Sony Acid Music Studio Quick Start Guide

After the ACID software is installed and you start it for the first time, the registration wizard appears. This wizard offers easy steps that allow you to register the software online with Sony Media Software. Alternatively, you may register online at http://www.sony.com/mediasoftware at any time.

Registering your product will provide you with access to a variety of technical support options, notification of product updates, and special promotions exclusive to registered ACID users.

Registration assistance

If you do not have access to the Internet, registration assistance is available during normal weekday business hours. Please contact our Customer Service department by dialing one of the following numbers

Telephone/Fax Country

1-800-577-6642 (toll-free) US, Canada, and Virgin Islands

+608-204-7703 for all other countries

1-608-250-1745 (Fax) All countries

Customer service/sales

For a detailed list of customer service options, we encourage you to visit

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/support/custserv.asp. Use the following numbers for telephone

support during normal weekday business hours:

Telephone/Fax Country

1-800-577-6642 (toll-free) US, Canada, and Virgin Islands

+608-204-7703 for all other countries

1-608-250-1745 (Fax) All countries

Technical support

For a detailed list of technical support options, we encourage you to visit

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/support/default.asp. To listen to your support options by telephone,

please call 608-256-5555.

About your rights in ACID software

ACID software is licensed to you under the terms of the End User License Agreement. The End User License Agreement is first presented to you when you install the software. Please review the End User License Agreement carefully as its terms affect your rights with respect to the software. For your reference, a copy of the End User License Agreement for ACID software is located at

http://www.sony.com/mediasoftware.

About your privacy

Sony Media Software respects your privacy and is committed to protecting personal information. Your use of the software is governed by the Software Privacy Policy. A copy of this policy is incorporated into the registration process and you are asked to agree to its terms prior to accepting the terms of the End User License Agreement. Please review its contents carefully as its terms and conditions affect your rights with respect to the information that is collected by the software. For your reference, a copy of the Software Privacy Policy is located at http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/corporate/privacy.asp.

Proper use of software

ACID software is not intended and should not be used for illegal or infringing purposes, such as the illegal copying or sharing of copyrighted materials. Using ACID software for such purposes is, among other things, against United States and international copyright laws and contrary to the terms and conditions of the End User License Agreement. Such activity may be punishable by law and may also subject you to the breach remedies set forth in the End User License Agreement.

Legal notices

Vegas, Vegas+DVD, DVD Architect, Vegas Movie Studio, Vegas Movie Studio Platinum, Vegas Movie Studio+DVD, DVD Architect Studio, ACID, Music Studio, ACIDized, Sony Sound Series, Groove Mapping, Groove Cloning, Media Manager, CD Architect, Sound Forge, and Audio Studio are trademarks or registered trademarks of Madison Media Software, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners in the United States and other countries.

Thomson Fraunhofer MP3

MPEG Layer-3 audio coding technology licensed from Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson.

Supply of this product does not convey a license nor imply any right to distribute content created with this product in revenue generating broadcast systems (terrestrial, satellite, cable and/or other distribution channels), streaming applications (via internet, intranets and/or other networks), other content distribution systems (pay-audio or audio on demand applications and the like) or on physical media (compact discs, digital versatile discs, semiconductor chips, hard drives, memory cards and the like).

An independent license for such use is required. For details, please visit: http://mp3licensing.com.

Microsoft DirectX programming interface

Microsoft Windows Media 9

Real, RealMedia, RealAudio, and RealVideo applications

2005 RealNetworks, Inc. Patents Pending. All rights reserved. Real®, Real Media®, RealAudio®, RealVideo®, and the Real logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

MPEGLA and MPEG 2

USE OF THIS PRODUCT IN ANY MANNER THAT COMPLIES WITH THE MPEG-2 STANDARD IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT A LICENSE UNDER APPLICABLE PATENTS IN THE MPEG-2 PATENT PORTFOLIO, WHICH LICENSE IS AVAILABLE FROM MPEG-LA, LLC, 250 STEELE STREET, SUITE 300, DENVER, COLORADO 80206.

Manufactured under license from MPEG-LA.

Dolby, Dolby Digital AC-3, and AAC encoding

This product contains one or more programs protected under international and U.S. copyright laws as unpublished works. They are confidential and proprietary to Dolby Laboratories. Their reproduction or disclosure, in whole or in part, or the production of derivative works therefrom without the express permission of Dolby Laboratories is prohibited. Copyright 1992 – 2005 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved.

Dolby®, the double-D symbol, AC-3®, and Dolby Digital® are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. AAC™ is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories.

PNG file format

Copyright © 2005. World Wide Web Consortium (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics, Keio University). All rights reserved. This work is distributed under the W3C Software License in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTIBILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/2002/copyright-software-20021231.

Apple QuickTime

Apple® QuickTime® application is a trademark of Apple, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Apple Macintosh Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) file format.

