVERVIEW A loop is a region of data in a track that is played repeatedly. The result is similar to using the Repeat command on the Edit menu to insert multiple copies of a region (see “Repeat” on page 560). Instead of actually copying the data, however, the loop feature simply replays the region over and over. Looping is thus more memory-efficient than making repeated copies of a region.
A loop need not be set on measure boundaries (i.e. on beat one, tick zero of the measure). They can start anywhere in a measure. We’ll use loops starting on measure boundaries as examples to keep things clear. In practice, any location is fine. If a track contains loops, a looping indicator appears in the Loop column next to the track name in the Track List; this indicator can’t be used to change anything: it is merely a reminder that the track contains loops.
Figure 28-1: Use the Loop tool to insert loops graphically. Inserting a loop using the Insert Loop command To insert a loop using the Insert Loop command (Region menu): 2 If desired, enable the edit grid and choose a grid size. 1 In the Tracks Overview or any edit window, select the data you would like to loop.
Viewing and editing loops in the Event List Loops can be viewed and edited in the Event List for the track that contains them. Viewing loops in Event Lists is a good way to see them in context. This will help you to see when they occur, what data they cause to be skipped, etc. Nested loop Looped events Skipped loop events Figure 28-2: Data inside a nested loop is indented. Data that won’t play as a result of the loop is italicized.
CHAPTER 29 Step Record OVERVIEW Step Record (Studio menu) is an alternative to realtime MIDI recording. It waits for you to enter MIDI notes one at a time and allows you to specify the duration of each. With it, you can enter passages too complex for real-time entry. Whatever you enter in Step Record will be rhythmically accurate (it won’t need quantizing). This is particularly useful for entering music for conversion to music notation by the QuickScribe Editor other music notation software.
steps independently of the main Counter. While disconnected, you can step record while Digital Performer is playing back. A step recorded passage contains a series of adjacent steps. Each step has a duration specified by the user. A step can contain: The Duration box sets the duration of the notes being entered, where 100% is the length of the current step. ■ The Offset box shifts the attack time of the note being entered earlier or later than the current step.
3 If you are using the Sequence Editor, MIDI Editor, or QuickScribe Editors, make sure these windows are set to follow the counter in the Auto Scroll preferences, including their playback wiper. 4 Set the Counter to the time you wish to start recording. Figure 29-3: The Overdub Record mode button lets you record MIDI notes into a track without erasing what is already there. 6 Select Step Record from the Studio menu. The Step Record window appears.
When you are finished setting up, you will see the Step Record window, along with one or more of the edit windows for the track. The notes that you step record will appear in the edit windows as you proceed with step recording. Setting step durations The duration buttons are used to set step durations. Clicking on a duration button will highlight it and assign that duration to the step. Durations remain set until changed, allowing you to enter a stream of notes with the same duration very quickly.
Choosing a note duration Normally, the duration of the note being step-entered is 100%, which makes it exactly as long as the step itself. For example, if the step was a quarter note, the note would be 480 ticks long (at 480 ticks per quarter note resolution). Often, however, you might want to choose a different duration than the length of the step.
3 Click OK. 4 Repeat this procedure for each desired duration. Choosing a note offset Normally, step entered notes are inserted exactly at the tick location of the current step. The offset option allows you shift their entry a few ticks before or after the current step location. Offset is ideal for passages in which you’d like to push or lay back the feel. To place notes a certain number of ticks before the current step location, type in a negative number of ticks in the offset text box.
Wrong notes will be recorded automatically. If you hit a wrong note, you must use the Backstep button to erase it and re-enter the note or chord. This differs from manual step mode in which you can replay the notes as many times as you like before you click on the Step button, and only those notes being played at the moment you click on the button are recorded.
In this mode, other tracks do not play along with the track that you are step recording into. To get them to play along, click the Lock to Transport box again to highlight it. Doing so locks the transports to Step Record. Connecting the main counter to step record If, as you Step Record, you would like other tracks to step along with you, enable Lock to Transport before you begin. Doing so causes Digital Performer’s main Counter to follow the current step indicator in the Step Record window.
Step recording controllers, patch changes, or pitch bend To step record a controller event, patch change, or pitch bend event: 4 Click the Overdub record button located just below the main transport controls to enable Overdub record mode. 1 Play the event. This allows you to step record over the same time range in the loop without erasing existing material. The event appears in the current step bar. 2 Press the Step button or any other motion button to record the event.
Keyboard shortcuts in brackets are located on the numeric keypad. Command Keyboard shortcut Backstep [0] Step [Enter] Beat [+] Measure [-] Tuplet on/off [/] 128th note [9] 64th note [8] 32nd note [7] 16th note [6] 8th note [5] Quarter note [4] Half note [3] Whole note [2] Double whole note [1] Dot [.
6 Click OK to confirm your choices. Now you can control the duration with your mod wheel. As you move the wheel, notice that the duration value changes in the Step Record window. Controlling the offset with a MIDI controller You can set up Step Recording such that a mod wheel or other continuous controller controls the offset of the notes being inserted. Likewise, if you move the controller to 0, the offset value will be set to -15.
If you enter notes or backstep quickly, the display might temporarily be suspended in order to accurately process the events. Don’t worry: as soon as you slow down or stop entering or backstepping, the display will catch up. Mac: Clear current step Mac Keypad You may find that velocities recorded in step record are uneven. If this occurs, you can edit them by selecting the step recorded region and using the Change Velocity command in the Region menu to set all velocities to the desired values.
CHAPTER 30 Clips Window OVERVIEW The Clips window is a dynamic, interactive environment for triggering audio and MIDI clips during live performance. You can prepare any number of MIDI and audio clips and then individually trigger them during playback. If you enable the queue, you can cue up any number of clips in advance to play consecutively. You can also set up and trigger scenes, which consist of multiple clips arranged in a single row for simultaneous triggering.
QUICK REFERENCE Audio track (column): Each track is represented as Clip trigger: Click to play or queue the clip. The a column. clip drops to the Now Playing row or Multi-queue section at the bottom of the column. Clips: Clips of any length can be placed in cells and Track clip: The top row of cells are track clips, triggered randomly in any order you wish. Audio clips go in audio tracks (mono or stereo) and MIDI clips go in MIDI tracks. which represent material in the track itself.
Track clip trigger: Click to play or queue the clip. The clip drops to the Now Playing row or Multiqueue section at the bottom of the column. Beats played: The number of beats already played for the current clip. Mixer channels: Displays basic Mixing Board Selected clip: Select a clip to view it in the Clip Editor. You can also cut, copy and delete it. settings for each track, including volume fader, pan, Solo, Mute, I/O assignments and inserts. Scene list: A scene consists of an entire row of cells.
MIDI Learn Mode: Puts the Clips window into a special mode where you can click active items to assign them to any incoming MIDI triggers, like keyboard keys, controller pads, MIDI pedals, etc. Enable MIDI Bindings: Temporarily enables or disables any MIDI assignments you’ve made in MIDI Learn Mode. trigger button (as shown in Figure 30-2 on page 282). Essentially, a clip can be made up of anything that can go in the track: MIDI or audio, automation data, pitch edits, etc.
TRACK TYPES You can use any type of track in the Clips window (“Basic track types” on page 117). Most often, you’ll be using MIDI tracks, and mono and stereo audio tracks. However, you can also include instrument tracks, aux tracks, VCA tracks or even Master Fader tracks, for the purposes of triggering mix automation data. TRACK PLAYBACK VERSUS CLIP PLAYBACK Once clips have been placed in the cells of a track, they aren’t actually “in” the track.
Insert Scene Above/Below: Inserts a new, empty Track clip scene (row) above or below the row you’ve right-clicked. Not playing Delete Scene: Removes the scene (row) that you’ve Playing right-clicked. Not compatible with track Cut/Copy/Paste: Cuts, copies or pastes into the Empty cell contents of the cell. Erase: Empties the cell without affecting the Figure 30-2: Clips. clipboard.
PLAYING CLIPS AND SCENES Multi-queue Queued clips When you trigger clips or scenes, they “drop” into the Now Playing row (Figure 30-4) and either begin playing, or they are queued to begin playing at the next queue grid boundary. The clip continues to loop until you either cancel it or trigger another clip (unless it’s a one-shot clip, as explained later in this chapter). Figure 30-5: The multi-queue.
MIXER CHANNELS Use Show Mixer in the Clips window mini-menu to show or hide the mixer channels (Figure 30-1 on page 278). These mix settings are the same as described for the Mixing Board. See chapter 70, “Mixing Board” (page 797). Insert settings Pan Inserts Volume fader Show/hide clip settings Figure 30-7: Clip settings. Solo/mute Level meter Track I/O Color Each clip can be assigned a color to help you organize clips visually by color. Figure 30-6: Mixer channel.
Clip Editor The Clip Editor works the same way as the the equivalent features found in the Sequence Editor (chapter 38, “Sequence Editor” (page 355). Here, you can edit audio data, MIDI data, automation, pitch, stretch and so on. Start time Edit layer End time Insert menu Figure 30-8: Clip Editor for an audio clip. For MIDI tracks, the clip editor works like MIDI track editing in the Sequence Editor (chapter 38, “Sequence Editor” (page 355)).
Assignable items MIDI binding settings Currently active item Cancel current clip Figure 30-10: MIDI Learn mode in the Clips window.
CHAPTER 31 POLAR OVERVIEW The POLAR window is a self-contained audio recording module within the general environment of Digital Performer. What makes POLAR different from Digital Performer’s usual audio track-based recording is this: POLAR records your audio entirely into RAM, rather than writing it to a hard disk.
A TYPICAL POLAR SESSION A typical POLAR session might go as follows: you import a 4-measure drum loop, place it in a regular audio track in the Tracks window and set up the memory cycle points around it so you can looprecord over it in the POLAR window. You open POLAR and record a bass line over the drum loop. You like it, but you want to try again to see if you can lay down something a little better.
Finally, you click the Save button in the POLAR window to save the entire POLAR session as its own document. This allows you to go back to the POLAR session at any time —exactly as you saved it — for further tweaking, layering, or other modifications. RAM-based loop recording The scenario above is just an example.
If you don’t have any existing material to listen to, but you want your POLAR material to match the tempo of the sequence, you might want to set up Digital Performer’s metronome click as a reference for your first pass in POLAR. After you’ve recorded the first pass, you can turn off the click. Recording without a tempo reference Of course, there’s no rule that says you have to record at the sequence’s tempo.
and three quarters of a beat long. When you add 5 or 6 layers with lengths that don’t match, you can end up with some very interesting results. Setting the length of the first pass When you first open the POLAR window, it opens empty, with no passes. As soon as you press the record button, the first pass is created. So be sure to set the Memory Cycle points before you begin recording (or before you click the new button, if you’re using it to create the first pass) so the first pass is the length you want.
You can switch the output at any time during POLAR recording. sure that Audio Patch Thru is not set to “Off ” in the Studio menu, and choose the appropriate channel pair from the output menu. If necessary, set the buffer size in your audio hardware driver accordingly to reduce patch through latency. See “Audio monitoring latency” on page 232. CONTROLLING POLAR’S OUTPUT VOLUME THE CURRENT PASS The Master volume knob in the Output section of the POLAR window controls POLAR’s overall output level.
Right below the waveform display, POLAR displays the current pass by name. You can look at previously recorded passes at any time by clicking on them in the pass list. You can actually record material into a hard disk track and the POLAR window at the same time, although there’s no reason to ever do this, since you can export POLAR material as an audio track at any time (more on this later). ADJUSTING LEVELS AND PANNING Each pass, including the current pass, has its own volume and pan control.
THE RECORD GATE SETTINGS Attack preservation: This is the amount of material pan each pass. It also lets you reassign a pass to a different group. (More on groups in the next section.) The table below discusses several other capabilities in the pass list: (in hundredths of seconds - hs) that POLAR preserves (includes in the recording) just before the instant that the record gate is triggered.
export operation to create audio tracks in the Tracks window that correspond with each pass that you’re exporting — or it can create a single track with a bounced mix of the passes you’re exporting. ☛ Exporting is not the only way to permanently save your POLAR session work. See “Saving and loading POLAR sessions” on page 295. POLAR Export Options To control what happens when you export, click the options button to open the Export Options dialog.
it into RAM exactly in the same state as when you saved it. For example, you might record a fairly elaborate POLAR session, export just a stereo mix of it in your sequence as an audio track (for simplicity), and then save the POLAR session separately so that you can go back to it at any time to make modifications or additions. Between exporting and saving, the POLAR window gives you all the flexibility you need in saving your POLAR sessions.
CHAPTER 32 Movie Window OVERVIEW SUPPORTED VIDEO FORMATS Random access digital picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Supported video formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Opening movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297 Closing movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 Movie control bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 The movie track.
■ Each sequence can have its own unique sequence start time, but the movie start time is the same for all sequences. Changing the sequence start time will make the movie begin earlier or later in the sequence. ■ The movie window is placed at the same position and size for every sequence. Displaying a blank movie for visual cues You can open a blank movie (with a black background) by choosing Project menu> Movie, but then cancel the resulting dialog box.
MOVIE CONTROL BAR The movie control bar (Figure 32-2) appears in the movie window when you move the mouse over the window. Drag the bar to reposition it as desired. Volume Time elapsed Play/Stop Scroll bar Frame backward/ forward Full screen Transport Time lock remaining Figure 32-2: The Movie control bar. Volume The volume control allows you to set the playback volume for the movie’s audio track. Play/Stop The Play/Stop button starts and stops movie playback.
Set Movie Start Time: Allows you to set the SMPTE time which corresponds to the beginning of the movie. If you want the movie to start at the beginning of the sequence, this should be set to the same time as the SMPTE chunk start time. You may need to try adjusting the start time by ±40 time code bits if you find that the frames in the movie don’t precisely line up with the frame numbers in Digital Performer’s counter.
Movie Floats On Top: (Movie window mini-menu only) This causes the Movie window to “float” on top of other windows. This makes it possible to always have the Movie window visible because it will always be on top of other windows, even the active edit window. Audio Output: (Appears in the Movie window mini-menu, right-click menu, and the Sequence Editor info panel) Lets you route the movie’s embedded audio track to an audio output, bus, or aux track.
1080 output in component, HDMI and HD-SDI, except the HD Express, which does not supply HD-SDI. All interfaces provide at least sixteen channels of simultaneous audio output. MOTU video interfaces serve as capable video and audio I/O hardware solutions for film scoring and post production workflows. Third-party video hardware Under OS X 10.7 or later, video interfaces from AJA Video Systems and Blackmagic Designs are also supported.
DV camera or FireWire-to-video converter video cable FireWire cable FireWire equipped Mac or PC TV or video monitor Figure 32-5: Setting the external video device playback offset. Choosing an offset Specify the number of frames and timecode bits (there are 80 timecode bits per frame). You can experiment with different values to determine the correct offset. Enter a frame amount (and timecode bit value, if needed), and then try playing back your video.
the format, make sure the video hardware frame rate (NTSC or PAL) matches the output format you are choosing. If you choose Auto-Detect Video Mode, Digital Performer automatically chooses the video format that best matches the frame rate and format of the current movie. Turning off external video output To disable external video output, choose No External Video Output from the mini-menu.
CHAPTER 33 ReWire OVERVIEW SETTING UP REWIRE What is ReWire?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Setting up ReWire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 MIDI output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 Multiple ReWire audio outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Synchronization and transport control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Tempo control . . . . . . . . . . . . .
■ Do the same thing using regular stereo audio track AND record-enable or input monitor-enable the track. That’s it. When the ReWire synth plays, you’ll now see its audio output present on the Mixing Board channel strip for the track it’s assigned to. In addition, you’ll hear its output on the ReWire synth track’s playback destination. MIDI OUTPUT Figure 33-1: ReWire provides the ReWire synth inputs in Digital Performer, even when the ReWire synth is not running.
MULTIPLE REWIRE AUDIO OUTPUTS Some ReWire-compatible applications provide multiple audio outputs. After the ReWire application has been launched, you can access its audio outputs in the Instruments tab in the Bundles window. These outputs function in the same way as multiple outputs. For details, see “Multiple audio outputs” on page 148. Performer’s tempo slider will jump to the tempo of that ReWire synth file. If desired, you can then readjust the tempo in either program.
REWIRE
Part 5 Editing
CHAPTER 34 Editing Basics OVERVIEW EDITING DURING PLAYBACK Digital Performer provides unmatched features for editing MIDI data, audio data and both at the same time. This chapter provides a introduction to editing in Digital Performer and covers several general features than can be employed universally while editing. Almost all edit operations in Digital Performer can be done during playing back so that you don’t have to stop and start to hear the result.
Selecting regions There are many ways to select regions. For a summary, see “Selecting a time range” on page 529. Applying Edit and Region menu operations After you’ve selected a region, you can choose any command from the Edit or Region menu. Edit menu commands affect audio in the same way as MIDI. See chapter 47, “Edit Menu” (page 551) and chapter 48, “Region Menu” (page 569) for details about these basic commands. Region menu commands affect audio as discussed below.
adjust what is shown or hidden using additional consecutive show/hide command(s), or by using the track selector. When using several show/hide commands consecutively, the effect is cumulative, which allows you to fine-tune the track display. Show Tracks The Show Tracks command “unhides” the type of track you choose from the sub-menu. The visibility of any other tracks remains unchanged. This command is good for adding tracks to the display.
Colors The Colors sub-menu in the View menu lets you control track colors in Digital Performer. See “Track colors” on page 76. Auto Scroll Auto Scroll controls how windows with time lines scroll during playback. See “Auto scroll” on page 216. VIEW FILTER The View Filter (View menu) allows you to specify what types of MIDI, audio and mix automation information are affected by Edit and Region menu operations.
Always be aware of the View Filter settings When using the View Filter, keep these rules in mind: The View Filter settings you select will stay in effect until you change them, and they affect all editing operations. When you are done using the View Filter, you should reset it.
1 Choose View Filter from the View menu. 2 Check only the check box for the type of data you wish to remove. Option/Alt-click on the check box for the type of data to be removed; all other check boxes will uncheck. 3 In the Tracks window, select the track with the data to be removed. Figure 34-4: Renaming, deleting and re-ordering filter settings. Click on the track name; it will highlight.
Click on the first event and drag over the rest of them. 6 Choose Erase from the Edit menu. ZOOMING Zooming in the edit windows is similar to the zooming found in most computer graphics programs. When zooming in, objects become larger as the display magnifies a portion of the screen. When zooming out, objects shrink as the display encompasses a larger region. There are many ways to zoom the edit windows, as explained in the following sections.
2 Choose the desired Set Zoom Setting command in the menu. To restore the zoom setting, choose the desired Zoom to Setting command. Switching among 2 or 3 zoom settings The zoom settings commands discussed above are ideal for zooming among several different zoom settings. For example, you might want to switch back and forth between the sample level and an overview level to consecutively make small sample edits and then audition them. Figure 34-5: The Zoom menu in Sequence Editor mini-menus.
Zooming, Edit Resolution and nudging Editing is allowed at any zoom setting. However, the current zoom level may affect the resolution at which events can be edited by dragging. For example, let’s say that the Edit Resolution unit is set to 20 ticks. If you zoom way out, you will not be able to drag a note by only 20 ticks because one screen pixel, which is the smallest unit of movement on the computer screen, will equal a time value greater than 20 ticks.
Dragging multiple data types The Shift-click method of selection allows you to simultaneously select and drag multiple data types. For example, to move a loop containing notes, pitch bend data, and a patch change, select all four data types by Shift-clicking and drag them to a new location. Nudging The Nudge Amount (Snap Information window) lets you move selected data with the left and right arrow keys by any amount in any unit of measurement that you choose. See “Nudge” on page 342.
data that you generate by duplicating soundbites is insignificant, since soundbite data is merely a pointer to the actual audio data. Non-destructive, destructive and constructive audio editing When you edit audio, your edit operation is either non-destructive, destructive or constructive. A clear understanding of these terms will help you make better decisions about how to edit your audio. Here is a brief explanation: Type of audio editing Explanation Non-destructive Original audio data is preserved.
SAMPLE ACCURATE EDITING AUDIBLE MODE Digital Performer provides sample-accurate editing of audio and MIDI data. This capability affects Digital Performer’s interface in several ways, as explained in the following sections. Audible Mode allows you to listen to notes and soundbites one at a time, or phrase by phrase, as you highlight them in a Digital Performer track. This feature appears as a speaker icon in the Control Panel.
Playing individual soundbites To audition a soundbite in the Sequence Editor, click the soundbite and hold down the mouse button. The soundbite will only play until you release the button. To audition a soundbite in the Soundbites window, click it (but don’t hold down the mouse button). Specifying audio output for auditioning When you audition a mono soundbite, Digital Performer plays it via the first mono output bundle that it encounters in the Bundles window (i.e. the highest one in the list).
EDITING BASICS
CHAPTER 35 Edit Windows OVERVIEW Digital Performer’s edit windows provide many ways to view and edit your MIDI and audio projects. Some edit windows display only MIDI data; others only audio. Several display both MIDI and audio in one integrated pane, allowing you to look past the distinction of MIDI versus audio and think instead about the composition of your project, musical or otherwise. Edit window overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 Edit windows by track type . .
The Event List The Event List provides a numerical representation of each event in a track. The Event List displays one track at a time. See chapter 40, “Event List” (page 417). Figure 35-5: The Drum Editor grid. Figure 35-3: Event List data. MIDI Editor The MIDI Editor provides a piano-roll style display for MIDI notes and a graph-style representation of MIDI continuous controller information, as well as a graph-style display for tempo changes in the Conductor Track.
EDIT WINDOWS BY TRACK TYPE The table below lists the types of tracks in Digital Performer and the edit windows available for each: MIDI Tracks Audio Tracks Conductor Track Movie Track Sequence Editor Tracks Window Event List MIDI Editor Drum Editor Notation Editor QuickScribe Editor Figure 35-7: The QuickScribe Editor. Waveform Editor The Waveform Editor is a specialized window dedicated entirely to audio editing on individual audio files.
VIEWING MULTIPLE TRACKS IN ONE EDIT WINDOW Track selector list The number of tracks that can be viewed in an editor window varies by the type of editor. Editors that display only one track at a time Some edit windows display only one track at a time.
The track selector list and soloing If the Solo frontmost edit window option is enabled (Figure 23-1 on page 213), then showing and hiding tracks with the Track Selector also affects whether they are soloed or not when solo mode is engaged. Master track selector The Drum Editor and MIDI Editor have an additional element in the track selector list: the master track selector.
EDIT WINDOW MINI-MENUS LEGEND This section covers mini-menu commands that are common to all editors. For mini-menu commands that are specific to a specific type of editor, refer to its chapter. The Legend (Setup menu) is a window that shows what each kind of MIDI event is named, and what it looks like in the Event List and info windows. For further explanation of each type of event, see “Types of events” on page 419.
CHAPTER 36 Tools OVERVIEW Tools are available in the Tool palette (Studio menu) and in the Main and Alternate Tool menus in the Control Panel (Figure 22-1 on page 186). Tools are used for inserting, selecting, editing, reshaping, zooming, looping and scrubbing data in Digital Performer’s various graphic and notation editing windows, including the Sequence Editor, MIDI Editor, Drum Editor, Notation Editor, QuickScribe Editor, and Waveform Editor. Pointer I-Beam Main and Alternate Tools. . . . . . . . . .
MAIN AND ALTERNATE TOOLS CLOSING THE TOOL PALETTE The Main and Alternate Tool menus in the Control Panel (Figure 22-1 on page 186) let you choose two different tools that you can quickly switch between using a keyboard shortcut, to avoid repetitive trips to the Tool palette. See “Primary and alternate tools” on page 208. Press Shift-O, or click the close button in the upper left corner of the Tool palette title bar.
POINTER TOOL The Pointer tool produces the standard ‘cross-hair’ selection cursor for ‘marquee’ selections over multiple events and and ‘finger’ selection cursor for selecting and editing individual events. For example, you could select several measures of notes by positioning the crosshair cursor over an empty portion of the data grid and dragging out a selection box over the desired events.
overlap. If you double-click where it overlaps, you’ll get a time range selection that includes the durations of both notes. If you double-click where it doesn’t overlap, you’ll get a time range selection of just the note you clicked. I-Beam cursor Click the I-Beam tool at any location in any graphic editor to place an I-Beam cursor (flashing vertical line) wherever you click.
Using the Reshape tool in the Drum Editor note grid In the Drum Editor, the Reshape tool can also be used to modify velocities in the note grid. See “The Reshape tool” on page 447. RESHAPE MODE MENU You can reshape any kind of continuous data, such as MIDI continuous controllers, audio volume automation, etc. To reshape a stream of continuous data, in this example a MIDI CC: 1 Click the Reshape tool in the Tool palette. Digital Performer provides several powerful ways to reshape continuous data curves.
ZOOM TOOL SCRUB TOOL The Zoom tool (magnifying glass) in the Tool palette lets you zoom in on a portion of a graphic editor by dragging a zoom box over it. Click to zoom in and Option/Alt-click to zoom out. In the time ruler or continuous data grid, drag horizontally to zoom the time axis only. The Scrub tool lets you scrub data as follows: To scrub this: Do this: MIDI notes in the MIDI Editor or Drum Editor Drag horizontally in the note grid.
split an ambient pad into a rhythmic grid of slivers (explained further in the next section) and then use the Mute tool to quickly create syncopated riffs by muting various combinations of the slivers. To temporarily get the Mute tool when another tool is selected, hold down the “ M ” key. The same technique could be used on a MIDI drum loop or phrase of any kind. In the Waveform Editor Beats tab, the Mute tool can be used to disable or enable individual beats.
Scaling continuous data A selection of continuous data can also be scaled with the Trim tool. When there is a time range or event selection of continuous data, move the cursor within the selection (but not directly over a point or line segment) then click and drag up or down. ROLL TOOL The Roll tool allows you to edge edit the beginning of one soundbite and the end of another where they abut each other. They must be touching one another.
CHAPTER 37 Information Windows OVERVIEW SNAP INFORMATION The Information windows provide feedback about a wealth of parameters, events, controls, and more. Each Information window has its own particular display or purpose, but they all behave similarly in several ways: The Snap Information window contains information pertaining to snapping and nudging. ■ The contents of the Information windows update to the current window, selection, cursor position, etc.
Fixed mode In Fixed mode, the Unit = setting (Figure 37-1) determines the minimum time unit for editing, which is shown as a note duration and a number of beats and ticks, such as 240 ticks. The Edit Grid Resolution (Unit =) determines the amount of time between grid points.
When the edit grid is set to any time format other than measures and beats, the Smart Selections feature (Edit menu), which provides assisted measure- and beat-relative editing operations, is automatically disabled (since you have no measures or beats to refer to during edits). Snap to Grid and selecting Snap to Grid applies to selection, too, so it is an effective way to constrain selection operations. Edit resolution when the grid is turned off When Snap to Grid is turned off, data can be dragged freely.
Nudge The Nudge amount (Figure 37-1 on page 339) lets you to choose the unit of time by which you can nudge any selected data with the arrow keys. Many different time formats are supported, including SMPTE frames, SMPTE sub-frames, samples, and milliseconds. Choose the desired time format from the menu and then enter the amount of time. You can change the nudge amount at any time. window itself (by one screen pixel). In the Tracks window, the column duration determines the nudge amount.
Figure 37-8: When you click a note, its numerical information can be displayed and edited in the Event Information window. Figure 37-7: The vertical value of the cursor updates to the type of data under the cursor Cursor Info in the Waveform Editor Additional fields are shown in the Cursor Information window when the Waveform Editor is the active window. See “Cursor Information” on page 508.
Performer project file contains multiple chunks (sequences and/or songs), separate Selection Information is stored for each chunk. Using the Set To menu shortcuts The Set To menu holds several great shortcuts for loading times into the Selection Information window: Figure 37-9: The Selection Information window.
Click the button to load the current counter location – even on the fly during playback. Command/Ctrl-click the button to load the beginning or end of the sequence into the start time or end time, respectively. Control/Win-click the button to load the beginning or end of the Remembered Times (previously retrieved from a selection with the Remembered Times command) into the start time or end time, respectively.
as Figure 37-12: The Track Inspector in the QuickScribe Editor Information Bar. Additionally, the Track Inspector has a mini-menu option to “Use Small Menus in Info Bar” (shown below). By default, this item is unchecked and the menus shown in the Track Inspector’s Info Bar section are displayed at their full width.
Additionally, similar to the Mixing Board, you can show and hide sections of the Channel Strip via the mini-menu: as Displaying the Channel Strip in the Information Bar As with other Information windows, the Channel Strip may be added to the Info Bar using Preferences > Information Bar. This allows you to control a track’s fader, pan knob, effect insert, and so on in windows that did not previously have them available, such as the Sequence Editor.
Figure 37-20: The Channel Strip using small menus Configuring the Channel Strip When configuring the Channel Strip for the Info Bar (Channel Strip mini-menu > Configure Info Bar), not all of the Channel Strip’s controls are shown. This is for two reasons: 1 The EQ and Dynamics sections are not available in the Information Bar.
SOUND FILE INFORMATION Sound File Information window (Studio menu) gives you detailed information about the currently selected soundbite. The Sound File section The Sound File section at the top of the window shows information about the soundbite’s parent sound file, such as its location, sample rate, length and the date it was created and last modified.
would typically be set to Allow Time Scale, so that its tempo will always match that of the rest of the sequence. Setting sound file prefs for multiple soundbites To set the sound file preferences for two or more soundbites at one time: 1 Select the soundbites. 2 Open the Sound File Information window. The Sound File menu will now say “Selected files”. 3 Choose the desired preferences in the Soundbite section.
Original Timestamp is the location at which the soundbite was originally recorded, if any. This setting, as well as the User Timestamp, are explained further in “Timestamps” on page 627. The Transpose, Time Compress/Expand, Tempo and Time Signature items are the same as the information displayed in the Soundbite list (see “Soundbite preferences for transposing and timestretching” on page 349).
Showing/hiding the Information Bar To show the Information Bar for an Edit window, open the Information Bar preferences and enable at least one of the sections for the desired Edit window. To hide the Information Bar for an Edit window, disable all sections.
Additionally: Option/Alt-clicking the circled letter will open the Information window in configuration mode. ■ ■ Command/Ctrl-clicking the circled letter will open the Information Bar preferences.
INFORMATION WINDOWS
CHAPTER 38 Sequence Editor OVERVIEW The Sequence Editor is one of several edit windows in Digital Performer. To learn more about editors in general, see chapter 35, “Edit Windows” (page 325). The Sequence Editor provides a multitrack graphic environment for editing audio tracks and MIDI tracks side by side. It includes a movie track for displaying a project’s movie along the same timeline.
QUICK REFERENCE Track selector Cursor coordinates Event Information Marker strip Time ruler Edit grid Beat grid Snap to marker Nudge amount Minimenu Vertical waveform zoom Note grid zoom Track name Show/hide track selector Track Settings panel Track settings menu Loop Insert/Reshape Reshape Pointer curve mode I-Beam Reshape Pencil Audio MIDI mix automation notes data Zoom Loop Scrub Mute MIDI volume controller data Scrolling wiper Selected soundbite Zoom buttons Scissors Roll Slide
Track selector: Click or drag over the names of the tracks in this list to show or hide them in the Sequence Editor. Option/Alt-click to hide all except the one you click; Command/Ctrl-click to show all except the one you click. Use the commands in the View menu to show/hide tracks. Snap to Marker: Snaps actions to markers. See “Snap to Markers” on page 362. Nudge amount: Specifies how far selected events are moved by the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys. See “Nudge” on page 342.
Audio mix automation data: Mix automation events (volume, pan, plug-in parameters, etc.) are viewed by choosing Volume from the Track’s Active Layer menu in the track’s information panel. Mix automation data is displayed as a line superimposed on top of the audio waveform, with automation events appearing as breakpoints on the line, which can be inserted, dragged, and selected. MIDI Notes: MIDI tracks in the Sequence Editor display notes on a note grid just like the MIDI Editor.
