Apple Soundtrack Pro 3 User Manual

Soundtrack Pro 3

User Manual

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Welcome to Soundtrack Pro11Preface

About Soundtrack Pro11 About the Soundtrack Pro Documentation12 Additional Resources12

Setting Up Your System15Chapter 1

System Considerations15 Connecting Equipment17 Example Hardware Setups21

The Soundtrack Pro Interface27Chapter 2

Soundtrack Pro Window Organization28 Project Pane35 Toolbar36 Transport Controls36 Timeline37 File Editor41 Mixer43 Multitake Editor45 Conform46 Bin46 Meters Tab48 Recording Tab49 Browser50 Search Tab51 Favorites Tab53 Video Tab54 Project Tab54 Details Tab58 Effects Tab62 Tracks Tab63 Actions Tab64 Analysis Tab65

HUDs66

Basics of Working in Soundtrack Pro69Chapter 3

About Multitrack and Audio File Projects69 Setting Up Your Workspace72 Using Keyboard Shortcuts and Shortcut Menus76 Undoing and Redoing Changes77 About Changing Values and Timecode Entries78 Locating and Adding Audio Files81 About the Bin89 Previewing Audio Files93 Playing Projects95 Using Snapping99 Reconnecting Media Files101

Soundtrack Pro Preferences103Chapter 4

Setting Soundtrack Pro Preferences103 General Preferences105 Project Preferences107 Recording Preferences108 Synchronization Preferences109 Control Surfaces Preferences110 Video Out Preferences111

Working with Multitrack Projects113Chapter 5

Creating, Opening, and Closing Multitrack Projects113 Creating a Multitrack Project from Final Cut Pro Clips or Sequences114 Setting Project Properties114 Setting the Project Length118 Setting Default Locations for Saving Media Files119 Saving Multitrack Projects120 Adding Files to a Multitrack Project121 Clip Properties123 Tracks, Busses, Submixes, and the Master Bus124

Working in the Timeline129Chapter 6

About the Timeline130 Using the Timeline Editing Tools130 Timeline Editing Tools HUD132 Moving Around in the Timeline133 Working with Tracks, Busses, and Submixes in the Timeline140 Selecting Audio Clips in the Timeline152 Selecting the Entire Contents of a Track153

4 Contents

Selecting Partial Contents of One or More Tracks154 Cutting, Copying, Pasting, and Removing Audio Clips155 Splitting and Joining Audio Clips157 Spotting Clips to the Timeline160 Moving Clips161 Snapping Clips to Clips on Other Tracks163 Resizing Audio Clips163 Changing the Offset of an Audio Clip166 Creating Fades and Crossfades in the Timeline167 Truncating Overlapping Audio Clips173 Working with Markers174 Transposing Tagged Audio Clips179 Replacing the Source Audio in a Clip179 Replacing Audio with Related Files181 Making Clip Channel Selections181 Combining Separate Clips to Create Multichannel Clips184 Editing Clip and Track Properties184

Editing Audio in the Multitrack Timeline189Chapter 7

How Selection Type Affects Actions189 Editing in Place191 How Clips Are Affected by Media File Editing192 How Source Audio File Editing Works in a Multitrack Project192 Making an Independent Copy of a Clip193 Using the Multitrack Timeline and the File Editor Together193 Editing with the Timeslice Tool196 Processing Audio Clips201 The Lift and Stamp Tools and the Sound Palette201

Working in the File Editor207Chapter 8

About the File Editor207 Opening Audio Files in the File Editor Tab209 Playing Audio Files in the File Editor210 Soloing an Audio File in the File Editor210 Linking the File Editor Selection and the Cycle Region211 Scrubbing Audio Files211 Selecting All or Parts of an Audio File212 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting in the File Editor216 Zooming In and Out in the File Editor218 Editing Audio Files Graphically with Waveform Editing Tools219 Choosing the Sample Units in the File Editor223 Editing Multichannel Files224 Using Frequency Spectrum View226

5Contents

Working with Actions231 Overview of Analyzing and Fixing Problems in an Audio File237 Analyzing and Fixing Problems in an Audio File238 Using the File Editor Project View242

Processing Audio Files251Chapter 9

Choosing Processing Effects252 Fade In253 Fade Out253 Normalize253 Adjust Amplitude254 Silence254 Invert254 Reverse255 Insert255 Time Stretch257 Noise Reduction258 Adding Ambient Noise262 Equalization Matching263 Convert to Mono263 Resample264 Swap Channels264 Edit Channels264 Render to Action266

Working with Audio Effects267Chapter 10

Processing Effects and Realtime Effects267 Working with Effect Presets269 Audio Effects Included with Soundtrack Pro270 Working with Realtime Effects283 Working with Processing Effects293

Using the Multitake Editor295Chapter 11

What Is Automatic Dialogue Replacement?296 Multitake Clips296 Creating Multitake Clips296 Overview of the Multitake Editor297 Editing in the Multitake Editor298 Slipping Take Regions300 Adding and Deleting Takes300 Renaming Takes301 Reordering Takes301 Example: A Multitake Editing Workflow302

6 Contents

Basic Mixing in Soundtrack Pro305Chapter 12

Steps in Mixing306 Structuring an Audio Post-Production Project306 Using the Mixer316

Mixing Surround Sound335Chapter 13

What Is 5.1 Surround?335 Creating a Surround Project336 Setting Up Soundtrack Pro for Surround336 Using Surround Panners to Create a Surround Mix341 Surround Mixing Strategies347 Exporting and Delivering 5.1 Surround Projects353

Working with Video in Soundtrack Pro355Chapter 14

Supported Video File Formats356 Adding a Video to a Project356 Playing the Video357 Viewing Video Details360 Working with a Video’s Audio361 Using the Time Display and Time Ruler with Video361 Scrubbing and Spotting with the Multipoint Video HUD362 Removing a Video from a Project365

Working with Automation367Chapter 15

Working with Envelopes367 Recording Automation Data376

Recording Audio in Soundtrack Pro379Chapter 16

Getting Ready to Record379 Recording Audio in the Timeline380 Recording Audio in the Mixer387 Recording Audio in the File Editor Project View387

Creating Podcasts in Soundtrack Pro389Chapter 17

About Podcasts389 Podcasting Media Production390 Displaying the Podcast Track and the Details Tab391 Podcast Marker Information in the Details Tab392 Adding Markers to a Podcast393 Adding Images to a Podcast396 Exporting Podcasts399

7Contents

Using Control Surfaces with Soundtrack Pro403Chapter 18

Connecting Control Surfaces403 Adding and Deleting Control Surfaces404 Premapped Controls406 Mapping Commands to Control Surface Buttons407 Recording Control Surface Automation408

Using Soundtrack Pro with Other Applications409Chapter 19

Using Soundtrack Pro with Final Cut Pro409 Using Soundtrack Pro with DVD Studio Pro421 Using Soundtrack Pro with Motion423 Using Soundtrack Pro with Logic Pro424 Using Soundtrack Pro with Third-Party Applications425

Exporting Multitrack Projects429Chapter 20

About Exporting430 Export File Formats Available in Soundtrack Pro430 About Export Options430 General Export Options432 About Export Options for AIFF, WAVE, and Other Formats434 About MP3 Export Options435 About AAC/Podcast Export Options436 About Dolby Digital Professional (AC-3) Export Options439 About Export Options Using Compressor444 Exporting Part of a Multitrack Project445 Exporting a Master Mix446 Exporting Tracks, Busses, and Submixes Separately454 About Exporting Multiple Mono Files455 Exporting to AAF456 Using Post-Export Actions457 Using Export Presets458 Distributing a Multitrack Project and Its Media Files Together460

Using Conform with Final Cut Pro463Chapter 21

About Conforming Manually463 About Soundtrack Pro Conform463 Conforming a Soundtrack Pro Multitrack Project464 Reviewing and Approving Changes in a Conform Result Project468

Soundtrack Pro Keyboard Shortcuts473Appendix A

General and File474 Layouts, Tabs, and HUDs474 Navigating the Timeline475

8 Contents

Project Playback476 Cycle Region476 General Editing477 Editing Audio Clips in the Timeline477 Moving Audio Clips and Envelope Points478 Viewing the Timeline479 Timeline Tools480 File Editor Project View Tools and Commands480 Processing and Editing Audio Files481 Tracks, Busses, and Submixes482 Markers482 Selecting Audio Clips in the Timeline483 Video Out484 Recording484 Using Arrow Keys to Move the Playhead484 Working with Timeslices485

Audio Fundamentals487Appendix B

What Is Sound?487 Digital Audio497

Working with Professional Video and Audio Equipment501Appendix C

Video Interfaces501 Video Signals and Connectors504 Setting Up an Audio Interface508 Audio Connectors, Cables, and Signal Formats514 About Balanced Audio Signals518 Tips for Choosing Speakers and an Amplifier519 Connecting Professional Video Devices521 Connecting Professional Audio Devices525

Working with Apogee Hardware in Soundtrack Pro531Appendix D

Using Apogee Hardware with Soundtrack Pro531 Creating and Saving a New Apogee Configuration531 Specifying Global Parameters in the Apogee Setup Dialog532 Specifying Units Parameters in the Apogee Setup Dialog533 Using a Previously Saved Configuration537 Choosing a Configuration Saved with a Project538

Solving Problems539Appendix E

Resources for Solving Problems539 Solutions to Common Problems539 Contacting AppleCare Support541

9Contents

Welcome to Soundtrack Pro

Most experienced film and television producers know that “audio is more than half the picture.” The art and techniques of sound recording, dialogue editing, sound effect recording and placement, mixing, and sound design play a substantial role in how audiences perceive the (visual) quality of a film or video. Soundtrack Pro is designed to serve the art of motion picture sound post-production. Like the other applications in Final Cut Studio, Soundtrack Pro was created for the film and video industry. Soundtrack Pro gives you many specialized tools and powerful features that you can use to create high-quality audio.

Most audio applications focus on multitrack editing or waveform editing, but not both. Furthermore, most waveform editing applications handle media destructively—making permanent changes to your media files. Soundtrack Pro provides the best of both worlds: nondestructive waveform editing while working in a multitrack project.

Preface

This preface covers the following:

• About Soundtrack Pro (p. 11)

• About the Soundtrack Pro Documentation (p. 12)

• Additional Resources (p. 12)

About Soundtrack Pro

Soundtrack Pro provides film and video professionals streamlined workflows for editing everything from individual audio files to large multitrack sound projects, including synchronizing audio and video, editing sound in place, working with automatic dialogue replacement (ADR), analyzing and fixing common audio problems like clicks and pops, and creating stereo and surround sound design. Add interoperability with the other applications in Final Cut Studio to this list of features, and you have a professional-quality audio application designed to meet the needs of the most discerning audio editors and mixers.

Soundtrack Pro features two types of projects: audio file projects and multitrack projects. You use audio file projects to edit individual audio files. This is sometimes known as waveform editing. However, unlike most waveform editing applications, Soundtrack Pro allows you to edit your audio files nondestructively by keeping track of the actions you have performed on your audio file. You can edit down to the file’s individual sample level and perform tasks ranging from audio repair to sound design. You can perform edits nondestructively using actions, which include processing effects and other operations. You can analyze audio files for a range of common audio problems, including clicks and pops, hum, and phase issues, and automatically fix problems that are found.

Multitrack projects look and function similarly to Final Cut Pro projects. You arrange a multitrack project’s audio clips on the tracks in the Timeline. Multitrack projects contain the features you expect from a high-performance and professional-quality audio editor, including features to synchronize audio and video, work with ADR and multitake editing, and automate volume, pan, and other changes over time using envelopes. You can record over multiple channels to the Timeline or the File Editor or to multiple tracks in the Timeline.

About the Soundtrack Pro Documentation

Soundtrack Pro comes with various documentation that will help you get started as well as provide detailed information about the application.

• Soundtrack Pro User Manual: This is a comprehensive document that describes the Soundtrack Pro interface, commands, and menus, and gives step-by-step instructions for creating Soundtrack Pro projects and for accomplishing specific tasks. It is written for users of all levels of experience.

• Soundtrack Pro Effects Reference: Soundtrack Pro includes a comprehensive collection of powerful effect plug-ins. This document introduces you to the individual effects and their parameters.

Additional Resources

Along with the documentation that comes with Soundtrack Pro, there are a variety of other resources you can use to find out more about Soundtrack Pro.

Soundtrack Pro Website

For general information and updates, as well as the latest news on Soundtrack Pro, go to:

• http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/soundtrackpro

12 Preface Welcome to Soundtrack Pro

Apple Service and Support Websites

For software updates and answers to the most frequently asked questions for all Apple products, go to the general Apple Support web page. You’ll also have access to product specifications, reference documentation, and Apple and third-party product technical articles.

• http://www.apple.com/support

For software updates, documentation, discussion forums, and answers to the most frequently asked questions for Soundtrack Pro, go to:

• http://www.apple.com/support/soundtrackpro

For discussions forums for all Apple products from around the world, where you can search for an answer, post your question, or answer other users’ questions, go to:

• http://discussions.apple.com

13Preface Welcome to Soundtrack Pro

Setting Up Your System

The way you set up your system depends on the audio equipment you plan to use. You can use your computer’s speaker or headphone jack to monitor the audio output from Soundtrack Pro. For better results, you may want to connect external monitors or speakers to your system, so that you can monitor the audio output at a higher level of quality. You may want to connect other external audio equipment such as an audio interface or a mixer, particularly if you plan to record your own audio in Soundtrack Pro.