Apple® Macintosh® Audio Interchange™ File Format (AIFF) is a trademark of Apple, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Targa file format

The Targa™ file format is a trademark of Pinnacle Systems, Inc.

Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)

Main Concept encoder

Macromedia Flash

Macromedia and Flash are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macromedia, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Madison Media Software, Inc.

A subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America

1617 Sherman Avenue Madison, WI 53704 USA

The information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a guarantee or commitment on behalf of Madison Media Software, Inc. in any way. All updates or additional information relating to the contents of this manual will be posted on the Sony Media Software web site, located at http://www.sony.com/mediasoftware. The software is provided to you under the terms of the End User License Agreement and Software Privacy Policy, and must be used and/or copied in accordance therewith. Copying or distributing the software except as expressly described in the End User License Agreement is strictly prohibited. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the express written consent of Madison Media Software, Inc.

Table of Contents

Introducing ACID Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Using this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Installing ACID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Using online help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Online help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

What’sThis? help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Help on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Show Me How tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Overview of ACID software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Main window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Track list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Track view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Window docking area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Keyboard command reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Audio signal flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

MIDI signal flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Starting projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Setting project properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Opening existing projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Getting media files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Previewing media from the Explorer window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Adding media to the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Understanding track types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

One-shots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Beatmapped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Folder tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Adding and editing events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Painting events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Changing the length of events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Erasing sections of events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Moving events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Using the cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Positioning the cursor with the mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Positioning the cursor with the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Positioning the cursor with the Go To command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Making selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Selecting an event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Selecting multiple events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Creating time selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Creating event selections within time selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Working with tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Reordering tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Resizing tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Changing track colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Renaming tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Duplicating tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Deleting tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Copying, cutting, and pasting tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Adjusting the mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Muting tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Soloing tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Working with groups of tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Using undo and redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Using undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Undoing all edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Using redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Clearing the undo history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Playing the project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Using the transport bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Using playback options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Using the Mixer window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Viewing the Mixer window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Using the mixer toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Renaming mixer controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Using the mixer’s faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Saving, rendering, and delivering projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Saving projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Rendering projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Publishing to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Writing to CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Editing Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Copying events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Pasting events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Using the Paste command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Using Paste Repeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Using Paste Insert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Cutting events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Deleting events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Reversing events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Trimming events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Splitting events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Splitting at the cursor position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Splitting an event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Splitting multiple events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Splitting a time selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Splitting events within a time selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Joining events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Ripple editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Cutting events in ripple editing mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Deleting events in ripple editing mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Pasting events in ripple editing mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Slipping and sliding events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Shifting the contents of (slipping) events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Slip-trimming events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Sliding events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Changing event properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

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Using event envelopes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Setting an event’s volume envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Setting an event’s fade-in and -out envelope curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Creating crossfades between events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Using the Media Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Creating a new media library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Opening a media library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Adding media files to a library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Removing media files from a library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Tagging media files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Creating a tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Applying a tag to a media file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Removing a tag from a media file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Deleting a tag from a library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Merging subtags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Arranging tags in the tag tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Editing tag names or images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Viewing or creating palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Saving tags and properties to media files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Backing up your media libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Opening a Reference Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Using the Sony Sound Series Loops & Samples reference library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Searching for media files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Searching using a keyword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Searching using tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Sorting search results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Viewing previous searches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Using advanced search options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Previewing media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Adding media to your project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Resolving offline media files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

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Customizing the Media Manager window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Automatically hiding the Search pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Docking and undocking the Search pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Resizing columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Moving columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Showing or hiding columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Adding custom columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Setting Media Manager options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

Working in the Track View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Using project markers and regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Working with standard markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Working with time markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Working with command markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

Working with regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Using snapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Choosing snapping options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Changing tempo, time signature, and key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Changing project tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Changing project time signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Changing project key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Working with tempo/key/time signature change markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Changing a track’s key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Changing an event’s key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Adjusting time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Inserting time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Fitting to time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Using the Chopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Working in the Chopper window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Viewing the Chopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Changing the Chopper grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Changing Chopper snapping options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Magnifying the Chopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Previewing in the Chopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Using Chopper toolbar and keyboard commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Inserting markers and regions in the Chopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Creating selections in the Chopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Placing files in the Chopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Creating selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Creating selections of a specific musical length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