Mute: Click a soundbite to mute it. Scissors: Use the scissors tool to split soundbites. With the edit grid or beat grid enabled, you can drag across a soundbite to quickly split it up into pieces at edit grid or beat boundaries. SEQUENCE EDITOR MINI-MENU In addition to the standard items covered in “Edit Window mini-menus” on page 330, the Sequence Editor mini-menu shares many items with the MIDI Editor and Tracks window mini-menus, as shown below in Figure 38-2.
trimming a soundbite affects the original soundbite (and all instances of it in elsewhere in the project). Option/Alt-drag to override the current Edge Edit Copy setting (checked or unchecked). SEQUENCE EDITOR TITLE BAR The Sequence Editor title bar contains the standard edit window elements discussed in “Window Target” on page 329. SEQUENCE EDITOR BASICS The Sequence Editor is the most comprehensive edit window in Digital Performer.
click to show/hide all other folders at the same level. Command/Ctrl-Option/Alt-click to show/ hide all folders at all levels. select a track to add a new track just below it. These operations are the same as those explained in “Working with the Track List” on page 168. In the Sequence Editor, you can freely drag tracks in and out of folders, even empty folders, by dragging them vertically as shown below in Figure 38-4.
Strip. Auxiliary rulers that display other time formats can also be displayed above the main ruler. For further information, see “Customizing the time format display” on page 91. Markers In the Marker Strip, a marker appears as a marker icon, followed by the marker’s name. The marker icon indicates the marker’s exact location. If the marker is locked, a lock icon will appear between the pointer and the marker name. Figure 38-8: A locked marker.
Meter and key changes Meter and key changes appear in the Marker Strip in much the same way as they do in the Event List. (Tempo changes are not displayed in the Marker Strip.) Similarly, they can only be edited in the Conductor track. See “Editing in the Conductor Track” on page 414. ZOOM BUTTONS The Sequence Editor lets you zoom all tracks both horizontally and vertically. Zoom in using the ‘plus’ button to get more detail. Zoom out with the ‘minus’ to get more of an overview.
The remaining track settings, which are unique to the Sequence Editor, are discussed below. Track names Track names operate identically to their counterparts in the Tracks window and offer the following features: Click, Command/Ctrl-click, or Shift-click a track name to select the track for deleting, duplicating and other track management tasks. See “Track management” on page 360. ■ ■ on top of the soundbites, which are dimmed in the background. When soundbites are made active, they cover automation data.
See Figure 71-16 on page 838 for an illustration of these techniques. ☛ The Edit menu> Continuous Data sub-menu provides numerous commands for working with the edit layer. The Commands window provides keyboard shortcuts. Hiding background layers You can temporarily hide all MIDI controller layers and audio mix automation layers that are currently background layers (not the edit layer) with the Show Active Layer Only mini-menu command (Figure 38-2 on page 359).
View Mode The View Mode sub-menu (Figure 38-12 on page 365) Lets you display an audio track in the Sequence Editor in three ways: as a waveform, as a spectrogram or both. As demonstrated in Figure 38-13, the Drums track shows the spectrogram for a stereo track using the default track color (on a white background). The Rhythm Guitar track shows the spectrogram for a mono track using the Jet color scheme. Several color schemes are provided at the bottom of the View Mode menu.
Waveform/note grid vertical zoom The vertical zoom menu (Figure 38-14) vertically shrinks or expands the waveform display in an audio track and the note grid in a MIDI track. In audio tracks, it has no effect on the actual amplitude of the audio in the track; it is for display purposes only. Option-drag to vertically zoom all audio tracks or all MIDI tracks. Insert menu The insert menu in each track lets you choose any type of data to insert into the track (except soundbites).
MIDI TRACK SETTINGS MIDI tracks have the following settings: Track name Recordenable Play/mute Track Effect Note grid settings inserts vertical menu panel zoom Track type icon/ color selector Active layer MIDI input MIDI output Insert menu Take Default patch Controller display Note grid scroll bar Figure 38-16: MIDI track settings. The display of these controls changes depending on the vertical size of the track.
Note grid scroll bar The note grid scroll bar lets you scroll the note grid up and down, just like the MIDI Editor note grid. See “The Pitch Ruler” on page 399 and also see “Viewing notes that are out of view” on page 398. RESIZING TRACKS Both MIDI and audio tracks can be resized vertically. Position the mouse over the bottom edge of the track settings panel until you see the hand cursor. Then drag up or down as desired.
EFFECT INSERTS PANEL Click the Effect Inserts panel button (Figure 38-10 on page 363) to show or hide the effect insert panel for each track as shown below. These are the same effects inserts for the track in the Mixing Board. See “Inserts” on page 803. Figure 38-19: Resizing tracks from the track settings menu. Resizing the track info panel The Track Info Panel (Figure 38-10 on page 363) can be resized horizontally by dragging the handle on its right-hand edge.
AUDIO EDITING BASICS This section explains several important concepts to keep in mind when you work with audio tracks in the Sequence Editor. Working with waveforms The Sequence Editor displays soundbites — and the audio data within them — as a waveform in a standard time-versus-amplitude display as shown in Figure 38-22. The waveform shown inside soundbites is a representation of the sound in graphical form. Time is expressed on the horizontal axis.
Surround waveforms In surround tracks, grouped surround audio files appear in the Sequence Editor as a surround soundbite, which consists of multiple channels connected together as one unit, as shown below in Figure 38-25. In the Sequence Editor, all channels of a surround soundbite are always edited simultaneously, with sample-accurate phase lock between the channels. You can edit surround channels separately in the Waveform Editor. Figure 38-25: A 5.1 surround soundbite.
The soundbite’s number of channels (mono, stereo, 5.1 surround, etc.) must match the number of channels for the track you wish to insert it into. Figure 38-26: Dragging and dropping Soundbites into the Sequence Editor from the Soundbites window: grab the move handle and drop it on top of the Sequence Editor. Use the Cursor Information for precise placement. Control/Win-drag the soundbite to make it “snap” to the end of the previous one.
current zoom level. An information tab appears while dragging (Figure 38-28) to provide metrics regarding the drag operation (new position, offset, start time, end time, destination track, etc.) Canceling while dragging If you are in the middle of dragging, and you change your mind, you can press the escape key while dragging to immediately cancel the operation and restore the data to its original position, unchanged.
Option/Alt-Control/Win-dragging to copy soundbites & place them end to end By holding down both the Option/Alt key and the Control/Win key when dragging soundbites, you can copy and place soundbites end-to-end at the same time. This is a great shortcut for building playlists made up of many repeating soundbites, as shown in the example below. Figure 38-31: Option/Alt-Control/Win-drag soundbites to quickly place them end to end.
MUTING AND UNMUTING SOUNDBITES BITE GAIN There are two ways to temporarily mute a soundbite: When audio tracks are resized vertically, and expanded far enough, each soundbite displays its Bite Gain setting and fader in the bottom left corner as shown in Figure 38-35. Bite Gain nondestructively raises or attenuates the overall volume of the soundbite. The range is from -140 to +80 dB. This is the same setting as found in the Sound File Info panel (see “Sound File Information” on page 349).
TRIMMING (EDGE EDITING) SOUNDBITES edge stops when you drag it, preventing you from going any further, then you have reached the end of the audio file. As explained in Figure 8-6 on page 57 in the DP Getting Started Guide, a soundbite represents a portion of audio from its parent audio file stored on disk. For example, a soundbite can be as short as a fraction of a second or as long as many hours. A soundbite can represent a portion of the parent audio file, or it can represent the entire file.
Slide: The Slide tool allows you to move a soundbite in the sequence while leaving the soundbite’s audio at the same playback time. This is the same as trimming both ends by the same amount forwards or backwards. Affecting all copies of a soundbite versus one copy The Edge Edit Copy command in the Sequence Editor mini-menu allows you to choose whether you want to modify the original soundbite you are dragging or preserve the original by making a copy of it when you drag.
Scrubbing while trimming soundbites If Audible Mode is turned on (the button in the Control Panel with the speaker icon), audio scrubs as you drag the edge of a soundbite to trim it. This allows you to hear your trim edits as you make them. Using Slip, Slide and Roll on multiple soundbites You can use the Slip, Slide and Roll tools (as described earlier on page 377) on multiple selected soundbites.
APPLYING FADES AND CROSSFADES You can apply fades and crossfades to the boundaries of soundbites using fade handles or time range selections. For complete details, see “Fades and Crossfades” on page 633. like clicking, dragging, and Shift-dragging. Such actions can shift data, change note pitch and duration, reshape mix automation data curves, and more. For a summary of Digital Performer’s basic graphic editing techniques, see “Graphic editing techniques” on page 319.
visible in the view filter. Be sure to hide tracks and data types you don’t wish to include. Mix automation data in the time range will also become selected, unless they are hidden in the View Filter. Shift-click to extend or shorten the current selection. You can also turn on the edit grid when dragging. Pasting into a time ruler selection If there is data in the clipboard, you can use the Paste or Merge commands.
If a soundbite has a user timestamp, you can move the soundbite to its user timestamp location with the Timestamps command in the Audio menu. For applying user timestamps to soundbites, see “Setting a user timestamp” on page 628. SYNC POINTS Figure 38-45: The Show Times menu lets you choose how to display the location of each soundbite. Current Time When you choose Current Time in the Show menu, all soundbites display their current location.
2 Click at the desired location inside the popedited soundbite to place the flashing cursor. Use scrubbing, if necessary, to find the desired location in the audio. Time-stretching and sync points The location of sync points are preserved when you time stretch soundbites by dragging in the Sequence Editor as demonstrated below in Figure 38-48. 3 After you’ve placed the flashing cursor as desired, choose Set Sync Point at Insertion Point from the Audio menu. The sync point triangle appears.
forms of automation with the same style of lines and points. The following sections discuss the specific techniques of working with breakpointstyle automation lines and points. Unless otherwise noted, the techniques are the same for both MIDI and audio tracks. For complete details about working with MIDI continuous data, see “Editing continuous data in Lines mode” on page 409. ☛ The Edit menu> Continuous Data sub-menu provides numerous commands for working with automation lanes.
4 If you would like the curve shape you have selected to snap to beats or a similar metric grid, set the Edit Resolution and turn on the Edit Grid (see “Snap to Grid” on page 339). Figure 38-51: The Pencil tool. 2 If the desired data type does not yet have a layer, choose the desired automation data type from the track’s insert menu. This creates a layer and turns the cursor into the Pencil tool. Doing so constrains periodic waveshapes to the resolution of the edit grid.
equals one complete period of the waveform. This forces the waveform to conform to the grid duration you specify.
Dragging control points You can drag any control point on a line anywhere within the track strip. Notice that you can even drag it past events on either side of it as shown below. When you do, you delete the events that you drag over. This is a convenient shortcut for removing a curve. Moving the control point to the left Moving the control point to the right (and down) Figure 38-56: Dragging control points.
a Bite Volume edit layer in the Waveform Editor, as shown in Figure 44-1 on page 504. When you choose the soundbite volume automation layer in either of these two windows, you have access to soundbite volume automation data with each soundbite. Working with soundbite volume automation By default, the bite volume automation data in each soundbite is set to zero dB. The range is the same as track volume: -∞ to +6.02dB.
Event flags are handled just like other data types in the Sequence Editor: they have their own layer, they can be inserted using the Pencil tool and the Insert menu, and so forth. To change the setting for an event flag, press on it and choose the desired setting from the menu as shown above in Figure 38-57. To move an event flag, simply drag it. To delete it, click to select it and press delete.
SE Q UE NC E E DI T O R
CHAPTER 39 MIDI Editor OVERVIEW The MIDI Editor is one of several edit windows in Digital Performer. To learn more about editors in general, see chapter 35, “Edit Windows” (page 325). Each MIDI track in a Digital Performer sequence can be viewed with the MIDI Editor. The MIDI Editor plots notes, velocities, and MIDI controller data on a scrolling, piano-roll graph that makes melodies, chords, dynamics, and tempo changes easy to recognize.
QUICK REFERENCE Insert/Reshape Reshape Pointer curve mode I-Beam Reshape Pencil Memory cycle Zoom Playback wiper Loop Scrub Scissors Mute AutoRecord Tool palette Loop Time ruler Pitch zoom Marker strip Pitch ruler Pitch ruler scroll bar Note grid Median strip Median strip move handle Continuous data grid ruler Continuous data grid Grid display mode Insert menu Grid view filter A selected Note-on Quick Filter Note-on velocity velocity Selected note Volume controller events Time zoom Pitch b
AutoRecord: Drag the AutoRecord points to change the punch-in or punch-out time. and meter changes must be edited in the Conductor track or Markers window. No MIDI data appears in the Marker Strip. Continuous Data Grid: Displays continuous data on a time vs. value grid. Pitch bend, key pressure, controllers, and note velocities are displayed simultaneously on this grid. An event’s location is measured by the Time Ruler at the top of the window. Value is determined by the Continuous Data Ruler on the left.
extend to the right from each black key. With the Pitch Zoom menu, this ruler can zoom to increase or decrease the number of visible octaves. TOOL PALETTE QUICK REFERENCE Pointer: Use the pointer to select data, move data Pitch Zoom: Zooms the pitch ruler. Zooming out I-Beam: Use the I-Beam tool to make time range allows you to see more octaves at once. Zooming in allows you to focus on a particular pitch range. The keyboard shortcuts for these zoom buttons are command-up arrow and command-down arrow.
MIDI EDITOR MINI-MENU In addition to the standard items covered in “Edit Window mini-menus” on page 330, the MIDI Editor mini-menu has the following additional items: MIDI Edit: Allows data in the MIDI Editor to be edited from a MIDI controller. Filter Selected Continuous Data: This checkable established over the years by graphics programs. For example, you can insert a note with the Pencil tool, drag it to change its location and lengthen it by dragging its end-point.
track at a time in the MIDI Editor, choose the Open one editor for each MIDI track option as explained in “MIDI Editor options” on page 83. By default, however, the Open one MIDI Editor for each sequence option is chosen. After a MIDI Editor is open, however, you can freely use the Track selector (Figure 35-9 on page 328) to show and hide tracks as desired. Note that you can have several MIDI Editors open at one time; you can even use the track selector to display the same track in several MIDI Editors.
Using the Time Ruler to select a time range In the MIDI Editor, a time range can be selected by dragging horizontally in the lower half of the Main Time Ruler with the I-beam cursor as shown below. For more similar techniques, see “Time Ruler selection techniques” on page 533. Drag in the lower half with I-beam cursor. Figure 39-4: Selecting a time range in the Time ruler. THE MARKER STRIP The Marker Strip appears just below the Time Ruler.
a note is, the higher it will appear on the grid. The later a note occurs, the farther to the right it will appear on the grid. The time and pitch axes are measured with a Time Ruler above the grid and a Pitch Ruler to the left of the grid. The rulers indicate the exact location and pitch of notes. Grid hairlines extend from each ruler to aid you in determining a note’s position.
of these characteristics can be determined by the Time Ruler above the grid and the Pitch Ruler to the left. Note-on and -off velocities of notes are displayed in the Continuous Data Grid directly below the note or inside the note as a horizontal “velocity thermometer”. See below and “Note velocities” on page 406. MIDI note display preferences There are several preferences for controlling how MIDI notes are displayed.
Inserting a chord with a MIDI controller To insert a chord from your MIDI controller with the Pencil tool: Figure 39-11: Use the Pencil tool to insert notes in the MIDI Editor. 5 Click in the note grid at the desired location, and then drag vertically to specify the pitch while dragging horizontally to specify the duration. 6 Repeat as desired.
Duration is not affected when dragging the entire note. When you release the mouse, the note will pop to the new location. 3 Release the mouse. Only events whose attack occurs inside the selection box will select. Using the Shift key to extend selections You can add to the current selection by holding down Shift key when selecting individual notes or groups of notes as described in the previous two sections.
Changing two or more notes to the same pitch To convert a group of selected notes to the same pitch: 1 Make sure that “MIDI Edit” is checked under the MIDI Editor mini-menu. 2 Select the notes as described in “Selecting a group of notes” on page 400. 3 Press any note on your MIDI controller. 2 Drag left or right to shorten or lengthen the note.
The grid displays the master track only If you are viewing multiple MIDI tracks in the MIDI Editor window, the Continuous Data Grid displays data for the master track only. See “Master track selector” on page 329. Adjusting the grid height with the Median Strip The Continuous Data Grid has no vertical scroll bar. Instead, the grid automatically compresses or expands to fit in the current space between the Median Strip and the bottom of the window.
2. a pitch bend scale from -8192 to 8191, whose origin appears in the middle of the window: 3. a combination scale from -80 to 127, which combines the above two scales and whose origin appears just below the middle of the window. Controller scale Figure 39-15: Bars mode illustrates how the value of an individual controller is maintained until the next event of the same type in the track. Each type of continuous data has its own color for the bars. See “Changing continuous data colors” on page 406.
When viewing one continuous data type at a time with the Grid View filter (Figure 39-18 on page 405), the ruler displays the scale appropriate for that data type. SHOWING/HIDING CONTINUOUS DATA TYPES The Grid View Filter The grid view filter lets you view a single data type or all data types. When viewing a single data type, Pencil tool insertion inserts the type of data being viewed. In addition, the ruler automatically switches to the appropriate scale.
Figure 39-19: Continuous Data Icons window. Because more than eight types of controllers exist, the most commonly used controllers have been assigned to icons by default. However, you can change which controller an icon represents. For example, a square can represent controller #7 or controller #38. All controllers that have not been assigned to one of the first seven icons are automatically assigned to the last “u”-shaped icon.
off velocity appears as a small “^” directly below the release. If a note is selected, its velocity icons will be selected with the note. Selected note EDITING CONTINUOUS DATA IN POINTS OR BARS MODE The procedures for inserting, selecting and editing continuous data are the same for both Points and Bars mode. Lines mode handles these operations somewhat differently, as explained later in “Editing continuous data in Lines mode” on page 409.
Doing so constrains periodic waveshapes to the resolution of the edit grid. For example, if the Edit Grid is set to a quarter note, and you insert a sine wave, the sine wave will cycle once each quarter note. 4 Choose the desired data type from the Insert menu shown below in Figure 39-23, or choose the desired data type from the Grid View Filter (Figure 39-18 on page 405), which hides all other data types and restricts insertion to the type of data being viewed. Figure 39-24: Inserting a periodic waveform.
Selecting continuous data in Points or Bars mode To select continuous data in Points or Bars mode: 4 If you are modifying several events, select them first as described in the previous section, and then drag one of the selected events. 1 Click the Pointer tool in the Tool palette (Studio menu). Scaling by dragging If you hold down the Control/Win key when dragging selected continuous controllers, they are scaled in value (vertically) and time (horizontally).
as audio automation data. However, MIDI continuous data is fundamentally different than audio automation data: MIDI data consists of a stream of individual events, as shown below in Figure 39-25, whereas audio automation data consists of two points that prescribe a ramp. It is very important to keep this distinction in mind when working in Lines Mode because, as explained in the next few sections, MIDI Lines Mode does not always act the same way as audio automation.
Steps Lines Mode displays a step (as shown below in Figure 39-27) when consecutive events are too far apart to be interpreted as a line. As you can see, a step, gives you an accurate representation of the underlying data, and the effect it will have when it is played back. setup are not smooth enough, you could choose a lower number for the Ramp Density. (Be sure to redraw the curve after doing so to generate new data.
(Figure 39-28), both MIDI data and audio data display a single point within the time range selection. However, as you can see in Bars Mode (bottom row), there are actually many selected MIDI events, not just one. If continuous data scaling is applied (second column), the single audio control point scales by itself, whereas all of the selected MIDI events scale together, producing a different final result.
3 Choose the desired data type from the Insert menu (Figure 39-23 on page 408). 4 Click once at the desired time location in the Median Strip. The event will appear where you clicked. Editing an Event in the Median Strip Some median strip events, such as patch changes and mute automation events, can be edited directly in the Median Strip. For other event types, their parameters can be edited in the Information Bar. Click the event to select it and then edit parameters as desired in the Information Bar.
THE VIEW FILTER In the MIDI Editor, the View Filter serves two useful functions. It allows you to control what types of data you can see and edit in the window. In essence, the View Filter acts like an edit filter: if a type of data, such as pitch bend, is visible in the window, it will be affected by editing commands. If the data type is not visible in the window, it cannot be edited. For information about using the View Filter, see “View Filter” on page 314.
Editing the location of a meter change, key change, or marker To change the location of an item in the median strip: 1 Click the item you wish to move and drag left to advance it or drag right to delay it. The event will move to the new location when you release the mouse. Moving meter changes can produce partial measures and other situations that require an indepth knowledge of how meter changes work. Before dragging meter changes, be sure to review chapter 59, “Change Meter” (page 725).
MIDI EDITOR
CHAPTER 40 Event List OVERVIEW The Event List is one of several edit windows in Digital Performer. To learn more about editors in general, see chapter 35, “Edit Windows” (page 325). QUICK REFERENCE Insert button Remove button Insert menu Text box View filter Event Selected events The Event List displays track data as a chronological list of “events”. Examples of events are MIDI notes, audio soundbites, MIDI controller data, audio volume events, and program (patch) changes.
View filter: Show and hide types of data in the list. Location Velocity Pitch End time Duration Event: A row of information concerning a single bit of MIDI, audio or conductor track data. Events at different locations are separated by a line. The information displayed for an event depends on its type; see “Event List basics” on page 418 for more information. Selected events: Click an event to select it. Shiftclick to select a range of events. Command/Winclick to select non-adjacent events.
Choosing time formats Event locations, durations and end times can be displayed in any combination of Digital Performer’s various time formats. See “Time Formats window” on page 90. Within each category, there are several types of events, each identified by a small icon. The following sections provide a brief explanation of each data type. MIDI DATA Figure 40-5: Any combination of Digital Performer’s several time formats can be displayed in the Event List.
End time is the location at which the note stops playing — where it cuts off. Like note attack times, the end time is displayed in whatever time formats you choose in the Time Formats window. Pitch bend A pitch bend event comprises a start time and a value. Pitch bend data causes the pitch of notes being played to change. When a stream of pitch bend data occurs, a smooth pitch change can be approximated.
Mono key pressure data can be voluminous. If you aren’t using mono key pressure information, it is best to use the Input Filter to filter it out while recording. Poly key pressure This is similar to mono key pressure except that each key can generate its own pressure information instead of one pressure level for the whole instrument. This allows for much more subtle and complicated effects using aftertouch. A poly key pressure event has a start time, a pitch and a value between zero and 127.
Program Change, etc.) If your MIDI instrument has an Omni mode switch, turn it off and leave it off. Poly mode (“Mode 3”) This is the most common mode used in MIDI instruments today. In Poly mode, all notes received on a MIDI channel are played independently. The number of simultaneous notes is limited only by the instrument’s polyphony (the maximum number of notes that it can play simultaneously).
The Event List gives you precise information about soundbites. It consists of a chronological list of all the soundbites in the track. It also displays audio pan and volume events, as well as plug-in automation data. Soundbite location Indicates the location at which the soundbite starts playing back. Double-click to edit. Soundbite duration Indicates the length of the soundbite. This cannot be edited in the Event List.
Audio volume events An audio volume event has a start time and a value (in dB). In the Sequence Editor, it is represented as a breakpoint on the volume line, where the line represents the volume ramp that is calculated between control points during playback. Audio pan events An audio pan event has a start time and a value in a range from -64 to +63. In the Sequence Editor, it is represented as a breakpoint on the pan curve.
Key changes Key changes are displayed for reference in the Editor windows for all tracks in a sequence. They can only be edited in the Editor windows for the Conductor track. Key change events display the name of the key. See chapter 60, “Change Key” (page 731) for more information. Loops In the Event List, a loop event displays the start and end time of the loop and the number of times the loop is played. These loop parameters can be edited in standard Event List fashion.
When inserting Mode changes, or System Exclusive data, extra steps are required. See chapter 54, “System Exclusive” (page 673) for information on inserting this type of data. See chapter 60, “Change Key” (page 731) for information on inserting key changes. EDITING DATA IN THE EVENT LIST Commands in the Edit and Region menus work on events in Event Lists. This gives you the ability to precisely specify which events to modify. Using the Event List to edit events allows you to work with one track at a time.
Figure 40-11: Editing an event parameter. After you begin to edit events by using text boxes, you can use the Tab, Enter, and arrow keys to move between fields and events. Figure 40-10: Dragging and dropping Soundbites into the Event List from the Soundbites window: grab the move handle and drop it anywhere on top of the Event List. Building a playlist A playlist is a collection of regions played end-toend to produce a continuous presentation of music.
This technique is particularly useful when you are uncertain of a value. For example, you can set an on velocity for a note by double-clicking on the on velocity field so that it pops up, then hitting a key on your controller until the note velocity sounds correct. Each time you hit the key, the new velocity appears in the pop up box; when you hear the one you want, simply press the Return key to save the value in the Event List.
4 Press the Return key to save the event, or the Command and period keys to close the text box without making any changes. Inserting multiple events with Repeat You can insert multiple events of the same type quickly by first inserting the event, selecting a time range including the event (in any graphic editor) and then choosing Repeat from the Edit menu. This will effectively duplicate the event the specified number of times. You can then go back and edit the locations and values of each event.
E V E NT L I ST
CHAPTER 41 Drum Editor OVERVIEW The Drum Editor window is an advanced, musical environment for creating and editing percussive music. The Drum Editor places notes in rows (by pitch) on a rhythmic grid, allowing you to quickly and intuitively view and edit rhythmic patterns. The columns in the grid can be adjusted to any rhythmic resolution you want, from 64th notes to whole notes, including triplet, dotted, and doubledotted variants.
QUICK REFERENCE Master track button Grid resolution menu Track selector list Blank row for adding new notes or note groups. Hot spot for resizing each row.
Blank row for adding new notes: Type in or play in a new pitch to add the note pitch (instrument). Use the drop-down menu (triangle) to show pitches that are currently hidden. Continuous Data Grid: Displays continuous data on a time vs. value grid. Pitch bend, key pressure, controllers, and note velocities are displayed simultaneously on this grid. An event’s location is measured by the Time Ruler at the top of the window. Value is determined by the Continuous Data Ruler on the left.
Memory Cycle bar: Displays the period of time currently being looped by Digital Performer’s Memory Cycle feature. Drag the ends of the bar to change the cycle start and end points. QuickFilter button: Temporarily hides all types of continuous data, except for the type that is currently selected. Selected Note: When a note is selected, it MIDI track: The drum editor can display notes from multiple tracks, as determined by the track selector, which shows/hides tracks.
Pencil/Reshape Curve: Determines the shape of MIDI Edit: Allows data in the Drum Editor to be the continuous data that you modify with the Reshape tool. edited from a MIDI controller. Filter Selected Continuous Data: This checkable Reshape mode: Determines what the Reshape tool does to continuous data: set it to a specific value, add to it, subtract from it, scale it or limit it. menu item is linked to the Quick Filter check box (Figure 39-1 on page 392) and performs the same function.
the same time and that are treated as one percussion instrument (for muting/unmuting, etc.) Track selector list Drum tracks Percussion track Remove Pitches From Group: Separates a note from a note group. DRUM EDITOR BASICS The Drum Editor is very similar to the MIDI Editor in overall operation, except that it has several features that are specially designed for the graphic insertion, selecting and editing of percussive MIDI material.
For complete details about these information windows and the Information Bar, see chapter 37, “Information Windows” (page 339). THE FOUR DRUM EDITOR PANES As shown below in Figure 41-4, the Drum Editor window is divided into four panes, which are explained in the remainder of this chapter. MIDI pitch (C1, Eb3, etc.) and name of the instrument, along with several other parameters for the instrument. (If the name of the instrument does not appear automatically, you can type it in.
Playback device Just to the right of the track name is the MIDI playback device and MIDI channel for the track. If no device is selected, you’ll see dashes. Click on the playback device to open a menu of MIDI devices. This list of devices is supplied by your MIDI device configuration (Setup menu > Bundles > MIDI Devices tab). Default patch/drum kit At the far right of each Track row is the default patch (drum kit) that is currently selected for the track.
Quantize This column displays whether the instrument is being quantized (Q), Groove Quantized (G), or Humanized (H). All three forms of processing are applied non-destructively in real time during playback; they do not modify the actual data in the track. If no processing is being applied, this column displays a dash (-). The Quantize options appear in the area below the note list as explained below in the next section. 1. Click the expand button. 2. Drag the expand handle.
you first open the Drum Editor window for a track, it will display one row for every note (pitch) that already exists in the track. You can also add pitches (instruments) to the list at any time. Always Show All Notes In the Drum Editor mini-menu, there is a checkable command called Always Show All Notes. When checked, tracks will always display all notes (and their corresponding pitch) that currently exist in a track. This ensures that you always see every note (and all pitches being used) in the track.
2 Click on the pitch box of the blank note and drag up or down until you hear the drum instrument you want. the bottom row of each track. Doing so replaces any currently visible pitches for that track with the preset kit pitches. 3 Press the return key to confirm your choice.
If Digital Performer already ‘knows’ the factory default note names for the instrument, the name of each drum automatically appears in the note list. If not, you can type in the name by hand. ☛ Editing note names in the Drum Editor note list also modifies their name in the list Digital Performer, so the change will be reflected across all your Digital Performer projects.
names for some drum machines, synthesizers and sound modules. There may be times, however, when you need to create your own note name list for a device that isn’t yet supported. Or you may have customized the drum kit and need to customize its associated note name list. The Drum Editor environment is much easier to work with when note names are present.
If Digital Performer’s Memory Cycle feature is turned on, the area being looped appears in the marker strip as a dark gray bar. You can drag either end of the bar to change the cycle points. You can also click on either end of the Memory Cycle bar to select all data that falls within the bar. The four display modes Each row in the note grid can be independently viewed in one of four display modes as shown below: Click here to toggle Memory Cycle.
will be darker and more colorful if it has a high velocity; it will be lighter and less saturated if its velocity is low. ☛ In Grid mode, notes are visually quantized to the grid, but their actual location (when recorded) might not be exactly quantized. Grid with Velocity Grid with Velocity mode displays notes as bargraph-like columns, where the height of the note shows its note-on velocity. Like Grid mode, everything is visually quantized to the current grid setting.
duration of the note is determined by the Pencil tool’s Default Duration (see “The Pencil settings” on page 446). Like Velocity and Duration mode, when you reach the next grid cell a new note is inserted; holding the Option/Alt key overrides this and creates one long note, spanning multiple grid cells. Resizing each row In all display modes except Grid, you can vertically resize the row to any height you prefer. Just drag the bottom edge of the row, just below the display mode menu as shown below.
mode. The Tuplet option allows you to insert triplets, tuplets, fills, rolls and other rhythmic figures (in Free mode), regardless of the current display resolution in grid mode. across the triangle row in the note grid. The brush inserts notes in the preset pattern you chose. You can either use the pattern as is or modify it as desired. The preset menu gives you many common percussion instrument styles, and you can tweak them as much as you like. You can even save your own Rhythm Brush presets.
Choosing a rhythmic pattern for the Rhythm Brush There are five ways to choose a rhythmic pattern for the Rhythm Brush tool, as summarized below: Method What to do To use the same pattern you used last time for an instrument Choose the Use last preset used with the instrument option. To use a new pattern that consists of a standard rhythmic grid Click the Choose Preset option, and then set the grid as desired with the settings shown in Figure 41-25.
the case, then make an event selection of the notes instead (using the Arrow tool) and set up the memory cycle points to the desired start and end times for the pattern. Later in this procedure, you will choose an option that uses the memory cycle points to determine the length of the pattern. 2 Choose the Rhythm Brush tool. 3 Click the Custom button. 4 Type in a name for the pattern in the text box provided (Figure 41-26).
Loop tool The Loop tool lets you graphically insert a loop in a track by dragging in the note grid in the same row as the track name, as shown below. 2 Command/Ctrl-option drag one of their move handles and drop them into the group. SCROLLING DURING PLAYBACK Figure 41-29: Inserting a loop with the Loop tool in the track row. The Auto Scroll command (View menu > Scroll) controls how the Drum Editor scrolls during playback.
CHAPTER 42 Notation Editor OVERVIEW The Notation Editor is one of several edit windows in Digital Performer. To learn more about editors in general, see chapter 35, “Edit Windows” (page 325). Each MIDI track in a Digital Performer sequence can be viewed with the Notation Editor. The Notation Editor displays notes in a track on a continuously scrolling piano grand staff. In all other respects, the Notation Editor is very similar to the MIDI Editor.
NOTATION EDITOR QUICK REFERENCE Selected note: Click once to select the note. While the note is selected, its information will appear in the Information Box above. Shift-click or drag a selection box to select more than one. Drag the note up or down to change pitch; drag left or right to change time location. Grand staff: Displays notes on standard treble and bass clef staves. By default, middle C between the staves is C3.
