BIAS Peak - 2.6 User Manual

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Software User’s Guide

Version 2.6

Berkley Integrated Audio Software, Inc.

1370 Industrial Ave., Suite A

Petaluma, CA 94952

707.782.1866

http://www.bias-inc.com

BIAS Technical Support

707.782.1866

Monday-Friday 9AM–5PM PST

[email protected]

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BY INSTALLING AND USING THE PROVIDED SOFTWARE, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BECOME BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, WHICH INCLUDES THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AND THE SOFTWARE DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY (collectively the "Agreement"). CLICK "QUIT" ON THE FOLLOWING DIALOG IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS AGREEMENT. THIS AGREEMENT CONSTITUTES THE COMPLETE AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND BIAS, INC. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT USE THE SOFTWARE ON THE DISKS INCLUDED IN THIS PACKAGE AND PROMPTLY RETURN THE UNOPENED PACKAGE AND THE OTHER MATERIALS (INCLUDING WRITTEN MATERIALS, BINDERS OR OTHER CONTAINERS) THAT ARE PART OF THIS PRODUCT TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU OBTAINED THEM FOR A FULL REFUND.

BIAS SOFTWARE LICENSE

1. GRANT OF LICENSE. In consideration of payment of the LICENSE fee, which is part of the price you paid for this product, BIAS, as Licensor, grants to you, the LICENSEE, a nonexclusive right to use and display this copy of a BIAS software program (hereinafter the "SOFTWARE") an a single COMPUTER (i.e., with a single CPU) at a single location. BIAS reserves all rights not expressly granted to LICENSEE.

2. OWNERSHIP OF SOFTWARE. As the LICENSEE, you own the magnetic or other physical media on which the SOFTWARE is originally or subsequently recorded or fixed, but BIAS retains title and ownership of the SOFTWARE recorded on the original disk copy(ies) and all subsequent copies of the SOFTWARE, regardless of the form or media on which the original and other copies may exist. This License is not a sale of the original SOFTWARE or any copy.

3. COPY RESTRICTIONS. This SOFTWARE and the accompanying written materials are copyrighted. Unauthorized copying of the SOFTWARE, including SOFTWARE that has been modified, merged, or included with other software, or of the written materials is expressly forbidden. You may be held legally responsible for any copyright infringement that is caused or encouraged by your failure to abide by the

terms of this License. Subject to these restrictions, and if the SOFTWARE is not copy-protected, you may make one (1) copy of the SOFTWARE solely for backup purposes. You must reproduce and include the copyright notice on the backup copy.

4. USE RESTRICTIONS. As the LICENSEE, you may physically transfer the SOFTWARE from one computer to another provided that the SOFTWARE is used on only one computer at a time. You may not electronically transfer the SOFTWARE from one computer to another over a network. You may not distribute copies of the SOFTWARE or accompanying written materials to others. You may not modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or create derivative works based on the SOFTWARE. You may not modify, adapt, translate, or create derivative works based on the written materials without the prior written consent of BIAS.

5. TRANSFER RESTRICTIONS. This SOFTWARE is licensed only to you, the LICENSEE, and may not be transferred to anyone without the prior written consent of BIAS. Any authorized transferee of the SOFTWARE shall be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement. In no event may you transfer, assign, rent, lease, sell, or otherwise dispose of the SOFTWARE on a temporary or permanent basis except as expressly provided herein.

6. TERMINATION. This License is effective until terminated. This License will terminate automatically without notice from BIAS if you fail to comply with any provision of this License. Upon termination you shall destroy the written materials and all copies of the SOFTWARE, including modified copies, if any.

7. UPDATE POLICY. BIAS may create, from time to time, updated versions of the SOFTWARE. At its option, BIAS will make such updates available to the LICENSEE and transferees who have paid the update fee and registered the software with BIAS.

8. MISCELLANEOUS. This Agreement is governed by the law of the State of California.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY AND LIMITED WARRANTY THE SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS (INCLUDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE)

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ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. FURTHER, BIAS DOES NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE, OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE, OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE, OF THE SOFTWARE OR WRITTEN MATERIALS IN TERMS OF CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, CURRENTNESS, OR OTHERWISE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS ASSUMED BY YOU, AND NOT BIAS OR ITS DEALERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AGENTS, OR EMPLOYEES, YOU AGREE TO ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION. BIAS warrants to the original LICENSEE that the disk(s) on which the SOFTWARE is recorded is free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of delivery as evidenced by a copy of the receipt and. Further, BIAS hereby limits the duration of any implied warranty(ies) on the disk to the respective periods stated above. Some states do not allow limitations on duration of an implied warranty, so the above limitation may not apply to you. BIAS' entire liability and your exclusive remedy as to disk(s) shall be, at BIAS' option, either (a) return of the purchase price or (b) replacement of the disk that does not meet BIAS' Limited Warranty and which is returned to BIAS with a copy of the receipt. If failure of the disk has resulted from accident, abuse, or misapplication, BIAS shall have no responsibility to replace the disk or refund the purchase price. Any replacement disk will be warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer. THE ABOVE ARE THE ONLY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, THAT ARE MADE BY BIAS CONCERNING THE BIAS PRODUCT. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY BIAS, ITS DEALERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AGENTS, OR EMPLOYEES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY, AND YOU MAY NOT RELY ON ANY SUCH INFORMATION

OR ADVICE. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE. NEITHER BIAS NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THIS PRODUCT SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, AND THE LIKE) ARISING SUCH DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. This Disclaimer of Warranty and Limited Warranty is governed by the laws of the State of California.

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS

The SOFTWARE and documentation is provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (b)(3)(ii) of The Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at

252.227-7013. Contractor/manufacturer is BIAS (Berkley Integrated Audio Software), Inc/1370 Industrial Avenue, Suite A, Petaluma, CA 94952. Should you have any questions concerning this Agreement, or if you desire to contact BIAS for any reason, please contact in writing: BIAS Customer Sales and Service, 1370 Industrial Ave., Suite A, Petaluma, CA 94952. Credits: Peak Software: Steve Berkley

Time Compression/Expansion Software: Earl Vickers (aka The Sound Guy™)

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ASIO and VST are trademarks of Steinberg Software und Hardware GmbH.

CDDB-Enabled, CDDB, CDDB2 and the CDDB Logo are trademarks of CDDB, Inc. Disc Recognition Service and DRS are service marks of CDDB, Inc.

IDR dithering and noise-shaping technology licensed from K.S. Waves Ltd.

User’s Guide: Steve Berkley, Bruce Bennett, Montara Creative Group, Ray Brunelle, and Heather Perkins

Package Design: Montara Creative Group

Special Thanks to: J. Mark Andrus, Michael Barrett, Robbie Berman, Bruce Bennett, Ray Brunelle, Andrew Calvo, Will Carpmill, Chris Clanin, Luke DeLalio, Dennie Edwards, Tom Erbe, Terje Finstad, Daniel Fisher, Kelly Fitz, Mikail Grahm, Brian Hamilton, Tom Hays, Gary Hobish, Brent Hurtig, Matt Isaacson, Carson Kendall, Paul Korntheuer, peer landra, Jeremy J. Lee, Ray Legnini, Igor Len, Randy M., Jose Ignacio Martin, Christophe Masson, Riccardo Mazza, Ron Macleod, Peter McCabe, David McIntyre, Melvin & Milo Mole, Jeff Moore , Itai Neoran, NIN, Drayson Nowlan, Martin O'Donnell, Larry Oppenheimer, Heather Perkins, Dan Phillips, Scott Plunkett, Gene Porfido, Les Quindipan, Bob Rice, Brad Sarno, Arne Schulze, Seva, Eli Shauriki, Ronen Shloush, Craig Snoke, Alex Stahl, M. Stevens, Morten Stjernholm, Mark Tinley, Rudy Trubitt, Tsvika, Earl Vickers, Zac Wheatcroft, Charles Wiltgen, Michael Winter, Doug Wright, & Tsuyoshi Yasukawa.

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Contents

Chapter 1: Introducing Peak 3

Welcome! ............................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Peak Features:........................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Who Is Peak Designed For?................................................................................................................................................... 4

What’s New in Peak 2.6? ........................................................................................................................................................ 4

New in Peak 2.5 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Minimum System Requirements .......................................................................................................................................... 4

Maximizing Peak Performance.............................................................................................................................................. 5

About Your User’s Guide ...................................................................................................................................................... 5

About Peak LE ........................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Using Online Help ................................................................................................................................................................. 7

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Chapter 2: Installing and Configuring Peak 11

Installing Peak ........................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Authorization ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Making Audio Connections .................................................................................................................................................. 12

PCI and PCMCIA Audio Cards ................................................................................................................................................................. 13

Using the Inputs and Outputs of a Third-Party Audio Card .................................................................................................................. 14

ASIO and DAE ........................................................................................................................................................................ 15

USB and Firewire Audio Interfaces ...................................................................................................................................... 15

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 15

Chapter 3: Peak Basics 19

Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................... 19

A Brief Explanation of Digital Audio..................................................................................................................................... 19

About Disk-Based Recording and Editing ............................................................................................................................20

Creating a New Peak Document........................................................................................................................................... 21

Opening Existing Audio Documents.................................................................................................................................... 21

Opening “Dual Mono” Files .................................................................................................................................................. 22

Dragging and Dropping Folders, Disks, and CD Audio Tracks .......................................................................................... 23

Saving and Closing Documents ............................................................................................................................................ 23

Using the Save As... and Save A Copy As... Commands ......................................................................................................................... 24

Peak Windows and Palettes .................................................................................................................................................. 25

Peak Audio Document Window .............................................................................................................................................................. 26

The Peak Cursor Palette ..........................................................................................................................................................................26

The Contents Palette ...............................................................................................................................................................................27

Setting Preferences................................................................................................................................................................ 27

Setting Peak’s Playback Parameters ........................................................................................................................................................ 28

Show Marker Time ................................................................................................................................................................................... 29

Auditioning ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 29

Blending ....................................................................................................................................................................................................30

Choosing Colors for the Audio Document Window.............................................................................................................................. 30

The Toolbar ............................................................................................................................................................................ 33

Quitting Peak ......................................................................................................................................................................... 34

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 35

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Chapter 4: Playback and Recording 39

Recording and Playback using the Apple Sound Manager ................................................................................................. 39

Preparing Peak for Recording ............................................................................................................................................... 39

Proper Levels for Recording .................................................................................................................................................................... 39

Record Settings ...................................................................................................................................................................... 40

The Record Dialog ................................................................................................................................................................ 43

Recording ............................................................................................................................................................................... 44

Importing a Track From an Audio CD (CD Audio Extraction) ........................................................................................... 45

ASIO ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 47

Installing ASIO Drivers .............................................................................................................................................................................47

Playback with ASIO................................................................................................................................................................ 47

Recording with ASIO ............................................................................................................................................................................... 48

Digidesign’s DAE ................................................................................................................................................................... 49

Configuring DAE ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 50

Special Notes for Digidesign systems equipped with an dedicated SCSI bus ..................................................................................... 50

Playback of audio documents using DAE with Peak ..............................................................................................................................50

Recording audio documents using DAE with Peak ............................................................................................................................... 50

Playing Audio with Peak ........................................................................................................................................................ 51

The Transport Buttons ............................................................................................................................................................................. 51

Triggering Playback of Multiple Audio Documents ............................................................................................................................... 52

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 52

Chapter 5: Editing 55

Editing Audio with Peak ........................................................................................................................................................ 55

The Audio Document Window............................................................................................................................................. 55

An Audio Waveform ................................................................................................................................................................................. 56

A Selection ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 57

A Marker.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 57

A Loop ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 58

Audio Between Adjacent Markers ........................................................................................................................................................... 58

Audio Info Area ........................................................................................................................................................................................58

Audio Info dialog ......................................................................................................................................................................................58

The Info Strip .........................................................................................................................................................................58

Cursor Location Display .......................................................................................................................................................................... 59

Progress Bar .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 59

Time Display ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 59

Meters ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59

Selecting Audio ...................................................................................................................................................................... 60

Auditioning Audio ................................................................................................................................................................. 61

Scrubbing ............................................................................................................................................................................... 61

Using Unlimited Undo and Redo ......................................................................................................................................... 63

Using the Edits Command to Undo a Series of Actions ........................................................................................................................ 63

Essential Editing Functions ...................................................................................................................................................64

Scratch Disks ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 64

Clearing the Clipboard to Reclaim Disk Space ...................................................................................................................................... 64

Cutting Audio ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 64

Deleting Audio .........................................................................................................................................................................................65

Copying Audio .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 65

Pasting Audio ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 65

Replacing Audio .......................................................................................................................................................................................66

Inserting Audio ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 66

Cropping a Selection ............................................................................................................................................................................... 66

New Document from Selection ...............................................................................................................................................................66

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Silencing a Selection ................................................................................................................................................................................ 66

Inserting Silence into a Document ......................................................................................................................................................... 67

Show Edits ............................................................................................................................................................................. 67

Using Crossfades and Blending to Smooth Edits ................................................................................................................ 67

Creating Fade-ins and Fade-outs .......................................................................................................................................... 69

Creating and Using Markers ................................................................................................................................................. 70

Creating Markers ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 71

Regions ................................................................................................................................................................................... 73

Creating Loops ...................................................................................................................................................................... 74

Crossfading Loops ................................................................................................................................................................. 75

Using Loop Surfer™ ............................................................................................................................................................. 77

Using the Guess Tempo and Threshold commands to find tempo .....................................................................................................78

Using the Loop Tuner ........................................................................................................................................................... 79

Exporting Regions ................................................................................................................................................................. 79

Editing QuickTime Soundtracks in Peak ............................................................................................................................. 81

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 82

Chapter 6: Playlists and CD Burning 85

Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................... 85

Regions ................................................................................................................................................................................... 85

Creating a Playlist .................................................................................................................................................................. 87

Modifying Playlist Events ......................................................................................................................................................................... 89

The Nudge Regions Dialog ...................................................................................................................................................................... 90

Applying Plug-In Effects to Playlist Events ........................................................................................................................... 90

Creating a New Audio Document from a Playlist ................................................................................................................ 91

Exporting the Playlist as a Text Document .......................................................................................................................... 91

Saving and Opening Playlists ................................................................................................................................................ 92

Burning Audio CDs from Peak Playlists ............................................................................................................................... 92

Peak’s Playlist and Toast ........................................................................................................................................................................... 92

Regions and the JAM Image file format .................................................................................................................................................. 93

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 93

Chapter 7: DSP 97

Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................... 97

Processing Audio with Peak’s DSP tools .............................................................................................................................. 97

Peak’s Audio Processing Tools .............................................................................................................................................. 97

Add ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 97

Amplitude Fit ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 98

Change Duration ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 98

Change Gain ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 99

Change Pitch ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 100

Convert Sample Rate ............................................................................................................................................................................... 100

Convolve ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 101

Crossfade Loop ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 101

Dither ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 102

Invert ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 102

Fade In & Fade Out ..................................................................................................................................................................................102

Find Peak .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 103

Gain Envelope .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 103

Loop Tuner ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 104

Mono To Stereo/Stereo To Mono ............................................................................................................................................................ 104

Mix ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 105

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Modulate ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 106

Normalize ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 106

Panner ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 107

Phase Vocoder .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 107

Rappify ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 108

Repair Click ...............................................................................................................................................................................................108

Repair Clicks ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 108

Remove DC Offset ....................................................................................................................................................................................110

Reverse Boomerang ................................................................................................................................................................................. 110

Reverse ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 110

Swap Channels ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 111

Threshold .................................................................................................................................................................................................111

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 112

Chapter 8: Plug-Ins 115

Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................... 115

Processing Audio with Premiere and AudioSuite Plug-Ins ................................................................................................. 115

Adobe Premiere Format Plug-Ins ......................................................................................................................................... 115

Installing Adobe Premiere Plug-ins ......................................................................................................................................................... 115

Premiere Plug-in Memory Settings ......................................................................................................................................................... 116

Premiere Plug-In Preview Time ............................................................................................................................................................... 116

RealTime Premiere Plug-In Processing ................................................................................................................................................... 117

Premiere Envelope ................................................................................................................................................................................... 117

TDM Plug-Ins ......................................................................................................................................................................... 118

Bouncing your TDM plug-in assignments .............................................................................................................................................. 119

Using TDM plug-ins with the Batch File Processor ...............................................................................................................................119

AudioSuite Plug-Ins ............................................................................................................................................................... 120

VST Plug-Ins ........................................................................................................................................................................... 120

Bouncing your VST plug-in assignments ................................................................................................................................................ 121

Recording though VST plug-ins .............................................................................................................................................................. 121

Using VST plug-in with the Batch File Processor ................................................................................................................................... 122

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 122

Chapter 9: Batch File Processor and Apple Events 125

Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................... 125

Batch File Processor .............................................................................................................................................................. 125

Peak’s Audio Librarian Tools ................................................................................................................................................. 128

Apple Events™ Support .......................................................................................................................................................................... 128

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 130

Chapter 10: Samplers 133

Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................... 133

Working with SMDI Samplers............................................................................................................................................... 133

SMDI Samplers supported in Peak ......................................................................................................................................................... 133

(at time of printing): ................................................................................................................................................................................ 133

SMDI Samplers ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 133

A note about the Yamaha A3000 ............................................................................................................................................................. 136

Working with the Roland S-760 Sampler ............................................................................................................................. 136

Working with AKAI samplers ................................................................................................................................................ 138

MIDI Sample Dump Standard .............................................................................................................................................. 139

MIDI Sample Dump Standard

Error Messages & Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................................................ 140

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Working with Ensoniq EPS16+ and ASR-10 Samplers ....................................................................................................... 141

How Samples are stored in Ensoniq Samplers ......................................................................................................................................141

Ensoniq Sampler Dialog Basics ............................................................................................................................................................... 142

Auditioning Wavesamples already in the Ensoniq Sampler .................................................................................................................. 143

Changing Parameters and Keyranges ..................................................................................................................................................... 143

Ensoniq List Menu ....................................................................................................................................................................................143

Ensoniq Info Menu ...................................................................................................................................................................................145

Ensoniq Options Menu ............................................................................................................................................................................ 145

Ensoniq Error Messages and Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................................................... 145

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 146

Chapter 11: Peak Menus 149

File Menu ............................................................................................................................................................................... 149

New ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 149

Open... ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 149

Close ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 150

Close All .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 150

Save ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 150

Save As... ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 151

Save A Copy As... ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 151

Import CD Track ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 151

Import Dual Mono ................................................................................................................................................................................... 152

Export Dual Mono .................................................................................................................................................................................... 152

Export Regions ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 152

Export as Text... ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 153

Batch Processor... ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 153

Recently Opened Documents ................................................................................................................................................................. 154

Quit ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 154

Edit Menu ............................................................................................................................................................................... 155

Undo ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 155

Redo .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 155

Edits... .......................................................................................................................................................................................................155

Cut ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 155

Copy .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 155

Paste .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 156

Replace ......................................................................................................................................................................................................156

Insert ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 156

Insert Silence ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 156

Silence ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 156

Delete ........................................................................................................................................................................................................156

Delete Except Audio ................................................................................................................................................................................ 156

Crop .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 156

Clear Clipboard ........................................................................................................................................................................................156

Select All ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 156

Insertion Point at Selection Start/End .................................................................................................................................................... 157

Set Selection ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 157

Select Loop ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 157

Previous Selection/Next Selection .......................................................................................................................................................... 157

Action Menu........................................................................................................................................................................... 157

Zoom Out ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 157

Zoom In .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 157

Increase Vertical Zoom ............................................................................................................................................................................ 158

Decrease Vertical Zoom ...........................................................................................................................................................................158

Fit Selection .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 158

Zoom Out All the Way.............................................................................................................................................................................. 158

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Zoom at Sample Level ............................................................................................................................................................................. 158

Zoom at Sample Level (End) ................................................................................................................................................................... 158

Snap Selection to Zeros ........................................................................................................................................................................... 158

Loop This Selection .................................................................................................................................................................................158

Nudge Loop Backward ............................................................................................................................................................................ 158

Nudge Loop Forward ............................................................................................................................................................................... 158

New Marker .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 158

New Region .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 159

Markers to Regions .................................................................................................................................................................................. 159

Nudge ........................................................................................................................................................................................................159

Go To .........................................................................................................................................................................................................160

Loop Surfer ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 160

Guess Tempo ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 160

Audio Menu ........................................................................................................................................................................... 161

Rewind ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 161

Play ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 161

Play Selection ............................................................................................................................................................................................161

Play w/Auditioning ................................................................................................................................................................................... 161

Pause ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 161

Stop ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 161

Stop & Extend Selection .......................................................................................................................................................................... 161

Fast-Forward ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 161

Record ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 161

Record Settings ........................................................................................................................................................................................162

SMPTE Sync .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 165

Arm External Sync .................................................................................................................................................................................... 165

Hardware Settings .................................................................................................................................................................................... 165

DSP Menu .............................................................................................................................................................................. 166

Convert Sample Rate ............................................................................................................................................................................... 168

Mono To Stereo/Stereo To Mono ............................................................................................................................................................ 169

Reverse Boomerang ................................................................................................................................................................................. 173

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Sampler Menu........................................................................................................................................................................ 174

Send to Sampler ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 174

Revert from Sampler ................................................................................................................................................................................ 174

Send All to Sampler ................................................................................................................................................................................. 174

Revert All from Sampler ........................................................................................................................................................................... 174