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Inserting increments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Creating increments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Creating increments of a specific musical length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Creating increments of a custom musical length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Inserting selections in the track view. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Using the Insert Selection button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Using copy and paste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Dragging selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Moving the insert position in the track view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Saving Chopper selections as new files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Using the Chopper with one-shots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Working with Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Using track effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Using ACID FX as track effects in ACID Music Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Using track effects in ACID Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Creating or adding to track plug-in chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Arranging plug-in chain order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Bypassing plug-ins in a chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Bypassing effect automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Removing plug-ins from chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Saving plug-in chains as packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Removing or bypassing all effects on tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Using track envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Adding track envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Adjusting envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Using the Envelope tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Hiding track envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Removing track envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Choosing stereo pan types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Using the Beatmapper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Understanding stretching properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Configuring track properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Adjusting general track properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Adjusting stretching properties for loop or Beatmapped tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Adjusting track properties for MIDI tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Reloading files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Replacing files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Saving file properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

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Working with grooves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Applying or removing grooves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Creating grooves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Editing grooves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

Using folder tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

Creating a folder track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Adding existing tracks to a folder track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146

Removing tracks from a folder track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Muting a folder track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Soloing a folder track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Editing events in a folder track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147

Mixing multiple tracks to a single track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147

Exporting loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Using the Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Using busses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Adding busses to the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Routing tracks to busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Routing busses to system hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Deleting busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Using assignable effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151

Adding assignable effect controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Working with assignable effects chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Routing tracks to assignable effect controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

Routing assignable effect controls to busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Deleting assignable effect controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Using soft synth controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153

Adding soft synth controls to projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Modifying soft synth control properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Deleting soft synth controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Routing MIDI tracks to soft synth controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Using mixer controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160

Working with mixer controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Adding effects to soft synth mixer controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Working with multiple mixer controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Automating mixer controls in track view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Working with ReWire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

Using ACID software as a ReWire mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Using ACID software as a ReWire device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

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Recording in ACID Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Recording audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Setting ACID recording properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Setting recording levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Recording multiple takes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Reviewing and saving takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Working with MIDI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Adding MIDI tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Adding MIDI files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Creating new MIDI files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Recording MIDI tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Changing MIDI track properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Pitch shifting MIDI tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Setting root notes for MIDI tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Working with tracks in a MIDI file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Previewing MIDI files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Using the piano roll editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Viewing the piano roll editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Previewing MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Selecting MIDI tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Adding note events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Editing note events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Toggling note snapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Quantizing note events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Deleting note events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Undoing and redoing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Saving MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Using the list editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Viewing the list editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Previewing MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Filtering the list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Editing events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Creating events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Step recording events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Quantizing events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Deleting events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Undoing and redoing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Saving MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Loading third-party OPT plug-ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

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Saving, reloading, or replacing MIDI files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Routing MIDI tracks to MIDI devices or soft synth controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Resetting MIDI ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197

Rendering projects with MIDI tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197

Playing MIDI from external devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198

Adding external devices as MIDI inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Assigning MIDI inputs to soft synth controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198

Synchronizing using MIDI timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199

Generating MIDI timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199

Triggering from MIDI timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Generating MIDI clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Working with Video. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Managing video. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203

Adding or replacing video files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Removing the video track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203

Hiding and showing the video track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Synchronizing audio and video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Removing the video’s audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Changing frame numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204

Editing video events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204

Moving video events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204

Trimming video events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Slipping and sliding video events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204

Using the Video window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205

Copying a frame to the clipboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Using toolbar buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Using the shortcut menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Viewing the status bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Previewing on external monitors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

Scoring video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

Working with 5.1 Surround. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

What is 5.1 surround?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207

Setting up surround hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208

Setting up surround projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208

Routing to hardware in the mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Assigning audio to the LFE channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

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Panning audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Panning tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Panning mixer controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Using the Surround Panner window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212

Automating panning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Turning on panning keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Adding panning keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Working with keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Rendering surround projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Burning AC-3 files to DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Customizing ACID Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Working with ACID windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Docking and floating ACID windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Changing the time ruler format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Using the ruler offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Using the project grid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Setting the grid type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Using the toolbar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Hiding and displaying the toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Reordering toolbar buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Adding buttons to the toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Removing buttons from the toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Using the time display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Changing cursor position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Changing the time display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Monitoring MIDI timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Setting default track properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Setting ACID preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Using the General tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Using the Audio tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Using the MIDI tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Using the VST Effects tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Using the VST Instruments tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Using the ReWire Devices tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Using the Video tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Using the Editing tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Using the Sync tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Using the Keyboard tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Using the Display tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Using the Other tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Using the Folders tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

ACID Tips and Tricks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Adding long media files quickly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237

Playing with duplicate tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237

Detuning paired tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237

Duplicating with offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Creating ping-pong pan effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238

Adding depth with assignable effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Playing double time/half time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239

Constructing the wall of sound. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

Adding through subtraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Tweaking the dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

Fading in and out of mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

Adding build ups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Creating wah-wah effects with automated Track EQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241

Making automated changes more stark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242

Abruptly changing volume or pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242

Turning automated effects on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Making automated frequency changes more natural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243

Overriding compress/expand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243

Slicing and dicing in the Chopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243

Chopping new loops for alternate time signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243

Chopping multiple files into a new loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244

Creating drum-roll build ups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244

Creating drum fills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244

Creating one-track remixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245

Creating DJ-style crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245

Creating pseudo-granular synthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Building instrument solos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246

Building scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246

Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

Introducing ACID Software

Welcome

Congratulations on purchasing a revolutionary software application for Microsoft® Windows®. With ACID® from Sony Media Software, you can create great music by simply picking, painting, and playing.