NOTATION EDITOR MINI-MENU The Notation Editor mini-menu has the same items as the MIDI Editor. For details, see “MIDI Editor mini-menu” on page 395. For complete details about these information windows and the Information Bar, see chapter 37, “Information Windows” (page 339). DISPLAY RESOLUTION NOTATION EDITOR BASICS The Notation Window is similar to the MIDI Editor.
Even though the note actually occurs after the downbeat, it gets displayed on the downbeat, which is the nearest grid location. Display resolution affects display only Display Resolution does not affect the actual location or playback of the notes. Don’t worry about affecting the notes in the track when using the Display Resolution: it only affects their display. If you would like to make the note data more rhythmically accurate, use the Quantize or Smart Quantize commands.
3 To insert more notes of the same duration, click the Pencil. To change duration, drag to the right after clicking. Selecting notes for editing The techniques for selecting notes on the Grand Staff are the same as those for selecting notes in the MIDI Editor. To select a single note, click the note. The notehead will invert to indicate that the note is selected. To select several notes, Shift-click each one. Or, drag a selection box over them. Shift-click to select non-contiguous notes.
ZOOMING IN THE NOTATION EDITOR The grand staff and continuous data grid in the Notation Editor can be zoomed similarly to the MIDI Editor, including all zooming shortcuts. See “Zooming” on page 317 and “Zoom menu shortcuts” on page 317. GRAPHIC EDITING TECHNIQUES All of Digital Performer’s powerful graphic editing features are available in the Notation Editor. See “Graphic editing techniques” on page 319.
CHAPTER 43 QuickScribe Editor OVERVIEW The QuickScribe Editor is one of several edit windows in Digital Performer. To learn more about editors in general, see chapter 35, “Edit Windows” (page 325). The QuickScribe Editor allows you to view and edit any number of MIDI tracks as standard music notation. Digital Performer interprets unquantized MIDI data, notating it in a readable fashion without permanently quantizing the data, so your original performance is always preserved.
QUICKSCRIBE EDITOR QUICK REFERENCE Track selector QuickScribe Tool Palette Dynamics Palette Insertion cursor Arrangement Palette Playback wiper Page number Page zoom Next/previous page Pointer Zoom Tool palette Figure 43-1: The QuickScribe Editor gives you a “what you see is what you get” notation window in which you can view, edit, and print your music.
Dynamics Palette: Provides graphic insertion of dynamics symbols. QUICKSCRIBE EDITOR MINI-MENU Go to Page: Provides sub-menu commands for scrolling to the next, previous, first or last page. Arrangement Palette: Provides symbols, such as repeat barlines and endings, that help to condense the display of the score for previewing and printing. Insertion Cursor: Indicates the location at which notes will be inserted via computer keyboard entry and MIDI step recording.
hides the QuickScribe Editor tool palette. Playback-only Notes: This sub-menu provides several commands for selecting, showing/hiding, and playing/muting notes that have been designated as Playback-only notes (with the Change selected notes to mini-menu command described above). Dynamics Palette: This checkable menu item Show Lyrics: This option toggles the display of shows and hides the QuickScribe Editor dynamics palette. lyric text in the QuickScribe score.
measure numbers is turned on (under Options> Measure Numbers), and that they are set to display on every measure. Allow Measure Selection: When checked, this menu item lets you select entire measures by clicking and Shift-clicking on them with the QuickScribe arrow tool. When a measure is selected, you can then apply score arrangement operations to the measure (such as hiding, “popping-out” or moving them).
If QuickScribe is the only cell in the center portion of the Consolidated Window at this point, the QuickScribe cell will not be allowed to “pop out” yet. 2 Drag down the horizontal window divider to create a second horizontal cell in the center portion of the Consolidated Window. You’ll now be able to pop-out the QuickScribe window. 3 Double-click the QuickScribe cell’s pop-out area. The QuickScribe window is now a separate window.
treble or bass clef staves. QuickScribe can also notate multiple voices on a single staff — that is, notes that have different rhythms happening at the same time in the same measure. But you don’t really need to know any of this; the result of it all is that you get some of the best automated notation transcription available in music software.
ZOOMING QUICKSCRIBE OPTIONS MENU The contents of the QuickScribe Editor can be magnified and reduced with the following mouse techniques: The Options sub-menu in the QuickScribe window mini-menu provides several commands for controlling the appearance of your QuickScribe score. To do this: Do this: To go directly to a particular zoom magnification (such as 400%) Choose it from the zoom menu at the bottom of the window (Figure 43-1 on page 458).
SCORE OPTIONS Choose Score Options (Figure 43-3) to open the Score Options dialog box: explained in “Track name abbreviation” on page 468. If you don’t want staff names, uncheck both options. The Abbreviation maximum length option lets you choose the maximum length of the default abbreviated staff names. To set the font, style, size, etc. of all staff names, click any staff name and choose the desired text settings from the Text menu. The settings you choose will affect all staff names and abbreviations.
Show tempo marking above first measure Digital Performer takes the tempo for the metronome marking from the tempo setting in the first measure displayed in the score. The tempo number is taken from the current settings in the metronome panel. For example, if the tempo control is set to the tempo slider, the current tempo slider setting is used. If tempo control is set to the Conductor track, the current tempo setting in the Conductor track is used.
Track menu Choose each track one at a time from this menu and, below, choose the unique settings you want for each track. Settings are remembered. You can change them at any time. The “Default” item in this menu has its own settings, too; they are applied to any track for which you have checked the Use Default option (see below). Use Default This check box causes the track to use the default settings. To change the default settings, choose Default from the Track menu at the top of the dialog box.
Track name abbreviation When viewing the track options for an existing track as shown in Figure 43-6, type in any track name abbreviation you wish in the text box provided. This custom name abbreviation overrides the “Default” track abbreviation (as specified by the track abbreviation settings in the Score Options mini-menu command). MARKER OPTIONS Choose Marker Options (Figure 43-3) to display markers in the score at their location in the sequence.
Cascading overlapping markers If markers occur close to one another, given the spacing of your score, you can use the Cascade overlapping markers option to force QuickScribe to cascade them vertically rather than overlap their names: Figure 43-11: Cascading overlapping markers in Film Cues View.
MEASURE SPACING SET SCORE LENGTH The measure spacing sub-menu command (Figure 43-3) lets you determine the number of measures per line or the overall spacing of notes. The Set Score Length sub-menu command (Figure 43-3) lets you determine the length of the score. Space measures ___ per line This option lets you choose a certain number of measures per line, such as four or five. You can type in the desired number. With this option, each measure is the same size no matter what notes are in the measures.
options dialog (QuickScribe Editor mini-menu), the title page margins can be adjusted separately from the rest of the pages to allow for title text. In this case, you can adjust the system margins of the other pages by scrolling to any page besides the title page. SNAP, CURSOR, SELECTION, AND EVENT INFORMATION The Snap, Cursor, Selection, Event Information windows (Studio menu) display information about the current cursor position, selection range, and selected event.
Inserting notes with the mouse Insert notes and other symbols with the mouse as follows: Inserting notes with the computer keyboard To insert notes and other symbols with the computer keyboard: To insert this Do this 1 Click the Pointer tool in the palette. A note Click the desired note duration in the tool palette. Press anywhere in the measure where you want to insert the note. With the mouse still held down, drag to the desired pitch and location.
Selecting durations with the extended keypad The extended keypad can be used to select durations in the QuickScribe tool palette during keyboard insertion, as shown below in Figure 43-13. On Windows, the Num Lock key must be engaged to enable these keypad shortcuts. These are the same duration keys used for Step Record. These QuickScribe keypad shortcuts are only available when there is an active insertion cursor somewhere in the QuickScribe window.
There are several ways to select a duration: 1) click the desired note duration in the tool palette, 2) press the open bracket ( [ ) and closed bracket ( ] ) keys on the computer keyboard repeatedly, or 3) use the extended keypad as described in “Selecting durations with the extended keypad” on page 473. The currently selected duration is displayed in the tool palette. 4 Play the desired note or chord on your MIDI controller. Notes appear when you release the keys, so be careful not to slur notes together.
Hold down the Option/Alt key when dragging notes if you want to drag copies of the notes. Drag and drop from the QuickScribe Editor You can drag and drop selected notes out of the QuickScribe window onto your computer desktop or into other Digital Performer windows. To do so, drag the material horizontally, not vertically, as vertical dragging is reserved for transposing the pitch.
Entering chord symbols To enter a chord symbol, choose the Chord Symbol tool in the QuickScribe tool palette ( ) and click on or above the desired note. Alternatively, assign a keyboard shortcut to the Enter Chord Symbol command (Setup menu> Commands) and press the keyboard shortcut to enter a chord symbol above the selected note (or if there is no selection, above the playback wiper). Figure 43-14: Changing the spelling of an accidental.
For chord suffixes, type the opening character, the desired suffix, then the closing character.
Text style These options specify the default font, size, style, and vertical positioning of chord symbols. Tab key advances The options for Tab are to advance in one of three ways: To the next beat or the next note, whichever comes first ■ ■ To the next beat ■ To the next note Apply To Score The Apply To Score button applies changes made in the Chord Symbol preferences to the current project’s QuickScribe score.
Working with dynamic symbols Below is a summary of how to work with dynamic symbols: Drag this handle vertically to change the overall slope. Drag this handle to change the size of the opening (height). To do this: Do this: To insert a dynamic symbol Click the desired symbol in the palette and then click on the QuickScribe page. To insert a crescendo/decrescendo Click the Crescendo or Decrescendo tool and then either click or drag on the page.
Figure 43-19: Changing meter in the QuickScribe window. Popup Key Changes You can change keys directly on the QuickScribe page using the Arrow tool as follows: To do this Do this To change an existing key signature Click on it with the “#/b” cursor for a popup menu of options. To add a key change before a meter change Click on the left third of a meter with the “#/b” cursor to get the key change popup.
Tempo changes performed with the mouse take effect until the next tempo change. For more options, use the Change Tempo dialog in the Project menu> Conductor Track sub-menu. ☛ Tempo changes that you enter in the QuickScribe window are placed in the Conductor track. They display in the QuickScribe window only if you have set Digital Performer’s main Tempo Control to Conductor Track as explained in “Tempo Controls” on page 204.
Both title & body pages Text appears on all pages. Time anchor left/center/right Text is anchored to the linear measure where it is inserted. On linear score only Text only appears when the Show Arranged Score mini-menu item is unchecked. On arranged score only Text only appears when the Show Arranged Score mini-menu item is checked. On These Parts Only Text only appears when one or more of the checked tracks in this submenu are showing in the QuickScribe window.
If both On “Track-1” Only and On Single Part Only are checked, then the text box will appear only when Track-1 is the only track showing. Making titles, headers and footers Titles, headers, and footers are inserted in the manner described in “Inserting text” on page 481. Just choose the appropriate Display attribute in the Text menu. To select individual words within a text box: 1 Double-click the text box with the Pointer tool, or click once on it with the Text tool.
Typing and editing text inside a text box To edit text, double-click it with the Pointer tool (or click once with the Text tool) to get an insertion cursor inside the text box.
LYRICS Lyrics can be added to your score in the QuickScribe Editor. don’t have to add underscores for a syllable that extends across tied notes — underscores are added automatically beneath tied notes when you hit the space bar to go to the next non-tied note.) To dismiss the lyric text box, press Enter or Return to confirm, or Escape to cancel.
are linked to the lyric. Choose any track from this sub-menu to toggle its checked/unchecked status. Doing so will link/unlink the track to the lyric text, respectively. You can freely assign and unassign lyric text to any track or tracks using the On These Parts Only submenu as explained above. Editing lyric text To edit existing lyric text, double-click the lyric. While the lyric text box is selected for editing, you can press Tab or Shift-Tab to advance to the next/ previous lyric.
If you don’t make a track selection, then the lyrics will flow into the first visible track in the score, beginning at the first note at — or after — the playback wiper location. If you select a note in a track, the lyric will flow over the notes in that track only, beginning at the selected note. If you select notes in multiple tracks, the lyric will be “shared” by all of those tracks, and will flow over the combined notes in all of the selected tracks.
not be automatically reflected in the Lyrics window. To update the Lyrics window text, you must recapture the lyrics from the score. If you would like to send lyric text from the score to the Lyrics window, choose Capture Lyric Text from the Lyrics window mini-menu. This captures the lyric text for the tracks shown in the QuickScribe score; if there is a selection, only the lyrics in that time range will be captured.
In an arranged score, you use repeat barlines, endings, and other similar arrangement symbols to condense the score.
An arrangement bar number is the number of the bar in an arranged score in QuickScribe. Each arrangement bar will be associated with one or more linear bars. In other words, if your chorus is visited three times during playback, then each bar of the chorus will have a single arrangement bar number, but will be associated with three different linear bar numbers. Showing alternate bar menus When working on an arrangement, you should turn on Show Alternate Bar Menus in the QuickScribe Editor mini-menu.
Figure 43-32: Selected measures appear with a box around them. 5 Choose Do to Selected Measures> Hide. You will be asked where you want to hide the measures. You must specify an arrangement measure location as the destination. Figure 43-33: Choosing a destination for the hidden measures. After you click OK, the selected measures will be hidden in the arrangement measures you specified. You can view them by choosing them from the alternate bar menu in that measure, as demonstrated below.
Moving measures Do to Selected Measures> Move (Figure 43-31 on page 490) allows you to position a selected measure anywhere in the score. You will be asked where you want to move the selected measures, and you specify an arrangement measure location. This command is seldom needed, but will become necessary sometimes when you have multiple endings in a score, with other sections (like a bridge) occurring in between.
Coda and Double Coda: Click on the page to enter a time-anchored coda or double coda symbol. Figure 43-36: A first and second ending. To adjust the height of an ending, uncheck Allow Measure Selection and then drag it vertically with the arrow tool. All ending brackets in the score are adjusted. To edit the ending number, or change its font or style, uncheck Allow Measure Selection and then click the ending number with the Arrow tool.
Use the Text menu in the main menu bar to select whether the time anchor is at the left, center or right of the text bounding box. You can also choose whether you want your time-anchored text to appear in the arranged view, the linear view, or both, and whether it should appear only when a certain track is showing, or when any single track is showing. them in order to select them and turn them back into normal notes. See “Showing, hiding and selecting playback-only and display-only notes” below.
Figure 43-40: Controlling the display and playback of display-only and playback-only notes. Temporarily viewing all playback-only notes To temporarily see all playback-only notes in QuickScribe: 1 Turn on (check) QuickScribe mini-menu> Playback-only Notes> Display. 2 Open the View Filter (Setup menu), deselect “Normal (display/play)” and “Display-only”, and select “Playback-only”. Alternatively, to select all playback-only notes: 1 Turn on (check) QuickScribe mini-menu> Playback-only Notes> Display.
FILM CUES VIEW The QuickScribe Editor can display film cues in a manner familiar to film composers. To see this view, open the QuickScribe window and choose Show Film Cues from the mini-menu: When Show Film Cues is checked, the QuickScribe view includes an extra area of film cue information above the top staff in every system, as shown in Figure 43-42. Tempo changes As shown in Figure 43-42, the top line of information in this view (50.00, 40.00, 50.
Beat number Also at the beginning of each measure in Figure 43-42, two integers are displayed. The number above the horizontal line is the beat number from the beginning of the sequence. The number below the horizontal line is the measure number from the beginning of the sequence. Beat marks Each measure in Figure 43-42 shows a small “x” where the beats lie in the measure. If a cue point lies within the measure, then the nearest beat to the cue point is marked with a bold “X”.
Default QuickScribe Options in the Film Cues Views When you choose Show Film Cues for the first time in a document, Digital Performer will set the following default viewing options for optimal appearance: Setting QuickScribe plus Film Cues Film Cues only Score options Show rest in empty measures Off Off Show tempo above first measure Off Off Tempo mark pixel offsets (first measure) V = -4 H = -18 V = -43 H = -20 Off Off On 6 per line On 6 per line Show markers On 5 legers above system On 2
Preserving formatting for individual parts If you want to preserve the QuickScribe formatting separately for each track, you can do so by copying each track into its own separate sequence. Since each sequence has its own separate QuickScribe Editor, each part will be preserved. Print Individual Parts and grouped tracks When using Print Individual Parts with tracks which are a member of an active track group, the grouped tracks will print together, once for each track in the group.
Finale™ and Sibelius™. For a list of music software applications that support MusicXML, visit musicxml.com/software.
have a trumpet staff set to C transposition in the score and B flat transposition in the part, the exported MusicXML file will use the C transposition (not B flat). If you require the trumpet to be in B flat, you will need to change the staff to B flat transposition in QuickScribe score before exporting. Alternately, you can change the instrument definition in your notation program after you import the MusicXML file.
Q UI C K SC R I B E E DI T O R
CHAPTER 44 Waveform Editor OVERVIEW Digital Performer’s Waveform Editor window provides a complete ‘destructive’ waveform editing environment. Permanent modifications can be made to mono, stereo, and multi-channel audio files using the standard editing commands in Digital Performer’s Edit and Audio menus, including the ‘destructive’ application of MOTU Audio System effects plug-ins. Pencil tool editing is provided, even when zoomed out.
WAVEFORM EDITOR QUICK REFERENCE Transport lock: Links playback and selection to the Toggle cursor guidelines: Shows/hides guidelines when moving the cursor over the waveform. controls in the main control panel. Close-up lens: Represents the area of the audio file Waveform zoom: Scales the waveform vertically. Transport lock: Locks playback of the audio file displayed in the Waveform Editor to Digital Performer’s main transport controls.
borders and a title bar, and you can sampleaccurately edit it, make a selection from it, zoom to its boundaries, move to the next or previous soundbite, and other useful tasks. Waveform Editor tab: Click it to display the Waveform Editor. Audio file tab: Displays the name of the audio file being viewed in the Waveform Editor. Click it to choose a different audio file. Waveform Editor mini-menu: Provides features specific to the Waveform Editor.
WAVEFORM EDITOR MINI-MENU New Audio File: Creates a new, empty mono, stereo or surround audio file. New Audio File from Selection: Creates a new audio file based on the current selection in the waveform editor or soundbite list. Import Audio: Imports audio files and their soundbites into Digital Performer. Export Selected Soundbites: Lets you save the currently selected soundbites as a separate audio files in one of several different audio file formats, including interleaved, AIFF, WAV and MP3 files.
OPENING THE WAVEFORM EDITOR There are several ways to open the Waveform Editor: to three separate audio files, you could open three separate Waveform Editors (one for each audio file). Location What to do THE WAVEFORM EDITOR TITLE BAR From the Soundbites window Double-click a soundbite. This opens a separate Waveform Editor window for the parent audio file of the soundbite. From other windows Select a soundbite and choose Edit in Waveform Editor from the Audio menu.
SNAP, SELECTION, AND EVENT INFORMATION The Snap, Selection, Event Information windows (Studio menu) display information about the current selection range, selected event, and more. These windows update as you work, providing constant feedback. The Information Bar can also be displayed directly in the Waveform Editor, showing some or all of the data shown in the Information windows. For more information, see “Cursor Information” on page 342.
EDIT LAYERS Edit Layers (Figure 44-1 on page 504) allow you to edit, select, audition and otherwise manipulate waveform data, soundbites, stretch edits, sampler loops, volume data, beats and tempo maps in the audio file. Features specific to each edit layer are explained in detail later in this chapter. A handy shortcut Press Command/Ctrl-return to cycle through the edit layers.
The close-up lens The close up lens in the overview represents the area of the audio file currently being displayed in the main portion of the Waveform Editor window as shown in Figure 44-1 on page 504. Drag the lens, or its edges, to change what is displayed. To view the entire file, drag the edges of the lens all the way left and right. (Or you can click the Zoom to fit button as shown in Figure 44-1.
any, and the soundbite’s sync point, if it has one. Below is a summary of how the measure ruler displays time in the Waveform Editor: Figure 44-3: The Waveform Editor provides complete destructive editing of surround audio files. When copying and pasting portions of a surround audio file in the Waveform Editor, the source material in the clipboard must have the same number of channels as the paste destination, with the exception that mono-to-stereo and stereo-tomono conversions are supported.
Use the many commands in the View menu > Zoom sub-menu as explained in “Zooming” on page 317 and “Zoom menu shortcuts” on page 317. ■ SELECTING WITH THE I-BEAM CURSOR To get the I-Beam cursor, click the Pointer tool in the Tool palette (Figure 44-1 on page 504). Figure 44-4: The Waveform Editor can zoom in to the sample level. Zooming in this far makes it easy to make precise edits on individual samples.
Summary of cursor selecting techniques Here is a summary of the many techniques available in the waveform editor for selecting data: To do this: Do this: Select a time range Drag with the I-Beam cursor. Select a time range in the overview Drag with the arrow cursor. Note: you cannot start the selection inside the Close-up lens. Extend the current selection Shift-click or Shift-drag. Select All Press command-A, or choose Select All from the Edit menu.
Placing the insertion point in one channel To place the insertion point in one channel of a stereo or surround audio file, Command/Ctrlclick. To extend the insertion point to another channel, Command/Ctrl-Shift-click. AUDITIONING The Waveform Editor provides many ways to audition the audio data. Auditioning a selection To audition any portion of the waveform, turn off Transport Lock and turn on Audible Mode, then make your selection; it will audition as soon as you release the mouse.
Creating a soundbite in the Waveform Editor To create a soundbite in the Waveform Editor, make a selection and choose New Soundbite from Selection from the Soundbite edit layer menu (Figure 44-1 on page 504). Making a soundbite active Before you can do anything to a soundbite in the Waveform Editor, you need to make it ‘active’ (so that Digital Performer knows which soundbite you wish to modify).
■ Choose Audition Active Soundbite in the Soundbite edit layer menu (Figure 44-1 on page 504). Renaming the active soundbite Option/Alt-click the soundbite’s title bar to rename it. Dragging and dropping a soundbite To drag and drop a soundbite from the Waveform Editor into an audio track or other destination in Digital Performer, make it active and then drag it by its title bar to the desired window.
Creating a sampler loop To create a sampler loop, select the Loop tool in the Tool palette and drag over the waveform. Or make a selection and choose New Loop from Selection from the Loop menu. A loop is created out of the selection and given a default name of “Untitled”. Making a sampler loop active In the Waveform Editor, Sampler loops work very much like soundbites.
3 After you’ve selected the desired material before and/or after the loop, choose Audition Selection with Active Loop from the Loop menu. to a loop, you can then use the other jump commands in the menu to inspect its edges or zoom in on its audio data.
Transferring loops When exporting a soundbite, its “Transfer in soundbite” item (Sound File Information window) for the loop needs to be enabled for that soundbite to include the loop in the new file. See “The Audio Loop section” on page 351. Shift-Control/Win-Tab moves this edge Keyboard shortcut What it does Tab Moves the insertion point to the next soundbite or loop boundary. Option/Alt-Tab Moves the insertion point to the previous soundbite or loop boundary.
THE STRETCH LAYER For details about using the Stretch edit layer (Figure 44-1 on page 504) in the Waveform Editor, see “Stretching audio beats” on page 668. THE BITE VOLUME LAYER The Bite Volume edit layer ( (Figure 44-1 on page 504) ) provides breakpoint editing of a soundbite’s Bite Volume curve, as shown below in Figure 44-9: CREATING A NEW AUDIO FILE FROM A SELECTION At times, you may want to take a section of audio from an existing file and “export” it to its own, separate audio file.
placed on the clipboard as usual. As in other windows, the Snip command actually removes the span of time covered by the selection. Paste, Splice and Merge As usual, these operations require two things: 1. Audio material on the clipboard, and 2. A location at which to paste, splice or merge. To place audio material on the clipboard, use the Cut, Copy or Snip commands.
Applying MAS, VST and AU plug-ins To apply any MOTU Audio System (MAS), VST, or Audio Unit (AU) plug-in, make a selection in the Waveform Editor, go to Audio menu>Plug-ins and choose the desired plug-in from the sub-menu. The effect is applied ‘destructively’ to the data in the audio file. You can undo it, but after you do something else, the change is permanent.
size of the crossfade area. However, the crossfade area may contain unwanted audio and then it will fade that area into the file. Here’s a more specific example: if you recorded yourself saying “A B C D E F”, then selected “C D” and reversed it, you may end up with audio that sounded a bit like “A Be D C bE F” (where lowercase letters represent faded audio). In some circumstances this behavior will lead to undesired crossfades.
WAVEFORM EDITOR
CHAPTER 45 Selecting OVERVIEW This chapter shows you the many convenient ways to select data in Digital Performer. Except where noted, these techniques apply to any type of data (MIDI, audio, conductor track, automation, etc.) Selecting a time range A time range selection spans a certain period of time in one or more tracks, regardless of what data is in the region. In fact, time range selections can even be empty.
The ‘Smart Selections’ command affects time range selections Digital Performer’s Smart Selections command (Edit menu) has an important impact on edits that you apply to Time Range Selections. The effects are automatic, but you should definitely know about them so that you can use them to your benefit. For a summary, see “Smart Selections” on page 534. Selections are global After you have made any type of selection, the selection remains in effect until you either deselect or make another selection.
■ Holding the Control/Win key down allows you to make a range selection even when clicking on a selected soundbite or note. (To perform a throw operation you must hold the Control/Win key down after you click.) ■ Holding down the Control/Win and Option/Alt keys performs a lasso style selection. ‘All Selections’ mode In this cursor selection mode, the Pointer tool is dynamic and will change depending on where it is positioned in the window.
Event selection in the Track Overview is affected by the Cursor Selection mode setting (Preferences> Editing> Tools). For details, see “Choosing a Pointer tool selection mode” on page 526. To make an event selection in the Track Overview: 1 Choose the Pointer tool in the Tools palette (or, as a shortcut, double-tap the “a” key). Figure 45-2: An example of an event selection, shown here in the Event List.
Time range selections in the Sequence Editor are affected by the edit grid, if enabled. For details, see “Snap to Grid” on page 339 and the edit grid controls in Figure 38-1 on page 356. Events selected by clicking the phrase above Selecting a time range in the Selection Information window This method of time range selection allows you to make a selection containing any combination of tracks. It lets you specify the region numerically, which gives you a high degree of precision.
Using the Pointer and I-Beam tools to make time range selections in graphic editors The Pointer and I-Beam tools in the Tools palette (Studio menu) can both be used to make time range selections in graphic editors, as explained in the following sections. Figure 45-8: Use the Pointer tool and I-Beam tools make time range selections.
Time range selections with the Pointer tool All selection operations made with the Pointer tool in the Track Overview depend on the Cursor Selection mode (Preferences> Editing> Tools). For example, you can choose Range Selections Only mode, which produces a cross-hair cursor anywhere in the Track Overview. For complete details, see “Choosing a Pointer tool selection mode” on page 526.
Tracks Overview selection summary Below is a summary of time range selection techniques in the Track Overview: To accomplish this Do this To get a cross-hair cursor over a block of data Move the cursor to the top or bottom edge of the block. To select a single measure (or a single column segment at any other zoom level) Click it with the cross-hair.
Time Ruler selection techniques There are several time-saving techniques for selecting data in the Time Ruler in the Track Overview, Sequence Editor, MIDI Editor, and Notation Editor: Initiating time range selections with an insertion point If you click the I-Beam tool anywhere in any graphic editor, an insertion point appears: Drag horizontally in the lower half of the Time ruler with the I-Beam cursor. Shift-click to extend the selection.
Modifying a time-range selection using the computer keyboard The Commands window (Setup menu) has a large selection of shortcuts for manipulating selections. These commands can be used in the Tracks Overview, Sequence Editor, MIDI Editor, Notation Editor and Drum Editor. Listening to the current selection To listen to the currently selected region, press Ctrl-spacebar or Option/Alt-click the Audible mode button. Doing so causes the selected region to play in its entirety.
Digital Performer accomplishes this “musical intelligence” in a combination of separate, but related, ways. Below is a summary of Smart Selection features, followed by several sections explaining each feature in further detail. “Smart boundaries” on time range selections — this means that events that are a few ticks before or after the selection boundaries are either included or excluded, depending on what makes sense musically.
This is a threebeat selection from 81|000 to 9|1|000 (3/4 time) made with “Snap to Grid” turned on. Smart Selections turned on This note actually occurs at 7|3|411 — just before measure 4. But Smart Selections correctly includes it. This note actually occurs at 8|3|423 — just before 2|3|000. But Smart Selections correctly omits it. Notice that when Smart Selections is turned off, notes at the beginning are incorrectly omitted, and notes at the end are incorrectly included.
In this example, the data in the Clipboard originated in beat 3 of measure 3. With Smart Selections turned on, the note is pasted at beat 3 of the measure, regardless of where the playback wiper (and main counter) is in the measure. With Smart Selections turned off, the note is pasted at the wiper (and main counter) location, which, in this example, is 12|2|017.
1. Notice this initial volume controller. 2.These notes are being affected by this volume controller. 3. When the controller is cut, the Smart Selections feature automatically places a new controller of the same value just before the notes so that they play at their original volume (before the cut). Figure 45-16: S m a r t S e l e c t i o n s ca u s e s controllers to be automatically generated where necessary to preserve their effects after cut and paste operations.
CHAPTER 46 Searching OVERVIEW Digital Performer’s Search command provides you with a powerful, flexible way to locate and select data. You can select the data you find or display it in the Search Results window, which lets you browse it, select it, open its Event List, or even export it to an HTML file.
Add/remove buttons (+/-): The plus-sign button adds a new time- or event-related search setting to the bottom of its group. The minus-sign button removes the bottom setting (or group) from the group. Add group button ([ ]): Adds a new group of settings, nested within the current group. You can then use the +/- buttons within the new group to add and remove criteria within the group. Action menu: Lets you choose what to do with the search results.
contents of the Search Results window as an HTML file for printing or importing into a word processor programs or any other software that can import the file. Overview of how to perform a new search This section gives you the basic procedure for conducting a search. Each step is discussed in detail in the sections that follow. To perform a new search: 1 Decide where you want to search.
The selection in the bass track does, however, determine the time range of the search in the piano track. Example A Example B Figure 46-4: Digital Performer always searches in the top-most window behind the Search window — unless the ‘Search all sequences’ option is checked. In this example, the selection in the trumpet track determines the range of time for the search, but the actual search occurs in the string ensemble track, since its Event List is the top-most window.
When you choose Events must match all settings, the Search command will include an event in the search results only if it matches all of the settings in the group. In the example below, the only notes that will be found by the search are ones whose pitch is between C3 and C4 AND whose on-velocity is less than 64 AND whose duration is less than 1|000. Figure 46-6: Grouping search settings. In this example, only notes that match all the settings will be found by the search.
settings option for the group. If you want the events in the group to be considered individually, use the Events may match any settings option. In case you are wondering, Figure 46-7 will find events between measures 10-20 only that fall on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th or 7th eighth-note of the measure. In addition, the data must be a note between C3 and C4 with an on-velocity greater than 80, or it can be a controller #55 with a value less than 10 or greater than 90.
Value The Value setting allows you to choose specific time in which to search. Further choices are shown below. The Is (with slop) option is notable because it lets you specify a specific time with a little bit of “give and take” before and after the time you specify. You can choose the amount of “slop”. Figure 46-9: Event types you can search for. Selection range The Selection range setting lets you specify a range of time by the current selection.
other hand, if you have a selection in the piano track, the Search command will create a subset of it (if it finds data within the selection that meets the search criteria). Figure 46-10: The event attributes for SysEx data. A few notes on SysEx searches When searching for hex data within SysEx messages, do not include the F0 or F7 as part of the search string. When you are using the Is at offset option shown in Figure 46-10, offset zero is the first byte past the F0 at the beginning of the message.
similar to clicking the Previous/Next Search Result buttons in the Search Results window (as shown in Figure 46-14 on page 548). 2 Click on the dash to the right of its name. Saving & editing search settings The Search window mini-menu has several commands that let you name, save, edit, rename and delete search settings that you create. When you name and save a set of search settings, you are capturing all of the settings visible in the Search window at the time you save it.
Previous/Next search result buttons: Does the same thing as the Go button for the next or previous item in the Search Results window list. THE SEARCH RESULTS WINDOW To open the Search Results window, choose Display in search results window from the Action menu in the Search window and click the Search button.
The Previous/Next Search Result buttons, as shown in Figure 46-14 on page 548, do the same thing as the Go button for the next or previously highlighted item in the list. Searching again with the Refresh command Often, you’ll conduct a search and then make changes to your data based on the search. You might then realize that you want to conduct the same search again.