For information on system and hardware requirements, see the Read Before You Install document on the installation DVD.

For information on installing the software, see the Installing Your Software booklet.

This chapter covers the following:

• System Considerations (p. 15)

• Connecting Equipment (p. 17)

• Example Hardware Setups (p. 21)

System Considerations

To achieve the most effective results, you should consider the following issues when setting up your system:

• Editing and managing digital audio files can require intensive processing by your computer. For more information, see Processor Speed and RAM.

• Storing digital audio files can require a large amount of hard disk space. For more information, see Hard Disks.

• To make the most of Soundtrack Pro, you may wish to use a variety of audio input and output devices. For more information, see Setting the Audio Input and Output and

Audio MIDI Setup.

• Audio units plug-ins from other manufacturers can extend the capabilities of Soundtrack Pro. For more information, see Adding Audio Units Plug-ins to Your

Computer.

Processor Speed and RAM

Digital audio files require intensive processing by your computer. If you plan to work on longer or more complex projects, or use multiple effects plug-ins in your projects, a computer with a faster processor can facilitate your productivity.

Soundtrack Pro is optimized for use with computers that have a multiprocessor architecture. Working with Soundtrack Pro projects on a multiprocessor-equipped computer can make your workflow more efficient, especially when creating longer or more complex projects.

If you plan to work on large projects, it’s useful to have extra random-access memory, or RAM, installed in your computer. Additional RAM allows you to play back more files simultaneously, use a greater number of effects plug-ins, and keep several multimedia applications open at the same time.

Hard Disks

In addition to having a computer with a fast processor and a lot of extra RAM, it’s also a good idea to have a large hard disk with plenty of available space to store the media (audio and video) files you use with Soundtrack Pro. As you work with the application, you’ll likely want to acquire a large collection of sounds to use in your Soundtrack Pro projects. Hard disk performance is a critical aspect of your editing system: the storage capacity and data rate of your disks must match or exceed the requirements of the audio (and video) formats you are using.

If you store media files on an external hard disk, make sure the disk has a fast enough seek time and a high enough sustained data transfer rate for use with video and audio files. Consult the manufacturer’s specifications.

Important: Every minute of stereo digital audio (recorded using a 44.1 kHz sample rate

and 16-bit depth) requires roughly 10 MB of hard disk space. If you plan to record large amounts of audio in Soundtrack Pro, you may want to record to a hard disk dedicated to storage for your Soundtrack Pro projects.

Setting the Audio Input and Output

You can set the default input and output devices for Soundtrack Pro with the Audio MIDI Setup utility.

To select a default output device

Do one of the following:

Double-click Audio MIDI Setup in the Utilities folder, then choose the device from the

Default Output pop-up menu.

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Sound, then click Output. Select the

audio interface in the list that appears.

16 Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System

To select a default input device

Do one of the following:

Double-click Audio MIDI Setup in the Utilities folder, then choose the device from the

Default Input pop-up menu.

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Sound, then click Input. Select the audio

interface in the list that appears.

Audio MIDI Setup

The Audio MIDI Setup utility is a program that comes with Mac OS X for adjusting a computer’s audio input and output settings and managing MIDI devices. You can select audio channel input and output devices, configure output speakers, set clock rates, and control levels. You may also be able to open a configuration utility provided by your audio device.

For more information, go to http://developer.apple.com/audio/overview.html.

Adding Audio Units Plug-ins to Your Computer

Soundtrack Pro includes an extensive set of professional-quality effects plug-ins. Soundtrack Pro uses effects in the Audio Units plug-in format, the native plug-in format of Mac OS X.

Audio Units plug-ins are also available from third-party manufacturers. When adding third-party effects to your computer, be sure to read the documentation, including any Read Me and installation files, that came with the plug-in. Supported Audio Units effects plug-ins appear in the Effects window under the manufacturer’s name.

Soundtrack Pro does not support VST, ASIO, MAS, or RTAS effects plug-ins.

Connecting Equipment

You can use a variety of audio equipment with Soundtrack Pro for both recording and playback. For information on connecting a specific piece of equipment to your computer, read the documentation that came with the equipment. For general information about connecting a control surface to your computer, see Connecting Control Surfaces.

Final Cut Studio editing systems can be configured to meet the most demanding professional requirements. An advanced editing system can be built by expanding the basic system described in the Final Cut Pro User Manual. The following list includes equipment commonly used in Final Cut Studio editing systems:

• Macintosh computer with Final Cut Studio installed: The core of your editing system

• Professional video and audio devices: For capturing footage and outputting finished projects. (For more information about video and audio devices, see Working with

Professional Video and Audio Equipment.)

17Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System

• External videoand audio monitors: For viewing and listening to your program in its final image and audio quality

• Video and audio interfaces: For connecting professional and non-FireWire devices to your editing system

• RS-422 serial device control interfaces: For remote device control during capture and output

• Video, audio, and remote device control cables: For separate video, audio, and remote device control connections. Unlike a basic DV editing system that uses a solitary FireWire cable to transfer video, audio, and remote control signals, many professional configurations require separate cables for each of these signals.

• Additional scratch disks: One or more internal or external hard disks, a RAID, or a connection to a storage area network (SAN)

• Control surfaces: Hardware controls that let you mix and edit your projects with greater flexibility and precision than using a mouse to move onscreen controls

Video and Audio Input and Output Devices

An input device is used to transfer footage into your computer. For output, you record your finished movie to an output device. Basic editing systems use a DV camcorder or deck as both an input and output device. Professional editing systems may use multiple video decks to capture and output to different video formats. Although Soundtrack Pro does not support video capture from devices such as camcorders or VTRs, it does support recording from a variety of digital audio devices.

To connect non-FireWire devices to your computer, you also need a third-party video or audio interface. For more information, see Video Interfaces.

Video Device

This is a VTR or camcorder you connect to your computer to capture and output media. The connectors and signal format on your video device determine what kind of video interface your computer needs to connect to your device.

Audio Device

This is a device, such as a digital audio tape (DAT ) recorder or multitrack audio recorder, that lets you capture or output audio independently from video.

18 Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System

Note: When using external audio devices, it’s a good idea to connect them before opening Soundtrack Pro.

Video and Audio Interfaces

An interface is a device that adds physical video or audio connectors to your computer so that you can connect your Final Cut Studio system to other professional equipment (such as video or audio decks and monitors).

Interfaces provide input and output connectors that aren’t included with your computer. For example, if you want to output multiple audio channels to an analog audio mixer or digital multitrack, you need an audio interface that has XLR, 1/4" tip-ring-sleeve (TRS), AES/EBU, or ADAT Lightpipe output connectors.

You may also want to consider adding a third-party interface to your system if:

• You need to capture or output many audio channels at once

• You are integrating Final Cut Studio into a professional broadcast environment that requires SDI, HD-SDI, or other non-FireWire video and audio connections

• You need to capture, edit, and output full-resolution, uncompressed video signals instead of DV video (which is compressed)

• You are digitizing video from an older analog VTR (such as a Betacam SP deck) that does not have digital video outputs or remote control via FireWire

Third-party video and audio interfaces can be installed in one of your computer’s PCI Express slots, connected to the USB port, or connected via FireWire.

For more information about selecting and connecting an audio interface for use with Soundtrack Pro, see Setting Up an Audio Interface.

External Audio and Video Monitoring

In the final stages of post-production, external video and audio monitors are essential to ensure the quality of your movie. Editing systems focused on these final phases of post-production are often called finishing systems.

19Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System

External Audio Speakers and Monitors

You can play back audio through your computer’s speakers or headphone jack, but the audio output may not be high enough for you to evaluate your music at a professional level of quality. Connecting external speakers or monitors to your system allows you to hear the audio output with greater fidelity and a wider dynamic range. During the final mix, it is important to monitor your audio so that it matches the listening environment where the final project will be shown. For detailed information on connecting external speakers to your audio interface, see the documentation that came with the speakers.

Setting Up a Proper Audio Monitoring Environment

Room shape and material are just as important as the quality of the speakers themselves. Every surface in a room potentially reflects sound, and these reflections mix together with the sound originating from the speakers. Rooms with parallel walls can create standing waves, which are mostlylow-frequency sound waves that reinforce and cancel eachother as they bounce back and forth.

Standing waves cause some frequencies to be emphasized or attenuated more than others, depending on your listening position. When you mix in a room that creates standing waves, you may adjust certain frequencies more than necessary. However, you may not notice until you play back your audio in a different listening environment, in which those frequencies may sound overbearing or nonexistent.

Tip: A much cheaper alternative to building new walls is to mount angled pieces of material to the existing walls to eliminate parallel surfaces.

If the material in a room is very reflective, the room sounds “brighter” because high frequencies are easily reflected. Mounting absorbing material (such as acoustic foam) on the walls can reduce the brightness of a room. A “dead room” is one that has very little reflection (or reverberation). Try to cover any reflective surfaces in your monitoring environment.

Amplifiers

If you are recording audio from microphones and are not running the microphone’s signal through a mixer with a microphone pre-amplifier, you need to connect an amplifier to boost the microphone’s signal before sending it to the computer. If you are connecting monitors or speakers that are not self-powered, you also need to connect them through an amplifier.

20 Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System

Mixers

Connecting a mixer to your system allows you to record audio from multiple microphones or instruments simultaneously, to play back the output from your computer through connected monitorsor speakers, and to control the volumelevels of both the audio input and output. Professional-quality mixers have a number of additional features, including equalization (EQ) controls, auxiliary sends and returns for adding external effects, and separate monitor and mix level controls. Mixers may also include inboard preamplification for microphones, making the use of a separate amplifier unnecessary.

Control Surfaces

Soundtrack Pro supports control surfaces that use the Mackie Control, Logic Control, and Euphonix EuCon protocols. For information on connecting and using control surfaces, see Using Control Surfaces with Soundtrack Pro.

External Video Monitors

When you design and edit a video soundtrack, it’s ideal to watch the video on a monitor similar to the one you will use for the final screening. An external video monitor can display color, frame rate, and interlaced scanning more accurately than your computer display. (For information on connecting professional video devices, see Connecting

Professional Video Devices.)

If you are working on an NTSC or a PAL project, you should watch it on an external video monitor that shows the video interlaced. For more information about external video monitoring, see the Final Cut Pro User Manual.

Example Hardware Setups

The following sections provide several examples of different hardware setups:

• Setup with Powered Speakers

• Setup with a USB Audio Interface

• Setup with a FireWire Interface and a Control Surface

• Setup with a Video Output Device

• Setup with a PCI Express Video Interface Card with Breakout Box

• Setup for Stereo Mixing

• Setup for Surround Mixing

21Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System

Setup with Powered Speakers

Speakers

Speaker cables

Power cables

Computer

Monitors

Audio interface

USB

cable

Speaker

cables

Microphone

Instrument

Computer

Power cables

With this setup, you can monitor the audio output through a set of connected powered speakers.

This setup uses the following equipment:

• Your computer and display

• A set of powered speakers, including speaker wire and a power adaptor

Setup with a USB Audio Interface

With this setup, you can record audio input from microphones and musical instruments, and monitor audio output, through a USB audio interface.

This setup uses the following equipment:

• Your computer and display

• USB audio interface (from 2 to 8 channels) with USB cable to connect to your computer

• Microphone

• Musical instruments (guitar, bass, and keyboard)

• Cables to connect microphones and instruments to the audio interface

• Set of monitors or speakers

22 Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System

Setup with a FireWire Interface and a Control Surface

Monitors

Control surface

Audio interface

FireWire

cable

Speaker cables

Computer

Power cables

Midi interface

With this setup, you can record audio input from several sources simultaneously and monitor audio output channels independently, through a mixer connected to a FireWire audio interface.

This setup uses the following equipment:

• Your computer and display

• FireWire audio interface with FireWire cable to connect to your computer

• Control surface and MIDI interface with USB cable to connect MIDI interface to your computer

• MIDI cables to connect control surface to MIDI interface

• Set of powered monitors or speakers

• Speaker cables

Setup with a Video Output Device

With this setup, you can play video and audio through an external video output device. Because using a video output device can result in increased latency, you may want to combine this setup with an audio-only setup, and switch between the two setups.

This setup uses the following equipment:

• Your computer and display

• Video output device (FireWire device or PCI Express card)

• High-quality video monitor

23Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System

• Audio monitors

Computer

Video output device

FireWire

cable

Audio monitors

Speaker

cables

Mixer

Video monitor

Breakout boxComputer

(with PCI Express card)

Analog or digital VTR

BNC

connector

Setup with a PCI Express Video Interface Card with Breakout Box

Many PCI Express cards aren’t big enough to fit all of the necessary video and audio connectors. In these situations, a breakout box is connected to the PCI Express card via a multipin connector on a long cable, and the connectors are accessible on the breakout box instead of on the back of the PCI Express card. A breakout box is also useful because it allows you to place the connectors somewhere more convenient than the back of your computer, such as on an equipment rack or a desktop.