AKAI Sampler ............................................................................................................................................................................................174

Ensoniq Sampler Transfer ........................................................................................................................................................................ 174

Roland S-760 Sampler .............................................................................................................................................................................. 175

E-mu, Ensoniq ASR-X, Kurzweil, Peavey, Yamaha Sampler ...................................................................................................................175

SMDI Sampler ...........................................................................................................................................................................................175

MIDI SDS .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 175

Plug-Ins Menu ........................................................................................................................................................................ 176

Preference Menu ................................................................................................................................................................... 176

Time Units ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 176

Sample Units .............................................................................................................................................................................................176

Colors ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 176

Use Loop in Playback ............................................................................................................................................................................... 177

Scroll During Play ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 177

Move Waveform During Playback ........................................................................................................................................................... 177

Compute File Max dB .............................................................................................................................................................................. 177

Show Edits ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 177

Show Marker Times ................................................................................................................................................................................. 177

Show Overview ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 177

Auto-Import Dual Mono .......................................................................................................................................................................... 178

Audio Info ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 178

Dynamic Scrub Time ............................................................................................................................................................................... 179

Auto Snap To Zero ....................................................................................................................................................................................179

Fade In Envelope .....................................................................................................................................................................................179

Fade Out Envelope ..................................................................................................................................................................................179

Sampler... .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 180

DSP Preferences ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 180

Movie Sound Tracks ................................................................................................................................................................................. 180

Playback Preferences ................................................................................................................................................................................180

Plug-In Memory ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 181

Shortcuts & Toolbar ................................................................................................................................................................................. 181

Auto-Balloon Help ....................................................................................................................................................................................182

Speak Help ...............................................................................................................................................................................................182

Window Menu ....................................................................................................................................................................... 182

The Toolbar .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 182

The Peak Cursor Palette ..........................................................................................................................................................................183

The Contents Palette ...............................................................................................................................................................................183

Movie .........................................................................................................................................................................................................183

Playlist ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 183

Tile Windows ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 184

Stack Windows .........................................................................................................................................................................................184

Links Menu............................................................................................................................................................................. 184

Help Menu ............................................................................................................................................................................. 184

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Appendix 1: Keyboard Shortcuts and Actions 187

Keyboard Shortcuts ............................................................................................................................................................... 187

File ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 187

Edit ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 187

Action ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 188

Audio ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 188

Preference .................................................................................................................................................................................................188

Window ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 188

Peak Actions ........................................................................................................................................................................... 190

Useful Peak Actions, General................................................................................................................................................................... 190

Audio Document Window, General ........................................................................................................................................................190

Playback .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 190

Scrubbing .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 190

Selections ..................................................................................................................................................................................................190

Views ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 190

Markers, Loops, and Regions ..................................................................................................................................................................190

Loops ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 191

VST Plug-Ins .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 191

The Cursor Palette ................................................................................................................................................................................... 191

The Contents Palette ...............................................................................................................................................................................192

The Movie Window .................................................................................................................................................................................. 192

Appendix 2: Troubleshooting 193

Before Calling For Help ........................................................................................................................................................ 193

Typical Problems and Solutions ............................................................................................................................................ 193

Appendix 3: Encoding RealAudio, Shockwave and MP3 Files 199

RealAudio ............................................................................................................................................................................... 199

Options ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 200

ShockWave ............................................................................................................................................................................. 202

Encoding MP3 files ................................................................................................................................................................ 203

Glossary 207

Index 215

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Chapter 1 Introducing Peak

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Chapter 1:

Introducing Peak

Welcome!

BIAS Peak™ is an advanced audio application that provides superior tools for editing and processing digital audio on the Macintosh computer. Peak was specifically designed to meet the needs and demands of audio professionals. By combining high-quality direct-from-disk digital audio editing features with a lightning fast, completely nondestructive editing environment, Peak provides unsurpassed audio editing power, and makes a superb addition to multitrack audio applications programs such as BIAS Deck and Digidesign’s Pro Tools®. Peak also offers advanced sampler support, and works directly with many popular MIDI sampling keyboards and rackmount samplers.

Peak Features:

• Direct-to-disk recording and playback at all sample rates supported by the sound hardware on your Macintosh, or supported through third-party audio hardware

• User-configured waveform display

• Support for commonly used audio document

formats, including AIFF, Sound Designer II™, Red Book, QuickTime™, Wave, RealAudio™, Shockwave™, MPEG-3 (MP3), SUN .au, and System 7 Sound formats

• Completely nondestructive file-based editing with unlimited undo and redo

• Professional editing abilities, including userdefinable fade curves, silence, and complete support for cut/copy/paste with multiple undo

• By using an application that supports Apple Events, such as Filemaker Pro™ or HyperCard™,

you can catalog your Peak sound files and audition them from within the application

• Support for third-party digital audio hardware, such as the Digidesign™ or Mark of the Unicorn digital audio boards, through the Macintosh Sound Manager and ASIO

• Support for 8, 16, 24, and 32 bit audio files

• Support for playback and recording through Digidesign DAE™

• Support for third-party Adobe Premiere™,

AudioSuite™, TDM™, and VST™ Plug-Ins, allowing you to add advanced signal processing features to Peak. Plug-Ins from companies such as BIAS, Waves™, Arboretum™, and Cycling ‘74™ can be used to empower Peak with digital filtering, noise reduction, reverb, equalization, and other effects in real time

• The ability to create audio CDs from a Peak Playlists using Roxio Toast™, which is bundled with Peak

• SMPTE synchronization

• Sophisticated Tools for looping, including Loop

Surfer, Loop Tuner, and Guess Tempo

• Sampler Support

• Playlist editing and mastering

• Customizable Toolbar

• QuickTime Movie window with scrubbing

• Real Audio 5.0 support

™

Introducing Peak

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Who Is Peak Designed For?

Peak is designed for a wide variety of users, ranging from composers and multimedia producers to sound designers and remix editors. Peak’s comprehensive recording, editing, looping, and processing capabilities make it a powerhouse tool for virtually any aspect of digital audio production. If you are interested in sound and possess imagination and creativity, Peak is for you.

What’s New in Peak 2.6?

• Automatic truncatation of file names for audio documents created by Export Regions and Import CD if they are longer than 31 characters.

• And more!

New in Peak 2.5

Version 2.5 of Peak software presented several new features and enhancements, including:

• New user interface

• VST Plug-In Support for playback and recording

Version 2.6 of Peak software has several new features and enhancements, including:

• WAVES Audiotrack and Vbox SE VST plug-ins.

• Pressing control-arrow keys scrolls the audio

display left or right.

• Swap Channels DSP command to reverse the left and right channels in a stereo selection.

• Improved Edit Marker dialog, with more options for time units.

• Disable all VST plug-ins after bouncing.

• Compatible with DAE 5.1.

• Monitor ASIO devices through the Sound Manager.

• Option in the Import CD dialog to open files after

importing from CD.

• Flattening Quicktime movies when creating QuickTime files to play on both Macintosh and Windows operating systems.

• 160kbps and 192kbps MP3 and Shockwave export options.

• Allows aliases to point to the VstPlugIns folder, the ASIO Drivers folder, or the Peak Plug-Ins folder.

• Support for more third-party SCSI cards and Samplers

• Support for the CDDB™ online CD Data Base when using the Import CD Audio

• Dither

• Improved Guess Tempo

• Improved metering

• Single instance Repair Click

• Save A Copy As . . .

• New floppy-less, user-friendly registration and

authorization

Minimum System Requirements

To use Peak you will need:

• Any PowerPC-equipped Macintosh or PowerPCequipped PowerBook or G3/G4 Macintosh

• 64MB of RAM

• Sound Manager version 3.3 or later

• Macintosh System Software 7.6.1 or later (8.6

recommended)

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• QuickTime version 3.0.2 or later

network.

• QuickTime PowerPlug™ installed in the Extensions folder

• A hard drive with 18ms or faster average seek time

• A 13-inch or larger monitor (color is recom-

mended)

The optimal system for use with Peak software is a Power Macintosh with AV (Audio Visual) features and 32MB or more of RAM available to run Peak. The Peak application runs in native mode on Power Macintosh and G4 computers. Peak can also take advantage of ASIO and DAE compatible sound cards in addition to sound cards with Apple Sound Manager drivers.

Maximizing Peak's Performance

To get the best performance out of Peak and your Macintosh, do the following.

To maximize Peak performance:

• Use a minimal number of System Extensions. Extensions can slow down your Macintosh by using precious processor cycles. In particular, turn off System Extensions such as menu bar clocks and screen savers that are in constant operation. To set up a dedicated set of extensions for Peak, duplicate your Mac OS Base extensions set in the extensions manager and rename it (something like Peak_set), restart your computer with this extensions set and install Peak, enable the additional extensions required for Peak to run, and, restart your computer with this updated extensions set.

• Use the Memory control panel to set the Macintosh’s disk cache to at least 384k (usually the Mac’s default setting is fine). Turn Virtual Memory Off.

• Allocate additional RAM to Peak if possible, using the Finder’s Get Info command. (Select Peak in the Finder, choose Get info from the Finder’s Special menu, and enter the desired amount in the Preferred Size field. Make sure you allocate more RAM than the amount indicated in the Minimum Size field!)

• Optimize your hard drive. (See Chapter 3 to learn about proper hard disk maintenance.)

About Your User’s Guide

Peak is designed to be simple and intuitive. Your User’s Guide is designed to help you set up and use Peak for digital recording and editing as quickly and easily as possible.

This User’s Guide assumes that you are familiar with standard Macintosh operating techniques, including:

• Setting up, starting, and using your Macintosh

• Choosing commands from menus

• Double-clicking, selecting, Shift-selecting, and

dragging with the mouse

• Opening, copying, saving and deleting files

• Opening, closing, scrolling, moving, re-sizing, and

selecting Macintosh windows

• Set your monitor to no more than thousands of colors (256 colors is recommended for older Macs).

• Turn File Sharing off, unless you need it.

• Disconnect your Macintosh from any networks and

turn off AppleTalk, unless you need to be on a

If you don’t know how to perform these tasks, please refer to your Macintosh User’s Guide and spend a little time learning about your Macintosh before going any further. This will make using Peak much easier and more enjoyable.

Introducing Peak

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The Chapters in your Peak User’s Guide are arranged in the order in which you would typically perform tasks when embarking on an audio production project:

• Chapter 1 introduces you to Peak and explains some of the requirements for using Peak software

• Chapter 2 explains how to install Peak software and configure your Macintosh for recording and playback

• Chapter 3 introduces you to some basic concepts of digital audio and disk-based recording, as well as basic Peak operations

• Appendix 2 provides a troubleshooting guide for commonly encountered problems

• Appendix 3 describes how to use Peak’s RealAudio™, Shockwave™ Audio Encoder, and MP3 encoding to prepare audio for streaming over the internet

• A Glossary and an Index complete your Peak User’s Guide

Look for important tips and notes whenever you see this exclamation mark.

• Chapter 4 explains how to record and playback audio to and from hard disk in Peak using the Apple Sound Manager, ASIO, and DAE. It also explains how to import audio from compatible CD-ROM drives

• Chapter 5 introduces you to the concepts and techniques of nondestructive editing with Peak

• Chapter 6 explains how to create regions and sequence their playback using Playlists, as well as how to use Peak Playlists to burn audio CDs

• Chapter 7 explains how to use Peak’s native DSP tools

• Chapter 8 explains how to use third-party Premiere, TDM, AudioSuite, and VST plug-ins to enhance Peak’s audio production capabilities

• Chapter 9 explains how to use Peak’s Batch File Processor as well as how to use Apple Events for file management

• Chapter 10 explains how to import samples directly from compatible samplers (to edit or process the audio using all of Peak’s functions) and send the modified sample back to the sampler

About Peak LE

If you are using the limited edition of Peak, not all features will be available. Specifically, the following features are not available in Peak LE:

• 24 and 32 bit support

• Crossfades, DSP effects, and Gain Adjustment in

Peak LE Playlists

• Loop Surfer™ and Loop Tuner

• Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts

• Customizable Toolbar

• Remove DC Offset

• Pitch Change

• DAE/TDM/AudioSuite support

• VST plug-in support

• SMPTE sync

• Import Dual Mono

• Meters Dialog

• Chapter 11 describes each of the commands found in Peak’s menus

• Appendix 1 lists the default Keyboard Shortcuts for

Peak

Peak User’s Guide

• QuickTime movies

• Batch File Processor

• Up to three Premiere plug-ins only with three

second preview limit

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• Export Regions

• Sampler Support

• Convolve

• Modulate

• Add

• Amplitude Fit

• Change Duration

• Crossfade Loop

• Dither

• Find Peak

• Mono To Stereo

• Stereo To Mono

• Phase Vocoder

• Rappify

• Repair Clicks

• Swap Channels

• Threshold

Using Online Help

Peak provides two types of online help. The first type, Balloon Help, can be activated by selecting Show Balloons from the Macintosh’s Balloon Help menu in the Finder. Balloon Help will show you the functions of each menu item as you move the mouse across different menu items. If you enable Speak Help under Peak’s Preference menu, the Balloon Help for items in the Toolbar will be “spoken” by your computer using the Apple Speech Manager. Also, if you hold the mouse cursor over a Toolbar icon for 2 seconds, the Balloon Help for that icon’s function will appear.

The second type of online help is available via the Apple menu’s Help item. This help system gives you detailed information about how to use the Peak software.

Online Help is available in the Apple menu

• Recording Notepad

• Recording Input Levels

• Specialized Apple Events for Playback from a

database such as FileMaker Pro

Features that are not supported in Peak LE or Peak SE will show this icon in the manual. LE features will also appear grayed out in their menus.

About Peak SE

Peak SE is functionally the same as Peak LE but adds sampler support.

Online Help

Introducing Peak

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Conclusion

Now that you know a little about Peak, proceed to the next chapter to learn how to install your software and get started using it.

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Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Peak

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Chapter 2: Installing and

Configuring Peak

double-click the Install Peak icon.

Installing Peak

Peak’s auto-installer software makes installation very easy.

Your complete Peak system consists of:

• CD-ROM Installer

• Peak serial number and Product Authorization Code

(PAC)

Before you install Peak, please check the Minimum System Requirements on Page 4 of this Users Guide.

3. When the Installer dialog appears, read the Read Me for late-breaking information concerning the Installer, then click Continue to proceed.

4. Select where you would like to install Peak, using the Switch Disk pop-up menu.

5. Click Install at the bottom right of this dialog.

6. After you have clicked Install, follow the on-screen instructions. Peak will be installed into a folder named Peak 2.5 on your selected hard disk.

7. At the end of the installation, the installer will allow you to register Peak electronically, which you may find more convenient than mailing your registration card.

The Installer dialog

To install Peak:

1. If you are using any virus-protection software, turn it off or temporarily remove it, and restart your Macintosh.

2. Insert the Peak Install CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive, open the Product Installers folder, and

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8. When the installation is complete, a message will appear indicating that the installation was successful. Click Quit to quit the Installer, or click Continue to install copies additional copies (don't forget to turn back on any virus-protection software that you may be using the next time you restart the computer).

If you don't register Peak, you will not be eligible for technical support and you won't be notified about updates, upgrades and other important news from BIAS!

Serial number, and Product Authorization Code.

The Peak Authorization dialog

Send in Your Registration Card! After you have installed Peak, please send in the Registration Card included with your software to receive your Product Authorization Code, free technical support, software updates and notification of upgrades.

Peak will run, fully functional, in Registration Mode for 14 days. This allows you the time necessary to register you product and get the Product Authorization Code from BIAS.

Making Audio Connections

Authorization

Peak must be authorized to work on your Macintosh. To authorize Peak, you will need your Product Authorization Code (PAC) in addition to the serial number that appears on your Peak Owner’s Certificate. BIAS will provide you with your Product Authorization Code when you register Peak. You must register Peak

in order to obtain your Product Authorization Code; Peak will not launch after the 14 day registration period unless you authorize Peak with your Name, Organization, Serial Number, and Product Authorization Code!

When you first launch Peak, it will prompt you to authorize it by entering your Name, Organization,

Peak User’s Guide12

While it is possible to listen to Peak using a Macintosh’s built-in speaker (or headphones, as might be the case with a PowerBook), most people will prefer to listen through a better quality external speaker system.

It is very easy to set up audio connections between your Macintosh and a mixer or speaker system. Your exact setup will differ slightly depending on whether you are using the built-in sound input and output connectors on your Macintosh, or those of a plug-in audio recording/playback card. Instructions for each case are given below.

Using the Macintosh’s Built-in Inputs and Outputs

If you wish to use your Macintosh’s built-in audio

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inputs and outputs for recording and playback, do the following:

1. Turn down the volume on your playback system. Peak can be used with a variety of playback systems, including:

• a stereo receiver or amplifier and speakers

• a mixer, amplifier, and a pair of speakers

• a mixer and a pair of amplified (self-powered)

speakers

• or simply a pair of amplified (self-powered) speakers, smaller versions of which are often called “multimedia” speakers.

2. Connect your audio source output to the Macintosh's audio input connector. Your audio source can be one of a variety of devices, such as:

•a cassette or DAT deck output

•a mixer output

•a stereo receiver line output (such as “tape deck record” output)

For advanced users: Certain professional mixing consoles, DAT decks, or other audio sources may have a nominal output level of +4dBu, whereas the Macintosh expects to see a nominal -10dBu level. Be aware that you may need to adjust your mixers output levels accordingly to prevent overloading the Macintosh’s input; or alternately, you may need to use a “+4 to -10” line-matching transformer.

•an instrument line output (such as the output of a synthesizer).

The audio input jacks on most Macs are a standard mini-plug (1/8-inch) connector. Most source outputs are either 1/4 inch “phone” connectors or RCA connectors. To make this connection, you may need to use an 1/4-inch to mini-plug or RCA to mini-plug cable or adapter.

3. Connect your Macintosh’s audio output to your playback system’s input. The Macintosh’s audio output jack is a standard stereo mini-plug (1/8inch) connector. Most mixer, receiver, and amplified speaker inputs are equipped with 1/4inch, RCA, or mini-plug jacks. To make this connection, you may need to use a mini-plug to 1/4-inch or mini-plug to RCA cable or adapter.

4. Raise the volume on your mixer or playback system. Your system should now be properly configured and ready for recording and playback.

PCI and PCMCIA Audio Cards

If you have a Sound Manager-compatible record/ playback card (such as the Digidesign AudioMedia III or the MOTU PCI-324) or ASIO compatible (such as the Yamaha DSP Factory or the Digigram VX

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Pocket) installed in your computer and wish to use its input and output capabilities instead of your Macintosh’s built-in capabilities, do the following:

1. Turn down the volume on your mixer or playback system.

2. Make sure that you have installed the plug-in audio card into one of the available expansion slots inside your Macintosh. If you are not sure how to do this, please refer to the instructions that came with your Macintosh and the audio card itself.

3. Install the Sound Manager and/or ASIO drivers for your sound card. Please refer to the installation instructions for your sound card on how to do this.

4. Connect your mixer’s output to the audio cards input connectors. (Some audio cards have an external interface box which contains the input connectors.)

5. Connect your audio cards outputs to your mixer’s (or playback systems) input. Note that some audio expansion cards have an external interface box which contains the output connectors.

inputs on your mixer and to have the auxiliary or bus sends from the mixer go to the inputs of the computer. Instruments you want to record you patch into other channel inputs on the mixer and you can then route them out the auxiliary or bus sends on the mixer to be recorded by the computer. The mixer’s main outputs go to the amplifier/speakers.

Using the Inputs and Outputs of a ThirdParty Audio Card

Peak supports many Sound Manager compatible, ASIO compatible, and DAE compatible third-party audio cards, including those made by Digidesign, Digigram, and Mark of the Unicorn. In order to effectively use these cards with Peak, you will need to make sure you have installed the sound manager drivers supplied by the manufacturer (the Peak installation disk includes Apple Sound Manager drivers for some hardware, though most hardware manufacturers include their own drivers). If you haven’t already installed your sound cards sound manager drivers, please do so now. In most cases, you will need to place the card’s sound manager driver extension in your System folder’s Extensions folder. After you have done this, restart your computer.

6. Raise the volume on your mixer or playback system. Your system should now be properly configured and ready for recording and playback.

A typical mixer/computer configuration is to have the computer outputs go to channel

Peak User’s Guide14

Please see Chapter 4: Playback and Recording for a detailed description of how to configure Peak to playback and record using the Apple Sound Manager.

If your sound card also has an ASIO 1.0 driver or a backwards compatible ASIO 2.0 driver you will want to put it into Peak’s ASIO Drivers folder.

If you have Digidesign hardware that supports DAE

3.4.x or Digidesign TDM hardware that supports DAE

3.4.x or later, you will want to be sure to install the correct version of the DAE and the DigiSystem Init as well as the Digidesign Sound Manger Drivers.

To use a third-party audio card’s outputs for previewing Premiere-format plug-ins, the Open dialog, and the Import CD Audio dialog:

1. Choose Sound Out from the Sound Control Panel

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pop-up menu.

2. Select audio card (Digigram’s VX Pocket is shown in this example) as the sound output device.

interfaces such as the Tascam US-428. Peak also supports compatible Firewire audio interfaces, such as the MOTU-828.

The Apple Sound Control Panel

3. Close the Sound window when you have finished.

The settings you make in the Sound Control Panel's Sound Output panel will only affect playback through Premiere plug-ins, the Open dialog, and the Import CD Audio dialog. For playback, you will need to select your audio card in Peak's Sound Out menu.

