Sony Cinescore User Guide

Revised July 17, 2007

After Cinescore® 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 Creative Software Inc. Alternatively, you may register online at

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 Cinescore users.

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/ at any time.

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://www.sonycreativesoftware.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://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/support/default.asp. To listen to your support options by

telephone, please call 608-256-5555.

About your rights in Cinescore software

Cinescore 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 Cinescore software is located at

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/.

About your privacy

Sony Creative Software Inc. 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://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/corporate/privacy.asp.

Proper use of software

Cinescore 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 Cinescore 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+DVD, DVD Architect Studio, ACID, Music Studio, ACIDized, Super Duper Music Looper, Jam Trax, Sony Sound Series, Chopper, Groove Mapping, Groove Cloning, Media Manager, CD Architect, Sound Forge, Audio Studio, Cinescore, Acoustic Mirror, Noise Reduction, Wave 64, Wave Hammer, and XFX are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Creative Software Inc. or its affiliates 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

2007 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 – 2007 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 © 2007. 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.

Gracenote

CD and music-related data from Gracenote, Inc., copyright © 2000-2007 Gracenote. Gracenote CDDB® Client Software, copyright 2000-2007 Gracenote. This product and service may practice one or more of the following U.S. Patents: #5,987,525; #6,061,680; #6,154,773, #6,161,132, #6,230,192, #6,230,207, #6,240,459, #6,330,593, and other patents issued or pending. Services supplied and/or device manufactured under license for following Open Globe, Inc. United States Patent 6,304,523.

Gracenote and CDDB are registered trademarks of Gracenote. The Gracenote logo and logotype, MusicID, and the "Powered by Gracenote" logo are trademarks of Gracenote.

SmartSound

Portions of this product practice the following SmartSound® patents: #5,693,902 and #5,877,445.

Sony Creative Software Inc.

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 Sony Creative Software Inc. in any way. All updates or additional information relating to the contents of this manual will be posted on the Sony Creative Software Inc. Web site, located at

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com. 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 Sony Creative Software Inc.

Table of

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Technical support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Installing Cinescore software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Installing Adobe Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Using online help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Show Me How tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Main window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Time display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Ruler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Marker bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Track list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Transport bar controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Window docking area and floating window docks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Creating projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Saving a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Renaming a project (using Save As) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Getting media files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Selecting media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Previewing a media file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Using the Project Media window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Obtaining or editing CD information using Gracenote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Adding media to the timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Working with events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Understanding files and events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Moving events along the timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Working with tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

TABLE OF CONTENTS | 1

Using the track view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Audio track header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Volume or pan envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Playing back and previewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Playing your project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Scrubbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Rendering a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Creating a movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Basic Editing Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Getting around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Moving the cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Changing focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Making selections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Selecting multiple events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Selecting a time range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Looping playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Selecting events and a time range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Selecting tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Editing events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Copying events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Cutting events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Pasting events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Duplicating events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Trimming events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Splitting events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Slipping and sliding events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Deleting events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Applying post-edit ripples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Applying a post-edit ripple manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Shuffling events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Crossfading events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Using automatic crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

2 | TABLE OF CONTENTS

Manually setting a crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Changing crossfade curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Sliding a crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Using undo and redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Using undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Using redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Clearing the edit history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Adding project markers and regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Working with markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Working with regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Using an external audio editing program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Setting up an audio editing program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Opening an audio editor from Cinescore software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Working with Generated Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Creating generated music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Setting the composition start time and length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Generating music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Editing generated music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Using themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Using hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS | 3

4 | TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Introduction

Welcome

Cinescore® software is a breakthrough in professional soundtrack creation, automatically generating fully composed, multigenre, production music perfect for movies, slideshows, commercials, and radio productions.

Using Cinescore software, you can arrange audio and video on the timeline, and then you can let Cinescore work its magic to create a soundtrack that you can tailor to fit your exact needs.

