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Soundtrack User Manual

1. E D o S PIDF optical digital connector 1 8 Inch Miniplug Miniplug connectors are used for audio input and output to computers and on some consumer electronic devices particularly portable ones Stereo miniplug connector unbalanced Audio Output Being able to monitor the audio output of your projects at a high level of quality is crucial to achieving professional results In general you should use the best output equipment your budget allows Speakers and Monitors You can play back audio through your computer s speakers or headphone jack but the audio output may not be high enough for you to evaluate your music at a professional level of quality Connecting external speakers or monitors to your system allows you to hear the audio output with greater fidelity and a wider dynamic range In general you should use the highest quality speakers or monitors you can afford in order to hear your projects at the highest level of audio quality For detailed information about connecting external speakers to your audio interface see the documentation that came with the speakers Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System Amplifiers If you are recording audio from microphones and are not running the microphone s signal through a mixer with a microphone pre amplifier you need to connect an amplifier to boost the microphone s signal before sending it to the computer If you are connecting monito
2. a Eo Soundtrack projects E nn wis i J ene 3 start dialog Recording Network 3 Scene 3 start dialog Recording Ci Macintosh HD Scene 3 start dialog Recording Sequence 1 VAWS stmp i Desktop Sound Effects Le A gary Street scene 3 Applications i Takin it Slow 9 21 04 Documents i Takin it Slow w Horns fim Movies TwelveStrum Music 4 Voiceover clips Pictures z wave test Lafp j Write ED ED A 3 Choose the bit depth for the exported files from the Bit Depth pop up menu 4 Optionally select the Output dual mono files checkbox to export the selected tracks busses and outputs as dual mono files then click Save 5 Browse to the location where you want to save the exported files 6 Click Export Each selected track bus or output is exported as a single stereo AIFF file or as a pair of dual mono AIFF files Muted and unselected tracks busses or outputs are not exported When you export a track bus or output that includes an effect for example a reverb or delay that produces a tail that extends past the end of the project the exported file lengthens to include the tail Chapter 11 Distributing Soundtrack Projects 167 Exporting to QuickTime If your Soundtrack project contains a QuickTime movie file with a video track you can export the project to a new QuickTime movie file Exporting to QuickTime creates a copy of the original movie file with the Soundtrack project s audio
3. sin J Fits the project in the display size a540 Reduced track height kse Small track height AppendixB Soundtrack Keyboard Shortcuts Key command Function Medium track height c_ s Large track height Tracks and Markers Key command Function Adds a new track to the Timeline below the selected track ag Adds a new bus to the Timeline below the selected bus 6 se conoi 7 J Adds a new output to the Timeline below the selected output option r i Removes the selected track bus or output from the Timeline e a Je i Inserts a beat marker at the current playhead position ron Inserts a time marker at the current playhead position Adds time markers at the beginning and end of selection AppendixB Soundtrack Keyboard Shortcuts 193 194 Recording Key command Function conto 1_ Makes Take 1 the active take for the selected clip conto 2 Makes Take 2 the active take for the selected clip conto 3_ Makes Take 3 the active take for the selected clip Makes Take 4 the active take for the selected clip cona 5 Makes Take 5 the active take for the selected clip conror 6 Makes Take 6 the active take for the selected clip 7 Makes Take 7 the active take for the selected clip Makes Take 8 the active take for the selected clip conrai 6 P Makes Take 9 the active take for the se
4. Editing Audio Clips in the Timeline Key command Function Opens the Paste Repeat dialog so that you can paste multiple 2_ T copies of the cut or copied audio clip Splits the selected audio clips under the playhead Joins the selected clips Crossfades the selected clips e x e 4 AppendixB Soundtrack Keyboard Shortcuts 191 192 Adjusting Audio Clips in the Timeline Key command Function option o Nudges the clip or envelope point to the left by one pixel Nudges the clip or envelope point to the right by one pixel option f Nudges the envelope point up by one pixel option h Nudges the envelope point down by one pixel option J nn F Shifts the clip or envelope point to the left by one gridline option shift Shifts the clip or envelope point to the right by one gridline option shift Shifts the envelope point up by five pixels option shift h Shifts the envelope point down by five pixels Navigating in the Timeline Key command Function Jo CAE Zooms in horizontally to the next zoom level Jor _a J Zooms out horizontally to the next zoom level k i Zooms in vertically to the next zoom level fo stl L Zooms out vertically to the next zoom level oven z J Zooms in on the current selection e Returns to the default zoom level
5. Audio tracks Track area Timeline controls Scroll bar e Timeline editing tools Select items using the Selection arrow tool or split audio clips using the Split razor tool Automation Mode pop up menu Choose the mode for recording automation using the onscreen controls e Project controls Set the project s time signature tempo key sample rate time format and other properties using these controls e Show pop up menu Choose whether the video track audio tracks busses outputs and master envelopes are visible in the Timeline Global Timeline view Shows a miniature view of the entire Timeline and the playhead position and lets you move quickly to different parts of a project Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface e Time display Shows the current playhead position in both Time based and Beats based formats You can set the playhead by typing a new playhead position in the time display Level meters As the project plays the level meters show the volume level of the first output Output 1 e Time ruler You can precisely position clips the playhead and other items to a specific point in time minutes seconds frames or to a musical beat using the Time ruler e Track area Includes horizontal rows for tracks busses and outputs Also includes the playhead envelopes and markers e Headers Each track bus and output has a header with an icon name volume slider and other controls For more inf
6. Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline Changing the Offset of an Audio Clip When you add an audio clip to the Timeline the clip plays back from the beginning of the source audio file The point in the audio file where the clip starts playing is called the offset By default a clip s offset is zero the beginning of the source audio file You can change the offset so that the clip starts playing from a later point in the source audio file This allows you to use the audio from a later part of the source file without splitting the clip To change the offset of a clip Select the clip then Command Option drag left toward the beginning of the project io Command Option drag left to change the clip s offset a i S The waveform moves inside the clip s boundary to indicate the change in offset Once you have changed the offset by dragging to the left you can also drag to the right to change the offset Note You can only drag the offset to a later part of the clip s source audio file not to a point before the beginning of the file When you change the offset of a clip the waveform moves inside the clip s boundary to indicate the change in offset The length of the clip stays the same If the clip has not been resized it will reach the end of the source audio file and start looping As you move the offset by dragging the clip s notches move to show the point at which the clip will start looping Changing a Clip s Playback
7. peaks 176 Peak Value display 44 performance 195 196 Peripheral Connect Interface See PCI phase relationships 15 phase shifters 15 131 phone plug connectors 25 physical output channels 36 87 pitch 14 Play Pause button 33 playback 51 57 changing mode 109 controlling 33 51 55 93 cycling 93 keyboard shortcuts 57 118 190 looping 83 93 109 MPEG 2 115 non looping 83 109 starting 51 video 117 118 Playback buttons 46 playback mode 109 playback position 56 190 playback region 93 Play button 51 56 67 161 162 Play From Beginning button 33 56 playhead changing position 55 keyboard shortcuts 190 positioning with Time ruler 92 scoring marker to 123 124 setting 51 55 splitting audio clips with 106 107 Playhead Position value slider 32 54 55 80 playing projects 51 57 plug ins Audio Units 22 125 effects 21 22 included with Soundtrack 22 unsupported 22 Position value slider 46 postproduction 128 preferences Apple Loops Utility 184 Recording 159 Soundtrack 73 76 Preferences window 73 presets effect 141 142 Presets drawer 141 142 preview controls 37 38 40 41 67 previewing items audio files 66 67 in Media and Effects Manager 66 67 preview file information 68 69 video files 66 119 processor speed 21 205 206 project controls 34 project key 81 project length setting 82 Project preferences 74 75 project properties 78 81 key 81 overlap mode 81 sample rate 79 tempo 80 time format 78 79 time signatur
8. In the Customize dialog choose Icon amp Text from the Show pop up menu To close the Customize dialog When you are finished customizing the Toolbar click Done To hide the Toolbar Choose View gt Hide Toolbar When the Toolbar is hidden the menu item becomes Show Toolbar Playing Projects You can play projects as you work so you can hear the audio in the project along with the changes you ve made To play the project Click the Play button in the transport controls or press the Space bar Click the Play button or press the Space bar again to stop playback As the project plays the playhead shows the point in the project currently playing Soundtrack lets you set the playhead and control playback of your projects in several different ways You can use the transport controls or keyboard commands to start and stop playback and set the playhead to different points in time You can also set a playback region to repeat playback of a specific part of the project Setting the Playhead The playhead appears as a thin black line running vertically through the Timeline in projects Where it crosses the Time ruler the top of the playhead has a triangular handle that makes it easier to see its position onscreen and drag the playhead To set the playhead do one of the following Click anywhere in the Time ruler to set the playhead to that position Drag the triangular handle at the top of the playhead to the position you want to s
9. Setting the Audio Input and Output By default Soundtrack uses the input and output devices set in your computer s System Preferences for audio input and output You can set the default input and output for monitoring devices for Soundtrack in the Recording pane of the Soundtrack Preferences window and change them for individual recording sessions in the Recording tab For information on changing the default input and output devices Soundtrack uses see Setting Soundtrack Preferences on page 73 Adding Audio Units Plug Ins to Your Computer Soundtrack includes an extensive set of professional quality effects plug ins Soundtrack uses effects in the Audio Units plug in format the native plug in format of Mac OS X Audio Units plug ins are also available from third party manufacturers When adding third party effects to your computer be sure to read the documentation including any Read Me and installation files that came with the plug in Supported Audio Units effects plug ins appear in the Effects window under the manufacturer s name Soundtrack does not support VST ASIO MAS or RTAS effects plug ins Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System Connecting Audio Equipment You can use a variety of audio equipment with Soundtrack for both recording and playback For information on connecting a specific piece of equipment to your computer read the documentation that came with the equipment When using external audio devices it s a good i
10. a O 00E best mix Setup Guitars Organ Horn Wind Urban Select additional keywords to refine your search Acoustic Ensemble Distorted Electric Intense 414 2 A Files 3 Any eo ar Tempo Key Beats Hints 2 Afro Cub 0Laiff 110 None 8 amp HV Afro Cub 02 aiff 101 None 4 Ema Afro Cub o3aif 130 None 8 WD 2 Bass Terasaiff 85 None 16 WI Batajon OLaif 90 These are files that match both of the keywords selected above gt o 436 tems 9 Adding Custom Keywords You can add custom keywords which appear in the Keywords list in Column view and on the keyword buttons in Button view Custom keywords can be added only in Button view To add a custom keyword Choose Custom from the Keyword Type pop up menu Control click one of the buttons in the grid then choose a custom keyword from the shortcut menu Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 63 64 Adding a Directory to the Search Database Search looks through all indexed directories volumes and folders for files that match your search criteria Before a file can appear in Search you must add the directory containing the file to the Search database and index the directory Note The Search database does not update automatically If you add files to an indexed directory you must index the directory again before the
11. rates or bit depths outside the range supported by Soundtrack an alert message appears telling you that data from the audio interface is not compatible with the application Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System 23 24 FireWire IEEE 1394 FireWire is a professional and consumer standard for both audio and video equipment The combination of fast data transfer rates high storage capacities and plug and play connection makes FireWire an attractive choice for working with digital audio files FireWire is included on all current Macintosh computers and a number of FireWire audio interfaces are available There are two kinds of FireWire connectors a 4 pin connector typically found on video equipment and a 6 pin connector used for computer and audio equipment F 1 USB Universal Serial Bus USB is a consumer standard used on computer peripherals and other devices USB offers a lower data transfer rate than FireWire but supports plug and play operation and the ability to connect several devices in sequence daisy chaining Some USB devices draw their power over the USB cable while others require a separate power connection USB is included on all current Macintosh computers S Noy FireWire 400 6 pin Sometimes labeled iLINK S no FireWire 400 4 pin There are two kinds of USB connectors an A connector typically used to connect a device to a USB hub and a
12. If snap is turned on Command dragging lets you move the item without having it snap to the nearest Snap To position If snap is turned off the item snaps to the nearest Snap To position When you release the Command key items moved in the Timeline follow the normal snap state Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 71 72 Reconnecting Media Files Because Soundtrack projects contain references to media files and not the files themselves a project cannot play back if the media files it uses are erased or moved When you open a project in Soundtrack the application checks to see if the media files it uses exist in the same location as they did when the project was last opened If the media files are not in the expected location Soundtrack displays a Can t Find File dialog with three choices e Skip File Opens the project without reconnecting the missing file e Cancel Cancels the Open command Find File Presents a dialog that lets you locate the missing file and reconnect it to the project If you choose to open the project without reconnecting its files you can reconnect individual audio files from the Bin tab and reconnect a video file in the video track in the Timeline To reconnect an audio file Do one of the following e Control click the audio file in the Bin tab then choose Reconnect filename from the shortcut menu Select the clip in the Bin tab then choose Reconnect filename from the Media pop u
13. To enable a track for recording Click the Record Enable button the red circle in the track s header The Recording tab becomes active and shows the current recording settings You can adjust recording settings before you start recording or between recordings To adjust recording settings 1 In the Recording tab choose the input device and channel or pair of channels from the Input Device pop up menu 2 Choose the device and channel or pair of channels to use for monitoring the recorded audio from the Monitor pop up menu 3 If you want to record without hearing the existing audio clips in the project select the Mute Project checkbox 4 If you want to record in mono deselect the Stereo checkbox The level meters in the Recording tab show the level of the audio signal in the input channel Before recording you may want to watch the level meters and set the input level to assure a high enough signal level and to avoid clipping 160 Chapter 10 Recording Audio in Soundtrack Recording a Single Take You record a single take by setting the playhead to the point where you want recording to start then clicking the Record button Recording starts at the playhead position and ends when you click either the Record or Play button To record a single take If you want to record to an existing track enable the track Set the playhead to the point where you want recording to start You can set the playhead using any of the
14. Typically transients occur at the widest areas of a waveform in the waveform display During playback Soundtrack adjusts looping files using a technique called stretching to achieve the best audio quality based on the loop s transients Non looping files are not affected by stretching When you open a file in Apple Loops Utility it looks for transients at every 16th note position based on the file s tags for tempo and the number of beats You can change the beat value at which Apple Loops Utility detects transients using the Transient Division pop up menu To display a file in the Transients tab Select the file in the Assets drawer then click the Transients tab The Transients window can display only one file If multiple files are selected no waveform is displayed in the window The waveform display in the Transients tab displays both the transients detected by Apple Loops Utility and transients you add to the file You can add transients and move existing transients in the Transients tab Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility 181 182 To add a new transient Click in the darker area above the Beat ruler in the waveform display To move a transient marker Drag the marker by its handle in the area above the Beat ruler To change the beat value of detected transients Choose a beat value from the Transient Division pop up menu Choosing a larger beat value results in fewer transients being detected Choosing a smaller beat
15. exactly the same effect parameter in exactly the same type of effect You cannot paste envelope points from one effect into another even if they have parameters with the same name Deleting Envelope Points After listening to the results of your edits you may decide to delete some envelope points To delete envelope points Select the envelope points then choose Edit gt Delete or press the Delete key When you delete envelope points the envelope adjusts accordingly moving evenly from the preceding envelope point to the next envelope point If there are no other envelope points the envelope becomes horizontal maintaining its initial value for the entire project Chapter 9 Working with Automation Automating Effect and Send Parameters You can automate effect parameters for tracks busses and outputs by adding envelopes for the effect parameters then adding and adjusting envelope points You can also automate send parameters for tracks by adding an envelope for the send parameters then adding and adjusting envelope points To add an envelope for an effect or send parameter Open the Effects tab and select the effect you want to automate In the Effect Parameters area select the Auto checkbox for the parameter Band 1 Mode 1 Frequency 1 20 000 M Click the Auto checkbox Sabean for an effect parameter to add an envelope for rey the parameter To remove an envelope for an effect param
16. or through the levels of the file hierarchy using the Path pop up menu Using Search to Locate Files Using Search you can search for media files to add to your project Search has two views Column view and Button view You choose which view to display by clicking the Column View or Button View button in the upper left area of the window In both views the files matching your search criteria appear in the Search Results area along with columns displaying additional information for tagged files You can sort these columns by clicking the heading on top of each column You can also perform text searches in both views and refine your searches If you use Apple Loops or other tagged audio files in a project you can search based on a variety of criteria including musical instrument genre time signature mood descriptor and scale type You can also search using specific keywords To display the Search tab Click Search in the Media and Effects Manager Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 59 60 Select a keyword Ganga m to display the matching files in the Search Results area Searching for Files in Column View In Column view the upper area of the Media and Effects Manager displays two columns Keywords shows the categories of files that meet the search criteria and Matches shows the total number of matching files and any subcategories containing matching files with the number of matching files in each Clic
17. the recorded audio is saved to disk at the location set in the Recording pane of the Preferences window Audio files while smaller than video files of comparable duration can be quite large each minute of 16 bit 44 1 kHz stereo audio requires roughly 10 MB of disk space so you should make sure you have enough free disk space to store your recordings before you start You can set the input device and output monitoring device for recording in the Preferences Recording pane or change them in the Recording tab For detailed information on Recording preferences see Recording Preferences on page 75 Recording Audio in the Timeline You record in the Timeline by enabling a track for recording setting the playhead then clicking Record You can record a single take or record multiple takes by turning on cycling before you start recording When you finish recording your recorded audio appears in a track in the Timeline If you record multiple takes you can audition each take to choose which one you want to use in your project You can also assemble composite takes by splitting and combining your recorded takes 159 Enabling a Track for Recording Before you start recording you enable the track you want to record to You can record audio only to a track not to a bus or output If no track is enabled for recording a new track is created below the existing tracks and the take appears on the new track when you click the Record button
18. time markers and beat markers The two types can be distinguished by their handles Time markers have green handles and beat markers have purple handles Final Cut Express scoring markers have orange handles This section discusses how to work with time markers and beat markers in a project For information about working with Final Cut Express scoring markers see Using Final Cut Express Scoring Markers on page 121 End of project Time marker green marker red rz 00 00 00 00 ears 1 1 000 Beat marker purple Final Cut Express scoring marker orange Inserting Markers You can insert a beat marker or time marker at any point in the Timeline To insert a beat marker Set the playhead to the point where you want to add the marker then choose Project gt Insert Beat Marker or press Option B To insert a time marker Set the playhead to the point where you want to add the marker then choose Project gt Insert Time Marker or press the M key Naming Markers You can name time markers and beat markers so that each marker can provide a unique visual cue to a specific point in the Timeline For example you can name markers to define sections of your project Introduction Verse or Chorus to reflect what s happening in the music Latin Rhythm or Fast Groove or to serve as reminders for your workflow Add Horns Here Transpose to D Insert Delay Effect Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline To name
19. where you want to split the selected clip Choose Edit gt Split or press S Every selected clip under the playhead is split into two segments The first segment ends at the playhead position and the second segment begins at the playhead position 11 sa The clip is split into two segments each of which plays part of the source audio file You can join clips from the same original audio file including segments of split clips Clips being joined must be adjacent to each other and in the same track To join audio clips Place the clips next to each other in the same track Select the clips then choose Edit gt Join or press J When you join looping files or segments of looping files the joined file plays to the end of the source audio file before looping The notches in the joined file indicate the end of the source audio file Transposing Tagged Audio Clips When you drag an audio file tagged with key information to the Timeline Soundtrack transposes the clip to the project key You can transpose tagged clips to another key to create chord progressions from the same audio file or to achieve other musical effects You can transpose a tagged clip to any interval from one octave above 12 semitones to one octave below 12 semitones its current key Note Soundtrack uses the key tag in the audio file to transpose it In order to be correctly transposed the file must be tagged Chapter 6 Working in the Timelin
20. 130 included with Soundtrack 126 miscellaneous 126 modulation 126 131 output 99 100 parameters 139 removing 140 reordering 136 resetting to defaults 140 reverb 126 132 133 sends and 137 139 third party 22 time based 132 133 track 99 100 types of 126 working with 134 141 Effects button 35 99 100 effects chains 125 135 136 Effects tab adding effects to tracks busses outputs 99 effects 134 141 overview 41 enabling track for recording 159 end of project marker 82 envelope points 145 150 adding 145 changing position of 147 148 changing values of 147 copying 149 cutting 149 deleting 149 150 editing 148 149 information about 46 moving 143 146 nudging 149 pasting 149 reducing number of 152 scoring markers and 123 selecting 146 viewing details 148 envelopes 143 153 adding 151 bus 100 described 15 effects and 144 151 hiding 100 master 143 144 145 output 100 overview 143 144 percussive 15 removing 151 sends and 151 showing 100 144 sustained 15 Timeslices 153 156 Index track 100 144 track pan 144 volume 144 envelopes disclosure triangle 36 EQ equalization frequency ranges used with 129 130 graphic 130 overview 128 130 parametric 130 EQ effects 126 128 130 equipment connecting audio equipment 23 27 example hardware setups 27 29 setting up See system setup exclusive solo 97 98 exporting items audio to Final Cut Express 170 overview 10 project mixes 16
21. 4 Preview controls Search Tab The Search tab lets you locate audio and video files using a variety of criteria You can perform text searches and search for Apple Loops and other tagged file formats using keywords for instrument genre mood descriptors and other categories Matching files are displayed in the Search Results list Once you locate the files you want to use you can preview them in the Search Results list or drag them to the Timeline Category pop up menu Setup button Matches list Scale Type pop up menu Nearby Keys button File Type pop up menu Media pop up menu The Search tab has two views Column view and Button view Column view features a Keywords list containing keywords and a Matches list with subcategories you can use to refine your searches Button view displays a matrix of keyword buttons you can click to see matching files Keyword buttons Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface 40 Button and Column View buttons Change the view to either Button or Column view Category pop up menu Restricts the available keywords to a particular category Setup button Displays the Search Setup dialog from which you add items to the Search database Time Signature pop up menu Restricts search results to files with the selected time signature File Type pop up menu Choose whether to display all files or only looping or non looping files Scale Type pop up menu
22. 60 bpm to simplify the latency calculation Click the Record Enable button in the header of the track to which you want to record In the Recording tab set the Input device to the recording device Set Monitor to None and ensure that hardware monitoring on your recording device is turned off You may also need to reduce input or output volumes of your devices in order to avoid feedback 7 Click the Record button and let the loop play for a few seconds Then click Stop 10 Visually compare the original track and the newly recorded track Zoom in to identify a place where the tracks have identical waveforms but are not lined up Set the playhead at the corresponding identical points on the two waveforms and subtract the two Beats field values This is the latency in milliseconds If the recorded audio is late to the right you enter a positive value if it s early to the left you enter a negative value For example if the location in beats of the selected point in the source loop is 1 2 002 and the location in beats of the corresponding point in the recording is 1 2 008 the latency is 6 milliseconds Enter the latency value in the Recording Preferences pane Mute the recorded track and test record the loop again to make sure the latency is eliminated Appendix C Solutions to Common Problems and Customer Support Calling AppleCare Support Included in your Soundtrack package is documentation about the support options available from
23. ACID Mix loops recorded at different tempos and keys Soundtrack automatically matches loops to the project tempo and key allowing you to freely combine loops from different sources in a single project Locate and preview files easily The Media and Effects Manager a part of the Soundtrack interface provides powerful file browsing and search features making it easy to locate loops and one shots by instrument genre mood or other search criteria Add professional quality effects Soundtrack includes high quality effects plug ins that you can use in your projects You can also install third party effects in the Audio Units plug in format Use Final Cut Express scoring markers When using Soundtrack to score a video that includes Final Cut Express scoring markers Soundtrack recognizes and displays the scoring markers in the Timeline You can also add time markers and use them as cue points to precisely synchronize the music to the action Edit nondestructively All of the edits you make in Soundtrack are nondestructive allowing you to freely try out changes to audio files without altering the original file and to use the same file in multiple projects Record and edit automation You can record movements to sliders and other onscreen controls play back the automation and edit it in the Timeline Audio recording capability You can record audio directly in tracks in the Soundtrack Timeline including recording multiple takes Preface An
24. Apple Several levels of support are available depending on your needs Whatever your issue it s a good idea to have the following information immediately available The more of this information you have ready to give to the support agents the faster they will be able to address your issue The registration number that came with Soundtrack This number is different from the software serial number that is used to activate your copy of Soundtrack Which version of Mac OS X you have installed This information is available by choosing About This Mac from the Apple menu The version of Soundtrack you have installed including updates if applicable The version number can be viewed by choosing Soundtrack gt About Soundtrack The model of computer you are using How much RAM is installed in your computer and how much is available to Soundtrack You can find out how much RAM is installed by choosing About This Mac from the Apple menu in the Finder What other third party hardware is connected to or installed in the computer and who are the manufacturers Include hard disks graphics cards and so on Any third party plug ins or other software installed along with Soundtrack AppleCare Support can be reached online at http www apple com support soundtrack Appendix C Solutions to Common Problems and Customer Support 197 Index 4 pin connectors 24 6 pin connectors 24 A AAC files 57 ACID music application 173 Add Effect
25. Clips You select the audio clips you want to edit You can select a single clip or multiple clips including clips in different tracks When you select a clip it appears darker than unselected clips To select an audio clip Click the clip in the Timeline To select multiple audio clips in the same track do one of the following Command click the clips in the Timeline Drag from a point in the track before the first clip you want to select to a point after the last clip you want to select encompassing the clips If the clips are adjacent Shift click the clips in the Timeline To select multiple audio clips in different tracks Shift click or Command click the clips in the Timeline To select all clips using the same source audio file do one of the following Select the clip in the Timeline or the Bin tab then choose Clip gt Select All Occurrences of filename Control click the source audio file in the Bin tab then choose Select All Occurrences of filename from the shortcut menu Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 101 102 Cutting Copying and Pasting Audio Clips You can cut copy and paste audio clips in the Timeline You can also paste multiple copies of a clip To cut an audio clip Select the clip in the Timeline then choose Edit gt Cut or press Command x The clip is removed from the Timeline and placed on the Clipboard To copy an audio clip do one of the following Select the clip in the
26. Mode Audio files you add to the Timeline can be either looping or non looping Looping files are special audio files that can be used to create repeating patterns and include musical phrases useful for creating music beds Audio files containing discrete non rhythmic sounds sound effects and other non musical sounds such as dialogue or sound effects should be used as non looping files in most cases When you add an audio file to the Timeline the audio file is added as a clip with non looping playback mode unless the audio file is tagged as a looping file You can change the playback mode of a clip after you add it to the Timeline Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 109 110 To convert the playback mode to looping do one of the following Select the clip then choose Clip gt Convert to Looping Control click the clip in the Timeline then choose Convert to Looping from the shortcut menu To convert the playback mode to non looping do one of the following Select the clip then choose Clip gt Convert to Non Looping Control click the clip in the Timeline then choose Convert to Non looping from the shortcut menu Replacing the Source Audio in a Clip Each audio clip in the Timeline has a set of properties specific to the clip including duration speed and transposition You can replace the source audio in the clip while preserving the clip s properties This feature has a variety of uses such as letting you try out simila
27. Position Value Slider Below and to the left of the transport controls is the Playhead Position value slider When a project is playing the Playhead Position value slider constantly updates to show the current position of the playhead You can set the playhead by entering a new position in the Playhead Position value slider The units shown in the Playhead Position value slider depend on the project time format For projects set to Time based time format the units appear as timecode using the currently selected Time ruler units For projects set to Beats based format the units appear as measures beats and beat divisions at the current tempo You can change the value in a value slider in one of several ways You can enter a new value change the value incrementally using the Decrement and Increment arrows or drag the slider left or right Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack To change the playhead position by entering a value Double click the value slider The value slider becomes a value field with the current value selected Type a new value into the field using appropriate punctuation Press Tab or Enter to confirm the new value CS 4 00 00 04 96 To change the playhead position in increments Click the Decrement arrow to move the playhead left earlier in time in increments or click the Increment arrow to move the playhead right later in time in increments To change the playhead position by dragging Cl