System requirements

The following lists the minimum system requirements for using the ACID software:

• Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP

• 800 MHz processor (1 GHz if using video)

• 200 MB hard-disk space for program installation

• 600 MB hard-disk space for optional Sony Sound Series Loops & Samples™ reference library installation

• 256 MB RAM

• Microsoft Windows-compatible sound card

• CD-ROM drive (for installation from a CD only)

• Supported CD-Recordable drive (for CD burning only)

• Microsoft DirectX® 8.1 or later (version 8.1b included on CD)

• Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 (included on CD)

• Internet Explorer 5.1 or later (included on CD)

Using this manual

This manual is provided to assist ACID Pro, ACID Music Studio, and ACID XMC users. For this reason, product features exclusive to ACID Pro software are identified throughout the manual using the following icon:

In addition, issues and features that pertain only to ACID Music Studio software are identified by the following icon:

CHP. 1 INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE

Note:

Unless otherwise noted, the pictures you’ll see of the ACID application throughout this manual are taken from ACID Pro. If you are using ACID Music Studio or ACID XMC, your windows and dialogs may appear slightly different.

Installing ACID

Prior to installing the software, we recommend that you exit all open applications and temporarily turn off any virus protection.

Insert the CD-ROM. The setup screen appears (if CD-ROM AutoPlay is enabled).

Note:

If CD-ROM AutoPlay is not enabled, click the

button and choose

appears, type the CD-ROM drive’s letter and add

:\setup.exe. Click OK to start the installation.

Click Install. The installation process begins.

Follow the on-screen prompts to install the appropriate version of the software for your computer.

Note:

Windows Installer is used for all versions of Windows. Windows Installer is installed and then you are asked to restart your system.

Run. In the Run dialog that

Using online help

You can access two varieties of help within ACID software:

• Online help

• What’sThis? help (also referred to as context-sensitive help)

Online help

To access online help, choose Contents and Index from the Help menu or press .

Note:

To view online help, Internet Explorer 5.1 or later must be installed on your system. If you purchased the ACID Pro or ACID Music Studio boxed version, Internet Explorer version 5.1 is included on your CD-ROM.

INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE CHP. 1

Toolbar Tabs

Information pane

The Contents tab provides a list of available help topics. Double-click a closed book ( ) to open the pages and then click a topic page (

The Index tab provides a complete listing of the help topics available. Scroll through the list of available topics or type a word in the

the topic and click

Type in the keyword to find box to quickly locate topics related to that word. Select

The Search tab allows you to enter a keyword and display all of the topics in the online help that contain the keyword you have entered. Type a keyword in the Select the topic from the list and click

Type in the word(s) to search for box and click .

The Favorites tab allows you to keep topics that you revisit often in a separate folder. To add a topic to your favorites, click

on the Favorites tab.

What’sThis? help

What’sThis? help allows you to view pop-up window descriptions for ACID menus, buttons, and dialog boxes. Choose

What's This? from the Help menu, press , or click the What’sThis? help button ( ) on

Shift +F1

the toolbar and then click any ACID item. To use What’sThis? help in a dialog box, click the question mark button (

) in the upper-right corner of the dialog box and then click an item in the dialog box.

Help on the Web

Additional ACID information is available on the Sony Media Software Web site. From the Help menu, choose

Sony on the Web, and choose the desired location from the submenu. The software starts your

system’s Web browser and attempts to connect to the appropriate page on the Sony Web site.

Show Me How tutorials

You can learn more about many of the features in ACID Music Studio and ACID XMC by using the interactive Show Me How tutorials installed with the software.

By default, Show Me How tutorials display upon startup of the application. However, you can access them at any time from the

Help menu by choosing Show Me How.

Tip:

To disable automatic display of the Show Me How

tutorials, clear the

Show at Startup check box at the bottom of

the tutorial window.

CHP. 1 INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE

Overview of ACID software

ACID music creation software is designed to be powerful and flexible, yet easy to use. Many of the ACID operations, menu items, and shortcut keys are common to other Sony Media Software applications.

The following sections provide a tour of the ACID work area.

Main window

The ACID workspace includes three main areas: the track list, the track view (or timeline), and the window docking area. The other parts of the interface are tools and features used while creating and working with your project. You can resize the track list, track view, and window docking area by dragging the dividers between them.