System requirements

In order to use Cinescore software, your computer must satisfy the following minimum specifications:

• Microsoft® Windows® XP or Windows Vista™

• 1.5 GHz processor

• 512 MB RAM, 1 GB recommended

• 200 MB hard-disk space for program installation

• 1.7 GB hard-disk space for optional installation of themes and audio transitions

• Windows-compatible sound card

• DVD-ROM drive (for installation of themes and audio transitions)

• Microsoft DirectX® 9.0c or later (included on application disc)

• Internet connection (for Gracenote® MusicID™)

Technical support

The Web site at http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/support/default.asp has technical support, reference information, program updates, tips and tricks, user forums, and a knowledge base.

Installing Cinescore software

Insert the application disc. The setup screen appears (if AutoPlay is enabled for your DVD-ROM drive).

If DVD-ROM AutoPlay is not enabled, click the Start button and choose Run. In the Run dialog that appears, type the DVD-ROM drive’s letter and add :\setup.exe. Click OK to start the installation.

INTRODUCTION | 5

Click Install Cinescore Software, and then follow the on-screen prompts to install the appropriate

version of Cinescore 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.

Installing Adobe Reader

In order to view the Quick Start Manual, you will need to install the Adobe Reader software. It has been included on the application disc in the Extras\Adobe Reader 6.0\English folder for your convenience.

Place the Cinescore application disc in the drive. AutoPlay launches the Setup menu.

Note:

If AutoPlay is not enabled, click the Start button and choose Run. Type D:\Extras\Adobe

Reader 6.0\English\ adberdr60_enu_full.exe, where D is the drive letter of your CD-ROM or DVD-

ROM drive. Follow the instructions in the dialogs to complete the installation.

Choose Browse, and then browse to the \Extras\Adobe Reader 6.0\English\ folder on the application disc.

Double-click the adberdr60_enu_full.exe icon, and follow the instructions in the dialogs to complete the installation.

Using online help

You can access three varieties of help:

•Online help

• Show Me How tutorials

• Help on the Web

Online help

To access online help, choose Contents and Index from the Help menu or press F1.

Note:

To view online help, Internet Explorer 4.0 or later must be installed on your system. Internet Explorer

is included on the Cinescore CD-ROM for your convenience.

6 | INTRODUCTION

The online help window has four tabs that you can use to find the information that you need.

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 Type in the keyword to find box to quickly locate topics related to that word. Select the topic and click Display.

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 Type in the word(s) to search for box and click List To pi cs . Select the topic from the list and click Display.

The Favo rite s tab allows you to keep topics that you revisit often in a separate folder. To add a topic to your favorites, click Add on the Favorites tab.

Show Me How tutorials

You can learn more about many of the features in Cinescore 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.

INTRODUCTION | 7

Help on the Web

Additional help and information is available on the Sony Creative Software Inc. Web site. From the Help menu, choose Sony on the Web to view a listing of Web pages pertaining to Cinescore software and Sony Creative Software Inc..

Overview

Cinescore software is designed to be an easy-to-use program. Many operations, menu items, and shortcut keys are consistent with other popular Microsoft Windows software applications.

The following sections provide a graphical tour of the Cinescore workspace.

Main window

This is the window that appears when the software is opened. The work area is subdivided into three primary areas: the track list, the track view (or timeline), and the window docking area.You can resize the track list, track view, and window docking area by dragging the dividers between them

Marker bar Ruler Timeline

Menu bar

Toolbar

Time display

Track

list

Window

docking

area

8 | INTRODUCTION

Transport bar

Toolbar

The toolbar allows you to quickly access the most commonly used functions and features. From the Options menu, choose Customize Toolbar to specify which buttons are displayed.

Create new project Undo

Open existing project Redo

Save project Enable snapping to grid lines

Open project properties Generate Music

Cut selected events or time range Display Show Me How Tutorials

Copy selected events or time range What’s This? help

Paste items from clipboard into project

Time display

The Time Display window reflects the cursor’s position on the timeline and the end point of a time selection.

Ruler

The ruler is the timeline for your project. You may specify how the ruler measures time: seconds, measures and beats, frames, etc.