28. Project Properties Setting the Project Length Saving Projects Adding Audio Files to a Project Viewing and Editing Clip Properties Tracks Busses and Outputs Working in the Timeline Moving Around in the Timeline Working with Tracks Busses and Outputs Editing Audio Clips Working with Markers Working with Video in Soundtrack Supported Video File Formats Adding a Video to a Project Playing the Video Viewing Video Details Working with a Video s Audio Using the Time Display and Time Ruler with Video Using Markers with Video Removing a Video from a Project Working with Audio Effects Audio Effects Included with Soundtrack Working with Effects Working with Effect Presets Working with Automation Working with Envelopes Recording Automation Data Working with Timeslices Recording Audio in Soundtrack Getting Ready to Record Recording Audio in the Timeline Saving Recorded Clips Contents Chapter 11 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Index 165 166 167 168 168 170 170 173 173 174 179 180 181 183 184 184 185 189 189 189 190 191 191 192 192 193 194 195 195 197 199 Distributing Soundtrack Projects Exporting a Project Mix Exporting Selected Tracks Busses and Outputs Exporting to QuickTime Roundtrips Between Final Cut Express and Soundtrack Exporting Audio to Final Cut Express Distributing a Project and Its Media Files Together Using Apple Loops Utility What Is Ap
29. Timeline For video editors accustomed to working in Final Cut Express envelopes provide the same type of functionality as keyframes The difference is that you can edit envelopes at a finer level of precision than you can using keyframes allowing extremely powerful control over automated changes 143 144 Click the envelope disclosure triangle Track Bus and Output Envelopes Each track and bus has envelopes for volume and pan and each output has a volume envelope By default the envelopes are hidden When you show the envelopes they appear in rows below the track bus or output in the Timeline The envelopes are displayed below the track bus or output To show the envelopes for a track bus or output Click the envelope disclosure triangle in the track header Click the disclosure triangle again to hide the envelopes The ranges of volume and pan envelopes are equivalent to the ranges of the corresponding track controls Volume envelopes The range is from 96 dB to 6 dB e Track pan envelope The range is from 100 Left to 100 Right pan with Centered at the midpoint 0 zero When you add effects to a track bus or output you can automate the effect parameters by adding an envelope for any parameter to the envelopes for the track bus or output The envelopes are different for each type of effect For information on adjusting effect parameters see Working with Audio Effects on page 125 Maste
30. Timeline then choose Edit gt Copy or press Command C Option drag the clip to the position where you want to copy it To paste an audio clip Set the playhead at the position where you want to paste the clip then choose Edit gt Paste or press Command V The clip is pasted in the currently selected track starting at the current playhead position If no track is selected the clip is pasted in the first top track When pasting clips cut or copied from different positions in the Timeline or from multiple tracks the following conditions apply Pasting clips from different Timeline positions The clip closest to the beginning of the project is pasted at the current playhead position and the remaining clips are pasted at the same positions in time relative to the first clip as when they were cut or copied Pasting clips from multiple tracks The clip from the topmost track is pasted in the currently selected track and the remaining clips are pasted at the same positions relative to the first clip as when they were cut or copied If there are not enough tracks to accommodate the clips being pasted a dialog appears asking if you want to create new tracks for the clips If you choose not to create new tracks only the clips for which tracks already exist are pasted When pasting audio clips you can choose to paste multiple copies of the clip in succession Using the Paste Repeat command you can paste any number of copies of a clip
31. arranging 10 20 basic concepts 18 20 creating with Soundtrack 9 10 musical instruments 20 23 musical intervals 107 108 musical patterns 20 musical scales 19 musical sounds 14 Mute button 35 67 97 Mute Project checkbox 43 muting tracks 170 muting tracks busses outputs 97 N Name field 35 46 navigation keyboard shortcuts 190 192 193 playhead 190 scroll bars 89 90 Timeline 89 93 192 193 Zoom control 90 91 Nearby Keys button 40 noise eliminating 196 noise gates 127 non drop frames 120 non looping files 109 163 non looping playback mode 83 notch frequencies 131 Nyquist theorem 17 O offset 109 Offset value slider 46 onscreen help 11 optical digital connectors 26 output controls 87 96 100 output devices 22 Output pop up menu 36 outputs adding 94 adjusting volume 96 changing icon for 96 copying 95 described 89 effects 99 100 envelopes for 100 exporting 167 moving 95 muting 97 numbered 96 overview 87 removing 101 renaming 96 selecting 95 setting height of 91 soloing 97 98 working with 94 101 Output synchronization settings 76 Overlap mode 81 106 overtones 14 P pan controls 97 panning 97 pan position 139 pan positions 97 pan slider 36 97 parametric EQs 130 pasting items audio clips 102 103 envelope points 149 Timeslices 155 Path pop up menu 37 38 PCI Peripheral Connect Interface 24 PCI interfaces 24 PCMCIA 25 peak indicators 43 44 peak levels 126 peak limiters 127 Index
32. button 42 adding effects to busses 99 100 to outputs 99 100 to tracks 99 100 Add Send button 42 AIFF files 57 167 169 173 188 amplifiers 23 27 amplitude 14 analog recording 16 AppleCare Knowledge Base 195 AppleCare Support 195 197 Apple Loops files 59 Apple Loops Utility 163 173 188 Apple Store 12 Apple websites 11 12 applications distortion in 18 roundtrips between 168 169 arranging music 10 20 ASIO plug in 22 Assets drawer 174 177 181 184 audio See also sound basic concepts 13 18 clipping 128 digital 22 effects See effects recording See recording audio in video clips 120 volume See volume audio cables 25 26 audio clips aligning with markers 122 changing offset of 109 copying 102 crossfades between 105 106 Index cutting 102 described 83 duration of 104 105 editing 101 111 joining 107 keyboard shortcuts 191 192 moving 103 104 name of 86 overlapped 106 pasting 102 103 playback mode 109 properties 85 86 redoing changes 69 removing 102 111 replacing source audio in 110 111 resizing 104 105 saving recorded clips 163 selecting 101 snapping 70 71 104 splitting 106 107 transposing 107 108 truncating 106 undoing changes 69 zooming in out 90 91 audio connectors 24 25 26 audio effects See effects audio equipment connecting 23 27 audio file projects exporting See exporting items importing video into 115 116 playing 51 57 recording See recording audio scrubbing 55 audio files AAC 57 adding
33. connectors are used on professional quality microphones monitors and other musical equipment They provide a high quality balanced signal at 4 dB level Tm Gol ll Lo XLR connector balanced Lin SS T 1 4 Inch Audio 1 4 inch connectors sometimes called phone plugs are used on a wide variety of professional and consumer musical equipment including musical instruments and amplifiers speakers and external effects devices They can be either balanced 4 dB or unbalanced 10 dB Some devices require Tip Ring Sleeve TRS connectors to transfer the audio signal 1 4 inch Tip Ring Sleeve TRS connector 1 4 inch Tip Ring TR connector RCA RCA connectors are used on consumer audio equipment such as home stereo systems and videocassette recorders lt Ie RCA connector unbalanced Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System 25 26 Optical Digital AES EBU and S PDIF AES EBU and S PDIF are both used to provide an optical digital connection to professional and consumer audio equipment including audio interfaces DAT digital audio tape machines and hardware samplers Both carry a stereo digital signal AES EBU is balanced and has an operating level of 5 volts while S PDIF is unbalanced and has an operating level of roughly 1 2 volt There are adapter cables available to convert between the two protocols S PDIF carries additional information with the audio signal including SCMS copy protection information
34. contains Together these two factors determine the amount of information contained in a digital audio recording The higher the sample rate and bit depth of a recording the more accurately the recording reproduces the original sound Time Low sample rate Time High sample rate Recording music digitally requires a very high sample rate and bit depth to reproduce the nuances in the music satisfactorily The Nyquist theorem states that sounds must be recorded at no less than double the rate of the highest frequency being sampled to accurately reproduce the original sound Audio CDs are recorded at a sample rate of 44 1 kHz and a bit depth of 16 bits some CDs use a higher 20 or 24 bit depth Audio for DVDs is often recorded using a slightly higher sample rate of 48 kHz Soundtrack lets you record and play back digital audio files at sample rates of up to 96 kHz and at bit depths of up to 24 bits Chapter 1 Audio and Music Basics 17 18 Digital Distortion To record sound with the widest possible dynamic range the input level must be set high enough to capture the complete audio signal When the input level of the signal is set too high however the signal exceeds the maximum level that can be sampled or reproduced accurately resulting in digital distortion Digital distortion is defined for most di
35. digital reverbs which use complex algorithms sets of equations to simulate various acoustic environments with greater accuracy and flexibility Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects Simple reverb effects provide parameters for the decay time or reverb time which let you set how long the reverb lasts before dying away and the mix or level which you use to set the ratio of the effected signal called the wet signal to the original the dry signal More sophisticated reverbs can include the following parameters Room type Lets you set the type of space the reverb will simulate a small or large room a hall or another type of acoustic space Predelay time In an acoustic space there is a short period of silence between a sound and the time when the initial echoes of the reverb begin Different spaces have different amounts of predelay which helps tell our ears how large the space is Longer predelay settings also help separate the original dry signal from the effected wet signal making it sound clearer and sometimes larger Early reflections The first echoes to arrive from the surrounding surfaces in a space are determined by the size and shape of the space and tell our ears what type of space it is Diffusion Lets you set the number of the echoes in the reverb Hall reverbs typically have low diffusion settings while plate reverbs typically have high diffusion settings High frequency and low frequency reverb tim
36. do one of the following Choose Multitrack gt Add Track or press Command T Control click an open area of the Timeline then choose Add Track from the shortcut menu Control click a track then choose either Insert Track Before or Insert Track After from the shortcut menu To add a bus do one of the following Choose Multitrack gt Add Bus Control click a bus then choose either Insert Bus Before or Insert Bus After from the shortcut menu To add an output do one of the following Choose Multitrack gt Add Output Control click an output then choose either Insert Output Before or Insert Output After from the shortcut menu Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline Selecting Tracks Busses and Outputs You can select a track bus or output in order to move copy or remove it and can also select tracks busses and outputs to export The headers of selected tracks busses and outputs appear darker in the Timeline To select a track bus or output do one of the following a Click the drag handle along the left edge of the header for the track bus or output Click anywhere in the row for the track bus or output Drag handle You can select multiple tracks busses or outputs To select adjacent tracks busses or outputs Shift click the drag handle in the header of each track bus or output you want to select To select nonadjacent tracks busses or outputs Command click the drag handle in the header
37. enough tracks exist for the number of tracks in the Timeslice a dialog appears asking if you want to create additional tracks Chapter 9 Working with Automation 155 156 Deleting Timeslices To delete a Timeslice Select the Timeslice then choose Edit gt Delete or press the Delete key Changing the Timeslice Selection Area You can change the length of a Timeslice selection area to include more of the Timeline either graphically or numerically To extend the Timeslice selection area graphically Shift click in any track included in the Timeslice at the point to which you want to extend it Shift click in the Timeline to extend a Timeslice Below and to the right of the transport controls is the Selection Length value slider When a Timeslice is active the Selection Length value slider shows the length of the active Timeslice The units shown in the Selection Length value slider depend on the project time format For projects using Time based format the value slider shows the current Time ruler units using the current frame rate For projects using Beats based time format the value slider shows measures beats and beat divisions at the current tempo Chapter 9 Working with Automation To change the length of a Timeslice numerically Click the value slider The field becomes a value field with the current value selected Type a new value into the field using appropriate punctuation Press Tab or Enter to confirm
38. imported from Final Cut Express You can add time markers at points in time corresponding to specific timecode positions in the video clip and align audio clips with markers using the snap feature When you add a marker to a project containing a video the video clip displays the frame of the video that occurs at the marker s position in time For more information about adding and moving markers see Working with Markers on page 111 You can score both Final Cut Express scoring markers and time markers to the playhead letting you synchronize the audio with specific points in the video Using Final Cut Express Scoring Markers When you import a video file from Final Cut Express or Final Cut Express HD Soundtrack displays any Final Cut Express scoring markers included in the video file in the Timeline Scoring markers have an orange handle in the area above the Time ruler You cannot move or edit Final Cut Express scoring markers in Soundtrack Chapter 7 Working with Video in Soundtrack 121 122 Using Markers to Align Audio Clips to Timecode You can add a time marker at a specific timecode position in a video clip and align audio clips with the time marker or with a Final Cut Express scoring marker To add a time marker at a specific timecode position in a video clip do one of the following Type the timecode position where you want to add the marker in the Time display press Return then choose Mark gt Insert Time Marker or
39. jump right in and start using the application skip ahead to Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack on page 47 In addition to this manual Soundtrack provides other sources of support Preface An Introduction to Soundtrack Soundtrack Onscreen User Manual The Soundtrack onscreen user manual allows you to access information directly onscreen while you re working in Soundtrack To view this information choose Help gt Soundtrack User Manual The Soundtrack onscreen user manual is a fully hyperlinked version of the Soundtrack User Manual enhanced with many features that make locating information quick and easy e The homepage provides quick access to various features including Late Breaking News the index and the Soundtrack website A comprehensive bookmark list allows you to quickly choose what you want to see and takes you there as soon as you click the link In addition to these navigational tools the Soundtrack onscreen user manual gives you other means to locate information quickly e All cross references in the text are linked You can click any cross reference and jump immediately to that location Then you can use the Preview Back button to return to where you were before you clicked the cross reference e The table of contents and index are also linked If you click an entry in either of these sections you jump directly to that section of the user manual You can also use the Find dialog to search the tex
40. l a n s P Selects the file above the current file in the Assets drawer Selects the file below the current file in the Assets drawer v g x ae Selects all files in the Assets drawer Shii Navigation Makes the Tags tab active Makes the Transients tab active Makes the Assets drawer active Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility 185 186 Key and Scale Type Tagging Key command Function Turns on keyboard tagging esc Sets the key to A gy Sets the key to A A sharp Sets the key to B Sets the key to C T Sets the key to C C sharp fo Sets the key to D i 2 Sets the key to D D sharp Sets the key to E Sets the key to F Sets the key to F F sharp Sets the key to G Sets the key to G G sharp Sets the scale type to Major i Sets the scale type to Minor Sets the scale type to Both Sets the scale type to Neither Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility Descriptor Tagging For the following descriptor keyboard shortcuts pressing the key once selects the first left item pressing the key again selects the second right item and pressing the key a third time selects Neither the center button Key command Function a Single Ensemble Part Fill C Acoustic Electric Dry Processed Clean Distorted a Cheerful Dark C Relaxed Intense CJ Grooving Arrh
41. lost in the mix Compression also tends to make sounds tighter or punchier Because the peaks are lower the maximum volume is reached more quickly Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects In addition a compressor can make a project sound better when played back in different situations For example the speakers on a television set or in a car sound system typically reproduce a narrower dynamic range than does the sound system in a theater Compressing the overall mix can help make the sound reproduce more clearly in lower fidelity situations Compressors have two main parameters The threshold lets you set the amplitude above which the compressor lowers the volume The ratio lets you control the amount by which sounds above the threshold will be lowered as a percentage of the original signal For example if you set the threshold to 12 dB and the ratio to 2 1 a sound at 7 dB 5 dB above the threshold is reduced by 2 5 dB and a sound at 2 dB 10 dB above the threshold is reduced by 5 dB Compressors can also include parameters for attack and release These parameters let you set how quickly the compressor reacts once the threshold is reached for attack or once the signal falls below the threshold again for release Use these parameters to make the compressor s effect more subtle or more pronounced Another parameter on some compressors is the knee or soft knee which lets you control how gradually the compressor transitions
42. make changes to any aspect of the project then use Undo to step back through changes you don t like to the project s previous state If you change your mind after undoing a change or set of changes you can always use Redo to recover the changes At any point you can save a new version of the project using the File gt Save As command You can use the Undo command repeatedly to undo every change made since the project was last saved To undo the last change Choose Edit gt Undo item or press Command Z The item in the menu changes to show the last command or operation You can use the Redo command repeatedly to redo every undone change since the project was last saved To redo the last change Choose Edit gt Redo item or press Command Shift Z The item in the menu changes to show the last command or operation Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 69 Using Snap When you move and resize clips in the Timeline you usually want them to start and end at a specific point in time To synchronize clips with a video you may want to position them in line with a specific frame In a music based project you may want to align clips with measures and beats Soundtrack includes a snap feature that causes clips the playhead and other items in the Timeline to snap to the nearest Snap To position Snap applies to the following operations e Dragging audio clips to the Timeline e Moving audio clips e Resizing audio
43. mixed into the movie s audio track To export a project to a new QuickTime movie file Choose File gt Export to QuickTime QuickTime movies can be either self contained in which case the audio and video data are saved in the movie file or reference in which case the movie contains only references to the media it uses Reference movies are much smaller in size than self contained movies but playing a reference movie requires that all the media used by the movie be present and in the expected location By default both reference movies and self contained movies are exported as self contained when you export to QuickTime in Soundtrack You can choose to keep a reference movie as a reference movie Self contained movies cannot be changed to reference movies To keep a reference movie as a reference movie when exporting Choose File gt Export to QuickTime then deselect the Make movie self contained checkbox in the Export dialog Exporting to a QuickTime movie file is intended as a way to distribute completed projects It s a good idea to save your project in case you want to make any changes The movie file cannot be edited in Soundtrack Roundtrips Between Final Cut Express and Soundtrack As you work on your video project in Final Cut Express and develop the score in Soundtrack you can make roundtrips between the two applications Several features of both Final Cut Express and Soundtrack make roundtrips easy Chapter 11 D
44. move the end of project marker to change the length of the project or delete it if you decide you no longer want it in the project To delete the end of project marker Select the marker in the Timeline then choose Edit gt Delete or press the Delete key Saving Projects To save your project Choose File gt Save Soundtrack projects are saved as documents with the extension stmp Important When you save a project the audio files used by the project are not saved as part of the project file To play a project on another computer you must install the audio files the project uses on that computer or on a disk it can access If you remove the audio files used in a project so that your computer cannot access them you cannot play back the project You can save a project and the media files the project uses together This makes it easy to move projects between computers and ensures that all needed audio files are available for playback e When you select Collect Audio Files the project file and all the audio files the project uses are saved in the same folder e When you select Collect Video File the video file is included with the project and its audio files Chapter 5 Working with Projects To save a project and its audio files together Choose File gt Save In the dialog that appears select the Collect Audio Files checkbox Navigate to the folder in which you want to save the project and its audio files then cli
45. procedures described in Setting the Playhead on page 51 Click the Record button in the transport controls to start recording As you record the level meters in the Recording tab show the levels of the input signal being recorded If the input signal clips rises above 0 dB the peak indicator lights red To stop recording do one of the following e Click the Record button again e Click the Play button You can punch in and punch out while recording a single take using the Record button For example you can start the project playing then punch in at the point where you want to start recording by clicking the Record button To punch out click the Record button again When you click the Record button while recording recording stops but the project continues playing You can punch in and punch out multiple times while the project is playing When you click the Play button both recording and playback stop Recording Multiple Takes You can record multiple takes in the Timeline You can record multiple takes using the playback region to define where each take starts and ends or record for the duration of the project When you record multiple takes the takes are stacked in a single clip in the Timeline You can audition each take and can create composite takes by splitting the clip and choosing the take for each split segment Chapter 10 Recording Audio in Soundtrack 161 To record multiple takes 1 If you want to re
46. save the file 5 Click Export When you export a project that includes an effect for example a reverb or delay that produces a tail that extends past the end of the project the exported file lengthens to include the tail Remember that you can create as many mixes of your project as you like by muting tracks adjusting controls effects and envelopes and then exporting each version as a separate mix 166 Chapter 11 Distributing Soundtrack Projects Exporting Selected Tracks Busses and Outputs You can export selected tracks busses or outputs in a project When you export selected tracks busses or outputs each is exported to a stereo AIFF file The output file is given the same name as the track bus or output being exported You can also export a track bus or output to a pair of mono files in this case the letter L is appended to the filename of the left mono file and the letter R is appended to the right mono file To export individual tracks busses or outputs In the Timeline select the tracks busses or outputs you want to export then choose File gt Export gt Export Selected item The item shown in the menu changes depending on whether tracks busses or outputs are selected If nothing is selected each unmuted track bus and output in the project is exported as an individual AIFF file In the Export dialog choose the sample rate for the exported files from the Sample Rate pop up menu
47. the Effects tab contains lists of available effect categories When you click an item in the Category list the available effects in that category appear in the Effect list where you can select and add them to the current effects chain The lower part of the Effects tab shows the effects and sends in the current effects chain You can show and edit effect and send parameters in the Effect Parameters area Adding Effects You can add effects in the Effects tab You can create effects chains which are a series of effects in a specific order You can reorder effects in an effects chain at any time and hear the results immediately To add an effect to a track bus or output in the Timeline Click the Effects button in the header of the track bus or output in the Timeline Make a selection in the Category list to display the effects for that category in the Effect list In the Effect list do one of the following e Double click the effect you want to add e Select the effect name then click the Add Effect button Drag the effect to the Effect Parameters area aoa Eens Browser search Favorites in emeas i H Select the effect you Soundtrack pi Ve t want to add Soundtrack Autot gt Soundtrack Reverb Stereo Delay Click the Add Effect Show Cafesounds button double click the Name Parameter Auto effect or drag the effect into the Effect Para
48. the Time ruler units If the project is currently set to Time based format Time based units appear in the upper part of the ruler If the project is set to Beats based format Beats based units appear in the upper half of the ruler You can use the Time ruler to position clips or the playhead at a precise point in time including synchronizing them to a specific timecode reference in a video file To set the playhead to a specific point in the Time ruler Click the Time ruler at the point where you want to set the playhead Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline Working with the Playback Region You can create a playback region in a project an area that plays back repeatedly This is sometimes called cycling or looping playback A project has only one playback region but you can move and resize it as often as you want You also use the playback region when recording multiple takes For information on recording see Chapter 10 Recording Audio in Soundtrack on page 159 To set the playback region Drag in the bottom half of the Time ruler from the beginning of where you want the playback region to the end aa ey oo MA ae Drag in the Time ruler to cal oe set the playback region Playback region The playback region is lighter in color than the rest of the Time ruler with triangular markers indicating its start and end points If a playback region already exists you can drag anywhere in t
49. the folder in which you want to save the project and its audio files then click Save The project file and a copy of every audio file the project uses are saved in the selected location Chapter 11 Distributing Soundtrack Projects 4 You can optionally create a new folder for the collected project To create a new folder for the project click the triangle next to the Where pop up menu to expand the Save window then click New Folder It s a good idea to save each collected project in its own folder 5 If the project includes a video you can optionally select the Collect Video File checkbox to save the video in the selected folder Select this option to save the project and its audio files together Select this option to save the video file with the project If the folder already contains any of the media files an alert appears asking if you want to replace the existing files Note Because video files are typically very large files saving a copy of the video file may take several minutes and may require a large amount of disk space Chapter 11 Distributing Soundtrack Projects 171 Using Apple Loops Utility Some audio files you use in Soundtrack can include metadata called tags Tags provide information about the audio recorded in a file Soundtrack uses tags in one of two ways To help locate files using the Search feature in Soundtrack To provide information that Soundtrack uses when matching the file s
50. the new value r W a N E A A f4 00 00 07 00 To lengthen the Timeslice in increments Click the left arrow to lengthen the beginning of the Timeslice in increments or click the right arrow to move the end of the Timeslice in increments To lengthen the Timeslice dynamically Click the center area of the field where the numbers are then drag left to lengthen the beginning of the Timeslice or drag right to lengthen the end of the Timestlice For projects using Time based format the left and right arrows lengthen the Timeslice in seconds For projects using Beats based format the arrows lengthen the Timeslice in beats Chapter 9 Working with Automation 157 Recording Audio in Soundtrack You can record your own audio in a track in the Timeline You get ready to record by setting recording preferences and checking that your audio equipment is working Next you enable a track for recording or record audio in a new track You can record a single take or record multiple takes If you record multiple takes you can review them after recording and choose which one to use in your project or assemble a composite take using segments of each recorded take Getting Ready to Record Before you start recording also make sure that any audio equipment you plan to use in your recording session such as microphones musical equipment mixers or external processors is connected to your computer and is working When you record
51. the send Automating Effect Parameters You can automate effect parameters using envelopes When you automate an effect parameter you can change the value of the parameter over time Auto checkboxes Band 1 Mode 1 Frequency 1 20 000 Q factor 1 3 0000 Gain 1 08 0 0000 _ Band 2 on Oot Mode 2 To automate an effect parameter In the Effects tab select the Auto checkbox next to the parameter s control In the Timeline show the envelopes for the track bus or output In the Timeline you show the envelopes for the track bus or output with the effect Add and adjust envelope points in the effect s envelope For information on adding and adjusting envelope points see Chapter 9 Working with Automation on page 143 When you automate an effect parameter with units of time seconds or milliseconds or beats per minute BPM for values the parameter is linked to the project tempo If the tempo changes the value of the parameter changes to keep the same relationship to the new tempo Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects 139 140 Resetting Effects to Their Default Settings Every effect has default parameter settings that are displayed in the Effect Parameters area when you first add the effect You can reset an effect to its default parameter settings or reset an individual parameter to its default setting To reset an effect to its default settings n the Effects tab
52. to start Musicians call these signals fills and loop libraries often contain several fills meant to be used with a looped drum pattern Chapter 1 Audio and Music Basics Setting Up Your System The way you set up your system depends on the audio equipment you plan to use You can use your computer s speaker or headphone jack to monitor the audio output from Soundtrack For better results you may want to connect external monitors or speakers to your system so that you can monitor the audio output at a higher level of quality You may want to connect other external audio equipment such as an audio interface or a mixer particularly if you plan to record your own audio in Soundtrack e For information on system and hardware requirements see the Read Before You Install document on the installation DVD e For information on installing the software see the Installing Your Software booklet System Considerations To achieve the most effective results you should consider the following issues when setting up your system Processor Speed and RAM Digital audio files require intensive processing by your computer If you plan to work on longer or more complex projects or use multiple effects plug ins in your projects a computer with a faster processor can facilitate your productivity Soundtrack is optimized for use with computers that have a multiprocessor architecture Working with Soundtrack projects on a multiprocessor equipped c
53. value results in more transients being detected if they are present in the audio recorded in the file on l V Whole Notes 1 2 Notes 1 4 Notes 1 8 Notes j 1 16 Notes 1 32 Notes 1 64 Notes Sometimes transients occur at points in the audio file other than on a beat value You can have Apple Loops Utility detect additional transients in the file using the Sensitivity slider When you increase the sensitivity of transient detection Apple Loops Utility considers points of higher amplitude in the waveform as transients regardless of whether or not they occur at a beat value To change the sensitivity of transient detection Drag the Sensitivity slider to the left to decrease the sensitivity or to the right to increase the sensitivity of transient detection To remove a transient do one of the following Click the transient s handle in the area above the Beat ruler then press the Delete key Drag the transient out of the area above the Beat ruler Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility Saving Changes to Files When you save changes in Apple Loops Utility you can save changes to only the currently selected files or to all files marked in the Changes column of the Assets drawer Any other file tags are unchanged This is especially useful when working with a large group of files When saving multiple files the checkbox next to the tag must be selected if changes to that tag are to be saved For information abou
54. value slider 43 Video Scale pop up menu 43 Video tab 42 117 118 video timecode format 120 video transport controls 43 video viewing area 43 viewing area 43 volume adjusting for busses 96 adjusting for outputs 96 adjusting for tracks 96 described 14 sends 138 volume envelopes 144 Index volume slider 36 67 96 VST plug in 22 Ww waveforms clip offset and 109 WAV files 57 173 188 websites AppleCare Support 197 Apple homepage 12 Apple Service and Support 11 Apple Store 12 Apple websites 12 FireWire 12 QuickTime 12 Soundtrack 11 wet signal 133 windows 31 closing 48 keyboard shortcuts 189 190 minimizing to Dock 48 moving 48 resizing 48 workflow basic 9 10 workspace setting up 48 51 X XLR cables 25 XLR connectors 25 Z Zoom control 36 90 91 zooming in out with scroll wheel 90 91 with Zoom control 90 91 209
55. 1 beat markers 113 busses 101 effects 140 envelope points 149 150 layouts 49 markers 113 outputs 101 scoring markers and 113 time markers 113 Timeslices 155 156 tracks 101 unable to delete scoring markers 113 video clips from projects 124 depth 131 descriptors 176 187 Details tab 45 46 119 digital audio 22 See also audio digital audio connectors 26 Index digital audio interfaces 23 digital recording 16 17 digital video 79 See also video directories 64 65 disk space 22 43 159 disk space indicator 43 distortion 126 128 described 18 digital 18 distortion effects 126 distributing projects 10 165 Dock minimizing windows to 48 downbeat 18 downsampling 79 drag handles 35 86 87 drop frames 120 dry signal 133 dual mono files 167 Duration value slider 46 DVDs audio 75 distributing projects on 165 sample rate 75 video for 79 dynamic range 26 126 dynamics 126 dynamics effects 126 126 127 E editing items audio clips 101 111 clip properties 85 86 envelope points 148 149 keyboard shortcuts for 191 192 education users 12 Effect list 42 99 134 effect parameters 41 42 134 Effect Parameters area 42 99 effect presets 141 142 effects 125 142 adding 134 adjusting parameters 135 advanced settings 140 141 automation 139 bus 99 100 bypassing 137 chaining 135 136 chorus 131 delay 126 132 described 125 distortion 126 128 dynamics 126 126 127 envelopes and 144 151 EQ 126 128 130 201 filter 126 128