24 Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System

This setup uses the following equipment:

• Your computer and display

• Video interface (PCI Express card with breakout box)

• High-quality video monitor

• Audio speakers

Setup for Stereo Mixing

By default, Soundtrack Pro is set up for stereo mixing. Most video editing suites use nearfield monitors, which are speakers designed to be listened to at fairly close range. Speakers should be at least a foot or two away from any walls to prevent early reflections of sound that combine with and muddy the original sound.

Position the speakers as far from your listening position as they are from each other (forming an equilateral triangle). For example, if the distance between the speakers is six feet, you should place yourself six feet from each speaker. The apparent width of the sound stage, or stereo image, increases as the distance between the speakers increases. However, if the two speakers get too far apart, sound information appearing in the center (between both speakers) starts to disappear.

Setup for Surround Mixing

For complete instructions on setting up the surround mixing tools in Soundtrack Pro, see

Setting Up Soundtrack Pro for Surround.

25Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System

The Soundtrack Pro Interface

Soundtrack Pro is designed to handle every aspect of creating audio for a video or film project, from multitrack recording to advanced audio processing and mixing. You can use Soundtrack Pro together with Final Cut Pro as a complete audio post-production solution that is powerful, yet also elegant and flexible.

This chapter covers the following:

• Soundtrack Pro Window Organization (p. 28)

• Project Pane (p. 35)

• Toolbar (p. 36)

• Transport Controls (p. 36)

• Timeline (p. 37)

• File Editor (p. 41)

• Mixer (p. 43)

• Multitake Editor (p. 45)

• Conform (p. 46)

• Bin (p. 46)

• Meters Tab (p. 48)

• Recording Tab (p. 49)

• Browser (p. 50)

• Search Tab (p. 51)

• Favorites Tab (p. 53)

• Video Tab (p. 54)

• Project Tab (p. 54)

• Details Tab (p. 58)

• Effects Tab (p. 62)

• Tracks Tab (p. 63)

• Actions Tab (p. 64)

• Analysis Tab (p. 65)

Left pane

Project pane

Lower pane

Transport controls (project pane)

Right pane

• HUDs (p. 66)

Soundtrack Pro Window Organization

There are several panes that comprise the Soundtrack Pro window that you’ll use while you are creating audio projects. You may want to open Soundtrack Pro so you can view these panes and familiarize yourself with the interface.

To open Soundtrack Pro

In the Finder, double-click the Soundtrack Pro icon in the Applications folder.

You may also choose to add the Soundtrack Pro icon to the Dock for easier access. For more information, see Mac Help.

The Soundtrack Pro window is arranged into several areas.

• Project pane: This is reserved as the central “canvas” for the multitrack Timeline and for individual audio file projects.

• Left, lower, right panes: Task-specific tabs are docked in the left, lower, and right panes. By default, the tabs are grouped by function and are laid out for a streamlined audio post-production workflow.

• Transportcontrols: Use these controls at the bottom of the window to play back projects that you open in the project pane.

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Below is the standard, default layout of the Soundtrack Pro window. You can easily

Video tab

Details tab

Toolbar

Standard layout

Meters tab

Browser tab

Transport controls

Mixer tab

rearrange the tabs and resize the panes to suit your needs and then save the custom layouts for future use.

Note: At any time, you can revert to the default layout by choosing Window > Layouts > Standard, or pressing F1. Also, you can save any custom layouts you create. For more information on managing layouts, see Using Project Layouts.

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Showing and Hiding the Panes

Tabs are grouped by function to optimize your workflow. For example, the media tabs related to input and output functions (Meters, Recording, Search, Browser, and Favorites) are located in the right pane by default. When you are finished with media input, you can close the entire right pane by choosing Window > Toggle Right Pane, and thereby allow more horizontal space for the project pane and the lower pane. If you hide a pane, then later choose to show a tab that is in the hidden pane, the pane reappears and shows all tabs in that pane.

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Or, for example, you may wish to work exclusively in the Timeline or the File Editor project

Timeline view

File Editor view

view and dedicate the entire Soundtrack Pro window to that view.

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Because hiding and showing different panes of the Soundtrack Pro window is so convenient, you will probably use this feature frequently during the course of a project. Press Control–A to toggle the left pane, Control–S to toggle the bottom pane, and Control–D to toggle the right pane. For more information, see Soundtrack Pro

Keyboard Shortcuts. The default toolbar also contains buttons to toggle the appearance

of the panes.

If your portable computer has a Multi-Touch trackpad, you can use the swipe gesture to show and hide panes. A swipe is quickly sliding one or more fingers across a Multi-Touch trackpad. Swipe left and right to show and hide the left pane or right pane. The pane affected by horizontal swipe gestures is determined by the Horizontal Swipe Gesture Affects preference setting in Soundtrack Pro Preferences. For more information, see

General Preferences. Using the swipe gesture up or down shows or hides the bottom

pane.

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Showing and Hiding Tabs

Tab menu

In addition to showing and hiding entire panes, you can also choose to show and hide individual tabs in panes. You can toggle the appearance of individual tabs by choosing Window > Tab and then choose the name of the tab you wish to show or hide. A checkmark next to a tab in the menu list indicates the tab is currently showing. If a tab is part of a hidden pane, and you choose to show the hidden tab, the pane holding the tab reappears with all tabs in that pane.

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Rearranging Tabs

The Meters, Search, and Browser tabs have been moved from the right pane and docked in the left pane.

At any time, you can rearrange the layout by tearing off individual tabs and docking them in other panes, or simply have them float over the Soundtrack Pro window. There are numerous possible combinations. Mix and match the tabs to suit your particular workflow needs.

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Project Pane

Tabs

Playhead Location

value slider

Monitor Volume slider

Mono Mix button

Transport controls

Toolbar

Selection Length value slider

The project pane is the central “canvas” where you work on your projects in either the multitrack Timeline or the File Editor project view. Use the Timeline (shown below) to arrange audio clips in multitrack projects. Use the File Editor project view for individual audio file projects.

• Tabs: You can switch between any projects open in the Timeline or File Editor project view.

• Toolbar: Includes tools for common functions. You can customize which tools appear in the Toolbar.

• Monitor Volume slider: Adjusts the overall monitor volume when you play the project. The volume level defaults to 0 dB when you create a project. Adjusting the Monitor Volume slider does not affect the mix signal or the export volume.

• Mono Mix button: Click to listen to a temporary mono mix of the project.

• Playhead Location value slider: Displays the current playhead position. You can move the playhead by clicking the arrows, dragging, or typing a value.

• Transportcontrols: Control playback and the position of the playhead, and turn recording on or off. (For more information, see Transport Controls.)

• Selection Lengthvalue slider: Displays the length of the current Timeslice (in the Timeline) or selection (in the File Editor). You can change the Timeslice or selection length by clicking the arrows, dragging, or typing a value.

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Toolbar

Go to End

Record

Play from Beginning

Play/Pause

Playhead Location value slider

Go to Beginning

Previous Frame

Cycle

MIDI Sync

Next Frame

Selection Length value slider

The Toolbar is located at the top of the Soundtrack Pro window. When you first open Soundtrack Pro, the Toolbar includes buttons for creating a new project, creating a new audio file, creating a new track, and other common functions. You can customize the Toolbar, adding buttons for functions you want to access frequently. For information about customizing the Toolbar, see Customizing the Toolbar.

Transport Controls

You use the transport controls to control playback, set the position of the playhead, start recording, and activate the cycle region. For information on using the transport controls, see Controlling Playback with the Transport Controls.

• Playhead Location value slider: Displays the current playhead position. You can move the playhead by clicking the arrows, dragging, or typing a value.

• Record button: Starts and stops the recording process, and arms tracks for recording when no tracks are pre-armed.

• Play from Beginning button: Starts playback from the beginning of the last playback start.

• Go to Beginning button: Sets the playhead to the closest of the following items to the left of the playhead: the beginning of the last playback start, the beginning of the cycle region, or the beginning of the project.

• Previous Frame button: Click this to move the playhead to the previous frame.

• Play/Pause button: Starts playback at the current playhead position. If the project is playing, stops playback.

• Next Frame button: Click this to move the playhead to the next frame.

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• Go to End button: Sets the playhead to the closest of the following items to the right

Timeline controls

Scroll bar

Audio tracks, busses, and submixes

Track area

Headers

of the playhead: the end of the cycle region, the position of the last playback stop, or the end of the project.

• Cycle button: Activates the cycle region, if one is set in the Time ruler. If no cycle region is set, loops the project.

• MIDI Sync button: Synchronizes playback with incoming MIDI Clock andMIDI Timecode (MTC) signals.

Timeline

The Timeline gives you a visual representation of a multitrack project, showing the position of clips, the playhead, and other items in time. You can add and arrange audio clips in the audio tracks, use sends to create auxiliary busses, and route audio to physical output channels using submixes. You can control the sound of each audio track, bus, and submix using the controls in its header.

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Overview of Timeline Controls

Time display

Previous and Next Selection buttons

Timeline editing tools

Time ruler

Show pop-up menu

Automation Mode pop-up menu

Project controls

Global Timeline view

Default Nudge Amount pop-up menu

The Timeline is organized into three groups of horizontal rows called tracks, busses, and submixes, as well as a video track, a podcast track, and a Master bus.

• Previous and Next Selection buttons: Move backward and forward through Timeslice selections you’ve made in the waveform display.

• Timeline editing tools: Select items using the Selection (arrow) tool, make time-based selections with the Timeslice tool, split audio clips using the Blade and Blade All tools, copy and paste attributes with the Lift and Stamp tools, and scrub the Timeline with the Scrub tool. For more information, see Using the Timeline Editing Tools.

• Automation Mode pop-up menu: Choose the mode for recording automation using either the onscreen controls or an external control surface.

• Project controls: Set the project’s sample rate and other properties using these controls.

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• Show pop-upmenu: Choose whether the videotrack, podcast track, audiotracks, busses, submixes, and master envelopes are visible in the Timeline.

• Global Timeline view: Shows a miniature view of the entire Timeline and the playhead position, and lets you move quickly to different parts of a project.

• Time display: Showsthe current playhead position in both Time-based and Beats-based formats. Youcan set the playhead by typing a new playhead position in the time display.

• Time ruler: You can precisely position clips, the playhead, and other items to a specific

Master Envelopes button

Height control

Zoom control

Snapping button

Snap to Value pop-up menu

point in time (minutes, seconds, frames) or to a musical beat using the Time ruler.

• Trackarea: Includes horizontal rows for tracks, busses, and submixes. Also includes the playhead, envelopes, and markers.

• Headers: Each track, bus, and submix has a header with an icon, name, volume slider, and other controls. (For more information, see Headers.)

• Additional Timeline controls: Include controls to show the master envelopes, turn snapping on or off, set the track height, and zoom in or out. For more information, see

Additional Timeline Controls.

• Scroll bar: Moves the Timeline horizontally so you can see different parts of the project.

Additional Timeline Controls

The lower-left corner of the project pane contains controls for various aspects of Timeline display and operation.

• Master Envelopes button: In the Timeline, shows or hides the master envelopes. In the File Editor project view, shows or hides the envelopes for the current audio file project. For information about using master envelopes, see Master Bus.

• Snapping button: Turns snapping on or off. For information about snapping, see Using

Snapping.

• Snap To Value pop-up menu: Sets the value to which items in the Timeline snap.

• Height control: Sets the height of tracks, busses, and submixes to one of four settings, from Reduced to Large. In the File Editor project view, sets the height of the envelopes for the current audio file project to one of four settings, from Reduced to Large. For more information, see Setting Track Height.

• Zoom control: Click the control or drag the slider to change the zoom level. You can zoom in to edit clips precisely, or zoom out to display more of the Timeline. For more information, see Using the Zoom Control.

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Name field

Mute button

Color label

Submix pop-up menu

Solo button

Envelopes disclosure triangle

Panner

Icon

Arm for Recording

Bypass Effects

Input Routing buttons

Volume

slider

Input menu

Headers

Each track, bus, and submix in the Timeline has a header that includes the track name, track icon,and a set of track controls. For detailed information on using the track controls, see About the Track Controls.

• Color label: Indicates the track color, which is applied to any clips on the track (unless you choose to override the color for individual clips).

• Icon: You can choose an icon for the track, bus, or submix, making it easy to quickly distinguish it in a large project.

• Name field: You can type a new name for the track, bus, or submix in the name field. You cannot rename the Master bus.

• Bypass Effects button: Select this button to hear the track without any of the applied realtime effects.

• Arm for Recording button: Enables (or disables) the track for recording when you click the Record button. Only tracks have Arm for Recording buttons, not busses or submixes.

• Mute button: Mutes (or unmutes) the track, bus, or submix.

• Solo button: Solos (or unsolos) the track, bus, or submix. Soundtrack Pro supports both multiple solo and exclusive solo.

• Envelopes disclosure triangle: Shows the track, bus, or submix envelopes in the area directly below the track.

• Volume slider: Sets the track, bus, or submix relative volume in the overall mix.

• Submix pop-upmenu: Choose a submix for the track or bus from the menu. (Tracks and busses only.)

• Input Devicepop-up menu: Use the Input Device pop-up menu to choose the recording input device, and its Channels submenu to choose the channel (or set of channels).

Note: This is visible only when the track height is set to Medium or Large.