SE AR C H I NG
CHAPTER 47 Edit Menu OVERVIEW UNDO For a general explanation of how to use Edit menu operations, see chapter 34, “Editing Basics” (page 311). All Edit menu commands can be applied to MIDI data, audio data or both: The Undo command will undo the effects of most commands and actions that add, delete, move, or otherwise modify data. Undo will also undo the effects of both real-time and step recording. Undo is unlimited.
stepping past the branch along the main branch. Branching is explained in more detail in the next section. Summary of Undo commands in the Edit menu The Edit menu has the following Undo-related commands: UNDO HISTORY Command: Digital Performer supports unlimited Undo/Redo. It can remember everything you have ever done to a project, even after you close and quit, across any number of sessions, all the way back to the moment the project was first created.
document. Double-click this column next to any action to immediately jump to that point in the undo history. You could work for three days, on and off, and still go all the way back to the state you were in at the beginning of the project by doubleclicking next to the item at the very top of the undo history list. Actions that have been undone are displayed with a blue highlight. To redo (jump to) an undone action, double-click the Now column to the left of its name.
guitar. But after attempting a few passes of lead guitar, you realize that none of them are good, and in fact, you need to edit the bass part before going any further. So you jump back in the undo history window to the last bass guitar record pass and begin editing the bass track.
Figure 47-4: Viewing all branches at once. In this example, you can see both the ‘lead guitar’ branch and the ‘bass edit’ branch below it, which is currently undone (shaded blue). In this view, all actions in all branches are shown in the list, with each branch separated by heavy lines. This view is not strictly chronological; instead, actions are grouped by branch. (Actions will always be listed chronologically within a branch.
Undo history and branching is unlimited Digital Performer records an unlimited number of branches and actions in the Undo History window. How much it can remember is limited only by the amount of RAM and disk space in your computer. Pruning preferences The undo history has the potential to take up large amounts of memory and disk space, depending on the type of work you are doing. In addition, you may find that you rarely go back in time more than, say, about an hour as you work.
This window functions identically to the project Undo History window. The Undo History for each audio file is saved with the file. provides several ways to manually flush (empty) the Undo History for a Digital Performer project, a POLAR session or an audio file. Audio file undo histories provide an additional feature: not only can you jump backwards in the history to any action, you can also modify or remove an action without affecting what comes after it in the history.
The Apply Pruning Prefs to All Undo Entries Now clears the undo history according to your current pruning preferences, except that it ignores the time attribute. So, if your current preference setting reads “Prune entries taking up more than 10 MB on disk, that have not been visited in the last 2 hours”, it will flush all entries larger than 10 MB for all time. leaves the measures blank (silent). The type of information that is cut is determined by the View Filter. The Cut command is undoable.
■ What track (or tracks) ■ What time in the track (or tracks) Choosing a track (or tracks) to paste into To choose the track you want to paste into, you can either open an event edit window for the track (see “Opening an edit window for a track” on page 169) or click the track’s name in the Tracks window or Sequence Editor to highlight it. To paste into several tracks at once, highlight their names (see “Selecting tracks for editing” on page 169).
PASTE REPEAT The Paste Repeat command fills the current time range selection with the contents of the clipboard, repeating the clipboard data to fill up the selection. For example, if you would like to fill a section of a track with material on the clipboard, repeating it as many times as necessary to fill the section, just make a time range selection over the section and choose Paste Repeat.
Using the Paste option in the Repeat dialog box, the repeated data replaces the data in the repeated region: the pre-existing data is erased. Using the Merge option in the Repeat dialog box, the repeated data is merged with the data in the repeated region. Using the Splice option in the Repeat dialog box, the repeated data moves the pre-existing data to a later time in order to make room for the data in the repeated region.
For example, if you would like to merge clipboard data into a section of a track, repeating it as many times as necessary to fill the section, just make a time range selection over the section and choose Merge Repeat. Merge Repeat is convenient because you don’t have to merge many times by hand. Merge Repeat fills the selection for you, automatically repeating the data as many times as necessary. SNIP MERGE REPEAT MULTIPLE The Snip command requires a time range selection instead of an event selection.
Before measure A is spliced: Track-1 1 2 3 4 5 Clipboard A ■ Shift to time or marker — lets you specify an exact location, in any time format you wish, or by choosing a marker location, to which you would like to move the data. After measure A is spliced: (Measures 3 & 4 are shifted to 4 & 5.) Track-1 1 2 3 (A) 4 5 Clipboard A SPLICE MULTIPLE This variation of the Splice command can be accessed by holding down the Option/Alt key while accessing the Edit menu.
slightly (try a value of less than 100 ticks to start with), you can make all instruments sound as if they are attacking notes at the same time. You may want to leave some of the disparity between attack times: let your ear guide you. CONTINUOUS DATA Original track Shifted later by a half of a measure Preserve realtime performance The Preserve realtime performance option, when checked, will shift the selected data to the new location based on the first selected event.
Original soundbite: SPLIT Split allows you to break up MIDI notes or audio soundbites into separate, smaller notes and soundbites. Split makes divisions at the boundaries of the region you select. Remaining soundbites after the middle section has been cut: Original soundbite restored by Heal Separation command: For soundbites, Split, Cut, and Erase all do a similar thing: they split out a section of the soundbite.
Selecting a region: After using Split: Figure 47-15: Using the Split at Counter command (Edit menu) to split both a MIDI note and a soundbite at the same time. TRIM Trim allows you to select a portion of a soundbite and remove the parts of it that are not selected. For example, you might want to extract a single measure from a soundbite that is 8 measures long. It is also very useful for removing silence at the beginning and/or end of a recorded soundbite.
Original Trim End Digital Performer’s Clipboard also lets you cut, copy and paste text between Digital Performer and other programs. For example, if you write some text in a word processor application, and you would like to display it on a page in QuickScribe Editor just open both programs at the same time, copy the text from the word processor, switch to a text box in Digital Performer’s QuickScribe Editor (or any other text box in Digital Performer), and paste.
SMART SELECTIONS The Smart Selections command is a checkable menu item that can be either turned on (checked) or off (unchecked). When it is turned off, it has no effect on selections. When it is turned on, it affects Time Range Selections. (For further details, see “Selecting a time range” on page 525 and “Smart Selections” on page 534.
CHAPTER 48 Region Menu OVERVIEW REGION COMMAND WINDOWS For a general explanation of how to use Region menu operations, see chapter 34, “Editing Basics” (page 311). Region menu commands can be applied to MIDI data, audio data or both, with a few exceptions for audio as noted in “Region menu exceptions for audio” on page 312.
Preview Stays on when Window Not in Front: This menu item is available for any Region commands that have previewing, such as the Quantize commands, as explained below in “Previewing”. When checked, previewing continues (before actually applying the effect) even when the Region command window is not the front-most window. plays) before you actually apply it permanently with the Apply button. Data remains unaffected until you click the Apply button.
The Transpose command can transpose both audio and MIDI notes in many ways: When performing the above operations, you can: ■ transpose by interval ■ play in pitches or entire scales from your MIDI keyboard when setting up the transposition ■ transpose diatonically ■ ■ change key from any root to any other ■ change key from any mode to any other ■ map each pitch to any other pitch The Transpose window provides several ways of transposing, options for each type, a Transpose Map that shows you ho
Transposing poly pressure and/or portamento The Transpose poly pressure option transposes poly pressure (aftertouch data) along with the notes that it modifies. The Transpose portamento controller (#84) option transposes portamento controllers. Audio transpose options The following options are provided for audio transposition only.
Saving a Transpose Map If you would like to save a transpose map, type in a name for it and click Save as shown below. Custom maps are saved with the project and can be loaded into other projects with the Load command in the File menu. Transposing by interval Figure 48-5: Transposing by interval. To save a transpose map, type in a name and click Save. Using Transpose Maps To recall the map, select its name in the list. To remove a Custom Map from the list, click its name and click Delete.
Figure 48-5 on page 573) and type in a number of cents, if desired, for fine-tuning the audio transposition. (There are 100 cents per half-tone.) To choose whether the soundbite is transposed using Digital Performer’s formant-corrected pitchshifting or conventional pitch-shifting, set the soundbite’s transpose attribute beforehand as explained in “Dragging and dropping soundbites” on page 43. Transposing diatonically Figure 48-6: Transposing diatonically.
The Constrain to Scale option The Constrain to scale option is available with the Diatonic and Key/Scale transpose options. If enabled, it causes all non-scale tones to be transposed to the nearest appropriate scale tone, as shown below: This sets up the From column in the Transpose Map. You can play in the root pitch from your MIDI keyboard if you place the insertion point in the From text box. 4 Type or play in the destination key root pitch and select a mode from the bottom list.
of the actual track data. Track note data spellings are controlled by the current key signature in the Conductor track. transpose option will then become automatically selected to indicate that the transpose map is now a custom map. Transposing using a custom map The Custom Map option allows you to do several things. You can: 3 If you would like to save the map, type in a name and click Save. The map will appear in the Custom Maps list.
In the example above, a standard 12-note octave is being mapped to a 24-note octave. The scale sizes can be any number between 1 and 128. The root pitches can be any note. Notice that the source octave from C3 to C4 gets mapped to the destination two-octave range of D3 to D5. Also notice that the root pitches do not need to be the same. All other octaves above and below become mapped in the same fashion as the one you define.
destination pitch, like Db3, can be used more than once, such as when several pitched tom-tom sounds are being mapped to a single tom sound. 4 If you would like to save the map, type in a name and click Save. The map will appear in the Custom Maps list. 5 Click Apply to execute the transposition. Creating a custom scale The Custom Scale option allows you to create your own scale. To do so, you select which pitches are diatonic and which ones are not.
QUANTIZE Quantizing changes the attack and release times of MIDI note events and audio soundbites to make them more rhythmically precise. It can also modify beats within soundbites that have been analyzed with Digital Performer’s Beat Detection Engine (chapter 53, “Audio Beats and Tempo Detection” (page 657)). Attacks, releases and beats within soundbites are aligned with a grid, a set of locations that occur on the beat and its subdivisions.
nearest grid location; release times are left unchanged. Choosing to change release times causes them to be moved to the nearest grid location; attack times are left unchanged. Both of these operations cause an automatic change in note durations. Original music stretch and shrink them as necessary to move the beat to the nearest quantize grid location. For further details, see “Quantizing beats within soundbites” on page 669.
MIDI note attacks. Since controllers have no duration or release times, these options have no effect on controllers. Specifying the controllers to quantize When either of the two options for quantizing controllers are chosen, the filter check boxes shown in Figure 48-12 on page 579 let you choose which controllers to include and exclude. The MIDI Controllers and Track Automation list lets you further specify which types of controller and automation data you wish to include in the Quantize operation.
is available in many other MIDI effects, too.) In the example below, the grid has been set to one SMPTE time code frame: Swing The Swing option delays every other grid point to create a swing feel. The Swing option defaults to 100%, which produces straight swing. For example, an eighth note grid produces a grid point every 240 ticks. The swing option, at 100%, will delay every other grid point 80 ticks to 320, which is the attack time of the third eighth note in an eighth note triplet.
Midpoints 100% Sensitivity Grid points Notes Figure 48-17: 100% Sensitivity reaches all the way from one grid location to the next, as shown here by the gray background. Sensitivity is the size of this field. The default sensitivity (without the Sensitivity options selected) is 100%, i.e. extending continuously between grid locations. This field is actually split into 50% before the grid location and 50% after the grid location.
The Strength value specifies the amount that note events move toward grid locations when quantized. A Strength value of 100% (the default) moves them all the way to the nearest grid locations. A value of 0% leaves them where they are. A value of 50% moves them halfway to the grid locations. a 16th note grid (a grid point every 120 ticks), and a randomize value of 50%, the range is 60 ticks, extending 30 ticks before and after each grid point.
If you are trying to get the notes of a chord to line up to make the attack precise, consider using the DeFlam command on the Region menu instead of Quantize. It will line up the attacks but will not move the notes to a grid location. If you want to quantize a region containing a mixture of sixteenth, eighth, and quarter notes which contains just two or three thirty-second notes, set the grid value to sixteenths for quantizing. You can subsequently change the thirty-seconds back individually.
“Applying a groove to beats within soundbites” on page 670 and “Extracting a groove from audio” on page 670. What is a groove? In musical terms, a groove is a unique rhythmic feel. Many artists are famous for a certain feel—or groove—in their music that makes their sound unique. Digital Performer’s Groove Quantize feature gives you complete reign over this important aspect of your music.
Drag the groove icon to move it up or down in the list. Use this menu to navigate through all of the groove files. Option/Alt-click the name of the groove to rename it. This menu lets you go directly into recently opened groove files. ☛ Instant preview does not affect beats within soundbites when Groove Quantizing audio. 7 If you’d like to adjust the feel of the groove, click the Edit button. This option is discussed further later on in this chapter.
The groove quantize sliders A unique and powerful feature, the groove quantize sliders (Figure 48-20 on page 587) let you adjust the degree to which the groove is applied— in essence, they let you “turn up” or “turn down” the groove. For more information, see “Adjusting groove parameters when applying a groove” on page 588. Locating a groove The groove list works like a standard open dialog box. Use it as usual to locate grooves.
To adjust groove parameters while applying a groove: 1 Use Digital Performer’s Memory Cycle feature to cycle playback over the region you wish to apply the groove to. 2 Start playback. 3 Select the data you wish to apply the groove to. Make sure that what you select is within the region Digital Performer is currently looping. If you don’t, you won’t be able to audition the groove before applying it. Use any method of selection that you prefer. You can select individual notes or an entire region of data.
Auditioning groove settings Groove Quantize lets you adjust the sliders without affecting the settings that are currently saved with the slider. The same goes for the Beat Division menu. In addition, you can quickly audition a number of different grooves with the same settings (because the settings won’t change when you select a new groove).
CREATE (EXTRACT) GROOVE The Create Groove command lets you create your own Grooves from MIDI note data in any track, or beats within soundbites that have been beatanalyzed by Digital Performer’s Beat Detection Engine. The source material can come from any Digital Performer file, any standard MIDI file or any beat-analyzed audio file or loop. Grooves can be any length. Extracting grooves from audio Audio data must be beat-analyzed before you can create a groove from it.
groove. The choices range from eighth notes to 32nd notes in both straight and triplet time; several combination grids are also provided. As a rule of thumb, when you choose a beat division, think of how the music is notated, and use the shortest note duration that would be used to notate it. For example, a swing feel is customarily written as straight eighth notes. So when you are choosing a beat division for a swing groove, use a straight eighth note grid.
Edit each beat division as desired. If Instant Preview is enabled, and you are looping a section to hear your changes, you’ll hear them right away as you make them. Here is a summary of what to do in this window.
Applying the groove from one track to another To apply a groove from one track to another, create a new groove based on the original track. After you have created the groove, you can apply it to any other track you wish using the Groove Quantize command. The Groove you create can be of any length. Figure 48-23: Smart Quantize.
sub-option, which is discussed in a separate section. The last section explains how to save and recall Humanize styles. Onset (note placement) The Onset sub-option randomizes the attack times of notes within a range (in ticks) of the note’s current location. You can specify the range as a number of ticks, or as a percentage of the note’s duration, in which case longer notes have a larger range and shorter notes have a smaller range. Figure 48-24: Humanize.
closed hi-hat pitch and less weight to the open hi-hat pitch so that the result is mostly closed hit with an occasional open one. To recall a random pitch map, select its name from the menu. To delete a random pitch map: The Set Random Pitch Map button lets you determine what pitches notes can be randomized to: Select what If desired, choose a scale in pitches can which to randomize here. be used here. Customize the scale by creating your own with the Edit Scales button.
Emphasis Each Humanize element has an emphasis suboption, which can be any value between -9 and +9. The emphasis value causes the tendency of the randomization to be higher or lower within the specified range. Thus, if you wish to randomize within a certain range, but you wish values to tend to be higher, use a positive emphasis; use a negative emphasis if you wish them to tend to be towards the lower end of the range.
Using DeFlam If DeFlam leaves some notes out, try using a larger tick value; if it includes too many notes, try decreasing the tick value. (Remember, you can Undo and Redo the DeFlam command.) The correct tick value depends greatly on the particular passage you are working with. It may take several attempts to determine the correct value. CHANGE VELOCITY Change Velocity is a powerful command that lets you modify the velocities of all MIDI notes in a region on a scale from 0-127.
Compress/Expand This option works just like an audio compressor or expander: it reduces or expands the velocities above the threshold you specify by the compression ratio you specify, and then adds any gain that you specify with the gain control. The graph shows a visual display of the current compression settings on a 128 x 128 grid, so you can see exactly how velocities from 0 to 127 will be affected.
Here are a few examples to clarify this option: Original velocities Figure 48-28: Change smoothly from 1 to 90, curvature 0. This results in a linear increase. One effect of this is a gradual, even crescendo. Scale smoothly from 100% to 1% with 0 curvature Figure 48-31: Scale smoothly from 100% to 1%, curvature 0. When applied to a region in which there are several notes accented, this results in a downward “curve”, which retains the accent structure of the original.
emphasis if you wish them to tend to be towards the lower end of the range. A value of zero equals no emphasis, which causes the randomization to occur evenly within the range. Note that the randomize option is a check box, which means that it can be selected together with one of the radio button options above. This allows you to randomize at the same time as executing one of the other Change Velocity options.
Changing the duration of soundbites The Change Duration command does not affect soundbites. To change the duration of a soundbite, trim it as explained in “Trimming (edge editing) soundbites” on page 377. To stretch it, see “Graphic time stretching of audio” on page 379 or “Scale Time” on page 614. Change Duration basics Duration is the length of a note, i.e. the time between its attack and release. Durations are specified in quarter notes and ticks (e.g. a half note would be 2|000 or two quarter notes).
Before After Figure 48-33: Move releases to closest attack. Extend releases (to the closest attack) The duration of each note in the selected region is extended until it ends at the same time as the next note begins. This is very similar to the Move releases to the closest attack option but the durations of all notes are guaranteed to increase since the release is always moved forward in time. Any notes which end after the last note in the selected region begins are left unmodified.
Using Change Duration to control articulation The Change Duration command is very good for adjusting the articulation of note events. Rendering a passage legato or staccato is simple: for a legato effect (each note releasing just before the next one is attacked): 1 Select the region. 2 Choose Change Duration from the Region menu. 3 Choose the Set option. 4 Enter a value of 1 tick (0|001) and press Apply. This insures that durations are uniform for the next step.
Split Notes basics Split Notes is a highly specialized version of the Cut and Copy commands on the Edit menu. Only notes in the selected region and with specific properties are affected, other events are not affected. Each note is tested to see if it meets the requirements you specify, including velocity, pitch, and duration. They are then placed in a destination you select, such as the Clipboard or a new track. If cut, they are removed from the selected region.
scroll bar and scroll arrows to select pitches that are above or below those pitches which are currently displayed. You can also play keys on your MIDI keyboard (or other controller) to select and deselect specific pitches. ☛ The Select notes keyboard remembers the selected notes even when those notes are scrolled to the left or right and are not displaying.
Some variations on the operation to increase the velocity values of the lead line are as follows: Make the notes of the chords softer (by decreasing their velocities) instead of the making the lead line louder. This would involve modifying the notes of the chords after you extracted the lead line from them and merging the (unaltered) lead line back with the modified chords. Use the Change to ___% of current value option in the Change Velocity window rather than adding a constant value to the lead line.
MIDI EFFECTS PLUG-INS The inversion is always exact, transposing the note the same chromatic interval above or below the axis pitch. Hints You can invert a region of notes around a pair of axis pitches. Follow the above procedure for normal inversion specifying the lower of the two pitches in the Invert Pitch window. Then use the Transpose command on the Region menu to transpose the region by the interval between the two axis pitches.
For details regarding the options in the Transpose plug-in window, see “Transpose” on page 570. For details regarding the options in the Echo and Arpeggiate effects, see “Echo and Arpeggiator” on page 888. For details regarding the options in the Remove Duplicates effect, see “Remove Duplicates” on page 894. For details regarding the options in the Reassign Continuous Data effect, see “Reassign Continuous Data” on page 894.
or any other interval. All other pitch bend values are scaled according to the interval the maximum value produces. Mono key pressure: Also known as aftertouch or channel pressure, this is a special kind of controller, which sends out values between zero and 127. If you continue to press down a key after you play a note, mono key pressure information is sent. The harder you press, the higher the value.
Since the continuous data is regenerated, it is possible that this command will thicken the data instead of thinning it. You may find this aspect of the command useful if you have thinned out the data too much. won’t be separated by values smaller than the minimum value change. Though Digital Performer can create a perfectly smooth set of values, the actual result may not be perfectly smooth due to the minimum time and value changes you enter. Experimentation is the key to good results.
CHANGE CONTINUOUS DATA With the Change Continuous Data command, you can modify existing continuous data by scaling it or limiting it to a specific range. Figure 48-41: Here is a continuous data curve without randomization (above) and with a randomization of ±6 (below). Emphasis The Emphasis sub-option causes the tendency of the randomization to be higher or lower within the specified range.
Change to ___% of current value The values of all events in the selected region are scaled by the entered percentage value. Thus, specifying 50% halves the values, and 200% doubles the values. If a value exceeds the limit of the its data type, it will be truncated at the limit value (e.g. if a pitch bend value comes out to -10,150, it will become -8192, the minimum limit for pitch bend values). Create Stairsteps Digital Performer supports ramp automation with plug-ins.
SCALE TIME Original phrase Reverse Time Retrograde ☛ Note: for clarity, we have shortened the durations in the Reverse Time example so that they don’t extend beyond the next attack. In actuality, the notes maintain their original durations after being reversed. To get an exact reversal of the notes, you must select a region of time rather than specific events. In addition, the region of time must include the duration of the last note in the region.
Entering a value in one of these fields automatically updates the three other fields. When entering a ratio, if the first number in the ratio is larger than the second, the region is expanded; if the first number is smaller than the second, the region is compressed. A ratio of 2:1 doubles the duration of all events in the region (and doubles the length of the entire region as well); a ratio of 1:2 halves the duration of all events in the region. You can enter integer ratios with up to two decimal places.
Limit to a range from ___ to ___ This option searches for tempo events above or below the specified range. When it finds one, it changes the tempo to fall within the range. For example, if the tempo range is from 200 to 300, a tempo of 351 would be changed to 300 and a tempo of 60 would be changed to 200. Figure 48-46: Scale Tempo.
frame time. Here is an example: suppose that you have created a sequence with many tempo changes, and it is around 3 minutes long. But you would like to make it 3 and a half minutes long. This option lets you select the three minute region and scale all the tempos so that it stretches out evenly to 3 1/2 minutes. Here’s another example: suppose you are locking a sequence to picture via SMPTE time code. You have composed a section of music, and you’ve programmed all of the tempo changes.
This command is also useful when you want to tweak a real-time effect in ways that are not possible with the effect’s controls. For example, you might have an arpeggiator effect applied to a track, and you might want to tweak individual note velocities of the notes it is generating. The Capture Real Time MIDI Effects command writes all of the notes permanently to the track so that you can edit them in the usual fashion. and paste the two measures of data ten times in a row.
essentially a “ripple edit” where the start time of soundbites later in the track is effected by changes to soundbites that precede them. This command has no effect on the very first soundbite in the track. This lets you Select All and set a gap of two seconds without a gap appearing at the beginning. Soundbites that overlap other soundbites — or that have a crossfade with another soundbite — are not treated as individual soundbites, and so no gap will be inserted between them.
R E G I O N M E NU
CHAPTER 49 Audio Menu OVERVIEW The Audio menu is, in part, an extension of the Edit menu and Region menu, providing further editing operations that apply to audio data only. The Audio menu has a combination of non-destructive, destructive and constructive editing operations. (See “Non-destructive, destructive and constructive audio editing” on page 321.
DITHER MERGE SOUNDBITES For an explanation of what dither is, see “Changing bit depth with dither” on page 57 in the DP Plug-in Guide. Use Merge Soundbites to quickly create a single, new soundbite out of several adjacent soundbites. To do so, select the adjacent soundbites and choose Merge Soundbites from the Audio menu. This operation creates a new audio file, sort of like a “mini-bounce”. But it does not include any volume, pan or other automation data.
2 Choose Strip Silence from the Audio menu. A dialog box appears asking for several parameters. See the discussion below for more information. Figure 49-2: The Strip Silence dialog. The Threshold is expressed in percent of amplitude; values range from 1 to 100%. What value you should use depends on the nature of the audio and the signal to noise ratio.
has passed, it will not be cut. Try values around 100 milliseconds. Set this value higher if the soundbites sound clipped at the end. SMOOTH AUDIO EDITS Audio edits often produce gaps between soundbites. This is especially true when editing dialog, or splitting soundbites into small slices using the New Soundbites from Beats command (Audio menu > Audio Beats). Gaps of silence between soundbites can be audible and usually sound unnatural.
Specifying what gaps to fill To fill all gaps of silence, choose Replace Silence with Room Tone. To specify the size of the gaps to be filled, choose Only Fill Gaps smaller than _ with Room Tone. If you wish to automatically generate crossfades between soundbites and the newly created room tone soundbites between them, check the Crossfade Edits check box. Specifying how to fill gaps The Find Room Tone By options let you decide how the gaps will be filled.
BITE VOLUME AND GAIN PITCH AND STRETCH There is a soundbite attribute, accessed in the Sound File Information window (“Sound File Information” on page 349) and in the Sequence Editor (“Bite Gain” on page 376), called Bite Gain. It non-destructively raises or attenuates the overall volume of the soundbite. The range is from -140 to +80 dB. There is an additional soundbite attribute that temporarily bypasses both soundbite gain and soundbite volume automation.
AUDIO BEATS TIMESTAMPS The Audio Beats sub-menu lets you manage Digital Performer’s extensive audio beat detection features. A timestamp is the SMPTE timecode location at which a soundbite starts and ends. Digital Performer provides a host of features for creating, importing, displaying, modifying and using timestamps. Audio beats menu item What it does Find Beats...
Setting a user timestamp To apply a user timestamp to one or more soundbites, place the soundbites at the desired location in the sequence, select them, and then choose Timestamps > Set User Timestamp from Sequence in the Audio menu. Searching by timestamp Digital Performer’s powerful search feature lets you locate soundbites by their timestamps, as demonstrated below.
Hit.2. The important thing to realize here is that you now have two separate soundbites that are not connected to each other. As a result, you can freely modify Snare Hit.2 (trim its edge, for example) without affecting the original soundbite, Snare Hit. Duplicating is different from copying a soundbite, which produces a “clone” of the original that is still connected to it. If you modify a copied soundbite, the original is modified, too (and vice versa).
By using the Reload Soundbite command on the soundbites, you can properly re-align the soundbites in Digital Performer with their original regions of audio data: Digital Performer searches in the parent audio file for a region that matches the name of the soundbite and loads the parameters for the region into the soundbite. To reload a soundbite: The Reload Soundbite command can be used any time that you need to refresh the boundaries of a soundbite. 1 Select the soundbite you wish to reload.
☛ Reload Soundbite affects all instances of a soundbite in a Digital Performer file. In other words, reloading affects the soundbite and all “clones” of that soundbite wherever they may exist in audio tracks. You’ll notice that Reload Soundbite isn’t really going to be used much if you don’t use any other programs besides Digital Performer to work with the audio file.
The Replace Soundbite command operates on only one soundbite at a time. If you select more than one in the Soundbites window, it replaces the highest one in the list. If you select more than one soundbite in the Event List or Sequence Editor, it replaces only the earliest one. preferred external editor. Accordingly, whenever you invoke the Edit in Waveform Editor command, Digital Performer automatically launches the third-party waveform editor and opens the audio file with the region selected for editing.
CHAPTER 50 Fades and Crossfades OVERVIEW WHAT IS A CROSSFADE? Digital Performer allows you to apply fades and crossfades to the edges of soundbites. A crossfade occurs at the boundary — what we’ll call the splice point — between two soundbites. It fades out the volume of the first soundbite while fading in the volume of the second. A crossfade’s main purpose is to produce a smooth transition between the soundbites, preventing clicks and pops and other undesirable artifacts that can sometimes occur.
CREATING A SINGLE FADE OR CROSSFADE There are two ways to create a fade or crossfade: ■ To create a fade at the boundary of two soundbites that are touching, hold down the Command/Ctrl key while dragging one handle or the other: Drag the fade/crossfade handles on a soundbite Make a selection and apply a fade with the Fade command (Audio menu).
To edit multiple fades together in one operation, select the soundbites that contain the fades, and then grab the fade handle of one of the selected soundbites: You can use your selection to define the length of the crossfade, or you can create a fixed-length fade that is different from your selection. Splice point (boundary between touching soundbites) Before: Selection for the crossfade Figure 50-6: Making a selection over a soundbite boundary to apply a fade.
TYPES OF CROSSFADES When you apply a crossfade, the selection you make relative to the splice point determines the type of crossfade. If you make a selection with the splice point somewhere in the middle, you will create a standard, centered crossfade as shown below in Figure 50-8. Crossfades use material beyond the splice All three types of crossfade discussed in the previous section use “hidden” material in each region beyond the splice point.
Fade types The fade dialog box offers three types of crossfades and two types of fades: Equal gain crossfades are recommended for material that is phase coherent or nearly phasecoherent, as in crossfades between soundbites from the same audio source material (the same instrument, for example). Equal gain crossfades help avoid clipping that can occur when using equal power crossfades (described below). Equal gain fades are available for both fades and crossfades.
volume of the fade-in or fade-out constant — either full volume or zero volume — for the entire length of the fade. HOW FADES ARE GENERATED Figure 50-13: Here is the same equal gain crossfade shown in Figure 50-12 with an S-shaped curve instead of a standard curve. When you choose independent S-shaped curves, you can get as elaborate as you need. Figure 50-14: Here is a crossfade with independent S-shaped curves.
fades as you want in one operation. One way to do this is to use the Shift key to select several splice points at one time before entering the Fades dialog. You can then apply the same fade to all of them, using your selections to define the length of each fade. Or you can apply fixed-length fades. Another way to apply multiple fades at one time is to make one large selection that contains any number of splice points and then apply fixedlength fades to all of them in one operation.
In either case, after you’ve made the changes you would like in the Fades dialog, make sure that the Update existing fades option is checked before clicking OK. FADES THAT CANNOT BE FULLY COMPUTED If Digital Performer computes a fade or crossfade and the level of the mixed audio in it exceeds unity gain (0 dB), the fade appears bright red to alert you to the fact that it is clipping.
CHAPTER 51 Takes and Comping OVERVIEW TAKE MENU A take stores the contents of the track. Each track can have an unlimited number of different takes. If you want to keep what is already in a track, but you want to try an alternative version of it (either recorded from scratch or based on the current take), choose New Take or Duplicate Take from the Take menu. The original data is preserved in its own take, which you can always return to by choosing it by name from the Take menu.
Rename Take Rename Take (Figure 51-1) lets you rename the current take. The current take is the one with the check mark next to it in the top portion of the menu. Duplicate Take Duplicate Take (Figure 51-1) creates an exact duplicate of the current take, including all of the data in the track. The current take is the one with the check mark next to it in the top portion of the menu. INDICATION OF MULTIPLE TAKES When a track contains multiple takes, a bullet (•) is displayed to the right of the take name.
time Show Takes was chosen, so its contents appear in the Comp 1 take, as indicated by the Take 1’s shading in the take grid. If you want to start with an empty comp take, create a new empty regular take first (with the New Take command) and then choose Show Takes. You can create as many comp takes as you wish. To create a second, third, fourth, etc. comp take for a track, first choose a regular take from the Takes sub-menu (instead of an existing comp take) and then choose Show Takes.
(explained below), the track settings no longer apply; instead, the parent track settings take effect over the currently selected take or comp take. “Soloing” a take track The take track solo button (Figure 51-4) works slightly differently than a normal track solo button. Click it to temporarily change the parent comp take to a complete copy of that take. Usually, the only thing that plays back while the take grid is showing is the parent comp take (the current comp take in the main track strip).
Comp tool to click the sections you wish to include in the comp take. Here is a summary of Comp tool techniques you can use to build comp takes: To do this Do this To create a divider at the current cursor location Option click. To add a take section between dividers to the comp take Click it. To create a take section and add it to the comp take in one gesture Drag over the desired take track section. To move a divider line Drag it left or right. (See note below.