56. 2 Reset button 44 Reset Effect button 42 resources 10 reverb 126 reverb effects 126 132 133 reverberation 132 reverb time 133 rhythm 18 ripple cut 191 ripple delete 191 roll off filters 130 root note 19 81 roundtrips 115 168 169 RTAS plug in 22 S sample rates audio files 79 described 17 79 digital video 79 hardware 79 importing audio files 57 multiframe projects 79 Soundtrack and 23 samples 16 saving items compressed project versions 83 multitrack projects 82 83 project and audio files together 83 170 171 recorded clips 163 scales musical 19 scale type 186 Scale Type pop up menu 40 scoring markers 113 121 124 scroll bars 35 89 90 scrubbing projects 55 Search database 64 65 searches keyword 39 40 Search Results list 40 Search tab 39 40 59 65 search tags 176 Search Text field 40 60 segments 106 107 Selection Length value slider 32 semitones 107 108 sends adding to tracks 137 busses routed to 138 bypassing 139 effects and 137 139 envelopes and 151 pan position 139 reordering 138 using 86 volume level 138 Setup button 40 shelf filters 130 Show pop up menu 34 42 SMPTE Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers 76 Snap button 36 Snap option 70 71 snapping clips to adjacent clips 104 clips to markers 122 envelope points 146 Snap To Value pop up menu 36 Snap To values 36 70 71 Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers SMPTE 76 Solo button 35 97 98 soloing
57. 2 master envelopes 36 143 144 145 Master Envelopes button 36 master Timeslice 154 155 master volume slider 32 Matches list 39 40 60 61 Measure in pop up menu 46 measures 18 78 80 92 media 9 Media and Effects Manager 37 42 adding audio files from 84 described 31 locating files in 57 65 previewing files in 66 67 viewing audio file information in 68 69 media files reconnecting 72 saving with projects 83 170 171 storing 22 Media pop up menu 37 38 40 41 67 melody 19 memory 21 Meters tab 44 microphones 23 27 MIDI Clock signal 33 56 MIDI Sync button 33 56 MIDI Timecode MTC signal 33 56 midrange frequency range 129 mini plug connectors 26 miscellaneous effects 133 mixers 23 27 mixes exporting 166 mixing projects exporting mixes 166 overview 10 modulation effects 126 131 Monitor pop up menu 43 monitors 23 26 27 mono files 167 Index Mono Mix button 32 mov extension 57 115 movies QuickTime 115 reference 168 MP3 files 57 MPEG 2 files 115 MPEG 2 playback 115 MTC MIDI Timecode signal 33 56 multiple solo 97 98 multitrack projects 77 adding audio files to 83 84 audio clip properties 85 86 closing 78 compressed version of 83 creating 77 exporting See exporting items importing video into 115 116 length of 82 opening 77 overlap mode 81 overview 47 playing 51 57 properties 78 81 recently open 77 recording See recording audio saving 82 83 saving with media files 83 170 171 scrubbing 55 music
58. 6 projects to audio files 166 projects to QuickTime movies 168 reference movies 168 tracks busses and outputs 167 F Favorites 59 Favorites list 38 Favorites tab 38 59 feedback 131 132 file formats See formats File Info area 176 File list 37 41 files AIFF 169 dual mono 167 keyboard shortcuts 189 looping 107 110 163 non looping 110 163 source 101 110 111 stereo 166 supported formats 57 tagged 59 173 188 File Type pop up menu 40 fills 20 filter effects 126 128 130 filters 130 Final Cut Express exporting audio to 170 importing video from 115 roundtrips to from Soundtrack 168 169 scoring markers 121 124 Finder adding audio files from 84 finding items with Browser tab 58 with Favorites tab 59 keywords 39 40 with Search tab 59 65 FireWire audio interface 29 FireWire connectors 24 FireWire technology 24 FireWire website 12 flangers 131 formats audio 57 time 120 121 Forward button 37 38 frame rates 121 frequencies 13 128 133 frequency ranges 129 130 fundamental 14 G gain 128 130 Gain field 43 Gain slider 43 General preferences 73 74 Global Timeline view 34 92 Go to Beginning button 33 56 Go to End button 33 56 Go to Peak buttons 44 graphic EQs 130 gridlines 89 H hard disk 22 hardware requirements 21 sample rates 79 harmonics 14 harmony 19 headers 35 36 help keyboard shortcuts 190 onscreen 11 high frequency range 129 highpass filters 130 hints 45 60 68 hiss 196 Home b
59. B connector typically used to connect devices together and also to connect a device to a computer USB audio interfaces should always be directly connected to your computer not connected via a hub or to the computer s display keyboard or another peripheral n m USB Universal Serial Bus PCI Peripheral Connect Interface PCI interfaces unlike FireWire and USB interfaces require that you install a dedicated sound card in your computer PCI provides high bandwidth and fast data transfer rates allowing you to record and play back large numbers of files at the highest possible sample rates and bit depths a a Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System PCMCIA PCMCIA is a consumer standard for connecting devices to a laptop computer PCMCIA provides a lower data transfer rate than FireWire or USB but provides a compact affordable solution for connecting an audio interface to your computer while keeping your USB and FireWire ports available for other devices Most current Macintosh laptop computers support PCMCIA connections via a built in card slot Audio Cabling There are several types of audio cables and connectors used on professional and consumer audio equipment at a range of prices and levels of quality When connecting microphones and musical instruments to an audio interface or a mixer make sure the interface has the proper input jacks for the type of connectors and cables you plan to use XLR XLR cables and
60. CO 00000 000 CO 00000 000 C 0 00000 000 COe 00000 000 11 00000 000 Mixer Instrument Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System 29 The Soundtrack Interface In Soundtrack you work in three main windows the Project window the Media and Effects Manager and the Utility window Project window Utility window Media and Effects Manager The Project window includes the Timeline where you arrange audio clips The Media and Effects Manager is where you locate and preview audio and video files to add to your project and also where you add and adjust realtime effects The Utility window has tabs where you can add and view a video in a project see the master level meters get details on clips and other items and set up recording 31 32 Tabs Mono Mix button Master volume slider Playhead Position value slider Project Window The Project window is the canvas where you work on your projects The Timeline is where you arrange and edit audio clips Toolbar Transport Selection Length controls value slider Toolbar Includes tools for common functions You can customize which tools appear in the Toolbar Tabs You can switch between any projects open in the Timeline Transport controls Control playback and the position of the playhead and turn recording on or off For more information see Transport Controls on page 33 Master volum
61. Click the Overlap Mode button located above the Global Timeline view In truncate mode when you drag an audio clip so that it partially overlaps another audio clip in a track in the Timeline the overlapped part of the clip is truncated To truncate an audio clip In the Timeline drag another audio clip over part of the clip Splitting and Joining Audio Clips You may want to use only part of the source audio file in an audio clip Soundtrack lets you split the clip into segments and use the segments in the Timeline as independent clips You can move the segments edit them and split each one into additional segments There are two ways to split clips using the Split razor tool or using the Split menu item in the Edit menu with the playhead Each method has advantages depending on the situation Using the Split tool you can perform many splits consecutively without moving the playhead each time Using the playhead you can split clips in several tracks at once To split audio clips with the Split tool Click the Split Tool also called the Razor button above the Timeline m Split Tool button Click a clip at the point where you want to split it Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline To split audio clips with the playhead Set the playhead at the point where you want to split the clip then select the clip or clips you want to split You can split multiple clips in the same operation Move the playhead to 11 s14
62. Customize Toolbar from the shortcut menu The Customize dialog appears and spaces between buttons in the Toolbar are outlined in gray To add a button to the Toolbar Drag a button from the Customize dialog to the Toolbar If you drag a button between two existing buttons the buttons move to make room for the new button To move a button in the Toolbar Command drag the button to a new location on the Toolbar You can also rearrange the Toolbar using set width spaces flexible spaces and separators To add space or a separator to the Toolbar Drag a space flexible space or separator from the Customize dialog to the Toolbar To return the Toolbar to the default set of buttons Drag the default button set located at the bottom of the Customize dialog to the Toolbar You can also change the Toolbar so that it shows only icons or only text To show only icons in the Toolbar do one of the following Control click the Toolbar then choose Icon Only from the shortcut menu In the Customize dialog choose Icon Only from the Show pop up menu Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack To show only text in the Toolbar do one of the following Control click the Toolbar then choose Text Only from the shortcut menu In the Customize dialog choose Text Only from the Show pop up menu To show both icons and text in the Toolbar do one of the following Control click the Toolbar then choose Icon amp Text from the shortcut menu
63. Down Arrow key to move the envelope point up or down by one pixel Hold down the Option and Shift keys and press the Up or Down Arrow key to move the envelope point up or down by five pixels Cutting Copying and Pasting Envelope Points You can cut and copy selected envelope points and paste them at a different position in the automation row To cut envelope points Select the envelope point then choose Edit gt Cut or press Command x To copy envelope points Select the envelope points then choose Edit gt Copy or press Command C To paste envelope points Set the playhead to the point where you want to paste the envelope points then choose Edit gt Paste or press Command V Chapter 9 Working with Automation 149 150 When you paste envelope points into an automation row the new envelope points replace any existing envelope points and the automation takes the shape of the cut or copied envelope in the pasted area Pasting envelope points into an envelope replaces the existing area of the envelope with the cut or copied area When pasting envelope points the following conditions apply e Envelope points can only be pasted into an envelope of the same type as the envelope from which they were cut or copied For example envelope points from a volume envelope can only be pasted into a volume envelope not a pan or tempo envelope Envelope points for an effect parameter can only be pasted into an envelope for
64. Introduction to Soundtrack Creating Music with Soundtrack Making use of the advanced digital audio capabilities of Macintosh computers and Mac OS X Soundtrack gives you a simple way to create music After preparing the video in Final Cut Express you add media audio and video files to tracks in the Soundtrack Timeline edit and adjust your audio and then add effects and automation to create a final mix that you can export and distribute To create your Soundtrack projects you use prerecorded loops and other audio files You can choose the style tempo and instrumentation of your music and arrange musical events in time even with no musical experience or training In short Soundtrack gives you greater creative control over the sound of your music than you would get using stock music libraries or relying on an outside music production facility The following steps outline a typical Soundtrack work session You won t always proceed in a strict linear order and you may choose to overlap some steps For example you may add more audio after starting to build your arrangement in the Timeline or you may make changes to the arrangement after you begin mixing Creating Music with Soundtrack Toate and Ace Build Mix Export preview media media arrangement Media Manager Project workspace Step 1 Prepare the video If you re scoring a video you ll want to determine the length of the scenes to be scored what mood and style of music are
65. Restricts search results to audio files using the selected scale Keyword buttons Button view only Displays files matching the keyword in the Results list Keywords list Column view only Displays files matching the keyword in the Results list and displays subcategories in the Matches list Matches list Column view only Displays subcategories of the selected keywords Search Text field Type text in the field to display matching files whose filename or path contains the search text Nearby Keys button Restricts search results to keys within two semitones above or below the project key Search Results list Displays the files matching the selected search criteria in alphabetical order Includes columns displaying the tempo key and number of beats of each file You can click files to preview them Preview controls Include Play and Mute buttons and a volume slider For information on using the Preview controls see Using the Preview Controls on page 67 Media pop up menu Choose menu items to add a Favorite add a file to the Bin and perform other functions Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface Preview controls Category list Show pop up menu Effect Parameters area 4 Add Send button L Bin Tab The Bin tab lists the media files added to the project You can drag files from the Bin tab to the Timeline You can also add files to the Bin for easy access in a project Files not currently added to the project appe
66. Select all occurrences of the clip for which you want to replace the source audio file following the steps described in Selecting Audio Clips on page 101 Every clip using the same source audio file is selected Replace the source audio file with another source audio file following the steps described in Replacing the Source Audio in a Clip on page 110 Removing Audio Clips As you work on a project you may decide that a clip that sounded great on its own no longer fits with the overall composition You can remove clips from a project by deleting them from the Timeline To remove an audio clip Select the clip then choose Edit gt Delete or press the Delete key Working with Markers Markers have a variety of uses in the Timeline For example you can use markers to e Mark the start and end points of major sections in your project e Indicate places you want to come back to and work on later e Mark points where you want to synchronize the audio with the picture in a video e Indicate where particular sounds begin and end in an audio file Markers extend vertically through the Timeline like the playhead Each marker has a handle in the area above the Time ruler letting you position the marker precisely in the Timeline Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 111 112 Types of Markers Soundtrack displays Final Cut Express scoring markers and lets you add your own markers to a project You can add two kinds of markers
67. Soundtrack User Manual Apple Computer Inc 2006 Apple Computer Inc All rights reserved Under the copyright laws this manual may not be copied in whole or in part without the written consent of Apple Your rights to the software are governed by the accompanying software license agreement The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc registered in the U S and other countries Use of the keyboard Apple logo Option Shift K for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate Apple Computer Inc is not responsible for printing or clerical errors Apple Computer Inc 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino CA 95014 2084 408 996 1010 www apple com Apple the Apple logo Final Cut FireWire iTunes Logic Mac Mac OS Macintosh QuickTime and Soundtrack are trademarks of Apple Computer Inc registered in the U S and other countries Finder is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc AppleCare is a service mark of Apple Computer Inc registered in the U S and other countries Production stills from the films Koffee House Mayhem and A Sus Ordenes provided courtesy of Refuge Films Koffee House Mayhem 2005 Jean Paul Bonjour A Sus Ordenes 2005 Eric Escobar http www refugefilms c
68. a a e O mooom 4 o ooa A Property Tags e Number of Beats field Displays the number of beats in the file File Type buttons Set the file type which can be Non looping or Looping Key pop up menu Sets the key of the file Scale Type pop up menu Sets the file s scale type The choices are Major Minor Good for Both and Neither e Time Signature pop up menu Sets the file s time signature The choices are 4 4 3 4 5 4 6 8 and 7 8 e Author field Displays the name of the file s author You can enter a new name by typing in the field e Copyright field Displays the file s copyright data if it exists You can enter new data by typing in the field Comment field Displays any comments about the file You can enter comments by typing in the field Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility 175 176 Search Tags These tags are used by the Search feature in Soundtrack when you search for files matching specific criteria Genre pop up menu Displays choices for the musical genre of the file e Instrumentation list Displays choices for the musical instrument or instrument category recorded in the file Selecting an instrument category in the left column displays the list of instruments in that category in the right column File Info This area of the Tags tab includes rows with Kind Length Date Modified Sample Rate Channels Tempo and File Location information This information is for
69. a beat marker or time marker do one of the following Control click the marker handle choose Edit from the shortcut menu type a name in the Marker Name field of the dialog that appears then click OK Make the Details tab active select the marker then type a name in the Name field of the Details tab Marker Name Sat 0 Type a name in the Time 00 00 10 20 Marker Name field o E Enter a time position here to move the marker to that position To view marker titles in the Timeline Choose View gt Show Marker Titles or double click a marker handle Moving Markers You can move a marker either by dragging the marker s handle or by entering a new position for the marker in an Edit dialog To move either a beat marker or time marker do one of the following Drag the marker by its handle located in the area above the Time ruler to a new position in the Timeline Show the Details tab click the marker you want to move then enter a new position in the Position field Control click the marker handle choose Edit from the shortcut menu then type a new position in the Time field You can also select and drag multiple markers When you move a marker by dragging the marker s position snaps to the nearest Snap To position if snap is turned on For information on setting the Snap To value see Creating Crossfades Between Audio Clips on page 105 Deleting Markers To delete a marker Click the marker ha
70. ack Using Keyboard Shortcuts There are a number of keyboard shortcuts you can use to control playback of the video in the Video tab To use keyboard shortcuts the pointer cannot be in a text field Space bar Plays the video from the current playhead position This is equivalent to clicking the Play button Return Sets the playhead to the beginning of the video If the playback region is active pressing Return sets the playhead to the beginning of the playback region This is equivalent to clicking the Go to Beginning button in the transport controls Command Left arrow Moves the video back closer to the beginning one frame This is equivalent to clicking the Previous Frame button Command Right arrow Moves the video forward closer to the end one frame This is equivalent to clicking the Previous Frame button For a complete list of Soundtrack keyboard shortcuts see Appendix B Soundtrack Keyboard Shortcuts on page 189 Resizing the Video Tab You can resize the Video tab to any size up to filling your entire screen and can detach the Video tab To resize the Video tab do one of the following Drag the Resize handle at the lower right corner of the Video tab until the tab is the size you want Drag the edge of the Video tab to resize it along with the other windows Click the Resize button at the upper left of the Utility window while the Video tab is active The Video tab resizes to fill the screen Chapter 7 Wo
71. added to the video Make sure to export the updated video file with exactly the same name and to select the Export using previous settings checkbox in the Export dialog When you reopen the project in Soundtrack the updated video appears in the Video pane the updated video clip appears in the video track and any added scoring markers appear in the Timeline When you are ready to export the updated score hold down the Option key as you choose File gt Export Mix This automatically re exports the project with the same name bypassing the Export dialog When you reopen the video project in Final Cut Express the updated Soundtrack audio tracks are automatically recognized and imported into the project as long as the filename and the file s location on disk remain the same You can continue editing the video into Final Cut Express hearing the updated Soundtrack audio when you play the video You can make as many roundtrips as you wish using the steps previously described You can complete the project in Final Cut Express or import the finished video to Soundtrack and export the project as a QuickTime movie Chapter 11 Distributing Soundtrack Projects 169 Exporting Audio to Final Cut Express When your score is ready to export you export the project as a stereo AIFF file To export a Soundtrack project for use with Final Cut Express Choose File gt Export Mix In most cases you ll want to mute the video s audio track before e
72. affected by the tempo change but before the marker to be scored then repeat the scoring operation Removing a Video from a Project You can remove a video if you decide you no longer want to use it in the project To remove a video clip from a project do one of the following Select the video clip in the Timeline then choose Edit gt Delete or press the Delete key Control click the video clip then choose Remove Video from the shortcut menu When you remove the video from a project the audio clip of the video s audio is not deleted but remains in the project You can delete the clip separately if you want to remove it 124 Chapter 7 Working with Video in Soundtrack Working with Audio Effects You can modify the sound of your project in many ways using audio effects Soundtrack includes a complete set of professional quality audio effects you can use in your projects You can use audio effects to add both subtle and dramatic changes to audio clips in a project Soundtrack includes effects for equalization compression reverb and other effects you can use to enhance the sound of your audio You can also use third party Audio Units effects plug ins in projects All effects you add to a project are realtime effects You can add effects to tracks busses and outputs Realtime effects modify the audio as it passes through them so you hear any changes you make or any new audio you add through the sound of the effect Each e
73. ag files you select the files in the Assets drawer and then make changes to the selected files tags in the Tags tab When you change the settings in the Tags tab the changes are applied only to the currently selected files When you make changes to a file s tags a dot appears in the Changes column next to the filename to indicate that the file has been changed You can select a file or group of files and make one or several changes and then select another file or group of files and make different changes Apple Loops Utility remembers all the changes you make as you work with different files When you finish making changes you can save changes to only the currently selected files or save changes to all files marked in the Changes column of the Assets drawer Note Changing a file s tags has no effect on the actual audio data recorded in the file Changing the tag for the number of beats for example only changes the information used when Soundtrack searches for files not the actual number of beats recorded in the audio file Similarly changing the tag for key has no effect on the actual musical key of the audio file To tag a single audio file Select the file in the Assets drawer If the drawer is closed click the Assets button to open it Note When a single file is selected you can use the Up and Down Arrow keys to move up and down the files in the Assets drawer You can listen to the file using the playback controls Make
74. aise the volume of some of the harmonics in the music but don t change the fundamental frequencies Time Fundamental Time First harmonic Time Second harmonic Chapter 1 Audio and Music Basics Envelopes Another aspect of sound that helps us to distinguish between instruments and voices playing the same pitch is a sound s envelope Every note played on a musical instrument has a distinct curve of rising and falling volume over time Sounds produced by some instruments particularly drums and other percussion start at a high volume level but quickly decrease to a much lower level and die away to silence quickly Sounds produced by other instruments for example a violin or a trumpet can be sustained at the same volume level and can be raised or lowered in volume while being sustained This volume curve is called the sound s envelope and acts like a signature to help our ears recognize what instrument is producing the sound asee lili Percussive envelope Sustained envelope Phase Relationships When two instruments or voices are playing the same pitch the sound waves may have the exact same frequency and amplitude but the peaks and troughs of the wave reach our ears or a microphone recording the sound at slightly different times This is referred to as a difference in the phase of the sound waves When two sound waves are completely in phase the volume of the sound is doubled When two sound wa
75. and operate the controls When you are finished click the close button in the upper left corner to close the advanced settings window Working with Effect Presets Some effects have several combined parameter settings called presets For example the MatrixReverb effect in the Mac OS category has presets for various sizes of room hall and chamber settings as well as Plate reverb and Cathedral settings If an effect has presets you can choose presets in the Effect Parameters area of the Effects tab or in the effect s advanced settings window To apply a preset to an effect In the Effect Parameters area choose the preset from the User Presets pop up menu To show effect presets in the advanced settings window Click the Show Presets button in the advanced settings window The Presets drawer appears to the right of the advanced settings window Click the User Presets disclosure triangle To add a preset Click the Add Preset button A blank untitled preset appears in the User Preset list Click the name Untitled and type a name for the preset Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects 141 142 To apply an effect preset Select the preset you want to apply from either the Factory Preset or User Preset list in the Presets drawer Click the Load Preset button To create your own preset Adjust the controls in the advanced settings window to get the sound you want Click the Add Preset button Click the Untit
76. appropriate for the video and how the music will be synchronized with the action at specific points You can prepare the video in Final Cut Express by adding scoring markers which appear when you import the video into Soundtrack Step 2 Add media Once you re ready you begin by selecting the audio files you want to use in your project You can preview audio files in the Media and Effects Manager and then add them to the project Timeline If you re scoring a video you import the video file into the project so that you can view it as you create your score and synchronize the music with the video Preface An Introduction to Soundtrack 10 Step 3 Build the arrangement You build the arrangement by continuing to add audio clips to the Timeline moving and resizing them to create rhythmic patterns and define sections and editing them in a variety of ways You can build drum and rhythm tracks to lay out the form and set the basic mood and then layer additional parts over the rhythm tracks to fill out the arrangement You can alter the mood and add interest to your music by changing the instrumentation changing tempo and key and adding lead parts or sound effects to create moments of tension and release Step 4 Mix Once the arrangement is complete you mix the project Mixing involves shaping the overall sound balancing different parts of the music and bringing focus to the key moments in your project You can further shape the sound o
77. ar dimmed and offline files appear in red text File list Media pop up menu e File list Displays the media files in the current project e Preview controls Include Play and Mute buttons and a volume slider For information about using the Preview controls see Using the Preview Controls on page 67 e Media pop up menu Choose menu items to add a Favorite add a file to the Bin and perform other functions Effects Tab You add effects and sends to your project and adjust effect parameters in the Effects tab When you click the Effects button on a track bus or output the Effects tab appears showing the item s current effects settings and sends Effect list Add Effect button Remove Effect button Reset Effect button Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface 41 42 Video Playback value slider Category list Lists the categories of available effects which are categorized by manufacturer Click a category to see the effects for that category in the Effect list e Effect list Lists the effects in the selected category Double click an effect to add it to the track bus or output Show pop up menu Choose an item a track bus or output from the Show pop up menu to display its effects settings Add Effect button Adds the selected effect to the current effects chain Remove Effect button Removes the selected effect from the current effects chain Effect Parameters area Displays the pa
78. ar in the Search Results field Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack Refining a Search in Column View There are several ways you can refine your searches in Column view You can select items in the Matches column to add the matching files for each category to the search results and you can enter text in the Search Text field to narrow your search to files that include the text in their file path Selecting multiple keywords in the Keywords list narrows the search results to files matching all the selected keywords To refine your search using the Matches column Click to select a match category or Command click to select multiple match categories Click match categories to refine your search These are files that match the categories selected above To refine your search by selecting multiple keywords Shift click to select adjacent keywords or Command click to select nonadjacent keywords Searching for Files in Button View In Button view the upper area of the Media and Effects Manager displays a grid of buttons each of which is labeled with a keyword The keywords displayed are determined by the Keywords pop up menu the choices are Best Mix Instruments Genre Descriptors and Custom The keywords for each choice are fixed and appear whether or not matching files for the keyword exist Keywords for which no matching files exist are dimmed Chapter 4 Getting Started with Sou
79. at 53 78 79 92 98 157 timecode aligning audio clips to 92 122 MIDI Timecode 33 207 Time based format 53 54 time markers and 121 Time ruler units and 115 120 timecode format 120 Time Code Offset synchronization settings 76 Time display 35 52 54 120 time format described 120 projects 92 setting 78 79 tracks 98 Timeline adding audio files to 83 84 controls 36 editing audio clips in 101 111 Global view 92 headers 35 36 keyboard shortcuts 192 193 moving audio clips in 103 104 navigating in 89 93 overview 34 35 preferences 74 recording audio in 159 162 scrubbing projects in 55 setting track height in 91 track controls 35 36 working in 89 113 zooming in out 90 91 Timeline controls 35 36 Timeline editing tools 34 time markers 112 113 121 122 Time ruler 35 92 120 time signature 19 40 80 Time Signature pop up menu 40 Timeslices 153 157 Timeslice selection area changing 156 157 tip ring TR connectors 25 tip ring sleeve TRS connectors 25 tone 128 tone color 14 tonic 19 81 Toolbar 32 33 50 Touch mode 152 TR tip ring connectors 25 Track area 35 track controls 35 36 86 96 100 track envelopes 144 Track Height control 36 91 track pan envelopes 144 tracks adding 94 adding sends to 137 adjusting pan position 97 adjusting volume 96 changing icon for 96 copying 95 208 Index described 89 effects 99 100 enabling for recording 160 envelopes for 100 exporting 167 keyboard shortcuts 193 mo
80. between no compression and the compression ratio at the threshold Compressors are typically used on vocal tracks to make the vocals prominent in the overall mix They can also be used on music and sound effects tracks but rarely on ambience tracks Limiters Limiters also called peak limiters prevent the audio signal from exceeding a maximum volume level A compressor gradually attenuates levels above the threshold but a limiter puts a hard limit on any signal louder than the threshold You use a limiter mainly to prevent clipping Noise Gates A noise gate alters the signal in the opposite direction from a compressor While a compressor lowers the volume of sounds above the threshold a noise gate lowers the sounds below the threshold Loud signals pass through unchanged but softer signals such as the decay of a loud instrument are cut off Noise gates can be used to eliminate low level noise or hum from an audio signal Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects 127 128 Distortion Effects Distortion effects simulate the sound of analog and digital distortion After working to eliminate the digital distortion caused by clipping from a project why would you add distortion as an effect The distortion produced by overdriven vacuum tubes which were used in amplifiers and music recording equipment before the development of digital recording technology produces an effect which many people find pleasing and which is integral to many style
81. bsite for information about FireWire technology and available third party FireWire products e http www apple com firewire For information about seminars events and third party tools used in web publishing design and print music and audio desktop movies digital imaging and the media arts go to http www apple com pro For resources stories and information about projects developed by users in education using Apple software including Soundtrack go to http www apple com education Go to the Apple Store to buy software hardware and accessories direct from Apple and to find special promotions and deals that include third party hardware and software products http www apple com store Preface An Introduction to Soundtrack Amplitude Audio and Music Basics 1 You can create professional sounding music projects in Soundtrack without any background or training in music This chapter describes the basic audio and music concepts you need to know to get started Basic Audio Concepts In order to understand how you can work with audio files and use the controls effects and envelopes included in Soundtrack it s helpful to know some basic terms and concepts about audio Sound Waves What we hear as sounds are vibrations traveling through the air as sound waves Sound waves move through the air like ripples in a pond radiating outward from the sound s source in a regular pattern of compression and rare
82. button again to unsolo the track bus or output Click the Solo button to solo the track bus or output To exclusively solo a track bus or output Option click the Solo button Click the Solo button again to unsolo the track bus or output When you solo tracks busses or outputs the ones not soloed appear darker in the Timeline Changing Track Time Format By default tracks use the same time format as the project Time based or Beats based You can change the time format of a track which changes the behavior of tagged clips when you change the project tempo When the track time format is Time based clips remain at the same time position the same second or frame when you change the project tempo When the track time format is Beats based clips remain at the same beat position the same measure beat and beat division when you change the project tempo When you set a track to Beats based time format a metronome appears in the corner of the track icon To change a track s time format 1 Select the track 2 Choose Multitrack gt Track Time Base then choose a format from the submenu Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline Adding Effects to a Track Bus or Output Clicking the Effects button in the header for a track bus or output displays the Effects tab which you use to add effects The Effects tab also displays any effects currently assigned to the track bus or output To add effects to a track bus or