ASIO and DAE

Conclusion

Now that you have installed Peak and configured the Macintosh Sound Manager for recording and playback, proceed to the next chapter to learn several basic concepts and functions essential to using Peak.

Peak also supports ASIO 1.0 and DAE 3.4 or later. If you want to use Peak with your sound card via ASIO, place the ASIO driver for your sound card in the Peak ASIO Drivers folder. For DAE, simply install DAE 3.4 or later. For more detail on using Peak with ASIO and/or DAE supported sound cards, please read Chapter 4: Playback and Recording.

USB and Firewire Audio Interfaces

Mac OS 9.0.4 supports USB Audio on iMacs, iBooks, B/W G3s, and G4s. Peak supports USB audio with

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Peak User’s Guide16

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Chapter 3 Peak Basics

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Chapter 3: Peak Basics

Introduction

analog-to-digital (A/D) converter uses a technique called digital sampling to convert analog electrical signals into numbers.

This chapter explains several key Peak concepts and functions, including how to open, close, and save audio documents.

A Brief Explanation of Digital Audio

If you are new to digital hard-disk-based recording, you may wish to acquaint yourself with a few of the principles behind digital audio before you dive into using Peak software. This section explains a few key concepts that will give you a good general understanding of how Peak does what it does.

What we hear as sound is actually a pattern of pressure waves that move through the air. The frequency of these waves determines the pitch of the sound — how low or high it sounds. Sound frequency is measured in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz). The range of human hearing is generally considered to be from about 20 at the low end to 20,000 Hertz (20 kilohertz, or 20kHz) at the high end. In practice, however, most adults hear only as high as 12kHz to 18kHz, especially those of us who may have spent more time than we should have with headphones or at loud rock concerts.

Sampling and Sample Rate

Your Peak software-equipped Macintosh computer stores audio digitally. This means that analog electrical signals from microphones or other sources are converted into numbers by a circuit called an analogto-digital converter and stored on hard disk. The

Digital sampling is the sonic equivalent of taking a snapshot. By taking thousands of little digital samples per second and storing them to a hard drive, an A/D converter can capture an accurate sample-by-sample representation of a sound, much like a movie is a frame-by-frame representation of a moving image. The number of samples taken of the audio in a second is called the sample rate.

The sample rate determines the recording’s upper frequency response. A higher sample rate delivers higher frequency response. As a rule of thumb, a digital recording’s upper frequency response is roughly half of its sample rate. The audio on compact discs, for example, is recorded at 44,100 samples each second, or 44.1kHz. This sample rate is the standard for professional-quality digital audio, and provides an upper-end frequency response of approximately

22.550Hz, somewhat higher than most people’s hearing range.

Bit Resolution

Another factor that affects the quality of the audio is the resolution of each sample. The greater the resolution, the better the quality. To use an analogy from the film world, just as image resolution and quality increase with film size (8 millimeter film is much lower in image quality than 70 millimeter film) greater bit resolution (8-bit, 16-bit, and 24-bit) results in better fidelity digital audio. Audio CDs have a resolution of 16-bits.

In practice, the bit resolution determines the recording’s dynamic range — that is, how many

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distinct steps you have to describe a sound’s level, from quiet to loud. For instance, an 8-bit recording has 256 (28) levels available, which is the equivalent of 48 decibels (dB) of dynamic range. On the other hand, a 16-bit recording has 65,536 (216) levels available, equivalent to 96dB dynamic range. (The rule of thumb for dynamic range is to take the bit rate and multiply it by 6.)

Since Peak doesn’t normally cut up, move around, or delete the actual recording on the hard drive, it’s said to be a nondestructive editing system.

Other manipulations, such as playing audio material backwards, can be accomplished by reading the data in reverse order. The power and flexibility of diskbased audio production software such as Peak far surpasses the capabilities of traditional analog audio production tools.

About Disk-Based Recording and Editing

If you are new to hard-disk-based recording, you will be pleased at the amount of power and control that Peak software provides for recording and editing digital audio. You will encounter several new concepts and techniques for using a disk-based system such as Peak. Perhaps the most important among these is the concept of nondestructive manipulation of audio.

Nonlinear Versus Linear Recording

Nondestructive audio manipulation is possible thanks to the nature of Peak’s recording medium: a hard disk instead of a roll of analog tape. Unlike analog tape, which is a linear recording medium, hard disks provide a nonlinear, or random -access medium. This is because audio is stored on hard disk as digital information which the hard disk can access immediately or randomly (hence the term “random-access”), simply by moving its read/write head to the appropriate location and reading the appropriate data. This allows you to perform such miraculous feats as cutting and pasting “pieces of sound” and rearranging material long after it has been recorded.

Nondestructive Editing

Perhaps most impressive is the fact that with diskbased audio production you need not actually modify the original source material in any way to accomplish these feats. In most cases, by cutting and pasting you are in reality only asking the hard disk to access portions of the audio file in a slightly different order.

Hard Disk Storage Requirements

The actual recording of audio to hard disk requires a significant amount of storage. This is directly affected by the sample rate and bit resolution at which you record: the higher the fidelity, the greater the requirements for storage. As a guideline, 16-bit,

44.1kHz audio requires roughly 5 megabytes of storage per minute of mono recording. Stereo 16-bit,

44.1kHz audio requires roughly 10 megabytes per minute. Stereo 24-bit, 44.1kHz audio requires roughly 15 megabytes per minute.

Hard Disk Maintenance

Because audio recording and playback is a hard diskintensive task, it is important that your hard drive be in good operating condition. In the computer world, this means keeping it from becoming fragmented by using hard drive maintenance software. Fragmentation occurs as your hard drive begins to run out of contiguous (uninterrupted) space where it can write files. If the data that makes up a file is stored at a single location on your drive, it is much easier and faster for your drive to find the data and read it. However, as contiguous space runs out, the drive may not be able to write the entire file in one location and instead must fragment the file by writing pieces of it at various locations in whatever smaller open areas it can find. This requires that the drive search near and far to read the pieces of the file. Too much fragmentation can lead to errors in recording and playback as the hard drive struggles to keep up with the demands of your audio application.

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In general, you should keep your hard disk below 10% fragmentation. Most hard drive maintenance software packages let you monitor the degree of fragmentation on your drive and defragment it by rewriting files into contiguous blocks of data. In addition to defragmenting your drive regularly, you should also back up your files and reformat your drive on a regular basis to keep your system in top operating condition. By doing this, you will ensure maximum performance from your Macintosh and Peak software and keep your studio running smoothly.

Now that you understand some of the basic principles behind digital audio and disk-based recording, take a few moments to learn some of the basic operations of Peak. These are covered in the sections that follow.

Creating a New Peak Document

Peak will allow you to create an empty audio file of zero duration by choosing a new mono or stereo document. However, you would typically record audio into Peak to create a new audio file or open an existing audio file into Peak for editing. Peak allows you to have multiple audio documents open at the same time.

To create a new audio document:

1. Choose New (-N) from the File menu or Toolbar. This command provides a hierarchical menu which allows you to choose either a mono or stereo format for the new document.

Creating a new Peak document

2. When a new empty window appears, you are ready to begin your project.

Opening Existing Audio Documents

Peak allows you to open audio files created in a variety of common audio formats including AIFF, Sound Designer II, QuickTime, Red Book, WAVE, .au, .snd, System 7 Sounds, and even MP3 (if you are running QuickTime 4.x or later).

Opening WAVE files

The Macintosh recognizes files using a “type” and “creator.” WAVE files are recognized by some audio

applications with a type “.WAV,” while others recognize only “WAVE” as the type.

Peak, along with Apple’s QuickTimesoftware and most other Multimedia applications, recognize WAVE files of the type “WAVE,” but not of type “.WAV.” You can use ResEdit or other third-party applications to ensure your WAVE files have the correct type prior to attempting to opening them with Peak.

Opening Compressed Audio Documents

AIFF/AIFC and QuickTime files with compression such as MACE 3:1, MACE 6:1, IMA 4:1, QDesign, or

µlaw are compatible with Peak. If Sound Manager

version 3.3 or later is installed, Peak can open these files for editing.

To open an audio file:

1. Choose Open (-O) from the File menu.

2. In the dialog that appears, locate the file that you wish to open. From this dialog, you can open AIFF, Sound Designer II, QuickTime, RedBook, WAVE, .au, .snd, System 7 Sound, and MP3 formatted audio files. This dialog also allows you to audition files by selecting the file in the list and then clicking the Play button.

3. When you find the file you wish to open, click the Open button and Peak will open the audio file

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into a new audio window, displaying an overview of the entire sound. You can open multiple files before proceeding to step 4.

4. When you are finished opening audio documents, click the Done button.

click here to play file

The Open dialog

Opening “Dual Mono” Files

Certain audio applications, such as BIAS Deck and Digidesign’s Pro Tools do not directly support stereo interleaved files, and instead use “dual mono” files, which comprise the right and left channels of stereo material. Peak allows you to open such dual mono files, and in the process creates a new stereo audio document. Because Peak actually writes a new stereo audio file to disk, this conversion process requires hard disk space equivalent to the two original mono files.

Please note that the Import Dual Mono command requires that both files be mono files and have the same sample rate.

To open a dual mono file:

1. Choose Import Dual Mono from the File menu.

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2. In the dialog that appears, locate the desired files.

3. Select either half of the dual mono file and click Open. Peak imports the first file and then prompts you for the second.

4. Select the second audio file and click Open. When Peak has finished creating the new stereo audio document you can begin editing.

For simpler importing of Dual Mono files, turn on the Auto Import Dual Mono feature in the Preference menu. With this feature activated, you can automatically import dual mono files by choosing Open from the File menu and selecting one of the dual mono file’s channels. Peak will then create a new stereo document containing both channels. Please note that these dual mono files must have exactly the same file name with the suffix “.L” for the left channel and “.R” for the right channel.

Peak also allows you to export your stereo audio documents in Dual Mono format, which means that it’s easy to import dual mono tracks from Pro Tools into Peak, edit and process them within Peak, and then export them as Dual Mono files to be reincorporated into your Pro Tools sessions.

Dragging and Dropping Folders, Disks, and CD Audio Tracks

In addition to opening individual documents by dropping them onto the Peak application’s icon, you can now drop entire folders or disks onto the Peak application’s icon. The contents of the disk or folder(s) will be scanned entirely for audio document’s that Peak can open, such as QuickTime, .WAV, AIFF, .au, Sound Designer II, Red Book, etc.

Peak allows you to drag a CD audio track directly onto the Peak icon or open the track directly from the Open command under the File menu or Toolbar. When you import a CD track using one of these two methods, the entire track will be imported. If you do not want to import an entire audio track, you can still use the Import CD track command under the File menu (covered in Chapter 4).

Saving and Closing Documents

It is good practice to save regularly throughout a project to avoid losing valuable work in the event of a power failure or other unfortunate occurrence. The Save command saves the changes you have made to your audio document by writing it to your hard disk. The Save command cannot be undone. If you want to be able to continue to undo your edits, use the Save a Copy As... command under the file menu.

Peak allows you to save your audio documents in a variety of common audio file formats, each of which is described below. Be aware that different formats allow different information to be stored with the file. Peak preserves this information unless you save the file into a different file format. Saving a file in a format different from its original format may, however, cause some information stored in the file to be discarded.

Peak supports the following audio file formats:

• AIFF: This is Apple’s Audio Interchange File Format. It is also Peak’s default file format and is supported by many Macintosh software applications.

• Sound Designer II: This is Digidesign’s audio file format for its digital audio products. Use this format if you wish to use an audio document in a Digidesign audio application.

This feature is particularly useful when used

with Peak’s Batch File Processor, described later in this manual.

• .au: This file format is commonly used on the World Wide Web and in Java audio applets. It is supported by many platforms and programs.

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• WAVE: This is Microsoft’s Windows Audio File Format. It is supported by many Window’s software applications and some Macintosh applications. The WAVE format is best if you plan to use an audio document in an application that supports or requires WAVE format files.

• QuickTime: This is Apple’s audio file format for QuickTime-based multimedia. It is supported by all Macintosh software applications that support QuickTime. The QuickTime format is best if you plan to use an audio document in multimedia applications that support QuickTime, such as Adobe Premiere or Macromedia Director™.

• Raw: This is the header-less raw file format that may be useful for some game platforms.

• RealAudio: This is the file format for RealNet- works™ RealAudio 5.0, 3.0 and 2.5 Encoders, used for preparing audio for streaming over the internet.

• System 7 Sounds: This the Apple audio file format used for Macintosh Operating System Sounds.

• JAM image files: This is the JAM audio image file format. JAM audio image files may be created in Peak and used in Roxio JAM for burning audio CDs.

• Sonic AIFF: The file format used by Sonic Solutions audio workstations.

• .paf: This is the file format used by E-mu’s Paris audio system. Note this file format favors mono and dual mono files.

To save a Peak document:

1. Choose Save from the File menu or press -S on your keyboard.

2. Select a file format from the pop-up File Type menu. AIFF is Peak’s default audio file format.

3. Enter a name for the new audio document, select where you want to save the new file, and then click Save.

Using the Save As... and Save A Copy As... Commands

The Save As... command allows you to save a copy of the current document under a different name, or in a different location on your hard disk. Since the Save As command closes the current document and lets you keep working on the renamed copy, it is useful for saving successive stages of a project. This allows you to save each major step under a different name. Later you can retrace your steps should you want to go back to an earlier version. The Save A Copy As... command will save a copy of the file you are working on, but it will keep the copy you are working on open. This allows you to continue working on your audio and still be able to undo any edits you executed prior to using the Save A Copy As... command.

To save an audio document under another name:

1. Choose Save As... (Shift--S) or Save A Copy As... (Option--S) from the File menu. The Save dialog appears:

• Shockwave: This is the file format used for Macromedia’s Shockwave, for preparing audio for streaming over the internet (the SWA Export Xtra must be in the Peak Plug-Ins folder for this option, see Appendix 3 for the URL).

• MP3: This saves your document in MP3 format (the SWA Export Xtra must be in the Peak Plug-Ins folder for this option, see Appendix 3 for the URL).

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2. Select the desired file format from the File Type pop-up menu. AIFF is Peak’s default audio file format.

3. If you wish to save the audio document in a different bit depth resolution, click the bit depth pop-up. If not, leave this item unchecked. (Peak

does not use dithering when saving this way; you will want to use the Dither function under the DSP menu before saving for higher-fidelity conversion.)

4. Enter a name for the new audio document, select where you want to save the new file, and click Save.

Saving Compressed Audio Documents

AIFF/AIFC and QuickTime files with compression such as MACE 3:1, MACE 6:1, IMA 4:1, QDesign, or

µlaw are compatible with Peak. If Sound Manager

version 3.3 or later is installed, Peak can open these files for editing and then save them with compression.

You may only Save with file compression using AIFF or QuickTime file formats.

Music, Qualcomm PureVoice™, ALaw 2:1, 32-bit Floating Point, 64-bit Floating Point, IMA 4:1, 24-bit integer, 32-bit integer, 16-bit Little Endian, 16-bit

Big Endian, and µLaw 2:1.

3.Type the name of the new audio document, select the folder you wish to save the audio document, and click Save.

Peak shows how much disk space the compressed audio document will occupy with the compression and bit depth settings.

If Sound Manager 3.3 or later is not installed, there will be no compression options in the Compressor pop-up menu.

Closing Audio Documents

To close a file in Peak, choose Close from the File menu (-W). If you have made any changes to your document since the last time you saved, Peak will ask you if you want to save them. If you do, choose Yes; if you don’t, choose No. If you change your mind and wish to continue your session, choose Cancel.

User Tip: Audio compression should be the last step in mastering your audio documents. Decompressing and re-compressing audio documents will degrade their sound quality each time they are re-compressed, so it is best not to save with compression until all editing and mastering has been completed.

To save an audio document with compression:

1. Choose Save As... (Shift--S) from the File menu. The Save As... dialog appears.

2. Choose the audio compressor you wish to use from the Compressor pop-up menu. Some compressors work with 8-bit or 16-bit data only, so the compression options may be grayed out, depending on your setting in the bit depth popup. The types of audio compression that will be available to you if you have Sound Manager 3.3 or later include: MACE 3:1, MACE 6:1, QDesign

To close all files currently open in Peak, choose Close All from the File menu (-Option-W).

Peak Windows and Palettes

By now you have noticed that when you open Peak, there are several windows and palettes that either appear by default or are available to you under Peak’s Windows menu. Windows that appear in Peak by default are the Info Strip that appears along the bottom of your screen and an audio document window for each audio file you have open. Windows and palettes that you can turn on or off include the Toolbar, the Cursor Palette, the Contents Palette and the Movie Window. This section will cover the basic function of these Peak Windows and Palettes.

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Peak Audio Document Window

Peak Audio Document windows contain a Waveform Display, an Audio File Info Bar (lower left corner) and a Max Level Indicator (upper left corner). The Waveform Display is a graphic representation of the audio file, the Audio File Info Bar shows the sample rate, bit resolution, file format and file size of the audio file, and the Max Level Indicator shows the highest amplitude level in the audio file. On top of the Audio Document window is the File Overview, if it is enabled under the Peak Preference menu. The Audio Window is described in more detail in Chapter 5.

The Audio Document window

The Info Strip

The Info Strip is anchored to the bottom of the screen. This strip contains three areas–the cursor location display, a time display showing elapsed time, and audio level meters with clip/peak indicators. The Info Strip is described in detail in Chapter 5.

The Peak Cursor Palette

Peak has a floating Cursor palette that contains several useful functions. On the right side of the palette are four different icons representing different cursor modes. The default cursor is a standard Arrow Cursor. You can also use the cursor palette to select a Hand Cursor for moving a waveform within its window, a Pencil Tool for drawing directly on the waveform at the sample level, and a Magnifying Glass Tool for zooming the waveform view in and out. On the left side of the Cursor Palette there are two buttons that control Blend Enable/Disable and Loop During

Playback. To access any of these cursors or functions, just click on the corresponding icon in the Cursor Palette. To change the cursor tool, click on a new icon. The Blending and Loop Playback functions are discussed in more detail in Chapter 5.

The Peak Cursor Palette

Arrow Cursor Tool

The Cursor Tool is the default tool. It is the standard “arrow” tool that lets you click and select on-screen items.

Hand Tool

The Hand Tool lets you grab and move a waveform around in its window.

Magnifying Glass (“Zoom Tool”)

To use the Magnifying Glass tool, simply click on the tool in the Cursor Palette, then move the cursor over the waveform. A “plus” (+) sign will appear inside the Magnifying Glass. Click on the waveform to zoom in; each click of the mouse will zoom in farther. To zoom out, option-click on the waveform. A “minus” (-) sign will appear in the Magnifying Glass, and you can click on the waveform to zoom out. Double-clicking on the Magnifying Glass will open the Zoom Amount dialog where you can specify the Zoom Amount.

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The Zoom Amount dialog

Pencil Tool

The Pencil Tool lets you draw directly on the waveform at the sample level. This is very useful for drawing out clicks in the waveform. Double-click on the Pencil Tool icon in the Cursor Palette for the Drawing Tool Smoothing Settings.

The Draw Tool dialog

The Contents Palette

Peak has a floating Contents Palette that will display all Regions, Markers, and Loops contained in any open audio documents. There are three tabs at the top of the palette that allow you to select which items to view–from left to right: the Region Tab, the Marker Tab and the Loop Tab. Option-double-clicking on any item in the Contents window will bring up the Edit Region or Edit Marker dialog.

The Peak Contents Palette

Setting Preferences

You can customize a number of Peak’s parameters so you can work with the program in a way that best suits you. Most of these parameters are found in the Preference menu. These include the controls for playing back audio documents, the selection of the icons in the Toolbar, and the colors that you want for the audio document window. Once you have set these preferences as you like, they will stay that way until you decide to change them again. This section explains how to set several of these parameters. For any menu items not covered here, please refer to Chapter 11: Peak Menus. There you will find explanations of each command in the Preference menu and other Peak menus. Items from the Preference menu are also covered throughout this manual where their discussion is relevant.

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The Preference menu

Setting Peak’s Playback Parameters

Peak’s Playback Preferences dialog allows you to control the master output volume, Spacebar operation, hard disk playback buffer size, and window buffer size.

Peak Playback Preferences dialog

Playback Master Volume

Peak provides a master volume control for audio playback. In the Playback Preferences dialog, set Peak’s output volume to the level that you desire by adjusting the slider or entering a number value from 0 (silent) to 7 (loudest). If you are controlling your playback volume with the volume control of your playback system, you’ll probably want to leave the output level set to 7.

Playback Buffer

Peak allows you to control the amount of RAM the program uses when playing back audio documents. In general, lower is better. A playback buffer of 32k is a good place to start. If you are experiencing clicks in your playback, working with fragmented files, using processor-intensive real-time DSP, or are using a slow hard drive, you may need a larger playback buffer setting.

Window Buffer

Peak also allows you to control the amount of RAM the program uses to cache audio data and the size of each processing chunk. Use larger values if you are working with a few large files, and smaller values if you are working with many smaller files.

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Dynamic Scrub Time

Peak provides a unique audio auditioning technique called dynamic scrubbing. This feature is very useful for precisely pinpointing and selecting a desired location in an audio document. Dynamic scrubbing allows you to drag the mouse forward or backward over a waveform while Peak plays a short loop (between 10 and 600 milliseconds) at the scrub location. When you have found the location you are looking for, let go of the mouse and the insertion point will be exactly where you want it to be. Peak allows you to choose the length of this playback loop with the Dynamic Scrub Time command in the Preference menu. You can also select Tape-Style Scrubbing in this dialog. For a full description of scrubbing audio in Peak, please see Chapter 5.