Marker bar

The marker bar is the area where you can place markers and regions along the project’s timeline. These informational tags can serve as cues or reminders highlighting important events in your project.

INTRODUCTION | 9

Track list

This displays the tracks in your project and contains controls used to determine track mixing.For more information, see Audio track header on page 28.

Video Track

Audio Track

Generated

Music Track

Audio Transitions

Track

Selected track

Mute track

Track volume

Timeline

All arranging and editing is done in the timeline or track view. This area contains all of a project’s events.

For more information, see Using the track view on page 27.

Transport bar controls

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

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

Pause project playback

10 | INTRODUCTION

Window docking area and floating window docks

This area allows you to keep frequently used windows available but out of the way while you are working with a project. Windows can be docked next to each other, subdividing the docking area, or they can be docked in a stack in the window docking area or in a separate floating docking window. When stacked, each window has a tab at the bottom with its name on it. Click the window’s tab to bring it to the top.

Close window

Expand window

• To dock a window, drag it to the docking area.

• Drag the handle on the left side of a docked window to remove a window from the docking area and float it.

• To prevent a window from docking when you drag it, hold the Ctrl key.

• To expand a docked window so it fills the docking area, click the Maximize button ( ). Click again to restore the window to its previous size.

• To remove a window from the docking area or a floating dock, click the Close button ( ).

Drag the handle away from the docking area to float the window.

INTRODUCTION | 11

Explorer window - Alt+1

The Explorer window is similar to the Microsoft Windows Explorer. Use the Explorer window to select media files to drag to the project timeline or add to the Project Media list. You can also use the Explorer to perform common file management tasks such as creating folders, renaming files and folders, deleting files

and folders. Use the Start Preview (

) and Auto Preview ( ) buttons to preview files before adding

them to the project.

Select drive or folder

Preview selected media files before placing them in the project.

Select media to place in the project by dragging and dropping or double-clicking.

Add media to the Project Media window by right-clicking a file and choosing Add to Project Media list from the shortcut

menu.

Mixer window - Alt+2

The Mixer window allows you to adjust the volume of your project.

Drag the fader to adjust the project volume.

12 | INTRODUCTION

The meters display the current level.

Video Preview window - Alt+3

This window displays a project’s video during project editing and playback. For more information, see

Playing your project on page 30.

Video appears during project playback or as the cursor is moved during editing.

Tip:

To change the video preview quality, choose Preview Quality from the View menu, and then choose a setting from the submenu. This setting is used for previewing only and has no effect on the final rendered video. Decreasing the preview resolution can allow the Video Preview window to display a higher frame rate if your computer is unable to display full-frame-rate video.

Project Media window - Alt +4

The Project Media window helps you organize the media files you’re using in a project. The information about these files is displayed in a highly flexible database that can be instantly sorted.

For more information,

see Using the Project Media window on page 18.

INTRODUCTION | 13

14 | INTRODUCTION

Chapter 2

Getting Started

Cinescore® software is a new way of creating video scores. Whether you are an experienced musician author or an inspired novice, Cinescore will help you add a musical score to a video in four simple steps:

Create a Cinescore project.

Add a video to the timeline. For more information, see Adding media to the timeline on

page 23.

Generate music, and then fine-tune the composition to suit your taste. For more

information, see Creating generated music on page 63.

Render your video. For more information, see Creating a movie on page 32.

Creating projects

The process of creating a multimedia production can be a complicated undertaking, involving hundreds of shots, voiceovers, and music beds. Organization is a critical issue in this process. In the software, organization is handled by a Cinescore project file (.csp) that saves information about source file locations, edits, cuts, and insertion points. This project file is not a multimedia file, but is instead used to create (render) the final file when editing is finished.

Because Cinescore software edits a project file and not the original source files, you can edit without worrying about corrupting your source files. This not only gives you a strong sense of security, but it also gives you the freedom to experiment.

From the File menu, choose New.

The New Project dialog appears.

Enter your project settings on the

various tabs.

•The General tab allows you to select the video and audio settings for your project.