83. ch indicates any files to which you have applied changes Add File and Remove File buttons Changes column Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility 177 178 Assets button Key pop up menu Playback and File Management Controls The bottom of the Apple Loops Utility window contains a set of playback controls so that you can listen to the file in Apple Loops Utility The playback controls do not affect the file s tags only the playback of the selected file Go to Beginning button Stop button Tempo slider Play button Volume slider Go to Beginning button Starts playback from the beginning of the selected file e Play button Plays back the selected file Stop button Stops playback of the selected file e Key pop up menu Transposes the selected file to a new key for playback e Tempo slider Sets the playback tempo of the selected file You can also enter a value in the field e Volume slider Sets the playback volume of the selected file You can also enter a value in the field When multiple files are selected the playback controls are not available You cannot play more than one file at a time There are two additional buttons at the bottom of the window the Assets button and the Save button e Assets button Shows and hides the Assets drawer e Save button Saves your changes to the currently selected files in the Assets drawer Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility Opening Files in Apple Loops U
84. ck Save The project file and a copy of every audio file the project uses are saved to the selected location You can optionally click the New Folder button to create a new folder for the collected project It s a good idea to save each collected project in its own folder If the project includes a video file you can optionally select the Collect Video File checkbox to save the video to the selected location If the folder already contains any of the media files an alert appears asking if you want to replace the existing files Note Because video files are typically very large files saving a copy of the video file may take several minutes and may require a large amount of disk space You can also save a compressed version of the project When you save a project compressed the data used to draw the audio waveforms in the Timeline is not saved This reduces the size of the project but means that the waveforms must be redrawn each time the project is opened To save a project compressed In the Save dialog select the Save Compressed checkbox Adding Audio Files to a Project Once you ve located and previewed an audio file you want to add you drag the file to the Timeline to add it to the project When you drag an audio file to the Timeline Soundtrack creates an audio clip from the audio file and adds the clip to the project An audio clip does not contain the actual audio data instead it contains a reference to the file store
85. clips e Setting the playhead e Setting the playback region e Inserting markers e Moving markers e Selecting Timeslices e Adding envelope points e Moving envelope points e Moving crossfade edges You can use snap to ensure that audio clips are synchronized to a measure or beat that they begin playing back at a precise point in time and that they are precisely aligned with other clips in the Timeline When you turn on snap the item you are moving snaps to the nearest Snap To position in the Timeline The available Snap To values depend on the time format of the project For projects set to Time based format the available Snap To values are e Ruler ticks e Seconds e Frames e Adjacent Tracks e Markers Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack For projects set to Beats based format the available Snap To values are e Ruler ticks e 1 4 notes e 1 8 notes e 1 16 notes e 1 32 notes e 1 64 notes e Markers e Clips on Adjacent Tracks To turn snap on Choose View gt Snap or press N A checkmark next to the menu item indicates that snap is turned on Choose View gt Snap again to turn snap off To set the Snap To value Choose View gt Snap To then choose a value from the submenu You can temporarily defeat snap while you work in the Timeline When you defeat snap you reverse the current snap state To defeat snap Select the item in the Timeline then hold down the Command key as you drag the item
86. cord to an existing track enable the track 2 If cycling is turned off click the Cycle button in the transport controls to turn it on 3 Set the playback region to the part of the Timeline where you want recording to start and end For information on setting the playback region see Working with the Playback Region on page 93 If no playback region is set recording starts at the beginning of the project and lasts until the end of the last clip in the project If the project contains no clips a single take is recorded starting at the current playhead position 4 Click the Record button in the transport controls to start recording As you record the level meters in the Recording tab show the levels of the input signal being recorded If the input signal clips rises above 0 dB the peak indicator lights red The playhead advances to the end of the playback region then returns to the beginning of the playback region for the next take 5 To stop recording click the Play button When you record multiple takes the takes are recorded sequentially to an audio file in the recording location set in Recording preferences The takes appear in a single clip in the Timeline The current take number appears in the lower right corner of the clip You can choose which take you hear when you play the project When you finish recording the current take number corresponds to the number of completed takes To choose a take do one of the fo
87. ct Choose File gt New gt Multitrack Project or press Command N A new untitled project appears You can name the project when you save it For information on saving projects see Saving Projects on page 82 To open an existing project Choose File gt Open or press Command O Locate and select the project then click Open You can also open a recently open project by choosing it from the File gt Open Recent menu and can open a project by dragging it onto the Soundtrack icon in the Dock You can have multiple projects open in Soundtrack and cut and paste between them but you can only play one project at a time You can open projects created with Soundtrack version 1 x that have the extension loop but can only save them as multitrack projects with the extension stmp You can also open Soundtrack Pro v1 x multitrack projects with the file extension stmp with Soundtrack but they may not include all of the effects Additionally Soundtrack projects can be opened from Soundtrack Pro 77 78 Closing Projects To close a project Select the project s tab in the Project window then choose File gt Close Project or press Command Shift W Setting Project Properties Each project has a set of project properties which include time format sample rate tempo time signature key and overlap mode Each project property has a default setting described below You can change the project properties using the pr
88. ct in the Effects tab which bypasses the effect in the effects chain When you bypass an effect the effect is not heard but all effect parameters are retained To hear the effect again reselect the effect s checkbox This lets you hear how each effect in a chain alters the sound Show Cafe sounds B L J C Name Parameter Auto gt V PlatinumVerb Advanced Advanced To bypass an effect In the Effects tab deselect the checkbox next to the effect To bypass all effects for a track Select the track Control click the track s header then choose Bypass Effects from the shortcut menu that appears Adding Sends to Tracks You can add sends to an effects chain in order to create submixes Routing audio from multiple tracks to a bus using a send lets you apply the same effects to all the tracks When you add a send the send is added at the end of the current effects chain You can move the send to another place in the effects chain choose the bus for a send adjust send volume and pan and bypass a send To add a send to a track In the Effects tab click the Add Send button A send appears below the last effect in the track s effects chain You can assign the send to a bus in the Effects tab Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects 137 138 Add Send button Reordering Sends You can reorder sends in the Effects tab To reorder a send In the Effect Parameters area d
89. cter of a piece of music and immediately evoke a feeling or mood In Soundtrack projects you work with prerecorded loops some of which contain melodies or melodic phrases If you sing or play an instrument you can also record original melodies in Soundtrack Whether you use existing loops or your own recordings the most important thing to consider is whether a melody you want to use is appropriate for the style and feeling of a particular project Harmony and Key Harmony occurs when several musical notes are played simultaneously typically in groups of three or more notes called chords The harmony of a piece of music is often played by rhythm or accompanying instruments and works with the rhythm and melody to help establish the feeling of the music As a piece of music progresses the harmony changes often at the beginning of a measure or on a strong beat creating chord progressions that help give the music a sense of forward motion Most music makes use of groups of related notes called musical scales as the basis for both melody and harmony The most common scales are the major scale and the minor scale A scale centered around a particular musical pitch is called the key of a piece and the central note is called the root note or tonic of that key You can set the key of a Soundtrack project and add key changes over the course of a project Some loops and one shots you ll use in your projects contain recordings with harmonies and chor
90. d on disk Editing an audio clip in the Timeline does not change the source audio file Each audio clip has a playback mode For untagged files and files tagged as non looping files the clip playback mode is non looping For files tagged as looping files the clip playback mode is looping If the playback mode of a clip is looping the clip appears with notched edges to indicate where the audio file repeats when you resize the clip Chapter 5 Working with Projects 83 84 To add an audio file from the Media and Effects Manager do one of the following Drag the file from the File list in the Media and Effects Manager to a track in the Timeline Drag the file from the File list between two existing tracks A new track is created and the clip is added to the track Drag the file from the File list to the empty part of the Timeline below the outputs A new track is created and the clip is added to the track Drag a file from the File list to a track or to the part of the Timeline below the existing tracks Drag the file from the Media and Effects Manager to the Timeline To add an audio file from the Finder Drag the file from the Finder to the Timeline to a track between two existing tracks or to the area below all existing tracks When the Bin tab of the Media and Effects Manager is active the Bin shows all of the audio clips in the project You can drag a clip from the list to the Timeline to add a new clip from the same a
91. dding a spacey or underwater effect All of the modulation effects include parameters for the delay rate also called speed or frequency which let you set the minimum delay time depth also called width or intensity which you use to set how much the LFO modulates the delay time and mix which you use to control the ratio of the effected wet signal to the original dry signal They can also include parameters for feedback or regeneration which add part of the output back into the input signal Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects 131 132 Reverb and Delay Effects Reverbs and delays work by copying a part of the audio signal delaying it for a brief period of time and then playing it back with the original signal The delayed signal can be played back multiple times and can be modified in a variety of ways Delay A delay effect stores the audio signal and then plays back each repetition at a regular rate of time after the original signal Delays can be used for doubling individual sounds for example making it sound as if a group of instruments is playing the same melody to achieve echo effects making it sound as though the sound was occurring in an immense space and to enhance the stereo position of tracks in a mix Delay effects are not commonly used on an overall mix except to achieve special effects such as to create an otherworldly sound Delay effects let you set the delay time the time between t
92. dea to connect them before opening Soundtrack Soundtrack does not support video input from devices such as camcorders or videocassette decks Audio Interfaces You can connect an audio interface to your computer and then connect microphones and musical instruments to the audio interface for recording You can also connect output devices such as monitors or speakers a mixer or an amplifier to the audio interface When choosing an audio interface check the manufacturer s specifications to make sure the interface is compatible with Mac OS X v10 4 Tiger Some audio interfaces require driver software while others are supported without the need for a driver If the device requires a driver make sure an up to date driver is included with the device or is available from the manufacturer All digital audio interfaces can be susceptible to latency a noticeable delay between the time the audio signal is produced and the time you hear it When connecting an audio interface you should connect the interface directly to the computer rather than connecting it through a hub or daisy chaining it through another device Connecting an audio interface through a hub or an intermediary device can cause an unacceptable amount of latency particularly with slower protocols such as USB Soundtrack supports input from digital audio interfaces up to a maximum sample rate of 96 kHz and a maximum bit depth of 24 bits If you connect an interface that uses sample
93. double click the value slider and type a new position The envelope point moves to the new position Chapter 9 Working with Automation 147 148 Viewing and Editing Envelope Point Details You can also view and edit the value position and other details for an envelope point in the Details tab To view envelope point details In the Utility window click the Details tab Select the envelope point for which you want to view details The details for the envelope point appear in the Details tab including its value and position You can edit the value and position in the Details tab change the format for the position and copy the value of the previous or next envelope point if one exists o eoWs Details Video Recording Meters Details Position 00 00 05 00 gt HH MM SS g Value 8 42 gt Minimum value 96 Maximum value 6 Copy from Next Point _ To change the value of an envelope point in the Details tab With the Details tab active select the envelope point In the Details tab do one of the following e Click the left arrow in the Value value slider to decrease the value or click the right arrow to increase the value e Click the center of the value slider then drag the slider that appears left or right to change the value e Click the text in the value slider to select it then type a new value To change the position of an envelope point in the Details tab With the D
94. ds Soundtrack automatically matches the key of each audio file you add to a project to the project s key You can also transpose individual loops to create chord progressions and achieve other harmonic effects Chapter 1 Audio and Music Basics 19 20 Instrumentation The instruments used in any piece of music help define the style and the character of the music Because each instrument adds its own particular range of musical expression to the piece the choice of instrumentation is a crucial one in creating your projects If you re working in a particular style you should always consider whether an instrument fits the sound of that style If you re going for something original you can try combining instruments in a unique or unusual way The art of arranging involves choosing the right instrumentation and using changes in the instrumentation over the course of the piece to create musical interest and drama The arrangement becomes an integral part of the character and expression of the music Musical Patterns and Form Most styles of music engage their audience by building up repeating patterns then breaking or changing them after a number of repetitions Larger musical compositions are created out of a series of related patterns Musical patterns typically occur in groups of two or four and changes from one pattern to another typically occur at multiples of four The form of a popular song provides a simple example Many pop songs consi
95. ds for non looping files from the beginning of the source file at which the clip begins playing Transpose pop up menu Sets the transposition in semitones for looping files the range is 12 to 12 semitones Clip Speed pop up menu Sets the playback speed for looping files which can be Quadruple Double Normal Half or Quarter Some properties can be changed by editing the clip in the Timeline For detailed information on editing audio clips see Editing Audio Clips on page 101 Chapter 5 Working with Projects 85 86 The name of an audio clip appears on the clip in the Timeline By default the entire name appears on the clip if the clip is long enough to display it You can change the default behavior in the General pane of the Preferences window so that long clip names are truncated from the center For information on setting preferences see Setting Soundtrack Preferences on page 73 Tracks Busses and Outputs Soundtrack projects contain tracks busses and outputs which appear as horizontal rows in the Timeline Tracks busses and outputs are grouped together by category in the Timeline with a separator between each category You can move each type within its own category but cannot move one to either of the other categories Each track bus and output has a header with its icon name and a set of controls Tracks Tracks contain the audio you add to your project in the Timeline Each track has a drag handl
96. dtrack interprets it as 00 00 12 34 This stands for 12 seconds and 34 100 of a second You can select only part of the position in the Time display and enter a new number for that position For example you can select only seconds or minutes and seconds The other categories keep their present values You can enter a time position in timecode format in a way similar to the way you enter timecode in Final Cut Express Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 53 54 Entering Beats Based Units When you set the playhead by entering a Beats based position in the Time display you enter periods between numbers to separate measures beats and beat divisions Soundtrack fills out the digits in the beat division category with zeros For example e If you enter 123 Soundtrack interprets it as 123 1 000 This stands for the 123rd measure 1st beat with no added beat divisions e If you enter 12 3 Soundtrack interprets it as 12 3 000 This stands for the 12th measure the 3rd beat with no added beat divisions e If you enter 1 2 3 Soundtrack interprets it as 1 2 300 This stands for the 1st measure the 2nd beat and 300 1000ths of a beat because each beat division is 1 1000 of a beat You can select only part of the position in the Time display and enter a new number for that position For example you can select only measures or measures and beats The other categories keep their present values Setting the Playhead Using the Playhead
97. e These parameters let you specify the decay of higher and lower frequencies separately Different surfaces such as wood floors and concrete walls absorb high and low frequencies at different rates and these parameters let you simulate the sound of different environments more closely Reverb envelope Lets you control how much the volume of the reverb changes over time In natural acoustic situations the reverb echoes decay gradually over time You can re create this gradual decay or gate the reverb so that it cuts off more abruptly Miscellaneous Effects Miscellaneous effects don t fall into any of the other categories They include denoising effects pitch shifting effects stereo enhancers bass enhancers and effects used to transform the sound of vocals Each effect gives you a different way to modify the audio and includes a unique set of parameters Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects 133 134 Select a category to display its effects Working with Effects You can add effects to a track bus or output in a project and then adjust the effect parameters to control the way in which the effects alter the sound of the track or project Working in the Effects Tab The Effects tab is where you add effects and adjust effect parameters When you click the Effects button in the header of a track bus or output the Effects tab becomes active and displays the current effects settings for the track bus or output The upper part of
98. e a name an icon and a set of controls that appear in the track s header in the Timeline Track controls include a volume slider a pan control an output pop up menu and buttons to mute or solo the track add effects and enable the track for recording Busses Using busses you can create submixes letting you adjust volume and pan and add effects to groups of related tracks You use busses by adding sends to effects chains in the Effects tab then routing audio from each send to a bus Each bus has a drag handle a name an icon and a set of controls that appear in the bus s header in the Timeline Bus controls are the same as track controls except that a bus does not have a Record Enable button because you can t record audio to a bus The bus controls affect the audio of every track sent to that bus You route audio from a track to a bus by adding a send to the track in the Effects tab When you add a send the send is assigned to a bus You can change the bus to which a send is assigned and can adjust the volume and pan for the send Sends allow you to route audio from multiple tracks to the same bus to create submixes For example you could route every dialogue track for a particular actor to a bus with the actor s name You could adjust the volume of all the actor s dialogue using the bus volume fader and add an EQ effect that brings out the actor s voice in the mix You could then send route the bus to a particular output C
99. e sample rate of any connected audio device switches to match the project sample rate when you open Soundtrack or change the active project The checkbox is selected by default Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 73 74 Timeline These preferences let you set the default Snap To value default track height and other aspects of the Timeline Use ellipses in clip names checkbox When selected clips in the Timeline with long names are center truncated with an ellipsis Use ellipses in clip names is deselected by default Note Selecting Use ellipses in clip names can impact the speed at which the screen is redrawn during playback Scrollwheel pop up menu Choose whether an attached mouse with a scrollwheel scrolls the Timeline or zooms in or out at the playhead position e Automation Recording Sensitivity slider Drag to set the level of sensitivity with which onscreen movements are recorded Setting the slider to High results in all movements being recorded Alerts This preference lets you control when certain alerts appear e Show alerts pop up menu Choose whether to show disk overload and unsupported sample rate alerts when the conditions causing these alerts occur Project Preferences These preferences let you set project properties and other default settings for new projects you create e Tempo value slider Sets the default tempo for new projects in beats per minute bpm The
100. e 107 108 To transpose a tagged audio clip do one of the following Select the clip choose Clip gt Transpose then choose the number of semitones by which you want to transpose the clip up or down Control click the clip in the Timeline choose Transpose from the shortcut menu then choose the number of semitones by which you want to transpose the clip up or down When Soundtrack matches audio clips to the project key it transposes the clips using the smallest appropriate interval For instance when matching a clip recorded in the key of D with a project in the key of A the clip is transposed down five semitones 5 rather than being transposed up seven semitones 7 although either transposition would put the clip in the project key Transposing clips can lead to undesirable results such as when the sound of the instrument recorded in the clip is moved outside its natural range If the sound of a clip changes in an unsatisfactory way you can try transposing the clip up or down by an octave 12 semitones and see if you like the result better The following table shows the correspondence between semitones and musical intervals for transposing clips Number of semitones Musical interval 1 Minor second 2 Major second 3 Minor third 4 Major third 5 Perfect fourth 6 Tritone diminished fifth 7 Perfect fifth 8 Minor sixth 9 Major sixth 10 Minor seventh Nl Major seventh 12 Octave
101. e 80 projects adding media to 9 basic workflow for 9 10 building arrangement 10 controlling playback of 93 distributing 10 exporting as stereo audio files 10 exporting mixes 166 exporting to audio files 166 exporting to QuickTime movies 168 importing QuickTime movies into 115 importing video into 115 116 miniature view of 92 playing 51 57 preferences 74 75 preparation 9 removing video clips from 124 saving with media files 170 171 scrolling through 89 90 scrubbing 55 undo redo changes to 69 Project window 31 32 36 properties audio clips 85 86 multitrack projects 78 81 property tags 175 Q QuickTime 12 QuickTime audio files 57 QuickTime movies 115 exporting projects to 168 QuickTime MPEG 2 Playback Component 115 R RAM 21 RCA connectors 25 Read Before You Install document 21 Read mode 152 realtime effects See effects Record button 33 56 161 162 Record Enable button 35 160 Index recording audio 159 163 analog recording 16 digital recording 16 17 disk space and 159 eliminating latency 196 enabling tracks for recording 160 keyboard shortcuts 194 multiple takes 161 162 preferences 75 76 preparing for 159 procedure for 15 18 saving recorded clips 163 sessions location 76 single takes 161 in Timeline 159 162 Recording pane 159 Recording preferences 75 159 recording sessions save location 76 Recording tab 43 160 162 Redo command 69 reference movies 168 regeneration 131 132 Remove Effect button 4
102. e is 100 full left to 100 full right with the default at 0 center position Double clicking the slider resets it to the center position Muting and Soloing Tracks Busses and Outputs The Mute button mutes silences the track bus or output You can mute multiple tracks busses and outputs allowing you to hear only the remaining unmuted ones Muting lets you compare the sound of the project using different combinations of tracks busses and outputs and hearing the result of changes you make to them To mute a track bus or output Click the Mute button Click the Mute button again to unmute the track bus or output Muted tracks busses and outputs appear darker in the Timeline making it easy to identify which tracks are currently audible Click the Mute button to mute the track bus or output The Solo button solos the track bus or output muting all others Soloing a track bus or output lets you quickly isolate it from the rest of the project so you can adjust the sound of the soloed track bus or output and make changes Soundtrack supports multiple solo and exclusive solo Clicking the Solo button for multiple tracks busses or outputs solos them and mutes all others When you exclusively solo a track bus or output all others are muted regardless of whether they are soloed Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 97 To solo a track bus or output multiple solo m Click the Solo button Click the Solo
103. e slider Adjusts the overall volume when you play the project The volume level defaults to 0 dB when you create a project Adjusting the master volume slider does not affect export volume Mono Mix button Click to listen to a temporary mono mix of the project Playhead Position value slider Displays the current playhead position You can move the playhead by clicking the arrows dragging or typing a value Selection Length value slider Displays the length of the current Timeslice in the Timeline You can change the Timeslice or selection length by clicking the arrows dragging or typing a value Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface Toolbar The Toolbar is located at the top of the Project window When you first open Soundtrack the Toolbar includes buttons for creating a new project managing layouts displaying the Utility window adding markers and other common functions You can customize the Toolbar adding buttons for functions you want to access frequently For information about customizing the Toolbar see Customizing the Toolbar on page 50 aa 8 4 a E New Project New Track Add Time Marker Add Beat Marker Fitin Window Crossfade Inspectors Layouts Transport Controls You use the transport controls to control playback set the position of the playhead start recording and activate the playback region Play from Beginning Go to Beginning Cycle Record Play Pause Go to End MIDI Sync e Record butto
104. each repetition of the source audio file Notches indicate the points where a looping clip repeats When you resize a clip by shortening its left edge you change the point in the source audio file at which the clip starts playing making the earlier part of the source audio inaudible When you resize a clip by shortening its right edge the part you shorten becomes inaudible You cannot lengthen the left edge of a clip with non looping playback mode beyond the beginning of the source audio file Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline When you resize a clip the edge being resized jumps to the nearest Snap To position if snap is turned on If you want to resize the clip independently of the Snap To value change the Snap To value or turn off snap before you resize the clip For information about snap see Using Snap on page 70 Creating Crossfades Between Audio Clips Soundtrack lets you easily create crossfades between two audio clips in the Timeline Crossfades let you create smooth transitions between one audio clip and the next and avoid clicks or sudden changes in loudness that can result when placing audio files one after another To create a crossfade between audio clips you set the project to crossfade mode then drag an audio clip so that it overlaps another clip A crossfade is created for the length of the overlapped area To set the project to crossfade mode Click the Crossfade Mode button located above the Global Tim
105. ears in the Layouts submenu To switch to a saved project layout Choose Window gt Layouts then choose the layout you want to use from the submenu To delete a saved layout Choose Window gt Manage Layouts In the Manage Layouts dialog select the layout you want to delete Click the minus button to delete the layout then click Done Use the current window layout as a basis to create a new layout GE Editor layout Mixer layout Small screen Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 49 50 Customizing the Toolbar The Toolbar at the top of the Project window contains buttons for frequently used commands You can customize the Toolbar adding buttons for the actions you use most often and can return to the default set later Cafe scene 1 BE amp 8 8 amp amp E New Project New Track Add Time Marker Add Beat Marker Fitin Window Crossfade Inspectors Layouts The default set of Toolbar buttons includes buttons for creating new projects opening project windows and tabs adding markers and other common commands You can customize the Toolbar with additional buttons for other commands You can also hide the Toolbar to maximize available screen space You customize the Toolbar by dragging items from the Customize dialog to the Toolbar To show the Customize dialog do one of the following Choose View gt Customize Toolbar Control click the Toolbar then choose
106. ected envelope point to the value of the preceding one in the envelope Copy from Next Point button Set the value of the selected envelope point to the value of the next one in the envelope Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface Getting Started with Soundtrack This chapter describes what projects you can create in Soundtrack and how to work with windows use layouts play projects and set Soundtrack preferences Overview In Soundtrack you create and work with multitrack projects Multitrack projects let you arrange audio clips in tracks in the Timeline and synchronize them to a video clip You add clips to the Timeline from the Media and Effects Manager or from the Finder and can also record audio directly into tracks Each track has controls you can use to adjust volume and pan mute or solo the track add effects and adjust effect parameters The Timeline also includes busses and outputs with similar controls You can mix a project in the Timeline and automate volume pan and other controls using envelopes in the Timeline You can export a project mix to an audio file which you can import into Final Cut Express or another application You can also export selected tracks busses and outputs or export a project to a QuickTime movie For information about creating saving and working with projects see Chapter 5 Working with Projects on page 77 Note The audio files used in a project are not stored as part of the pr
107. elect the envelope point then drag it to a new position Each envelope has an envelope point at the beginning of the Timeline You can adjust the envelope by moving this envelope point up or down If no envelope points have been added dragging the envelope s handle adjusts the envelope for the entire project If you add more than one envelope point to an envelope you can move envelope points using the corresponding slider When you move the slider the envelope points closest to the playhead the closest before and the closest after move by the same amount as the slider Changing the Values of Envelope Points Numerically You can also change the value of an envelope point numerically To change the value of an envelope point numerically Control click the envelope point then choose Set Value from the shortcut menu Type a new value for the envelope point in the dialog that appears The envelope point moves to the new value You can set the envelope point to the same value as the previous or next envelope point on the envelope from the shortcut menu Changing the Position of Envelope Points Numerically You can change the position of an envelope point in the Timeline numerically To change the position of an envelope point numerically Control click the envelope point then choose Set Position from the shortcut menu In the dialog that appears click the left or right arrow click the center of the value slider and drag left or right or
108. eline view Crossfade Mode button ry Truncate Mode button In crossfade mode when you drag an audio clip so that it partially overlaps another audio clip in a track in the Timeline a crossfade is created for the overlapped part of the two audio files You can adjust the boundaries of the crossfade in the Timeline To create a crossfade In the Timeline drag an audio clip so that it overlaps another audio clip The crossfade appears in the overlapped area of the two clips Crossfade You can adjust crossfades in several ways You can change the edges of the crossfaded clips or move the position of the crossfade without changing its length To adjust crossfade boundaries Move the pointer over the left or right edge of the crossfade The pointer becomes a crossfade pointer Drag the edge of the crossfade to adjust the crossfade boundary Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 105 106 To move the crossfade without changing its length Drag the lower area of the crossfade left or right As with other edits you make in the Timeline creating a crossfade between two audio clips does not change the source audio files Truncating Overlapping Audio Clips You can have Soundtrack truncate the overlapping part of audio clips in the Timeline instead of crossfading them To truncate audio clips you set the project to truncate mode then drag an audio clip so that it overlaps another clip To set the project to truncate mode
109. eo into Soundtrack to finalize the project When your soundtrack is complete you can export it as an AIFF file or export to QuickTime Supported Video File Formats Soundtrack supports standard QuickTime compatible file formats You can import a QuickTime movie mov video file into a Soundtrack project and can import an MPEG 2 m2v if you have installed the QuickTime MPEG 2 Playback Component Video files using NTSC PAL HD and other formats supported by QuickTime can be imported into Soundtrack Imported video files can be up to four hours in length 115 116 Drag a video file to the Video tab to import it into the project The video appears in the Video tab Adding a Video to a Project You can import a video file by dragon the file from the Media and Effects Manager or from the Finder You can import only one video file into a project To import a video file into a project do one of the following Drag the video file from the Media and Effects Manager or the Finder to the Video tab of the Utility window Drag the video file from the Media and Effects Manager or the Finder to the video track in the Timeline A video clip appears on the video track The video s audio appears in a new audio track Chapter 7 Working with Video in Soundtrack The video is displayed in the Video tab in its correct aspect ratio and a video clip appears in the video track the to