To select a loop duration for dynamic scrubbing:

1. Choose Dynamic Scrub Time from the Preference menu, and choose a duration from the hierarchical submenu. Typically, a value of between 40 to 80 milliseconds works well.

2. You can also select Tape-Style Scrubbing by selecting it in this submenu. To deselect TapeStyle Scrubbing, just click any duration value in the submenu.

Dynamic Scrubbing is not available when using DAE.

menu. A check next to this item indicates it is enabled.

2. To disable Scroll During Playback, simply re-select Scroll During Play from the Preference menu. The absence of a check next to this item indicates it is disabled.

Move Waveform During Playback

With the Move Waveform During Play command enabled, Peak will move the waveform under the cursor as playback progresses, so that the playbar is always in the middle of the waveform display. A check next to this menu item indicates that it is enabled.

To enable Move Waveform During Playback:

1. Select Move Waveform During Play from the Preference menu. A check next to this item indicates it is enabled.

2. To disable Move Waveform During Playback, simply re-select Move Waveform During Play from the Preference menu. The absence of a check next to this item indicates it is disabled.

Show Marker Time

With the Show Marker Time command enabled, all Peak markers will show a time value as well as the marker name.

Tape-Style Scrubbing requires Sound Manager

3.3 or later and is not available when using ASIO.

Scroll During Playback

With the Scroll During Playback command enabled, Peak will “scroll” through the audio document as playback progresses. This allows you to visually follow the progress of audio playback. A check next to this menu item indicates that it is enabled.

To enable Scroll During Playback:

1. Select Scroll During Play from the Preference

To enable Show Marker Time:

1. Select Show Marker Time from the Preference menu. A check next to this item indicates it is enabled.

2. To disable Show Marker Time, simply re-select Show Marker Time from the Preference menu. The absence of a check next to this item indicates it is disabled.

Auditioning

Peak’s Auditioning command allows you to audition a selection along with a specific amount of audio

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preceding or following it. The Auditioning dialog allows you to select a desired amount of pre-roll or postroll when you play the selection. To play a selection with the selected amount of pre- and postroll, press Control-Space bar.

To configure Auditioning:

• Select Auditioning from the Preference menu. Enter the desired amount of Pre-roll and Postroll into the dialog boxes. Click OK to exit the dialog.

The Auditioning dialog

2. To edit the Blending Envelope, click on the Edit Blending Envelope button. Click OK to exit the dialog.

For detailed instructions on how to use blending or how to edit the blending crossfade envelope, see Chapter 5: Editing.

Auto-Import Dual Mono

Certain audio applications, such as BIAS Deck and Digidesign’s Pro Tools, do not directly support interleaved stereo files, and instead use “dual mono” files–a pair of files, one for the left channel and one for the right channel. These files will probably have been exported with the suffix “.L” for the left channel, and the suffix “.R” for the right channel. Auto-Import Dual Mono, when selected, will allow you to select just one channel of the dual mono file in the Open dialog. Peak will automatically “grab” the other half of the file, and convert both files into a single stereo Peak document.

Blending

Blending is an automatic crossfade function with a user-editable envelope. Peak can apply blending to areas of an audio document when they are modified by cutting, deleting, or other editing processes in order to smooth abrupt transitions between waveform amplitudes. It can be very useful for creating a smooth transition between edits that would otherwise sound too abrupt. If you have cut, pasted, or inserted audio into a document, you may wish to enable blending to smooth things out a bit. It can be toggled on or off by choosing the Blending command from the Preference menu, or by clicking the Blend enable/disable button on the Cursor Palette, or via the caps lock key on your keyboard.

To configure blending:

1. Select Blending from the Preference menu. Enter the Duration over which you wish Blending to occur into the dialog box.

Please note that the Import Dual Mono command requires that both files be mono files, have the same sample rate and bit depth, and the must have the exact same name followed by the suffixes “.L” and “.R”.

To enable Auto-Import Dual Mono:

1. Select Auto-Import Dual Mono from the Preference menu. A check next to this item indicates it is enabled.

2. To disable Auto-Import Dual Mono, simply reselect Auto-Import Dual Mono from the Preference menu. The absence of a check next to this item indicates it is disabled.

Choosing Colors for the Audio Document Window

Peak allows you to customize the colors used to display the elements in audio documents. You can use this dialog to set the background color, waveform color, and colors for markers and loops. You can

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select either a preset color combination, or individual colors for each element in the audio document window, as well as picking your own custom colors from a color palette. You can also choose to have the waveform display shading for a 3-D look, as well as select the amount of shading. Changes made using the Colors dialog affect both the current audio document’s colors, and any subsequent new audio document’s colors.

To customize the colors and shading of the waveform display:

1. Choose Colors from the Preference menu.

2. To select a preset color combination, click the Theme pop-up menu and choose the preset that you desire.

3. Alternatively, to select individual colors for each element in the audio document window, choose Custom from the Theme pop-up menu and then select the desired colors from the Background, Waveform, Markers, Loops, and Regions pop-up menus.

4. If you wish, you can use this dialog to further customize any element in the audio document window. Pick an element to customize, choose Custom from the Theme pop-up menu, and select User Color. A standard Macintosh color palette will appear. Use this wheel to select any color you wish. Click OK to return to the Colors dialog.

5. You can also customize the degree of shading, or darkness, of audio selections in the waveform display. Use the Selection Shading slider or enter a percentage in the number box to choose the degree of shading you wish to see in selected portions of audio.

window is now set to the colors and look you’ve selected.

The Colors dialog

Choosing a Time Format

The Units command allows you to choose a time format for the audio timeline in Peak’s audio document window. You can choose samples, seconds, SMPTE frames, and Bars|Beats. The format you choose will depend on the nature of the project that you are working on.

To choose Peak’s time format:

1. Choose Units from the Preference menu.

2. From the submenu, choose the time format that you desire: samples, seconds, SMPTE frames, or Bars|Beats. The timeline in Peak’s audio document window and Info Bar switches to the format that you choose.

6. Another way to enhance the look of audio waveforms in Peak is by giving them a 3-D look. Use the Shadowed Waveform checkbox to turn the waveform shadow on or off.

7. To close this dialog, click Change (to change one color) or Change All (to change the colors for all open audio documents). The audio document

Choosing a time format with the Units command

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Audio File Meter, Tempo, and Timestamp Settings

If your audio document is using bars and beats as its units, you will want to tell Peak what the tempo of the audio document is. Use the Audio Info command from the Preference menu, or click on the gray Audio Info Area on the lower left of any audio waveform display, to set the tempo of the audio document. You can also enter the meter of an audio document using the Audio Info dialog. The numerator represents the number of beats per measure, and the denominator represents the value of a beat, where 4=quarter note, 8=eight note, 16=sixteenth note, etc.

You may also enter a timestamp for the audio document in seconds. If the audio document has a timestamp, then the displayed time in an audio document will be offset from this time rather than starting at zero. For example, if the timestamp for an audio document is four seconds, then the first sample in the audio document will appear in the audio document with a time of 4 seconds instead of zero seconds.

Choosing a Scratch Disk

Because audio data can be very large, Peak utilizes a portion of your hard disk’s free space to hold audio data that has been cut or copied, as well as for temporary or scratch files for undo purposes. If your hard disk is short on space, you may not be able to cut, copy, or modify large selections. If you have more than one hard drive attached to your Macintosh, the Scratch Disks command in the Preference menu allows you to choose the hard drives (or “scratch disks”) that you wish to use for these temporary files. Peak allows you to select which disk you want to have as your default, or “Primary” disk for this purpose–usually you would select the disk that has the most free space. If you are connected to a file server, you can utilize available storage on the server by clicking the Allow Servers checkbox. Any available servers will then appear in the Scratch Disks pop-up menu. This feature is recommended only if you have access to a high speed Ethernet, Media Net, or other fast server.

To choose a scratch disk for temporary files:

1. Choose Scratch Disks... from the Preference menu. The Scratch Disks dialog appears.

The Scratch Disks dialog

2. The Scratch Disks dialog will show all hard drives currently connected to your Mac. Choose the hard drive(s) that you wish Peak to use when it creates temporary files by clicking the checkboxes next to the drives in the list. To choose the Primary Disk, or the default disk for temporary files, click on the Primary button next to that disk. If you are connected to a file server and would like to use storage available there as well, enable the Allow Servers checkbox.

3. Click OK to close this dialog. Peak will use the disk you have selected as your Primary scratch disk, and, if it becomes full, will then use the other disks you’ve chosen.

The hard drive with the original audio file must have the equivalent amount of free space (i.e., a 60MB file would require that there be an additional 60MB of free space on the hard drive on which the file resides).

If you are using Peak with DAE and ProTools III or earlier hardware, you must be sure to configure the Scratch Disks dialog to utilize only those drives on your dedicated ProTools SCSI bus.

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Peak allows you to customize any Peak menu item with a keyboard shortcut. To change your keyboard shortcuts, go to the Preference menu and select the Shortcuts and Toolbar item. Keyboard shortcuts are stored in a Preference file in the System Folder’s Preferences Folder, called “Peak 2.5 Shortcuts.” Peak’s default Keyboard Shortcuts are listed in Appendix 1 at the end of this manual.

To add a new Keyboard Shortcut

1. Choose Shortcuts & Toolbar under the Preference menu.

Using the supplied FileMaker Pro template, you can import all of your shortcuts from a text file describing each keyboard shortcut generated from Peak.

To Create A Custom “Cue Card” of your Keyboard Shortcuts:

1. Choose Shortcuts under the Preference menu.

2. Click on the Save As Text... button.

3. Enter the name of the keyboard shortcuts text file you wish to save, and choose the disk and folder you wish to save into. Click Save.

4. Switch to the Finder and Launch FileMaker Pro.

2. Scroll through the list of menu items, or, with the list box selected, simply type in the first few letters of the menu item you wish to assign. Then click on the name of the Peak menu item you wish to assign a new keyboard shortcut.

3. Use the Shortcut Key box to enter the letter you wish to use for a shortcut. You may select the Command, Option, Shift or Control keys as additional modifiers by clicking on the checkboxes in this dialog.

4. Close the Shortcuts & Toolbar dialog.

To remove a Keyboard Shortcut

1. Choose Keyboard Shortcuts under the Preference menu.

2. Scroll through the list of menu items, and click on the name of the Peak menu item for which you wish to remove a keyboard shortcut.

3. Click on the Clear button.

4. Close the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog.

5. Choose Open from the File menu in FileMaker Pro.

6. Open the supplied “Peak Shortcuts Template” FileMaker Pro template.

7. Choose Import Records... from the File menu in FileMaker Pro.

8. In the pop-up menu at the bottom of the Open... dialog in FileMaker Pro, choose Tab-Delimited.

9. Find the shortcuts text document you saved in step 3 and click Open.

10. FileMaker Pro will add the records to the database.

11. Use the Print option in FileMaker Pro’s File menu to print out your keyboard shortcuts.

You can also sort the imported keyboard shortcut commands by description or shortcut. Consult your FileMaker Pro User’s Guide for more information on importing records, sorting records, and printing.

User-defined Keyboard Shortcuts and Toolbox

customization are not supported in Peak LE.

Making a Keyboard Shortcuts “Cue Card”

Its easy to make a “cue card” that you can keep on your desk with all the Peak shortcuts you’ve assigned.

The Toolbar

Peak 2.5 allows you to select almost any Peak command for the Toolbar. The Shortcuts & Toolbar

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menu allows you to group together the functions you use most often, so that you can simply click a button instead of going to the menus. For example, if you frequently use Normalize and Pitch Change, you can choose to have the icons for these functions in the Toolbar, so that all you have to do to use one of them is to make an audio selection and click a button. The Toolbar is an easy way to make your work in Peak faster and more efficient, allowing you to customize the program to suit the way you work.

the name of the Peak menu item you wish to remove from the Toolbar.

3. Click on the checkbox to uncheck the item you wish to remove..

4. Close the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog.

Customizable Toolbar is not supported in Peak LE.

To add or subtract items from the Toolbar, use the Shortcuts & Toolbar item under the Preference menu. Toolbar selections are stored in a Preference file in the System Folder’s Preference Folder, called “Peak

2.5 Shortcuts.”

You can “grow” or “shrink” the Toolbar by clicking on the plus (+) and minus (-) signs in the vertical gray bar on the right of the Toolbar. You can also choose whether to have a vertical Toolbar at the left of your screen, or a horizontal Toolbar along the top of your screen–just click on the box at the upper right of the Toolbar, and it will snap to its new position.

To add a new icon to the Toolbar

1. Choose Shortcuts & Toolbar under the Preference menu.

2. Scroll through the list of menu items, and click on the name of the Peak menu item you wish to have appear in the Toolbar.

3. Click on the “Place In Toolbar” checkbox to select the icon to add to the Toolbar. If there is no icon, the menu item cannot be placed in the Toolbar.

Quitting Peak

When you have finished a project or wish to end an editing session, the Quit command allows you to quit Peak and return to the Finder. If you haven’t saved changes, Peak will warn you before allowing you to quit.

To quit Peak:

• Choose Quit from the File menu (-Q).

If you have made any changes to your document since the last time you saved, Peak will ask you if you want to save them. If you do, choose Yes; if you don’t, choose No. If you change your mind and wish to continue your session, choose Cancel.

If you wish to close all currently open windows without saving, hold down the Option key and click Don’t Save.

4. Close the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog.

To remove an icon from the Toolbar

1. Choose Shortcuts & Toolbar under the Preference menu.

2. Scroll through the list of menu items ,and click on

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Conclusion

You now know how to create, open, import audio files, export, close, and save Peak documents. You also know how to set the preferences for operating Peak. The next chapter explains how to use your Peak software to record audio to disk.

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Chapter 4 Playback and Recording

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Chapter 4: Playback and Recording

In this chapter you’ll learn how to record and playback audio with Peak. Peak allows you to capture sound from external sources through your Macintosh’s builtin audio input or by using a third-party audio card. If your Macintosh is equipped with a CD-ROM drive, you can also import audio directly from an audio CD. Peak will also let you record and playback via DAE and ASIO.

Recording and Playback using the Apple Sound Manager

Peak will play and record through the Apple Sound Manager by default. Choose Built-In for Sound Out under the Audio menu for Peak to play through the Macintosh. If you have a third party sound card installed in your Macintosh, its Sound Manager driver will also appear in the Sound Out submenu.

Preparing Peak for Recording

Before you begin recording, you must set several parameters for the audio that you wish to record. If you followed the instructions in Chapter 2, your system’s basic recording and playback setup should already be configured properly. At this point, you may simply select Record Settings... from the Audio menu or Toolbar to confirm or configure recording parameters, and then you can begin using Peak to record audio to your hard disk.

Proper Levels for Recording

To obtain the best possible fidelity when recording digital audio, it is important to record your audio signal at the highest possible level without introducing clipping (distortion). The reasons for this are twofold: If your audio input level is too low, the recorded audio may contain a significant amount of noise which can manifest itself as hiss. Conversely, if your audio input level is too high, it may clip and cause audible crackling or other types of distortion. You should avoid digital distortion at all costs because unlike its analog counterpart — which can sometimes sound “warm” and appealing — digital distortion sounds terrible. In order to prevent this from happening, always leave a little headroom (6dB or so) when you set levels so that you don’t hit maximum input levels and clip.

The Audio menu

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Record Settings

When you select Record Settings from the Audio menu (Option-R) or Toolbar, the Record Settings dialog appears. This dialog is used to configure your settings for recording with Peak.

File Format

The File Format pop-up menu allows you to select the file format for the incoming audio. You can choose from AIFF or Sound Designer II. (If you need the newly recorded audio file to be in a different format, you can always use the Save As... function. To save it as a another format once recording is complete.) If you do not select a file format for recording, Peak will default to 44.100kHz 16-bit stereo.

Please note that the settings you choose here override any previously set with the Apple Sound Control Panel.

The Record Settings dialog

You will notice several pop-up menus, buttons, and checkboxes in the Record Settings dialog. These allow you to select which hard drive to record to, what file format you’d like to record in, sampling rate, source input, and so on. You may also wish to record in realtime through your Premiere or VST audio plug-ins. The next few paragraphs describe how to set all of these parameters using the Record Settings dialog.

Record Disk

The Record Disk pop-up menu allows you to choose which hard drive you would like to record to. If you have more than one hard drive connected to your Macintosh, use this pop-up to select your record drive. (This option will default to the largest drive currently available to your Macintosh unless you select otherwise.)

Auto Gain Control checkbox

The Auto Gain Control checkbox allows you to disable the Automatic Gain Control feature used by the Sound Manager with some Macintosh microphone inputs. If the recording device you are using supports this feature, check the Auto Gain Control checkbox.

Monitor checkbox

The Monitor checkbox allows you to monitor the audio throughput while you are recording.

Split Stereo Files checkbox

The Split Stereo Files checkbox allows you to record the incoming stereo audio as dual mono files rather than a single stereo file. Dual mono files are used in programs like Digital Performer, Pro Tools, or BIAS Deck, so this option is useful if you need to record dual mono files (i.e., split stereo).

Append to document checkbox

The Append to document checkbox allows you to record into an existing audio document. To record new audio into an existing document, place the insertion point in the existing audio document at the point where you want to insert the new audio. If the insertion point is at the beginning of the file, the newly recorded audio will be inserted at the beginning of the file. If the insertion point is at the end of the file, the newly recorded audio will be appended to the end of the existing file. If the insertion point is somewhere in the middle of the file, the newly recorded audio will be inserted at that point. If you make a selection of audio, the Append to document feature will allow you

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to replace the current audio with newly recorded audio from the beginning of the selection through the end of the document or wherever you stop the recording.

Record timer... checkbox

The Record timer... checkbox allows you to designate a specific duration for recording. Peak will stop recording after this set time and bring up the Save dialog for your audio recording. Checking the Record timer... checkbox will bring up the Recording Time dialog. In the Recording Time dialog, designate the duration for recording in seconds and click OK.

The Sound dialog: Compression

Compression

The compression option is not supported in Peak yet, so leave Compression set to none.

The Recording Time dialog

Device and Sample Format....

Clicking on the Device and Sample Format button brings up the Sound dialog. This dialog contains a pop-up menu that bring up three sub-dialogs, and, on the right side of the dialog, a Speaker select pop-up, Volume and Gain controls, and an audio input level meter.

The Speaker pop-up at the right of the Sound dialog can be set to Speaker On, Speaker Off, or On While Recording. Selecting Speaker On will allow you to monitor audio to adjust the input levels prior to as well as during recording, while On While Recording will only allow you to monitor levels while you are actually recording. As you might expect, Speaker Off will mute the outputs completely.

Playback and Recording

The Sound dialog: Sample

Sample

Selecting Sample from the Sound dialog pop-up menu allows you to choose the sample rate and bit depth, as well as whether the incoming audio will be recorded as a Stereo or Mono file. To some degree, the choices that appear here will depend on your audio hardware. Possible sample rates are as follows:

48.000kHz This is one of two standard sample rates for digital audio tape (DAT) recorders, and is often used by sound editors working in audio postproduction for video or film.

44.100kHz This is the standard sample rate for Compact Discs, digital audio tape (DAT) recorders, and high-fidelity audio applications on Macintosh

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and PC-compatible computers with 16-bit playback capability. Most sound engineers working in music production— or anything that may be distributed on a CD—work at “forty-four one.”

22.050kHz & 11.025kHz These sample rates are often used for lower-fidelity audio playback on Macintosh and PC compatible computers that have 16-bit playback capability. Many games and other multimedia productions utilize 22.050kHz 16-bit or 8-bit audio, since it uses one-quarter of the disc space of CD-quality audio. 22.050kHz 16-bit is the Shockwave audio standard.

16-bit is the current Compact Disc standard for

professional-quality recordings.

8-bit is often used for computer-based and web-

based multimedia and games.

The Sound dialog: Source

Source

Selecting Source from the Sound dialog pop-up menu allows you to select and configure the audio input you wish to use for recording. If you have a third-party audio card installed in your Macintosh, you can select it as the input device using the Device pop-up. Use the Input pop-up to select the hardware inputs you wish to record through.

you may wish to use its audio inputs and outputs.

Once you have configured the options in the Sound dialog to your liking, click OK to return to the main Recording Options dialog.

If you are using a third party sound card, be sure that you have correctly installed its Sound Manager drivers in your active extensions folder so that it will be available to Peak via the Apple Sound Manager. If the sound card’s Sound Manager drivers have been correctly installed it will appear in the Apple Sound Control Panel for Sound In and Sound Out as well as under Peak’s Sound Out submenu under the Audio menu and in the Source Device and Sample Format dialog accessible from Peak’s Record Settings dialog under the Audio menu.

Hardware Options

Clicking on the Hardware Options button in the Record Settings dialog brings up a dialog appropriate to the audio hardware you selected in the Source dialog. Note that in many instances there may be no settings for a given device (including the Apple Built-In Sound!). Some sound card’s drivers have control panels or utility applications that will launch when you click on the Hardware Options button. The VX Control dialog for the Digigram VX Pocket is shown below, but the actual third-party dialog will differ depending on the type of audio card you have.