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• Input Routing buttons: Use the Input Routing buttons to confirm or change recording

Waveform editing tools

Time display

Playhead Location value slider

Monitor volume slider

Waveform View and Frequency Spectrum View buttons Global Waveform view

Default Nudge Amount pop-up menu

Actions tab

Waveform display

Previous and Next Selection buttons

Transport controls

Automation mode pop-up menu

Playhead

input signal routing.

Note: This is visible only when the track height is set to Medium or Large.

• Output pop-up menu: Choose the physical outputs for the submix from the menu. Submixes only. (Not shown in the illustration.)

• Panner: Sets the pan position of the track or bus. Has two modes: stereo slider or surround panner. Appears in track and bus headers only, not in submix headers or the Master bus header.

File Editor

You can edit individual audio files in the File Editor using actions. Actions give you a powerful and flexible way to edit audio files nondestructively using professional audio processing effects and other operations. You can turn individual actions on or off, reorder actions, flatten actions, and compare the project with and without actions. You can also analyze audio files in the File Editor and fix common audio problems, including clicks and pops, hum, and phase problems. The File Editor can take two forms: the File Editor project view, for detailed work on individual audio files, and the File Editor tab, for convenient editing within the context of a multitrack project.

• Waveformediting tools: Include the Selection, Sample Edit, Audio Stretching, and Zoom tools that you can use to graphically edit audio files.

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• Automation Mode pop-up menu: Choosethe automation mode from the pop-upmenu.

• Previous and Next Selection buttons: Move back and forward through selections you’ve made in the waveform display.

• Default Nudge Amount pop-up menu: Sets how far objects are moved when using the nudge command.

• Waveform View and Frequency Spectrum View buttons: Change the display between Waveform view and Frequency Spectrum view.

• Time display: Shows the current position of the playhead.

• Global Waveform view: Shows you a miniature view of the entire waveform and the playhead position, and lets you move quickly to different parts of an audio file.

• Waveform display (and editing area): Shows the waveform of the audio file (or its frequency spectrum in Frequency Spectrum view). You can select parts of the audio file to apply different actions to.

• Transportcontrols: Control playback and the position of the playhead, and turn recording on or off. (For more information, see Transport Controls.)

• Playhead: Shows the part of the audio file currently playing.

• Monitor Volume slider: Adjusts the overall monitor volume when you play the project. The volume level defaults to 0 dB when you create a project. Adjusting the monitor volume slider does not affect the mix signal or the export volume.

• Mono Mix button: Click to listen to a temporary mono mix of the project.

• Playhead Location value slider: Displays the current playhead position. You can move the playhead by clicking the arrows, dragging, or typing a value.

• Actions tab: Displays the currently applied actions.

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Mixer

Channel strips

Channel Strip and Mixer

pop-up menus

Automation Mode pop-up menu

You mix your project in the Mixer. All tracks, busses, and submixes (as well as the Master bus) have channel strips in the Mixer with volume controls, mute and solo buttons, slots for adding effects, andother controls. You can view the levels for tracks, busses, submixes, and the Master bus using level meters in their channel strips. You can also record audio and automate volume and pan changes in the Mixer.

Mixer Controls

The Mixer controls are located at the top of the Mixer window.

• Automation Mode pop-up menu: Choosethe automation mode from the pop-upmenu.

• Channel Strip and Mixer pop-up menus: Show or hide different sections of the channel strips and of the Mixer window.

• Channel strips: Each track, bus, and submix has a channel strip with controls and level meters.

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Channel Strip Controls

Icon

Effects slots

Solo button

Panning controls

Color label

Arm for Recording button

Name

Mute button

Bypass Effects button

Volume fader

Volume value slider

Level meters with peak indicator

Submix pop-up menu

Each channel strip includes the following controls:

• Color label: Indicates the track color, which is applied to any clips on the track (unless you choose to override the color for individual clips).

• Name field: You can type a new name for the channel strip.

• Icon: Icons let you visually distinguish channel strips in the Mixer. Double-click an icon to change it.

• Effects slots: Show the effects and sends for the channel strip, and let you add effects and sends.

• Panning controls: Set the pan position of a track or bus. In surround mode, drag anywhere inside the black circle to position the puck. In stereo mode, drag the pan slider left or right or change the value in the value slider. You can automate pan changes by setting the appropriate automation mode for the project. These appear in track and

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bus channel strips only, not in submix channel strips.

• Volumefader andvalue slider: Set the channel strip’s volume level by draggingthe fader

Take editing tools

Comp track

Take tracks

or changing the value inthe value slider. You can automate volume changes by dragging the slider with the project set to the appropriate automation mode.

• Level meters with peak indicator: Show the volume level of the channel strip in real time as the project plays. The peak indicator shows the highest level played and changes color to indicate that clipping has occurred.

• Arm for Recording button: Click to enable the track for recording. When you click a track’s Arm for Recording button, the Recording tab appears, showing the track’s current recording settings. The button appears in track channel strips only, not in bus or submix channel strips.

• Mute button: Click to mute (or unmute) the channel strip.

• Solo button: Click to solo (or unsolo) the channel strip.

• Submix pop-upmenu: Choose a submix for the track or bus from the menu. (Tracks and busses only.)

• Output pop-up menu: Choose the outputs for the submix from the menu. Submixes only. (Not shown in the illustration.)

Multitake Editor

Use the Multitake Editor to edit multitake and synced audio that is created by performing multitake recording(such as in automatic dialogue replacement, or ADR). This tool allows you to easily mix and match parts of different takes. Once you are done editing a multitake clip, you can collapse it into a single clip, hiding the constituent editsthat are not relevant to the surrounding multitrack Timeline.

For more information about the Multitake Editor, see Using the Multitake Editor.

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Conform

The Conform tool helps sound editors handle picture changes. Conforming a sequence is the act of incorporating changes sent from the picture editor into a different, changed version of a sequence being used by the sound editor. The sound editor revisits all of the audio edits, ensuring that they line up with new video footage and inserting or deleting any added or deleted media. Soundtrack Pro Conform makes this merging procedure more efficient and less tedious.

For more information about the Conform tool, see Using Conform with Final Cut Pro.

Bin

The Bin tab lists information about items in all open projects. The Bin provides a hierarchical display of projects, their media files, and other information about each item, including duration, timecode, sample rate, Timeline information, and so on. You can drag files from the Bin tab to the Timeline. You can add files to the Bin for easy access at any time. The Bin also features sort and search functions to help you locate an item in any open project.

46 Chapter 2 The Soundtrack Pro Interface

For more information about the Bin, see About the Bin.

Item list

Preview controls

Media pop-up menu

Items pop-up menu

Columns pop-up menu

• Item list: Displays the files, clips, markers, and podcasts in the currently open projects.

• Items pop-up menu: Choose what types of items (files, clips, markers, or podcasts) to display in the Bin.

• Columns pop-up menu: Choose what types of columns of information (Timeline information, audio clip information, file information, metadatatags, music information, or iXMLmetadata) to display in the Bin.For more information about the iXML metadata specification, see the iXML website at http://ixml.info.

• Preview controls: Include a Play button, a volume slider, and a “Preview on selection” button. For information on using the preview controls, see Using the Preview Controls.

• Media pop-up menu: Choose menu items to Show in Timeline, Spot to Timeline, open a file in the File Editor, and perform other functions.

47Chapter 2 The Soundtrack Pro Interface

Meters Tab

Reset button

Peaks Value and Location display

Level meters

6-channel meter

2-channel meter

The Meters tab displays mono, stereo, multichannel, and surround level meters that you can use to observe the volume of all submixes assigned to physical outputs or the overall output for an audio file project. For information on using the Meters tab, see Setting the

Overall Project Volume Level.

• Level meters: Show the output volume of the overall project as the project plays.

• Peaks Value andLocation display: Displays the highest (peak) value played for each jack and its timecode. Double-click any item in the Peaks Value and Location display to move the playhead to that point in the Timeline.

• Reset button: Resets all items in the Peaks Value and Location display.

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Level meter

Peak indicator

Input device pop-up menu

Monitor Device pop-up menu

Configure Device button

Input channel pop-up menu

Mute Project checkbox

Input Routing buttons

Track pop-up menu

Recording Tab

The Recording tab is where you edit a track’s recording settings. When you click a track’s Arm for Recording button, the Recording tab appears, displaying the track’s current recording settings. For information on using this tab, see Recording Audio in the Timeline.

• Peak indicator: Shows the highest level reached by the recording input signal. If the level rises above 0 dB, the peak indicator becomes red to indicate clipping.

• Track pop-up menu: Displays the recording settings for the selected track.

• Level meters: Show the input volume for the selected track during recording. Adjust automatically to the number of channels and the channel valence selected in the Input Channel pop-up menu.

• Input Device pop-up menu: Choose the input device for recording.

• Input Channel pop-up menu: Choose the input channel (or channels) for recording.

• Input Routing buttons: Use the Input Routing buttons to route the input signal to different channels.

• Configure Device button: Opens the Audio MIDI Setup utility for adjusting the computer’s audio input and output configuration settings, or setting up software specific to your audio interface.

• Monitor Devicepop-up menu: Choose the output device and output channel(or channels) for monitoring during recording.

• Mute Project checkbox: Select to mute the project during recording, so you hear only the sound being recorded.

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Preview controls

Path pop-up menu

Media pop-up menu

Tabs

Back and Forward buttons

File list

Computer button Home button

Browser

The Browser tab displays the disks connected to your computer in a view similar to the Finder’s list view. You can also preview files in the Browser tab and drag them to the Timeline. For information on using the Browser, see Using Favorites to Locate Files.

• Back andForward buttons: Move through previously viewed levels ofthe folder hierarchy.

• Computer button: Displays your computer’s hard disk and other storage media connected to your computer.

• Home button: Displays the contents of your home directory.

• Path pop-up menu: Displays the levels of the file path to the current location, letting you move back to a previous level.

• File list: Displays the files and folders at the current location.

• Preview controls: Include a Play button, a volume slider, and a “Preview on selection” button. For information on using the Preview controls, see Using the Preview Controls.

• Media pop-up menu: Choose menu items to add a Favorite, add a file to the Bin, open a file in the File Editor, and perform other functions.

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Search Tab

Matches list

Scale Type pop-up menu

Setup button

Keywords list

Column View button

Time Signature pop-up menu

File Type pop-up menu

Category pop-up menu

Button View button

Search Text field

Nearby Keys button

Search Results list

Preview controls

Media pop-up menu

The Search tab lets you locate audio files using a variety of criteria. You can perform text searches and search for Apple Loops and other tagged file formats using keywords for instrument, genre, mood descriptors, and other categories. Matching files are displayed in the Search Results list. Once you locate the files you want to use, you can preview them in the Search Results list or drag them to the Timeline. The Search tab has two views, Column view and Button view. For more information, see Search Views.

• Button and Column View buttons: Change the view to either Button or Column view. Column view(shown above) features a Keywords listcontaining keywords and aMatches list with subcategories you can use to refine your searches. Button view (shown below) displays a matrix of keyword buttons you can click to see matching files.

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Keyword buttons

• Category pop-up menu: Restricts the available keywords to a particular category.

• Setup button: Displays the Search Setup dialog, from which you add items tothe Search database.

• Keywords list(Column view only): Displays files matching the keyword in the Results list, and displays subcategories in the Matches list.

• Matches list (Column view only): Displays subcategories of the selected keywords.

• Keyword buttons (Button view only): Displays files matching the keyword in the Results list.

• Time Signature pop-up menu: Restricts search results to files with the selected time signature.

• File Type pop-upmenu: Choose whether to display all files, or onlylooping or nonlooping files.

• Scale Type pop-up menu: Restricts search results to audio files using the selected scale.

• Search Text field: Type text in the field to display matching files whose filename or path contains the search text.

• Nearby Keys button: Restricts search results to keys within two semitones above or below the project key.

• Search Resultslist: Displays the files matching the selected search criteria, in alphabetical order. Includes columns displaying the tempo, key, and number of beats of each file. You can click files to preview them.

• Preview controls: Include a Play button, a volume slider, and a “Preview on selection” button. For information on using the preview controls, see Using the Preview Controls.

• Media pop-up menu: Choose menu items to add a Favorite, add a file to the Bin, open a file in the File Editor, and perform other functions.

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Favorites Tab

Media pop-up menu

Path pop-up menu

Button and Column View buttons

Preview controls

Favorites list

You can store frequently used items in Favorites so that you can easily access them directly. You can also preview files in Favorites and drag them to the Timeline. For more information, see Using Favorites to Locate Files.

• Back andForward buttons: Move through previously viewed levels ofthe folder hierarchy.

• Path pop-up menu: Displays the levels of the file path to the current location, letting you move back to a previous level.

• Favorites list: Displays the files and folders at the current location.

• Preview controls: Include Play button, a volume slider, and a “Preview on selection” button. For information on using the preview controls, see Using the Preview Controls.

• Media pop-up menu: Choose menu items to remove a Favorite, add a file to the Bin, open a file in the File Editor, and perform other functions.

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Video Tab

Video Scale pop-up menu

Video viewing area

General Project information

Pullup/Pulldown information

Properties information

Project File Management information

Use the Video tab to add a video to a project and view the video. You control playback of the video within the project using the transport controls at the bottom of the Soundtrack Pro window. For more information about the transport controls, see Transport

Controls.