110. equire intensive processing by the computer s processor do not perform other processor intensive tasks while working in Soundtrack e External audio interfaces connected to your computer can be susceptible to latency a noticeable delay between the time the audio signal is produced and the time it reaches the computer Some hardware and software manufacturers offer guidelines for reducing the amount of latency for their equipment Be sure to read the documentation that came with your audio interface 195 196 AO uu A WwW N e If you are using a USB audio interface make sure the audio interface is directly connected to your computer Do not connect a USB audio interface through a USB hub or chain it through another USB device e If you experience unwanted noise or hiss check the connections between your computer and any external audio devices Refer to the documentation that came with each device for any additional instructions on dealing with noise Eliminating Recording Latency You can use the Latency Compensation setting in the Preferences Recording pane to eliminate any latency inherent in your recording device You calculate the latency by playing a loop and recording it at the same time as described below Use an appropriate cable to connect the audio output port you are using to the input port for the device from which you plan to record Choose a loop with a large number of transients such as a drum loop Set the tempo to
111. erent controls in the Media and Effects Manager and the Utility window Clicking the tab you want makes it active and brings it to the front You can reorder the tabs in a window to easily access the tabs you use frequently To reorder tabs Drag a tab left or right in the window s tab area AAA Favorites All Favorites You can also detach a tab from its docked position in the Utility window or the Media and Effects Manager which creates a separate draggable resizeable window for the tab For example you can drag the Bin tab to a new location so that you can easily move items from the Browser tab to the Bin tab Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack To detach a tab from the Utility window or the Media and Effects Manager Drag the tab out of its docked position in the window to create a separate window for the tab To reattach a tab Drag the tab back to its original location at the top of its originating window Using Project Layouts Soundtrack lets you save and recall preset window arrangements called ayouts so that you can optimize your workspace for different tasks and different display sizes You can show hide and resize windows then save each window arrangement as a layout To save a project layout Arrange the application windows as you want them to appear Choose Window gt Save Layout In the Save dialog type a name for the layout then click Save The layout is saved and app
112. ers to control the gain the amount of boost or cut You can use roll off filters as broad brush effects to boost or cut a large range of frequencies Graphic EQs Graphic EQs give you a set of filters often with 10 or 31 filters each with a set center frequency and bandwidth Using a graphic EQ you can shape a wide variety of frequencies throughout the frequency range Graphic EQs can be used to shape the sound of the overall project mix Parametric EQs Parametric EQs are similar to bandpass EQs but provide a greater amount of control and can be used for extremely precise adjustments With a parametric EQ you can set the center frequency the gain and the bandwidth Used carefully a parametric EQ can help a track cut through the mix or help a track or project sound fuller Parametric EQs can also be used to remove specific unwanted frequencies from a mix Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects Modulation Effects Modulation effects begin with a delayed signal like time based effects but vary or modulate the delay time typically using an LFO This can be used to double a sound making it seem stronger and fatter to simulate a group of voices or instruments playing together or to add a distinctive character to the sound Modulation effects include chorus phase shifters and flangers Chorus Chorus effects play back multiple repetitions of the delayed signal like reverbs but vary the delay time for each one usi
113. es the active window Hides Soundtrack g option 1 Hides all other windows Shows the Preferences window a Opens the Soundtrack User Manual S shit F a p i j Moves to the previous left tab S shit P er sx Moves to the next right tab Switches the project layout to the Basic layout Project Playback and Setting the Playhead Key command Function Starts playing the project If the project is playing stops project playback Moves the playhead to the beginning of the project or to the beginning of the playback region if it is active Pr Starts playback from the beginning of the project gia ee Moves the playhead to the position of the preceding marker prs Moves the playhead to the position of the next marker Agel pa i playhead to the position of the previous frame in the a a E playhead to the position of the next frame in the AppendixB Soundtrack Keyboard Shortcuts General Editing Key command Function Undoes the last command Redoes the last undone command Cuts the selected item Ripple cuts the selected item cx om _J x i Copies the selected item l stle P Pastes the cut or copied item e s P Deletes the selected item Duplicates the selected item e Selects all items in the window Deselects all items in the window x Turns snap on or off
114. et it As you drag the playhead you hear the audio at the current playhead position Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 51 52 By default clicking anywhere in the Timeline moves the playhead to that position You can change the default behavior so that only clicking in the Time ruler moves the playhead For more information see General Preferences on page 73 Drag the playhead where you want it or click in the Timeline re 00 00 04 96 When you set the playhead it snaps to the nearest Snap To position if snap is turned on For information on setting the Snap To value see Using Snap on page 70 You can also set the playhead using the transport controls or using the Playhead Position value slider Setting the Playhead Using the Time Display When a project is playing the Time display constantly updates to show the current position of the playhead in both Time based and Beats based formats You can also set the playhead to a new position by entering the position in the Time display The arrangement of the Time based and Beats based positions in the Time display changes depending on the time format of the project The position matching the time format of the project appears in large white numerals in the upper part of the Time display and the other position appears below it in smaller gray numerals Each position is labeled for quick visual recognition For information on setting the project time format
115. etails tab active select the envelope point In the Details tab do one of the following e In the Position value slider click the left arrow to move the envelope point back toward the start of the project or click the right arrow to move the envelope point forward toward the end of the project e Click the center of the Position value slider then drag the slider that appears left or right to change the position e Click the text in the Position value slider then type a new value Chapter 9 Working with Automation To change the units shown in the Position value slider Choose the units you want to show from the pop up menu next to the Position value slider To copy the value of the previous envelope point With the Details tab active select the envelope point to which you want to copy the value In the Details tab click Copy From Previous Point To copy the value of the next envelope point With the Details tab active select the envelope point to which you want to copy the value In the Details tab click Copy From Next Point Nudging Envelope Points There are several ways in which you can nudge envelope points using the arrow keys Hold down the Option key and press the Left or Right Arrow key to move the envelope point by one pixel Hold down the Option and Shift keys and press the Left or Right Arrow key to move the envelope point to the previous or next gridline Hold down the Option key and press the Up or
116. eter Deselect the Auto checkbox for the parameter in the Effect Parameters area of the Effects window The range of values for an effect or send parameter envelope is the same as the range for the parameter in the Effects tab For detailed information on adjusting effect parameters see Adjusting Effect Parameters on page 135 Recording Automation Data In addition to working with envelopes you can record automation data in Soundtrack You can record movements you make to faders sliders and other onscreen controls using the pointer When you record movements to onscreen controls the corresponding envelope in the Timeline changes to display the recorded automation data You can edit the envelope to fine tune the automation data after recording Chapter 9 Working with Automation 151 152 BW N Automation Modes Soundtrack provides three modes for using and recording automation The automation modes determine whether automation data is recorded and what happens when you release the control being recorded Read In Read mode existing automation data is active when you play the project but no new automation data is recorded e Touch In Touch mode movements to controls are recorded when you play the project overwriting any existing automation data until you release the control When you release a control in Touch mode the control returns to the value it previously had at the point in the Timeline where you release the con
117. ets the playhead back to the point from which the project started playing This is equivalent to clicking the Play button Return Sets the playhead to the beginning of the project If the playback region is active pressing Return sets the playhead to the beginning of the playback region This is equivalent to clicking the Go to Beginning button Shift Return Sets the playhead to the beginning of the project and starts playback if it is stopped This is equivalent to clicking the Start from Beginning button For a complete list of Soundtrack keyboard shortcuts see Appendix B Soundtrack Keyboard Shortcuts on page 189 Locating and Adding Audio Files You can locate media files to use in a project using the Media and Effects Manager or drag files from the Finder The Media and Effects Manager gives you three ways to locate audio files the Browser Favorites and Search tabs You can also store media files for a project in the Bin for easy access in a project Supported Audio File Formats You can add AIFF WAV MP3 and AAC except protected AAC files to a project You can also add QuickTime mov audio files and STAP Soundtrack Pro Audio Project files You can import audio files with any combination of the following sample rates and bit depths Sample Rates e Any sample rate from 8 kHz to 192 kHz Bit Depths e 8 bit e 16 bit 24 bit 32 bit both integer and floating point Note Files with lower bit depths or sam
118. evel meters Meters Tab The Meters tab displays stereo level meters that you can use to observe the volume of the first output in a project Reset button Go to Peak buttons Peak Value and Location display e Peak indicator Shows the highest level reached as the project plays If the level rises above 0 dB the peak indicator becomes red to indicate clipping Level meters Show the output volume of the overall project as the project plays Peak Value and Location display For each channel displays the highest peak value played and its location Go to Peak buttons Move the playhead to the channel s peak e Reset button Resets the Peak Value and Location display and the peak indicator to their default values Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface Details Tab The Details tab shows information about the currently selected media file clip marker or envelope point and gives you a way to edit clip marker and envelope point details File Details Clip Details Audio File Details When you select an audio file the Details tab displays information about the file including the file icon hints tags for Apple Loops and other tagged audio files sample rate bit depth file size and whether the file is a looping or non looping file Video File Details When you select a video file the Details tab displays information about the file including the dimensions of the video file size length i
119. f the project by adding effects such as EQ reverb delay chorus and distortion and using automation to create dynamic changes When you finish mixing you have one or more final mixes that you can export and distribute Step 5 Export and distribute When your project is complete you export the final mix as a stereo audio file which can be played back on any multimedia equipped computer You can also export individual tracks as audio files Your exported audio files can be imported into Final Cut Express or into another audio application such as Logic burned on a CD or DVD and distributed in a variety of ways You can also export a project containing a video file as a QuickTime movie file Resources for Learning About Soundtrack This manual describes the Soundtrack interface commands and menus and gives step by step instructions for creating Soundtrack projects and for accomplishing specific tasks It also includes information on setting up your system and on audio basics It is designed to provide the information you need to get up to speed quickly so you can take full advantage of the intuitive interface and powerful features of Soundtrack If you want to start by learning how to set up audio hardware to use with Soundtrack read Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System on page 21 If you want to learn about the features and controls in the Soundtrack interface read Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface on page 31 If you want to
120. faction Frequency and Amplitude The rate at which a sound wave repeats the time between two peaks of the wave is called its frequency Frequency is expressed in cycles per second or Hertz Hz We hear a sound s frequency as being relatively high like a flute a child s voice or a train whistle or low like a bass guitar a man s voice or the rumble of a train on the tracks The range of frequencies audible to human beings is roughly 20 Hz 20 kilohertz kHz Frequency Time 14 The depth or intensity of a sound is called its amplitude and is expressed in decibels dB We hear amplitude as the volume or loudness of a sound The range of audible loudness is roughly 0 130 dB Higher decibel levels are painful to human hearing Musical Sounds Musical sounds typically have a regular frequency which we hear as the sound s pitch Pitch is expressed using musical notes such as C Eb and F What we hear as the pitch is only the lowest strongest part of the sound wave called the fundamental Every musical sound also has higher softer parts called overtones or harmonics which occur at regular multiples of the fundamental frequency We don t hear the harmonics as distinct pitches but rather as the tone color also called the timbre of the sound which lets us distinguish one instrument or voice from another even when both are playing the same pitch When you turn up the treble on your stereo or adjust an EQ effect you r
121. ffect has effect parameters you can adjust to control how the effect modifies the audio You can also automate effect parameters to create changes over time You can create effects chains on a track bus output or audio file An effects chain is a series of effects that modify the audio in a set order Using busses in the Timeline you can create submixes and apply the effect to all the tracks in a submix with one set of controls For information about working with effects in Soundtrack projects see Working with Effects on page 134 125 126 Audio Effects Included with Soundtrack Soundtrack includes the following types of audio effects Dynamics Dynamics effects let you shape the volume of your projects over time Bundled dynamics effects include Compressor and Noise Gate Distortion Distortion effects change the tone of the audio signal to recreate the sound of overdriven tube amplifiers or digital distortion Bundled distortion effects include Bitcrusher Clip Distortion Distortion Overdrive and Phase Distortion EQand Filter EQ short for equalization effects let you change the level of selected frequencies EQ provides a powerful way of shaping the sound of your projects Bundled EQ effects include Fat EQ Modulation Modulation effects delay an audio signal and shift modulate when the delayed signal plays back relative to the original signal Bundled modulation effects include Chorus Ensemble Flanger Modulat
122. files will appear in the Media and Effects Manager To add a directory to the Search database 1 Click the Setup button at the top of the Search tab 2 In the Setup dialog click the Add Directory button Click the Add Directory 4 status tate button then select a Use Directories being indexed Size Index Status Macintosh HD Library rageBand Apple Loops _ 2621 indexed directory to add Macintosh HD Users gary projects Dialog clips 8 indexed Click here to index _ the directory 3 In the file dialog navigate to the directory you want to add then click Open The directory appears in the list in the Setup dialog You can resize the dialog if you need to see more items in the list 4 Select the directory in the list then click the Index Now button Note Indexing a large collection of files may take several minutes The bottom of the Add Directory dialog displays the progress of the directory being indexed If you need to interrupt the indexing process click the Stop Indexing button You can re index the directory later You can deselect items you do not wish to re index 5 When Soundtrack is finished indexing the directory click Done to return to the Media and Effects Manager Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack Removing a Directory from the Search Database If you move or change your collection of audio files you can remove a folder from the Search database Re
123. g is subject to several problems in achieving high fidelity reproduction of sound These include noise distortion and loss of quality each time the audio signal is copied or reproduced Digital Recording When a sound is digitally recorded the sound waves are recorded as a series of samples onto a hard disk or other digital storage medium A sample stores the voltages corresponding to the wave s frequencies and their relative amplitudes as a series of binary numbers or bits Each sample is like a snapshot of the sound at a particular instant in time Time Chapter 1 Audio and Music Basics Digital recording technology offers several advantages over analog technology for recording sound including lower noise wider frequency response and less distortion if the sound is recorded at the proper level In addition digital recordings can be reproduced any number of times without any loss of audio quality These advantages combined with the popularity of personal computers have led to the rapid development of digital audio as a leading technology for music production Sample Rate and Bit Depth The audio quality of any digital recording depends on two factors the sample rate and the bit depth used to record the signal The sample rate is the number of samples recorded per second The bit depth is the number of digital bits each sample
124. g the controls audio track in the track s header If you remove the video from the project the audio clip of the video s audio is not deleted but remains in the project You can delete the clip separately if you want to remove it Using the Time Display and Time Ruler with Video When you import a video file into a Soundtrack project the Time display and Time ruler adjust to show the timecode format of the video The Time display and Time ruler can display time in seconds frames drop frames or non drop frames You can choose the format for timecode display and can set the video frame rate for projects not containing a video file You can also set the default frame rate for new projects in the Project Preferences pane To choose the units shown in the Time display and Time ruler Choose View gt Time Ruler Units then choose a time format from the submenu Chapter 7 Working with Video in Soundtrack To choose the video frame rate for projects not containing a video file Choose View gt Time Ruler Units gt Set Video Frame Rate In the dialog that appears choose a frame rate from the Frame Rate pop up menu The Time display adjusts to the video s timecode xme 00 00 10 00 The Time ruler units adjust to the video s format For more information on the Time ruler see Using the Time Ruler on page 92 Using Markers with Video Soundtrack displays Final Cut Express scoring markers included in a video file
125. g with tracks busses and outputs in the Timeline see Working with Tracks Busses and Outputs on page 94 Chapter 5 Working with Projects 87 Working in the Timeline The Timeline is where you arrange audio clips to build your soundtrack You can also adjust volume and panning add effects and edit envelopes to control automation The Timeline displays a visual representation of a project showing the point in time when audio clips start playing and their duration You control when and how long clips play by moving and resizing them in the Timeline The Timeline is arranged in three sets of horizontal rows tracks busses and outputs You add audio clips to tracks create submixes using busses and send audio to physical output devices using outputs For information about working with tracks busses and outputs see Tracks Busses and Outputs on page 86 The Timeline also displays vertical gridlines that make it easy to position clips precisely in time The gridlines correspond to the divisions of time in the Time ruler The units of time the gridlines display change depending on the time format and the current zoom level Moving Around in the Timeline Soundtrack provides several controls that let you change the view of the Timeline and move to different parts of your project You can zoom in or out for a closer or wider view of the Timeline control how many tracks are displayed in the Timeline and change which par
126. gital audio applications including Soundtrack as any time the signal rises above 0 dB Even a single sample above 0 dB can produce noticeable distortion which you hear as a sharp crackling sound in the audio output Digital distortion is nearly always undesirable and Soundtrack includes audio meters and other controls so that you can identify and remove distortion from your projects Time Basic Music Concepts You can create professional sounding music projects in Soundtrack without any background or training in music In order to understand how the different elements in a piece of music work together and how you can use them to plan and create projects in Soundtrack it s helpful to know some basic concepts about music Rhythm and Tempo Rhythm is the most essential of all elements of music People respond to rhythm unconsciously by tapping their feet or moving their bodies in time to the rhythm When the rhythm in a piece of music changes most people feel a difference in the character or mood of the music right away Rhythm defines the sense of time in music by creating a recurring pulse The feeling of rhythmic pulse in music can be subtle for example in classical music and some electronic music or it can dominate all other elements of the music as in tribal drumming or in dance music There are usually several layers of rhythm occurring
127. hapter 5 Working with Projects Tracks busses and outputs in the Timeline Outputs Outputs let you route the audio from tracks and busses to physical outputs If you are using external audio hardware that supports multiple physical outputs you can add outputs to a project and choose the physical output to which each output in the project sends its audio You can also send audio from multiple tracks or busses to a single output control volume and pan for all the tracks using the output s controls and add effects to the output For example you could have a bus with the dialogue tracks for each actor and route all the dialogue busses to a single output You could route all sound effects tracks to another output and adjust the volume or add effects to each output For a final stereo mix you could route both outputs to the same pair of physical output channels channels 1 and 2 for example Each output has a drag handle a name an icon and a set of controls that appear in the output s header in the Timeline Output controls include a volume slider a pop up menu where you can choose the physical output channels for the output and buttons to mute or solo the output and add effects Outputs do not have pan controls or Record Enable buttons gt Looping Music Bed 09 Oan STS ST fH _5 04 oar P msr can ae aTe V Outputs Rica ofc se H For information about workin
128. he Time ruler outside of the current playback region to set the playback region to a new position If cycling is turned off you must turn it on for the playback region to be active The Cycle button darkens to indicate that the playback region is activated To activate the playback region Click the Cycle button in the transport controls To move the playback region Click in the bottom half of the playback region and drag it to a new position in the Timeline To resize the playback region Select either the start point or end point handle in the Time ruler and drag to resize the playback region To remove the playback region Click in any part of the Time ruler outside of the current playback region Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 93 94 Working with Tracks Busses and Outputs The Timeline is arranged into three groups of horizontal rows tracks busses and outputs You add audio to tracks in your project use busses to create and control submixes and send audio to physical output channels using outputs Tracks busses and outputs are described in greater detail in Tracks Busses and Outputs on page 86 The tracks in a project appear in the upper part of the Timeline Busses appear below tracks and outputs appear below busses A separator between each group helps visually distinguish them and disclosure triangles on each separator let you show or hide the groups Adding Tracks Busses and Outputs To add a track
129. he file For non looping files this field shows the duration length of the file in seconds Key The original key of the file Sample Rate The sample rate at which the file was recorded Bit Depth The bit depth at which the file was recorded Channels The number of audio channels the file contains Size The file size in kilobytes Genre The musical category to which the file belongs Length The duration of the file in seconds Looping file Indicates whether the file is a looping file Yes or a non looping file No Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack Note The information that is displayed depends on whether or not the file is tagged Untagged files may not display information for all categories For more information on file tags see Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility on page 173 You can also view and edit audio clip properties in the Details tab For information about viewing and editing clip properties see Viewing and Editing Clip Properties on page 85 Using Undo and Redo As you edit clips and perform other operations in projects you might need to use the Undo and Redo commands For example if you don t like the last change you ve made to a project it can usually be undone Then if you decide you prefer to keep the change you just undid you can redo the command immediately after using Undo You can also use the Undo and Redo commands as a quick way of trying out changes to your project You can
130. he left To nudge an audio clip by one pixel Hold down the Option key while you press the Left or Right Arrow key To nudge an audio clip to the next gridline Hold down the Option and Shift keys while you press the Left or Right Arrow key When you nudge a clip by one pixel the amount the clip moves in time depends on the current zoom setting Snapping Clips to Clips on Adjacent Tracks If snap is turned on you can snap a clip to the edges of a clip in an adjacent track the track either directly above or directly below the track containing the clip This is especially useful when the start and end points of clips do not fall on the current Snap To value To snap a clip to adjacent clips Choose View gt Snap To gt Adjacent Tracks Resizing Audio Clips You control the duration of an audio clip the amount of time the clip plays back by resizing the clip When you add a clip to the Timeline the clip has the same duration as the source audio file You can shorten clips to play back only a part of the source file When you lengthen a clip with looping playback mode it repeats the source file multiple times To resize an audio clip Place the pointer at either the left or right edge of the audio clip The pointer changes to a Clip Resize pointer Click the edge of the clip and drag left or right to resize it When you lengthen a clip with looping playback mode the notches at the top and bottom of the clip indicate the end of
131. he original signal and the delayed signal Delays often provide parameters for feedback also called regeneration which let you set how much of the delayed signal is fed back into the delay s input creating more repetitions of the delay like the number of bounces in an echo Specific types of delay have other parameters Tap tempo delays let you set the delay time by physically tapping a key or controller stereo delays include parameters for the pan position of the output signal which can be shifted over time using a low frequency oscillator called an LFO Reverb Reverberation usually shortened to reverb simulates the sound of acoustic environments such as rooms concert halls caverns or the sound of infinite space In any acoustic space sounds echo off the surfaces of the space the floor walls and ceiling over and over gradually dying out until they become inaudible Reverb effects consist of thousands of delays of varying lengths and intensities that simulate these natural echoes Reverb helps define the sense of space in which sounds take place and can be used to simulate both realistic and fantastic acoustic environments The first form of reverb actually used a room with hard surfaces called an echo chamber to add echoes to the signal Mechanical devices including plates and springs were also used to add reverberation to the output of instruments and microphones Digital sound recording has made it possible to use
132. he project time signature Choose a time signature from the Time Signature pop up menu If you want to use a time signature not included in the list choose Other enter the time signature in the dialog that appears then click OK Jefas r Time Signature pop up menu Note The project time signature affects the format of the Playhead Position value slider For projects using Beats based time format it also affects the appearance of the Time ruler and the gridlines in the Timeline It does not affect the rhythm of audio clips If your project uses audio clips with music in a definite time signature make sure that the project time signature matches the time signature of the clips used in the project Chapter 5 Working with Projects Key The project key sets the root note or tonic for the project When you add looping files to a project their key is matched to the project key You can set the project key to any note of the chromatic scale from A through G or to None The default key is A Note The key does not determine the scale used major minor or another scale only the tonic or root note of the project To set the project key Choose a key from the Key pop up menu z le 4 Key pop up menu Overlap Mode The project overlap mode determines what happens when you move an audio clip so that it partially or completely overlaps another clip on the Timeline There are two overlap modes crossfade mode and tru
133. ick in the center area of the value slider where the numbers are then drag left to move the playhead left earlier in time or drag right to move it right later in time For projects set to Time based time format the Decrement and Increment arrows move the playhead in seconds For projects using Beats based time format the arrows move the playhead in beats Scrubbing a Project You can scrub a project in the Timeline Scrubbing the project lets you hear the audio at the playhead position as you drag the playhead so you can find a particular sound or event in the audio file To scrub a project Inthe Timeline drag the playhead left or right at the speed you want to scrub the audio file Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 55 Controlling Playback with the Transport Controls You use the transport controls to control playback of your project The transport controls let you set the playhead to various points in time start and stop playback activate the playback region and start a recording session to record your own audio Play from Beginning Play Cycle Record Go to Go to End MIDI Sync Beginning e Record Starts recording at the playhead position on the track you have enabled for recording If no track is enabled a new track is created when recording starts e Play from Beginning Starts playback from the beginning of the project Playback begins immediately whether the project is playing or is stopped whe
134. ility see Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility on page 173 Using the Browser to Locate Files The Browser tab shows the hard disks and other storage media connected to your computer and lets you browse through the file hierarchy to find audio files located on disk To locate audio files using the Browser Double click a volume or folder in the Browser to view its contents ese Browser Browser Search Favorites ein emeas Name G Dialog clips Loops G Movie clips E Sound effets gt s 5 items A You can move back through the previous locations in the Browser using the Forward and Back buttons or through the levels of the file hierarchy using the Path pop up menu Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack Double click an item to open it Using Favorites to Locate Files Favorites let you store frequently used file locations so that you can access them directly You can add and remove Favorites from the Media pop up menu at the lower right corner of the Media and Effects Manager To locate audio files in Favorites Double click the disk or folder you want to open AOA Favorites Favorites Bi a e AI Favorites Name Current Projects Dialog clips amp Loops G Movie clips Sound effects stems A e You can move back through the previous locations in the Favorites tab using the Forward and Back buttons
135. in sounding audio Bass 50 250 Hz Corresponds roughly to the bass tone control on a stereo Includes the fundamental frequencies of voices and of musical instruments Excessive boosting in this range can sound boomy and thick Low Bass 50 Hz and below Also called sub bass Very little of the sound of voices or musical instruments falls in this range Many sound effects used in movies such as explosions and earthquakes fall in this range Note The frequencies shown for each range are approximate Any division of sound into frequency ranges is somewhat arbitrary and is meant only to give a general indication of each range Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects 129 130 Roll Off Filters The simplest types of EQ effects are roll off filters which include lowpass highpass bandpass and shelf filters Lowpass filters affect all frequencies above a specific frequency called the cutoff frequency Frequencies above the cutoff are attenuated or rolled off gradually usually by a fixed number of decibels per octave Highpass filters by contrast affect all frequencies below their cutoff frequency Bandpass filters exclude all frequencies close to their center frequency You can set the center frequency and also set the bandwidth or Q which specifies how wide a range of frequencies around the center frequency are affected These EQs include parameters for setting the cutoff frequency Shelf filters add paramet
136. in the selected track Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline wu A U N To paste multiple copies of a clip Cut or copy the clip Set the playhead to the point you want to paste the first copy of the clip If you want to paste the copies in a different track select the track Choose Edit gt Paste Repeat or press Option Command V In the Paste Repeat dialog enter the number of times you want to paste the clip Type the number of times you want to paste the clip in the Paste Repeat dialog The copies are pasted in the selected track starting at the current playhead position If no track is selected the copies are pasted in the first top track The copies are pasted in the selected track starting at the current playhead position Moving Audio Clips You can move an audio clip in the Timeline by dragging the clip to a new position You can also move the clip to a different track To move an audio clip to a new time position Drag the clip left or right to a new position in the Timeline Drag a clip up or down to move it to a different track Drag a clip left or right to move it to a new position To move an audio clip to a new track Drag the clip up or down to a different track You can also move an audio clip using the Left and Right Arrow keys with various modifier keys Moving a clip by a small increment of time is called nudging Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 103 104 Drag the clip to t