Track list

Window docking area

Divider

Timeline

Track view

Divider

INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE CHP. 1

Toolbar

The toolbar allows you to quickly access the most commonly used functions and features in ACID software.

Opens a new project. You will be prompted to save any changes to the current project.

Displays the Open File dialog. From this window, you can browse all of the available drives to select an ACID project or audio file to open.

Saves any changes to the current project. The first time you save a project, the Save As dialog appears.

Opens the Publish wizard so you can share your ACID creation on the Web.

Clears the selected items from the track view and places them on the ACID clipboard. You can then paste them to a new location.

Creates a copy of the selected items from the track view on the ACID clipboard. You can then paste them to a new location.

Inserts the contents of the ACID clipboard at the current cursor position. The pasted items cover any existing events. To make room for pasted events, choose Paste Insert from the Edit menu.

Reverses the last action performed. ACID supports unlimited undos, allowing you to restore the project to any state since the last save.

Reverses an undo. Opens a dialog where you can download media from the

Turns the snapping feature on or off. With snapping enabled, you can decide whether to snap to the grid or to all elements (markers, regions, etc.).

Locks envelope points so they move with an event when it is moved along the timeline.

Activates the Metronome to keep time during recording and playback.

Activates the Draw tool to add and edit events.

Activates the Selection tool to select multiple events.

Activates the Paint tool to insert events across multiple tracks.When used in conjunction with the Ctrl key, the Paint tool can paint an entire one-shot, MIDI, or Beatmapped media file to an event with one click.

Activates the Erase tool to erase events or parts of events. When used in conjunction with the Ctrl key, the Erase tool can erase an entire one-shot, MIDI track, or Beatmapped track event with one click.

Activates the Envelope tool to select and modify envelope points.

Activates the Time Selection tool to quickly select all events within range of time.

Activates the Groove tool to apply a groove to a track. You can use grooves to manipulate the timing of tracks by quantizing media to predefined grooves or by applying the feel of one track to another. This feature

is available only in ACID Pro software.

Activates the Groove Erase tool to erase grooves or parts of grooves. When used in conjunction with the Ctrl key, the Groove Erase tool can erase an entire groove event. This feature is available only in ACID

Pro software.

Internet.

Opens a frequently updated Web page containing special offers, tips, tricks, and other good stuff. Note: This button is displayed on the toolbar by default in ACID Music Studio™ software only. To add this button to your toolbar in ACID Pro software, choose Customize Toolbar from the Options menu.

Opens the Show Me How Tutorials, which explain some of the basic tasks you can perform within ACID software.

Activates What’sThis? help to obtain information about a specific option, menu, or part of the ACID window.

CHP. 1 INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE

Track list

This list identifies the track order in your project and contains the track’s controls. The following sections identify and briefly explain the controls located in the track list.

Bus assignment

Track number/type

Track name

View buttons

These buttons control the track’s appearance (size) on the track list and the track view.

Track number and type

This area identifies the type of file (loop, one-shot, MIDI, Beatmapped) contained in the track as well as the track’s number in the project. You can quickly change the track order by dragging selected tracks within the track list.

Track FX

Mute

Solo

Surround panner (surround projects only)

Multipurpose slider

Multipurpose slider mode

Track type icons

Loop

One-shot

Beatmapped

MIDI

Tra ck n a me

When you add a file to a project, the track name is initially the same name as the file’s name. Right-click the track name and choose

Bus assignment/Device selection

Rename from the shortcut menu (or double-click) to change the track name.

Clicking the Bus Assignment button ( ) and selecting a letter from the menu allows you to assign the corresponding track to the specified output bus. However, the button is only available in projects containing multiple busses. For more information, see Adding busses to the project on page 149.

Bus assignment is available only in ACID Pro.

On a MIDI track, the Device Selection button ( ) appears instead of the Bus Assignment button. This button allows you to route a MIDI track to a soft synth or MIDI device. For more information, see Routing MIDI tracks

to MIDI devices or soft synth controls on page 196.

INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE CHP. 1

Track FX button

This feature is available only in ACID Pro and ACID Music Studio software.

The Track FX button ( ) accesses the Audio Plug-In window from which you can add, edit, and apply effects to the track. For more information, see Using track effects on page 119.

Mute button

Clicking the Mute button ( ) temporarily suspends playback of the corresponding track, allowing you to focus on the project’s remaining tracks. A muted track appears grayed out in the track view. For more

information, see Muting tracks on page 49.

Solo button

Clicking the Solo button ( ) isolates the track during playback by muting the project’s remaining tracks. For more information, see Soloing tracks on page 50.

Surround panner

This feature is available only in ACID Pro software.

In 5.1 surround projects, the surround panner allows you to view and edit surround panning settings for a track. Double-click a surround panner to view the Surround Panner window and make fine panning adjustments.