•The Summary tab allows you to enter any relevant information and reminders about your project.

Click OK.

From the File menu, choose Save. and choose where you want to save your project (.csp file).

GETTING STARTED | 15

You can change project settings at any time while working on a project. From the File menu, choose

Properties to change any of these settings.

Saving a project

When you save your work, it is saved in a project file. Project files are not rendered media files.

From the File menu, choose Save.

The first time you save a project, the Save As dialog appears. In subsequent saves, the dialog is bypassed, your existing file name is retained, and your project is updated to include any implemented changes.

Select the drive and folder where you want to store the project.

Type the project name in the File name box.

Click Save.

Tip:

Select the Copy and trim media with project check box to save the project file and copies of the

media files to a common location.

Renaming a project (using Save As)

After you have been working with your project, you can use the Save As command in the File menu to save a copy of a project with a new name. This is useful for backing up different versions of a project.

Getting media files

You can add media from a variety of sources to your project.

16 | GETTING STARTED

Selecting media

Cinescore software supports a wide range of media file types. You may select any of the media file types listed below to add to your project.

Form at Extension Definition

CD Audio .cda Audio format used on compact discs. ATRA C Au dio .aa3, .oma Audio format developed by Sony, including ATRAC3™, ATRAC3plus™, and

ATRAC Advanced Lossless™ formats. Audio Interchange File Format GIF .gif 256 index color, lossless image and animation format widely used on the

JPEG .jpg True color, lossy Internet image format. MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 .mpg Video files encoded using a lossy audio/video compression. MP3 Audio .mp3 Highly compressed audio file. OggVorbis .ogg A patent-free audio encoding and streaming technology. Photoshop .psd Adobe® Photoshop® proprietary image format (flattened). Portable Network Graphic .png True color or indexed color, lossy or lossless Internet image format. QuickTime™ .mov, .qt QuickTime standard audio/video format. Shockwave Flash .swf Multimedia file format developed by Macromedia. Sony Perfect Clarity

Audio® Sony Wave64 .w64 Sony Creative Software Inc. proprietary Wave64™ audio file that does not have

TAR G A .tga True color, lossless image format that supports alpha channel transparency. Video for Windows® .avi Standard audio/video format used on Microsoft® Windows®-based computers. Wave (Microsoft®) .wav Standard audio format used on Microsoft Windows-based computers. Windows Bitmap .bmp Standard graphic format used on Microsoft Windows-based computers. Windows Media® Audio .wma The Microsoft audio-only format used to create files for streaming or

Windows Media Video .wmv The Microsoft standard used for streaming audio and video media via the

.aif Standard audio format developed by Apple® and used on Macintosh®

computers.

Internet.

.pca A proprietary lossless audio compression format from Sony Creative Software

Inc..

a limited file size (unlike Windows WAV files that are limited to ~2GB).

downloading via the Web.

Web.

Previewing a media file

You may preview files before placing them in your project. The Explorer window has a mini-transport bar

with Play, Stop, and Auto Preview buttons ( ).

Tip:

You can use the same mini-transport bar buttons in the Project Media window to preview files in

the Project Media list.

Select a file in the Explorer window.

Click the Play button ( ) to listen to the file.

GETTING STARTED | 17

Click the Stop button ( ) or select a different file to stop previewing the file.

Tip:

To automatically preview selected files, click the Auto Preview button ( ) on the Explorer

window’s transport bar.

Using the Project Media window

Media files, both video and audio, tend to be the largest files on your hard drive. It is therefore not always easy to move them around and impractical to store multiple copies of these files. You can add media files to the Project Media list to organize them before any editing begins. Once you begin working on a project, all files you add to the timeline are automatically included in the Project Media list. From the View menu, choose Project Media to open this window if it is not already visible.

Using Project Media views

You can control the information that is displayed in the Project Media window by clicking the Views button

(

) and selecting a view. The purpose of each view is explained below.

View Description

List Displays a simple listing of the file name of each file in the Project Media window. Detailed Displays all the properties for each file. The information is presented in a table format. You can customize

Thumbnail Displays the first frame of a video file.

the information displayed:

Reorder columns (fields) by dragging the column label to a new position.