Divide Comp commands The Divide Comp sub-menu in the Takes menu (Figure 51-7) provides several convenient shortcuts for creating comp divider lines. Figure 51-7: The Divide Comp sub-menu. At wiper The at Wiper command (Figure 51-7) creates a divider line in the Take grid at the current playback wiper time. At selection boundaries If the current selection is an insert point, the at Selection Boundaries command (Figure 51-7) creates a single comp divider line in the Take grid at that insert point.
CONDUCTOR TRACK TAKES The Conductor track holds tempo changes, meter changes, key changes and markers. However, switching takes on the Conductor track only affects tempo data. Meter changes, key changes, and markers are not affected by takes.
T AK E S AND C O M P I NG
CHAPTER 52 Tempos and Audio OVERVIEW This chapter explains how to: ■ Apply tempo maps to soundbites Extract tempo maps from soundbites that already have them ■ ■ Make soundbites follow the tempo of a sequence, including tempo maps with ritards, accelerandi, and rubato ■ Make a sequence follow the tempo of a soundbite ■ View and edit embedded soundbite tempo maps For information about a related feature, see chapter 53, “Audio Beats and Tempo Detection” (page 657) and chapter 82, “Scale Time” (page 9
Performer knows the tempo of a soundbite, it can compute the exact duration, in beats and ticks. If you have configured the Soundbites window to show the “Duration (beat|ticks)” and “Tempo” columns, you will see this, as shown below in Figure 52-1. You can also view the tempos in the Waveform Editor as explained in “Viewing and editing soundbite tempo maps” on page 654. Soundbites with tempo maps. This soundbite has no tempo map.
Soundbite Tempo sub-menu. These commands are also available in the Tempo layer menu in the Waveform Editor (Figure 52-8 on page 654). Selecting audio to apply tempo commands Most of the Audio Tempo commands work on selected soundbites or selections within popedited soundbites. For time-ruler selections, they affect all soundbites that start within the selection. They can also be applied to selections in the Waveform Editor.
CLEAR SOUNDBITE TEMPO COPY SEQUENCE TEMPO TO SOUNDBITE The Clear Soundbite Tempo command (in the Audio menu> Soundbite Tempo sub-menu) removes the tempo maps from any selected soundbites. The Copy Sequence Tempo to Soundbite command (in the Audio menu> Soundbite Tempo sub-menu) copies tempo information from the sequence into any selected soundbites, replacing their existing tempo maps, if any.
☛ If you would like soundbites in a track to always remain conformed to the sequence tempo, so that you don’t have to take the time to do it manually with this command, see “Stretch” on page 141. Only soundbites with tempo maps are affected. Also, any soundbites whose Time Compress/ Expand preference in the Soundbites window is set to Don’t Time Scale will be left alone. Furthermore, any selected soundbites that match the sequence tempo are left alone.
As another example, you could import a full mix, or drum track stems for an entire song, and then make the sequence tempo map exactly match the imported audio. The basic procedure to do this would be: 1 Select the imported audio and choose Audio menu > Analyze Beats and Tempo. 2 Nudge all of the audio so that the first downbeat of the audio aligns with a measure downbeat. You can also accomplish this with “Sync points” on page 382. 3 Set the sequence to Conductor Track tempo mode.
Tempo Events Tempo events are shown superimposed over the audio waveform. Their location is measured by the time line ruler above. Their vertical position indicates the value of the tempo event, as measured by the BPM (beats per minute) ruler on the left. The exact tempo is shown on the tempo event. TEMPO MENU Editing Tempos in the Tempo Edit Strip Because tempo editing is so closely tied in with the time ruler, tempo editing is done in the tempo edit strip (Figure 52-8) just below the ruler.
TEMPOS AND AUDIO
CHAPTER 53 Audio Beats and Tempo Detection OVERVIEW This chapter gives you a brief overview of Digital Performer’s beat detection and tempo analysis features, which give you unprecedented rhythmic and tempo control over your audio. The Beat Detection Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657 What works and doesn’t work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658 Enabling preemptive beat and tempo detection . . . 658 Manually applying beat and tempo detection. . . . . .
WHAT WORKS AND DOESN’T WORK Digital Performer’s Beat Detection Engine and Tempo Analyzer are highly developed technologies. However, they have their limits. If an audio file has no rhythmic information in it whatsoever, then clearly beats and tempos won’t be found.
To enable preemptive analysis, choose Preferences from the Digital Performer menu (Mac OS) or Edit menu (Windows) and click the Background Processing list item. The Beat and Tempo Analysis preferences (Figure 79-2 on page 904) let you choose when to apply the processing. See “Beat and tempo analysis” on page 905. Tempo analysis results depend on the quality of the beats detected in the audio file.
EDITING BEATS IN THE WAVEFORM EDITOR To view and edit beats, open the soundbite in the Waveform Editor and select Beats from the Edit Layer Menu at the bottom of the window, as shown in Figure 53-2. Beat editing allows you to make specific adjustments or corrections to individual beats, add them, delete them, and so forth. In turn, these adjustments can produce better results when applying beat-based edits, such as quantizing, groove extraction, etc.
Beat velocity In addition to placement, beats are also analyzed for their strength, relative to the other beats around them. The strength of the beat is represented by the beat’s velocity handle (Figure 53-2), which can be adjusted by dragging the handle vertically. Move up the slider to increase velocity; move it down to lower velocity.
Toggle Selected Beats Choose Toggle Selected Beats to either enable or disable the currently selected beats. If the selected beats are a mixture of enabled and disabled beats, this command will disable the previously enabled beats and leave the previously disabled beats the same. If all the selected beats are the same (either all enabled or all disabled) it will toggle them all.
are many samples to choose from, and you can also use any audio file you please using the Choose File menu item. AUDIO MENU > AUDIO BEATS The Audio Beats sub-menu (in the Audio menu) has several commands for managing audio beats. Some of these commands are also found in the Beats menu in the Waveform Editor (Figure 53-2 on page 660). Digital Performer gives you access to them in the main Audio menu as well so you can easily apply them to selected soundbites in the Sequence Editor or Soundbites list.
at any time before you click the Apply button. Before you click Apply, you’ll see a preview of where the splits will take place: Figure 53-5: Creating soundbites from beats. Select the soundbites you wish to split up (or make a time range selection) in the Sequence Editor.
Figure 53-6: A selected soundbite with preview slices for the New Soundbites from Beats command. Controlling the frequency of the splits Move the slider to control how frequently the soundbite will be split up. Split points are added or removed from the operation based on their associated beat velocity. As you move the slider, beat velocities fall either above or below the threshold, to be included or excluded, respectively.
the Copy button. Before you click Copy, you’ll see a preview of the beats that will be copied, as shown in Figure 53-7 on page 666. Figure 53-8: The Copy Beats command. Select both the source and destination soundbites or tracks. You can select them either before or after you open the Copy Beats window, and you can change your selection at any time before you click Choosing the source track and beat frequency Choose the desired source track from the Copy beats from menu, as demonstrated in Figure 53-7.
either above or below the threshold, to be included or excluded, respectively. After you have the beat slider set as desired, click Apply. Copy Beats As MIDI Choose the Copy Beats as MIDI command to generate in the clipboard a stream of MIDI notes corresponding to the audio beats of a selected soundbite in the Sequence Editor. This can then be pasted into any MIDI track. This operation can also be applied in the Beat layer of the Waveform Editor. See “Copy Beats as MIDI” on page 662 for details.
STRETCHING AUDIO BEATS You can use beat markers to move — or stretch — their corresponding audio beat earlier or later in time, relative to the surrounding beats. This lets you seamlessly tweak the timing of individual beats in your audio. In the Waveform Editor, choose the Stretch edit layer, as shown in Figure 53-9. Grab the beat you wish and drag it left or right. Use the Snap to Grid setting to determine the anchor points on either side of the beat you wish to drag, represented by purple lines.
Stretching audio beats in the Sequence Editor You can also stretch audio beats directly in the Sequence Editor. The procedure is basically the same as described above: choose the Stretch edit layer for the track (see Figure 38-10 on page 363 and “The Edit Layer” on page 364) and use Snap to Grid to determine the span for the anchor points. Also be sure that the Stretch layer is enabled in the track settings (“Stretch” on page 141).
(subject to the other settings you may have specified, such as strength, etc.) However, this is not the case for beats within audio. Instead, Digital Performer employs a more useful algorithm, which moves only the beat closest to each grid point and then smoothly scales all others between them. This produces much more useful results for audio, as it time-stretches the audio as little as possible while still achieving the desired quantizing results.
The tempo analyzer builds a tempo map by determining which beats represent the music’s barlines. Using this technique, the tempo analyzer is capable of creating sophisticated tempo maps that track long passages of recorded music. The tempo analyzer can save hours of painstaking tempo adjustments by tracking the tempo of your recordings automatically. Other common cases are melody lines or vocals that are not precisely aligned with the barlines to which they were performed.
AUDIO BEATS AND TEMPO DETECTION
CHAPTER 54 System Exclusive Digital Performer allows you to record, playback, and edit MIDI System Exclusive (SysEx) messages. Common types of System Exclusive messages include patch dumps, preset selections, editing parameters, etc. Digital Performer can thus store patches, samples, and other important information from your MIDI equipment in system exclusive form.
Because System Exclusive messages have no channel assignment, they are sent to every MIDI device connected to a port. If you have several devices of the same model or brand connected to the same port they may all respond to a message sent to or from just one of them. Conversely, some manufacturers encode channel assignments into the body of the System Exclusive message. Digital Performer is unable to access or rechannelize such an assignment.
characters (using the ASCII standard). Most of the time this translation will be garbled and useless, but patch names and other text in the System Exclusive message may be visible. The length of the System Exclusive message is displayed at the top left. This is the number of bytes of data in the message. The scroll bars let you scroll through long messages. The Grow box in the lower right corner lets you adjust the size of the window.
Click on the Insertion mode button at the center of the window. 7 Type in the data. 2 Cut, copy, or replace the selection. To Cut or Copy, press Command/Ctrl-X or Command/Ctrl-C respectively. The selected data will be placed in the Clipboard. To replace the selected data, type in or paste new data, which will replace the highlighted data. INSERTING SYSEX DATA IN THE EVENT LIST You can insert system exclusive data into the Event List window.
4 Click Transmit. RECORDING SYSEX INTO THE EDITOR WINDOW bulk dump request message, click the Transmit button. If all is well, the system exclusive data will appear in the lower portion of the window. To record system exclusive into the system exclusive editor window: 9 Click OK to save the system exclusive data or cancel to discard it. 1 Be sure that your MIDI hardware and cables are set up properly.
MIDI System Common light (labelled Co) turn black while the data is being received by Digital Performer. Load command to quickly access them. To restore a patch or bank, load the desired sequence and play it. 7 Wait a few seconds, longer if it is a large bulk dump, and then stop recording. You can paste System Exclusive dumps of sounds and settings at the start of a sequence.
BE CAREFUL System exclusive data is not associated with a channel, as defined in the MIDI specification. System exclusive data in a track is merely sent to the port you specify for playback; no channel number can be attached. Some manufacturers have decided to include a channel number in some of their system exclusive messages. This number cannot be changed.
SY ST E M E X C L USI V E
CHAPTER 55 Clippings OVERVIEW CLIPPING WINDOW QUICK REFERENCE A clipping can be any useful part of a Digital Performer project that you’d like to conveniently store for future use. It could be a single note, a fourmeasure phrase, or an entire sequence with any number of tracks. It can consist of project data in portions of any size, including MIDI data, audio data, or both.
Here’s the difference: a Digital Performer clipping window will be available regardless of the file you have open. A project clipping window is specific to the file you create it in; it will save and close with the file. Startup clipping windows can hold Mac OS aliases or Windows shortcuts to other documents that will automatically launch when you open a Digital Performer project.
Deleting a clipping window To delete a clipping window: 1 Make it the active window. 2 Choose Clippings > Delete Clipping Window from the Project menu. Or you can trash or recycle the window’s corresponding folder in the Finder or Explorer. Viewing by name or large/small icon The View by options in the Clippings sub-menu as shown in Figure 55-2 let you display clippings by name only, a small icon or a large icon.
Alternately, if you drop the clipping into the Track Overview timeline or the Sequence Editor timeline, the data will be dropped at the cursor’s current timeline location. If the cursor is placed over existing tracks, and the tracks in the clipping are compatible with the target tracks (MIDI to MIDI, audio to audio, etc.), then the clipping data will be merged into the existing tracks.
Deleting a clipping To delete a clipping, drag it to the trash, or select it and press the delete key. Renaming a clipping To rename a clipping, Option/Alt-click the name of a clipping. Re-ordering clippings in the Clipping window You can re-arrange items in the clipping window by grabbing their icon to the left of their name and dragging up or down in the list as desired.
CLIPPINGS
CHAPTER 56 Custom Consoles OVERVIEW Digital Performer’s custom consoles provide a host of control items, including: ■ Generate controller data to control and shape the sounds in your synthesizers ■ Sliders ■ Knobs ■ Buttons The sliders, knobs, and buttons can be controlled in real time, while Digital Performer is playing back or recording, to create musical effects. In addition, they animate during playback to reflect what you have recorded.
CUSTOM CONSOLE BASICS BUILDING A CUSTOM CONSOLE Custom Console control items serve two functions. First, they monitor MIDI data being played from their target track or MIDI channel, animating in real time to reflect the data’s current value. For example, let’s say you have a track containing a stream of controller #1 (mod wheel) data, and the controllers increase in value over the span of two measures of music (in the range from zero to 127).
Mini-menu: Use the “Edit Console” item under the mini-menu to toggle Edit mode on or off. A variety of other commands are also available; see “Mini-menu Quick Reference”. Set to Zero: Sets the value of the highlighted control items to zero. Set to Null Point: Sets the value of a highlighted master control item to its null point. Edit palette: This appears when Edit mode is enabled. To add control items to the console, drag them from the Edit palette to the control item area.
Creating a slider, knob, or button To create a control item: 6 (Optional) Set the minimum and maximum time change. 1 (Optional) Select the Snap to Grid menu item to turn the snap grid on or off. These two options (on the left) control the density of the data that the control item generates. The lower the values, the more dense the data. Higher values thin out the data. Try to use as high a value as you can while still maintaining the musical effect you wish to achieve.
Opening the Control Assignment window The Control Assignment window is where you make all the settings for a control item. This window automatically appears when you first create the control item. You can revisit the window at any time. To open the Control Assignment window for a control item: 1 Put the Console window into Edit mode (with the Edit Console mini-menu item highlighted as shown in Figure 56-2 on page 688).
unchecked, the control item generates the target data type as specified by the settings below this check box. Making the source assignment The source assignment is made in the Control Assignment dialog box when you first create the slider, knob or button as described in “Creating a slider, knob, or button” on page 690. The source can be changed at any time in the Control Assignment window (see “Opening the Control Assignment window” on page 691).
To do so, drag a slider (or knob) from the Edit palette to the Control Item area. The Control Assignment dialog appears. Select the desired settings and click OK. 3 Now drag an Increment button from the Edit palette to the Control Item area (or hold option while dragging to create a Decrement button). Drag it directly on top of the slider. Don’t worry about the exact placement of the arrow yet. You can take care of that after you have inserted it.
Alternatively, you can Shift-click anywhere on the control item to select it. 2 The Control Assignment dialog box appears. Set the Source and Target items as desired. 2 Choose “Name Item” from the mini-menu. See “Making the target assignment” on page 691 and “Making the source assignment” on page 692. 3 Type in the desired name. 3 Select the type of button you wish it to be. 4 Click OK to confirm your choice.
3 Choose Cut or Copy from the Edit menu. Figure 56-4: Making a mute button. 5 If desired, choose a group for the button. Buttons can be grouped, either by a master button or even by a slider or knob. 6 If desired, type in a name for the button. If it is a text button, the name will be displayed inside the button. To paste a control item after cutting or copying, choose Paste from the Edit menu.
Moving or removing control items After you have selected control items as described in the previous section, you can drag them anywhere in the console window. You can also remove them from the console by hitting the delete key, by choosing Erase from the Edit menu, or by choosing Delete control in the console mini-menu. CONTROLLING KNOBS AND SLIDERS The following sections explain how to control sliders and knobs.
volume slider that is being controlled by a mod wheel is actually receiving controller #1 data from the wheel and then converting it into controller #7 data on–the–fly. Digital Performer also allows you to control sliders with several types of data that you might not consider at first: notes, velocities, and aftertouch. Moving a slider or knob during playback To move the slider during playback, simply press the play button and move the slider with the mouse or mod wheel.
■ Leave all tracks unarmed for recording (to prevent accidental erasure of existing material) and then make sure that the console window is the front-most window when you begin recording. Summary Here are several situations and a description of what control items will do in each case: Digital Performer is not playing or recording: When recording console controls, a track does not have to be record-enabled — as long as the console window is the front-most window.
To take a snapshot of the current position of the sliders, knobs, and buttons in a console: 1 Set the main counter to the desired location at which you wish to record the snapshot. You can also take the snapshot during playback or recording. 2 Set up the sliders, knobs and other control items the way you would like them to be in the snapshot. 3 Select the control items in the console that you want to include in the snapshot. See “Selecting control items” on page 695.
Master and slave control items Each control item in the group can have its own, customized relation to the group’s master control item. Grouping provides three ways in which a control item (slave) responds to its group master: the grouped control item can match, offset, or scale values received from the master. When matching the master, the slave simply goes to the same value as the master. For example, if the master control item is set to 79, the slave goes to 79 as well.
Digital Performer’s null point is similar to the null point on most recording studio mixing consoles: it is a base value from which slaved sliders are measured. Hardware mixers usually have a fixed null point somewhere near the middle of the slider’s range. The null point of Digital Performer’s sliders, however, can be set to any value on the slider, from zero to 127 (or –8192 to 8191). This provides an added level of flexibility when achieving the musical effects that you want.
4 Choose the Master option. 5 Click OK. Setting a master slider’s null point To change the null point of a master slider: 1 Option/Alt-click anywhere on the slider. The null point, which is indicated by a bold hash mark, will snap to the location, and you can drag it freely from there. The null point can also be changed more precisely as follows: 1 Select the master slider. 2 Choose Control Assignment from the console mini-menu. 3 Make sure the Master radio button option is selected.
■ Whether or not the message contains a checksum, and if so, how many bytes the checksum consists of ■ What the data bit format is (7-bit or 4-bit nibble) ■ Which comes first, the LSB or the MSB ■ The specific bytes within the message that will be the variable bytes controlled by the control item (up to 4 bytes) To set up a control item that generates SysEx, you must first enter the SysEx data into Digital Performer, and you have two choices for how you can do so. You can: 1. Type it in by hand 2.
You are done! Click OK. The slider will now generate the SysEx message. If the synth does not respond, verify the checksum values. Monitoring a SysEx slider during playback Sysex sliders cannot monitor the data they generate. This is due to the amount of data processing that would be required in real time. ☛ Note: if the SysEx message is a device bulk dump, several sliders can edit the same bulk dump message. Here is a work-around for this problem: 1 Create two sliders.
may not have any keyboards that can send this particular controller. A control item can solve this problem by remapping a controller that your keyboard does send into controller #10. To do so, assign the source of a control item to be a controller that your keyboard can transmit, such as controller #1 (mod wheel). Set the control item’s target to be the Device or track that sends to the synth module. Set the target data type to controller #10.
3 Choose the Consoles option. 4 Optional: If you wish to load any Chunks from the selected file, choose the Load Chunks option. If you wish to load more than one Chunk, you can drag to select contiguous Chunks and Shift-click to select discontiguous Chunks. Deselecting this option loads only the file’s Control Items. 5 Click OK to confirm your choices or Cancel to withdraw the Load command. Clicking OK causes the selected file’s Consoles, as well as any selected Chunks, to be loaded into the open file.
Part 6 Arranging
CHAPTER 57 Conductor Track OVERVIEW OPENING THE CONDUCTOR TRACK The Conductor track is a special track containing markers, meter, tempo and key change information. Every sequence and song has a Conductor track; it cannot be deleted. You may use the commands from the Edit menu in the Conductor track to Cut, Paste, Repeat, Shift, and otherwise edit tempo, meter, and key maps, as well as markers.
Key changes Key change events display the name of the key. User-defined key signatures are displayed as ‘Custom’. See chapter 60, “Change Key” (page 731) for a full description of key signatures in Digital Digital Performer. Meter changes Meter change events display the time signature (the number of beats per measure, over the duration value which gets the beat) and the click value, (the duration value between metronome clicks).
A beat click event creates clicks on an even subdivision of the current beat. They are identical to the beat click that is part of a meter change event, except that they are independent of any meter change events. For example, you could insert a meter change event that clicks every quarter note, but then insert a beat click event a few measures later that clicks every eighth note. Changing the beat sub-division of the click in this manner can be useful in a wide variety of situations.
The number before the slash determines what numeric value is associated with the given note type indicator. So, “2 / 4” means “everywhere a 2 appears in this string, interpret that 2 as a quarter note.” If 2 means a quarter note, then 4 (twice as big as 2) means half note, and 1 (half as big as 2) means 8th note. Accenting a click To accent a click in a pattern click, highlight the number you want to accent in the pattern code text and type Command/Ctrl-B. That makes it bold and red.
A punch event triggers a punch independently from a marker. Click the punch icon to change its color. Click the punch size to change it. Click the punch display destination on the far right to change it. For further information, see “Streamers, Punches and Flutters” on page 763. Flutters WORKING WITH THE CONDUCTOR TRACK EDITOR In general, the Conductor Track Editor operates like the MIDI and audio track Graphic Editor as explained in chapter 39, “MIDI Editor” (page 391).
Do so by double-clicking the Song name in the Chunks window. 2 Choose Edit Conductor track from the Song window mini-menu. The edit window for the song’s Conductor track will appear. 3 Highlight the events you wish to edit. 4 Select the desired command from the Edit window. The Edit menu commands affect events in the Conductor track in the same way as normal MIDI data. See chapter 45, “Selecting” (page 525) and chapter 34,“Editing Basics” (page 311) for more on how to select regions and use these commands.
You can help avoid partial measures by leaving the Smart Selections command in the Edit menu checked when you are editing the Conductor track. Correcting unwanted partial measures It is important to remember that meter changes only affect the way data is displayed; they never affect the MIDI data itself or the way it sounds when it is played back.
CONDUCTOR TRACK
CHAPTER 58 Change Tempo OVERVIEW Tempo is very flexible in Digital Performer. Not only can there be several tempos in a Chunk (sequence or song) but they can change dynamically, resulting in accelerandos, ritards other programmed tempo effects. CHANGE TEMPO QUICK REFERENCE Beat value Tempo curves Time Display Button Tempo Density Button In Digital Performer, tempo is controlled by the Tempo Control in the Control Panel.
Time Display Buttons: Click on the appropriate radio button to select real or frame time for the tempo parameters. Tempo Density Buttons: Click on the appropriate radio button to choose between Coarse and Fine tempo event densities. The Fine setting generates 12 tempo events a beat; the Coarse setting generates far fewer events. Tempo Curves: Click on the desired curve button to select the type of tempo change desired.
Tempo resolution Digital Performer’s tempo capabilities were designed to be very effective in film and video applications. Tempo calculations are very accurate resulting in very precise location abilities. Finding a frame time location will bring you to the exact measure time location consistently. Real time locations of events and markers are completely reliable and give an accurate representation of the timing of the music.
Setting the start and end points The measure time locations entered in the Start and End boxes in the Change Tempo dialog (Figure 58-1 on page 717) delineate the region in which the tempo change occurs. New tempo data will be inserted into this region according to your specifications. Using the fine and coarse options The Fine and Coarse options determine the density of tempo change data generated. Selecting the Fine option causes tempo changes to be generated 12 times per beat.
combined in several different ways for each curve. For example, the linear curve allows you to set different combinations of the Start tempo, End tempo and End time. After selecting a curve, pressing the Options button cycles through the various combinations of parameters possible for that curve. Parameters that you can enter are in boldface type and are enclosed in a box; parameters that Digital Performer will compute (and that you cannot enter) are in plain type without the box.
End Tempo: This is the tempo at the End location of the curve in beats per minute. If you anchor this value, it will be the same as the pre-existing tempo at the End location. Start Tempo: This is the tempo at the Start location of the curve in beats per minute. If you anchor this value, it will be the same as the pre-existing tempo at the Start location. End time: This is the time at which the End location occurs. End Tempo: This is the tempo at the End location of the curve in beats per minute.
However, with the Randomize option checked and the range set to ±25 bpm, the result is a tempo map that constantly and randomly changes between 95 and 145 bpm: range either as a percentage or as a range of bpm. In either case, each tempo event generated is placed randomly within the range. Emphasis This sub-option causes the tendency of the randomization to be higher or lower within the specified range.
VIEWING AND EDITING TEMPO CHANGES Tempo change data is stored in the Conductor track for the Chunk. Tempo changes look like— and can be edited similarly to—continuous MIDI data (such as pitch bend or controller information) in the Conductor track editor windows. Each tempo change has a time and a tempo value. The tempo has two parts, the tempo value in beats per minute and the beat value (e.g. 1/4 note, 1/8 note, etc.
CHAPTER 59 Change Meter OVERVIEW Meter marking: Displays the meter in standard Meters specify the way musical time is counted and measured. In Digital Performer, meters affect the way measure|beat|tick locations are displayed in the Counter, dialog boxes, and Event List windows. Meters also affect the Click and countoff. In addition, they impact the way information is displayed in Digital Performer’s QuickScribe Editor.
Numerator Denominator process. If you change the meter after recording a track or tracks, the measure|beat|tick locations of the events may change. Inserting a new meter may or may not have an audible effect on the music. Depending on the options you select for inserting a new meter, note events may be excluded and durations may change. These options are explained in detail below.
Specifying the From and To locations These locations specify the starting and ending locations for the meter change. Click on the fields and enter the desired measure|beat|tick values. If you have just entered a meter change, the From location is automatically set to the previous To location. Click on the end of sequence button to change meter from the From location to the end of the sequence.
The duration of the four-beat whole note is truncated to fit the new 3/4 measure. Figure 59-2: Original music, before changing meter. Changing the meter to 3/4 and using the Realign music automatically without adjusting durations, the fourth beats would be removed. This would remove the quarter note in the first measure but not the whole note since it began before the deleted (fourth) beat: The B-natural that was on beat four is removed.
VIEWING METER CHANGES The meter changes in a sequence can be viewed in all editor windows. Meter changes can be edited only in the Conductor track; they cannot be modified in the editor windows for MIDI and audio tracks. Meters can be hidden from editor windows by turning off their display with the View Filter. Conversely, the entire meter map may be viewed alone by turning off the display of all other types of events.
Pasting into the conductor track Be careful when pasting into the Conductor track: pasting replaces events of all types selected in the View Filter. This may be what you want. If, however, you are just rearranging meters and wish to leave the other data where it is, make sure to set the View Filter for meter changes only.
CHAPTER 60 Change Key OVERVIEW Key signatures provide a way to interpret MIDI note data. In music notation, there are several ways to write every pitch. For example, although G sharp and A flat sound the same and describe the same pitch, a G sharp would make less sense in the key of E flat than an A flat would. Digital Performer allows you to specify key signatures in your sequences, making the display of notes in the Event List windows clear and musically accurate.
window. Each key change affects the spelling of notes to just before the beginning of the next key change. Key changes only affect the display of note pitches; they do not change the actual MIDI data in your sequence. INSERTING KEY SIGNATURES If there is no key signature entered at the beginning of the sequence, the default key is C major (no sharps or flats). Specifying the sequence or song to insert a key change into If a Tracks window is active, the key insertion will apply to that sequence.
VIEWING AND EDITING KEY CHANGES The key changes in a sequence can be viewed in all editor windows. Key changes can be edited only in the Conductor track; they cannot be modified in the editor windows for MIDI and audio tracks. Key changes can be hidden from editor windows by turning off their display with the View Filter. Conversely, the entire key change map may be viewed alone by turning off the display of all other types of events.
C HANG E K E Y
CHAPTER 61 Insert Measures OVERVIEW BEFORE YOU USE INSERT MEASURES The Insert Measures command (Project menu>Conductor Track>Insert Measures) lets you add any number of new, empty measures at any point in the sequence. This features has an option that preserves all subsequent SMPTE locations after the insertion, if desired.
I NSE R T M E ASUR E S
CHAPTER 62 Adjust Beats OVERVIEW Adjust Beats (Project menu>Conductor Track>Adjust Beats) lets you align Digital Performer’s time ruler to music (either MIDI or audio) in cases where the Beat Detection Engine and tempo analysis features are not suited for the material. For example, you might be importing a full mix of a rubato performance for which the Beat Detection Engine cannot accurately detect beats and tempo. The problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5 Zoom the Sequence Editor so you can easily see the beats in the waveform (you can even use the Zoom tool in the time ruler). 7 Since the audio does not have a constant tempo, we now need to use the same technique to line up the beats in measure 1. First, we’ll switch the Adjust pop-up menu in the Adjust Beats window to Beats and choose the Move one beat at a time option. Downbeat of measure 2 6 In this simplified example, the downbeat of measure two is shown above.
The end result of this simple procedure is that the audio sounds the same: it plays exactly as it did originally. But now, the sequence has a rubato tempo map that was generated by your graphic adjustments — and its changing tempos will exactly match the changing tempos of the audio. Grid lines for real-time aux rulers (real time, SMPTE or samples) are shown at intervals representing the primary unit of measurement being displayed in the ruler (such as one-second intervals, for example).
ADJUST BEATS
CHAPTER 63 Record Beats OVERVIEW The Record Beats command (Project menu>Conductor Track>Record Beats) allows you to record music without listening to a metronome click and then afterwards realign Digital Performer’s internal beats and barlines with the music you recorded. Record Beats example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 741 Using Record Beats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 742 Handling odd meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
USING RECORD BEATS 5 Use the OK is first beat option. To use Record Beats: 1 Record music into a track. You can play as freely as you like. Pay no attention to Digital Performer’s Counter window. You can even turn off the Metronome click. 2 Open the Event List and make note of the time of the first event.
time on the downbeats that you tapped. To change the meter, refer to the “Handling odd meters” later in this chapter. Listening to what you have done To listen to the result of your tapping: 1 Choose Conductor track from the tempo control menu in the Control Panel. Digital Performer will now play back according to the new tempo map in the Conductor track. 2 Press the Play button.
HANDLING PICK UP BEATS WITH THE SHIFT DATA TO OPTION The Shift data to option allows you to determine the placement of the first downbeat of the rerecorded beats. The most important thing to remember is this: do not choose a beat that occurs before the Chunk Start Time. For example, let’s say that your music has two pickup beats and that you would like the following downbeat to occur at 1|1|000.
■ Set up a countoff before the sequence start using Digital Performer’s click so that you can easily record the first downbeat. To do so, enable Digital Performer’s click and select Only during Countoff in the Click & Countoff Options dialog box. To set the number of measures for the countoff, Option/Altclick the Countoff button in the Control Panel. After you have made the above preparations, you are ready to record beats while slaved to tape: 1 Set Digital Performer in Slave to external sync mode.
RECORD BEATS
CHAPTER 64 Markers OVERVIEW The Markers window allows you to display and edit the markers for a sequence (or song). A marker is a name attached to a particular location. The Markers window can be used as a sophisticated autolocator, allowing you to move to a location instantly. The Markers window provides an easy way to organize your music; markers are visible in the Event List windows for each track, and are useful in quickly specifying editing regions.
MARKERS WINDOW QUICK REFERENCE Position indicator: Displays the current location in the Chunk. Drag on the indicator to move it. Click anywhere in this area to move the indicator to a marker. Moving the indicator changes the current location in the Chunk. Locked indicator: Indicates that the marker is locked to SMPTE frame time. Toggle from locked to unlocked and back by clicking in the lock column next to the marker name. Drag vertically to toggle multiple markers in a single gesture.
MARKERS WINDOW MINI-MENU New Marker: Adds a new marker at the current location. Hold down the Option/Alt key while choosing Add to add several markers at once. Include in Find Tempo Range: Puts a check mark in the Find column for all currently selected markers in the list. Remove from Find Tempo Range: Clears the check New Marker with Options: Adds a new marker at the current location, but first opens a dialog that lets you first access the marker’s settings.
Measure location versus SMPTE location Normally a marker remains at the same measure location when you change the tempo of the sequence. In this case, changes in tempo or structure will affect the SMPTE frame location of the marker. However, when working with film or video, it is useful to assign a marker to a certain event in the action (termed a “hit point”). Such markers are intended to remain anchored to a SMPTE frame location.
or Down Arrow key to approve the change and move to the time location of the next marker; use the Up Arrow key to approve the change and move to the time location of the previous marker. If you change the measure time of a marker, even a locked marker, the real and frame times will also change. Changing the real or frame time of a marker will cause the measure time location to change. To move to the location of a marker, press on the position indicator and drag it to the marker you want.