Your exact setup will differ slightly depending on the input device that you are using with Peak. You can use either your Macintosh’s built-in audio inputs, or, if you own a third party sound card, such as Digidesign’s AudioMedia III card or Digigram’s VX Pocket,

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VX Control dialog

Record Through Plug-In

If you have Premiere-format or VST compatible audio plug-ins installed in your Peak Plug-Ins or VstPlugIns folder(s), you can record through them in real-time. This is useful if you want to use a noise reduction, equalizing, or dynamics plug-in during recording.

To configure Peak to record through a Premiere-format audio Plug-In in real-time:

1. Open a Peak audio document that has the number of channels you plan to record.

2. Select Record Settings... from the Audio menu. The Record Settings dialog will appear.

3. Click and hold on the Record Through Plug-In pop-up. All of the plug-ins you have installed in your Peak Plug-Ins folder will appear in the popup.

To configure Peak to record through VST Plug-Ins:

1. Go to the Plug-Ins menu and open and configure the VST Plug-In(s) you wish to record through.

2. Select Record Settings... from the Audio menu. The Record Settings dialog will appear.

3. Check the Record through VST Plug-Ins checkbox and click OK.

4. Select Record from the Audio menu (-R) or Toolbar. You are now ready to record audio through the VST Plug-In(s).

5. Be sure to disable the active VST Plug-In(s) after you have made the recording.

The Record Dialog

When you select Record from the Audio menu (-R) or Toolbar, the Record dialog appears. There are transport buttons along the bottom to Start, Pause and Stop the recording, an Audio Source display that shows you the waveform as it is being recorded, and a Notepad window. There are also text displays showing you the sample rate, bit depth, and number of channels you selected in the Record Settings dialog, as well as the amount of time you have left to record on the selected Record Disk.

4. Scroll to the plug-in you wish to record through and select it. The plug-in’s dialog will appear.

5. Configure the plug-in to your liking, then click OK or Process to close it’s dialog, and select Record from the Audio menu (-R) or Toolbar. You are now ready to record audio through the plug-in.

To record through a Premiere format plug-in, you must open an audio document with the same number of channels you plan to record before configuring the Record Settings plug-in parameters.

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Recording

To record audio to disk, do the following.

To start recording:

1. Turn down the volume of your instrument or audio source.

2. Connect the instrument or audio source to the audio input jack on the rear of your Macintosh. If you are using a plug-in audio card, use the connectors on this card. (Some audio cards have

an external interface box which contains the input and output connectors. If this is the case, use these.)

The Record dialog

The Notepad feature in the Record dialog allows you to type in text descriptions, transcribe a recording, or type in comments called Notepad Cues at specific points during the recording of an audio document. The Notepad feature is available from the Record dialog and may be used once a recording starts. Each time you start typing on a new line, a new Notepad Cue is generated for the current recording time. Press the Return key on your computer keyboard to begin the next line.

When you are finished recording, Peak will create markers in the audio document that correspond to each Notepad Cue you have entered. By clicking on the Create Regions instead of Markers checkbox, you can choose to create regions rather than markers during recording.

Notepad Cues are not available in Peak LE.

3. Choose Record Settings from the Audio menu (Option-R) or Toolbar, and configure the settings as described in the previous section. Make sure that you have checked Monitor in the Record Settings dialog and Speaker on during Recording in the Device and Sample Format dialog, so that you can listen to your audio source as it is recorded into Peak.

4. Select Record from the Audio menu (-R) or Toolbar

5. Play your instrument or audio source. You should see the signal levels register on Peak’s Audio Meters (in the Info Strip at the bottom of your screen).

6. Adjust the output of your audio source so that its signal registers relatively high on the meters but never hits top (indicated by the red Clip Indicators.). Remember to always leave 6dB or so of headroom on the meters so that you don’t clip. Use the yellow and orange meter lights and red Clip indicators to help you make this adjustment.

7. Click the Record button in the Record dialog. You are now recording to disk. You should see the audio waveform begin to scroll in the Audio Source Display window.

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8. To stop recording, click Stop. To pause, press Pause.

9. The Save dialog appears, prompting you to name the audio document. You must save the audio document to the same hard drive you selected in the Record Settings dialog. Enter a name and click Save. Peak automatically saves the document in the audio file format you selected in the Record Settings dialog.. If you wish to later save the document in a different audio file format, use the Save As command.

To play back the recording:

1. Press the Spacebar on your computer keyboard. Playback begins.

2. To stop playback, press the Spacebar again.

3. To start playback from a specific point in the recording, with the Cursor Tool selected in the Cursor Palette, double-click on the waveform at the point from which you want playback to begin, or click the mouse at the desired point and press the Space bar.

while another’s may not. If you are unsure as to whether or not your drive supports Apple-standard audio extraction, your best bet is to try the instructions that follow. If this doesn’t work, please contact the CD-ROM drive’s manufacturer to establish whether your drive (and your drive’s firmware) will support Apple-standard audio extraction.

To import tracks from an audio CD:

1. Insert an audio CD in your CD-ROM drive.

2. Choose Import CD Track from the File menu.

3. In the dialog that appears, select the CD track that you wish to import and click Mark. You may mark multiple tracks for import. If you wish to import all of the tracks on the CD, click on the Mark All button.

Importing a Track From an Audio CD (CD Audio Extraction)

If you own a Macintosh computer that is equipped with a compatible CD-ROM drive and Apple’s Sound Manager software (version 3.3 or later), you can use Peak to import audio directly from an audio CD. This process is sometimes referred to among multimedia developers as audio extraction, or audio-across-SCSI. If you own an Apple or non-Apple external CD-ROM drive, you may also be able to take advantage of this feature.

Please note that not every CD-ROM drive supports audio extraction, and that even among drives of the same model, one drive’s firmware (the internal operating software) may support audio extraction,

Playback and Recording

Import CD Audio dialog

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4. To Name a selected CD track, click on Name... button, or, if you are online, you can use the online CD Data Base by checking the Get CD Info from CDDB checkbox.

You must be online and have the CDDBLib installed in your Extensions folder in order to use CDDB in Peak’s Import CD dialog. To learn more about the CDDB, click the About CDDB... button.

open in Peak. If you prefer to import the CD track(s) straight to disk, be sure

6. Click the Import button in the Import CD Audio dialog to import the selected tracks and the Save dialog appears. Use the pop-up menu at the top of the dialog to navigate to the hard drive where you wish to save the audio file. Click Save to save the file to disk. Peak will saves the file(s) in the AIFF audio format.

5. To select only a portion of the track, click on Set Import Times button or double-click on the track in the list. The Audio CD Import Options dialog will appear.

Audio CD Import Options dialog

4. In this dialog that appears, select the desired sample rate, resolution, and format. By adjusting the Start and End time controls at the bottom of this dialog you can import the entire CD track, or a just specific portion of the track. The slider in this dialog assists you in locating start and end times. Click Play to audition the CD track (or selected portion of the CD track). Click OK when you are happy with the selection.

Using CDDB

Peak uses the CDDB2 Disc Recognition ServiceSM (DRS) from CDDB, Inc. to get the artist, title, track, credit, and other information about the CDs you want to import. This service is FREE and automatic. The first time you use the service, you must register with CDDB. CDDB enhances Peak’s Import CD Tracks dialog which is accessed from Peak’s File menu.

To register with CDDB:

1. Insert a CD and then choose Import CD Track from the File Menu.

2. Click on the Get CD Info from CDDB button. If prompted, follow the screens for a New Registration to select a "nickname" and password. The remaining information is optional, but does help CDDB provide better service.

3. Once you register, you do not have to reregister, unless you want to change your registration information or settings.

To change your CDDB registration information, click on the “Edit CDDB Disc Info...” button in the Import CD Tracks dialog.

To see or edit the full CDDB2 information for a CD, Click on the “Edit...” button in the Import Audio CD dialog.

5. Check the Open tracks after importing checkbox if you want the CD track(s) you are importing to

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ASIO

Peak supports ASIO 1.0 for recording and playback of audio through your ASIO support sound card. ASIO is a standard technology for routing audio between sound cards and software application developed by Steinberg Software und Hardware, GmBH. ASIO, unlike the Apple Sound Manager, supports bit depths beyond 16-bits and sample rates beyond 65kHz. Most audio cards currently available have ASIO drivers and many of these cards support higher bit-depths and sample rates. The following lists some of the third party sound cards that have ASIO drivers that are compatible with Peak:

• Apple Sound Manager

• Digidesign Direct IO

• Digidesign AudioMedia III

• Digigram VX Pocket

• Emagic Audiowerk

• Echo Gina, Layla, and Darla

• E-mu PARIS

• Korg 1212 I/O

using the MOTU PCI-324 Console and the PCI324 Cuemix Console prior to launching Peak. The Yamaha DSP Factory requires that you be running MixTest prior to launching Peak and selecting the DS2416 ASIO driver. Other cards, such as the M-Audio Delta series, may similarly require software utilities provided by the card’s manufacturer.

Installing ASIO Drivers

To install a sound card’s ASIO driver for use with Peak, drag and drop the ASIO driver into Peak’s ASIO Drivers folder. When you launch Peak, it will load and recognize the sound card’s ASIO driver.

Playback with ASIO

To select the ASIO driver for playback, select ASIO from the Sound Out submenu under Peak’s Audio menu.

Premiere format plug-ins can only Preview through the Apple Sound Manger. Therefore, if you are using Peak with ASIO, you must be sure that the Deactivate for Previewing checkbox is checked. Your Premiere format plug-ins will then preview through whatever is selected for Sound Out in the Apple Sound control panel.

• Lexicon Core 2

• Lucid PCI-24

• M-Audio Delta 66

• Midiman DMAN 2044

• MOTU PCI-324

• RME Digi96

• Sonorous STUDI/O

• Yamaha DSP Factory

The MOTU PCI-324 needs to be configured

The Sound Out Submenu

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The ASIO dialog appears.

The ASIO dialog

Driver

Choose the driver for your ASIO supported Audio card from the ASIO Driver pop-up menu.

It is important to note that many ASIO drivers support playback through only a limited number of sample rates. For this reason, using ASIO drivers for playback will require that your audio files are at sample rates supported by the driver you are using.

Clock Source

You may choose the clock source for digital sync using the ASIO Clock Source pop-up menu.

Sample Rate

Choose the sample rate for playback using the ASIO Sample Rate pop-up menu.

Play Through

Choose what channels you wish Peak to playback through using the ASIO Play Through pop-up menu.

Driver Setup

Clicking on Driver Setup in the ASIO dialog will launch the control for certain ASIO supported cards, such as Digidesign Direct IO. However, some cards’ drivers will either not have driver control panels or they will have driver setup utilities that need to be configured prior to launching Peak and cannot be accessed from within Peak.

Active In Background

The ASIO Active in Background checkbox enables the ASIO driver to operate in the background while Peak is in the background. If you are running more than one audio application using the same ASIO driver, you will want to disable ASIO Active in background.

Deactivate for Previewing

The ASIO Deactivate for Previewing checkbox deactivates the ASIO driver when the Apple Sound Manager is being used for previewing (e.g., when previewing in the Open dialog or Import CD Audio or previewing a Premiere format plug-in). You will want to enable Deactivate for Previewing if you are using both the audio card’s ASIO driver and its Sound Manager driver.

Recording with ASIO

To record in Peak with ASIO you will first need to have configured Peak for playback with ASIO. Once Peak is configured for playback with ASIO you can go to the Record Settings dialog and configure Peak for recording with ASIO. The Record Settings dialog can be accessed from under the Audio menu (Option-R) as well as from the Toolbar. Clicking on the Hardware Options button in the Record Settings dialog will launch the ASIO driver’s control panel if one is available. To configure Peak to record with ASIO click on Device and Sample Format and the ASIO Recording Settings dialog will appear.

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The ASIO Record Settings dialog

Record Through

Using the ASIO Record Through pop-up menu you can choose the source for recording.

Sample Rate

Using the ASIO Sample Rate pop-up menu you can select the sample rate at which you wish to record. Some sample rates may not be available depending on the limitations of the audio card and its ASIO driver. Please note that if you are recording from a digital source you will want to be sure that you record at the same sample rate as your digital source.

Monitor with Sound Manager

Enable the Monitor with Sound Manager checkbox to monitor recording through the Apple Sound Manager while recording through ASIO. This feature is especially useful if you want to monitor your Digigram VX Pocket through headphones plugged into your Powerbook.

After you have configured the ASIO Recording Settings, click OK and you can begin recording in Peak via ASIO.

Be sure to set the Clock Source in the ASIO

dialog to digital if you plan to record via ASIO from a digital source.

Digidesign’s DAE

Peak supports Digidesign’s DAE (Digidesign Audio Engine) 3.4.x or later for playback and recording. If you own the appropriate Digidesign hardware and software, taking advantage of Peak’s DAE support gives you access to AudioSuite and TDM plug-ins (with compatible hardware). Peak also provides true 24-bit playback and recording through supported 24-bit capable DAE hardware.

If DAE 3.4.x or later is installed on your Macintosh, and you have compatible DAE hardware, you will see a DAE option under Peak’s Sound Out submenu under the Audio menu.

Channels

You may also choose to record a mono or stereo file using the radio buttons under the Channels heading.

Bit Depth

Choose the bit-depth using the radio buttons under the Bit Depth heading. Please note that you will be limited to recording at bit depths that are supported by your audio card and its ASIO driver.

Playback and Recording

It is only necessary to use DAE for AudioSuite or TDM plug-ins. Otherwise, use your Digidesign sound card’s Sound Manager or ASIO drivers.

Restrictions

Premiere plug-ins work exclusively with the Apple Sound Manager. When using DAE, you will not be able to use Premiere plug-ins in real-time, or use Dynamic

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Scrubbing. There are two work-arounds to this limitation:

1. You can still use Premiere plug-ins and preview their settings by using the appropriate Digidesign Sound Manager output driver, selected for Sound Out in the Apple Sound Control Panel.

2. Switch to the Digidesign Sound Manager driver under Peak’s Sound Out submenu under the Audio menu when working with playlists or when you need to use Premiere plug-ins in real-time.

DAE only works with mono files. Consequently, Peak must write temporary dual mono files from interleaved stereo files for playback with DAE. Peak will have to write these DAE playback files after every edit you make in an interleaved stereo file.

If you are using Pro Tools III hardware or earlier, you must configure Peak’s Scratch Disks preference to use only the hard drives on the dedicated Pro Tools SCSI bus before launching DAE.

exclusively for playback, editing, and recording.

To configure Peak to use Digidesign hard drives for playback, editing, and recording:

1. Choose Scratch Disks from Peak’s Preferences menu. The Scratch Disks dialog will appear.

2. Enable only the hard drives that are on the dedicated Digidesign SCSI bus by clicking on the Use checkbox next to the name for each of these hard drives. Disable all other hard drives appearing in the Scratch Disks dialog and click OK. Do this before launching DAE in Peak.

Playback of audio documents using DAE with Peak

Audio documents played back using DAE from Peak must have a sample rate of 44.1kHz or 48kHz. Peak will inform DAE of the sample rate of your audio document. If your audio document is not at 44.1kHz or 48kHz, the audio may sound slower or faster than it should and at the wrong pitch.

Configuring DAE

To configure Peak to use DAE for playback and recording:

1. Choose DAE from Peak’s Sound Out submenu under the Audio menu. DAE will launch and initialize any TDM or AudioSuite plug-ins. This process can take some time, depending on the number of plug-ins installed.

2. Peak will ask you to enter your playback engine settings in a Digidesign Playback Engine Setup dialog.

Configure the dialog for your hardware and press OK. Peak will play back and record through your DAE hardware on outputs 1 and 2.

Special Notes for Digidesign systems equipped with an dedicated SCSI bus

If your Digidesign hardware requires that you attach hard drives for audio to the Digidesign Disk I/O or other Digidesign hardware for playback and recording, you will need to configure Peak to use these devices

Peak will automatically inform DAE about playback of 24 or 16 bit audio files. You may not play back 24-bit audio files using DAE on Digidesign hardware that does not support 24-bit playback.

DAE does not support Interleaved Stereo files, so Peak must write temporary Dual Mono files for Interleaved Stereo files to playback through DAE. Peak will write these temporary DAE playback files when an interleaved stereo file is open and also after every edit or DSP process.

Peak must write temporary dual mono DAE playback files for every edit or process in interleaved stereo files.

Recording audio documents using DAE with Peak

Peak can record 24-bit and 16-bit mono or stereo audio documents using DAE. Recording 24-bit files through DAE requires compatible 24-bit hardware (such as a Pro Tools d24 or Mix+ card, and the 888-24

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I/O). All recordings made with Peak using DAE will be in the Sound Designer II file format. Stereo files must be recorded in the Dual Mono file format.

To configure recording under DAE:

1. Choose Record Settings from the Audio menu. The Record Settings dialog appears.

2. If you are using Digidesign hardware that has its own SCSI bus, you must choose to record to an audio hard drive attached to your Digidesign SCSI bus to record to. DAE cannot record to any hard drive not on the dedicated Pro Tools SCSI bus.

3. Press the Device and Sample Format button. The DAE Recording settings dialog appears. You can select the bit-depth of the recording, the sample rate, and Mono or Stereo.

Playing Audio with Peak

Once you have configured Peak for Playback and Recording using either the Sound Manager, ASIO, or DAE, you can start to playback and record audio with Peak.

The Transport Buttons

The Transport buttons that appear in the Toolbar are useful tools for initiating both playback and recording. They function much as the controls on a tape recorder would. These buttons are customizable, as are all Toolbar buttons, so you can choose which Transport functions to display. As they appear below, from left to right, they are Rewind, Play, Play Selection, Pause, Stop, Fast Forward, Record, and Record Settings...

The Transport buttons

The DAE Recording dialog

To make a recording using DAE:

1. Choose Record from the Audio menu. The Record dialog appears.

2. When you are ready to begin, click the Record button on the bottom right corner of the Record dialog. Recording will begin.

Note that the Audio Source Display in the Record dialog is not available with DAE.

DAE is not supported in Peak LE.

To start playback from the beginning of a document:

1 Press the Spacebar, or click the Play button on the

Toolbar. Playback begins from the beginning of the document.

2. To stop playback, press the Spacebar again or click the Stop button on the Toolbar.

To rewind playback to the beginning of a document:

• Click the Toolbar Stop button twice, or click the Rewind button. You can also press the Return key if playback has been stopped.

To start playback from a specific point in a document:

1. Click the cursor at the desired location in the audio document and press -Spacebar on your computer keyboard. Playback begins from the cursor location and continues to the end of the document.

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2. Alternatively, double-click the mouse at the desired location in the audio document. Playback begins from the location that you double-clicked and continues to the end of the document.

Conclusion

3. You can also click anywhere in the Audio Waveform Overview to begin playback from that point.

4. To stop playback, press the Spacebar.

Triggering Playback of Multiple Audio Documents

As explained earlier, Peak allows you to have multiple audio documents open at the same time. Peak assigns each of these documents a number based on the order in which it was opened. Peak provides you with a convenient way of triggering playback of any open audio document by pressing a number key on your computer keyboard. This can be a very useful feature for applications such as “live” sound effects playback, since you can open multiple audio documents and play them from your Macintosh keyboard.

To trigger sequential playback of multiple audio documents:

1. Open several audio documents, taking note of the number that Peak assigns them in the Windows menu. (This is based on the order in which the documents were opened.)

You have now learned how to record and playback audio to and from hard disk using the Apple Sound Manager, ASIO, and DAE. You have also learned how to import audio tracks from CDs. In the next chapter, you will learn how to edit audio with Peak’s powerful set of digital editing tools.

2. Press the number which corresponds to the document(s) you wish to play note: the numeric keypad will not work for this function, you must use the numbers at the top of the keyboard). You don’t need to wait until a document has finished playing to press the next number: typing a numerical sequence on your keyboard will “cue up” all of the corresponding files. They will then play in the order you choose.

3. If you wish to stop playback and jump to the next document in line, press the Return key. Peak initiates playback of the next document in sequence.

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Chapter 5 Editing

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Peak User’s Guide54

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Chapter 5: Editing

This chapter introduces you to the concept of digital audio editing. You will learn how to do digital audio editing with Peak’s many powerful digital editing tools.

Editing Audio with Peak

Peak provides you with a powerful interactive, nondestructive environment for editing and manipulating audio. In this environment, not only are virtually all editing actions completely “undo-able” and “redoable,” but they can be performed interactively while audio playback is engaged.

Interactive Editing

Interactive editing means that you can cut, paste, loop, and process audio with DSP functions and Plug-Ins even while playing back the very audio that you are editing (Plug-Ins are covered in chapter 7). For example, you can start playback, cut a selection of audio and paste or insert it later in the document, and when Peak reaches the location of the inserted audio, it will play it as if it were there all along. This revolutionary capability makes Peak a supremely fast and flexible audio production tool that makes conventional recording and editing methods, such as analog tape and a razor blade or Sound Designer, seem primitive and archaic by comparison.

Nondestructive Editing

Peak’s nondestructive editing capabilities mean that the edits you perform to an audio document do not permanently change the original source recording until you finally save the document. Thus, you can cut, copy, paste, fade in and out of, and otherwise

completely change a recording, and still be able to return back to square one — the original untouched state of the recording — up until the time that you save the document to disk. At that time, all edits are permanently written into the document.