• Video Scale pop-up menu: Choose the scale of the video in the Video tab from the pop-up menu.

• Video viewing area: You add a video by dragging it into the viewing area, where you can also watch it play.

Project Tab

This tab contains controls and information for the currently active project as well as any metadata (tags) associated with the project.

General Project Information

Displays general information about the project.

• Created: Displays the creation date.

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• Modified: Displays the modification date.

• Size: Displays the file size.

• Path: Displays the path where the selected file is located.

• Sequence Name: If the project was sent from Final Cut Pro, this displays the name of the Final Cut Pro sequence from which the project was originally sent.

Pullup/Pulldown

These menus allow you to adjust audio and video playback.

• Audio pop-up menu: Use this menu to adjust the audio playback to compensate for film-to-video and video-to-film conversions as well as international television standards conversions.

• Video pop-up menu: Use this menu to adjust the video playback to compensate for film-to-video and video-to-film conversions as well as international television standards conversions.

Properties

Displays various properties of the project.

• Length: Displays the length, or duration, of the project.

• Sample Rate: Displays the sample rate of the project.

• Initial Timecode value slider: Use this slider to set the timecode for the first frame of the project. For more information about value sliders, see About Changing Values and

Timecode Entries.

• Ruler Unitspop-up menu: Use this menu to set the project ruler to be either Time-based or Beats-based; the default format is Time-based. Each multitrack project has a project time format, which can be either Time (seconds)-based or Beats-based. Setting the time format controls the appearance of the Time display, Time ruler, Timeline gridlines, and available Snap To values.

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For projects set to Time-based format, time is displayed using the Time Ruler units chosen in the View menu. For projects set to Beats-based format, the time is displayed in measures, beats, and beat divisions. For information on setting the project time format, see Choosing the Project Time Format.

Project File Management

Use these controls to set project preferences for file saving and media management. These controls are available for multitrack projects only. For more information, see Saving

Multitrack Projects.

Metadata

Use this area to add metadata to your project or to view your project’s metadata. If you export this project to certain output formats (such as a podcast), Soundtrack Pro passes through the metadata to the target output file. Metadata categories include Name, Copyright, Origination Date, Keywords, and so on.

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iXML Metadata

Displays iXML fields and corresponding values in a table format. For more information about the iXML metadata specification, see the iXML website at http://ixml.info.

Music Settings

Use the controls in this area to set music properties (including tempo, time signature, and key) for the currently active project. Tempo, time signature, and key are important for projects set to Beats-based format. For projects set to Time-based format, you can usually leave the tempo, time signature, and key properties at their default settings. For more information, see Setting Project Properties.

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Details Tab

The Details tab shows information about the currently selected media file, clip, marker, envelope point, cycle region, or Timeslice selection, and gives you a way to edit details about each. You can also view and edit details for a selection in the File Editor.

File and Clip Details

The following information is displayed when you select a media file or clip.

General Information

Displays general information for the clip or file.

• Name: Name of the selected clip.

• Position value slider: Sets the position (start point) of the selected clip.

• Duration value slider: Sets the duration (length) of the selected clip.

• Offset value slider: Sets the offset of the selected clip.

• Measure in pop-up menu: Sets the units shown in the Position, Duration, and Offset value sliders.

• Color pop-up menu: Sets the color of the selected clip.

• Enabled checkbox: Enables or disables the selected clip. For more information, see

Enabling and Disabling Clips.

• Locked checkbox: Locks or unlocks the selected clip. For more information, see Locking

and Unlocking Clips and Tracks.

• Transpose pop-up menu: Sets the number of semitones to transpose a looping clip.

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• Clip Speed pop-up menu: Sets the playback speed for a looping clip.

• Created: Displays the creation date.

• Modified: Displays the modification date.

• Size: Displays the file size.

• Path: Displays the path where the selected file is located.

Properties

Displays the following information for the clip or file: duration, sample rate, the timecode for the first frame of the clip or file, bit depth, and channel valence.

• Length: Displays the length of the selected clip.

• Sample Rate: Displays the sample rate of the selected clip.

• Initial Timecode: Displays the starting timecode of the selected clip.

• Bit Depth: Displays the bit depth of the selected clip.

• Channels: Displays the number of channels in the selected clip.

Metadata

Displays the metadata for a file or a clip, if such metadata is present. Metadata categories include Name, Copyright, Origination Date, Keywords, and so on.

• Title: Displays title metadata.

• Description: Displays description metadata.

• Artist: Displays name metadata.

• Copyright: Displays copyright metadata.

• Genre: Displays genre metadata.

• Track: Displays track metadata.

• Year: Displays year metadata.

• Composer: Displays composer metadata.

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• Lyricist: Displays lyricist metadata.

• Engineer: Displays engineer metadata.

• Technician: Displays technician metadata.

• Keywords: Displays keywords metadata.

• Originator Ref: Displays originator reference metadata.

• Originator Date: Displays originator date metadata.

• Originator Time: Displays originator time metadata.

iXML

Displays iXML fields and corresponding values in a table format. For more information about the iXML metadata specification, see the iXML website at http://ixml.info.

Music

Displays the music information for a clip or file, primarily music loops in the Search tab.

• Tempo: Displays the tempo of the clip, in beats per minute.

• Time Signature: Displays time signature data.

• Key: Displays the musical key of the clip.

• Scale Type: Displays the musical scale type of the clip.

• Looping file: Displays whether the clip loops or not.

• Beats: Displays the number of beats in the clip.

• Instrument: Displays the instrument type, from Apple Loops tagged information.

• Loop Genre: Displays the genre name, from Apple Loops tagged information.

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Marker Details

The following information is displayed when you select a marker.

• Type buttons: Select whether the marker is a beat marker or a time marker.

• Name field: Enter a name for the marker.

• Measure inpop-up menu: Sets the units displayed for the position of the selected marker.

• Position value slider: Sets the time position of the selected marker.

• Duration value slider: Sets the duration for the selected marker.

• Comment: Enter comments or notes for the marker.

Envelope Point Details

The following information is displayed when you select an envelope point.

• Position value slider: Sets the time position of the selected envelope point.

• Measure in pop-up menu: Sets the units shown in the Position value slider.

• Value value slider: Sets the value of the selected envelope point. In some cases, this control is a pop-up menu (for envelope types that only allow specific values).

• Min. andMax. value: Displays minimum and maximum values for the selected envelope point.

• Copy fromPrev. Point button: Sets the value of the selected envelope point to the value of the preceding one in the envelope.

• Copy from Next Point button: Sets the value of the selected envelope point to the value of the next one in the envelope.

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File Editor Selection Details

Effect Parameters area

Category list

Effect list

Reset Effect button

Add Effect button

Remove Effect button

Add Send button

The following information is displayed when you make a selection in the File Editor.

• Measure in pop-up menu: Sets the units shown in the Beginning, End, and Duration value sliders.

• Beginning value slider: Sets the start position of the selection.

• End value slider: Sets the end position of the selection.

• Duration value slider: Sets the duration (length) of the selection.

Effects Tab

You add effects and sends to your project and adjust effect parameters in the Effects tab. When you select a track or a bus in the Timeline or the Mixer, you can add and adjust the following effects and send settings. You can also apply effects to audio file projects.

• Category list: Lists the categories of available effects. Click a category to see the effects for that category in the Effect list.

• Effect list: Lists the effects in the selected category. Double-click an effect to add it to the track, bus, or submix.

• Add Effect (+) button: Adds the selected effect to the current effects chain.

• Remove Effect (-) button: Removes the selected effect from the current effects chain.

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• Effect Parameters area: Displays the parameters for effects in the current effects chain.

Mixer Objects outline

Groups outline

Channel strip

Click an effect’s disclosure triangle to see its parameters. You can adjust effect parameters using the controls in the Effect Parameters area.

• Add Send button: Adds a send to the end of the current effects chain for the track. You can add sends only to tracks, not to busses or submixes.

• Reset Effectbutton: Resets the selected parameter or group of parameters to the default value (or values).

Tracks Tab

Use the Tracks tab to easily view, select, and group tracks, busses, and submixes. Groups provide another layer of organization and a way to easily make changes (such as volume adjustments) to many tracks, busses, or submixes at once.

• Mixer Objects outline: Displays an outline view of the Timeline.

• Groups outline: Displays an outline view of any grouped tracks, busses, or submixes in the project. You can use the Groups outline to group Mixer objects, disable or enable groups, rename groups, delete groups, and delete items from groups.

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• Channel strip: The Tracks tab channel strip is a quick way to access the mixing controls

Actions list

Actions pop-up menu

Action Insert bar

for a particular Mixer object. This channel strip is identical to the corresponding channel strip in the Mixer in every way, including all controls and current settings.

Actions Tab

Use the Actions tab to perform edits nondestructively using actions, which include processing effects and other operations. You can also turn off or completely reorder actions.

• Actions list: Shows the actions you apply to the project. You can add, select, and reorder actions in the list.

• Action Insert bar: Shows where new actions will be added in the Actions list and which actions are heard when you play the project.

• Actions pop-upmenu: Choose menu items to flatten actions, delete actions, and perform other operations.

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Analysis Tab

Parameter list

Analysis Results list

Analyze button

Magnify button

Fix All button

Fix button

Clear Fixed button

Analysis Type list

Use the Analysis tab to analyze audio files for a range of common audio problems, including clicks and pops, hum, and phase issues. You can fix the problems detected by analysis either individually or in a single operation. Selected problems are highlighted in the File Editor waveform display for easy viewing.

• Analysis Type list: Lists the types of analysis you can select.

• Parameter list: Some analysis types (Click/Pop and Silence) have parameters you can adjust before analyzing the file. The parameters appear in this list.

• Analyze button: Click to analyze the file for the problems selected in the Analysis Type list.

• Analysis Results list: Lists items found by analyzing the file.

• Clear Fixed button: Removes fixed items from the Analysis Results list.

• Magnify button: Zooms in on the selected item in the Analysis Results list for as long as you hold down the button.

• Fix All button: Fixes all items in the Analysis Results list.

• Fix button: Fixes the selected items in the Analysis Results list.

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HUDs

A heads-up display (HUD) is a semitransparent floating window with controls and displays that you can use to accomplish specific tasks. All of these windows float over the main Soundtrack Pro window. As you work, you can position HUDs anywhere on the screen.

To display a HUD

Do one of the following:

Choose Window >HUDs, then choose Sound Palette, Timecode, or Multipoint Video from

the submenu.

To display the Sound Palette HUD, press Command-Shift-C.

To display the Multipoint Video HUD, press V.

To close a HUD

Do one of the following:

Choose Window > HUDs, then choose a HUD with a checkmark next to it from the

submenu.

Click the close box on the HUD.

Sound Palette HUD

You can use the Sound Palette HUD to lift attributes from selections in the Timeline and apply them to one or more clips (or regions of clips). For more information on the Sound Palette HUD, see The Lift and Stamp Tools and the Sound Palette.

Timecode HUD

The resizable TimecodeHUD makes reading current timecode very easy, particularly from a distance. You can also use the Timecode HUD to navigate in the Timeline or the File Editor by dragging the displayed hours, minutes, seconds, or frames up or down. The Timecode HUD displays timecode with subframe accuracy.

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Multipoint Video HUD

You can use the resizable Multipoint Video HUD as a visual guide for precisely spotting (placing) sound effects and other audio clips to specific frames of a video program. For more information on the Multipoint Video HUD, see Scrubbing and Spotting with the

Multipoint Video HUD.

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Basics of Working in Soundtrack Pro

This chapter describes the kinds of projects you can create in Soundtrack Pro and how to work with windows, use layouts, play projects, and set Soundtrack Pro preferences.

This chapter covers the following:

• About Multitrack and Audio File Projects (p. 69)

• Setting Up Your Workspace (p. 72)

• Using Keyboard Shortcuts and Shortcut Menus (p. 76)

• Undoing and Redoing Changes (p. 77)

• About Changing Values and Timecode Entries (p. 78)

• Locating and Adding Audio Files (p. 81)

• About the Bin (p. 89)

• Previewing Audio Files (p. 93)

• Playing Projects (p. 95)

• Using Snapping (p. 99)

• Reconnecting Media Files (p. 101)

About Multitrack and Audio File Projects

Soundtrack Pro has two native project file formats to support state-of-the-art multitrack audio editing and powerful nondestructive audio waveform editing:

• Multitrack project (.stmp): Similar to a Final Cut Pro project, this file contains multiple tracks with clips that refer to media files elsewhere on your disk.

• Audio file project (.stap): This format allows nondestructive editing of audio files.

Multitrack Projects

Multitrack projects contain multiple audio tracks in the Timeline. As in a Final Cut Pro project, importing a media file creates a clip in Soundtrack Pro that then refers to the original media file. You can arrange audio clips within tracks and synchronize them to a single video clip in the video track.

You can mix a multitrack project using track controls for volume, pan, mute, solo, effects, and effect parameters. These controls are available both in the Timeline and in channel strips in the Mixer. You can create additional audio busses for effect sends. You can group audio track outputs together with submixes. Tracks, busses, and submixes can be exported to individual audio files, or a mixdown of all the tracks can be exported to a stereo or multichannel audio file. These exported files can then be imported into Final Cut Pro.