For example, you could create marker 1 and marker 2, but then add marker 3 between markers 1 and 2. In doing so, marker 1 and 2 can maintain their original locate numbers, and marker 3 can be assigned a unique locate number (such as 3). This saves you from having to relearn all of the locate points in your song, every time you add a marker somewhere in the middle of the sequence. You have complete control over where each locate number takes you in the sequence.
To define a region using the Markers window: 1 Select a group of markers such that the beginning and end marker of the group are at the starting and end times of the region to be edited. If the marker with the start time you want for the edit region and the marker with the end time for the region are not adjacent, you must select all markers in between. Click on the starting marker and drag down until you reach the ending one.
Editor, and set the Start and End times in the Selection Information window before invoking one of the Edit commands. See chapter 57, “Conductor Track” (page 709) and chapter 34, “Editing Basics” (page 311) for more information. The Preserve current frame time option, when checked, lets you preserve the absolute frame location of locked markers when changing the SMPTE start time of the sequence. In other words, locked markers won’t move; they will remain anchored to their SMPTE time code frame.
RECORDING HITS New markers can be entered in a sequence during playback by striking a key on your MIDI controller instrument. The time location of each marker corresponds with the time in the Counter when the key is struck. This is a very useful feature for recording cue points or hits while viewing film or video. does not take Digital Performer out of the Record Hits mode; you must press stop in Digital Performer to end recording hits.
If you are not working with time code, you will probably not need to display real or frame time in the Markers window. Film and video scoring Markers make an excellent cue sheet for planning out or displaying the structure of your score. They can show you the relationship between time locations in the film and measure locations in the music. You can then use the Find Tempo window to find the tempo that best lines up metrical beats of the sequence with important visual events.
CHAPTER 65 Find Tempo The Find Tempo feature helps you find the tempo that best matches a list of locked markers (“hits”), with as many hits as possible falling on beats. When Find Tempo works best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 757 Preparing markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758 Opening Find Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758 Entering search parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PREPARING MARKERS Use the Markers window to prepare your markers for effective tempo searches. Find Tempo only searches on locked markers, so be sure to lock any markers you wish to include in the search. Lock Find Weight assign a range to several markers at one time, select them and use the Set Hit Range mini-menu command. Hit Range Before/After Figure 65-3: Setting a hit range for one or more markers. OPENING FIND TEMPO Figure 65-2: Preparing locked markers for Find Tempo.
Tempo Range settings The Tempo Range settings (Figure 65-1) let you choose the metric division (quarter note, eighth note, etc.), the range of tempos in which you’d like to search, and the frequency of different tempos you’d like to try within that range. The default frequency is 0.25 of a bpm, which means that every tempo, in quarter bpm increments, will be searched within the range you specify. Smaller frequency values produce more resulting tempos and increase the chances of finding the most hits.
Find Tempo dialog that warns you that a locked marker at or before the sequence start time prevents use of offsets. BROWSING THE TEMPO SEARCH RESULTS After a search is complete (when the processing symbol disappears), all of the tempos you specified (as prescribed by the tempo range) appear in the list, along with their Offset, total error, and their hits/near/misses count. You can sort the list in ascending or descending order by any one of these characteristics by simply clicking the title of the column.
conveniently compare these numbers with the total possible number of hits (Max Hits) displayed just above this column. If you click the heading of the Hits/Near/Miss column to sort the tempo results list, it orders the results first by number of hits, and secondly by number of near misses. AUDITIONING A SPECIFIC TEMPO If Audible Mode is on and a tempo in the list is selected, the metronome will click at that tempo. You can turn Audible Mode on or off with the speaker button in the Control Panel.
FIND TEMPO
CHAPTER 66 Streamers, Punches and Flutters OVERVIEW STREAMERS Streamers, flutters and punches are visual cues superimposed on a film or video screen to assist composers, conductors, directors and producers in writing, recording and producing music and soundtracks for picture. A streamer is a colored vertical bar that travels across the screen from left to right.
video interface such as the HDX-SDI. Visual cues are composited “on the fly” and combined with the movie video. No pre-rendering is necessary. To enable the display of streamers, flutters and punches on live video output, enable the Movie Overlay option (Figure 66-3). For complete information about the Movie window, see chapter 32, “Movie Window” (page 297).
Enable the check boxes for the types of visual events you would like to use, as well as the output devices on which you would like to view them. Checking the boxes in the left-hand column activates the features for each type of visual event globally in the program. The settings on the righthand side determine the default appearance for each type of visual event when it is first created, although in most cases you can customize each individual event (to override these default settings) as desired.
Default settings In the right-hand column (Figure 66-3), choose the default color, duration and size for marker streamers, streamer events, punch events and flutter events. This is the color, duration and size that will be used for each type of event, unless you specify otherwise to override these default settings for an individual event, as explained later. WORKING WITH MARKER STREAMERS Choose Show Streamers from the Markers window mini-menu to show or hide the Streamers column.
needed to generate your marker streamers on either a Digital Timepiece, Video Timepiece, a ProCue 1m1, or a ClickStreamMachine. However, you do not have to create this MIDI track in order to make your marker streamers appear. Digital Performer will automatically generate MIDI to produce your marker streamers on the selected outputs, whether or not a MIDI track has been generated. Figure 66-5: Streamer options.
VISUAL CUE EVENTS IN THE CONDUCTOR TRACK If you would like to create streamer events that are not associated with a marker, or if you would like to create independent punch or flutter events, you can insert them and edit them by hand in the Conductor track. Double-click the event to access its settings. For further information, see “Types of Conductor track events” on page 709. Figure 66-6: Inserting streamer, punch and flutter events in the Conductor track.
CHAPTER 67 Chunks Window OVERVIEW The Chunks window displays the chunks in a Digital Performer file. A chunk is either a sequence (a collection of tracks), a song (a collection of sequences and other songs) or a V-Rack™ (a collection of instrument tracks, aux tracks and/or master faders). A Digital Performer file can contain as many chunks as memory in your computer will allow. Sequence and song chunks can be cued for playback, either automatically or manually, in order or at random.
If Digital Performer receives a song select number that is assigned to two or more chunks, Digital Performer will cue the chunk that appears highest in the list. For this reason, it is best to assign a unique Song Select number to each chunk. End time: Displays each chunk’s End time. In automatic mode, End time is the downbeat of the measure following the last complete measure in the chunk. When a chunk’s End time is in manual mode, it is bold and can be edited to be any length.
beginning of the chunk. This is the same window that appears when you click the Start Time button in the main counter. To deselect chunks when more than one are highlighted, hold down the Command/Ctrl key and click on the chunks you wish to deselect. They will unhighlight. Delete: Deletes the selected chunks. If you attempt to delete a chunk that is part of a song in the open file, a dialog box appears, prompting you to confirm your decision.
For step-by-step instructions to load Chunks, see “Loading a sequence, song or V-Rack” on page 21.
the name of each one as described in the Selecting Chunks section above. You can Undo this command. Choosing the current playback sequence or song At any given time, one sequence or song is designated for playback, and it is the only one you can play and record into. Certain functions, such as recording, are available only to the currently playenabled sequence or song. For example, if a sequence is play-enabled, its Tracks window has record-enable buttons by its tracks.
Opening chunks Each sequence chunk can have its own Tracks window, and each song chunk has its own Song window. To see a chunk’s Tracks or Song window, click the chunk’s name to highlight it and choose Open Chunks from the Chunk window mini-menu. Or just double-click the chunk name. Rearranging the order of chunks You may rearrange the Chunks in whatever order is most meaningful to you.
Digital Performer offers two ways of playing Chunks sequentially: by arranging Chunks vertically and horizontally in the Song window, and by Chunk Chaining using the Cue Chunks, Chain Chunks, and Next/Previous Chunk buttons in the Chunks window. The End time shown for each Chunk in the Chunks window affects these two types of chaining differently. When a Chunk is in a Song window, the Chunks window End time does not affect the playback length of the Chunk.
To copy from sequence A and paste into sequence B: 6 Cue the main counter to the measure at which you want to paste the material into sequence B. 1 Activate the Tracks window and choose Sequence A from the Sequence menu. 7 Select Paste from the Edit menu. 2 Set the start and end times in the Selection Information window to define the region you wish to copy. To select the entire sequence, choose Set to Chunk Bounds from the Set To menu. 3 Highlight all the track names in Sequence A.
Previous Chunk buttons let you play Chunks from the Chunks window, moving up or down the list at your command. playback length when using the Chunk control buttons, not when the Chunk is played as part of a song. Chunk cueing does not yield seamless transitions between Chunks. Use them for cueing situations where a pause between Chunks — either brief or indefinite — is acceptable or preferred.
The Next Chunk and Previous Chunk buttons The Next/Previous Chunk buttons enable the next or previous Chunk for playback. Clicking these buttons is similar to pressing the skip buttons on a typical audio compact disc player: Digital Performer stops playback of the current Chunk and starts playback of the next or previous Chunk. Chaining Chunks in this manner does not yield seamless transitions between Chunks.
CHAPTER 68 V-Racks OVERVIEW V-Racks™ (virtual racks) are similar to sequences, except that they have no time domain and they do not hold track data or automation. The only types of tracks that you can add to them are Instrument tracks, aux tracks and master faders. As such, they are intended to be used as “effects” racks, a centralized location for effects processing and virtual instruments. V-Racks can be created and managed in the Chunks window. See chapter 67, “Chunks Window” (page 769).
fader in the V-Rack. Regardless of which sequence is play enabled, the V-Rack master fader settings can be applied. Not only do you conserve your computer’s processing resources (since you only have to create one instance of the effects), you also ensure that each individual sequence is processed with exactly the same plug-in settings in your mastering chain.
Figure 68-2: Accessing the V-Rack in the Mixing Board. For your convenience, in the Commands window (Setup menu), there is a command called V-Rack Edit that switches the Mixing Board between the sequence and V-Rack that were last viewed in the Mixing Board. The default keyboard shortcut is Command/Ctrl-Shift-V.
Displaying V-Racks alongside a sequence To display V-Racks alongside your sequence tracks in the Mixing Board, use the “Show V-Racks” option in the Mixing Board mini-menu. to help visually group the related tracks. Additionally, each sequence and V-Rack has a label with its name above their associated tracks.
Master fader priority Digital Performer now allows you to assign two or more master faders to the same output pair. But only one can be active at a time. Therefore, master fader priority is determined by their top-tobottom order in Chunks window list and, within a V-Rack, their left-to-right order in the Mixing Board. Master Fader tracks in sequences that are higher in the chunk list take priority over Master Fader tracks farther down the list.
V-RACKS
CHAPTER 69 Songs OVERVIEW In Digital Performer, a song is a collection of Chunks. The Chunks that make up a song are displayed in that song’s window, plotted on a grid beneath a horizontal, non-linear time ruler. The Song window is the work space in which you arrange the Chunks in time and in relation to other Chunks. By dragging and using standard Edit commands on the Chunks, you can arrange them to graphically represent the order and combinations in which you want them to play back.
The standard Edit commands (Cut, Copy, Paste, Erase, and Undo) and dragging operations can be used on Chunks in the Song window. Marker Strip: Displays the Markers associated with the open song. Every marker in a song automatically produces a column at the same time location in the Song window. Time Ruler: Indicates the position of each Chunk in any combination of measure|beat|tick, real, and SMPTE time formats.
■ Merge tracks with identical names creates a sequence containing all tracks in the selected Chunks, merges any tracks with identical names, and places this new sequence in the Chunks window. A dialog box appears, prompting you for a location in measure|beat|tick, real, or SMPTE time. 2 Click the radio button next to the time format you wish to use, and enter the time. Measures/Real time/Frames: Determines which time formats should be displayed in the Song window Time ruler.
For this example we’ll assume you have at least two Chunks in addition to the song just added. 3 Open the Song window by double-clicking the song’s name in the Chunks window. The song’s window opens. Alternatively, you can open the Song window by clicking its name, then choosing Open Chunks from the Chunks window mini-menu. 4 Grab a Chunk by clicking the icon to the left of its name in the Chunks window. Release the Chunk in the Chunk Grid beneath the ruler.
the current playback location of the sequence. Please refer to “Auto scroll” on page 216 for more information. Editing in the Song Window After you’ve placed a few Chunks into a song, the Song window offers powerful editing capabilities to help you arrange your music. These operations can be done before or during playback. Select the Chunk by clicking it, or by dragging a marquee around it. Open a Chunk’s Song or Tracks window by doubleclicking its icon.
The Chunk highlights; any Chunks that were selected are deselected. 4 Choose Set Record Sequence from the Song window mini-menu. The highlighted sequence now has a record-enable indicator in its handle. If you change your mind, choose Set Record Sequence again to disable the Chunk. 5 Double-click the record-enabled Chunk. The Tracks window for the Chunk opens. Each track has a record-enable button. 6 Record-enable one of the sequence’s tracks by clicking its record-enable button.
4 Choose Receive Sync from the Setup menu. 10 Choose Slave to External Sync from the Setup menu. The Receive Sync settings appear. 5 Click the radio button next to Tap Tempo, then choose the port, MIDI channel, MIDI event, and countoff beats you wish to use. Choose an event/channel combination that you are not using as a Command. Refer to the Commands chapter for information on Commands assignments, and to the Receive Sync chapter for specific information on Tap Tempo.
The Insert Column dialog box appears, prompting you for the measure, real, or frame time at which a column should be inserted. 3 Enter a measure time about 50 ticks after the original Chunk’s starting time within the Song. To create an echo that plays in rhythm with the original Chunk, use divisions of the beat (for example, a quarter note=480 ticks so try 60, 120, or 240). A column will appear in the Song window at the time you specify.
Secondly, rather than having a different Start time and tempo map for each Chunk within a song, the song itself has one Start time and one Conductor track to govern all component Chunks. In fact, when placing Chunks into a song you could use Set Chunk Start, found in the Chunks window minimenu, to change each Chunk’s start time to correspond with its playback location in the song. The Chunk’s SMPTE start times will shift accordingly, matching those in the Song window Time Ruler.
6|1|000. The end column will appear at 6|1|000, even though the Chunk only plays through four measures. Again, remember that the Chunk End time does not affect playback in the Song window, only the column placement. When using the Chunk controls in the Chunks window, you’ll find that each Chunk’s End time does affect its playback length.
Part 7 Mixing
CHAPTER 70 Mixing Board OVERVIEW Digital Performer’s Mixing Board window provides a powerful integrated mixing environment for MIDI and audio tracks. It also provides access to real-time effects processing and virtual instrument plug-ins. The Mixing Board will seem familiar because it is modeled after standard hardware consoles. Lurking under the hood, however, are many powerful features, as well as many time-saving shortcuts. This chapter covers them all. Mixing Board quick reference. . . . . . . . . . .
MIXING BOARD QUICK REFERENCE Track Selector Audio effects processors MIDI effects processors Insert Settings menu Track Insert Section Audio track sends EQ Dynamics Solo/mute/rec; input Automation Pan Faders and level meters Track I/O Track name / assignments Show/Hide Track Selector V-Rack toggle Audio tracks Snapshot Instrument tracks Aux tracks Master fader MIDI tracks Mix Mode menu Figure 70-1: The Mixing Board gives you a fully automated mixing environment.
Track Selector: Click or drag over the names of the tracks in this list to show or hide them in the Mixing Board. Option/Alt-click to hide all except the track you click; Command/Ctrl-click to show all except the track you click. dynamics, reverbs, delays, and any 3rd-party plugins you currently have installed in your system. You can change the number of inserts per track with the Set Number of Inserts mini-menu item.
track is assigned to outputs 3 and 4, pan hard left sends the track to output 3; pan hard right sends it to 4. Double-click the pan knob to go to pan center. If pan automation data has been recorded, knobs animate during playback (when the Automation play button is enabled). Faders: Control volume for each MIDI and audio track by generating MIDI and audio volume events, which can be recorded into the track for automation.
Set Number of Effect Inserts: Lets you determine the number of insert slots per channel. Up to 20 insert slots can be specified. Attach MIDI Controller: Lets you connect a mixing board fader or knob to an external MIDI controller, such as a mod wheel. This includes send level knobs, send pan and send mute buttons. Automatically Add Inserts: When checked, the Mixing Board adds another row of inserts automatically when you fill the last (bottom-most) insert slot.
sequence to open by the front-most window on the screen, or alternatively, by which sequence is currently play-enabled. Showing and hiding tracks To choose which tracks you want to display, click the Track Selector button (in the lower left corner as shown below) to open the Track Selector. Then just click tracks to either show them or hide them. Option/Alt-click to hide all except the track you click; Command/Ctrl-click to show all except the track you click.
TRACK STRIPS Each MIDI and audio track strip has the sections shown below in Figure 70-4 on page 804. Figure 70-3: Saving and loading customized board layouts. Renaming board layouts To rename a board layout, choose the Rename Board Layout sub-menu item from the Load Board Layout mini-menu command. Manually resizing the Mixing Board window You may notice that the Mixing Board window automatically resizes itself when you add or remove tracks, show or hide sections, or switch board layouts.
MIDI Track Strip Audio Track Strip Insert settings Insert settings Inserts Inserts Sends Inserts EQ pre/post fader effects line Dynamics Solo / Mute / Record Solo / Mute / Rec / Input Automation controls Automation controls Pan and pan readout Pan and pan readout Clip indicators Volume fader Level meter Track I/O assignments Track input/output assign Level meter Volume fader Track I/O assignments Track name Track move handle In/out/bus assign Track name Track move handle Figure 70-4: A
Choosing a plug-in for an insert For MIDI tracks, insert slots are menus. Simply choose the desired MIDI plug-in from the menu. If you place an effects plug-in in the last (bottommost) insert, another row of inserts will be added automatically. If you don’t want this behavior, uncheck the Automatically Add Inserts mini-menu command. For audio tracks, click the insert slot to open the plug-in chooser (Figure 70-6).
Folders and categories The left-hand list provides organized folders and categories for your effects plug-ins. Factorysupplied folders include Categories, Manufacturers, and Formats. Use the plus (+), minus (-) and folder buttons above the list to create your own. Or right-click anywhere in the list. Usercreated categories can be dragged into user-created folders. Folder can also be dragged into other folders to create hierarchical organization.
Open Insert Settings Folder: opens a Finder or Explorer window revealing the insert settings files. There, you can rename, copy, delete, and move your files. Cut Inserts: Removes all effects on the channel and places the effects chain on the clipboard. Copy Inserts: Copies all effects on the channel onto the clipboard. Insert Settings presets in insert slots Insert Settings presets can also be loaded from individual insert slots (using the plug-in chooser).
Each send has the following controls: Send level Unity gain dot. Mute Pre-fader Mono send Send assignment Stereo panner Stereo send Send level Use the Send level knob (Figure 70-11) to control the amount of signal going to the send destination. The range is from -∞ to +6.02dB. Option–doubleclick the send level knob to set the send level to unity gain (0 dB), as indicated by the blue dot at the 2 o’clock position.
surround panner button to open a surround panner window, in which you can choose any surround panner you wish for controlling send panning in surround. Send From Channel For stereo or multi-channel tracks (or tracks whose signal has been split into stereo or other multichannel format by insert plug-ins), the Send From Channel menu item (Figure 70-12) lets you choose how the source signal is fed to the send. Figure 70-15: The ‘Send From Channel’ sub-menu for stereo send destinations.
EQ and Dynamics (audio tracks only) The EQ and Dynamics sections provide visual feedback and quick-access control of each track’s EQ and dynamics plug-ins.
Selecting a plug-in To select a plug-in for the EQ or Dynamics section when the section is empty, you can choose the desired plug-in from the bottom portion of the Select Insert/Default menu. You can also instantiate the default (checked) plug-in by pressing the Effect toggle button or by doubleclicking the graph. The controls in the EQ section work similarly when using MasterWorks EQ or ParaEQ.
Graphs The EQ and Dynamics graphs provide a visual representation of the plug-in’s settings. The graphs are customized for each plug-in so the most relevant settings are displayed. Two example graphs are shown below: MasterWorks Gate as Input Gain EQ Threshold controls Range Channel selection (stereo only) as Figure 70-23: Dynamics controls for MasterWorks Gate For more information, see “MasterWorks Gate” on page 50 in the DP Plug-in Guide.
When soloing and muting, the volume fader background color changes to indicate the playback state of the track as follows: Button shortcuts The table below describes several shortcuts for the Solo, Mute, and automation play buttons: Fader background color Meaning To do this Do this Blue Track can play To solo or mute all tracks except the one you click Command/Ctrl-click the track’s solo or mute button Yellow Track cannot play because at least one other track is soloed To unsolo or unmute all tr
Stereo panning The following chart demonstrates the results of stereo panning. In general, center the knob for full separation of the stereo signal. Stereo pan knob position Left signal Right signal be set at 6.02 dB above unity gain. This range is provided throughout the program, wherever audio volume data values are displayed. The background color of volume faders changes depending on the solo and mute state of the track. See “Solo / Mute buttons” on page 812 for details.
command in the Mixing Board window minimenu as described later in this chapter in “Remote control” on page 820. Using a control surface There are a number of products designed to function as dedicated physical control surfaces for Digital Performer — see chapter A, “Control Surfaces” (page 987). Level meters For MIDI tracks, the level meters indicate MIDI note-on velocities only (the fader indicates controller #7 MIDI volume).
You can also remove a track entirely using the Delete Track menu item. Audio and MIDI tracks Instrument track For more information about the I/O menus, see chapter 15, “MIDI Tracks” (page 131) and chapter 16, “Audio Tracks” (page 139). Instrument plug-in menu Effect plug-in menus Figure 70-29: Input/output assignments for both MIDI and audio tracks can be made in the Mixing Board with the menu under the track name.
For consistency during the mixing process, it is best to enable event chasing for MIDI controllers. To do so, choose the Event Chasing command from the Setup menu and make sure that these items are checked. Setting initial levels with the Mixing Board Regardless of whether you plan to automate your mixing directly in Digital Performer or externally using an automated mixing console or other hardware automation system, it is always best to set initial mix automation settings in all of your tracks.
location. Just make sure the main counter is exactly at 1|1|000 (or wherever your initial settings are located). ■ Surround mixing ■ Automation ■ Bussing ■ Audio track sends ■ Aux tracks ■ Master faders ■ Real time effects plug-ins MIXING IN REAL TIME Mix automation is control data that changes the behavior of the effects and mixing board over time. Automation data can be recorded, edited and played back using the sophisticated set of tools that Digital Performer provides.
The impact of mixing and bussing on MOTU Audio System resources The MOTU Audio System relies on the main CPU in your computer for all of its processing. Mixing and bussing require a certain amount of CPU power; the more you mix, split, route, and merge tracks using input, output and bus assignments in the Tracks window and Mixing Board, the more CPU power you’ll use up. You can keep an eye on how much by viewing the Audio Performance window as shown in Figure 4-6 on page 34 in the DP Getting Started Guide.
mix, and you can even have VCA tracks control other VCA tracks as sub-groups. See chapter 19, “VCA Tracks” (page 153). REMOTE CONTROL You can control any of the faders or pan knobs in the Mixing Board from any external source that can generate MIDI controller data, such as a mod wheel on your controller keyboard or a fader on a control surface that generates MIDI data.
Dedicated automated control surfaces Digital Performer provides an open control surface plug-in format for third-party automated control surface products. Many companies have written Digital Performer plug-ins for their control surfaces, allowing you to use the products for tactile control of Digital Performer’s mixing environment, as well as many other features, such as transport control, editing, and much more. For more information, see Appendix A, “Control Surfaces” page (987).
mono, stereo-to-stereo or mono-to-stereo. When using a surround mix bus, effects offer even more configurations, but we’ll cover that in chapter 72, “Mixing in Surround” (page 847). If a mono audio track is assigned to a stereo bundle, it is panned across the bundle’s output pair. If you assign mono plug-in, the track remains mono. However, as soon as you choose a mono-to-stereo plug-in, the track’s output becomes stereo.
To do this Do this To change to a different plug-in on the same insert Click the right-hand side of the insert with the chooser cursor to open the plug-in chooser. To open the plug-in’s window Double-click the left side of the insert with the hand cursor. To select a plug-in Click the left side of the insert with the hand cursor. To remove a plug-in Select it and press the delete key. To move a plug-in to another insert Position the hand cursor over the left side of the insert, and then drag it.
WORKING WITH MULTIPLE MIXES The Mixing Board window has a very powerful feature called the Mix Mode menu, which is located in the lower left-hand corner of the window as shown below. This feature allows you to create an unlimited number of independent mixes in a sequence. When Mix Mode is on, however, mix settings and mix automation data “belong” to the current mix. If you switch takes, the mix settings and automation data in the track remain behind as part of the current mix.
current mix (that is, the current volume and pan in all tracks, as well as the current effects insert assignments in the Mixing Board). Renaming or deleting a mix To rename or delete a mix, choose it by name from the Mix Mode menu and then choose either Rename Mix or Delete Mix from the same menu. Recalling a mix To recall a mix, just choose it by name from the Mix Mode menu Figure 70-34 on page 824.
MIXING BOARD
CHAPTER 71 Mix Automation OVERVIEW AUTOMATED MIXING FOR MIDI AND AUDIO Digital Performer’s mixing environment offers complete automation of effects plug-in parameters, track muting/unmuting, effects send levels, send mutes/unmutes and more. The mix automation features discussed in this chapter apply to both MIDI and audio tracks, except as noted below. Automated mixing for MIDI and audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . 827 Mix automation setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MIDI volume and pan automation Digital Performer automates MIDI track volume and pan using MIDI controller data (#7 for volume and #10 for pan) to create sudden or smooth volume changes, crossfade effects and panning effects in MIDI tracks. MIDI volume controllers have a range from zero to 127. Unlike note-on velocities, which only affect the initial volume of the note, volume controllers affect volume at any time while a note is playing.
MIX AUTOMATION SETUP The Automation Setup window (Setup menu) provides dynamic control over automation, from a global level to the most detailed level in specific tracks. The Automation Setup window stays open so that you can easily access its features as you work. To temporarily disable automation altogether, uncheck the Enable Automation check box.
Automation record mode The mode menu lets you choose one of the different ways to record automation data into the track. You can change the mode at any time from the Automation Setup window, the track’s channel strip in the Mixing Board or the track settings in the Sequence Editor. For details, see “Automation modes” on page 832. Enabling automation by data type Initially, any plug-in parameter can be automated as soon as you begin using the plug-in. Figure 71-6: Automation setup for an individual track.
‘Save as Default for Audio/MIDI tracks’ button If you’d like to apply the automation types you’ve specified in the list to new tracks automatically when you add them, click the Save as Default for Audio/MIDI Tracks button. There is a separate default state for MIDI and audio tracks. The button changes its wording (audio vs. MIDI) depending on what type of track is currently being displayed.
but you don’t want to record your moves as you’re doing so. You can use the Automation Setup window to temporarily disable plug-in automation — or even just the EQ control you are adjusting — while you experiment.
fader will remain where you leave it until playback stops. The next time playback begins, the fader will then return to tracking any existing automated volume levels in the track. Since the track is not record-enabled, no automation data would be written in either case. Overwrite mode As shown by the table above, Overwrite mode is special because it overwrites all of the parameters currently being automated in the track.
Selective overwriting You can selectively overwrite automation data while preserving other data by temporarily disabling certain effects parameters in the track beforehand. The disabled parameters will not be overwritten, as shown below in Figure 71-10. Before Touch and Latch modes With the Touch, Latch, Trim Touch and Trim Latch modes, only the parameter you are adjusting is overwritten (or scaled, in the case of the two trim modes).
In Figure 71-12 below, the volume curve is being scaled up by 8 dB using Trim Touch mode. Punch-out Return ramp Punch-in scaled data Figure 71-12: Trim Touch and Trim Latch modes scale existing automation data in the track, maintaining its original contour. The return ramp after punch-out is automatically inserted by Digital Performer to produce a smooth transition between the punch-out level and the remaining automation data.
Return ramps A return ramp (Figure 71-12) is an automation ramp automatically inserted by Digital Performer after you punch out from an automation edit. The return ramp makes a smooth transition between the level you were at when you punched out and the the level of the any existing automation in the track just after the point where you punched out. The default length for return ramps is 500 milliseconds (half a second).
Plug-ins currently assigned to the track. Figure 71-15: You can create numerically precise automation changes with the Insert Continuous Data command. Figure 71-14: In these examples, automation data is being inserted in the Event List and Sequence Editor. Generating automation curves You can generate volume curves using the Insert Continuous Data command in the Region menu. Be sure to select the region over which you’d like to generate the events first.
Ramps Single events Stair-step Figure 71-16: Choose any form of automation data from the Active Layer menu to display all automation data that currently exists in the track, superimposed over the waveform. To ‘activate’ (make bold) a particular data parameter, choose it from the Active Layer menu or click one of its control points.
the number of possible settings for the event, Digital Performer displays the event either as a single automation event box, as shown in Figure 71-17, or as a stair-step event, with the possible values for the event shown in the ruler.
INSERT AND CLEAR MUTE AUTOMATION The Insert Mute Automation and Clear Mute Automation commands in the Region menu allow you to quickly apply and clear mute automation on a region by region basis in any editor window or the Tracks window. Just make a selection, such as an individual soundbite or any time range selection over any combination of MIDI and/or audio tracks, and then choose of these two commands from the Region menu to mute or unmute the selection.
Doing so opens the Automation Snapshot dialog shown below in Figure 71-19: Figure 71-19: Taking an automation snapshot. 3 Choose the desired settings and click OK. ■ by making a time range selection The options in the Time Range menu (shown below in Figure 71-20) determine which method to use.
From Counter to Next/Previous Change (Flat or Ramp) This option applies the snapshot to the range of time from the current counter location to the next or previous automation control point (or MIDI controller). It does so independently for each parameter being included in the snapshot.
Current Data Types in Edit Window This option inserts automation data being displayed in the Sequence Editor window. More specifically, the snapshot only writes automation data that is currently ‘active’ (as demonstrated in Figure 71-16 on page 838) for each included audio track. Notice that only one data type can be active at a time. This option is good for quickly inserting snapshots for the data you are currently viewing in the Sequence Editor.
6 Take a snapshot of the plug-in parameters using the From Counter to Previous Change (Ramp) Time Range option. 7 Repeat as desired. Alternatively, you could start with the final preset in the series you are inserting and work backwards with the From Counter to Next Change (Ramp) Time Range option.
Before you begin to automate the mix, you might want to insert initial values for all mix parameters you’ll be automating so that you have a convenient reference point to start from. This step is not necessary, but it you might find it helpful to have initial values before you begin automating, especially for MIDI tracks.
moves. Higher settings produce fewer control points that result in courser tracking of your moves. Minimum change between recorded points This automation preference determines how frequently control points will be generated during real-time recording. Lower percentages generate more control points that result in finer tracking of your moves. Higher percentages produce fewer control points that result in courser tracking of your moves.
CHAPTER 72 Mixing in Surround OVERVIEW YOUR MONITOR SYSTEM In addition to the mono and stereo formats, Digital Performer also allows you to mix in a number of multichannel or ‘surround’ formats. Proper speaker position and alignment is critical to achieving good results from your surround mix. Consult the manufacturer of your monitor system documentation for proper installation procedures. Supported mixing formats include LCRS, Quad, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 and 10.2.
Conforming to channel layout standards The output assignments of the surround bundles can be changed or swapped by grabbing the individual chicklets and moving their positions. One thing this allows you to do is conform the channel layout to a particular standard.
Surround panner movement can be automated along with volume and effects parameters. Editing surround panner automation differs from stereo panners because you have two degrees of freedom to edit: the X and Y position. CONTROLLING A SURROUND PANNER WITH A JOYSTICK If you would prefer to control surround panning with a physical controller, Digital Performer provides support for any computer USB joystick.