Hide a column by dragging the column label off of the Project Media window. To display a hidden column, right-click the Project Media window, choose View from the shortcut menu, and choose the column name from the submenu.

Sort the files in the Project Media list according to a category by clicking the column label for that category.

Use the Comments field to add your own annotations to a file’s entry in the Project Media list. Double-click the field to enter text. This information is saved with the project and is not saved with the media file itself.

18 | GETTING STARTED

Adding media to the Project Media list

You can add media to the Project Media list without adding it to the timeline by importing the file.

Adding media to the Project Media list from the Explorer window

Navigate to and select a file to add to the Project Media list. You can use Ctrl or Shift to select multiple media files.

Right-click the file and choose Add to Project Media list from the shortcut menu. The selected file is added to the Project Media list.

Replacing media in the Project Media list

You may replace a file in the Project Media list with a different file. When changing the media file that an event contains, every occurrence of the event on the timeline is updated with the new media file contents.

Right-click a file in the Project Media window.

Choose Replace from the shortcut menu.

In the Replace Media File dialog, browse for and select the file that you want to replace the current file.

Click Open. The selected file replaces the old file in the Project Media list, and any events in the timeline containing the old file are updated to contain the new media file.

Extracting audio from a CD

You can extract tracks from a CD and add them to the Project Media window as .wav files.

Important:

purposes, such as the illegal copying or sharing of copyrighted materials. Using Cinescore 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.

Insert the audio CD.

Cinescore software is not intended for, and should not be used for, illegal or infringing

GETTING STARTED | 19

In the Project Media window, click the Extract Audio from CD button (

). The Extract Audio from CD

dialog appears.

From the Action drop-down list, choose the method you want to use for extracting the CD audio:

• Read by track - Use this option to choose the tracks you want to extract from the CD.

• Read entire disc - Use this option to automatically extract all tracks on the disc. The entire CD is extracted into one new file in the Project Media list.

• Read by range - Use this option to extract audio from a specified range of time.

If you chose either the Read by track or Read by range option, specify the track(s) or range to extract:

•For Read by track, click the track(s) you want to extract in the Tracks to read list. Use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select more than one track. Each track is extracted into a separate file in the Project Media list.

•For Read by range, enter a time in the Range start field and either the Range end or Range

length fields. The range of audio is extracted into one new file in the Project Media list.

Note:

If you want to extract multiple tracks to a single file, choose Read by track from the Action drop-down list to select your tracks, and then choose Read by range from the Action drop-down list. The appropriate time range for the tracks you selected will automatically be inserted and the time range will be extracted to a single file.

From the Drive drop-down list, choose the drive containing the audio CD from which you want to extract.

From the Speed drop-down list, choose the speed at which you want to extract the audio. If you experience any problems extracting audio, you can try decreasing the selected speed, or you can click

Configure to adjust the Audio extract optimization setting.

Note:

To eject the CD at any time prior to beginning the extraction process, click the Eject button.

Click OK. The Save As dialog appears.

Select a name and location for the new WAV file.

Click Save to begin extracting the audio.

20 | GETTING STARTED

The track is extracted and a progress meter is displayed to indicate the percent complete. Once extraction is complete, the new WAV file appears in the Project Media window.

The option of automatically naming extracted tracks is provided for you. To enable this option, choose Preferences from the Options menu, and on the CD Settings tab, select the Autoname extracted tracks check box.

Obtaining or editing CD information using Gracenote

If Cinescore can access information about a track or CD (either from the file or CD itself, or from a local cache), it automatically reads and displays this information when you insert a CD or browse your computer. However, if this information is not available, the software can retrieve information over the Internet from Gracenote® MusicID™.

Once Cinescore obtains information from Gracenote MusicID, it is saved to a local cache so the information displays more quickly the next time the tracks are displayed.

If the software cannot connect to Gracenote and the appropriate CD information is not available on your computer, the tracks are simply listed numerically. In this case, you can edit CD information and submit it to

the Gracenote Media Database.