Unlimited Undo and Redo

As an editing session progresses, Peak maintains an internal list of the edits that you perform. Changes that you make to an audio document are never permanently applied to the file until you ultimately save it. This is what gives Peak its unprecedented unlimited undo and redo capability. Through the use of the Macintosh’s standard Undo and Redo commands, you can undo or redo your actions sequentially, or by using the Edits command, using a “playlist-style” editing event list. This is a very exciting technology that allows you to maintain complete creative freedom of choice—right up until the last moment before you save your project to disk. By making good use of these nondestructive, interactive editing capabilities, you will be able to perform feats of audio production that until recently were virtually impossible with traditional tools.

The Audio Document Window

The heart of Peak’s powerful editing capabilities is the audio document window. The audio document window provides you with a “window into sound,” allowing you to make good use of both your eyes and ears to perform extremely precise editing tasks. The Audio Document window give you a time-domain representation of sound, that is, you see the amplitude of the sound over time.

Editing

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The audio document window

An audio waveform

An Audio Waveform

If you have never seen sound displayed in a visual format before, it may not be immediately obvious how to “read” an audio waveform. It is actually quite easy to navigate through a recording with a waveform as your road map. The peaks in the waveform are areas of high amplitude (loud spots). The valleys in the waveform are areas of low amplitude (quiet spots). If the audio material is music with a pronounced, regular beat, it is generally very easy to pick out where the beats are simply by looking for peaks. Using this information, and the guidelines given shortly in the “A Selection” section, you will be able to successfully locate and select a desired portion of the audio document and perform the edits that you wish. The cursor marks the current location, and also serves as an insertion point.

editing and viewing a document with very quiet audio material.

To increase the vertical scaling magnification:

• Hold the Control key down and press the Up Arrow key.

To decrease the vertical scaling magnification:

• Hold the Control key down and press the Down Arrow key.

Audio Waveform Overview

Peak provides an Overview display of the entire audio waveform along the top of the screen under the menu bar. This provides you with a convenient visual reference of the overall document when you are editing only a portion in the audio document window. The highlighted area in the Overview display shows the area of the audio waveform currently visible in the audio document window. If desired, you can hide the Overview display to allow the audio document window to occupy more of computer screen.

To show the Audio Waveform Overview:

• The Overview display appears along the top of the audio document window under the title bar. Check Show Overview in the Preference menu or Toolbar. A check next to this item indicates it is enabled.

To hide the Audio Waveform Overview:

• To hide the Audio Waveform Overview, uncheck Show Overview in the Preference menu or Toolbar.

Vertical Scaling

Peak allows you to control the vertical magnification of audio waveforms. This feature is useful if you are

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A waveform with selected audio

A Selection

A selection is just what it sounds like: a portion of audio that you have selected by clicking and dragging with the mouse. You must select audio in order to perform an editing action on it. To make good selections for editing, the best rule of thumb is to begin a selection just before a peak in the waveform and end it just after a peak in the waveform. In other words, try to make selections start and end in areas of low amplitude (“valleys” in the waveform).

It is also important, when possible, to begin and end a selection at a point where the waveform meets the zero crossing line (the center line through the waveform). This helps you avoid creating pops and clicks if you later cut or paste the audio because the point at which the waveform meets the zero crossing is a point of low amplitude in the sound wave. Pops and click generally only occur if you make a careless selection and begin or end on a portion of the sound wave where the amplitude is high (where the waveform is high above the center point). Enable Auto-Snap to Zero in the Preferences menu to have Peak nudge your selection to zero crossings automatically.

The Zoom In function helps you make very precise selections by letting you zoom in to a higher magnification and select exactly the portion of the waveform you desire. Also, once you have made a selection, you can adjust the beginning or the end of the current selection by holding down the Shift key and clicking

with the mouse. Your selection will be shortened or lengthened accordingly.

Channel Independent Processing

To select only the Left channel, move the cursor over it. The cursor will show a small “L” at the insertion point. To select only the Right channel, move the cursor over it. The cursor will show a small “R” at the insertion point. You can process one channel of an audio document using Peak’s native DSP or third-party plug-ins. However, you cannot edit a single channel of a stereo document (e.g., by using Cut, Copy, or Paste).

Peak allows you to select and process the left and right channels of a stereo file independently, but you cannot edit (i.e., Cut, Paste, Delete, etc.) the left and right channels of a stereo file independently.

A waveform with a Marker (named “Verse2”)

A Marker

A marker can be placed in a document to identify a point of importance. A marker appears as a line with a solid triangular base. Peak allows you to place markers into a document in order to mark a given location or region in a document for later selection, navigation, or editing. Markers can be moved, named and renamed, “anchored” to a particular location on a waveform, and given other attributes. The use of markers is covered in greater detail later in this chapter.

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A waveform with loop markers

A Loop

A loop refers to a section of audio that is bounded on either side by loop markers. In the illustration above, the area that falls between the loop markers “beg loop” and “end loop” is looped. Loops are used to sustain or repeat a section of audio. They can be used for material that you intend to transfer to a sampler, or simply for playback within Peak itself. Peak allows you to create one loop per audio file.

Audio Info Area

Audio Info dialog

Clicking on the Audio Info Area, or selecting Audio Info from the Preference menu (-I), will open the Audio Info dialog. The Audio Info dialog allows you to change the sample rate, duration, root key (for use in a sample playback instrument), and high and low key range. Note that by changing the sample rate, the pitch and duration of the audio will be affected. (To change the sample rate of an audio document without changing the pitch, use the Sample Rate Conversion command from the DSP menu, or click on the appropriate Toolbar icon.) The Audio Info dialog is described in more detail later in this chapter, as well as in Chapter 11: Menus.

A waveform with 2 adjacent markers (named “Break #1 and Break #2)

Audio Between Adjacent Markers

Audio between adjacent markers refers to a section of audio that is bounded by markers. In the illustration above, the area that falls between the Break #1 and Break #2 markers is audio between markers. (Note: A selection of audio between markers is different than an audio Region. Regions are described later in this chapter, as well as in Chapter 6, Playlists and Audio CD Burning.)

Audio Info Area

The gray bar at the lower left of each Peak Audio Document is the Audio Info Area. The Info Area shows the sample rate, bit resolution, file format, and file size of the audio file.

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Audio Info dialog

The Info Strip

The Info Strip is anchored to the bottom of the screen. This strip contains three areas–the cursor location display, a time display, and audio bar graph meters with clip/peak indicators. The Info Strip is a useful editing and recording tool. It contains dynamically updated information about where the cursor is, the duration of the current selection, elapsed time during

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playback, and the relative volume of the audio signal as it plays. Each area also shows additional information during different Peak actions, as described below.

The Info Strip

Cursor Location Display

The cursor location display tracks the vertical and horizontal movement of the cursor. If audio is selected, it also displays information about the duration of the selection.

Time Display

The Time Display is like a counter. It shows elapsed time and tracks the “playback head” as audio plays. Clicking on the waveform when playback is stopped will cause the current cursor location to appear in the Time Display. This display will also show the time remaining while performing Open, Save or DSP processing actions.

Time Display

Cursor Location Display

Cursor and Selection Information

Here is how to read the cursor and selection information that appears in the Cursor Location display.

y = the current cursor position along the vertical scale (amplitude)

or start point of a selection X = the current cursor position in samples [L] = the cursor is currently positioned over the left channel of the

audio

[R] = the cursor is currently positioned over the right channel of

the audio DTR = distance in current units to the nearest reference marker sel = the duration of the current selection + or – = indicates positive or negative phase

The time format displayed in this field depends on which time format (samples or seconds) you have chosen with the Units command in the Preference menu.

Progress Bar

The Cursor Location display changes to a progress bar during audio processing, and while saving or opening audio files.

Meters

Peak’s meters are much like the VU or LED meters on a mixing board or tape recorder. They are bar graph meters that show the relative volume or loudness of the audio as it plays. They are also designed to show peak volume and whether the signal has “clipped,” or distorted.

Meters

The Meters dialog

You can configure the Meters display by choosing Meters from the Audio menu, or by clicking the appropriate button in the Toolbar. Using the Meters dialog, you can select the Peak Hold time, Clip Indicator Hold Time, and also configure the MIDI Meters. The Peak Hold indicators appear as yellow bars at the far right of each of the bar graphs as audio plays, and selecting a hold time causes the indicator to pause for easy reading of the peak value during playback. The Clip Indicators appear as red bars at the far right of each of the bar graphs as audio plays, and are triggered when audio distorts, or “clips”, and selecting a hold time causes the indicator to pause for easy reading of any clipping or distortion that occurs during playback. Setting the Peak Hold and Clip Indicator Hold Times to None turns these features off.

Progress Bar

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Meters dialog

Selecting Audio

In order to perform any type of editing action on an audio document, first you must select the portion of the document that you wish to modify. Peak has several techniques for making and modifying selections.

To make a selection with the mouse:

• Click the cursor at the desired location in the audio document and drag to select the desired range.

To extend or shorten a selection:

1. Make a selection with the mouse as explained previously.

MIDI Meters

The MIDI Meters section of the Meters dialog allows you to configure Peak to send a MIDI note-on message to any OMS device in your system. You set a threshold in this dialog, and every time the threshold is met during audio playback, a MIDI note-on is sent. This is particularly useful with Steinberg’s XPose Visual Sampler. You can enable the MIDI Meters by selecting the checkbox in the Meters dialog. You can then “tune” the sensitivity of the MIDI Meters by selecting a Threshold value with the slider, select a MIDI Note Range to send the note-on events to, and choose the OMS Device you wish to trigger during audio playback.

The Meters dialog is not available in Peak LE.

Note that older Macintosh computers, such as the Macintosh 7100/80, may be too slow for the Interrupt Based Metering. You may need to disable Interrupt Based Metering in the Meters dialog to avert pops and clicks during playback.

2. Hold down the Shift key and click on the end of the selection that you wish to modify.

3. Drag the mouse to extend or shorten the selection. When you are satisfied with the length of the selection, release the mouse.

To select audio between two markers:

1. Hold down the Command key () and click anywhere in between two markers. (Markers are explained in detail in the next section.) Peak selects the audio between the markers.

2. If there are additional markers in the document and you wish to extend the selection to encompass other portions of audio that fall between the markers, hold down the Shift key and the Command key, and click between another two markers. The selection will extend from the originally selected audio to the audio that you just added.

3. Repeat as desired to navigate to and select additional audio between markers.

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To select audio between two markers with the Tab key:

1. Create markers at several locations in the document with one of the techniques explained in the next section.

2. Press the Tab key on your computer keyboard. Peak selects the portion of the waveform that lies between the first two markers in the document.

3. Press the Tab key again to select the portion of audio between the next two markers. (If you hold down the Shift key while tabbing the selection through the audio file, you can add each successive area to the selection.)

4. Repeat as desired to navigate to and select additional audio.

To select all audio in a document:

• Choose Select All from the Edit menu or press -A on your Macintosh keyboard.

Auditioning Audio

It is often useful to audition a selection along with just a bit of audio preceding or following it—without actually including this material in the selection itself. Peak’s Auditioning command allows you to do this by specifying a desired amount of pre-roll or postroll when you play the selection.

To audition audio with pre-roll or postroll:

1. Choose Auditioning from the Preference menu. The Auditioning dialog appears.

2. Enter the desired amount of pre-roll and postroll and click OK.

3. Click the cursor in the audio document and drag to select the desired range.

4. Press Control-Spacebar. Peak plays the selection, adding the amount of pre-roll and postroll that you specified.

Scrubbing

Dynamic Scrubbing

Peak provides a unique audio auditioning technique called dynamic scrubbing. This feature is very useful for precisely pinpointing and selecting a desired location in an audio document. Dynamic scrubbing allows you to drag the mouse forward or backward over a waveform while Peak plays a short loop (between 10 and 600 milliseconds) at the scrub location. When you have found the location you are looking for, you can commence editing. Peak allows you to choose the length of this playback loop with the Dynamic Scrub Time command in the Preference menu. Peak provides two type of dynamic scrubbing: dynamic shuttle scrubbing and dynamic jog scrubbing. Both are described below.

To select a loop duration for dynamic scrubbing:

• Choose Dynamic Scrub Time from the Preference menu, and choose a duration from the hierarchical submenu. Typically, a value of between 40 to 80 milliseconds works well.

The Auditioning dialog

Setting the Dynamic Scrub feature’s loop time

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To use dynamic “Shuttle-type” scrubbing:

1. Hold down the Control key and click and drag the mouse across an area of the audio document in the audio document window. As you drag the mouse, Peak plays a short loop of the audio at the insertion point. You can control the tempo and direction (forward or backward) of playback by dragging the mouse slower or faster, forwards, or backwards.

2. Release the mouse button to stop scrubbing. The insertion point will be exactly where you left off scrubbing.

3. To make a selection starting at the current scrub point, stop scrubbing, hold down the Shift key, and click the mouse to extend the selection from the insertion point to the desired location.

Jog Scrubbing

Peak provides a variation of the dynamic scrubbing feature which is similar to a technique known in recording studios as jog scrubbing. With this technique, Peak actually engages playback and moves through the file at its normal pace, but allows you to control the playback point by dragging the mouse. You can control the direction (forward or backward) of playback by dragging the mouse forwards or backwards. This scrubbing mode affords a greater degree of control when you are “zoomed out” in the audio document window.

To use dynamic “jog” scrubbing:

1. Hold down the Control key and Option key and drag the mouse across an area of the audio document in the audio document window. As you drag the mouse, Peak engages playback while it loops a short portion of the audio at the insertion point. Dragging the cursor farther away from the current insertion point increases the velocity of scrubbing.

2. Release the mouse button to stop scrubbing. The insertion point will be exactly where you left off scrubbing.

3. To make a selection starting at the current scrub point, stop scrubbing, hold down the Shift key, and click the mouse to extend the selection from the insertion point to the desired location.

Since jog scrubbing mode is engaged by pressing the Option key in combination with the Control key, it is possible to toggle back and forth between jog and shuttle modes simply by pressing or releasing the Option key.

Tape-Style Scrubbing

In addition to dynamic scrubbing feature, Peak provides tape-style scrubbing. To enable tape-style scrubbing, set the Dynamic Scrub Time under the Preference menu to Tape-Style.

Tape-style Scrubbing requires Sound Manager version 3.3 or later. Please also note that QuickTime 4.0.1 does not support tape-style scrubbing. If you are running QuickTime 4.0.1 you will want to update to a more current version of QuickTime.

To start tape-style scrubbing:

• Hold down the Control key on your keyboard, and then click and drag the mouse at the location where you wish to begin scrubbing.

To deactivate tape-style scrubbing:

• Release the mouse and Control key.

To control tape speed in tape-style scrubbing:

1. As you drag the mouse towards the right, scrubbing speed will increase.

2. As you drag the mouse toward the left, scrubbing will slow down.

3. If you drag the mouse to the left of the point where you started scrubbing, the scrub direction will change from forward playback to backwards playback.

The playback bar will show the scrubbing speed at the top of the playbar. Playback speed can vary from minus

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four times (-4.0x) to four times (+4.0x) original playback speed.

Using Unlimited Undo and Redo

Peak maintains an internal list of the edits that you perform during the course of an editing session. These changes are not permanently applied to the file until you save it. This gives Peak unlimited undo and redo capability. Through the use of the Macintosh’s standard Undo and Redo commands, you can undo and redo your actions sequentially; or by using the Edits command, using a “playlist-style” editing event list. This powerful capability allows you to maintain complete creative freedom of choice—right up until the last moment before you save your project to disk. The only limitation in using Redo is that if you insert a new action when a redo action is available, you will no longer be able to redo. Remember, as soon as you perform an editing action other than Undo in Peak, Redo is no longer available.

To undo an action:

1. Perform an edit (such as cutting audio or moving a marker).

2. Choose Undo from the Edit menu (-Z) or Toolbar. The action is undone.

Using the Edits Command to Undo a Series of Actions

Peak’s Edits command provides you with a second unique and powerful method of undoing virtually any number of editing actions performed on an audio document since you last saved it. You can think of the Edits command as a kind of “event list-based” undo with a list of all your editing actions since you last saved. Using this list, you can navigate back in time to the point at which you performed a particular edit, and if you wish, undo it. Once you have returned to an earlier state in the project, you are free to start editing from that point on.

Be aware that if you do go back to a past action and perform a different action at that state in the project, any edits that originally occurred after will be gone, and you won’t be able to redo them.

To use the Edits command to return to or undo an action:

1. Perform several edits. (Don’t use the Save command or you won’t be able to undo any edits that occurred before you saved.)

2. Choose Edits from the Edit menu. A dialog appears listing the edits you have performed since you last saved the document.

3. You can continue undoing actions until you return to the original state of the audio document (the state at which it was last saved). When there are no actions left to undo, the Undo menu item will appear grayed out.

To redo an action:

1. If you wish to redo the action that was undone, choose Redo from the Edit menu (-Y) or Toolbar. The action is redone.

2. You can continue redoing actions until there are none left to redo. When there are no actions left to redo, the Redo menu item will appear grayed out.

3. In the list, double-click on the description of the action you wish to return to (or click the Revert to Item button). Peak returns the document to the state it was in at the time of that edit.

4. If you wish to undo a particular action, locate the action that immediately precedes the one you wish to undo, and double-click it. Peak returns the document to that state.

5. When you have finished, click Done.

Please note that Peak will remain in the state of the action that you last selected in the Edits dialog. If you begin new edits from this point, you will change the original sequence of edits that followed this point in the editing session.

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The Edits dialog

Essential Editing Functions

have a very fast server connection). Any available servers will then appear in the Scratch Disks pop-up menu. This is recommended only if you have access to a high-speed Ethernet, Media Net, or other fast server.

Peak supports all of the Macintosh’s essential editing functions such as cut, copy, and paste and provides several more specifically designed for audio editing. This section explains how to use each of these functions.

Because Peak allows you to have multiple audio documents open at the same time, it is possible to conveniently cut, copy, paste, and insert audio between documents. This makes combining material from several audio documents very fast and easy.

Scratch Disks

Because audio data can be very large, Peak utilizes a portion of your hard disk’s free space to hold audio data that has been cut or copied, as well as for temporary or scratch files for undo purposes. If you have more than one hard drive attached to your Macintosh, the Scratch Disks command in the Preference menu allows you to choose the hard drives (or “scratch disks”) that you wish to use for these temporary files. Peak allows you to select which disk you want to have as your default, or “Primary” disk for this purpose--ideally you would select the disk that has the most free space. If you are connected to a file server, you can utilize available storage on the server by clicking the Allow Servers checkbox (that is if you

The Scratch Disks dialog

Clearing the Clipboard to Reclaim Disk Space

If you no longer need the clipboard contents, you can free up the disk space occupied by the clipboard by choosing the Clear Clipboard command from the Edit menu.

Cutting Audio

The Cut command (-X) allows you to cut a selected range out of a audio document. Audio that occurs after the cut slides over to fill in the gap. By cutting and pasting “pieces” of audio, you can freely rearrange material in an audio document. This can be a powerful tool for creating audio remixes for music-oriented applications, as well as an indispensable tool for general sound design tasks. When you cut a selection, the Macintosh holds the cut audio data in its internal memory (the Clipboard) in case you wish to paste it elsewhere. Because all real time editing you do with Peak is nondestructive, the audio isn’t actually removed from the original audio document until you finally save the file to disk with the Save command. At that time, all edits are saved and any changes that you have made are permanently saved to the audio document.

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To cut a selection:

1.Click the cursor at the desired location in the audio document and drag to select the desired range.

2. Choose Cut from the Edit menu (-X) or Toolbar.

3. The selected range is removed from the audio document(s) and held on the Clipboard. Audio occurring after the cut slides over to fill in the gap.

Deleting Audio

If you wish to remove a section of audio from an audio document without using the Cut command, you can use the Delete key, or the Delete button on the Toolbar. As with the Cut command and other editing functions, the audio isn’t actually removed from the original audio document until you save the file to disk.

To delete a selection:

1. Click the cursor at the desired location in the audio document and drag to select the desired range.

2. Press the Delete key, or click the Delete button on the Toolbar.

3. The selection is removed from the audio document. Audio occurring after the deleted section slides over to fill in the gap.

audio document and drag to select the desired range.

2. Choose Copy from the Edit menu (-C) or Toolbar.

3. The selection is copied to the Clipboard.

At this point, you can use either the Paste or Insert commands to place the copied audio into an audio document. Each of these commands are explained below.

Pasting Audio

The Paste command (-V) allows you to paste the contents of the Clipboard into a location that you choose by placing an insertion point. Pasting audio deletes any selected audio and inserts the clipboard audio at the insertion point. Blending can be used with the Paste command if you have made a selection—the Pasted audio will be crossfaded with the audio on either side of the selection according to the Blending Envelope and Duration.

By cutting and pasting pieces of audio, you can freely rearrange material in an audio document. In musical applications, this gives you the freedom to entirely “rewrite” compositions by changing the order of things, repeating desired sections, and so on. In sound design applications, this gives you the power to “compose” with sound by creating audio collages.

Copying Audio

The Copy command (-C) copies the current selection to the Macintosh’s Clipboard (or internal memory buffer) so that you can paste it, insert it, or use it with optional “Clipboard-based” processing such as Add, Convolve, Mix, and Modulate. As with the Cut command, copying and pasting “pieces” of audio, allows you to freely rearrange material in a document. This can be a powerful tool for creating audio remixes for music-oriented applications, and an indispensable tool for sound design.

To copy a selection:

1. Click the cursor at the desired location in the

To paste audio into an audio document:

1. Click the cursor at the point where you wish to paste the audio data in an audio document or make a selection of audio you want to delete and replace with the contents of the clipboard.