SURROUND FORMATS Stereo Panner formats, although sharing the six channel speaker placement, differ in their filtering and encoding procedures. Quad Panner 6.1 (Dolby EX) This format can be thought of as 5.1 with an additional rear center speaker. All channels at 45 degree increments. LCRS Panner Left and right channels at 30-degress plus center and rear channels. (Dolby Surround/Pro Logic) 5.1 Panner Left and right channels at 30-degrees, surrounds at 120 degrees plus center and LFE channel.
imported back into your project and used in “Surround Tracks” For more information, see chapter 84, “Bounce To Disk” (page 929). SURROUND TRACKS Surround tracks contain four or more channels of audio information in a single track space. Surround tracks provide the convenience of editing a multichannel submix as if you were editing a single track. Common uses of surround tracks include playback of bounced surround submixes or recording the output of a multichannel mic array or outboard surround reverb.
master fader is completely n-channels to nchannels so only effects that support n-n processing are available. Multichannel master faders display a single meter to indicate output activity. The meter represents an average of all channels. For individual meter activity, open the faders mode panner window for the master fader or use a Trim or MasterWorks Limiter on the master fader insert.
3 Select all the audio tracks and master fader in the project and use the Track Assignments command (Studio menu) to reassign their outputs to the surround bus you just created. Direct assignments are also helpful for organizing music and sound effects stems (submixes) when mixing for film. PANNER PLUG-INS Digital Performer ships with four panner plug-ins: Auralizer, n-Panner, TriPan and ArcPanner.
Mirror: Two pucks are provided that represent each side of the stereo signal. Moving a puck results in the same movement to be mirrored by the virtual puck the other side of the stereo image. Movement towards the center reduces the stereo image of a track until the center point line after which the stereo image is swapped. Mono: The left and right signals are summed to a Figure 72-3: TriPan using Mirror mode Technically, the LFE channel should only contain frequencies 120Hz and below.
Click the disclosure triangle to view the meter pane. Figure 72-5: TriPan in Faders mode LFE Trim: The LFE trim control is located in the meter pane. This control acts like a send knob for directing signals to the LFE output. If you wish to increase the low end presence of a track, adjust the LFE control until the desired ‘thump’ is achieved.
ARCPANNER N PANNER puck puck panning energy distribution focus control Figure 72-6: ArcPanner The ArcPanner’s panning field is represented on a radial grid. As the positioning puck is moved around the field, a representation of the panning energy is displayed by a green bar on an arc around the panning field. Angle: Controls the angle, in degrees, from the listening position.
TRIPAN front position puck front/rear position Divergence field 3-knob ‘rail’ rear position puck Figure 72-8: TriPan TriPan is a more elaborate variation on n-Panner. Like n-Panner, TriPan can be thought of as two separate pan pots, one for left-right and one for front-rear. However, TriPan also has a three-knob method of panning which provides precise control for panning signals linearly across a surround field.
out audio. Three-knob panning allows you to perform the same operation through the center, but only involve the front left and rear right speakers. Of course, TriPan allows you to automate switching of two knob to three knob mode at any time. Position The combination of angle and distance determine the relationship of the source signal to the listening position. Positioning in Auralizer works the same way as other panner plug-ins. Simply drag the puck to position the sound.
Room: Allows you to design the characteristics that define the space the audio is traveling in. shift depends on the rate at which the distance changes. The effect will be more pronounced as the speed increases. This cue is affected by Emphasis. Absorption: Determines the reflective properties of the room walls. Higher values are deader (more absorptive). Lower values are a more live (harder surfaces) Head delay: There is a small delay based on the distance between your left and right ears.
MIXING IN SURROUND
CHAPTER 73 Meter Bridge The Meter Bridge window (Figure 73-1) displays level meters for all inputs, outputs, busses, tracks and bundles. With a single click, you can independently show or hide available hardware inputs, available hardware outputs, busses, bundles, virtual instruments and tracks as desired. The Meter Bridge provides long-throw, scalable meters with extremely fast, smooth and accurate ballistics. Two different layouts are provided.
OPENING THE METER BRIDGE METER SCALE To open the Meter Bridge, click its button in the Consolidated Window, or choose it from the Studio menu. Use the Scale control along the left side of the Meter Bridge window (Figure 73-3) to control the range of the meters. Drag the top and bottom of the blue range indicator to set the meter range as desired, as shown below: SHOWING AND HIDING METERS Click the Show/Hide buttons (Figure 73-1) to display or hide the various types of audio paths.
OUTPUTS TRACKS The Outputs section displays all available hardware outputs provided by the audio hardware drivers currently selected in the Configure Hardware Driver window (see Figure 4-1 on page 25 and “Configuring the hardware driver” on page 25 in the DP Getting Started Guide). They show any signal that is reaching the hardware driver (which is then presumably passing on the signal to the actual hardware itself).
METER BRIDGE
Part 8 Processing
CHAPTER 74 Effects Window OVERVIEW EFFECTS WINDOW QUICK REFERENCE The Effects window is a like a virtual effects rack for real-time, non-destructive MIDI and audio effects and virtual instruments. It displays all of the controls for a given effect on a given insert on a certain track. You can quickly and easily switch the effect, insert, and track you are viewing in the Effects window at any time. Below are the basic controls in the Effects window.
Window Target menu: This menu is used to change the sequence or V-Rack that the Effects window is showing. The name of the selected sequence or V-Rack is displayed. Track menu: This menu is used to change the track that the Effects window is showing. The name and track type icon of the selected track is displayed. Effect-specific controls: Controls for the specific plug-in are displayed here. These will be different, depending on the selected plug-in.
OPENING AND CLOSING THE EFFECTS WINDOW Opening the Effects window There are several ways to open the effects window: ■ Choose Effects from the Project menu (or press Shift-F) In the Mixing Board, choose an effect from any insert menu, or double-click an insert that already has an effect ■ ■ For virtual instruments, double-click the track name in the Tracks Window. You can have many Effects windows open at once, if you’d like.
Where presets are stored Plug-in ‘factory’ presets are stored with the plug-in itself, so they are always available in any Digital Performer project. Use the Show Presets in Finder/Explorer mini-menu command to go to the folder where user presets are stored for a plug-in. There, you can rename, duplicate, delete, etc. your preset files. VST and Audio Unit presets Some VST and Audio Unit plug-ins have the ability to save presets as a standard preset file on disk.
Next/Previous Preset You can quickly cycle through the available presets by: Click the Next Preset/Previous Preset buttons (Figure 74-1 on page 867) If you now choose Compare, it becomes checked, and the original preset settings are restored. In addition, your modified settings are stored by the Compare feature, ready for recall.
E F F E C T S W I NDO W
CHAPTER 75 Audio Effects Processing OVERVIEW NATIVE PLUG-IN PROCESSING An audio effects plug-in is a piece of peripheral software (developed by MOTU or another company) that can be used from within Digital Performer. Digital Performer serves as a host program for the plug-in, allowing you to apply its processing to your audio.
Digital Performer seamlessly manages transitions between pre-generated audio and live audio as needed (such as when you record a virtual instrument live). In addition, virtual instruments are always available for preview activities, such as editing notes in the MIDI Graphic Editor or using a VI’s on-screen keyboard.
you do, a new audio file is created on your hard drive that consists of the original soundbites with the effect applied to them (plus any bite gain, if any has been applied to the original soundbite). Processing occurs in the background. All MAS plug-ins can be applied as file-based processing. Reverse There is one plug-in that is provided as a file-based plug-in only (in the Audio menu only): Reverse.
logged in. This allows you to maintain different sets of Digital Performer plug-ins in multi-user environments. *If you are running the 32-bit version of DP on a 64-bit Windows system, the root of the path is: C:\Program Files (x86). Never duplicate a plug-in across the system and user directories (although you could duplicate a plug-in across multiple user directories, since only one user directory is active at a time).
session. Skipped plug-ins can be examined later, the next time you launch Digital Performer or in the Plug-in Manager (see below). These settings allow you inspect, enable, disable and otherwise manage the audio plug-ins installed in your system. If you wish to completely remove a plug-in so that it will not be examined or loaded, simply remove it from the folder where it is installed.
Plug-ins list All MAS, VST and Audio Unit plug-ins installed in your system and available to Digital Performer will be listed in this preference pane, with the plug-in format shown to the right of each plug-in. Use the search field to quickly locate a particular plug-in. Each plug-in has a checkbox next to it. When the box is checked, the plug-in is enabled; when unchecked, the plug-in is disabled.
The Enable All, Disable All or Safe plug-in sets cannot be modified. If you attempt to enable or disable any plug-ins while one of them is selected, you will be prompted to create a new set. You can then edit the new plug-in set just as you would any other. Figure 75-4: plug-in sets. Enable All When you choose the Enable All plug-in set (Figure 75-4), all plug-ins (except ones that did not pass examination) are enabled. This is the default plug-in set.
Plug-in windows float above other windows by default When checked, the Plug-in windows float above other windows by default preference causes newly opened plug-in windows to appear in front of all other windows. This allows you to work in other DP windows without plug-in windows disappearing behind them. This preference only affects new plug-in windows when they are first opened.
List sorting Click the column headings in the Effect Performance list (Figure 75-6) to sort by name, performance, etc. Each heading can sort from top to bottom or bottom to top (or high to low, low to high, etc.) Click the heading to toggle the sort order. When sorting by Performance or Time of Max, the list reorders on the fly, as demand fluctuates during playback. by effect type (Figure 75-7). For example, all instances of iZotope Ozone would be gathered into a single item in the list.
COPYING AND PASTING EFFECT SETTINGS As with MIDI effects, you can copy and paste audio effect parameters from one insert to another. Just choose Copy from the Edit menu while a specific insert’s effect is being displayed, switch to a different insert with another effect, and choose Paste. Even if the destination plug-in is completely different, any parameters of the same kind are pasted. PLUG-INS FROM OTHER COMPANIES The three plug-in architectures (MAS, VST and AU) are open systems.
CHANNEL CONFIGURATIONS MULTIPLE AUDIO OUTPUTS Digital Performer allows you to configure your system with a combination of mono, stereo and surround signal paths. For more details, see “Channel configurations” on page 8 in the DP Plug-in Guide. Some effects plug-ins provide multiple audio outputs. You can access them in the Instruments tab in the Bundles window, just as with virtual instruments. For details, see “Multiple audio outputs” on page 148.
■ Delta Fuzz ■ MX4 ■ Diamond Drive ■ ParaEQ ■ Dynamic Equalizer ■ Pattern Gate ■ Dynamics ■ Phaser ■ Dyna Squash ■ Plate ■ Echo ■ PreAmp-1 ■ Ensemble Chorus ■ Precision Delay ■ eVerb ■ ProVerb ■ FET-76 ■ Quan Jr ■ Flanger ■ Reverb ■ Hardware Insert ■ Reverse ■ Hi-Top Booster ■ Ring Modulator ■ Intelligent Noise Gate ■ RXT ■ Invert Phase ■ SMPTE-Z ■ Live Room B ■ Soloist ■ Live Room G ■ Sonic Modulator ■ Live Stage ■ Spatial Maximizer ■ Mas
DIGITAL PERFORMER VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS For details on the following virtual instrument plug-ins included with Digital Performer, see chapter 2, “Instrument Plug-ins” (page 97) in the DP Plug-ins Guide (Help menu).
AUDI O E F F E C T S P R O C E SSI NG
CHAPTER 76 MIDI Effects Processing OVERVIEW Digital Performer provides many real-time, nondestructive MIDI effects plug-ins. This chapter discusses the specifics of each MIDI plug-in. For general information about the Effects window, see chapter 74, “Effects Window” (page 867). For general information about using plug-ins, organizing them, creating and managing user presets, and other related topics, see chapter 75, “Audio Effects Processing” (page 873). Change duration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This diagonal line represents no compression or expansion Ratio handle Threshold/gain handle Current settings 0 to 127 grid Figure 76-2: The Change velocity effects processor. Drag the handles to change the Threshold, Ratio and Gain settings. DEFLAM The DeFlam MIDI effects plug-in is a nondestructive version of the DeFlam region operation found under the Region menu (page 597). DeFlam looks for groups of note that are very close together.
time of 2” pulse. Try different values to create interesting textures (5 against 3 is an interesting one). Echo Settings Here is a brief explanation of each setting for the Echo effect: Custom: This setting lets you define your own rhythmic patterns based on selected notes. You can make “Groove Echos”, arpeggiations based on melodic patterns, bizarre multi-tap echo effects — the sky’s the limit. To create a rhythmic pattern, just select some notes in a single track, enter a name, and press Learn.
go to SC7 channel 1, and the fourth will go to SC7 channel 2. There are many ways to use this feature. Here are a few examples. Create true echos including controller data. Normally, controllers and pitch bend are not echoed. This is because overlapping streams of controller data almost always lead to unpleasant results. “Cycle through device group assignments”, however, lets you send each instance of the echo to a different MIDI channel, circumventing this problem.
arpeggiated note will be sent to a different output assign. You can create all sorts of interesting effects with this. The tricks with panning mentioned in the Echo section also apply here. Try a MIDI device group with several slightly different guitar patches for a “League of Crafty Guitarists” in a box. Try a group consisting of several different horn patches, or percussion instruments. Great fun. Melodic Pattern: This setting determines the order in which the held notes are played back.
Double strike notes at __% velocity: This option causes each note to be played twice. The on-velocity of the second note can be specified from 0-200% of the first note’s velocity. Hold Notes: This option causes notes to be held even after you release them. They remain held (and will continue to arpeggiate) until you release all notes and play a new note.
The Humanize command lets you add a “random” element—or “humanized” feel—to your music. With this command, you can randomize any combination of the following elements of your music: ■ Note placement ■ Note durations ■ Velocities ■ Pitches ■ Tempo In addition, you can create a unique blend of these humanize elements and save it as a humanize style, which you can recall and use at any time.
REASSIGN CONTINUOUS DATA This real-time effect is very similar to the Region menu command with the same name (page 613), except that it modifies only MIDI continuous data (but not audio volume, audio pan or audio plug-in automation). As shown in Figure 76-10 below, notice that this plug-in can also generate registered and nonregistered parameters (RPN’s and NRPN’s). can be adjusted and even turned off (bypassed) at any time. For details on Shift, see “Shift” on page 563.
CHAPTER 77 Audio File Conversion OVERVIEW PERFORMING CONVERSIONS The Convert Audio File command in the Soundbites window mini-menu allows you to change the sample rate, sample format (bit depth), file format, and interleave format of an audio file or soundbite. To open the Audio File Conversion window, select a soundbite or audio file and choose Convert Audio File from the Soundbite window mini-menu.
To sample rate convert some audio, select one or more soundbites in the Soundbites window and choose Convert Audio File from the Soundbites window mini-menu. The Audio File Conversion dialog appears. Note that if a file’s sample format is 32-bit floating point, when converting the file format to Sound Designer II the resulting file’s sample format will be converted to 24-bit integer (32-bit floating point is not supported with Sound Designer II files).
CHAPTER 78 Time-stretching and pitch-shifting OVERVIEW This chapter gives you a brief overview of Digital Performer’s audio time-scaling and pitch-shifting capabilities. It then discusses the following important topics that are common to all of Digital Performer’s Digital Signal Processing (DSP) tasks: ZTX™ audio processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897 Selecting audio for processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897 Editing MIDI and audio together. . . . . . .
■ Selections within a pop-edited soundbite in the Sequence Editor. ■ Soundbites selected in the Soundbites window. You are not limited to thinking about your edits one soundbite at a time. If you want to transpose a whole track, or even your entire sequence, it’s no problem. On the other hand, if you just want to correct the pitch in a small section of a soundbite, make a pop-edit selection.
The link between soundbites and their original source soundbites can be viewed in the Soundbites window. For details, see “Viewing soundbite sources hierarchically with ‘By Folder’ view” on page 38. HANDLING LENGTHY PROCESSING TASKS Digital Performer’s DSP processing requires a great deal of computation, and may be applied to audio files containing millions of samples, so it may take many seconds or even minutes to complete a single command.
The Background Processing window The Background Processing window shows the status of tasks being completed by background processing. You can see the queue of tasks waiting to be done. For more information, see chapter 79, “Background Processing” (page 903). Audio file analysis Before pitch-shifting or time-scaling a soundbite, Digital Performer needs to perform a sophisticated analysis of the audio data. The actual pitch-shifting or time-scaling is relatively fast, but the analysis can take a while.
real time (not written to disk), so this setting can have a fairly dramatic impact on the CPU load of your computer. If you find that making pitch edits causes your computer to have difficulty during playback, try choosing a lower quality setting (Better or Good). This setting pertains only to pitch layer edits and has no effect on the quality of timestretching edits.
information about setting these preferences, see “Soundbite preferences for transposing and timestretching” on page 349.
CHAPTER 79 Background Processing OVERVIEW This chapter explains what background processing is, how to control it with the Background Processing preferences, and, finally, how to set it up the way you like and then forget about it. Background processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 903 The Background Processing window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 903 Background processing and Undo/Redo . . . . . . . . . . . 904 Background processing preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The task list You can enlarge the window with the grow box or the zoom button to see a list of tasks being processed, or waiting to be processed. There is one line for each task, which gives the name of the soundbite or audio file to be processed. (Some tasks only affect one soundbite, but if the selection contains soundbites that overlap or are neighboring within the audio file, Digital Performer is able to process them all in a single task.
audio. This conserves your computer’s CPU resources but adds to the time required to complete pitch-shifting and time-stretching operations. analysis is enabled in all newly created projects. This setting does not affect the first setting in the current project, or any other existing projects. Mute soundbites under construction vs. Play the old, unprocessed soundbites By default, Digital Performer will not play any audio for a soundbite that is still under construction by Background Processing.
B AC K G R O UND P R O C E SSI NG
CHAPTER 80 Spectral Effects OVERVIEW THE SPECTRAL EFFECTS COMMAND Digital Performer combines formant-corrected pitch shifting, standard pitch shifting, and time scaling to allow some rather surprising effects. The Spectral Effects command (Audio menu) allows you to shift the formants of a audio independently from its pitch. This effect lets you turn a female voice into a male one or vice versa.
you are saying “ee,” or “oo,” or “ah,” et cetera. These formants are what determine the vowel or consonant sound that is perceived. As you can see, the voice is very much like an analog synthesizer. The vocal cords are a sawtooth oscillator, whose output is fed through a series of filters. The words you are speaking determine the resonant frequencies of those filters, i.e., the formants.
APPLYING SPECTRAL EFFECTS TO AUDIO Like Transpose and Scale Time, the Spectral Effects command works with all the different ways of selecting audio as summarized in “Selecting audio for processing” on page 897. Unlike these other commands, however, Spectral Effects is an Audioonly command; it has no effect on selected MIDI data. Also, unlike the other commands, it is not affected by the settings of the DSP preferences in the Soundbites window. Spectral Effects always processes all selected soundbites.
SPECTRAL EFFECTS
CHAPTER 81 Transposing Audio OVERVIEW Pitch Shifting mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 911 Pitch automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 912 Using the Transpose command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 919 Transposing audio and MIDI together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 920 Temporarily disabling pitch modifications. . . . . . . . . . 920 Converting audio pitch to MIDI data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ZTX Standard Standard pitch-shifting transposes pitch and formants by the same amount, producing the classic “sampler” effect described above. It can be applied as desired to any audio material. PureDSP Solo Vocal Digital Performer’s PureDSP Solo Vocal formantcorrected pitch shifting (carried forward from earlier versions of Digital Performer) often works exceptionally well on solo vocal material.
pitch edits move with it. In addition, all instances of the soundbite in the project are affected. Conversely, you can create harmonies from the same source audio by creating different soundbites from the same parent audio file region. Each separate soundbite can have unique pitch edits. Pitch adjustments are non-destructive Any adjustments that you make to the pitch of audio are non-destructive and non-constructive.
Absolute vs. relative pitch editing There are two modes for editing pitch: Absolute and Relative, chosen from the Pitch layer mode menu (Figure 81-2). These two modes do not change how the audio plays back, just how it is viewed and edited. Absolute Absolute mode displays pitches as directly editable bars in a piano roll style edit layer with a vertical, multi-octave pitch ruler along left edge of the track lane (as shown in Figure 81-2). This mode is best for tuning monophonic audio (i.e.
Pitch curve control points Control points can be added to the pitch curve to modify it as follows: To do this Do this To add a control point Double-click the pitch curve with the Arrow tool. To modify the pitch curve with the control point Drag the control point with the Arrow tool. To anchor the pitch curve on either side of a control point when you drag it Add control points on either side of it at the locations where you want to anchor the curve.
modify the pitch of the audio in a wide variety of ways, from micro-tonal tuning adjustments to wholesale transposition and key changes. You can even copy and paste pitch segments into a MIDI track to create MIDI notes that match the source audio. Fine-tuning pitch segments In Absolute mode, pitch segments are most useful when they accurately represent the pitch and duration of each individual note in the audio. Digital Performer does its best to detect the root pitch, beginning and end of each note.
match their corresponding menu settings shown in Figure 81-8 on page 916 and produce the same results and the respective menu setting. More Less Trimming pitch segments As noted above, you can position the Arrow tool over the edge of a pitch segment to get the trim cursor (shown in the table). Drag horizontally with the trim cursor to move the edge of the segment.
Dangling segments A dangling segment is a portion of a segment for which there is no pitch curve. This is most often the result of unpitched material that is not yet split into its own gray segment. In the example below, the dangling segment on the left has been split into a gray segment using the Scissor and Trim tools. There may be situations, however, where dangling segments are preferred, such as when you convert pitch segments into MIDI notes (“Converting audio pitch to MIDI data” on page 920).
Before choose Region menu> Transpose. Make sure the Transpose audio check box is checked, and the Transpose audio by adjusting pitch automation option is chosen, as demonstrated in Figure 81-15 below: After Figure 81-14: Editing pitch by dragging a pitch segment.
TRANSPOSING AUDIO AND MIDI TOGETHER When using the Transpose command (Figure 81-15), you can of course select both audio and MIDI tracks together to transpose them in one operation. Just be sure to check both the MIDI and audio check boxes as shown in Figure 81-15. TEMPORARILY DISABLING PITCH MODIFICATIONS Any modifications you make to the pitch of audio in the Pitch Layer of an audio track can be temporarily disabled using the techniques described below.
Copying and pasting pitch segments After making the preparations listed above, copy and paste pitch segments as follows. This procedure assumes that you want the resulting MIDI notes to play in time with the original audio, so you will be pasting the MIDI data at the location where the first pitch segment begins: 1 Select the pitch segments with the Arrow tool (lasso cursor). 2 Choose Copy from the Edit menu.
TRANSPOSING AUDIO
CHAPTER 82 Scale Time TIME SCALING Time scaling means you can change the length of recorded digital audio without changing the frequency. As with pitch-shifting, there are limits as to how far you can shift and still have a musically useful result. The limits are not hard and fast, however. They depend on the audio, and on the intended use (e.g., soloed versus buried in a mix).
SCALE TIME
CHAPTER 83 VocAlign OVERVIEW VocALign is an audio alignment tool from SynchroArts (http://www.synchroarts.co.uk) which will automatically synchronize two audio signals at the touch of a button. You can control most VocAlign functions from Digital Performer while VocAlign runs in the background. VocAlign works by automatically “micro-editing” the new or replacement audio signal to align the timing of its modulations to match a guide signal.
Using the guide and dub energy patterns, VocAlign automatically generates a best-fit alignment path, and “micro-edits” the waveform of the dub or replacement audio so it’s energy modulations matches those of the original signal. When VocAlign is finished, it will replace the dub file with the newly aligned audio in exactly the same place in Digital Performer.
Part 9 Mastering
CHAPTER 84 Bounce To Disk OVERVIEW SETTING OUTPUTS Bounce to Disk does exactly as its name implies: it bounces multiple audio tracks down to a single audio file (or set of audio files). Original tracks are preserved and new audio files are created. All of the tracks you wish to combine in the bounce operation must be assigned to the same output or bus pair.
PREVIEWING BOUNCE TO DISK SETTINGS After making the necessary output settings (if needed), bouncing to disk is a simple two step process: select any portion of one or more audio tracks and then choose Bounce to Disk from the File menu. The results of the bounce will sound exactly the same as what you selected, including volume/pan automation, mute/solo settings, real time MAS, VST and AU effects, EQ and any other real time processing that is applied to the selected tracks.
For details about bouncing to a QuickTime movie (on macOS), see “Bouncing to a Movie” on page 941. MacOS material does not. If this is the case, undo the bounce operation, adjust the levels of the source tracks and bounce again. Mono (with 3.5 dB attenuation) When bouncing to mono, the with 3.5 dB attenuation option (Figure 84-3) preserves the level when bouncing a signal that is panned center. The attenuation compensates for the 3.
Supported fixed bit depths include 8, 16 or 24 bit integer. You can also choose 32 bit Floating Point, if the format you’ve chosen (Figure 84-2) supports this resolution. If not, this menu choice is grayed out. Choose Project Default to use the current project sample format. If you choose 8 bits (a sample format not supported by Digital Performer for playback), the Import option below will force you to choose the Do not import setting.
When you eventually click OK to initiate the bounce operation, all settings in the Bounce to Disk window are saved, including the destination folder. In addition, the current time range selection in the current Digital Performer project is also saved with the settings (unless the Select All before running Saved Bounce option is enabled — see below). This means that saved bounce settings are bound to specific material in a specific project. They are not general in nature.
Destination The destination (Figure 84-1) displays the disk location for the resulting audio files created by the bounce operation. Click the Choose button to change it. BOUNCING TO DISK Overwrite Existing Files Normally when you Bounce to Disk, Digital Performer generates a new file name — one that does not conflict with existing files on your disk.
match the source material sample rate automatically. The sample rate is the number of times per second that the music waveforms are captured digitally. The higher the sample rate, the higher the quality and the larger the file size. Be sure to choose a sample rate that is no higher than the rate used to originally store the music, or you’ll waste disk space and streaming bandwidth. CD quality, for example, is 44.1 kHz, so choosing a higher rate when you’re encoding from a CD is unnecessary.
range is from 16 kbps (lowest quality but smallest file size) to 320 kbps (best quality but largest file size). For internet distribution of reasonably highquality music, 128-160 kbps are common bit rates. Filter frequencies below 10 hz: Humans can’t hear frequencies below 10 hertz (cycles per second). But these inaudible frequencies can unnecessarily increase the file size and adversely affect quality, so you’ll get better results when these frequencies are filtered out.
Figure 84-13: The audio CD disk image is bounced first. 7 Next, you’ll see the Mac OS “burn disc” dialog: Figure 84-11: Burning and audio CD. 5 See “Base CD Tracks on” on page 938 and “CD Text” on page 939 for further information about these two audio CD burning options. 6 After you’ve set the CD burning options as desired, click OK to initiate the bounce and burn. Figure 84-14: Burning the audio CD. 8 Insert a blank disc and click Burn.
CD track info panels When you first choose the Burn Audio CD option (Figure 84-11), you will see shaded areas in the Tracks Overview or Sequence Editor (behind the Bounce to Disk window), as shown in Figure 84-12. These shaded areas indicate the gaps between tracks. You will also see a CD track info panel at the beginning of each track (Figure 84-12) to visually indicate where the track boundaries will occur on the audio CD. Each info panel displays the CD track’s name, pre-gap, start time and duration.
Streamer options. In the dialog that appears, choose Custom pre-gap for CD burn and enter the pre-gap amount (as minutes:seconds: hundredths of a second). The redbook CD specification calls for an automatic pre- gap of 2 seconds at the beginning of all audio CDs. This pre-gap is automatically inserted when you burn the CD, so your sequence should simply begin at time zero (measure 1), unless you want additional pre-gap.
be burned by Digital Performer using the Burn CD from Disk Image menu item in the Bounce Settings menu. Image files have the extension acdi (Audio CD Image). Double clicking an acdi file in the Finder or Explorer will launch Digital Performer and present the burn dialog. “Enhanced” CDs You can use Digital Performer’s CD burning features in combination with Mac OS X’s Disk Utility to create an Enhanced CD: a hybrid audio CD and data disc. Insert it into a CD player and it plays your sequence as an audio CD.
BOUNCING TO A MOVIE You can bounce an audio output bundle (mono, stereo or any surround format), together with video, to a movie file. This allows you to export a complete movie from Digital Performer in one easy operation, complete with a sound track that you’ve created in Digital Performer. To do so: 1 Open a project that has a sequence with a movie. 2 Assign the audio tracks you wish to include in the movie to the same audio output bundle. It can be any channel format, from mono to 10.2 surround.
THE BOUNCE SETTINGS MENU After you have saved one or more bounce settings, you can use the commands in the Bounce Settings sub-menu (File menu): tracks together in one operation, while you get coffee. You could even let a lengthy multi-bounce operation run overnight, if necessary. The Multi Bounce window can also batch process saved bounce settings from multiple DP projects. When you choose Multi Bounce, a window appears: Figure 84-17: Bounce settings menu.
Multi bounce summary report When a multi bounce operation is completed, a summary window reports the success of each bounce operation, or errors, if any. Figure 84-19: Multi Bounce from multiple DP documents. Remove If you are viewing bounce settings from multiple DP documents in the list (Figure 84-19), use the Remove button to eliminate a file’s bounce settings from the list. Just click one of the file’s bounce settings to highlight it and click Remove.
Figure 84-22: Editing saved bounce settings. Running a saved bounce setting To run a saved bounce setting, choose it by name from the Bounce Settings sub-menu (Figure 84-17 on page 942) or press its assigned keyboard shortcut, as displayed next to its name in the menu. To assign a keyboard shortcut to it, or change the current keyboard shortcut, use the Edit Saved Bounce Settings command described above.
CHAPTER 85 Mastering OVERVIEW Mastering is the process of preparing your mix for final delivery on audio compact disc, in MP3 format, or any other delivery medium of your choice. This chapter discusses several topics related to mastering that are specific to Digital Performer. However, there is much more to know about the art of mastering and the many engineering techniques involved. The internet is an excellent resource for further information.
MOTU Audio System effects. One way to do this is to raise the buffer settings for your audio system. 1024 is a good setting at which to mix. Higher buffer settings free up more processing power for mixing at the expense of increased input monitoring latency. This may or may not be an issue for you, depending on how go about mixing and mastering your project. In many cases, input monitoring latency only comes into play at the beginning of a recording project when you are first laying down tracks.
For virtual instrument plug-ins, Digital Performer provides automatic latency compensation. External effects compensation Externally processed tracks can also benefit from latency compensation. For example, you may decide to send a drum submix out to a vintage compressor and feed the result back into Digital Performer’s mixing board. If the input buffers are set at 256 samples, for example, you can used the Shift command (Edit menu) to advance your drum tracks by 256 samples.
If you feed a Digital Performer disk track to an external signal processor and then feed the processor output back into Digital Performer as a live input, you can precisely compensate for the delay. See “External effects compensation” on page 947. Rendering MIDI triggered effects In a bounce to disk operation, MIDI elements are ignored because bouncing is not a real time process.
Part 10 Synchronization
CHAPTER 86 Receive Sync OVERVIEW RECEIVE SYNC BASICS The Receive Sync command (Setup menu) allows you to ‘slave’ Digital Performer to a wide variety of ‘master’ timing sources. Digital Performer supports all standard MIDI synchronization formats, including MIDI Time Code and MIDI beat clocks with Song Position Pointer data for synchronization with drum machines, hardware sequencers, and other MIDI devices.
hours, minutes, seconds and divisions of the second in digital form. It can be recorded on tape or film and read by a special device to convert it to MIDI. Since SMPTE has no intrinsic tempo information, the sequencer or device converting SMPTE to MIDI must generate its own tempo. Digital Performer’s flexible tempo map and frame time display make it ideal for work with SMPTE time code. Because of its accuracy and wide-spread acceptance, SMPTE is the most powerful of the time code formats.
Figure 86-1: Choosing a SMPTE time code frame format. CHOOSING A SMPTE START FRAME When slaving Digital Performer to SMPTE Time Code (via MTC or LTC), you need to specify a SMPTE start time for the sequence. This is the frame location at which the sequence begins to play. See “Setting the start time” on page 193. SYNC TO PORT MENU The Sync to Port menu lets you choose the source from which Digital Performer will receive MIDI timing information (beat clocks, MIDI Time Code, etc.
SAMPLE-ACCURATE SYNC ] Figure 86-4: Sample-accurate sync settings. Notice that there is no ‘Sync to Port’ setting for sample-accurate sync, since Digital Performer directly accesses the audio hardware for sample address information. If you are using Digital Performer with a MOTU PCI-424 system, MOTU 828mkII, or any other sample-accurate audio interface, Digital Performer can achieve sample-accurate synchronization with ADATs or any external recording device that supports sample-accurate synchronization.
