User Manual

SONGS
792
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.
4 While holding down the Option/Alt key on your
computer keyboard, drag the Chunk to the new
column.
A copy of the Chunk remains at the original
location.
5 Play back the song to hear the result.
Experiment with different amounts of delay to
achieve the best effect.
Exporting a song to other music software
programs
Song Chunks cannot be directly converted to other
file formats, but you can use the Merge Chunks to
sequence command in the Song window mini-
menu to convert the song into a sequence. The
resulting sequence can be converted to any
alternative file format available in the Save As
command dialog box. See “Exporting a project” on
page 19.
Managing Markers in a Song
Every Chunk has its own markers. (See “Markers”
on page 747 for an introduction to markers.)
Markers serve many functions, from simple
references to auto-locators. You’ll often find when
you place a Chunk into a song that it would be
useful to see the Chunk’s markers in the context of
the whole song. The Merge Markers command in
the Song window mini-menu lets you do just that.
Simply select all the component Chunks whose
markers you’d like to copy into the song, and
choose Merge Markers. All unlocked markers in the
selected Chunks now exist in the Song, and are
displayed in the Song’s marker strip and Markers
window.
You can just as easily delete a Chunk’s markers
from a song. Select the Chunks whose markers
should be removed from the song and choose
Delete Markers. Digital Performer compares the
song’s markers to those of the selected Chunks, and
removes any that match up. The markers in the
Chunk are not affected. Keep in mind that after you
merge markers of a Chunk into a song, dragging
the Chunk to a different location will not move the
markers. Further, selecting the relocated Chunk
and choosing Delete Markers will not have any
effect, as the markers are no longer associated with
the Chunk.
Markers can be of great help when building a song
or score because Digital Performer automatically
generates a column in the Song window for each
marker. You can use the Song’s Markers window to
create a list of section markers, which will become
Chunk placement columns in the Song window.
Marker-generated columns are particularly useful
for placing Chunks at hit points, which can be
created during playback using the Record Hits
command found in the Markers window mini-
menu for each Chunk.
Chunking and Synchronization
Chunking (arranging Chunks in the Song window)
is the ideal method of playing multiple Chunks
while slaved to external sync. Firstly, Chunking
allows seamless transitions between Chunks
within a song. What’s more, these Chunks can be
edited independently even after they have been
dragged into a song.