Multipurpose slider

This multipurpose slider allows you to control the following:

• A track’s volume relative to the project’s other tracks.

• A track’s placement in the stereo spectrum (panning).

• The level of the track’s signal being routed to each of the project’s busses.

• The level of the track’s signal being routed to an assignable effect control.

The multipurpose slider defaults to displaying a track’s volume control. ACID tracks are preset to -6.0 decibels (dB), but the volume range is -inf. to 12 dB. Each track’s slider position is independent from the others; however, you can move sliders simultaneously by selecting multiple tracks before making your adjustment. If you do not see this slider, expand the track.

You may choose what the slider controls by clicking the slider label. Changing the slider type for one track changes it for all tracks so you can compare levels of the same control across the project. For more

information, see Adjusting the mix on page 48.

Track view

In the track view, you can view and edit the events in a track. The area in which events display is the timeline. The track view contains other elements which are described in the following sections.

CHP. 1 INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE

Tran sp or t

Loop bar

Time ruler

(if displayed)

Marker bar

Beat ruler

Zoom controls

Marker bar

The marker bar runs the length of your project and contains the tags for markers and regions positioned along the project’s timeline.

Beat ruler

The beat ruler allows you to place events in reference to the musical time of bars and beats. This ruler is fixed and does not update when you change the tempo. This allows the events in the tracks to maintain their size when you adjust the tempo.

Time ruler

The time ruler provides a timeline for your project. This ruler can show real time in many different formats. For more information, see Changing the time ruler format on page 221. The ruler changes with tempo, since the number of beats and beats per second of real time changes with tempo.

Tra n s por t ba r

The transport bar contains the playback and cursor positioning buttons frequently used while working on your project.

Record new track Pause/resume project playback

Loop playback Stop playback

Play from beginning of project Move cursor to start of project

Play project from cursor position Move cursor to end of project

The software also includes keyboard shortcuts for these playback commands. For more information, see

Playback commands on page 26.

Zoom controls

To the right of the horizontal scroll bar are the time zoom controls. Clicking the Zoom In Time button ( ) increases the horizontal magnification of the project. To decrease the level of magnification, click the

Out Time

button ( ).

Zoom

Directly below the vertical scroll bar are the dedicated track height zoom controls. Clicking the Zoom In Track

Height button ( ) increases the vertical magnification of the project. To decrease the level of magnification,

click the

INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE CHP. 1

Zoom Out Track Height button ( ).

Note:

Double-clicking the horizontal or vertical scroll bars adjusts the magnification so that as much of the project (either horizontally or vertically) is displayed as possible.

Click the Zoom Tool button ( ) in the corner of the track view to temporarily change the cursor into the Zoom tool. After you select an area of the track view to magnify, the cursor reverts to the previously active tool.

Note:

Double-clicking the Zoom tool adjusts both the horizontal and vertical magnification so that as much of the project is displayed as possible.

Window docking area

This area allows you to keep frequently-used windows available while working on a project. Windows can be docked side by side or in stacks in the windows docking area. For more information, see Docking and floating

ACID windows on page 220.

Docking windows are available only in ACID Pro software. The windows in ACID Music Studio and ACID XMC software are displayed in fixed positions in the lower portion of the window.

Click the Close button to remove a window from a floating dock or the window docking area.

Click the Maximize/Minimize button to control the size of the window in the window docking area.

Click the handle to drag a window to a different location or dock.

Click a tab to view a window.

The default windows display in the window docking area when you start ACID software for the first time. Additional windows can be displayed by clicking the window’s tab or by choosing the desired window from the

View menu.

Tip:

You can quickly hide or show the window docking area

by pressing .

F11

In ACID Pro, the available windows can be docked anywhere at the bottom of the ACID window or floated over the ACID window or on a secondary monitor (this setup requires a dual-monitor video card). You can also create floating docks anywhere by dragging more than one window to the same area.

CHP. 1 INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE

Explorer window

The Explorer window works similarly to the Windows® Explorer. You can use the Explorer window to locate, preview and select media files to be added to your project. You can also use the Explorer window to perform common file management tasks, such as renaming files or creating folders. Display the Explorer by choosing

Chopper

Explorer from the View menu or pressing .

Alt +1

This feature is available only in ACID Pro and ACID Music Studio software.

The Chopper™ isolates audio events so that you can dissect them and reinsert them into a project to produce elaborate slice-n-dice effects with minimal effort. Display the Chopper by choosing the

View menu or pressing . For more information, see Using the Chopper on page 111.

Mixer

Alt +2

Chopper from

The Mixer window provides access to output levels, as well as soft synth controls and the project audio

properties. Display the Mixer by choosing

Mixer from the View menu or pressing . For more

Alt

information, see Using the Mixer window on page 53.