137. in the selection bar of the bottom track you want to include in the Timeslice at the opposite end of the area you want to select or Command click in nonadjacent tracks to add those tracks to the Timeslice Shift click in the selection bar of the bottom track you want to include in the Timeslice You can select a master Timeslice that includes the audio content and the envelopes of all tracks including the video s audio track 154 Chapter 9 Working with Automation To select a master Timeslice Drag in the selection bar of the video track located above the Time ruler e 00 00 17 00 Drag in the selection bar of the video track to create a master Timeslice BEAT Cutting Copying and Pasting Timeslices You can cut or copy a Timeslice and paste it at a different position in the Timeline To cut a Timeslice Select the Timeslice then choose Edit gt Cut or press Command x To copy a Timestlice Select the Timeslice then choose Edit gt Copy or press Command C To paste a Timeslice Set the playhead at the position where you want to paste the Timeslice then choose Edit gt Paste or press Command V If the Timeslice is from a single track it is pasted in the same track at the current playhead position If the Timeslice includes multiple tracks the topmost track of the Timeslice is pasted in the currently selected track and the remaining tracks are pasted in the tracks below the selected track If not
138. indow to make the tab active Select the video file in the Media and Effects Manager Click the Play button in the preview controls at the bottom of the Media and Effects Manager To stop playback click the Play button again For more information on working with video files see Chapter 7 Working with Video in Soundtrack on page 115 Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack Play button Using the Preview Controls The Preview area at the bottom of the Media and Effects Manager contains controls you can use when previewing audio files Media pop up menu Volume slider Play button Starts playback of the preview file If the file is playing stops playback Mute button Mutes playback of the preview file without stopping project playback Clicking the button again unmutes the preview file Volume slider Sets the playback volume of the preview file Media pop up menu Choose whether to add the file to Favorites open it in Apple Loops Utility or reveal it in the Finder To preview an audio file with a project Click the Play button in the transport controls to play the project When the project reaches the point in time where you want to hear the preview file select the file in the Media and Effects Manager To preview a file without the project solo If the project is playing click the Stop button in the transport controls to stop playback of the project Select the file in the Media and Effects Manager to p
139. ings When you click a track s Record Enable button the Recording tab appears displaying the track s current recording settings aan Recording Peak indicator EE input _ x Input pop up menu Device Built in Audio B Gain Q 000 Gain slider and field e Stereo checkbox Monitor Device Built in Audio 4 Monitor pop up menu Level meters Se Mute Project checkbox Disk Space 178 9GB Free S P i Disk space indicator A e Peak indicator Shows the highest level reached by the recording input signal If the level rises above 0 dB the peak indicator becomes red to indicate clipping e Level meters Show the input volume for the selected track during recording Input pop up menu Choose the input device and input channel or channels for recording Gain slider and field Drag the slider or type a number in the field to set the input gain for recording e Stereo checkbox Select to record to a stereo file or deselect to record to a mono file Monitor pop up menu Choose the output device and output channel or channels for monitoring during recording e Mute Project checkbox Select to mute the project during recording so you hear only the sound being recorded e Disk space indicator Shows the available disk space on the recording sessions location set in Recording Preferences Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface 43 44 Peak indicator L
140. ion Delay Phaser and Tremolo Reverb and Delay Reverb effects can be used to simulate the sound of acoustic spaces both realistic and unnatural Delay effects can be used to add echoes and other recurring sounds Bundled reverb and delay effects include PlatinumVerb Stereo Delay Soundtrack Pro Reverb and Tape Delay Miscellaneous Miscellaneous effects fall outside the other categories providing additional ways to modify your audio Bundled miscellaneous effects include Autofilter Soundtrack Pro Autofilter and SubBass There are additional Mac OS effects in each category available in the Effects pane that you can use with Soundtrack The following descriptions apply to Soundtrack Mac OS and third party effects Dynamics Effects Dynamics effects let you adjust the dynamic range the range between the softest and loudest sounds of your projects You can use dynamics effects to make sounds more focused and to optimize the sound for specific playback situations Dynamics effects include compressors limiters and noise gates Compressors Compressors work like an automatic volume control lowering the volume whenever it rises above a certain level called the threshold But why would you want to reduce the dynamic level By cutting the peak levels the compressor lets you raise the overall volume of the signal This gives the sound more focus by making the foreground parts stand out while preventing the background parts from becoming
141. istributing Soundtrack Projects Making the First Roundtrip When you export a sequence as a QuickTime movie from Final Cut Express select the sequence in the Browser then choose File gt Export gt For Soundtrack If your Final Cut Express project includes scoring markers be sure Audio Scoring Markers is selected in the Markers pop up menu of the Export dialog You import the sequence into Soundtrack where you can view it in the Video pane of the Viewer and see the video clip in the Timeline If the sequence contains audio a new audio track containing the video s audio appears below the video track You create your score in Soundtrack and then export it by choosing File gt Export Mix In most cases you ll want to mute the video s audio track before exporting otherwise the video s audio will be included in the exported file You import the AIFF file exported from Soundtrack to your Final Cut Express project as an audio track using the File gt Import Files command You can hear the music as you continue editing your video project Making Subsequent Roundtrips When you export an updated version of your sequence for use with Soundtrack by choosing File gt Export gt For Soundtrack Final Cut Express recognizes any audio tracks imported from Soundtrack and displays a dialog letting you select which Soundtrack audio files to export as part of the video In most cases you ll leave these unselected so the audio from Soundtrack is not
142. it to zoom in and out You can also fit the entire project in the visible area of the Timeline To zoom in do one of the following Move the Zoom slider to the left Click the left side of the Zoom control Choose View gt Zoom In Press the Up Arrow key Press Command plus If the mouse connected to your computer has a scroll wheel move the scroll wheel up Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline To zoom out do one of the following Move the Zoom slider to the right Click the right side of the Zoom control Choose View gt Zoom Out Press the Down Arrow key Press Command minus If your mouse has a scroll wheel move the scroll wheel down By default when you use the scroll wheel the playhead remains in the same position and the Timeline zooms in or out on both sides of the playhead You can change the default scrollwheel behavior in the General Preferences pane so that using the scrollwheel scrolls the document rather than zooming it To fit the project in the visible area of the Timeline Choose View gt Fit in Window or press Shift Z Setting Track Height You set the height of tracks busses and outputs in the Timeline using the Track Height control The Track Height control has four settings The smallest rectangle sets the track height to a minimized setting with each track and track header reduced to half height allowing more tracks to be displayed in the Timeline To set the height of tracks bus
143. king a keyword displays the files matching that keyword in the Search Results area You can refine your search results by narrowing the criteria using the subcategories in the Matches column To search for files in Column view Choose the type of keywords to display in the Keywords list from the Keywords pop up menu You can use the Time Signature and Scale Type pop up menus to restrict matches by those categories Select a keyword in the Keywords list to display matching files in the Search Results area 00 instruments 3 Setup Keywords Cello Chime Clave Clavinet Cowbell E a4 3 An Fies 3 Any A o Name Tempo Key Beats Hints 2 Congaan eaiff 90 None 8 wna 2 Conga to 2aiff 101 None 8 wna 2 Conga Lo 3 aiff 120 None 8 rma 2 Conga to 4aiff 120 None 8 rma 7 Conga Lo Saiff 120 None 8 Ema a 1 22items 4 The hints tempo key and number of beats for each matching file are also displayed You can also perform text searches which can be especially helpful for non tagged files When you type text in the Search Text field any files with the text in their file path or filename appear in the Search Results list The number of files appears in the Matches column under No Category To search using the Search Text field Enter text in the Search Text field As you type files matching the characters you type appe
144. lay and Mute buttons and a volume slider For information about using the Preview controls see Using the Preview Controls on page 67 e Media pop up menu Choose menu items to add a Favorite add a file to the Bin and perform other functions Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface 37 38 Favorites Tab You can store frequently used items in Favorites so that you can easily access them directly You can also preview files in Favorites and drag them to the Timeline 00o Favorites D S a Al Favorites Name amp Current Projects B Dialog dips Loops GB Music Sound Effects Favorites list M Preview controls 4 gt 9 5 items Media pop up menu A Back and Forward buttons Move through previously viewed levels of the folder hierarchy e Path pop up menu Displays the levels of the file path to the current location letting you move back to a previous level e Favorites list Displays the files and folders at the current location e Preview controls Include Play and Mute buttons and a volume slider For information about using the Preview controls see Using the Preview Controls on page 67 Media pop up menu Choose menu items to remove a Favorite add a file to the Bin and perform other functions Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface Button and Column View buttons Keywords list Time Signature pop up menu Search Text field Search Results list
145. lected clip loma P AppendixB Soundtrack Keyboard Shortcuts Solutions to Common Problems and Customer Support Appendix If you run into problems while working with Soundtrack there are several resources you can use to find a solution This appendix This appendix includes information about some of the most frequent issues users encounter Late Breaking News A late breaking news page in the Soundtrack Help menu provides last minute information that didn t make it into the manual Be sure to consult this help page as soon as you install or upgrade Soundtrack AppleCare Knowledge Base AppleCare Support maintains a database of common support issues that is updated and expanded to include new issues as they arise This is an excellent free resource for Soundtrack users To access the AppleCare Knowledge Base go to the AppleCare support page at http www apple com support AppleCare Support There are a variety of support options available to Soundtrack customers For more information see the Apple Professional Software Service amp Support Guide that comes with your Soundtrack documentation Solutions to Common Problems Audio Files and Audio Interfaces Several factors can affect performance when working with digital audio files Observing the following guidelines will help you maintain the highest possible performance when working with Soundtrack projects e Because digital audio files r
146. led text and give the new preset a name To delete a user created preset Select the preset in the Presets drawer Click the Delete Preset button You can t delete factory presets only user created ones To hide the Presets drawer Click the Hide Presets button in the advanced settings window Effect presets are stored in Library Audio Presets Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects Working with Automation Using automation you can create changes over time to volume pan effects and other controls Automation offers a powerful way to add drama and interest to your projects You can automate volume and pan changes to tracks busses and outputs and automate changes to effect and effect send parameters Soundtrack gives you two ways to work with automation e You can add and adjust envelope points on envelopes in the Timeline e You can record changes to sliders faders and other controls in the Timeline and the Effects tab Working with Envelopes In the Timeline each track bus and output has a set of envelopes The envelopes appear as horizontal lines stretching across the length of the project directly below the track bus or output You adjust an envelope by adding envelope points and moving the envelope points to new values at different points in the Timeline The Timeline also includes master envelopes for tempo and transposition When you show the master envelopes they appear below the last output in the
147. llowing Select the clip choose Clip gt Recording Take then choose the take number from the submenu Control click the clip choose Take from the shortcut menu then choose the take number from the submenu You can split a recorded clip and choose the take for each segment of the split clip to create a composite take You can also copy a clip onto several tracks split the copies and choose the take for each split copy of the clip 162 Chapter 10 Recording Audio in Soundtrack Saving Recorded Clips You can save your recordings in the Timeline When you save a clip you can name the clip choose where to save it and save it as either a looping or non looping file To save a recorded clip Do one of the following e Select the clip in the Timeline then choose Clip gt Save Clip As e Control click the clip in the Timeline then choose Save Clip As from the shortcut menu In the Save As dialog type a name for the clip and browse to the location where you want to save it Select the Looping button to save the clip as a looping file or click the Non looping button to save the clip as a non looping file Click Save You can use Apple Loops Utility a companion application included with Soundtrack to add tags to your saved recordings to make them easier to find using the Search tab in Soundtrack Chapter 10 Recording Audio in Soundtrack 163 Distributing Soundtrack Projects 1 1 Once you have created a final mi
148. locked envelope points and the segment of the tempo envelope between them appear red The tempo change created when you score a marker to the playhead is always instantaneous that is the tempo changes from the previous tempo immediately without ramping The distance between the two envelope points determines whether the resulting tempo change can be heard easily If the resulting change in tempo sounds too abrupt you can edit the tempo envelope to make the tempo change less noticeable To score a marker to the playhead Select the marker s handle at the top of the Timeline above the Time ruler Click the marker handle at the top of the Timeline me 00 00 16 00 Chapter 7 Working with Video in Soundtrack 123 2 Choose Mark gt Score Marker to Playhead The marker is scored to the playhead sme 00 00 10 00 You can also adjust the tempo relative to a marker s position by Option dragging the marker in the Timeline As you drag the red segment of the tempo envelope moves vertically as the tempo changes By Option dragging a marker you can synchronize the marker s position with the Beats based units Note If you score a marker to the playhead and the tempo change resulting from the scoring operation sounds too noticeable or extreme you can undo the scoring operation After undoing the scoring operation add an envelope point to the tempo envelope at a point after any audio clips you do not want to be
149. meters area to add it Ge 4 Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects Click the disclosure triangle to display the effect s parameters Adjusting Effect Parameters Once you ve added an effect you can adjust the effect parameters to change the way the effect alters the sound of the track bus or output Each type of effect has its own parameters as discussed earlier Effect parameters are displayed in the Effect Parameters area of the Effects tab as a set of sliders checkboxes and pop up menus To adjust effect parameters Click the disclosure triangle next to the effect in the Effect Parameters area to display its parameters Adjust the effect parameter by dragging the slider selecting the checkbox or choosing an item from the pop up menu You can also adjust the parameter by entering a valid value in the field to the right of the parameter s control Show Genea saraa 2 FJ Name Parameter Auto Adjust a parameter by dragging its slider Ratio 1 Attack ms O 10 0000 Rates fms O gt 38 000 Gain d8 You can also adjust the parameter by entering a value in the field Chaining and Reordering Effects You can add more than one effect to a track bus or output Adding multiple effects to an effects chain is called chaining effects When you add multiple effects the effects are applied in sequence meaning that the output of the first effect becomes the inp
150. moving unneeded folders from the database can shorten search times and eliminate extraneous results To remove a folder from the Search database 1 Click the Setup button at the top of the Search tab 2 In the Setup dialog select the directory you want to remove then click the Remove Directory button Click the Remove n Use Directories being indexed 1 Size Index Status Directory button to i Macintosh HD Library rageBand Apple Loops 2621 indexed i D gary Di remove the selected eed RACE NA RAR sues directory 3 Click Done to return to the Media and Effects Manager Once you have added the folders containing your audio files to the Search database and indexed them you can use Search to find the files In both Column view and Button view the audio files that match the search criteria appear in the Search Results area in alphabetical order You can preview files in the File list and drag them to the Timeline You can also add a folder to your Favorites from the Search tab Storing Files in the Bin The Bin shows all of the clips added to the project You can add audio files to the Bin for easy access to files you may want to add to the current project Audio files appear in the Bin in alphabetical order To add a file to the Bin do one of the following Drag the file from the Finder to the Bin Drag the file from the Browser Favorites or Search tab to the Bin Files added to the Bin but no
151. musical sounds can be categorized into one of three basic frequency ranges bass midrange or high also called treble These can be further divided to include low bass low and high midrange and low and high highs The following table describes some of the sounds affected by each range Name High High Frequency range 8 20 kHz Description Includes cymbal sounds and highest harmonics of instruments Boosting frequencies in this range slightly can add sparkle and presence High 5 8 kHz This range corresponds roughly to the treble tone control on a stereo Boosting frequencies in this range can add brightness and shine Low High 2 5 5 kHz Includes the higher harmonics of voices and musical instruments This range is important for adding presence Excessive boosting in this range can sound shrill or harsh High Midrange 1 2 2 5 kHz Includes the consonants of voices and the high harmonics of musical instruments especially brass instruments Excessive boosting in this range can create a pinched nasal sound Midrange 750 Hz 1 2 kHz Includes the vowels of voices and the harmonics of musical instruments that create tone color Low Midrange 250 750 Hz Includes the fundamentals and lower harmonics of voices and musical instruments careful EQing of each can keep them from competing Excessive boosting in this range can result in muddy and unclear audio excessive cutting can produce th
152. n Starts and stops the recording process e Play from Beginning button Starts playback from the beginning of the project Go to Beginning button Moves the playhead to the beginning of the project or to the beginning of the playback region if it is active Play Pause button Starts playback at the current playhead position If the project is playing stops playback Go to End button Moves the playhead to the end of the project or to the end of the playback region if it is active e Cycle button Activates the playback region if one is set in the Time ruler e MIDI Sync button Synchronizes playback with incoming MIDI Clock and MIDI Timecode MTC signals For information on using the transport controls see Controlling Playback with the Transport Controls on page 56 Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface 33 Timeline The Timeline gives you a visual representation of a project showing the position of clips the playhead and other items in time The Timeline is organized into three groups of horizontal rows called tracks busses and outputs You can add and arrange audio clips in tracks use busses to create submixes and send audio to physical output channels using outputs You can control the sound of each track bus and output using the controls in its header Automation Mode Project pop up menu controls Global Timeline view Timeline editing tools Level meters Time display Time ruler
153. n also add envelopes for effect parameters which appear below the other envelopes For information on adding envelopes for effect parameters see Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects on page 125 To show the envelopes for a track bus or output Click the envelopes disclosure triangle in the header for a track bus or output Click the disclosure triangle again to hide the envelopes The envelopes appear below the track in the Timeline E Piccoe Note If you automate controls or effects using envelopes you hear the results whether or not the envelopes are visible For information on automating changes to volume pan and other settings see Chapter 9 Working with Automation on page 143 Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline Removing Tracks Busses and Outputs You can remove a track bus or output if you decide you no longer want it in a project To remove a track bus or output do one of the following Select the track bus or output then choose Multitrack gt Remove item or press Command Shift T Control click in the track bus or output then choose Remove item from the shortcut menu The item changes depending on whether a track bus or output is selected Editing Audio Clips You can edit audio clips in a variety of ways in the Timeline You can select cut copy and paste clips move resize transpose split and join them and edit them in other ways Selecting Audio
154. n seconds frame rate and other information You can preview the video file in the Details window by clicking the Play button in the Media and Effects Manager preview controls Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface 46 Clip Details Clip display Displays the waveform of the selected clip Playback buttons Set the clip playback mode to looping or non looping Measure in pop up menu Sets the units shown in the Position Duration and Offset value sliders Position value slider Set the position start point of the selected clip Duration value slider Set the duration length of the selected clip Offset value slider Set the offset of the selected clip Transpose pop up menu Choose the number of semitones to transpose a looping clip from the pop up menu Clip Speed pop up menu Choose the clip playback speed for a looping clip from the pop up menu Marker Details e Type buttons Select whether the marker is a Beat marker or a Time marker Name field Type a name for the marker Position value slider Set the time position of the selected marker Measure in pop up menu Choose the units for setting the marker position Envelope Point Details Position value slider Set the time position of the selected envelope point Value value slider Set the value of the selected envelope point Measure in pop up menu Set the units shown in the Position value slider Copy from Previous Point button Set the value of the sel
155. n you click the button Go to Beginning Sets the playhead to the beginning of the project If the playback region is active and the playhead is after the beginning of the playback region in time the playhead is set to the beginning of the playback region e Play Starts playing back the project from the current playhead position Clicking the Play button again stops playback at the current playhead position Go to End Sets the playhead to the end of the project If the playback region is active and the playhead is before the end of the playback region in time the playhead is set to the end of the playback region e Cycle If a playback region is set clicking the Cycle button toggles whether the playback region is active or inactive If no playback region is set clicking the Cycle button sets the project to repeat from the beginning when the playhead reaches the end of the project For information on setting the playback region see Working with the Playback Region on page 93 e MIDI Sync Synchronizes playback with incoming MIDI Clock and MIDI Timecode MTC signals Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack Controlling Playback Using Keyboard Shortcuts There are a number of keyboard shortcuts you can use to control playback of your project To use keyboard shortcuts the pointer cannot be in a text field Space bar Plays back the project from the current playhead position If the project is playing pressing the Space bar s
156. ncate mode In crossfade mode when you drag an audio clip so that it partially overlaps another audio clip in a track in the Timeline a crossfade is created for the overlapped part of the two audio files You can adjust the boundaries of the crossfade in the Timeline In truncate mode when you drag an audio clip so that it partially overlaps another audio clip in a track in the Timeline the overlapped part of the clip is truncated To set the project overlap mode Click the Crossfade Mode button to set the project to crossfade mode or click the Truncate Mode button to set the project to truncate mode Crossfade Mode button o A x Truncate Mode gt button Chapter 5 Working with Projects 82 Setting the Project Length By default the length of a project depends on the media in the project The project length is set to the end of the last clip in the project If the project uses a time based effect and the effect extends past the end of the last clip the project length extends to include the effect s tail Adding a clip to the end of the project or adding an effect that produces a tail extends the project length to include the new clip or the effect s tail You can optionally set the project to a definite length To set the project length In the Timeline place the playhead at the point where you want the project to end then choose Mark gt Set End of Project End of project marker You can
157. nces let you specify settings for recording audio General Project Recording Synchronization Input Defauie__ Monitor Rone Latency Compensation 0 00 milliseconds Sessions Location Users renee Documents Recording Sessions e Input pop up menu Displays the available devices for audio input Choose an input device from the pop up menu e Monitor pop up menu Displays the available devices for monitoring audio output Choose an output device from the pop up menu Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 75 76 e Latency Compensation slider Sets the amount of latency compensation in milliseconds If recorded audio is late drag the slider right If the recorded audio is early drag the slider left For information on eliminating latency see Eliminating Recording Latency on page 196 e Sessions Location display Displays the default location to which recording sessions are saved You can set the save location by clicking the Choose button and navigating to a new location Synchronization Preferences These preferences let you specify synchronization settings Input e Sync To MIDI Clock checkbox Sets Soundtrack to receive MIDI Clock signals from a MIDI application or external device e Sync To MIDI Time Code checkbox Sets Soundtrack to receive MIDI Time Code MTC signals from a MIDI application or external device Output ne Clock pop up menu Choose the device to send MIDI Clock to or ch
158. ndle to select the marker then choose Edit gt Delete or press Delete You can t delete Final Cut Express scoring markers in Soundtrack Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 113 Working with Video in Soundtrack You can import a video into a project view the video as you work on your project edit the video s audio and use markers to synchronize audio and video When you import a video the video appears in the Video tab of the Utility window and a video clip appears in the video track in the Timeline The video s audio appears as a clip in an audio track in the Timeline and can be moved and edited like other audio clips You can mute solo and adjust the volume and pan of the video s audio add effects and automate changes When you import a video from Final Cut Express you can set the Time ruler units to match the timecode format of the video Any Final Cut Express scoring markers contained in the video appear as markers in the Timeline You can also add markers in Soundtrack and export them to Final Cut Express with the video file You can score markers to the playhead using them to synchronize your soundtrack to the action in the video You can work with video in Soundtrack in several ways You can add audio clips for dialogue and voiceover music ambience and sound effects to the Timeline You can make roundtrips between Final Cut Express and Soundtrack as you work on both the video and the soundtrack or bring the final vid
159. ndtrack 61 62 To search for files in Button view Choose the type of keywords to display on the keyword buttons from the Keywords pop up menu You can optionally use the File Type Time Signature and Scale Type pop up menus to restrict matches by those categories Click a keyword button to display matching files in the Search Results area Click a button to display the matching files in the Search Results area Ensemble Distorted Electric Intense we sis 3 A fies Any g a o You can also perform text searches which can be especially helpful for non tagged files When you type text in the Search Text field any files with the text in their file path or filename appear in the Search Results list To search by file path or filename Enter text in the Search Text field As you type files matching the characters you type appear in the Search Results field Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack Refining a Search in Button View There are several ways you can refine your searches in Button view You can select multiple keyword buttons to narrow your search results to files matching all the selected keywords and you can enter text in the Search Text field to narrow your search to files that include the text in their file path To refine your search using multiple keywords Command click multiple keyword buttons o eNs Search
160. ng an LFO As the name implies this effect can strengthen the sound and create the impression that the sound is being played by many instruments or voices in unison The slight variations in delay time created by the LFO simulate the subtle differences in timing and pitch heard when several people play together Using chorus also adds fullness or richness to the signal and can add movement to low or sustained sounds Phase Shifters Phase shifters produce a characteristic whooshing sound by combining the original signal with a copy of the signal that is slightly out of phase with the original This means that the amplitudes of the two signals sound waves reach their highest and lowest points at slightly different times The time between the two signals is modulated typically using an LFO As the two signals go in and out of phase certain frequencies called notch frequencies are created which give phase shifters their distinctive sound The main difference between chorus and phase shifting is the amount of delay time Chorus effects typically use delay times between 20 and 30 milliseconds ms while phase shifters and flangers discussed next typically use shorter delay times between 1 and 10 ms Flangers Flangers work in much the same way as do phase shifters but additionally change the pitch of the delayed signal slightly Flanging is typically used to create a more extreme change than phase shifting sometimes described as a
161. nterface 35 36 e Envelopes disclosure triangle Shows the track bus or output envelopes in the area directly below the track e Volume slider Sets the track bus or output relative volume in the overall mix Output pop up menu Choose an output for the track or bus or choose the physical output channels for the output from the menu e Pan slider Sets the pan position of the track or bus Appears in track and bus headers only not in output headers For detailed information about using the track controls see Using the Track Controls on page 96 Timeline Controls The lower left corner of the Timeline contains controls for various aspects of Timeline display and operation Snap button Track Height control Master Envelopes button Zoom control Snap To Value pop up menu e Master Envelopes button Shows or hides the master envelopes Snap button Turns snap on or off Snap To Value pop up menu Sets the value to which items in the Timeline snap e Track Height control Sets the height of tracks busses and outputs to one of four settings from Reduced to Large e Zoom control Click the control or drag the slider to change the zoom level You can zoom in to edit clips precisely or Zoom out to display more of the Timeline For information about using master envelopes see Master Envelopes on page 144 For information about snap see Using Snap on page 70 For information about using the T
162. nts To select an envelope point Click the envelope point To select multiple envelope points do one of the following Drag from an area in the automation row before the first envelope point you want to select to an area after the last envelope point you want to select If the envelope points are adjacent Shift click the first envelope point then the last envelope point you want to select All envelope points in between are also selected Command click each envelope point you want to select You can select adjacent or nonadjacent envelope points by Command clicking Drag in the envelope s row to select multiple envelope points To deselect a selected envelope point do one of the following Command click the selected envelope point Click in the automation row or somewhere else in the Timeline to deselect all selected envelope points Moving Envelope Points Once you add an envelope point you can drag it up or down to change its value As you drag an envelope point up or down its value appears to the right of the pointer You can drag an envelope point left or right to change its position in time You can also select and move multiple envelope points When you move envelope points the position of the envelope points snaps to the closest Snap To position if snap is turned on For information on setting the Snap To value see Using Snap on page 70 Chapter 9 Working with Automation To move an envelope point S
163. o set the amount of thinning 1 Choose Soundtrack gt Preferences then click the Project button 2 In the Project pane drag the Automation Recording Sensitivity slider to adjust the amount of thinning When the slider is set to High no thinning occurs The envelope contains every movement of the control Dragging the slider to any position other than High results in some thinning of envelope points By default the slider is set to a moderate amount of thinning For more information about Soundtrack Project preferences see Project Preferences on page 74 Working with Timeslices Timeslices let you select the contents of a track or of multiple tracks and the track s envelopes for a section of time When you select a Timeslice the Timeslice selection area is highlighted in blue Selecting Timeslices To select a Timeslice from a single track Drag in the selection bar along the top of the track Drag in the selection bar to create a Timeslice The selection snaps to the nearest Snap To position if snap is turned on For information about setting the Snap To value see Using Snap on page 70 Chapter 9 Working with Automation 153 To select a Timeslice from multiple tracks 1 Click in the selection bar of the topmost track you want to include in the Timeslice at one end of the area you want to select Click in the selection bar of the topmost track you want to include in the Timeslice 2 Shift click