2. Choose Paste from the Edit menu (-V) or Toolbar.

The Clipboard contents are pasted into the audio document(s), beginning immediately after the insertion point. Any selected audio at the location of the paste is overwritten when the pasted data is inserted into the audio document.

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Replacing Audio

The Replace command allows you to paste audio data over existing audio–to paste audio into an audio document without pushing all data to the right of the insertion point farther to the right (later in time) to accommodate the newly pasted audio. The Replace command is useful for “laying over” a portion of audio while maintaining the timing of the original document.

To replace audio into an audio document:

1. Click the cursor at the point where you wish to replace the audio data in an audio document.

2. Choose Replace from the Edit menu or Toolbar. All data to the right of the replaced audio maintains their time position.

Inserting Audio

The Insert command (-D) allows you to paste audio data into an audio document without overwriting any existing data at the insertion point. When you paste data with the Insert command, all data to the right of the insertion point or selection start is pushed farther to the right (later in time) to accommodate the newly pasted audio. The Insert command is one of Peak’s most useful tools for restructuring the contents of an audio document. It is particularly good for “composing on the fly” since it allows you to cut and insert pieces of audio—musical phrases, riffs, or simply textural sounds—to create a composition or soundscape.

To insert audio into an audio document:

1. Click the cursor at the point where you wish to insert the audio data in an audio document.

2. Choose Insert from the Edit menu (-D) or Toolbar. All data to the right of the insertion point is pushed farther to the right (later in time) to accommodate the newly pasted range.

except the selection. The Crop command is a particularly useful tool for editing material to be used as samples or sound effects, since it allows you to isolate and save just the desired portion of a recording.

To crop a selection:

1. Click the cursor at the desired location in the audio document and drag to select the desired range.

2. Choose Crop from the Edit menu (-`) or Toolbar.

All audio but the selection is removed from the audio document.

New Document from Selection

The New Document from Selection command will automatically create a new Audio Document containing the selected audio from the source document.

To create a new document from a selection:

1. Make a selection in any open audio document that you want to have as its own document.

2. Choose Doucument from Selection from the New submenu under the File menu (Control--N).

3. A new audio document will be created with the selected audio.

Silencing a Selection

The Silence command (-E) replaces the selected audio in the audio document’s selection with silence. This feature is very useful for silencing nonessential portions of a recording that contain an unusual amount of noise. This can be used very successfully with spoken material such as dialog or narration to remove noise between words or during pauses in speech. It can also be used to remove pops or clicks that occur in such material.

Cropping a Selection

The Crop command (-`) allows you to make a selection in an audio document and quickly and easily remove all other audio from the audio document

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To silence a selection:

1. Click the cursor at the desired location in the audio document and drag to select the desired range.

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2. Choose Silence from the Edit menu (-E) or Toolbar.

The selected audio is replaced with silence.

Inserting Silence into a Document

The Insert Silence command allows you to insert a specific amount of silence into an audio document at the current insertion point. This feature is very useful for inserting pauses of a desired duration into a recording, and can be particularly useful in adjusting the timing or rhythm of spoken material such as dialog or narration. When you choose this command, Peak will prompt you to enter the amount of silence you wish to insert. You can enter this value in samples, milliseconds, or seconds. All audio occurring after the insertion point is moved later in time by the amount of the silence that you insert.

The Insert Silence dialog

To insert silence of a specific duration into a document:

1. Click the cursor at the desired location in the audio document.

2. Choose Insert Silence from the Edit menu or Toolbar.

3. In the dialog that appears, enter the amount of silence that you wish to insert into the audio document.

Peak inserts the specified amount of silence into the document.

Show Edits

When you enable the Show Edits command Peak indicates areas of an audio document that you have edited by enclosing these areas with hatched lines. This provides you with a convenient visual reference to portions of the document that have been affected by your editing actions. Once you save a document, the edits are saved, and these indicators will no longer appear.

To enable Show Edits:

• Choose Show Edits from the Preference menu. A check next to this item indicates it enabled.

To disable Show Edits:

• Choose Show Edits again from the Preference menu. The absence of a check next to this item indicates it disabled.

Using Crossfades and Blending to Smooth Edits

Blending is an automatic crossfade function with a user-editable envelope. Peak can apply blending to areas of an audio document where they are modified by cutting, deleting, pasting, or other editing processes in order to smooth abrupt transitions between waveform amplitudes. It can be very useful for creating a smooth transition between edits that would otherwise sound too abrupt. If you are going to edit (i.e., Cut, Paste, Delete, etc.) a document, you may wish to enable blending to smooth things out a bit. You can toggle blending on or off by choosing the Blending from under the Preferences menu, or by clicking the Blend enable/disable button in the Cursor Palette (Caps Lock key) or in the Toolbar.

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The Cursor Bar’s Blending Enable/Disable button

linearly, check the Linear Blend Calculations checkbox.

6. Click OK when you have finished.

The Blending Envelope Editor

The Blending dialog

Be aware that Blending can interfere with certain DSP processes available under Peak’s DSP menu, such as Fade In/Out and Normalize. You will typically only want to enable Blending only when you intend to make an edit which Blending may be desirable.

To enable blending and set blending parameters:

1. Choose Blending from the Preference menu or Toolbar, or Option-click on the Blending button in the Cursor Palette. The Blending dialog appears.

2. Click the Blending checkbox to turn this feature on.

3. Enter a value in milliseconds in the Duration field. Peak will apply a crossfade of this duration across the edit.

4. If you wish to edit the shape of the crossfade that the blending function applies, click the Edit Blending Envelope.

5. Peak’s Crossfades are calculated logarithmically to preserve volume levels for crossfaded material. If you want Peak to calculate the Blending Crossfade

To select and edit the blending envelope:

1. Choose Blending from the Preference menu and click the Edit Blending Envelope button. The Blending Envelope Editor appears. The envelope shape shown here represents the shape of the crossfade. Peak also comes with several commonly used preset envelopes that appear in the pop-up at the top of all of Peak’s Envelope Editing windows (see also Editing a Fade In/Out Envelope). These are stored in the Peak Envelopes folder in your Peak folder.

2. Click anywhere on the line and a new moveable “breakpoint” will appear.

3. Drag the breakpoint to the desired location.

4. Continue creating and dragging breakpoints until you have created the envelope that you desire. If you wish to delete a breakpoint, click on it with the cursor and press the Delete key on your computer keyboard.

5. If you wish to reverse the shape of the envelope you have created, click the “<–>” button. This creates a mirror image of the envelope.

6. If you would like to save your custom envelope for

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later use, click on the Save button before exiting the envelope editor. Your custom envelopes will be stored in the Peak Envelopes folder, and will appear in the pop-up at the top of the envelope editor.

7. When you are satisfied with your new envelope shape, click Change to confirm your edits and close the envelope editor. Peak will use this envelope until you change it again.

Note that the Blending Envelope will only be applied to an edit if it is configured prior to making the edit.

If Linear Blend Calculations is checked in the Blending dialog, the Equal Power X-fade envelope is very effective for a smooth crossfade that will not result in a dip in the energy of the audio data.

Creating Fade-ins and Fade-outs

Peak allows you to create fade-ins or fade outs at any point in an audio document. Fade ins/outs can be very useful for smoothly fading in or out of an audio document, or for fading out of one type of audio material into another. Very short fade ins can also be useful for smoothing or removing clicks and pops in a recording. Peak allows you to control the exact “shape” of the fade in/fade out by providing you with preset envelope shapes as well as very precise userdefinable envelope controls for the fade. Peak also comes with several commonly used preset envelopes that appear in the pop-up at the top of the Envelope Editing windows. These are stored in the Peak Envelopes folder in your Peak folder.

To create a Fade In:

1. Click the cursor at the desired location in the audio document and drag to select the range you desire. The Fade In will be applied to the audio within this selection.

2. Choose Fade In Envelope from the Preference menu.

3. In the dialog that appears, you can use the default envelope, edit the envelope, or load any envelopes included with Peak or that you have created yourself. (“Editing Fade In/Fade Out Envelopes” is covered in the next section.)

4. Choose Fade In from the DSP menu. Peak applies the Fade In to the selection you have made in the audio document.

5. To hear the completed Fade In, press OptionSpacebar. You will hear the selected audio complete with your Fade In.

To create a Fade Out:

1. Click the cursor at the desired location in the audio document and drag to select the range you desire. The Fade Out will be applied to the selected audio.

2. Choose Fade Out Envelope from the Preference menu.

3. In the dialog that appears, you can use the envelope, create your own, or load any envelopes that you have saved to your hard disk. (“Editing Fade In/Fade Out Envelopes” is covered in the next section.)

4. Choose Fade Out from the DSP menu. Peak applies the Fade Out to the selection you have made in the audio document.

5. To hear the Fade Out, press Option-Spacebar. You will hear the selected audio complete with your Fade Out.

Editing a Fade In/Fade Out Envelope

Peak allows you to control the exact shape of Fade Ins/ Fade Outs by providing you with controls for editing the Fade In/Fade Out envelope. These are found in the Fade In Envelope and Fade Out Envelope commands in the Preference menu.

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To edit and save a Fade In/Fade Out envelope:

1. Choose Fade In Envelope (or Fade Out Envelope) from the Preference menu. The Fade Envelope Editor appears. The envelope shape shown here represents the shape of the fade, and overlays the selected audio to show where the curve is graphically applied to the waveform representation of the audio.

The Fade Envelope Editor (a Fade In is shown)

2. Click anywhere on the line and a new moveable “breakpoint” will appear.

3. Drag the breakpoint to the desired location on the envelope’s curve.

4. Continue creating and dragging breakpoints until you have created the fade envelope that you desire. If you wish to delete a breakpoint, click on it with the cursor and press the Delete key on your computer keyboard.

7. When you are satisfied with your new envelope shape, click Change to confirm your edits and close the envelope editor. Peak will use this envelope every time you apply a Fade In (or Fade Out) until you change it again.

Note that the Fade In/Fade Out Envelope will only be applied to a selection if it is configured prior to applying the Fade In/Fade Out DSP function.

To load a Fade In/Fade Out envelope:

1. Choose Fade In Envelope (or Fade Out Envelope) from the Preference menu. The envelope editor appears.

2. Click the Load button.

3. In the dialog that appears, locate and select the fade envelope that you desire, and click Open.

4. Click Change to confirm this new envelope and close the envelope editor. Peak will use this envelope until you change it again.

Creating and Using Markers

Peak has a very powerful set of features to control the placement and modification of markers. Markers are locations in an audio document that you define as important. By marking specific locations in a recording, you can navigate easily to a location for selection, editing or playback purposes.

5. If you wish to reverse the shape of the envelope you have created, click the “<–>” button. This creates a mirror image of the envelope.

6. If you would like to save your custom envelope for later use, click on the Save button before exiting the envelope editor. Your custom envelopes will be stored in the Peak Envelopes folder, and will appear in the pop-up at the top of the envelope editor.

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Markers can also be made into as loops. Loops are used to sustain or repeat a section of audio. They can be used for material that you intend to transfer to a sampler, or simply for playback within Peak itself. Peak allows you to create one loop per audio file. Loops are covered in greater detail later in this chapter.

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A marker in the Waveform Display

Creating Markers

As we’ll describe in detail on the next few pages, there are two ways to create markers: by dropping them “on the fly” during playback, or by defining them with the mouse when playback is stopped. Of the two, the mouse method is perhaps the more precise. However, since it is possible to fine tune the location of a marker at any time by dragging it (or by using the Edit Marker dialog, explained later). Both methods work equally well.

Remember that if Auto Snap To Zero is enabled the insertion point will snap to the nearest zero-crossing. This will cause your marker be placed at the nearest zero crossing when you use the mouse to create or place a marker.

Once you have created a marker, you can assign or edit the marker’s attributes in the Edit Marker dialog. Double-click the triangular base of the marker to open the Edit Marker dialog.

The Edit Marker dialog

Text

You may wish to give markers meaningful names (up to 256 characters long) based on their locations in an audio document. Peak gives markers default numeric names based on the name of the audio document and the order in which the marker was defined. To name or rename a marker, simply type the new name in to the Text field of the Edit Marker dialog.

You can easily find any marker, region, or loop that you have named by simply typing the first few letters of its name. For example, if you want to locate a marker called “Solo,” just type s-o-l, and Peak will automatically scroll to the marker called “Solo.” If you hit Enter or Return after typing the characters, Peak will also automatically place the insertion point at that marker. If more than one marker matches the letters you type in, Peak will locate the first marker with that name. (Note that numerical marker name entries will only work from the keypad, not the numbers keys along the top of your keyboard.)

Marker Position

The Marker Position field allows you to move a marker to a specific time location in an audio document by entering the desired value. The pop-up menu to the right of this field allows you to choose a time format (samples, minutes:seconds:miliseconds, etc.) for the value that you enter in the Marker Position field.

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Marker, Loop Start, and Loop End

These three radio-style buttons allow you to define whether the marker is a regular marker or a loop marker. If you choose to designate the marker as loop marker, you can define it as either the loop start or the loop end by clicking on the corresponding radio button. Remember, Peak allows only one loop per

audio file.

To create a marker when playback is stopped:

1. Click the mouse at the desired location in the audio document. A dotted vertical line appears, indicating the insertion point.

2. Press -M on your computer keyboard or choose New Marker from the Action menu or Toolbar. Peak will drop a marker at that location.

Anchor To Sample

When you insert or delete audio that is near a marker, you may want the marker to move with that particular location on the waveform. This will compensate for the insertion or deletion, so that the marker remains with the particular portion of audio you want it to be associated with. By enabling the Anchor feature for a marker, you can assure that Peak will “tie” the marker to a location on a waveform, causing it to stay with that location even when audio is inserted or deleted into the document. By default, Peak enables this feature for markers, loops and regions.

Reference Point

By defining a marker as a reference point, you can use the marker as a reference when you make selections or move other markers. Selecting or dragging the marker will then automatically display the distance to the closest reference marker in whatever time format (samples or seconds) is currently selected in the Peak application. This may be useful, for instance, if you know that you want a particular sound event (such as a car door slam) to happen a certain number of seconds before or after another sound event (such as a tire squeal).

Delete Marker

The Delete Marker button allows you to remove the currently selected marker from an audio document.

To create a marker during playback:

1. Begin playback of an audio document.

2. At the desired point during playback, press -M on your computer keyboard. Peak will drop a marker at that location.

3. Repeat as desired as playback continues. Each marker will appear at the appropriate location in the audio document window.

To create a marker using dynamic scrubbing:

1. Hold down the Control key (or Control-Option for jog-type scrubbing) and drag the mouse across the desired location to scrub playback.

2. At the desired point during playback, release the mouse to stop scrubbing.

3. Press -M on your computer keyboard. Peak will drop a marker at that location.

To name a marker or set other marker attributes:

1. Double-click on the triangular base of the marker that you wish to edit. The Edit Marker dialog appears.

2. Enter a name for the marker.

3. Change other attributes of the marker as desired. For an explanation of each of these attributes, refer to the beginning of this section.

The following section explains how to create markers and define their attributes.

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4. When you have finished, click OK to close the Edit Marker dialog. The marker now has the attributes you selected.

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To move a marker to a new location:

1. Click on the triangular base of the marker and drag it to the desired location.

To delete a marker:

1. Double-click the triangular base of the marker. The Edit Marker dialog appears.

2. To make a marker’s position snap to a zerocrossing (the point at which a waveform crosses the center phase line) as you drag it, hold down the Shift key while you drag.

To move a marker to a new location numerically:

1. Double-click on the triangular base of the marker. The Edit Marker dialog appears.

2. Choose the desired time units (samples, seconds, or milliseconds ) from the time format pop-up menu.

3. In the Position field, enter the precise time location that you wish to move the marker to.

4. Click OK to close this dialog. Peak moves the marker to the location you entered in the dialog.

To nudge a marker or a selection of markers to a new location:

1. Make a selection that includes the marker (or markers) that you wish to nudge.

2. Choose Nudge Markers from the Action menu or Toolbar. The Nudge Markers dialog appears.

2. Click the Delete button. The marker is deleted from the audio document.

3. Click OK to close the Edit Marker dialog.

To delete markers in a Selection:

1. Make a selection in the audio document that contains the markers you want to delete.

2. Choose Delete All Except Audio (Option-Delete) from the Action menu and all markers, regions, and loops in the selection will be deleted.

Regions

Regions are portions of an audio document defined by Region Markers using the New Region command from the Action menu (-Shift-R) or Toolbar. Regions present in currently open audio documents will be listed in the Contents window.

Peak’s use of Regions will be discussed further in the chapter on Playlists and CD Burning.

The Nudge Markers dialog

3. In the Nudge Markers by... field, enter the number of seconds (positive or negative) by which you wish to nudge the marker.

4. Click OK to close this dialog. Peak nudges the marker by the value you entered in the dialog.

Regions can be saved only into AIFF and Sound Designer II files created by Peak. However, Peak will also read Regions stored from other programs in Sound Designer II files. The method Peak uses to store Regions in AIFF files is specific to Peak and is not necessarily supported by other software applications. If you are using Regions with other programs, you will want to store your files as Sound Designer II files.

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The Edit Region dialog

An audio Region (named “the bridge”)

To define a new Region:

1. Make a selection in an opened audio document.

2. Choose New Region from the Action menu (- Shift-R) or Toolbar.

3. Type the name of the Region and click OK. The new Region will appear in the audio document.

To modify the length of the Region by changing the start or end:

• Drag the start or end marker of the Region in the audio document window.

To move a Region without changing its length:

• Hold down the Option key and drag either the start or end marker of the Region.

To edit a Region’s start, end, or length manually:

1. Double-click on either the start or end marker of the Region in the audio document window. The Edit Region dialog will appear.

2. Enter new values for Start, End, or Length times, then click OK.

To change the name of a Region:

1. Double-click on either the start or end marker of the Region in the audio document window. The Edit Region dialog will appear.

2. Type the new name of the Region into the dialog and click OK.

To locate a Region:

• Command-click on audio document’s Title bar to display a pop-up menu listing all regions, markers and loops; or, type the first few letter of the Region’s name, or from the Contents Palette.

Creating Loops

If you’re editing music or other rhythmically-based material, it is generally a good idea to test a selection to make sure it contains an even number of beats before you cut, copy, or paste it. A good way to do this is to loop the selection and listen to the loop as it plays. As described in the next section, Peak includes Loop Surfer, which can automate the process of finding a rhythmically “correct” length of audio to loop, assuming you know the tempo and the number of beats you wish to loop. You can also use the Loop Tuner, found in the DSP menu, to adjust the loop start and end points. The Loop Tuner is also described in the next section.

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Loops are useful in material that you plan to transfer to a sampler. Loop markers created with Peak are recognized by samplers as sustain loops. Peak allows you to create only one loop per audio document.

To play a loop in Peak, select Use Loop in Playback command (-L) from the Preference menu or click the loop button on the Cursor Palette, begin playback, and when Peak reaches the loop, it will continue to repeat until you stop playback. If Use Loop in Playback is not enabled, Peak will simply play right through the loop to the end of the audio document or selection.

To create a loop from a selection:

1. Click the cursor at the desired location in the audio document and drag to select the range you want.

2. Choose Loop This Selection from the Action menu (-Shift-”-”) or Toolbar. Your selection is now looped. Loop markers appear at the beginning and end of the loop.

3. To listen to the loop, choose the Use Loop in Playback command (-L) from the Preference menu (a check next to this menu item indicates it is enabled), or click the Loop button on the Cursor Palette, and start playback by pressing the Spacebar on your keyboard.

3. Click the Loop Start button and click OK. The marker becomes a Loop Start marker.

4. Double-click on the triangular base of the marker that you wish to define as the loop end point. The Edit Marker dialog appears.

5. Click the Loop End button and click OK. The marker becomes a Loop End marker. You have now defined a loop in your audio document.

To move a pair of loop markers together:

• Hold down the Option key and drag one of the loop markers to the desired location. Both markers move in tandem as you drag.

To listen to the loop only:

1. Choose Select Loop (-“-”) from the Edit menu to select the loop.

2. Make sure loop playback is enabled using the Use Loop in Playback command from the Preference menu (a check next to this menu item indicates it is enabled), or by pressing the Loop button on the Cursor Palette.

3. Press the Spacebar to begin playing back the loop.

4. You can interactively fine tune a loop by dragging the loop start or end markers while loop playback is engaged. As you drag a loop marker to a new location, Peak will adjust the playback loop to reflect the changes you make. You can also use the Loop Tuner to call up a dialog that allows you to visually fine tune the loop, and even play the loop while adjusting it to listen to the changes.

To change regular markers into loop markers:

1. Create markers in a audio document.

2. Double-click on the triangular base of the marker that you wish to define as the loop start point. The Edit Marker dialog appears.

Crossfading Loops

Peak allows you to crossfade the start and end points of a loop. Crossfading a loop can be very useful for smoothing the transition between the end of the loop and its beginning as it repeats. Peak allows you to control the envelope of the crossfade, the duration, and other parameters in the Crossfade Loop dialog.

To Crossfade a Loop:

1. Create a new loop or choose and existing loop.

2. Select the loop by -clicking between the loop markers.

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3. Choose Crossfade Loop... from the DSP menu or the Toolbar.

4. The Crossfade Loop dialog appears.

5. Choose where you want crossfades to be applied using the check boxes along the top of the Crossfade Loop dialog. Typically, the default for this works well.