Video Preview

This window displays prerendered video files that can be imported and synchronized with an ACID project. The video file displays during project playback and can be rendered with the project to an appropriate format. Display the Video Preview window by choosing

Alt

. For more information, see Using the Video window on page 205.

Video Preview from the View menu or pressing

Media Manager

This feature is available only in ACID Pro software.

This window displays the Media Manager™, which you can use to search for, manage, and tag your media files. Display the Media Manager window by choosing

Alt +5

Track Properties

. For more information, see Using the Media Manager on page 79.

Media Manager from the View menu or pressing

This window allows you to change track attributes and edit MIDI tracks using OPT plug-ins. Display the

Track Properties window by double-clicking a track’s icon or by pressing

Alt

. For more information, see

Configuring track properties on page 133 and Working with MIDI on page 173.

Surround Panner

This feature is available only in ACID Pro software.

This window allows you to control panning in a 5.1 surround project. Display the Surround Panner window by double-clicking the surround panner on a track or mixer control or by pressing

Alt +7

. For more

information, see Working with 5.1 Surround on page 207.

Soft Synth Properties

This window allows you to change the attributes of soft synth controls in the Mixer window. Display the Soft

Alt

Synth Properties window by double-clicking a soft synth control’s icon or by pressing

. For more

information, see Using soft synth controls on page 153.

Rewire soft synths are available only in ACID Pro software.

VSTi soft synths are available only in ACID Pro and ACID Music Studio software.

INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE CHP. 1

Audio Plug-In

This feature is available only in ACID Pro and ACID Music Studio software.

This window displays plug-ins and settings for track, assignable, bus, and soft synth effects chains. Display the Audio Plug-In window by clicking a track’s

View menu, or by pressing . For more information, see Using track effects on page 119 and Adding effects

Alt +9

Track FX button ( ), by choosing Audio Plug-In from the

to soft synth mixer controls on page 161.

Plug-In Manager

This feature is available only in ACID Pro software.

This window allows you to view and choose effects plug-ins to be added to a track, bus, or assignable effects chain. Display the Plug-In Manager window by choosing

Ctrl + Alt + 1

Groove Pool

Plug-In Manager from the View menu or by pressing

This feature is available only in ACID Pro software.

This window allows you to view and edit the grooves in your project. Display the Groove Pool by choosing

Groove Pool from the View menu or by pressing . The upper half of the Groove Pool window

Ctrl + Alt + 2

shows all of the groove maps currently in your project. The lower half of the window displays the selected groove map in the Groove Editor, which allows you to make changes. For more information, see Working with

grooves on page 139.

Keyboard command reference

The ACID keyboard commands are shortcuts that you can use while working on your project.

Important:

associated with features that are not available in all versions of ACID software. For information on a specific feature and its availability, please refer to the description of the feature in this manual.

General commands

Description Keys

Display online help F1 Display What’sThis? help Shift+F1 and click an item Refresh screen F5 Shortcut menu Shift+F10 Temporarily suspend snapping Shift+drag

Project file commands

Description Keys Description Keys

Create new project Ctrl+N Save project Ctrl+S Create new project and bypass the

Project Properties dialog Open existing project or media file Ctrl+O Close the current project Ctrl+F4

Some keyboard commands listed below are

Ctrl+Shift+N Open project properties Alt+Enter

CHP. 1 INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE

Magnification and view commands

Description Keys Description Keys

Show Explorer window Alt+1 Restore project magnification to the

Show Chopper window Alt+2 Restore track height to a level

Show Mixer window Alt+3 Reduce timeline magnification so the

Show Video/Video Preview window Alt+4 Zoom time in/out small increments

Show Media Manager window Alt+5 Zoom time in/out large increments

Show Track Properties window Alt+6 Zoom in time until each video

Show Surround Panner window Alt+7 Zoom track height in/out (when

Show Soft Synth Properties window Alt+8 Change track height for all tracks Ctrl+Shift+Up or Down Arrow Show Audio Plug-In window Alt+9 Minimize/restore track height for all

Show Plug-In Manager window Ctrl+Alt+1 Return all tracks to the default

Show Groove Pool window Ctrl+Alt+2 Minimize/restore the window

Shift focus forward through open ACID windows

Shift focus backward through open ACID windows

Shift focus forward (clockwise) through track list, timeline, bus track timeline, and bus track list (when track view or timeline has focus)

Shift focus backward (counterclockwise) through track list, bus track list, bus track timeline, and timeline (when track view or timeline has focus)

F6 Minimize/restore timeline vertically

Shift+F6 Minimize/restore the track list Shift+F11 or Shift+Alt+’

Tab Show/Hide bus tracks U

Shift+Tab

default settings

where all track list controls are displayed

entire length of the project and as many tracks as possible are displayed

(when timeline has focus)

thumbnail represents one frame

timeline has focus)

tracks

height

docking area

and horizontally (window docking area and track list will be hidden

Shift+F9

Ctrl+F9

Up or Down Arrow

Ctrl+Up or Down Arrow

Alt+Up Arrow

Shift+Up or Down Arrow

‘

Ctrl+’