Audio File Projects

Soundtrack Pro allows you to edit individual audio files (sometimes known as waveform editing) using Soundtrack Pro audio file projects. However, unlike most waveform editing

applications, Soundtrack Pro allows you to edit your audio files nondestructively by keeping track of the actions you have performed on your audio file. For more information about Soundtrack Pro audio file projects, see Working in the File Editor.

You canremove, disable, or reorder past actions at any time or save actions as AppleScript documents that you can use to batch process other audio files. Actions you can perform include trimming audio, copying and pasting parts of the waveform, normalizing or amplifying levels, applying effects, and applying noise, pop, and click reduction.

Soundtrack Pro audio file projects are stored in Mac OS X packages (or bundles). A package appears to be a single file in the Finder but actually contains a collection of files such as the original audio file, temporary render files, and the list of actions applied to your audio file.

Important: So that you benefit from nondestructive editing, the default option for saving

edited audio files is as a Soundtrack Pro audio file project. Soundtrack Pro usually does this automatically any time you apply any command or effect from the Process menu to a clip in the Timeline. For more information on when Soundtrack Pro automatically creates audio file projects, see How Source Audio File Editing Works in a Multitrack Project.

Supported Audio File Formats

You can open and add audio files in the following formats:

• AIFF

• WAVE

• Broadcast WAVE

• Sound Designer II

• NeXT

• QuickTime (.mov) audio files

• CAF (Apple Core Audio Format)

• Soundtrack Pro audio file project

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Compressed formats such as MP3 and AAC (except protected AAC) files are also supported, although these must be internally decompressed to a linear PCM format.

Soundtrack Pro supports audio files with any sample rate between 8 kHz and 192 kHz and any of the following bit depths: 8, 16, 24, 32, and 32-bit floating point. Up to 24 audio channels are supported in a single file.

When you set a sample rate and play a file, Soundtrack Pro plays at the nearest sample rate your hardware can support.

Note: Files with lower bit depths or sample rates do not have the same playback quality as formats with higher bit depths or sample rates.

You can also open and add the following types of multichannel files:

• AIFF

• WAVE

• Broadcast WAVE

• QuickTime

• Single Folder Multi-mono AIFF and WAV

Supported Video File Formats

Soundtrack Pro supports the following file formats:

• Standard QuickTime-compatible file formats. You can import a QuickTime movie (.mov) file into a Soundtrack Pro project, and you can import an MPEG-2 (.m2v) file if you have installed the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component.

• Video files using NTSC, PAL, HD, and other formats supported by QuickTime

For more information about importing video files, see Working with Video in

Soundtrack Pro.

About Looping and Non-Looping Files

Soundtrack Pro supports two types of audio files: looping and non-looping files. Most audio files are non-looping files unless they contain tags for tempo, key, and other information.

Many of the Apple Loops that come with Soundtrack Pro, as well as other tagged audio files, can be looping files. Looping files may contain music, rhythmic sounds, or other repeating patterns. You can resize a looping file to fill any amount of time. Looping files adjust to the project tempo and key, letting you use loops recorded in different keys and at different tempos in the same project.

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Non-looping files do not adjust to the project tempo and key. You can shorten or lengthen a non-looping file, but lengthening it beyond the size of the original file adds only silence to the lengthened part. You can search for non-looping files in the Search tab using the Search text field.

Both looping and non-looping files can contain tags with information about the file, including mood, genre, and musical instrument. Soundtrack Pro recognizes tags in audio files intended for use with loop-based music applications. You can open an audio file in Apple Loops Utility and add tags, and can convert a looping file to a non-looping file, or convert a non-looping file to a looping file. For information about tagging audio files using Apple Loops Utility, see the Apple Loops Utility User Manual.

Setting Up Your Workspace

You can choose from several ways to set up the Soundtrack Pro workspace to suit your display size and workflow, depending on the type of project you are creating. You can arrange, reorder, and detach tabs throughout Soundtrack Pro and add and reorder buttons in the Toolbar. You can show and hide different panes (areas) of the Soundtrack Pro window. You can also create layouts for different tasks and switch between them.

Basic Window Controls

You can move, resize, or minimize a project’s windows. Most windows feature tabs, which give you flexibility in arranging the visual elements of a project.

To move a window

Drag the window by its title bar to a new location.

To resize the Soundtrack Pro window

Drag the resize control in the lower-right corner of the window until the window is the

desired size.

To minimize the Soundtrack Pro window to the Dock

Click the minimize button in the window’s title bar.

To close the Soundtrack Pro window

Do one of the following:

With the window active, choose File > Close (or press Command-W).

Click the window’s close button.

Using Tabs

Soundtrack Pro uses tabs so you can quickly access different project views and controls. You can switch between projects and between different tabs. Clicking the tab you want makes it active and brings it to the front. You can rearrange and reorder the tabs to easily access the ones you use frequently.

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To reorder tabs

Drag a tab left or right in the window’s tab area.

You can also detach a tab from its docked position, which creates a separate resizable window for the tab that can be dragged or resized. Forexample, you can drag the Favorites tab to a new location so that you can easily move items from the Search tab to the Bin tab.

To detach a tab

Drag the tab out of its docked position in the window to create a separate window for

the tab.

To attach (dock) a tab

Drag the tab to the top of any pane of the Soundtrack Pro window (except the top center

project pane, which is reserved for the Timeline and the File Editor project view).

Using Project Layouts

Soundtrack Pro lets you save and recall preset window arrangements called layouts, so that you can optimize your workspace for different tasks and different display sizes. You can show, hide, and resize windows, then save each window arrangement as a layout.

To save a project layout

1 Arrange the application windows as you want them to appear.

2 Choose Window > Save Layout.

3 In the Save dialog, type a name for the layout, then click Save.

The layout is saved and appears in the Layouts submenu.

Note: By default, layouts are saved to the location /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Soundtrack Pro/Layouts/. Do not change the location or Soundtrack Pro may not be able to find and use your saved layouts.

To switch to a saved project layout

Choose Window > Layouts, then choose the layout you want to use from the submenu.

To remove a saved layout

1 Choose Window > Manage Layouts.

2 In the Manage Layouts dialog, select the layout you want to remove.

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3 Click the Remove (-) button to remove the layout, then click Done.

Default set of buttons

To transfer a saved project layout file to another computer

1 Locate the layout file in /Users/username/Library/Application

Support/Soundtrack Pro/Layouts/.

2 Transfer a copy of the file to the corresponding location in the second computer.

Customizing the Toolbar

The Toolbar at the top of the Soundtrack Pro window contains buttons for frequently used commands. You can customize the Toolbar, adding buttons for the actions you use most often; you can return to the default set at any time.

74 Chapter 3 Basics of Working in Soundtrack Pro

The default set of Toolbar buttons includes buttons for:

• Creating new projects

• Opening project tabs

• Adding markers

• Other common commands

You can customize the Toolbar by including additional buttons for adding fade-ins and fade-outs, processing an audio file, playing the current project through a video output device, and other commands. You can also rearrange the Toolbar using set-width spaces, flexible spaces, and separators.

To customize the Toolbar

1 Do one of the following:

• Choose View > Customize Toolbar.

• Control-click the Toolbar, then choose Customize Toolbar from the shortcut menu.

2 In the Customize dialog that appears below the Toolbar, make the changes you want.

• Toadd a buttonto the Toolbar: Drag a button from the Customize dialog to the Toolbar.

If you drag a button between two existing buttons, the buttons move to make room for the new button.

• To move a button in the Toolbar: Drag the button to a new location on the Toolbar.

• To add space or a separator to the Toolbar: Drag a space, flexible space, or separator from the Customize dialog to the Toolbar.

3 When you’re finished customizing the Toolbar, click Done in the Customize dialog.

To move a button in the Toolbar

Command-drag the button to a new location on the Toolbar.

To return the Toolbar to the default set of buttons

1 Do one of the following:

• Choose View > Customize Toolbar.

• Control-click the Toolbar, then choose Customize Toolbar from the shortcut menu.

2 Drag the default button set, located at the bottom of the Customize dialog, to the Toolbar.

You can also change the Toolbar so that it shows only icons or only text.

To show only icons in the Toolbar

Do one of the following:

Control-click the Toolbar, then choose Icon Only from the shortcut menu.

In the Customize dialog, choose Icon Only from the Show pop-up menu.

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To show only text in the Toolbar

Do one of the following:

Control-click the Toolbar, then choose Text Only from the shortcut menu.

In the Customize dialog, choose Text Only from the Show pop-up menu.

To show both icons and text in the Toolbar

Do one of the following:

Control-click the Toolbar, then choose Icon & Text from the shortcut menu.

In the Customize dialog, choose Icon & Text from the Show pop-up menu.

You can also hide the Toolbar to maximize available screen space.

To hide the Toolbar

Choose View > Hide Toolbar.

When the Toolbar is hidden, the menu item becomes Show Toolbar.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts and Shortcut Menus

Soundtrack Pro offers several methods for performing commands. You can choose commands from the menu bar at the top of the screen or from contextual shortcut menus, or you can use keyboard shortcuts to perform many commands. Most people work fastest using keyboard shortcuts; others prefer to use shortcut menus or the mouse to access commands in the menu bar. Experiment to find out which method best suits your editing style.

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts let you perform commands in Soundtrack Pro by using the keyboard instead of by pointing and clicking. These shortcuts can help you work more efficiently. For example, to create a new audio file project, you’d press Command-Shift-N; to zoom in, you’d press Command–Equal Sign (=).

Note: The default keyboard shortcuts for tasks are presented throughout this volume as well as in menu commands and tooltips (tooltips appear when you move the pointer over a control in Soundtrack Pro and show the name of the control, as well as the current shortcut key or keys assigned to that control).

Using Shortcut Menus

Shortcut menus (also called contextual menus) are available in nearly every window or pane and offer a quick way to perform various tasks. The commands available in a shortcut menu depend on the location of the pointer. For example, a shortcut menu in the File Editor shows options different from those available in a shortcut menu in the Timeline.

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To view and use a shortcut menu

1 Do one of the following:

• Press the Control key, then click an item (this is called Control-clicking).

• Control-click an area in a window or pane in Soundtrack Pro.

• If you have a three-button mouse connected to your computer, you can right-click.

2 In the shortcut menu that appears, choose the command you want, then release the

mouse button.

Undoing and Redoing Changes

As you edit clips and perform other operations in both multitrack and audio file projects, you might need to use the Undo and Redo commands. For example, if you don’t like the last change you’ve made to a project, it can usually be undone. Then, if you decide you prefer to keep the change you just undid, you can redo the command immediately after using Undo.

You can also use the Undo and Redo commands as a quick way of trying out changes to your project. You can make changes to any aspect of the project, then use Undo to step back through changes you don’t like to the project’s previous state. If you change your mind after undoing a change or set of changes, you can always use Redo to recover the changes. At any point, you can save a new version of the project using the File > Save As command.

You can use the Undo command repeatedly to undo every change made since the project was last saved.

To undo the last change

Choose Edit > Undo [item] (or press Command-Z).

The [item] in the menu changes to show the last command or operation.

You can use the Redo command repeatedly to redo every undone change since the project was last saved.

To redo the last change

Choose Edit > Redo [item] (or press Command-Shift-Z).

The [item] in the menu changes to show the last command or operation.

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About Changing Values and Timecode Entries

Separate slider and numeric entry field

Value slider with combined slider and numeric entry field

Soundtrack Pro includes several types of value entry methods. Most of them have features that can make changing the values or timecode fields easy to do.

Using Value Sliders

There are two methods used to enter general numeric values:

• Traditional sliders with separate numeric entry fields

• Value sliders that combine the slider with the numeric entry field. Value sliders allow you to enter a specific number in the value field or to drag in the value field to set a value. When using the value sliders, you can use a modifier key to make normal, small, or large value adjustments. Dragging in the middle area (where the number is) works the same as an ordinary slider; dragging to the right increases the value and dragging to the left decreases the value. Additionally, you can click the right or left arrow to change the value one step at a time. You can also double-click the number itself and type a new number to enter a specific number in the value field.

To change values in normal increments

Do one of the following:

Drag left or right in the value field.

Click the left arrow to decrease a value, or click the right arrow to increase a value.

If you have a three-button mouse with a scrollwheel, click in the value field and use the

scrollwheel on the mouse.

To change values in fine increments

Do one of the following:

Option-drag in the value field.

Option-click the left arrow to decrease a value, or Option-click the right arrow to increase

a value.

If you have a mouse with a scrollwheel, Option-scroll in the value field.

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To change values in coarse increments

Do one of the following:

Shift-drag in the value field.

Shift-click the left arrow to decrease a value, or Shift-click the right arrow to increase a

value.

If you have a mouse with a scrollwheel, Shift-scroll in the value field.

When a value slider or value field is active (highlighted), press Tab to move to the next field.

Using Timecode Value Sliders

Soundtrack Pro uses timecode value sliders for timecode entry fields. In addition to being able to enter timecode values directly, you are able to scrub the timecode value by dragging.

If you place the pointer over a segment of the timecode, small arrows appear above and below that segment.

You can drag up or to the right to increase the value in that segment (values in segments to the left also increment if your dragging causes the selected segment to roll over). Dragging to the left or down decreases the value. You can hold down the Option key to make the value changes slower or the Shift key to make them faster.