164. of each track bus or output you want to select Moving and Copying Tracks Busses and Outputs As you work on your project you may want to rearrange tracks busses and outputs You can move and copy them to change their vertical arrangement in the track bus or output section of the Timeline You cannot move one to the area for another as indicated by the rows labeled Tracks Busses and Outputs You can only move or copy one track bus or output at a time To move a track bus or output Drag the track bus or output drag handle up or down to a new vertical position A light blue horizontal line in the header area indicates the place the track bus or output will be moved to when you release the mouse button To copy a track bus or output Option click the drag handle in the header for the track bus or output then drag it up or down A copy of the track bus or output appears when you release the mouse button Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 95 Renaming Tracks Busses and Outputs By default tracks are numbered when created and take the name of the first audio clip you add to them Busses and outputs are numbered starting from one Bus 1 Out 1 and so on You can rename a track bus or output and use the names to distinguish the type of audio it contains for example dialogue voiceovers music or sound effects its part in the overall project or to identify it in some other way To
165. oject controls in the Project window in the Timeline Read 3 EG 120 las le afasia ye Bix The most important project properties are time format and sample rate The remaining properties tempo time signature and key are important for projects set to Beats based format For projects set to Time based format you can usually leave the tempo time signature and key properties at their default settings You can change the default project properties for new projects in the Project pane of the Preferences window For information on setting preferences see Setting Soundtrack Preferences on page 73 Time Format Each project has a project time format which can be either Time based or Beats based format Setting the time format controls the appearance of the Time display Time ruler Timeline gridlines and available Snap To values For projects set to Time based format time is displayed using the Time ruler units chosen in the View menu For projects set to Beats based format the time is displayed in measures beats and beat divisions The default format is Time based Setting the format to Time based lets you align clips and other items in the Timeline with specific points in time for example specific frames in a video file Setting the format to Beats based lets you align items in the Timeline with measures beats and other musical units of time regardless of tempo You can switch between Time based and Beats ba
166. oject file The project file only saves references pointers to their location on disk This keeps the size of the project file relatively small and lets you use an audio file in multiple projects 47 48 Setting Up Your Workspace There are several ways you can set up the Soundtrack workspace to suit your display size and workflow You can arrange windows reorder and detach tabs in the Utility window and the Media and Effects Manager and add and reorder buttons in the Toolbar You can create layouts for different tasks and switch between them Basic Window Controls You can move resize or minimize a project s windows Most windows feature tabs which give you flexibility in arranging the visual elements of a project To move a window Drag the window by its title bar to a new location To resize a window do one of the following Drag the Size control in the lower right corner of the window until the window is the desired size Hold the pointer near the edge of a window until it becomes a Resize Window pointer then drag the window edge left or right to resize adjacent windows together To minimize a window to the Dock Click the minimize button in the window s title bar To close a window Click the window s close button or press Command W with the window active Using Tabs Soundtrack uses tabbed windows so you can quickly access different project views and controls You can switch between projects and between diff
167. om Other company and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies Mention of third party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the performance or use of these products Preface Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 21 21 23 27 31 32 37 42 47 47 48 51 57 66 69 70 72 73 Contents An Introduction to Soundtrack What Is Soundtrack Creating Music with Soundtrack Resources for Learning About Soundtrack Soundtrack Onscreen User Manual Apple Websites Audio and Music Basics Basic Audio Concepts Basic Music Concepts Setting Up Your System System Considerations Connecting Audio Equipment Example Hardware Setups The Soundtrack Interface Project Window Media and Effects Manager Utility Window Getting Started with Soundtrack Overview Setting Up Your Workspace Playing Projects Locating and Adding Audio Files Previewing Audio Files Using Undo and Redo Using Snap Reconnecting Media Files Setting Soundtrack Preferences Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 77 77 78 78 82 82 83 85 86 89 89 94 101 11 15 15 116 117 119 120 120 121 124 125 126 134 141 143 143 151 153 159 159 159 163 Working with Projects Creating and Opening Projects Closing Projects Setting
168. omputer can make your workflow more efficient especially when creating longer or more complex projects If you plan to work on large projects it s useful to have extra random access memory or RAM installed in your computer Additional RAM allows you to play back more files simultaneously use a greater number of effects plug ins and keep several multimedia applications open at the same time 21 22 Hard Disk Space It s also a good idea to have a large hard disk with plenty of available space to store the media audio and video files you use with Soundtrack As you work with the application you ll likely want to acquire a large collection of sounds to use in your Soundtrack projects You can use audio files stored on a CD ROM disc or other external media but playback performance may not be as good as when the audio files are installed on a local hard disk especially when using a large number of files If you store media files on an external hard disk make sure the disk has a fast enough seek time and a high enough sustained data transfer rate for use with multimedia files Consult the manufacturer s specifications Dedicated Hard Disk If you plan to record your own audio in Soundtrack remember that every minute of stereo digital audio recorded using a 44 1 kHz sample rate and 16 bit depth requires roughly 10 MB of hard disk space If you plan to record large amounts of audio you may want to record to a dedicated hard disk
169. oose None MIDI Clock Virtual MIDI Device checkbox Sets Soundtrack to send MIDI Clock signals to MIDI applications as Soundtrack Sync Source MIDI Time Code pop up menu Choose a device to send MTC signals to or choose None MIDI Time Code Virtual MIDI Device checkbox Sets Soundtrack to send MTC signals to MIDI applications as Soundtrack Sync Source Frame Rate pop up menu Sets the frame rate for outgoing MTC signals Note that Soundtrack automatically detects the frame rate for incoming MTC signals Time Code Offset e Bar 1 At field Sets the offset of Measure 1 of your Soundtrack project in SMPTE format The offset affects both incoming and outgoing MTC signals This should be set to the same value in all applications and devices Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack Working with Projects Using Soundtrack you can create multitrack projects in which you arrange and mix audio clips Projects include tracks busses and outputs that you can use to create sophisticated mixes When you create a project you can set the project s properties and the project length You locate and add media to your project using the Media and Effects Manager Creating and Opening Projects When you open Soundtrack a new blank project appears You can change the default startup behavior in the Preferences window For information about setting preferences see Setting Soundtrack Preferences on page 73 To create a new proje
170. ormation see Headers on page 35 e Timeline controls Includes controls to show the master envelopes turn snap on or off set the track height and zoom in or out For more information see Timeline Controls on page 36 e Scroll bar Moves the Timeline horizontally so you can see different parts of the project Headers Each track bus and output in the Timeline has a header that includes the track name track icon and a set of track controls Name field Record Enable button Effects button Envelopes Mute button disclosure triangle Solo button Drag handle Output pop up menu Icon Volume slider Pan slider e Drag handle Click to select the track bus or output and drag to reorder it in the Timeline e Icon You can choose an icon for the track bus or output making it easy to quickly distinguish them in a large project Name field You can type a new name for the track bus or output in the name field Record Enable button Enables or disables the track for recording when you click the Record button Only tracks have Record Enable buttons not busses or outputs e Mute button Mutes or unmutes the track bus or output Solo button Solos or unsolos the track bus or output Soundtrack supports both multiple solo and exclusive solo Effects button Displays the Effects tab of the Media and Effects Manager with the track bus or output effects settings Chapter 3 The Soundtrack I
171. output 1 Click the Effects button in the header for the track bus or output Click the Effects button to show the Effects tab 2 In the Effects tab select a category in the Category list to display the effects for that category in the Effect list Select the category of effects you want to use from this list 3 In the Effect list do one of the following e Double click the effect you want to add Select the effect name then click the Add Effect button Drag the effect to the Effect Parameters area Drag the effect from the Effect list to the Effect Parameters area The effect now appears in the Effect Parameters area with its checkbox selected Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 99 100 Click the envelopes disclosure triangle When you add effects to a track bus or output the Effects button changes color to indicate that the track bus or output contains effects For detailed information about adding and adjusting effects see Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects on page 125 Showing and Hiding Track Bus and Output Envelopes Clicking the automation disclosure triangle for a track or bus shows the volume and pan envelopes which you can use to automate changes to pan position and volume level over the course of the project Clicking the triangle for an output shows the output s volume envelope The envelopes appear in the Timeline below the track bus or output You ca
172. p menu e Select the clip in the Timeline then choose Clip gt Reconnect Control click the clip in the Timeline then choose Reconnect from the shortcut menu In the dialog that appears locate the audio file you want to reconnect Click Open to reconnect the file To reconnect a video file Control click the video clip in the video track then choose Reconnect offline source from the shortcut menu In the dialog that appears locate the video file Click Open to reconnect the file Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack Setting Soundtrack Preferences You set preferences for various aspects of Soundtrack that affect both the appearance and operation of the application in the Preferences window Some preferences apply to the current project and some apply to new projects you create You may want to specify some preferences before you begin working in Soundtrack To open the Preferences window Choose File gt Preferences General Preferences The General preferences include program startup behavior Media and Effects Manager options and Timeline defaults for new projects Startup These preferences let you set the startup behavior when you open Soundtrack Open Last Project button Reopens the last project on startup Open New Project button Creates a new blank project on startup This is the default behavior e Switch Hardware Sample Rate to match Document checkbox When selected th
173. p track in the Timeline letting you see the duration of the video in the project The video clip starts at the beginning of the project and cannot be moved to another point in time Any Final Cut Express scoring markers included in the video file appear in the Timeline with an orange handle If the video contains audio new audio tracks are added below the video track for each audio track in the movie and the video s audio tracks appear as audio clips in the new tracks You can move resize and edit these audio clips like any audio clip in the Timeline and can use the track controls to control volume and pan mute or solo the track and add effects or automation Playing the Video When you play the project the video plays in time with the audio in your project You can also control playback of the video and the project using the video transport controls in the Video tab or using keyboard shortcuts Video transport controls e Play from Beginning Starts playback from the beginning of the video e Previous Frame Moves the video back one frame e Play Plays the video from the current playhead position e Next Frame Moves the video forward one frame e Cycle Activates the playback region if one is set in the Time ruler To view the video you can make the Video tab active or detach it from the Utility window and move it to another location onscreen Chapter 7 Working with Video in Soundtrack 118 Controlling Video Playb
174. play USB audio interface from 2 to 8 channels with USB cable to connect to your computer Microphone Musical instruments guitar bass and keyboard Cables to connect microphones and instruments to the audio interface Set of monitors or speakers Monitors 1 NN O JE Mi h icrophone Speaker cables USB Pe ooo 0 0 0 0 0 Audio interface Computer Instrument Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System Setting Up a System Using a FireWire Audio Interface With this setup you can record audio input from several sources simultaneously and monitor audio output channels independently through a mixer connected to a FireWire audio interface This setup uses the following equipment e Your computer and display e FireWire audio interface with FireWire cable to connect to your computer e Mixer 8 channels with built in pre amplifier e Microphones e Musical instruments guitars bass keyboards and outboard effects units Set of powered monitors or speakers e Cables to connect microphones and instruments to the mixer and audio interface e Speaker cables Monitors O O er O Microphone T Audio interface Speaker lt N HUNN H cables FireWire ooo 0 OOOO Ooo cable Computer CO 00000 000 CO 00000 000 C 0 00000 000
175. ple Loops Utility The Apple Loops Utility Interface Opening Files in Apple Loops Utility Tagging Files in Apple Loops Utility Working with Transients Saving Changes to Files Removing Files from the Assets Drawer Apple Loops Utility Preferences Apple Loops Utility Keyboard Shortcuts Soundtrack Keyboard Shortcuts General and File Windows Tabs and Layouts Project Playback and Setting the Playhead General Editing Editing Audio Clips in the Timeline Adjusting Audio Clips in the Timeline Navigating in the Timeline Tracks and Markers Recording Solutions to Common Problems and Customer Support Solutions to Common Problems Calling AppleCare Support Contents An Introduction to Soundtrack Preface Soundtrack gives you the tools you need to create high quality soundtracks for your video productions Music projects that until recently would have required an array of professional studio equipment can now be completed in a home or project studio using a personal computer and readily available resources A computer with a fast processor and enough RAM can serve as a workstation for recording arranging mixing and producing complete music projects that can be played back on the computer burned ona CD or DVD or distributed over the Internet For digital video editors this development allows unprecedented opportunities for increasing creative control over the music for video projects Currently most video projects eithe
176. ple rates do not have the same playback quality as do higher rate formats Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 57 Looping and Non Looping Files Soundtrack supports two types of audio files looping and non looping files Most audio files are non looping files unless they contain tags for tempo key and other information Many of the Apple Loops that come with Soundtrack as well as other tagged audio files can be looping files Looping files may contain music rhythmic sounds or other repeating patterns You can resize a looping file to fill any amount of time Looping files adjust to the project tempo and key letting you use loops recorded in different keys and at different tempos in the same project Non looping files do not adjust to the project tempo and key You can shorten or lengthen a non looping file but lengthening it beyond the size of the original file adds only silence to the lengthened part You can search for non looping files in the Search tab using the Search text field Both looping and non looping files can contain tags with information about the file including mood genre and musical instrument Soundtrack recognizes tags in audio files intended for use with loop based music applications You can open an audio file in Apple Loops Utility and add tags and can convert a looping file to a non looping file or convert a non looping file to a looping file For information about tagging audio files using Apple Loops Ut
177. press M Add a time marker Control click the marker s handle then type the timecode position in the Edit dialog Make the Details tab active add a time marker select the marker handle then enter a new position in the Position value slider in the Details tab To add a marker at a specific timecode position the Time ruler units must be set to the timecode format of the video in your project To align an audio clip with a marker Make sure that snap is turned on and that Markers is selected in the View gt Snap to menu then drag the clip to the position of the marker in the Timeline With Markers selected you can align a clip with a marker Chapter 7 Working with Video in Soundtrack Scoring a Marker to the Playhead For tracks set to Beats based time format you can score a time marker or Final Cut Express scoring marker to the playhead so that you can synchronize the audio with the video Scoring a marker to the playhead adjusts the tempo so that the required number of beats exactly fills the amount of time between the last tempo change and the marker s position in the Time ruler When you score a marker to the playhead a set of special envelope points is created in the project s tempo envelope from the previous envelope point or the beginning of the tempo envelope if no previous envelope point exists to the position of the marker These special envelope points are locked and cannot be moved but can be deleted The
178. r Envelopes Each project has master envelopes for transposition and tempo When you display the master envelopes they appear below the outputs in the Timeline The master envelopes appear below the Outputs section Chapter 9 Working with Automation To show or hide the master envelopes do one of the following Choose View gt Show Master Envelopes Click the Master Envelopes button in the lower left corner of the Project window Click the Master Envelopes disclosure triangle in the Timeline Repeat the procedure to hide the master envelopes The ranges of the master envelopes are as follows e Master transpose envelope Ranges from 12 semitones to 12 semitones Master tempo envelope Ranges from 60 bpm to 200 bpm Adding Envelope Points You create changes to an envelope by adding envelope points to the envelope and moving the envelope points to different values To add an envelope point to an envelope Double click the envelope at the position where you want to add the envelope point You may want to zoom in to work more precisely Double click an envelope to add an envelope point When you add envelope points they snap to the closest Snap To position if snap is turned on For information on setting the Snap To value see Using Snap on page 70 Chapter 9 Working with Automation 145 146 Selecting Envelope Points You can select a single envelope point or a group of adjacent or nonadjacent envelope poi
179. r audio files for example music beds or sound effects while maintaining the clip s duration position in the Timeline and transposition For information about properties of audio clips see Reconnecting Media Files on page 72 To replace the source audio file for a clip In the Timeline select the clip for which you want to replace the source audio Do one of the following e In the Media and Effects Manager select the audio file you want to replace the selected clip s audio with then choose Clip gt Replace Selected Clips With filename n e In the Media and Effects Manager Control click the audio file you want to replace the selected clip s audio with then choose Replace Selected Clips With filename from the shortcut menu When you replace the source audio in a clip the clip s duration and offset stay the same Only the portion of the new source audio file equal to the clip s length plays If the new source audio file is shorter than the clip s length the clip loops when it reaches the end of the new source audio file Notches appear on the clip to indicate the point at which the clip starts looping You can replace the source audio in all clips using the same source audio file with another source audio file by using the Select All Occurrences and Replace Selected Loops commands together Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline To replace the source audio file in all clips using the same source file
180. r use stock music clips from music libraries or rely on outside music production houses to create original scores Now using digital music tools and applications video editors including those with no musical training or experience can create high quality soundtracks for their video projects with the same computer they used to assemble and edit their video What Is Soundtrack Soundtrack is a music application built specifically for Mac OS X Using Soundtrack even non musicians can create professional sounding royalty free soundtracks for Final Cut Express video projects Soundtrack lets you build musical arrangements using prerecorded audio files called loops Loops contain rhythmic patterns that you can extend to fill any amount of time In a Soundtrack project you can combine and arrange loops and non looping audio files add professional quality effects mix your music in stereo and export the final mix to a standard audio file that can be played on any multimedia equipped computer or imported into Final Cut Express Soundtrack includes the following features Work in real time You can work on Soundtrack projects in real time adding and editing audio while the project is playing and hear the results of your changes immediately Use existing loop libraries Soundtrack includes a large collection of Apple Loops and is compatible with a wide variety of existing loop libraries including those created for use with Sonic Foundry s
181. rack Height control and zoom control see Moving Around in the Timeline on page 89 Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface Media and Effects Manager The Media and Effects Manager is where you locate and preview media audio and video to add to your project It has five tabs The Browser Favorites and Search tabs give you three different ways to find media files the Bin gives you quick access to media files for the current project and the Effects tab is where you add and adjust effects Browser Tab The Browser tab displays the disks connected to your computer in a view similar to the Finder s list view You can also preview files in the Browser tab and drag them to the Timeline Tabs ROA Browser Browser Back and Forward H computer H Computer and buttons Name Home buttons T Macintosh HD Network Path pop up menu File list Preview controls J gt e 2ivems Media pop up menu 4 e Back and Forward buttons Move through previously viewed levels of the folder hierarchy e Computer button Displays your computer s hard disk and other storage media connected to your computer e Home button Displays the contents of your home directory e Path pop up menu Displays the levels of the file path to the current location letting you move back to a previous level e File list Displays the files and folders at the current location e Preview controls Include P
182. rag the send up or down in the list to change its order Choosing the Bus to Which a Send Is Routed When you add a send the audio is routed from the send to a bus By default the first send you add to an effects chain is routed to Bus 1 the second send is routed to Bus 2 and so on if the default bus exists Once you add a send you can choose the bus to which the send is routed Send pop up menu Canen To choose the bus to which a send is routed In the Effect Parameters area of the Effects tab choose a bus from the Send pop up menu Adjusting Send Volume You can adjust the volume level for the audio routed through a send To adjust send volume If the send volume slider is not visible click the disclosure triangle for the send Drag the send volume slider left to lower the volume level or drag it right to raise the volume level Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects Adjusting Send Pan Position You can adjust the pan position for the audio routed through a send To adjust send pan position If the send pan slider is not visible click the disclosure triangle for the send Drag the send pan slider left to pan the send to the left or drag it right to pan the send to the right Bypassing Sends You can bypass a send When you bypass a send the audio is not routed to the bus for the send and is not heard To bypass an effect In the Effects tab deselect the checkbox next to
183. rameters for effects in the current effects chain Click an effect s disclosure triangle to see its parameters You can adjust effect parameters using the controls in the Effect Parameters area e Add Send button Adds a send to the end of the current effects chain for the track You can add sends only to tracks not to busses or outputs Reset Effect button Resets the selected parameter or group of parameters to its default value or values Utility Window The Utility window features tabs for viewing a video in a project observing project levels viewing details and setting up recording Video Tab The Video tab is where you add a video to a project view the video and control video playback Video Scale pop up menu Video viewing area Video transport controls Chapter 3 The Soundtrack Interface e Video Playback value slider Move the video to a specific frame by dragging clicking the left or right arrow or double clicking and typing a value in the value slider Video Scale pop up menu Choose the scale of the video in the Video tab from the pop up menu e Video viewing area Add a video by dragging it into the viewing area and watch it play in the viewing area e Video transport controls Control playback of the video with the project using the Play from Beginning Previous Frame Play Pause Next Frame and Cycle buttons Recording Tab The Recording tab is where you edit a track s recording sett
184. range is 60 to 200 bpm e Key pop up menu Sets the default key for new projects The range is any key in the chromatic scale from A to G or None Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack Time Signature pop up menu Sets the default time signature for new projects The choices are 3 4 4 4 5 4 6 8 and 7 8 Sample Rate pop up menu Sets the default sample rate for new projects The choices are 32 kHz 44 1 kHz CD quality audio 48 kHz DVD quality audio and 96 kHz The default is 48 kHz Export Bit Depth pop up menu Sets the export bit depth for the current project and new projects The choices are 16 bit CD quality audio and 24 bit Timescale pop up menu Choose whether the overall project uses Time based or Beats based time format Video Frames per Second pop up menu Choose which video frame rate to use for new projects Tracks slider Sets the default number of tracks for new projects Snap buttons Turn snap on or off for new projects Snap To pop up menu Sets the default Snap To value for new projects The choices are Ruler Ticks 1 4 notes 1 8 notes 1 16 notes 1 32 notes and 1 64 notes Track Height pop up menu Sets the default track height for new projects The choices are Reduced Small Medium and Large Overlap Mode pop up menu Sets whether overlapped clips are crossfaded or truncated for new projects Starting Timecode field Sets the starting timecode value Recording Preferences These prefere
185. references for the startup behavior and default file saving behavior in the Apple Loops Utility Preferences window O00 Preferences Startup 7 Show Open Panel On Launch Saving When Converting a WAV to AIFF Show Conversion Alert O Close WAV and Edit AIFF O Keep Working in WAV Startup e Show Open Panel On Launch When selected an Open dialog appears each time you open Apple Loops Utility Saving e When Converting a WAV to AIFF e Show Conversion Alert Shows the conversion alert dialog when you try to save a WAV file e Close WAV and Edit AIFF Automatically converts the WAV to an AIFF closes the WAV file and opens the AIFF for editing e Keep Working in WAV Leaves the WAV file open 184 Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility Apple Loops Utility Keyboard Shortcuts General and File Key command Function Creates a new blank Apple Loops Utility window and opens the a Open dialog Opens the Open dialog from which you open files in gt e Apple Loops Utility Closes the current window f6 pit w Closes the selected files Sill 5 Saves changes to the currently selected files If any of the files are ZFS WAV files a dialog appears asking if you want to continue editing the files as WAV files or save them as AIFF files Opens the Save As dialog to save the currently selected file with a shit a s my name s Saves all open files
186. rename a track bus or output Click the name field in the header for the track bus or output and type a new name Changing a Track Bus or Output Icon You can choose a new icon from the icon grid or add your own image to the grid To change the icon for a track bus or output do one of the following Click the icon then select a new icon from the icon grid that appears Drag a graphics file from the Finder to the icon Using the Track Controls Tracks busses and outputs have headers located along the left side of the Timeline Each header contains track controls that you can use to mute or solo the track bus or output adjust its volume level and pan position add effects and show or hide its envelopes Adjusting Volume The volume slider controls the volume the loudness relative to other tracks of the track bus or output To adjust the volume level of a track bus or output Drag the volume slider left or right Drag the volume slider left or right The range is 96 dB to 6 dB with the default at 0 dB Double clicking the slider resets it to the 0 dB position Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline Adjusting Pan Position Tracks and busses also include a pan slider The pan slider controls the pan position the left to right placement in the stereo field of the track To adjust the pan position of a track or bus Drag the pan slider left or right Drag the pan slider left or right The rang
187. review the file You can also preview a video file using the preview controls For information about previewing a video file see Playing the Video on page 117 Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 67 68 Viewing Audio File Information You can view information about an audio file in the Media and Effects Manager or the Timeline in the Details tab of the Utility window When you select an audio file in the Media and Effects Manager the Details tab displays the file path and other information about the file The following information is displayed in the File tab of the Details tab 00A Details _ Scene 3 start dialog Recording 1 Genre Instrument Author Copyright Path Macintosh HO Soundtrack projects Scane 3 start dialog Recording Tempo 117 8PM Time Signature 4 4 Beats 16 Key C Scale Type Neither Sample Rate 44 1 kHz Bit Depth 16 bit Channels stereo Size 1 39 M8 Looping file No Name The name of the file Hints The hints provided for the file Hints are file tags that are used to search for files or for tempo and key matching Instrument The instrument or instrument category to which the file belongs Author The author of the file Copyright The copyright information for the file Path The path to the file s location on disk Tempo The original tempo of the file Time Signature The time signature of the file Beats The number of beats recorded in t
188. rking with Video in Soundtrack Viewing Video Details You can view details of a video file including the video file s name dimensions length frame rate and other information You can view details of a video file that has been added to a project or a video file in the Media and Effects Manager To view details of a video file 1 If the Details tab is not visible click Details to make it active 2 Select the video file in the Media and Effects Manager or select the video clip in the Timeline The video file s information appears in the Details tab You can preview a video file in the Details tab before you add it to a project To preview a video file in the Details tab 1 If the Details tab is not visible click the Details button to make it active 2 In the Media and Effects Manager select the video file you want to preview 3 In the Preview controls at the bottom of the window click Play Chapter 7 Working with Video in Soundtrack 119 120 Working with a Video s Audio You can edit the audio clip of the video s audio as with any audio clip in the project You can move and resize the video s audio or split and join it You can also change the name or icon of the track containing the video s audio and use the controls in the track header to adjust volume and pan mute or solo the track change the time format or enable the track for recording 00 00 10 00 You can adjust the video s The video s audio usin
189. rs or speakers that are not self powered you also need to connect them through an amplifier Mixers Connecting a mixer to your system allows you to record audio from multiple microphones or instruments simultaneously to play back the output from your computer through connected monitors or speakers and to control the volume levels of both the audio input and output Professional quality mixers have a number of additional features including equalization EQ controls auxiliary sends and returns for adding external effects and separate monitor and mix level controls Mixers may also include inboard pre amplification for microphones making the use of a separate amplifier unnecessary Example Hardware Setups The following sections provide several examples of different hardware setups Setting Up a System Using Powered Speakers With this setup you can monitor the audio output through a set of connected powered speakers This setup uses the following equipment e Your computer and display A set of powered speakers including speaker wire and a power adaptor Speakers Power cables Speaker cables Computer Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System 27 28 Setting Up a System Using a USB Audio Interface With this setup you can record audio input from microphones and musical instruments and monitor audio output through a USB audio interface This setup uses the following equipment Your computer and dis
190. s of popular music Analog tube distortion adds a distinctive warmth and bite to the signal There are also distortion effects that intentionally cause clipping and digital distortion of the signal These can be used to modify vocal music and other tracks to produce an intense unnatural effect or for creating sound effects Distortion effects include parameters for tone which let you shape the way in which the distortion alters the signal and for gain which let you control how much the distortion increases the output level of the signal EQ and Filter Effects EQ is likely the most common audio effect used in postproduction You can use EQ to shape the sound of a project by adjusting specific frequencies or frequency ranges Using EQ you can create both subtle and extreme changes to the sound of your projects Most EQ effects make use of filters As the name suggests a filter allows certain frequencies to pass through to the output while stopping or attenuating other frequencies EQ effects include highpass lowpass and band pass filters When the audio signal passes through an EQ filter the frequencies that pass through can be raised or lowered in volume Raising and lowering frequencies using EQ is often referred to as boosting and cutting frequencies You can create many changes to the sound of your project by boosting and cutting various frequencies Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects Frequency Ranges Used with EQ All