F11 or Alt+’

Ctrl+F11 or Ctrl+Alt+’

Explorer window commands

Description Keys Description Keys

Add all selected files to the track list Enter Add selected file or currently playing

file to the track list

INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE CHP. 1

Ctrl+Enter

Cursor placement, loop region and time selection commands

Description Keys Description Keys

Go to beginning of active loop region or viewable area (if no selection)

Go to end of active loop region or viewable area (if no selection)

Toggle cursor between beginning and end of loop region Time select loop region (when Time Selection tool is selected) Toggle previous selection Backspace Move left/right to event edit points

Go to beginning of project W or Ctrl+Home Move through a video event one

Go to end of project Ctrl+End Create or extend loop region/time

Move left by grid marks Page Up Double loop region/selection length ‘ (apostrophe) Move right by grid marks Page Down Halve loop region/selection length ; (semicolon) Go to (using measures, beats, and ticks) Go to (using absolute time) Set end of time selection (using measures, beats, and ticks when Time Selection tool is selected)

Home Center in view \

End Move cursor to corresponding

marker or select corresponding region

Numeric keypad 5 Move left/right one pixel Left/Right Arrow

Shift+Q Move to marker(s) Ctrl+Left/Right Arrow

including fade edges

frame at a time

selection

Ctrl+G Shift loop region/selection left , (comma)

Shift+G Shift loop region/selection right . (period)

Ctrl+Shift+G

Number keys (not Keypad)

Ctrl+Alt+Left/Right Arrow

Alt+Left or Right Arrow

Shift+Left or Right Arrow

Event editing commands

Description Keys Description Keys

Paint the entire media length for all media except video (only when Paint tool is selected) Select Draw tool Ctrl+D Create fades F

Select next edit tool in list D Reverse event U Select previous edit tool in list Shift+D Trim events to selection length. This

Undo Ctrl+Z Slip Trim: moves the media with the

Redo Ctrl+Shift+Z Slip: move media within event

Cut selection Ctrl+X Slide: move event while leaving the

Copy selection Ctrl+C Pitch down one semitone Numeric keypad -

Copy event Ctrl+drag Pitch up one semitone Numeric keypad +

Paste from clipboard Ctrl+V Pitch down 4 semitones Shift+Numeric keypad -

Paste repeat from clipboard Ctrl+B Pitch up 4 semitones Shift+Numeric keypad +

Paste insert Ctrl+Shift+V Pitch down one octave Ctrl+Numeric keypad Insert event at cursor Y Pitch up one octave Ctrl+Numeric keypad + Paste event at cursor Shift+Y Reset pitch Ctrl+Shift+Numeric keypad - or

Ctrl+click in timeline Join selected events J

Ctrl+T command has no effect if there is no selected data. Trimming does not copy data onto the clipboard. Available only when the Time Selection tool is active

Alt+drag edge of event edge as it is trimmed

Alt+drag inside the event without moving the event

Ctrl+Alt+drag event underlying media in place

Shift+-

Shift+=

Ctrl+Shift+-/=

CHP. 1 INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE

Description Keys Description Keys

Delete selection Delete Change an event’s gain setting Keypad / or * Move selected event(s) right one

pixel Move selected event(s) left one pixel Numeric keypad 4 Change an event’s gain setting by

Temporarily suspend Snap To Shift while dragging an event Set an event’s gain to 0.0 dB Shift+Ctrl+Keypad * Erase entire event Ctrl+click event with Erase tool Set an event’s gain to silence Shift+Ctrl+Keypad / Split event(s) S Render to new track

Numeric keypad 6 Change an event’s gain setting by

10%

25%

Chop to new track if the Chopper window has focus

Shift+Keypad / or *

Ctrl+Keypad / or *

Ctrl+M

Playback commands

Description Keys Description Keys

Start/stop playback Spacebar Record Ctrl+R Stop playback Esc Go to start of project Ctrl+Home or W Toggle looped playback Q Go to end of project Ctrl+End Play from start Shift+Spacebar or

Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar when the timeline or track view has focus

Shift+F12 from any window

Play from cursor Ctrl+Spacebar when the timeline

or track view has focus

F12 (from any window)

Pause/resume playback Enter when the timeline or track

view has focus

Ctrl+F12 from any window

Skip backward Page Up

Skip forward Page Down

INTRODUCING ACID SOFTWARE CHP. 1

+ 236 hidden pages

Sony Acid Music Studio Quick Start Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Introducing ACID Software

Welcome

System requirements

Using this manual

Installing ACID

Using online help

Online help

What’sThis? help

Help on the Web

Show Me How tutorials

Overview of ACID software

Main window

Toolbar

Track list

Track view

Window docking area

Keyboard command reference