Alternatively, you can click the up and down arrows on each side of the timecode value or press the keyboard’s Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease the timecode value.

You can control which segment is affected by the up and down arrows by selecting a segment so that a caret (^) appears below the segment. You can also use the keyboard’s Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys to select other segments.

Scrubbing Audio

You can scrub a multitrack project in the Timeline or scrub an audio file project in the File Editor. Scrubbing the project lets you hear the audio at the playhead position as you drag the playhead, so you can find a particular sound or event in the audio file.

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You can scrub audio using either the Scrub tool or the playhead. For information about

MIDI Sync

Go to Beginning

Play

Next Frame

Record

Cycle

Play from Beginning

Previous Frame

Go to End

scrubbing, see Scrubbing Audio Files.

Scrubbing Video

In projects containinga video file, the video scrubs in the Video tab in sync withthe audio as you scrub in the Timeline or the File Editor tab.

As you drag audio clips, markers, envelope points, or other items in the Timeline or the File Editor tab, the video scrubs at the start point of the item being dragged. Dragging multiple items scrubs the video at the start point of the item under the pointer.

You can use the Multipoint Video HUD as a visual tool for precisely positioning sound effects and other audio clips in a video program. For more information, see Scrubbing

and Spotting with the Multipoint Video HUD.

Controlling Playback with the Transport Controls

You use the transport controls to control playback of your project. The transport controls let you set the playhead to various points in time, start and stop playback, activate the cycle region, and start a recording session to record your own audio.

• Record button: Starts recording at the playhead position on the track or tracks you have enabled for recording. If no track is enabled, a new track is created when recording starts.

• Play fromBeginning button: Starts playback from the position of the last playback start. Playback begins immediately, whether the project is playing or is stopped when you click the button.

• Previous Frame button: Moves the playhead backward by one frame.

• Play button: Starts playing back the project from the current playhead position. Clicking the Play button again stops playback at the current playhead position.

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• Next Frame button: Moves the playhead forward by one frame.

• Go to End button: Sets the playhead to the closest of the following items to the right of the playhead: the end of the cycle region, the position of the last playback stop, or the end of the project.

• Cycle button: If a cycle region is set, clicking the Cycle button toggles whether the cycle region is active or inactive. If no cycle region is set, clicking the Cycle button sets the project to repeat from the beginning when the playhead reaches the end of the project. For information on setting the cycle region, see Working with the Cycle Region.

• MIDI Sync button: Synchronizes playback with incoming MIDI Clock andMIDI Timecode (MTC) signals.

Controlling Playback Using Keyboard Shortcuts

There are a number of keyboard shortcuts you can use to control playback of your project. To use keyboard shortcuts, the pointer cannot be in a text field.

• Space bar: Plays back the project from the current playhead position. If the project is playing, pressing the Space bar stops project playback. This is equivalent to clicking the Play button.

• Return: Sets the playhead to the closest of the following items to the left of the playhead: the beginning of the last playback start, the beginning of the cycle region, or the beginning of the project. This is equivalent to clicking the Go to Beginning button.

• Shift–Return: Sets the playhead to the closest of the following items to the left of the playhead: the beginning of the last playback start, the beginning of the cycle region, or the beginning of the project, and starts playback if it is stopped. This is equivalent to clicking the Start from Beginning button.

• Option–Right Arrow or Option–Left Arrow: Moves the playhead forward/backward by one gridline.

• Right Arrowor Left Arrow: Moves the playhead forward/backward by the current nudge amount. For information on how to set the nudge amount, see Nudge Amount and

Project Preferences.

For more tips on keyboard shortcuts for playback, see Using the J, K, and L Keys for

Shuttling. For a complete list of Soundtrack Pro keyboard shortcuts, see Soundtrack Pro Keyboard Shortcuts.

Locating and Adding Audio Files

You can locate audio files to use in a project using the media tabs, or drag files from the Finder. There are three media tabs for locating audio files: the Browser, Favorites, and Search tabs. You can also store media files for a project in the Bin for easy access in a project. The Bin also features a search function to help you locate an item in any open project.

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Using the Browser to Locate Files

Double-click a folder to view items inside.

The Browser tab shows the hard disks and other storage media connected to your computer and lets you browse through the file hierarchy to find audio files located on disk.

To locate audio files using the Browser

Double-click a volume or folder in the Browser to view its contents.

You can move back through the previous locations in the Browser using the Forward and Back buttons or through the levels of the file hierarchy using the Path pop-up menu.

Using Favorites to Locate Files

Favorites let you store frequently used file locations, so that you can access them directly. You can add and remove Favoritesfrom the Media pop-up menu at the lower-right corner of the Favorites tab.

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To locate audio files in Favorites

Double-click an item to open it.

Double-click the disk or folder you want to open.

You can move back through the previous locations in the Favorites tab using the Forward and Back buttons or through the levels of the file hierarchy using the Path pop-up menu.

Search Views

Using Search, you can search for media files to add to your project. Search has two views—Column view and Button view. You choose which view to display by clicking the Columns View or Button View button in the upper-left area of the window. In both views, the files matching your search criteria appear in the Search Results area, along with columns displaying additional information for tagged files. You can sort these columns by clicking the heading on top of each column. You can also perform text searches in both views, and refine your searches.

If you use Apple Loops or other tagged audio files in a project, you can search based on a variety of criteria, including musical instrument, genre, time signature, mood descriptor, and scale type. You can also search using specific keywords.

To search for items

Click the Search tab.

The Search tab becomes active.

Searching for Files in Column View

In Column view, the upper area of the Search tab displays two columns: Keywords shows the categories of files that meet the search criteria, and Matches shows the total number of matching files and any subcategories containing matching files, with the number of matching files in each.

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Clicking a keyword displays the files matching that keyword in the Search Results area.

Search Text field

You can refine your search results by narrowing the criteria using the subcategories in the Matches column.

To search for files in Column view

1 Choose the type of keywords to display in the Keywords list from the Keywords pop-up

menu.

You can use the Time Signature and Scale Type pop-up menus to restrict matches by those categories.

2 Select a keyword in the Keywords list to display matching files in the Search Results area.

The hints, tempo, key, and number of beats for each matching file are also displayed.

You can also perform text searches, which can be especially helpful for non-tagged files. When you type text in the Search Text field, any files with the text in their file path or filename appear in the Search Results list. The number of files appears in the Matches column under “No Category.”

To search using the Search Text field

Enter text in the Search Text field.

As you type, files matching the characters you type appear in the Search Results field.

Refining a Search in Column View

There are several ways you can refine your searches in Column view. You can select items in the Matches column to add the matching files for each category to the search results, and you can enter text in the Search Text field to narrow your search to files that include the text in their file path. Selecting multiple keywords in the Keywords list narrows the search results to files matching all the selected keywords.

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To refine your search using the Matches column

Click a match category to refine your search.

These are files that match the category selected above.

Search Text field

Click to select a match category, or Command-click to select multiple match categories.

To refine your search by selecting multiple keywords

Shift-click to select adjacent keywords, or Command-click to select nonadjacent keywords.

Searching for Files in Button View

In Button view, the upper area of the Search tab displays a grid of buttons, each of which is labeled with a keyword. The keywords displayed are determined by the Keywords pop-up menu; the choices are Music Beds, Instruments, Genre, Descriptors, and Custom. The keywords for each choice are fixed and appear whether or not matching files for the keyword exist. Keywords for which no matching files exist are dimmed.

To search for files in Button view

1 Choose the type of keywords to display on the keyword buttons from the Keywords

pop-up menu.

2 You can optionally use the File Type, Time Signature, and Scale Type pop-up menus to

restrict matches by those categories.

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3 Click a keyword button to display matching files in the Search Results area.

Click a button to display the matching files in the Search Results area.

Search Text field

To search by file path or filename

Enter text in the Search Text field.

As you type, files matching the characters you type appear in the Search Results field.

Refining a Search in Button View

There are several ways you can refine your searches in Button view. You can select multiple keyword buttons to narrow your search results to files matching all the selected keywords, and you can enter text in the Search Text field to narrow your search to files that include the text in their file path.

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To refine your search using multiple keywords

These are files that match both of the keywords selected above.

Select additional keywords to refine your search.

Choose Custom from this pop-up menu.

Control-click a button, then choose the desired keyword from the submenu.

Click multiple keyword buttons.

Adding Custom Keywords

You can add custom keywords, which appear in the Keywords list in Column view and on the keyword buttons in Button view. Custom keywords can be added only in Button view.

To add a custom keyword

1 Choose Custom from the Keyword Type pop-up menu.

2 Control-click one of the buttons in the grid, then choose a custom keyword from the

shortcut menu.

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Adding a Directory to the Search Database

Click here to display the Setup dialog.

Click the Add Directory button, then select a directory to add.

Click here to index the directory.

Search looks through all indexed directories (volumes and folders) for files that match your search criteria. Before a file can appear in Search, you must add the directory containing the file to the Search database and index the directory.

Note: The Search database does not update automatically. If you add files to an indexed directory, you must index the directory again before the files will appear in the Search tab.

To add a directory to the Search database

1 Click the Setup button at the top of the Search tab.

2 In the Setup dialog, click the Add Directory button.

3 In the file dialog, navigate to the directory you want to add, then click Open.

The directory appears in the list in the Setup dialog. You can resize the Search dialog if you need to see more items in the list.

4 Select the directory in the list, then click the Index Now button.

Note: Indexing a large collection of files may take several minutes. The bottom of the Add Directory dialog displays the progress of the directory being indexed. If you need to interrupt the indexing process, click the Stop Indexing button. You can re-index the directory later. You can deselect items you do not wish to re-index.

5 When Soundtrack Pro is finished indexing the directory, click Done to return to the Search

tab.

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Removing a Directory from the Search Database

Click the Remove Directory button to remove the selected directory.

If you move or change your collection of audio files, you can remove a folder from the Search database. Removing unneeded folders from the database can shorten search times and eliminate extraneous results.

To remove a folder from the Search database

1 Click the Setup button at the top of the Search tab.

2 In the Setup dialog, select the directory you want to remove, then click the Remove

Directory button.

3 Click Done to return to the Search tab.

Once you have added the folders containing your audio files to the Search database and indexed them, you can use Search to find the files. In both Column view and Button view, the audio files that match the search criteria appear in the Search Results area in alphabetical order. You can preview files in the File list and drag them to the Timeline. You can also add a folder to your Favorites from the Search tab.

About the Bin

The Bin is a hierarchical list of all of the items in each open project. You can also add files to the Bin for easy access at a later time. Files appear in the Bin alphabetically by project and hierarchically within each project.

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The items in the Bin are organized by project. In this hierarchy, projects contain media files, and media files contain clips.

ContentsDescriptionObjects

Projects

Clips

Projects make up the top level of the hierarchy. You can view multiple projects at once.

Audio and video source filesMedia files

ten different times in the Timeline, it will have ten clips nested in the Bin.

Media files Project markers

Clips Markers (File Editor only)

NoneIf the source media file is used

To add a file to the Bin

Do one of the following:

Drag the file from the Finder to the Bin.

Drag the file from the Browser, Favorites, or Search tab to the Bin.

Viewing and Editing Projects in the Bin

The Bin can display the following categories of information:

• Audio clip information: Looping, transposition, and so on

• File information: Timecode, sample rate, file size, and so on

• Timeline information: Duration, position, and so on

• Metadata tags: Author, copyright, and so on

• Music information: Beats, key, and so on

• iXML information: Project, scene, take, tape, and so on

To control the display of information categories in the Bin

Choose a category from the Columns pop-up menu.

Searching Bin Information

You can search across all information displayed in the Bin. Matching text and numbers from any of the fields causes that item to appear in the list.

To search information categories in the Bin

1 Click the Bin’s Search field.

2 Enter the search text.

3 Press Return.

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Using the Shortcut Menu and the Media Pop-Up Menu in the Bin

You can use the shortcut menu and the Media pop-up menu in the Bin for a variety of tasks. One of the most common tasks involves removing unused items from a project. This simple step will keep the media associated with a project to a minimum. You can also rename clips, markers, and podcast region markers that you’ve selected in the Bin.

To use the shortcut menu or the Media pop-up menu to affect an entire project

1 Select a project file in the Bin.

2 Do one of the following:

• Control-click the item, then choose Remove Unused from the shortcut menu.

• Choose Remove Unused from the Media pop-up menu.

To use the shortcut menu or the Media pop-up menu to affect an individual item in the Bin

1 Select an item in the Bin.

2 Do one of the following:

• Choose an option from the Media pop-up menu.

• Control-click the item, then choose an option from the shortcut menu.

The following are options available from the shortcut menu when you Control-click an item in the Bin:

• Show in Timeline: Selects the corresponding clip in the Timeline.

• Spot to Timeline: Spots the clip to the Timeline with the Spot to Timecode dialog.

• Spot to Playhead: Spots the clip to the playhead position in the Timeline.

• Open in Editor: Opens the file in the File Editor project view.

• Reconnect: Allows you to locate and reconnect any offline files.

• Rename: Selects the item in the Bin so that you can enter a new name.

• Reveal in Browser: Selects the item in the Browser tab.

• Show in Finder: Selects the item in the Finder.

• Replace Selected Clips with: Replaces the clip with a clip of your choosing.