MTC (MIDI TIME CODE) Figure 86-6: Slaving to SMPTE time code. As you can see, there are no extra options for SMPTE timecode sync. Use the MTC mode when you are slaving Digital Performer to SMPTE time code via a converter that supports MTC (MIDI Time Code). Figure 86-5: The clock source setting for sample-accurate sync. If you have multiple interfaces, make sure that these two settings match.
After Digital Performer is locked to the master, there is no need to use Digital Performer’s main transport controls unless you wish to record. Digital Performer will start, stop and locate under control of the master. Also upon lockup, if Click is enabled, Digital Performer will click in the meter specified at 1|1|000 or will default to 4/4. You can put Digital Performer into play or record either before or after you start rolling tape. In either case, Digital Performer will lock up quickly.
Since manufacturers rarely explain this aspect in their documentation, you may not know if your device behaves this way. The best way to find out is to experiment: set the metronome to the slowest possible tempo, play both devices (with Digital Performer as slave) and listen for discrepancies in attacks and beat alignment. The difference of 1/ 24th of a beat is very audible at a slow tempo. If Digital Performer seems slightly behind the master device, try checking this option.
MIDI event and channel that won’t be needed in the musical passage. For example, let’s say you’re tapping C3 on a controller keyboard, transmitting on channel 1. The result? Any other C3’s transmitted on the same channel will not be recorded. Again, this is only true for C3’s transmitted on channel 1. C3’s transmitted on other channels will be recorded normally.
Clicking on the Stop button will both stop Digital Performer and remove it from the master’s control. This can be done at any time. To return to normal operation, turn off Slave to External Sync by reselecting it from the Studio menu. USING TAP TEMPO 5 If you will be tapping along with a prerecorded passage, start playback of the recording. Ideally, the prerecorded music will have a sufficient countoff so that you can tap the number of countoff beats specified in the Receive Sync settings window.
make adjustments by rerecording certain sections and by editing individual tempo changes in one of the Conductor Track’s edit windows. To continue the example, let the mod wheel spring back to its zero location. The Event box will show Off or 0 as the tap value. Tapping to prerecorded music on tape You can use Tap Tempo to record a tempo map while Digital Performer is slaved to tape—or, more accurately, referenced to external time code.
section will fit smoothly into the rest of the sequence. As always, you can fine-tune all tempo change events in the Conductor Track. USING TAP TEMPO WHILE SLAVED TO EXTERNAL SYNC You can use Tap Tempo to record a tempo map while Digital Performer is slaved to tape—or, more accurately, referenced to external time code. You can record a tempo map that matches the music on tape, allowing you to synchronize your sequence to the prerecorded music.
When you roll the tape, you can get ready during the first measure of countoff, tap along for the second measure, and hit the downbeat right on the money. If you don’t have an countoff on the tape, you will have to develop a system that works best for you. You might try just one countoff beat. Remember that synchronization later on will only be as accurate as the accuracy with which you tap in this procedure. 5 Check the External time code option.
Synchronizing with SMPTE The first thing you should do when you get to the studio is to “stripe” (i.e. record) one track of your multi-track tape with an audio sync signal. For this example, let’s assume you are using SMPTE time code. Start striping the tape at time 0:59:00:00. We recommend that you use 30 frames per second, nondrop-frame code, unless you have a specific reason to use one of the other frame rates.
are recording. When you do this, Digital Performer completely ignores the other tracks, letting it concentrate all of the computer’s processing power on playing one part. If you use the Solo button instead, Digital Performer will scan the other parts while playing. If you have dense, complicated music, or lots of continuous data, this may cause the computer to become bogged down during playback.
Setting up Tap Tempo The next step is to set up Tap Tempo for external sync. See “Using Tap Tempo while slaved to external sync” on page 961. Checking Tap Tempo Before recording anything, check to make sure Digital Performer will follow the MIDI clicks sent by the MIDI Express XT. 1 Choose Slave to external sync from the Setup menu. 2 Press the Play button. 3 Roll the tape. After a few measures or so of countoff click, the sequence will begin to play back, following the clicks on tape.
SLAVING TO VITC VITC (Vertical Interval Time Code) is SMPTE time code that is recorded directly in the video signal, freeing up both audio tracks and allowing lockup to be maintained while freeze-framing or frameadvancing the video. To slave to VITC, you need a VITC synchronizer, such as a MOTU Digital Timepiece.
CHAPTER 87 Audio Sync OVERVIEW Digital Performer has a complete range of synchronization capabilities, from sample-accurate sync to tap tempo sync. However, the accuracy with which you can synchronize audio tracks in Digital Performer to external devices depends on the audio hardware you are using with Digital Performer.
SAMPLE-ACCURATE SYNC Figure 87-1 below shows how to set up sampleaccurate synchronization with ADATs via a MOTU 828mkII and a sample-accurate synchronizer such as a MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV. The basic setup, as well as the software settings, are similar for the MOTU 2408mk3/PCI-424 card or other sampleaccurate audio hardware. Connect the MOTU 828mkII (or 2408mk3’s PCI-424 card) to the end of the ADAT chain and make the software settings shown below.
FRAME-ACCURATE SYNC With frame-accurate sync, synchronization is handled as shown below in Figure 87-2. The master clock source drives both Digital Performer and the audio hardware independently, and the two stay in sync with each other because they are resolved to the same timing source. This form of synchronization requires a synchronizer that can generate both MIDI Time Code (MTC) and word clock, such as a MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV. Master Clock Audio Clock MIDI Clock Figure 87-2: Frame-accurate sync.
Frame-accurate sync to SMPTE time code If you use SMPTE time code as a master sync source (such as LTC recorded on an analog multitrack tape machine), you can use a MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV™ to convert the SMPTE time code into word clock and MIDI Time Code. Figure 87-4 below shows how a system like this is can be configured with a MOTU HD192 analog audio interface. In this scenario, slave Digital Performer to SMPTE time code as explained in “MTC (MIDI Time Code)” on page 955.
MIDI tracks, on the other hand, will always remain continuously resolved to the incoming time code. The discrepancy between MIDI and audio tracks is caused by the fact that the audio tracks, after they begin, resolve to the computer’s internal timing hardware, not external time code. So, in essence, there are two independent clock sources: external time code and the computer’s internal clock. MIDI is slaving to the external time code and audio is slaving to the computer.
AUDI O SY NC
CHAPTER 88 Transmit Sync OVERVIEW The Transmit Sync settings, available from the Setup menu, allow you to configure Digital Performer as a master time source. When being used as a master, Digital Performer sends synchronization signals to which other MIDI devices can slave.
Transmitting MTC while slaved to external Sync When Digital Performer is set to Slave to External Sync and is receiving MTC, incoming MTC is echoed directly, rather than being regenerated by Digital Performer. MIDI BEAT CLOCKS Figure 88-1: Transmitting MTC to another device. If you are also running another Core MIDI-compatible program (on MacOS) that can slave to MTC, it will appear in this menu, allowing you to transmit MTC to it from Digital Performer.
You can choose more than one USB interface in the menu by clicking on the menu as many times as needed. Choose the port again from the menu to turn off beat clock transmission (and uncheck the port in the menu). If no USB interface is selected, Digital Performer will not generate or echo MIDI beat clocks. mode useful when slaving Digital Performer to SMPTE using one of the time lock modes.
T R ANSM I T SY NC
CHAPTER 89 MIDI Machine Control OVERVIEW MIDI Machine Control (MMC) is a significant addition to the original MIDI specification. MMC consists of an extensive set of system exclusive commands that allow multiple recording devices to be remotely controlled from a single source. MMC expands Digital Performer’s ability to serve as “a recording studio at your fingertips” by allowing you to control the transport and recording functions of your recording hardware entirely from within Digital Performer.
USB cable IN OUT OUT IN Micro express USB interface MIDI cables MMC Device Figure 89-1: If the MMC device can generate MIDI Time Code (MTC), the MIDI connections shown here are all that are necessary. Be sure the MIDI interface internally routes the MTC to the computer.
Connecting multiple MMC devices If you have more than one piece of MMC gear, decide which one will be the time code master. Hook up the master device as shown in either Figure 89-1 or Figure 89-2 (whichever is required by the device), and then feed the time code from the master device to the other MMC devices in your setup. Doing so establishes one time code source, which keeps all devices (and Digital Performer) in sync with one another.
ACTIVATING MMC IN DIGITAL PERFORMER Each MMC device that you have defined in your MIDI configuration appears in Digital Performer’s MIDI Machine Control window, which can be opened from the Studio menu. The Record mode There are three Record mode options: Safe, Rehearse, and Record. ■ Safe: no recording can occur in any MMC device Rehearse: this mode depends on the MMC device. Usually, it causes the device to act as if it is recording, punching in, punching out, etc. but no recording actually occurs.
on track 2. The third time around, Digital Performer record-enables track 3, and the third pass gets recorded there. Digital Performer will continue to record-enable the next track until it records on the highest available track. ☛ Make absolutely sure that the consecutive tracks in line for recording do not have material on them that you wish to keep.
Ejecting a tape The Eject mini-menu command ejects the tape from the currently selected MIDI Machine Control device in the list. To select a device, click its name. The device must be on line and the master MIDI Machine Control button must be active for this to work.
cue. As a result, Digital Performer will stop and wait at times when the MMC device is cueing to a new location. The longer the cue time, the longer the wait will be. After the MMC device has finished cueing, Digital Performer will resume at the same time as the MMC device. Transport features that are supported include: Play, Stop, Rewind, Pause, Record and Auto-punch in/ out.
Using Digital Performer to record a track on a MMC device To record to a track on a MMC device: 1 Make sure that the device you wish to record on is online in the MIDI Machine Control window. If not, click the Offline button to bring it on line. 2 Choose either Record or Rehearse from the menu in the MIDI Machine Control window. For details about Rehearse mode, see “The Record mode” on page 980.
Part 11 Appendices
APPENDIX A Control Surfaces OVERVIEW The Control Surface Setup command (Setup menu) lets you configure Digital Performer for use with a variety of hardware and virtual control surfaces. Multiple control surfaces are supported, including expansion units added to a base control surface unit, or even completely different control surface products operating at the same time.
the right. You must have a separate device in the MIDI device tab (Bundles window) that corresponds to each hardware unit. Some products provide a connection via USB (instead of standard MIDI cables). Refer to the control surface’s documentation for details. Figure 89-7: Multiple control surfaces. WORKING WITH MULTIPLE CONTROL SURFACES The Mackie Control is an example of a control surface driver that supports multiple units.
WORKING WITH AN OPEN SOUND CONTROL (OSC) DEVICE Digital Performer supports the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol via a control surface plugin. OSC is used in a variety of software and hardware devices, such as the DP Control App for iOS devices, Max MSP, Pure Data, CSound, TouchOSC, Monome 40h, and more. For information on the OSC protocol, please see www.opensoundcontrol.org. To use an OSC device with Digital Performer, choose Setup menu > Control Surface Setup.
APPENDIX A: CONTROL SURFACES
APPENDIX B Troubleshooting and Support OVERVIEW Preventing Catastrophe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 991 General troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 991 MIDI troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 992 Audio troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 992 Technical support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Simplify your setup One of the most common causes of problems is a conflict with other software in the system. Run Digital Performer by itself, with no other plug-ins or virtual instruments, and see if the problem you are having still happens. Check the ‘Read Me First’ It’s human nature to blow right past the Read Me First, but you’ll probably be glad you took the time. If you experience problems with Digital Performer, check the Read Me notes that ship with the current version you are using.
your computer, and make sure that the audio recording card is seated properly in its slot. Make sure you have the correct versions of the drivers. If you record and get nothing If you record but don’t get anything, the track you are recording on may be set to the wrong channel. Set it to another channel and try again. If you don’t hear sound If you don’t hear sound, check the following things: ■ Make sure the volume is turned up on the audio hardware units.
If you suddenly have very little hard disk space free See the previous section regarding the rescue of takefiles after a crash or other interruption during playback and recording. If the screen redisplay gets jerky During playback, Digital Performer does its best to update items on the computer screen, such as the Counter and scrolling windows.
Performer. If you have features or ideas you would like to see implemented in our music software, we’d like to hear from you. Please visit motu.com/other/ feedback/suggestions, or write to the Digital Performer Development Team, MOTU Inc., 1280 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. Although we do not announce release dates and features of new versions of our software in advance, we will notify all registered users immediately by mail as soon as new releases become available.
APPENDIX B: TROUBLESHOOTING AND SUPPORT
APPENDIX C Menus reference OVERVIEW This chapter provides a list of all Digital Performer main menu commands and the page in this User Guide (or the Getting Started guide) where you can find more information. Items display in italics represent dynamic menu choices that depend on your system or the circumstances (such as recent files opened). Digital Performer menu (Mac only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 998 File menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DIGITAL PERFORMER MENU (MAC ONLY) Menu item Sub-menu Notes More information About Digital Performer… page 45 (Getting Started Guide) Preferences… Services (Mac only) page 69 list of MacOS services Not applicable to Digital Performer n/a Hide Digital Performer Switches out of Digital Performer and hides all DP windows in the background - Hide Others Hides the windows of all other open applications, except Digital Performer - Show All Unhides all open windows in all currently open application
FILE MENU Menu item Sub-menu New New Notes page 16 New Document and Create Tracks page 16 templates page 16 Open… Open Recent More information page 17 recent files page 17 Clear Menu page 17 Load… page 21 Close ‘project name’ page 23 Save page 17 Save As… page 17 Save A Copy As… page 18 Revert to Saved page 19 Save As Template… page 20 Compact Project… page 52 Bounce to Disk… Bounce Settings page 929 Run Last Bounce Again Burn CD From Disk Image… page 942 Mac only page 942
EDIT MENU Menu item Sub-menu Notes More information Undo page 551 Redo page 551 Redo Next/Select Branch Hold down Option/Shift key to see this command page 551 Undo History page 552 Cut page 558 Copy Copy to Clipping Window page 558 list of clipping windows page 558 Paste page 558 Paste Multiple Hold down Option/Shift key to see this command Paste Repeat page 559 page 560 Paste Repeat Multiple Hold down Option/Shift key to see this command Erase page 560 page 560 Repeat… page 56
Heal Separation page 564 Split page 565 Split Audio page 565 Split at Counter page 565 Trim page 566 Trim Audio page 566 Trim End page 566 Trim Start page 566 Show Clipboard Search page 567 New Search… page 541 Search Again page 546 Next Search Result page 546 Previous Search Result page 546 Edit Saved Search Settings… page 547 list of saved searches page 547 Select All page 567 Select All in Range page 567 Deselect All page 567 Smart Selections Preferences… page 568 Wind
VIEW MENU Menu item Sub-menu Filters… Show Tracks Show Only Tracks Hide Tracks All Notes More information Hold down option/alt to access Event List View Filter page 314 page 313 Selected page 313 Empty page 313 Soundbites or Notes page 313 Play Enabled page 313 Record Enabled page 313 Input Monitored page 313 Enabled page 313 Audio page 313 MIDI page 313 Aux page 313 Instrument page 313 Master Fader page 313 Selected page 313 Empty page 313 Soundbites or Notes page 313
Track Layouts Instrument page 313 Master Fader page 313 Save Track Layout As… page 313 Edit Track Layouts… page 313 Show Only the Active Edit Type page 313 Show Only Selected Types (Quick Filter) page 313 Show All Lanes with Data page 313 Show/Hide Lanes page 313 Grid Colors Scroll Zoom Scale Edit Lines page 313 Edit Lines While Snapping page 313 Marker Lines page 313 Beat Lines page 313 Edit Track Color Schemes… page 78 Track Color Preferences… page 76 Assign Track Colors…
REGION MENU Menu item Sub-menu Notes More information Transpose… page 570 Quantize… page 579 Groove Quantize… page 585 Create Groove… page 591 Smart Quantize… page 594 Humanize… page 594 De Flam… page 597 Change Velocity… page 598 Change Duration… page 601 Split Notes… page 604 Invert Pitch… page 607 Apply MIDI Plug-in Echo… page 888 Arpeggiator… page 888 Transpose… page 894 Reassign Continuous Data… page 894 Remove Duplicates… page 894 Insert Continuous Data… page 611
AUDIO MENU Menu item Sub-menu Notes More information Dither page 622 Fade… page 634 Fade Again Hold down Option/Shift key to see this command page 634 Delete Fades page 639 Freeze Selected Tracks page 144 Unfreeze Selected Tracks page 144 Merge Soundbites page 622 Strip Silence… page 622 Smooth Audio Edits… page 624 Smooth Audio Edits Again page 625 Spectral Effects… page 907 Bite Volume and Gain Pitch and Stretch Apply Plug-in… Set Bite Gain… page 626 Clear Bite Gain page 6
Soundbite Tempo Layering Timestamps Sync Points Clear Beats page 661 Disable Beats under Strength Threshold… page 662 New Soundbites from Beats… page 663 Copy Beats… page 665 Copy Beats as MIDI page 662 Set Soundbite Tempo… page 651 Clear Soundbite Tempo page 652 Halve Soundbite Tempo page 652 Double Soundbite Tempo page 652 Find Tempo Factor Near Sequence Tempo page 652 Copy Sequence Tempo to Soundbite page 652 Adjust Soundbites to Sequence Tempo page 652 Adjust Sequence to Soun
PROJECT MENU Menu item Sub-menu Add Track MIDI Track Multiple MIDI Tracks… Notes page 168 Hold down Option/Shift key to see this command Mono Audio Track Multiple Mono Audio Tracks… page 168 page 168 Hold down Option/Shift key to see this command Stereo Audio Track Multiple Stereo Audio Tracks… More information page 168 page 168 Hold down Option/Shift key to see this command page 168 Surround (formats) page 168 Instrument Track page 145 Instruments with Options… page 145 Unassigned Instr
New V-Rack page 780 Move Selected Tracks to V-Rack… page 781 Rename Sequence page 769 Set Chunk Start Time… page 193 Copy Selection to New Sequence… page 772 Duplicate Track Layout page 771 Duplicate Chunk page 771 Delete Sequence page 772 list of sequences - Chunks page 769 Content Browser page 47 Tracks page 157 Sequence Editor page 16 MIDI Editor page 391 Drum Editor page 431 QuickScribe Editor page 457 Event List page 417 Mixing Board page 797 Effects page 867 Marke
list of consoles Movie page 297 1009 A P P EN D I X C : M EN U S R EFER EN CE
STUDIO MENU Menu item Sub-menu Notes More information Control Panel page 185 Counter page 195 Tools page 331 Shortcuts page 72 Background Processing page 903 Audio Performance page 880 Effect Performance page 880 Meter Bridge page 861 MIDI Keys page 136 Step Record page 265 POLAR page 287 Snap Information page 339 Cursor Information page 342 Event Information page 343 Selection Information page 343 Sound File Information page 349 Track Selector page 348 Track Inspector
SETUP MENU Menu item Sub-menu Notes More information Run Command… page 97 Commands page 95 Input Filter… page 223 Event Chasing… page 214 Automation Setup… page 829 Legend… page 330 Time Formats page 90 Frame Rate 23.976 fps page 90 24 fps page 90 25 fps page 90 29.97 fps Drop page 90 29.
WINDOW MENU Menu item Sub-menu Notes More information Close Mac only page 62 (Getting Started Guide) Close All Windows Mac only page 63 (Getting Started Guide) Enter Fullscreen Close All Edit Windows page 62 (Getting Started Guide) Close All Effect Windows page 63 (Getting Started Guide) Bring All to Front page 62 (Getting Started Guide) Push Window to Back Mac only page 62 (Getting Started Guide) Next Edit Window Mac only page 62 (Getting Started Guide) Previous Edit Window Mac only
HELP MENU Menu item Sub-menu Notes More information About Digital Performer… Windows only page 45 (Getting Started Guide) Search Mac only page 188 (Getting Started Guide) Digital Performer Help page 187 (Getting Started Guide) Contextual Help page 187 (Getting Started Guide) Show Help Tags page 87 Check for Updates Now page 87 Check for Updates Automatically page 87 Welcome to Digital Performer page 70 (Getting Started Guide) New Features in Digital Performer n/a Digital Performer Ge
Index 10.2 (TMH) 850 1176 compressor plug-in (see FET-76 in the DP Plug-ins Guide) 16-bit 70, 242, 932 24-bit 70, 242, 932 32-bit 70, 242, 932 5.1 (Dolby Digital and DTS) 850 6.1 (Dolby EX) 850 7.
Soundbite Layering 627 Soundbite Tempo 627 Adjust Sequence To Soundbite Tempo 653 Adjust Soundbites to Sequence Tempo 652 Copy Sequence Tempo to Soundbite 652 Double Soundbite Tempo 652 Find Tempo Factor Near Sequence Tempo 652 Half Soundbite Tempo 652 Set Soundbite Tempo 651 Spectral Effects 625, 907 Split 565 Strip Silence 622–624 Sync Points Reset Sync Points 383 Set Sync Point at First Beat 383 Set Sync Point at Insertion Point 383 Timestamps 627 Move to Original Timestamp 627 Move to User Timestamp 627
Volume Bypass 351 Bite volume 387 Blend (patch thru) 231 Bounce Again saving settings for 932 Bounce Settings 942 Bounce to Disk 929–944 Bounce Settings menu 942 in real time 946 movies 941 MP3 format 934 QuickTime movies 304 Sample Format 931 saving settings 933 saving settings for Bounce Again 932 track bouncing 144 bpm 205 Break Phrases After ____ Ticks option 171 Broadcast WAVE 29, 70 Organization Code 70 Unique Source Identifier 70 Brush tool (see Rhythm Brush tool) Buffy (see DP Plug-ins Guide) Built-
Tap Tempo 957 Visual Punches 247 volume 248 Click preferences 246 audition click 248 gate 247 No accent 248 pitch 247 velocity 247 Click with Each Step 271 Clicks per frame (display) 74, 207, 710, 719 ClickStreamMachine 764 Click-to-MIDI converter 961 Clip color 75 Clip Editor 284 Clip window Editor 284 Clipboard 567, 567 Show/Hide Clipboard 567 Clipping avoiding 258 indicator in Audio Monitor 258 indicators in Mixing Board 815 Clippings 681–685 Content Browser 48 plug-in presets 870 Clips window 277–285 lI
Chunks in the Song window 789 text between DP and other programs 567 Tracks between Sequences 775–776 Copy all tracks option 786 Copy Beats 627, 665 Copy Beats as MIDI 627, 662, 667 Copy Conductor Tracks 786, 793 Copy selection to new sequence 772 Copy Sequence Tempo to Soundbite 652 Copy to Clipping Window 558 plug-in effects 823 Copy to New Sequence 772 Tracks window 162 Counter 191–196 display 192 during countoff 249 formats 89 Go To 161 Playback dashes 192 Round on Entry 192 screen update 195–196 Scroll
Drum Editor 431–450 Drum kit presets 441 Grid resolution 433 Median strip 433 mini-menu 435–436 note events 434 Note grid 434 Time ruler 434 Drum kit presets 441 Drum machine Patch Thru 230 short note durations 603 transposing 577–578 DTP Adat force-detect 982 Duplicate Chunk 771 Sequence 770 Track Layout 770, 771 Duplicate Mix command 824 Duplicate Soundbite 628, 628–?? Duplicate Take 642 Duplicate Tracks 121 Duplicates, Remove 894 Duration 398, 401, 419 adjusting short durations 603 Change Duration 601–60
Enable Surround Panner Joystick 801 Encoding mode 935 End time 787 Auto/Manual 774–775, 777, 793– 794 Chunks window 770, 772, 774–775 Endings 492 Ensemble Chorus (see DP Plug-ins Guide) Enter Chord Symbol 476, 485 EQ 867 EQ (Mixing Board) 810 Equal Gain fade 637 Equal power fade 637 Erase 560 Song window 789 Error messages 991, 992 audio playback/recording 993 Errors disk 24 file 24, 991, 992 fonts 484 system 991, 994 Event & Phrase Selections Only command 526 Event Chasing 214–216 forward chasing CCs 215 i
G Gain (in velocity compressor) 887 Gate Click preferences 247 Generate Streamer Track for 749, 767 Generate VTP Streamers option 749 Global View Filter 314 Go To 161 Counter 161 Marker 751, 752 Tracks window 161 Grand staff bracket 466 Graphic Editor Conductor Track 414–415 Median strip Conductor Track 414–415 Grid Chunk Grid 785 Continuous data 402–413 Drum Editor Note Grid 434 MIDI Editor Note Grid 393, 397– 407 offset 582 Quantize 579, 581–582 Step Record 273–275 Groove Editor 592 Groove Quantize 585–59
Key/scale transposing 575–576 Keyboard controller 228 changing values from 402, 409, 427– 428 Keyboard durations diagram 275 Keyboard note entry (computer) 136 Keyboard parts, splitting into right/left hand 604, 607 Keypad 191 controls 275 Keypad controls 209 L Lasso selection 526 Latch mode 832 Latency compensation 874 pitch automation 912 Layering soundbites 627 LCRS (Dolby Surround) 850 Lead line enhancing 606–607 extracting 606 Learn Controller 820 Learn controller 867, 868, 882 Legato 602–603 Legend 3
(see also DP Plug-ins Guide) MasterWorks Limiter 810 (see also DP Plug-ins Guide) Matching sliders 700 Maximum number of Top Hits to Show 72 Measure button 265, 272 Measure numbers 459 display options 469 Measure range Change Key 727, 731, 732 Change Meter 725, 727 selecting 343–345, 426 Measure spacing 459, 460, 470 Measure time 89 MIDI Editor 396 Median strip 393, 412–413, 433 Conductor Track 414–415 MegaSynth (see DP Plug-ins Guide) Melodic Pattern 891 Melody enhancing 606–607 extracting 606 Memory Bar 1
Reassign Continuous Data 894 time shift 894 transposer 894 velocity compressor 887 MIDI Solo & Patch Thru preferences 85 MIDI Time Code 952, 973 transmitting from Digital Performer 973 MIDI Timepiece AV 744, 968, 969 SMPTE sync with 955 Min Time and Value Change command 801 Min Time and Value Range command 836 Min(imum) Time and Value Change 689 Mini-menu Audio Monitor 259 Chunks window 770–771 Drum Editor 435–436 Markers 749 MIDI Editor 395 Mixing Board window 800 Notation Editor 453 Sequence Editor 359 So
MX4 instrument plug-in (see DP Plug-ins Guide) MXF 53 N Naming Chunks 770 Files 17 Markers 748, 750 Song window 786 Tracks 118, 158 Nanosampler instrument plug-in (see DP Plug-ins Guide) New 21 New Audio File 34, 506 New Audio File from Selection 34, 506 New Device Group 133 New Marker 749, 750 New Marker with Options 749, 750 New Markers have a Streamer 765 New Mix command 824 New Saved Time 203 New Saved Time for This Chunk 203 New search command 540 New Sequence 770, 771 New Song 770, 771, 787 New Sound
Input Filter 230 MIDI interfaces 230 Song Window 230 timing information 230 Pattern click 711 Pattern Gate (see DP Plug-ins Guide) Pattern tool (see Rhythm Brush) Patterns see Memory Cycle see the Song window Pause button 189–190 Peak waveform editor 632 Pencil tool 334 Perform New Search command 541 Performance meter 881 Performer files opening 25 PG/RT column 881 Phaser plug-in (see DP Plug-ins Guide) Phrase Detail option 171 Phrase Setup 171 phrases auditioning 323 Piano parts splitting into right/left h
option 754 Preserve realtime performance option 564 Presets drum kits 441 effects 869 Region menu 570 Preview check box 570 Preview Stays on when Window Not in Front 570 Primary external plug-in format 879 Primary Tool 187 Print Individual Parts 459 Printing 22–23, 457 instrument parts 498 keyboard part 499 list windows 22 margins 470 page size 470 score 499 title page 465 Pro Tools exporting projects to 53 importing AAF file 25 importing OMF file 25 sync points 383 Timestamps 628 ProCue 1m1 764 Program cha
Track Options 459 track splitting 466 QuickTime Export 941 QuickTime video (see Movie Window) Quitting Digital Performer 23 R Ramp event density 879 Random Pitch Map 595–596 Randomize quantizing 584 tempos 617, 722–723 velocities 600 Range Latch mode 832, 835 Range Selections Only 526 Range Touch mode 832, 835 Range Trim Latch mode 832 Range Trim Touch mode 832 Ratio (in velocity compressor) 887 Real time 89 building a song 787 editing 24, 189, 212, 311 Real time meter 880 Realign music automatically 727–7
Revert to Saved 19 Rewinding 189, 196–197, 203–204 Markers 748, 751 ReWire 305–307 multiple outputs 148, 883 REX files importing 29, 30 Rhythm Brush 335 Rhythm Brush tool 435, 447–449 Ring Modulator (see DP Plug-ins Guide) Ritard 720, 957 Roll tool 338 Round on Entry 192 RPN 894 Rubato 957 Run command 97 preferences 72 Run last Bounce Again 942 Run Stopped Task Again 904 RXT (see DP Plug-ins Guide) S Safe option in MMC window 980 Sample format conversion 895, 896 Pitch setting 351 rate conversion 29, 895 S
Set Source 689 Set Sync Point 628 Set Sync Point at First Beat 383 Set Sync Point at Insertion Point 383 Set Take Folder 256 Set Target 689 Set Temporary Group Type to Custom Type 181 Set Temporary Group Type to Edit 181 Set Temporary Group Type to Edit & Mix 181 Set Temporary Group Type to Mix 181 Set to Null Point 689 Zero 689 Set Track Pitch Mode 626, 916 Set User Timestamp from Sequence 628 Set Zoom Setting 318 Setup menu Audio Performance 880 Audio System MIDI Only 131 MOTU Audio System 225 Auto Scroll
echo effect with 791–792 Edit commands 786, 789 Edit Conductor Track 786 End times 787, 793–794 event chasing 216 Insert Column 786, 787 Markers 786, 786, 787, 792–793 matching chunk times 793 Merge Chunks to Sequence 786– 787, 792 Merge Markers 786, 792 Merge Tracks with identical Names 787 mini-menu 786–787 name 786 names 785 New Song 770 opening 770, 774, 788 Patch Thru 230 playing a song 788 Record-enable Conductor 786, 790–791 recording into a sequence 786, 789– 790 selecting 789 Set Record sequence 78
767 Set Marker/Streamer Options 749 stand-alone 765 Toggle Streamer On/Off 749 Strength 583–584 Stretch 86, 141, 167 Strip Silence 622–624 Striping SMPTE 963 Studio menu Audio Monitor 255–259 Audio Patch Thru 231 Audio Performance MAS 819 Background Processing 903 Bundles 123 Clear all clipping indicators 259 clear all clipping indicators 815, 863 Click 245, 246 value 245, 710, 725, 726, 727 volume 248 Click Preferences 246 Control Panel 185–210 Counter 195 Cursor Information 342–343 Event Information 343 I
randomizing 722–723 recording 959 resolution 207, 719 scaling 615–617 searching for (Find Tempo) 757 Set Sequence Tempo from MIDI 617 setting 207 synchronization 957–961 Tap Pad 205 Tap to Enter Tempo 205, 206 Tempo changes 710, 717–724 Anchoring tempos 717, 720 beat value 717, 719 Change Tempo 710, 717–724 display preferences 74, 207, 710, 719 editing 724 Event List window 424, 710 Graphic Editor 415 modifying during playback 713 recording into a song 790–791 resolution 207, 719 Tempo Controls 204–206 Temp
enable/disable 142, 166 folders (see Track folders) freezing 144, 622 grouping (see Track Groups) instrument tracks 145–148 naming 159 splitting in QuickScribe Editor 466 surround tracks 851 types of tracks 117 virtual instrument tracks 145–148, 816 Tracks Overview 158, 170–175 colors 76 controlling phrasing 171 preferences 84, 165 scrubbing with the wiper 218 Tracks window 157–175 adding audio track 139 adding tracks 168 Auto Scroll 172 blocks, controlling phrasing 171 colors 76 comments 120–121, 160 Condu
Variable Bit Rate (VBR) Standard 935 VBR (variable bit rate) quality 935 VCA track 118, 153–156, 819 track group 153, 178, 179 Velocities Change Velocity 598–601 Click preferences 247 compressing 599, 887 expanding 599 limiting 598 Off Velocities 404, 406–407, 419, 598, 606 On Velocities 404, 406–407, 419, 598, 606 randomizing 600 Velocity compressor (MIDI effects processor) 887 Version numbers Digital Performer 994 Vertical Interval time code (see VITC) Video FireWire video playback 303 hardware playback 3