Note:

Using Gracenote requires an active Internet connection. For more information on using Gracenote ,

refer to www.gracenote.com/.

Obtaining CD information

Insert a CD in your drive.

Click the MusicID button in the in the Extract Audio from CD dialog, or browse to the CD and click the

button in the Explorer window. For more information, see Extracting audio from a CD on page 19.

Gracenote MusicID attempts to obtain matching CD information and displays artist, album, and track data:

• If the service locates an exact match, this information is automatically displayed. No additional action is necessary.

• If the service locates multiple possible matches, the Match dialog is displayed. Proceed to step 2.

Choose a method for completing the CD information:

• If none of the possible matches is appropriate, click the Submit New button. The Gracenote CDDB Disc Information dialog is displayed, allowing you to complete information for the CD and submit it for inclusion in the Gracenote Media Database. For help on submitting CD information, click the Help/Guidelines button in this dialog.

When you are finished typing information, click the OK button to submit your data.

• Select the appropriate match from the list and click the Accept Match button. The artist, album, and track information is displayed based on your selection in the right side of the PC pane.

You're now ready to extract tracks.

GETTING STARTED | 21

Editing and submitting CD information

Insert a CD in your drive.

Select a track and click the CD Info button in the Extract Audio from CD dialog, or browse to the CD and click the displayed. For more information, see Extracting audio from a CD on page 19.

Use the Gracenote CDDB Disc Information dialog to edit information about the CD. For help on submitting CD information, click the Help/Guidelines button in this dialog.

When you are finished entering the information, click the OK button to submit it for inclusion in the Gracenote database.

Adding a still-image sequence

If you’ve exported a video clip as a still-image sequence using another application (a 3D-rendering application, for example), the sequence can be added to the Project Media list and treated as a single media file. Each image in the sequence will be displayed for one frame in the event.

Click the Import Media button ( ) in the Project Media window. The Import Media dialog appears.

Choose the folder where the sequence you want to open is stored.

Select the first image in the sequence (or the image you want to start the event).

Select the Open still-image sequence check box.

In the Range field, enter the number of the last image you want to open. For example, if you'd selected AnimationOne_00001.tga in step 3, you could enter 120 in this box to create a new image sequence using AnimationOne_00001.tga to AnimationOne_00120.tga.

Click Open. The still-image sequence is added to the Project Media list.

button in the Explorer window. The Gracenote CDDB Disc Information dialog is

Sorting media with bins

The detailed view of the Project Media window helps you sort your media files using their attributes, but for more control, you can create bins. Bins are folders within projects that you can use to organize your media files.

22 | GETTING STARTED

Media bins are virtual folders that are saved with your project. They do not affect the way media is saved on your computer.

Creating bins

Right-click the parent bin where you want to create a new bin and choose Create New Bin from the shortcut menu.

Adding media to a bin

Browse your existing bins to find the media file you want to move. The All Media Folder contains all media files in your project.

Drag a file from the right-hand pane to a bin.

Searching media bins

Right-click in the Project Media window and choose Search Media Bins from the shortcut menu. The Search Media Bins dialog is displayed.

Use the drop-down lists in the Search Media Bins dialog to set your search conditions and click the

Search button. The selected bin and all sub-bins will be searched.

Click the Search Results icon to view the matching files.

Hint:

Right-click the Search Results icon and choose Save as Bin from the shortcut menu to save the

results of your search as a new media bin.

Adding media to the timeline

Media files may be added to your project from the Explorer or Project Media windows by double-clicking them or by dragging them. Either method places the media file in an event in its entirety in the timeline.

Dragging a media file to the timeline

You can create a new event by dragging a media file to a blank area on the timeline. Tracks can contain multiple events, so you can place different events next to each other on a track.

Note:

Video is always added to the video track, and you can add audio to the Audio, Generated Music, or

Audio Transitions track.

Locate a media file in the Explorer or Project Media windows.

Drag the media file to the timeline.

GETTING STARTED | 23

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