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Bin Column Information

The following list describes the contents of the various Bin columns. Many Bin columns change their display style to match the settings of the dominant ruler (such as drop frame, non-drop frame, and so on). Much of this information can also be seen in the Details tab. For more information about the iXML metadata specification, see the iXML website at

http://ixml.info.

• Name: Displays the icon and name for the various objects (projects, files, clips, markers, and podcast marker regions).

• Position: Displays the position of the object, in the dominant ruler setting. Displays values for projects, clips, markers, and podcasts. Some items do not have a position. Others do not always display a position. (For example, a multitrack document only shows the position when the Initial Timecode value in the Project tab has been changed from the default 0 value.)

• Duration: Displays the duration information for projects, files, clips, markers, and podcasts.

• Track name: Lists the current track name for audio clips.

• Offset: Shows the slip offset value: the difference between the start of the original file and the start of the clip (using the dominant ruler setting). Clips that start from the beginning show 0; others have a positive time value.

• Sample rate: Shows the native sample rate of the item, in Hz (projects, files, and clips).

• Timecode: This is the embedded timecode of the file, if present (in the dominant ruler setting). Displays the initial timecode for items (projects, files, clips).

• Channels: The number of channels in the item (files, clips)

• Takes: The number of takes in the item (files, clips)

• File size: The disk size of the item (projects, files)

• Path: The path to the item on disk (projects, files)

• Annotation: Displays annotation metadata (projects, files, clips).

• Author: Displays author metadata (projects, files, clips).

• Copyright: Displays copyright metadata (projects, files, clips).

• Tempo: The tempo of the item, in beats per minute (projects, files, clips)

• Time Signature: Displays time signature data (projects, files, clips).

• Key: Displays the musical key of the item, being the letter (A, A#, B, and so on), or None (projects, files, clips).

• Scale: Displays musical scale type (projects, files, clips).

• Looping: Indicates a looping file with Yes or No (files, clips).

• Beats: Displays the number of beats in the file (projects, files, clips).

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• Instrument: Displays instrument type, from Apple Loops tagged information (files, clips).

Select an audio file in the Search tab to preview it.

• Genre: Displays genre name, from Apple Loops tagged information (files, clips).

• Hint Quality: Displays the quantitative display of the amount of information saved in the file—keywords, beat information, and transients (files, clips).

• Project: Displays iXML project data.

• Scene: Displays iXML scene data.

• Take: Displays iXML take data.

• Tape: Displays iXML tape data.

• Circled: Displays whether the take is marked as circled in the iXML metadata.

• Ch. Index: Lists the channels as indicated by the iXML metadata.

• Ch. Name: Lists the names of the channels indicated by the iXML metadata.

• Note: Displays the contents of the iXML note field.

Previewing Audio Files

You can preview files in the Bin or any of the media tabs. When you preview files, Soundtrack Pro matches the sample rate of the file to the project sample rate. When you preview looping files, Soundtrack Pro matches their tempo and key to the project tempo and key.

To preview an audio file

Select the file in the Bin or any of the media tabs.

The selected file starts playing. If the project is playing when you preview a file, Soundtrack Pro starts playback of the previewed file on the downbeat of the next measure of the project. You can turn preview playback on and off by holding down Option and pressing the Space bar.

Audio files tagged as loops play back repeatedly when previewed. You can control the playback of the file being previewed using the preview controls. You can only preview one audio file at a time.

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Using the Preview Controls

Play button

Preview on selection button

Media pop-up menu

Volume slider

The preview area at the bottom of the Bin and the media tabs contains controls you can use when previewing audio files.

• Play button: Starts playback of the preview file. If the file is playing, stops playback.

• Volume slider: Sets the playback volume of the preview file.

• Preview onselection button: When activated, triggers immediate playbackof the selected clip.

• Media pop-up menu: Choose whether to add the file to Favorites, add to the bin, spot to the playhead, spot to the timeline, open it in the File Editor, or reveal it in the Finder.

To preview an audio file with a project

1 Click the Play button in the transport controls to play the project.

2 When the project reaches the point in time where you want to hear the preview file,

select the file in the Search tab.

To preview a file without the project (solo)

1 If the project is playing, click the Stop button in the transport controls to stop playback

of the project.

2 Select the file in the Search tab to preview the file.

You can also preview a video file using the preview controls. For information about previewing a video file, see Playing the Video.

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Viewing File and Clip Information

You can view information in the Details tab about audio and video files and clips in the Bin, the media tabs, and the Timeline. When you select a file or clip in the Bin, the media tabs, or the Timeline, the Details tab displays the file path and other information about the item.

For a complete description of the items listed in the Details tab, see Details Tab and

Editing Clip and Track Properties.

Note: The information that is displayed depends on whether or not the file is tagged. Untagged files may not display information for all categories.

Playing Projects

You can play both multitrack and audio file projects as you work, so you can hear the audio in the project along with the changes you’ve made.

To play the project

Click the Play button in the transport controls (or press the Space bar). Click the Play

button (or press the Space bar) again to stop playback.

As the project plays, the playhead shows the point in the project currently playing.

To play the project from the beginning of the last playback start

Click the Play from Beginning button in the transport controls (or press Shift-Return).

As the project plays, the playhead shows the point in the project currently playing.

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Soundtrack Pro lets you set the playhead and control playback of your projects in several

Drag the playhead where you want it or click in the Timeline.

Drag the playhead where you want it or click in the waveform display.

different ways. You can use the transport controls or keyboard commands to start and stop playback and set the playhead to different points in time. You can also set a cycle region to repeat playback of a specific part of the project.

Setting the Playhead Quickly

The playhead appears as a thin black line running vertically through the Timeline in multitrack projects, and through the waveform display in audio file projects. Where it crosses the Time ruler, thetop of the playhead hasa triangular handle thatmakes it easier to see its position onscreen and drag the playhead.

To set the playhead

Do one of the following:

Click anywhere in the Timeline (in a multitrack project) or the File Editor (in an audio file

project) to set the playhead to that position.

Note: You can set Soundtrack Pro to require a click in the Ruler to move the playhead. For more information, see General Preferences.

Drag the triangular handle at the top of the playhead to the position you want to set it.

As you drag the playhead, you hear the audio at the current playhead position.

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When you set the playhead, it snaps to the nearest Snap To position if snapping is turned

Enter a time position in the Time area.

Enter a beat position in the Beats area.

on. For information on setting the Snap To value, see Using Snapping. You can also set the playhead by using the transport controls or the Playhead Location value slider.

Note: If you click the Time ruler, you may accidentally activate the cycle region. Press Option-X to remove the cycle region. Press C to turn the cycle region on or off. For more information about using the cycle region, see Working with the Cycle Region.

Setting the Playhead Using the Time Display

When a project is playing, the Time display constantly updates to show the current position of the playhead in both Time-based and Beats-based formats. You can also set the playhead to a new position by entering the position in the Time display.

The arrangementof the Time-based and Beats-based positions in the Time display changes depending on the time format of the project. The position matching the time format of the project appears in large, white numerals in the upper part of the Time display, and the other position appears below it in smaller, gray numerals. Each position is labeled for quick visual recognition.

For information on setting the project time format, see Setting Project Properties.

To set the playhead using the Time display

Select either the Time or Beats position in the Time display, then enter a new position.

You can select the entire position or part of the position.

Entering Time-Based Units

When you set the playhead by entering a Time-based position in the Time display, you don’t need to enter all of the punctuation. Soundtrack Pro automatically adds the correct punctuation for the format of the Time display.

If you enter a partial number, Soundtrack Pro formats it with the rightmost pair of numbers as frames and with each successive pair of numbers to the left as seconds, minutes, and hours. Numbers omitted from a complete time position are interpreted as zeros. For best results, always enter delimiters to separate each division of time.

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For example:

• If you enter 01234321: Soundtrack Pro interprets it as 01:23:43;21. This stands for 1 hour, 23 minutes, 43 seconds, and 21 frames.

• If you enter 01.23: Soundtrack Pro interprets it as 00:00:01;23. This stands for 1 second and 23 frames.

You can select only part of the position in the Time display and enter a new number for that position. For example, you can select only seconds, or minutes and seconds. The other categories keep their present values. You can enter a time position in timecode format, in a way similar to the way you enter timecode in Final Cut Pro.

Entering Beats-Based Units

When you set the playhead by entering a Beats-based position in the Time display, you enter periods between numbers to separate measures, beats, and beat divisions. Soundtrack Pro fills out the digits in the beat division category with zeros.

For example:

• If you enter 123: Soundtrack Pro interprets it as 123.1.000. This stands for the 123rd measure, 1st beat, with no added beat divisions.

• If you enter 12.3: Soundtrack Pro interprets it as 12.3.000. This stands for the 12th measure, the 3rd beat, with no added beat divisions.

• If youenter 1.2.3: Soundtrack Pro interprets it as 1.2.300. This stands for the 1st measure, the 2nd beat, and 300/1000 of a beat (because each beat division is 1/1000 of a beat).

You can select only part of the position in the Time display and enter a new number for that position. For example, you can select only measures, or measures and beats. The other categories keep their present values.

Setting the Playhead Using the Playhead Location Value Slider

Below and to the left of the transport controls is the Playhead Location value slider. When a project is playing, the Playhead Location value slider constantly updates to show the current position of the playhead. You can set the playhead by entering a new position in the Playhead Location value slider.

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Using Snapping

When you move and resize clips in the Timeline, or select part of an audio file in the File Editor, you usually want them to start and end at a specific point in time. To synchronize clips with a video, you may want to position them in line with a specific frame. In a music-based project, you may want to align clips with measures and beats. Soundtrack Pro includes a snapping feature that causes clips, the playhead, and other items in the Timeline and File Editor to “snap” to the nearest Snap To position.

Snapping applies to the following operations:

• Dragging audio clips to the Timeline

• Moving audio clips

• Resizing audio clips

• Setting the playhead

• Setting the cycle region

• Inserting markers

• Moving markers

• Selecting Timeslices

• Adding envelope points

• Moving envelope points

• Moving crossfade edges

You can use snapping to ensure that audio clips are synchronized to a measure or beat, that they begin playing back at a precise point in time, and that they are precisely aligned with other clips in the Timeline.

When you turn on snapping, the item you are moving snaps to the nearest Snap To position in the Timeline. The available Snap To values depend on the time format of the project.

For projects set to Time-based format, the available Snap To values are:

• Ruler ticks

• Seconds

• Frames

• Clips on Adjacent Tracks

• Markers

For projects set to Beats-based format, the available Snap To values are:

• Ruler ticks

• 1/4 notes

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• 1/8 notes

• 1/16 notes

• 1/32 notes

• 1/64 notes

• Markers

• Clips on Adjacent Tracks

To turn snapping on

Choose View > Snap (or press N).

A checkmark next to the menu item indicates that snapping is turned on. Choose View > Snap again to turn snapping off.

To set the Snap To value

Choose View > Snap To, then choose a value from the submenu.

You can temporarily reverse the current snapping state while you work in the Timeline.

When snapping is turned on and Markers is chosen in the Snap To submenu, clips in the Timeline snap to the playhead as well as to markers.

To temporarily reverse the snapping state

Select the item in the Timeline, then hold down the Command key as you drag the item.

If snapping is turned on, Command-dragging lets you move the item without having it snap to the nearest Snap To position. If snapping is turned off, the item snaps to the nearest Snap To position. When you release the Command key, items moved in the Timeline follow the normal snapping state.

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Apple Soundtrack Pro 3 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Welcome to Soundtrack Pro

About Soundtrack Pro

About the Soundtrack Pro Documentation

Additional Resources

Setting Up Your System

System Considerations

Processor Speed and RAM

Hard Disks

Setting the Audio Input and Output

Audio MIDI Setup

Adding Audio Units Plug-ins to Your Computer

Connecting Equipment

Video and Audio Input and Output Devices

Video Device

Audio Device

Video and Audio Interfaces

External Audio and Video Monitoring

External Audio Speakers and Monitors

Setting Up a Proper Audio Monitoring Environment

Amplifiers

Mixers

Control Surfaces

External Video Monitors

Example Hardware Setups

Setup with Powered Speakers

Setup with a USB Audio Interface

Setup with a FireWire Interface and a Control Surface

Setup with a Video Output Device

Setup with a PCI Express Video Interface Card with Breakout Box

Setup for Stereo Mixing

Setup for Surround Mixing

The Soundtrack Pro Interface

Soundtrack Pro Window Organization

Showing and Hiding the Panes

Showing and Hiding Tabs

Rearranging Tabs

Project Pane

Toolbar

Transport Controls

Timeline

File Editor

Mixer

Multitake Editor

Conform

Meters Tab

Recording Tab

Browser

Search Tab

Favorites Tab

Video Tab

Project Tab

Details Tab

File and Clip Details

Marker Details

Envelope Point Details

File Editor Selection Details

Effects Tab

Tracks Tab

Actions Tab

Analysis Tab

HUDs

Sound Palette HUD

Timecode HUD

Multipoint Video HUD

Basics of Working in Soundtrack Pro

About Multitrack and Audio File Projects

Multitrack Projects

Audio File Projects

Supported Audio File Formats

Supported Video File Formats

About Looping and Non-Looping Files

Setting Up Your Workspace

Basic Window Controls

Using Tabs

Using Project Layouts