6. Enter the Duration for the crossfade(s) in milliseconds.

7. Check whether or not you want the crossfade calculated logarithmically or not (i.e., linearly).

The Bending Envelope Editor

2. Click anywhere on the line and a new moveable “breakpoint” will appear.

3. Drag the breakpoint to the desired location.

The Crossfade Loop dialog

The Meters dialog is not available in Peak LE.

To edit a Crossfade Loop Envelope:

• Click on the Envelope button in the Crossfade Loop dialog and the Blending Envelope Editor appears.

Note that this is the same Blending Envelope Editor that is accessed from the Blending dialog.

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5. If you wish to reverse the shape of the envelope you have created, click the “<–>” button. This creates a mirror image of the envelope.

7. When you are satisfied with your new envelope shape, click Change to confirm your edits and close the envelope editor. Peak will use this envelope until you change it again.

To hear the completed crossfade, choose Select Loop from the Edit menu, select Use Loop in Playback from the Preference menu or click the Loop button on the Toolbar, and press the Spacebar. You will hear the loop, complete with your crossfade.

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Using Loop Surfer

™

Peak’s Loop Surfer feature automates some of the steps for setting up loop points. Loop Surfer allows you to “Loop Surf” (adjust your loops during playback) quickly, easily and in a musically intuitive manner.

If you’re working with music, and know the music’s tempo in beats per minute, you can use Loop Surfer to create a loop which lasts for a rhythmically “correct” length of time.

To use Loop Surfer based on a musical tempo:

1. Place the cursor where you wish to begin the loop (it’s okay to place it approximately, rather than exactly, where you wish to start).

2. Choose Loop Surfer from the Action menu (-J). The Loop Surfer dialog appears.

The Loop Surfer dialog

3. Type in the music’s tempo. If you are not sure of the tempo, you can use the Tempo Calculator to determine the tempo. Simply select a portion of audio, and type in the number of bars and beats in the selection. The calculator will determine the tempo based on your selection. If you are unsure, and have used a drum machine or sequencer to

create the music, you might wish to refer back to its settings determine the time signature and tempo. Additionally, you can use the Threshold command from the DSP menu to select a portion of audio that should correspond to the beat; see “To use Loop Surfer based on a selection” below.

4. Type in the number of beats that you wish the loop to last. The beats are based upon quarternotes, in terms of musical time. For instance, if your song was in a 4/4 time signature, typing “4” beats would mean the loop would be one measure in length; if the song were in 7/4 time, typing “14” would mean the loop would be two measures in length. (If you are interested in exploring syncopations, however, there’s no reason why you can’t type a beat value that doesn’t correspond to the time signature, such as “5” if the music is actually in “3/4” time.)

5. If you then select the Start Surfing button (the default), Peak will automatically:

a) close the Loop Surfer dialog box; b) extend the selection from the cursor insertion point to

a calculated length, based upon the tempo and number of beats;

c) change the cursor insertion point to a Loop Start

marker;

d) drop a Loop End marker at the end of the newly

calculated selection;

e) turn on (if it hasn’t already been turned on) the Use

Loop In Playback option under the Preference menu.

f) begin looped playback of the audio selection, stopping

only once you hit your keyboard’s Spacebar or press Stop on the Toolbar.

6. If you select the Make Loop button, Peak will automatically:

a) close the Loop Surfer dialog box; b) extend the selection from the cursor insertion point to

a calculated length, based upon the tempo and number of beats;

c) change the cursor insertion point to a Loop Start

marker;

d) drop a Loop End marker at the end of the newly

calculated selection;

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e) turn on (if it hasn’t already been turned on) the Use

Loop In Playback option under the Preference menu.

f) At this point, you must start playback manually using

the Spacebar or the Toolbar if you wish to begin Loop Surfing.

While you’re Loop Surfing (adjusting your loop during playback), you’re free to perform all of the standard looping functions as described in the previous section, including adjusting the Loop Start and End points during playback. Most importantly, however, since you’ll now have a selection that lasts for a period of time that matches the beat, try moving the markers in tandem, by holding down the Option key and clicking and dragging one of the loop markers to the desired location with the mouse. You’ll find it’s a great way to set up interesting rhythms and syncopations! Peak’s interactive editing capabilities also allow you to use the Loop Surfer dialog while a loop plays to adjust the tempo, beats and so on. If you’re not working with music (or if you simply don’t know the tempo of the music you’re working with), you might choose to Loop Surf based upon a selection (or use the Threshold feature), rather than starting at a cursor insertion point.

To use Loop Surfer based on a selection:

1. Place the cursor where you wish to begin the loop, and using the mouse, select the portion of audio you wish to loop. (You can make your selection in a variety of other ways, also, as described earlier, including selecting between markers by -clicking with the mouse).

2) Select Loop Surfer from the Action menu. The Loop Surfer dialog appears.

3) If you check the Use Selection box and select either the Start Surfing or Make Loop button, Peak will automatically:

a) close the Loop Surfer dialog box; b) extend the selection from the cursor insertion point to

a calculated length, based upon the tempo and number of beats;

c) change the cursor insertion point to a Loop Start

marker;

d) drop a Loop End marker at the end of the newly

calculated selection;

e) turn on (if it hasn’t already been turned on) the Use

Loop In Playback option under the Preference menu;

f) begin looping and playing. The selection will begin

looped playback (if you have selected Start Surfing); or g) wait for you to start playback manually using the

Spacebar or the Toolbar if you wish to begin Loop

Surfing (if you have selected Make Loop).

Loop Surfer is not available in Peak LE.

Using the Guess Tempo and Threshold commands to find tempo

If you are working with music and don’t know the tempo–and your music has a relatively pronounced or obvious beat–you can use the Guess Tempo command to have Peak automatically guess the tempo of a selection. Make a selection and choose Guess Tempo from the Action menu. There will be a pause while Peak scans your selection and calculates the tempo for you. A dialog will then appear showing you the estimated tempo in BPM, or beats per minute. You can then enter the estimated tempo in BPM in the Loop Surfer dialog’s Tempo field or in the Audio Information dialog’s Tempo field.

You can also use the Threshold command (described later in this chapter) to define a number of markers or Regions based on amplitude peaks. If you then select audio with start and end points that correspond to these sections, you should have a selection that precisely matches the musical beat. Using Loop Surfer, you could then automate the process of looping the selection by following the steps described directly above.

Guess Tempo works best with audio selections that contain one full measure of audio with pronounced attacks on the beats, which appear visually on the waveform as taller sections of the audio. Using the Normalize feature on the selection prior to Guess Tempo can improve the accuracy of its deduction.

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Guess Tempo is not available in Peak LE.

Exporting Regions

Using the Loop Tuner

Peak’s Loop Tuner provides a way to visually line up the start and end points of your loop to get a smooth transition at the loop points. Loop Tuner also allows you listen to the effects of these adjustments as you make them. If you wish to “tune” a loop you’ve made, simply select Loop Tuner from the DSP menu or Toolbar, and a dialog will appear. The waveform display in the Loop Tuner dialog shows the Start and End points of the loop, which you can visually adjust with the scroll bars at the bottom of the window. The two zoom buttons–magnifying glass icons–in the upper left of the Loop Tuner dialog allow you to adjust the vertical zoom up of the waveform. The two zoom buttons in the lower left hand corner of the Loop Tuner dialog allow you to adjust the zoom view in and out all the way down to the sample level. You can listen to the effects of the adjustments as you make them by clicking on the Play button. To exit this dialog, click on OK to accept the changes, or Cancel to leave the original loop unaffected.

If you have placed markers or Regions in an audio document, Peak’s Export Regions command allows you to export those regions from the source document save each of these regions as a separate audio document. This feature is very convenient if you wish to divide a larger file into regions and transfer them as samples into a sample playback instrument, or divide a live concert record into regions and export those regions as separate files. Furthermore, you can use Peak’s Batch File Processor to process a file's regions with any of Peak’s DSP functions and third party plugins during the automatic exporting of regions into new files.

To export regions from an audio document:

1. Select the regions that you wish to export. (You can use the Tab key, Shift-Tab, or if you wish to select the entire document, press -A.)

2. Choose Export Regions from the File menu.

3. In the Export Regions dialog, choose the parameters that you wish to use for selecting the regions to export.

The Loop Tuner dialog

Loop Tuner is not available in Peak LE.

4. Using the Region Detection options, choose which regions are to be exported.

5. Using the Output Format options, choose the format and resolution you wish for the exported regions.

6. Using the Output Directory options, choose the destination for the exported regions.

7. If you wish the newly exported regions to appear as new open Peak documents, choose Output to new windows.

8. To save the exported regions to disk, select Save To Disk and choose whether you would like to save the regions into the same folder as the source files, or to a different folder. If you prefer to save

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to a new folder, use the Set Path button.

9. To export the regions, click Begin. Peak exports each of the regions into its own audio document.

The Export Regions dialog

Sample rate in kHz for the resulting files in the Rate field (please note that this will not do sample rate conversions). You can also designate whether the resulting audio documents contain Regions or Markers or not.

Output Directory area

Resulting audio documents can either be output to new open audio document windows or saved to the hard drive. Choose Output to new windows if you want to have the resulting audio documents open in Peak or choose Save To Disk if you just want to write the new audio files to disk without opening them in Peak. If you Save To Disk, you can simply choose to use the original audio document’s folder or you can specify another folder on you hard drive(s) to save the

resulting audio documents by choosing Set Path....

The Name Prefix field allows you to include a specified prefix to all the resulting audio documents. The default prefix is the name of the file. Each an every one of the resulting audio documents will be named with the prefix plus the name of the individual region.

Region Detection area

To export all regions in an audio document, click the Export Regions button. To export audio between adjacent markers, click the Export Audio between Markers button. To export only regions that are bounded by specific marker names, click the Only Regions button and enter the parameters that you wish to use to select the desired regions. For instance, if you wish to only export only regions bounded by markers with the word “hit” in them, click the pop-up menu, choose containing, and type the word “hit” in the field next to the pop-up. Conversely, if you wish export all regions except those with the word “hit” in them, click the pop-up menu, choose not containing, and type the word “hit” in the field next to the pop-up menu.

Output Format area

Choose the file format, bit depth resolution, and Stereo or Mono from these pop-up menus for the resulting exported audio documents. You can set the

Be aware that the Name Prefix plus the name of the region being exported cannot exceed the maximum number of characters for a file name allowed by the Mac OS or Peak will return an error and the Region will not be saved.

Another exciting feature of the Export Regions function is that you can Export Regions through Peak’s Batch File Processor. First configure that Batch File Processor and turn it on, then, go to Export Regions and check the Use Batch File Processor checkbox. When you begin exporting regions, each region exported will be processed by the DSP processes you choose in the Batch File Processor dialog (see Chapter 7: DSP & Plug-Ins).

Do not save the output of the Batch File Processor to input directory (i.e., a folder that is or is inside a folder of files that are being Batch Processed).

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Export Regions is not available in Peak LE.

Editing QuickTime Soundtracks in Peak

next to this item indicates it is enabled.

4. You may now edit the movie’s audio track as you would any other audio document. The movie will “scrub” along with the audio, and the placement of the insertion point in the audio document window will also scroll the movie to that point.

Peak allows you to edit QuickTime movie soundtracks. While you cannot edit QuickTime video in Peak, you can use Peak as a full-featured audio post-production tool for QuickTime movies. This makes Peak an ideal tool for editing and cleaning up soundtracks, as well as adding sound effects or music to QuickTime movies.

The Peak Movie Window

How to open and edit QuickTime sound tracks in Peak:

1. Select Open from the Edit menu (-O) or Toolbar.

2. In the dialog that appears, locate the QuickTime movie that you wish to open.

5. When you are finished editing the QuickTime sound track, use Peak’s “Save As” command to save the movie with its new sound track.

Peak will not allow you to import QuickTime movies that have no audio tracks. If you want to add audio to a QuickTime movie that has no audio tracks, use MoviePlayer first to add audio tracks (even empty ones) to the movie, save the movie, and then open the movie in Peak.

The Movie Sound Tracks dialog

3. Click the Open button, and Peak will open the QuickTime movie in a movie window, and open the movie’s audio track in an audio document window. Use the Quicklime Sound Tracks from the Preferences menu to Enable or Disable the movie’s other audio tracks. You can also use this dialog to toggle multiple soundtracks contained in a movie on and off to check balances or “solo” certain tracks. Click on the Set button to accept the changes, or Cancel to leave the movie unaffected. To toggle the Movie Window on or off, choose Movie from the Window menu. A check

Be Careful not to change the duration of the audio using cut, delete, or insert, as this will cause the audio and video to fall out of sync.

QuickTime Movie support is not available in

Peak LE. Peak LE can open and edit QuickTime audio, but it will not open the QuickTime Movie window.

Editing

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Conclusion

You have now learned how to manipulate audio with Peak’s various editing tools, including how to work with Markers, Loops, and Regions. In the next chapter you will learn more about the use of Regions in Playlists.

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Chapter 6 Playlists and Audio CD Burning

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Chapter 6: Playlists and CD Burning

Introduction

This chapter explains how to use Peak’s Playlist feature to sequence audio events. A Playlist is a list of Regions strung together in a specific order. The Peak Playlist is merely a set of instructions that tell the hard disk which playlist regions to “read” in what order. Playlist editing does not permanently alter the original audio data on your hard disk. No matter how many changes you make, your original recordings remain intact. This type of nondestructive editing is one of Peak’s most significant and powerful features.

When you edit an audio file within Peak’s Playlist window you are not really deleting, moving, replacing, and adding actual audio as you would if you were cutting and splicing analog tape. Instead, Peak is merely creating a “map” of your audio file. This map, or “playlist,” simply describes the order in which you want portions of the recording to be played. If you’d like to hear the middle of a song first, the end next and the beginning last, then so be it. Peak will read (e.g., play) from the hard disk (where the audio data is stored) from any number of possible points designated by Region markers, and these Regions can be auditioned in the Playlist in any number of possible arrangements.

Playlist editing allows you can adjust and re-sequence segments of audio (e.g., Regions) with fluidity and ease. Edits can be heard as soon as you perform them. In addition, Peak allows you to apply Premiere-format audio plug-ins to playlist events in real-time! Peak’s Playlist offers a fast, flexible, and powerful approach to editing and processing digital audio.

Peak also lets you burn Track At Once (TAO) and Disk At Once (DAO) audio CDs from Playlists using Roxio Toast™ (Roxio Toast Lite comes bundled with Peak). You can also use Peak’s Playlist to create a Jam Image file for burning DAO, audio CDs using Roxio’s JAM™ (JAM is sold separately). Please consult Roxio for compatible CD-Burners using either Toast or JAM. You can also bounce (i.e., write to disk) your Peak Playlist as a Sound Designer II file and then import the Playlist Events as Regions into Digidesign’s MasterList CD or Emagic’s WaveBurner.

Regions

The audio events that are played back in a Playlist are Regions—portions of an audio document defined using the New Region command from the Action menu (-Shift-R) or Toolbar. A Region is defined by Region Markers in the audio document window. All Regions defined in open audio documents will also be listed in the Contents Palette.

Two of the main windows you will use to organize Regions are the Contents Palette and the Playlist. The Contents Palette is available under the Window menu, and will show all of the regions in open audio documents at a glance. You can drag and drop Regions names from the Contents Palette into the Playlist. To display all of the regions in open documents, click on the left “tab” of the named Audio Document listed in the Contents Palette. If you drag and drop an Audio Document’s name from the Contents Palette into the Playlist, it will add all the Regions in that Audio Document to the Playlist.

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Show Regions

Button

Audio

Document

Name

Tab

The Contents Palette

Region

Name

Show Markers

Button

Region Start

Time

Show Loops

Button

To move the start and end points of the region together:

• Option-drag on the start or end marker of the Region.

To change the name of a Playlist Region:

1. Double-click on either the start or end marker of the Region in the audio document window, or Option-double-click on the Region name in the Contents Palette. The Edit Regions dialog will appear.

Regions can only be saved in AIFF, Sound Designer II, and JAM Image file formats created by Peak. However, Peak will also read Playlist Regions stored from other programs in Sound Designer II files. The method Peak uses to store Regions in AIFF files is specific to Peak and is not supported by other software applications. If you are planning to use Regions created with Peak in other programs, you will usually want to save your files in Sound Designer II file format.

To define a new Region:

1. Make a selection in an opened audio document.

2. Choose New Region from the Action menu or Toolbar. The Edit Regions dialog will appear.

3. Type the name of the Region and click OK. The new Region will appear in the audio document.

To modify the length of the Region by changing the start or end:

• Drag the start or end marker of the Region in the audio document window.

The Edit Regions dialog

2. Type the new name of the Region into the dialog and click OK.

To move a Region without changing its length:

• Hold down the Option key and drag either the start or end marker of the Playlist Region.

To edit a Region’s start, end, or length manually:

1. Double-click on either the start or end marker of the Playlist Region in the audio document window or Option-double-click on the Region name in the Contents Palette. The Edit Region dialog will appear.

2. Enter new values for Start, End, or Length times, then click OK.

To locate a Region:

• Double-click the Region you wish to locate in the Contents Palette. The audio document will scroll automatically to display the region and

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the Playlist Region will become the current selection in the audio document.

Creating a Playlist

To create a new Playlist:

• Select Playlist Document from the New... submenu under the File menu (-Shift-P). An empty playlist document will appear. The top of the playlist has category titles for each column of information. The bottom of the playlist shows total duration of the playlist.

To add an item to the playlist:

1. Make sure the Playlist is the front-most document in Peak (-P). Select the Contents Palette from the Window menu if it is not already open.

2. Drag and drop the names of the Regions in the Contents Palette into the Playlist to add Regions to the Playlist. Each Region you add to the Playlist becomes a Playlist Event. The center of the Playlist window shows Playlist Events as a sequential list. You may use Regions from multiple audio documents. Any audio documents containing Regions used in the current Playlist must be open in Peak to be available to the Playlist.

Crossfade In Start Time

Playlist Event

The Playlist Document window

Gap Time

Time Display

Crossfade Out

DSP effect boxes

Gain

All audio documents referenced by the Playlist must have the same sample rate, number of channels (i.e., mono or stereo), and bit-depth.

The controls along the top of the Playlist window give you access to most of the Playlist functions. There are transport controls at the top right of the window that allow you to audition the Playlist from the currently selected Region, or Playlist Event. There is a time display in the middle of the window. From left to right, the icons in the upper left of the Playlist window are Crossfade Select, Delete, Nudge Regions, Burn CD, and Bounce Playlist buttons.

Playlist Icons

A playlist event has several properties that can be modified: crossfade in, gap time, crossfade out, gain, and up to four DSP plug-ins. Since the transitions between one audio event to another can be abrupt, a playlist crossfade can be used to smooth the transition from one audio event to another.

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Crossfades between Playlist Events fade out the first region while fading in the next region. Each Playlist Event has separate controls for crossfade in, crossfade out, crossfade-in time, and crossfade-out time. The curve stored in crossfade in is used to fade in the current region. The curve stored in crossfade out is used to fade out into the next region.

Crossfades are stored on disk and are computed before playback. When a crossfade is being calculated, the watch cursor may appear.

“Overlap transition.” Peak is also flexible in allowing you to control crossfade in and crossfade out durations separately. All crossfades are based on overlapping audio from the previous or subsequent regions and then mixing the overlapping material after applying the crossfade curves.

A linear crossfade actually sounds like an equal power crossfade (i.e., no loss of energy in the audio signal), since Peak playlist crossfades are calculated logarithmically.

next region's crossfade in

first region

....next region

first region's crossfade ou

end of region

The illustration above shows how crossfades are used in playlist events. The audio material from each region overlaps beyond the region boundaries. Overlapping areas are darker in the illustration above. The white diagonal lines correspond the crossfade in and out curves. As the first region ends, the next region’s audio material begins to fade in. When the next region begins playing, the first region continues to fade out.

It is very important to understand that the Region marker in the referenced Audio Document is the exact midpoint of the fade. Consequently, there must be sufficient audio date on either side of the Region marker. That is, if you have a 60 second crossfade between two Playlist Events, there must be at least 30 seconds of audio data following the end Region marker of the first Playlist Event and at least 30 seconds of audio data proceeding the begin Region marker of the second Playlist Event.

Using the separate crossfade in and crossfade out curves, Peak provides you with the flexibility to create many common crossfade types. These include “Linear Crossfade,” “Equal Power Crossfade,” “Slow in but fast out Crossfade,” “Fast in but slow out crossfade,” and

A Playlist event’s gain setting can be used to control the balance of the event in a Playlist. You may need to raise the volume or lower the volume of some Playlist events to maintain a proper balance of volume levels. You can make adjustments to the gain of individual Playlist Events as you playback the Playlist.

Be careful not to set a Playlist event’s gain too high as you may overload the signal and cause clipping to occur. You may also introduce clicks between Playlist events if the difference in gain between the two playlist events is too large. Crossfades can help smooth these transitions.

To select items in the Playlist:

• Click on the item in the Playlist that you wish to select. You may use the Shift key to select several items in the Playlist.

To insert items into the playlist:

• To hear your playlist, use the Play button in the Playlist window. The Playlist will begin playback from the current selected playlist event.

To preview transitions between playlist regions

1. Select the playlist event in which you wish to hear the transition.

2. Use the Playlist’s Play button or press the Spacebar while holding down the Command key (). The pre-roll setting from the Auditioning... dialog

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