191. sed format while working on a project Chapter 5 Working with Projects To set the time format Click the Time based Format button to set the format to Time based or click the Beats based Format button to set the format to Beats based Beats based Format button Time based Format button You can also set individual tracks to use a different time format than the project s time format For information on setting a track s time format see Changing Track Time Format on page 98 Sample Rate The project sample rate determines the number of samples per second Soundtrack uses for audio playback and export When you add audio files to your project their sample rate is matched upsampled or downsampled on the fly to the project sample rate The available sample rates are 32 kHz 44 1 kHz 48 kHz 88 2 kHz and 96 kHz The default is 48 kHz which is the standard for DVD quality audio Note Digital video projects including video for DVD often use a 48 kHz sample rate When creating a score for a video be sure you save and export your project at the same sample rate the final video project will use To set the sample rate Choose the sample rate from the Sample Rate pop up menu gt Alass 3 G Sample Rate pop up menu Note If you open your project on a computer that cannot support the project sample rate the project is resampled to the nearest rate the hardware supports for playback When you export your project i
192. see Setting Project Properties on page 78 Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack To set the playhead using the Time display Select either the Time or Beats position in the Time display then enter a new position You can select the entire position or part of the position rme 00 00 04 96 j BEATS 3 2 921 Enter a beat position in the Beats area Enter a time position in the Time area Entering Time Based Units When you set the playhead by entering a Time based position in the Time display you don t need to enter all of the punctuation Soundtrack automatically adds the correct punctuation for the format of the Time display For example e If you enter 01234321 and the Time ruler units are set to seconds Soundtrack interprets it as 01 23 43 21 This stands for 1 hour 23 minutes 43 seconds and 21 100 of a second If you enter a partial number Soundtrack formats it with the rightmost pair of numbers as fractions of a second or frames if a timecode format is selected and with each successive pair of numbers to the left as seconds minutes and hours Numbers omitted from a complete time position are interpreted as zeros For best results always enter delimiters to separate each division of time For example e If you enter 01 23 and the Time ruler units are set to seconds Soundtrack interprets it as 00 00 01 23 This stands for 1 second and 23 100 of a second e If you enter 0 12 34 Soun
193. select the effect name in the Effect Parameters area then click the Reset button To reset an individual effect parameter to its default settings Select the parameter in the Effect Parameters area to select the parameter then click the Reset button Removing Effects You can remove an effect from an effects chain To remove an effect Select the effect name in the Effect Parameters area then click the Remove Effect button on the right edge of the Effects tab or press the Delete key Advanced Settings for Effects Many effects have an advanced settings window The advanced settings window appears as a floating window with related controls grouped together and may provide an appearance that simulates a hardware effects device Effects with an advanced settings window have an Advanced button at the top of the Effect Parameters area in the Effects tab Advanced settings windows can contain different kinds of controls Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects _ 2 _ To show the advanced settings window for an effect In the Effects tab click the Advanced button for the effect When you show an advanced settings window you can adjust the effect s parameters by moving the controls in the window Each advanced settings window may have unique controls in addition to sliders buttons and value fields To adjust advanced effect controls In the advanced settings window drag the sliders type text
194. ses and outputs Click one of the four rectangles on the Track Height control Reduced track height Large track height Chapter 6 Working in the Timeline 91 Using the Global Timeline View The Global Timeline view located above the Time display and Time ruler shows a miniature view of the entire project The playhead appears as a black vertical line with a triangular handle The part of the project currently visible in the Timeline is indicated by a blue rectangle in the Global Timeline view To move to a new area of the Timeline using the Global Timeline view Drag the visible area rectangle to a new position Drag this rectangle to a new position You can quickly move to different parts of the Timeline by dragging the blue rectangle This is especially useful when working on longer projects You can also drag the rectangle up or down to move vertically in the Global Timeline view This is useful if your project contains more tracks busses and outputs than can be displayed in the Project window Using the Time Ruler The Timeline has a Time ruler that shows the divisions of time in a project You can set the playhead to a precise frame point in time or sample number using the Time based units on the Time ruler or to a specific musical measure or beat using the Beats based units to synchronize playback of audio clips in the Timeline The Time ruler changes depending on the time format of the project and
195. simultaneously in a piece of music The strongest rhythmic layer occurs in regular units called measures Falling within each measure are a number of softer pulses called beats The beat that coincides with the beginning of the measure is called the downbeat There can also be more subtle pulses between beats In the Soundtrack interface the Beat ruler and Beat display show the division of musical time into measures beats and beat divisions Chapter 1 Audio and Music Basics Musicians use the concept of time signature to express the relationship between measures and beats The first or upper number of the time signature indicates the number of beats in each measure and the second or lower number indicates the basic beat value The rate at which beats occur in a piece of music is called its tempo Tempo is measured in beats per minute bpm Music with an active or upbeat feeling tends to use a faster tempo while music with a more relaxed or inward feeling tends to use a slower tempo You can control the tempo of a Soundtrack project and change the tempo during the course of a project Melody Melody is often the most recognizable or memorable part of a piece of music It s the part of the music you walk away singing whistling or humming and the part you usually think of when trying to identify the music or tell someone about it A melody is an arrangement of musical notes in a specific rhythmic pattern Melodies establish the chara
196. st of a short introduction followed by two main sections the verse and the chorus The verse and chorus alternate several times with the melody either sung or played by the lead instruments The introduction typically lasts 8 or 16 measures each verse lasts 16 or 32 measures and the chorus lasts for another 16 or 32 measures In both the verse and chorus the harmony may change at the beginning of every measure or every two or four measures Often the last chorus is repeated several times for a coda or outro Most styles of contemporary music are based to some degree on song form You can easily create projects based on this form using loops with drum beats and rhythmic patterns to define each section of the form Each repetition of the verse and chorus sections can be set off using loops with vocals or with varying lead or solo parts You can scale the length of the piece to fill a specific amount of time such as the length of a movie you want to score by either adjusting the tempo or changing the number of times the final section repeats Another typical feature of song based music is that there is often a signal at the end of each pattern that tells the audience that the pattern is about to change Often this occurs in the drums or rhythm section parts For example the drums may repeat the same pattern for seven measures but introduce slight changes in the eighth measure that energize the music and signal that a new pattern is about
197. t for specific words or a phrase Apple Websites There are a variety of Apple websites that you can visit to find additional information Soundtrack Website For general information and updates as well as the latest news on Soundtrack go to e http www apple com finalcutexpress soundtrack html Apple Service and Support Website For software updates and answers to the most frequently asked questions for all Apple products including Soundtrack go to http www apple com support soundtrack You ll also have access to product specifications reference documentation and Apple and third party product technical articles Preface An Introduction to Soundtrack 11 12 Other Apple Websites Start at the Apple homepage to find the latest and greatest information about Apple products http www apple com QuickTime is industry standard technology for handling video sound animation graphics text music and 360 degree virtual reality VR scenes QuickTime provides a high level of performance compatibility and quality for delivering digital video Go to the QuickTime website for information on the types of media supported a tour of the QuickTime interface specifications and more http www apple com quicktime FireWire is one of the fastest peripheral standards ever developed which makes it great for use with multimedia peripherals such as video camcorders and the latest high speed hard disk drives Visit this we
198. t included in the project appear dimmed in the Bin Chapter 4 Getting Started with Soundtrack 65 Previewing Audio Files Once you locate an audio file you want to use in your project you can preview the file in the Media and Effects Manager When you preview files Soundtrack matches the sample rate of the file to the project sample rate When you preview looping files Soundtrack matches their tempo and key to the project tempo and key To preview an audio file Select the file in the Media and Effects Manager The selected file starts playing If the project is playing when you preview a file Soundtrack starts playback of the previewed file on the downbeat of the next measure of the project You can turn preview playback on and off by holding down Option and pressing the Space bar P 6 8 Jazzy Dr_set OLaif 152 P 6 8 Jazzy Dr set O2aif 152 PF 6 8 Jazzy Dr set O4aif 152 Select an audio file in the PF 6 8 Jazzy FillO3aif 152 Media and Effects Manager to preview it J Bebop Drumset 02 aif 135 Non 16 g Audio files tagged as loops play back repeatedly when previewed You can control the playback of the file being previewed using the preview controls You can only preview one audio file at a time You can also preview video files When you double click a video file in the Media and Effects Manager the video appears in a small window in the Details tab To preview a video file Click the Details tab in the Utility w
199. t is exported at the project sample rate regardless of hardware limitations For more information on hardware sample rates see Chapter 2 Setting Up Your System on page 21 Chapter 5 Working with Projects 79 80 Tempo The tempo sets the rate of the basic beat value for the project When you add looping files to a project their tempo is matched to the project tempo The tempo range is from 60 to 200 beats per minute bpm The default tempo is 120 bpm which equals two beats per second You set the project tempo using the Tempo value slider in the project controls To set the project tempo do one of the following Click the left arrow in the Tempo value slider to decrease the tempo or click the right arrow to increase the tempo Click the value in the value slider then drag the slider that appears left or right to change the tempo Double click the value in the value slider to select it then type a new value Wes 120 Tempo value slider You can change the project tempo over time using the Master Tempo envelope For information about creating tempo changes see Master Envelopes on page 144 Time Signature The time signature controls how measures and beats appear in the Time display and Time ruler A project can have only one time signature which lasts from the beginning to the end of the project The default time signature is 4 4 four beats per measure with a quarter note as the beat value To set t
200. t of the project is currently visible using the scroll bars and Timeline controls You can use the Global Timeline view to quickly move to different parts of your project Using the Scroll Bars If the entire project cannot be displayed in the Timeline you can scroll through the project using the horizontal scroll bar located at the bottom of the Timeline Drag the horizontal scroll bar left or right to move the visible part of the Timeline 89 90 If your project contains more tracks than can be displayed in the Timeline a vertical scroll bar appears along the right edge of the Timeline Drag the vertical scroll bar up or down to change which tracks are visible Vertical scroll bar Horizontal scroll bar In the lower left of the Timeline are the Timeline controls including the Track Height control and Zoom control Using the Zoom Control You can zoom in to make precise edits in the Timeline or zoom out for a wider view of your project using the Zoom control The Zoom control features a slider on a graduated scale Moving the slider to the left or clicking the left side of the control zooms in for a closer view displaying a smaller area of the Timeline close up Moving the slider to the right or clicking the right side of the control zooms out for a wider view displaying a wider area of the Timeline You can also zoom in and out using menu commands or keyboard shortcuts If your mouse has a scroll wheel you can use
201. t tagging multiple files see Tagging Files in Apple Loops Utility on page 180 To save changes to the currently selected files Click the Save button Saving changes to a large number of files may take several minutes To save all changes Click the Save All button in the Assets drawer To save multiple files to the same directory Choose File gt Save As Navigate to the directory where you want to save the files then click Save When you save multiple files using the Save As dialog the files are saved to the selected directory and their names are unchanged When you save changes to files in the WAV format by default they are converted to the AIFF format and saved in the same location as the original WAV files The new AIFF files have the same name as the WAV files but with the aiff file suffix You can change this default behavior in the Apple Loops Utility Preferences window See the following section Apple Loops Utility Preferences for more information Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility 183 Removing Files from the Assets Drawer You can remove files from the Assets drawer To remove files Select the file or files in the Assets drawer then click the Remove File button at the top of the drawer or press the Delete key If you remove files to which you have applied changes a dialog appears letting you choose whether to save or discard your changes Apple Loops Utility Preferences You can set p
202. tempo and key to the project tempo and key for the best possible playback quality Both AIFF and WAV file formats can include tags Libraries of audio files created for use with loop based music software are usually tagged and Soundtrack recognizes the tags used in most popular file formats What Is Apple Loops Utility Apple Loops Utility is a companion application to Soundtrack that you can use to view and manage tags in audio files You can add and change tags using Apple Loops Utility you can also tag multiple files a process known as batch tagging Apple Loops Utility can read both AIFF and WAV file formats When you save changes you make to either type of file the file is saved as an AIFF file the default file format for Soundtrack The set of tags you can work with using Apple Loops Utility includes all of the tags in WAV files tagged for use with Sony s ACID music application as well as additional tags Tagged audio files can also contain information about transients Transients indicate where beats occur in the file and Soundtrack uses transients to play back audio files at the highest level of quality Apple Loops Utility can detect transients present in an audio file and you can use Apple Loops Utility to add markers for additional transients and move them to new locations Appendix 173 174 The Apple Loops Utility Interface The Apple Loops Utility interface consists of a window with two tabs the Tags tab and
203. the Transients tab The bottom of the window includes a set of playback controls and file management buttons Apple Loops Utility also includes an Assets drawer located to the right of the main window where you manage open files Tabs Main window Playback controls Assets drawer Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility Tags Tab The Tags tab includes areas for different types of tags and also includes a set of playback controls you can use to listen to a file open in Apple Loops Utility Listening to a file can help you decide which tags are appropriate for the file O00 Apple Loops Utility _ Property Tags File info V Number of Beats 32 5 Kind AFF F File Type QNon tooping Looping Length 17 455 Fiker Date Modified Saturday May 3 2003 seale Type Bi Depth 160i Vi Time Signature 4 4 Sample Rate 44 1 kHz V Author MusicByte com Channels stereo D Copyright MusicByte Soundfiles Tempo 110 8PM F Comment File Location Gary Work Users gary Music Loops Appie Loops for Soundtrack PowerFX Loops Complete Music Beds Tanning Music Red 09 Search Tags Descriptors Fl cenre EI single O O treme Vi instrument M rat O Ofin Drums gt M Acoustic O Electric Guitars gt M Dry O O Processed Horn Wind gt Keyboards gt a SnO GON Mallets gt Di Cheerful O O Dark Di Relaxed O intense Shap eons O Owent Sound Effect by E Melodic O O dissonant m oo
204. the changes you want to the file s tags in the Tags tab See Tags Tab on page 175 for information about the options in the Tags tab 3 Click Save to save changes to the selected file or click Save All to save all changes Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility Tagging Multiple Files When multiple files are selected only the tags that apply to all the selected files can be changed Items in the Tags tab that do not apply to all the currently selected files are dimmed and unavailable Each tag has a checkbox Select the checkbox next to the tags for which you want to save changes To tag multiple files Select the files in one of the following ways e Shift click to select adjacent files in the Assets drawer e Command click to select nonadjacent files in the Assets drawer e Press Command Shift A to select all files in the Assets drawer Make the changes you want to the available tags for the selected files in the Tags tab See Tags Tab on page 175 for information about the options in the Tags tab Select the checkboxes next to the tags for which you want to save changes Click Save to save changes to the selected files or click Save All to save all changes There are many keyboard shortcuts to simplify the task of tagging files For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts see Apple Loops Utility Keyboard Shortcuts on page 185 Working with Transients Transients are the points in an audio file where beats occur
205. tility You can open audio files from within Apple Loops Utility or directly from a Soundtrack project You can have up to 2000 files open at the same time When you open files in Apple Loops Utility the files are displayed in the File list of the Assets drawer To open an audio file in Apple Loops Utility do one of the following Choose File gt Open then select the file in the Open dialog Choose File gt Open Recent then choose a file from the submenu Click the Add File button in the Assets drawer Drag files from the Finder to the Assets drawer To open an audio file from Soundtrack into Apple Loops Utility Control click the file in Soundtrack then choose Open in Apple Loops Utility from the shortcut menu To open multiple files in Apple Loops Utility do one of the following Choose File gt Open then Shift click the files in the Open dialog Drag the volume or folder containing the files from the Finder to the Assets drawer You can have multiple Apple Loops Utility windows open at the same time so that you can compare different files Each time you open an Apple Loops Utility window an Open dialog appears letting you choose the file or files to open in that window You can change the open window behavior in the Apple Loops Utility Preferences window See Apple Loops Utility Preferences on page 184 for more information Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility 179 180 Tagging Files in Apple Loops Utility To t
206. to multitrack projects 83 84 adding to projects 9 adding to Timeline 83 84 AIFF 57 on CD ROM discs 22 on hard disks 22 common problems 195 196 exporting projects to 166 199 200 exporting to Final Cut Express 170 formats for 57 information about 45 looping 109 MP3 57 non looping 109 opening in Apple Loops Utility 179 previewing 66 67 QuickTime 57 reconnecting 72 sample rates 79 saving with projects 83 size of 159 source 101 110 111 storing in Bin 65 66 tagged 59 tagging with Apple Loops Utility 173 188 WAV 57 audio input 22 audio interfaces 23 audio output 22 26 27 audio postproduction 128 Audio Units plug ins 22 125 automation 143 157 described 143 effects 139 envelopes 143 151 recording automation data 151 153 Timeslices 153 157 Automation Mode pop up menu 34 automation modes Latch 152 Read 152 Touch 152 automation recording sensitivity 74 automation sensitivity 153 B Back button 37 38 bandpass filters 130 bandwidth 130 bass frequency range 130 batch tagging 173 Beat display 53 beat divisions 78 beat markers 112 113 beats 18 78 80 92 Beats based format 78 79 92 98 157 Beats based time 52 54 123 Bin tab adding audio files from 84 described 41 storing files in 65 66 bit depths 17 23 57 boost 27 128 130 Index Browser tab 37 58 bus controls 86 96 100 busses adding 94 adjusting pan position 97 adjusting volume 96 changing icon for 96 copying 95 described 89 effects 99 100 en
207. tracks busses outputs 97 98 sound See also audio musical sounds 14 recording 15 18 recording See recording audio volume See volume Soundtrack interface 31 introduction to 7 8 keyboard shortcuts 189 194 learning about 10 onscreen help 11 preferences 73 76 resources 10 roundtrips to from Final Cut Express 168 169 Index setting up See system setup software installation 21 specifications 12 system considerations 21 22 website for 11 sound waves 13 15 16 source audio files 101 110 111 speakers 23 26 27 specifications 12 Split menu item 106 107 splitting audio clips 106 107 Split tool 106 startup preferences 73 Stereo checkbox 43 stereo delays 132 stmp extension 77 82 stretching technique 181 submixes 86 synchronization 76 Synchronization preferences 76 system requirements 21 system setup 21 29 connecting audio equipment 23 27 control interface 29 example hardware setups 27 29 FireWire audio interface 29 overview 21 powered speakers 27 software installation 21 system considerations 21 22 USB audio interface 28 T tabs described 32 detaching reattaching 49 keyboard shortcuts 189 190 reordering 48 tagged audio clips 107 108 tagged audio files 59 173 188 tags 173 175 176 Tags tab 174 175 176 tail effect 82 takes See recording audio Tap tempo delays 132 tempo 19 80 123 124 173 text showing in Toolbar 51 This 74 threshold 126 timbre 14 time based effects 132 133 Time based form
208. trol No envelope points after that point are added or changed e Latch In Latch mode movements to controls are recorded when you play the project overwriting any data from the point you start recording until you stop playing the project When you release a control in Latch mode the control maintains the same value at which you released it To record automation data Choose either Touch or Latch from the Automation Mode pop up menu Set the playhead to a position before the point where you want to start recording Click Play or press the Space bar to start the project playing While the project plays move the control you want to record Once you have recorded automation data you can show the envelope for the control and add and adjust envelope points on the envelope to fine tune the automation For information on working with envelopes see Working with Envelopes on page 143 Thinning Envelope Points in Recorded Automation Data Recording automation data can generate a large number of envelope points The number of envelope points recorded can make editing envelopes difficult and in some cases affect playback performance You can reduce or thin the number of envelope points recorded from a control surface in the Project preferences You set the amount of thinning using the Automation Recording Sensitivity slider The automation data is thinned when you finish recording automation Chapter 9 Working with Automation T
209. udio file at a different point in time or to a different track To add an audio file from the Bin tab Drag the file from the Bin tab to the Timeline either to a track or to the area below the existing tracks Note When you drag an audio file to the Timeline the file snaps to the nearest Snap To position if snap is turned on For information on setting the Snap To value see Using Snap on page 70 Chapter 5 Working with Projects Viewing and Editing Clip Properties When you create an audio clip by dragging an audio file to the Timeline the audio clip has a set of properties These properties are specific to the clip and can be different for two clips created from the same source audio file A The following properties for the selected clip are displayed and can be edited in the Clip tab of the Details tab Playback buttons Set whether the clip is looping or non looping When you add an audio file to the Timeline the clip will be non looping unless the audio file is tagged as a looping file Measure in pop up menu Sets the units shown in the Position Duration and Offset value sliders Position value slider Sets the start point for the clip in the Timeline Duration value slider Sets the duration of the clip The duration of looping files is displayed in number of beats the duration of non looping files is displayed in seconds Offset value slider Sets the number of beats for looping files or secon
210. ut for the next effect and so on for each effect in the chain The order in which effects are applied is important because each alters the input signal which includes the output of previous effects in the chain You can reorder effects and hear the difference in the way they alter the sound Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects 135 To add multiple effects to an effects chain do one of the following Double click the effect you want to add in the Effect list Select the effect in the Effect list then click the Add Effect button The effect appears in the Effect Parameters area below any previously added effects You can now set the parameters of the added effect Select the effect you want to add then click the Add Effect button You can also drag the effect to the Effect Parameters area Note Adding more than a few effects to an effects chain can cause extreme changes to the sound of a project This may be what you want but in some cases can produce undesirable results Listen to the project as you add effects to be sure you are satisfied with the results To reorder effects in an effects chain In the Effect Parameters area drag the effect up or down in the list to change its order Drag effects up or down in the list to reorder them 136 Chapter 8 Working with Audio Effects Deselect the checkbox next to the effect name to bypass the effect Bypassing Effects You can turn off an effe
211. utton 37 hubs 23 l icons busses 35 96 headers 35 outputs 35 96 showing in Toolbar 50 tracks 35 96 IEEE 1394 See FireWire Index importing items QuickTime movies 115 video from Final Cut Express 115 video into projects 115 116 indexed directories 64 65 input devices 22 input signal 162 Input synchronization settings 76 instrumentation 20 instruments musical 20 interface 31 K key 19 key musical 173 175 178 186 key project 81 keyboard shortcuts Apple Loops Utility 185 188 listed 189 194 playback 57 118 keyword buttons 39 40 63 keywords 39 40 60 63 Keywords list 39 40 60 L Latch mode 152 latency described 23 eliminating 195 196 layouts choosing 49 deleting 49 described 49 keyboard shortcuts 189 190 saving 49 level meters Meters tab 44 Recording tab 43 Timeline 35 LFO low frequency oscillator 131 132 limiters 127 Location display 44 loop extension 77 Looping button 163 looping files 107 109 163 looping playback 83 93 looping playback mode 83 low frequency oscillator LFO 131 132 lowpass filters 130 M m2v files 115 Mac OS version of 197 manual 11 203 204 markers aligning audio clips to Timeline with 122 beat 112 113 deleting 113 Final Cut Express 121 124 information about 46 inserting 112 keyboard shortcuts 193 naming 112 scoring 121 124 time 112 113 121 122 uses for 111 using with video 121 124 working with 111 113 marker titles viewing 113 MAS plug in 2
212. velopes for 100 exporting 167 moving 95 muting 97 numbered 96 overview 86 removing 101 renaming 96 selecting 95 sends routed to 138 setting height of 91 soloing 97 98 working with 94 101 buttons Toolbar 50 Button view 39 40 59 61 63 Button View button 40 59 bypass 137 139 C cables audio 25 26 camcorders 23 Can t Find File dialog 72 Category list 42 Category pop up menu 40 CD ROM discs 22 CDs audio 75 distributing projects on 165 sample rate 75 center frequency 130 chaining effects 135 136 chords 19 chorus 20 chorus effects 131 Clip display 46 clipping 128 170 clips See audio clips video clips Clip Speed pop up menu 46 Column view 39 40 59 60 61 Column View button 40 59 compressed saving projects 83 compression 83 126 compressors 126 127 Computer button 37 connectors 25 26 control surfaces FireWire audio interface 29 Copy from Next Point button 46 Copy from Previous Point button 46 copying items audio clips 102 envelope points 149 Timeslices 155 crossfade mode 81 105 crossfades adjusting 105 creating 81 105 106 moving 106 customer support 195 197 Customize sheet 50 51 cutoff frequency 130 cuts 133 191 cutting items audio clips 102 envelope points 149 frequencies 128 129 peak levels 126 Timeslices 155 Cycle button 33 56 162 cycling playback 93 D daisy chaining 23 decay time 133 delay 126 delay effects 126 132 delay rate 131 delay time 132 deleting items audio clips 102 11
213. ves are completely out of phase they cancel each other out and we hear silence Certain effects such as phase shifters make use of these properties of phase relationships to alter the sound of an audio signal Time Recording Sound When a sound is recorded the sound waves traveling through the air are converted to an electrical signal using a device called a transducer Sound can be recorded using either analog or digital recording technology Chapter 1 Audio and Music Basics 15 16 Analog Recording When a sound is recorded using analog technology the sound waves are recorded as a continuous electrical signal Typically the vibrations in the air contact the diaphragm of a microphone setting the diaphragm in motion A transducer in the microphone converts the diaphragm s motion into an electric signal The compressed parts of the sound wave are recorded as positive electrical voltages and the rarefied parts of the wave are recorded as negative voltages The voltage of the recorded signal is an analog of the wave s frequencies and their relative amplitudes at any point in time Time Analog recording technology was originally developed using mechanical means to etch the sound signal directly onto wax cylinders or lacquer disks Its simplicity and the rapid development of electronics during the twentieth century led to its widespread use for recording music and for adding sound to motion pictures However analog audio recordin
214. viewing only and cannot be edited in the Tags tab Descriptors Descriptors are complementary pairs of keywords describing the mood or character of the music recorded in the file Each pair of keywords has a row of buttons allowing you to choose either one keyword from the pair or neither keyword Transients Tab The Transients tab contains a large waveform display with a Beat ruler and a horizontal scroll bar Markers indicate the position of transients in the file Typically transients correspond to the peaks or most pronounced amplitude changes in a sound s waveform The Transients tab includes controls for the beat division and sensitivity with which Apple Loops Utility detects transients in the file You can also listen to the file using the playback controls to help determine where transients occur Transient Division pop up menu Sensitivity slider Transient marker i Waveform of audio file Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility The Transients tab includes the following controls Transient Division pop up menu Sets the beat value at which Apple Loops Utility detects transients e Sensitivity slider Sets the degree of sensitivity at which Apple Loops Utility detects transients Assets Drawer The Assets drawer lists the files open in Apple Loops Utility The drawer which is open when you open Apple Loops Utility contains a Name column with the name of each open file and a Changes column whi
215. ving 95 moving audio clips between 103 muting 97 170 numbered 96 overview 86 removing 101 renaming 96 routing to busses 86 selecting 95 selecting audio clips in 101 setting height of 91 showing 144 soloing 97 98 time format 98 working with 94 101 transducers 15 transients 173 176 181 182 188 Transients tab 174 176 177 181 transport controls 32 33 56 57 117 118 Transpose pop up menu 46 treble 129 troubleshooting 195 197 TRS tip ring sleeve connectors 25 truncate mode 81 Type buttons 46 U Undo command 69 Universal Serial Bus See USB upsampling 79 USB Universal Serial Bus 23 24 USB audio interface 28 196 USB cables 24 USB connectors 24 USB devices 24 196 USB hubs 24 196 User Manual 11 Utility window 31 42 46 V Value value slider 46 verses 20 video 115 124 for DVDs 79 frame rates 121 importing into projects 115 116 playback of 117 118 removing from projects 124 time format 120 transport controls 117 118 using markers with 121 124 using Time display with 120 using Time ruler with 120 working with 115 124 working with audio in 120 videocassette decks 23 video clips importing into projects 117 reconnecting 72 removing from projects 124 timecode position 121 122 viewing details of 119 video files adding to projects 9 previewing 66 119 reconnecting 72 saving with projects 83 size of 171 viewing details about 45 119 video frame rate choosing 75 121 Video Playback
216. x of a project you can export the project mix You can also export individual tracks busses or outputs export a project containing a movie to QuickTime and make roundtrips between Final Cut Express and Soundtrack You can export a project to a stereo audio file and set the exported file s bit depth and sample rate You can also export selected tracks busses or outputs to either a stereo audio file or paired mono files If your project includes a video you can also export the project You can import an exported audio file into Final Cut Express or another video application to add to a video project or into a digital audio application for further processing You can also burn it on a CD or DVD or open it in iTunes and convert it to MP3 or AAC format that you can distribute over the Internet 165 Exporting a Project Mix When you export a mix all unmuted tracks routed to the physical outputs 1 and 2 are included in the exported file You can exclude any tracks from the exported mix by muting those tracks To export a project to a stereo audio file 1 Choose File gt Export gt Export Mix The Export dialog appears HH EXE SSS oes y lia e T P La Ce We 2 Choose a bit depth for the exported file from the Bit Depth pop up menu 3 Choose a sample rate for the exported file from the Sample Rate pop up menu 4 Type a name for the exported file and browse to the location where you want to
217. xporting otherwise the video s audio will be included to the exported file Before exporting the project make sure that you have eliminated all instances of clipping from the project Once the project is saved as an AIFF file it is impossible to remove clipping from the file without reducing its audio quality If you plan to mute the video s audio track when you export the project you may want to mute the video s audio track when you check levels before exporting Checking levels with the video s audio unmuted will add its signal to the rest of the signal displayed by the audio meters and the levels displayed by the audio meters will not match those of the exported file You can mute any tracks you wish to exclude from the project before exporting The output exported to an AIFF file does not include muted tracks You can also export a track bus or output by selecting the item you want to export then choosing File gt Export Selected item Distributing a Project and Its Media Files Together You can save a project with all of the media files it uses together in the same folder Saving the project and its media files together is useful when you want to move the project from one computer to another in order to continue working on it or to archive the project and media for later use To save a project and its audio files together Choose File gt Save In the dialog that appears select the Collect Audio Files checkbox Navigate to
218. ythmic C Melodic Dissonant Sets Batch Tagging to All o Sets Batch Tagging to None Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility 187 Transients Key command Function c Increases sensitivity a Decreases sensitivity Increases sensitivity five times E Decreases sensitivity five times E Nudges the selected marker by one pixel to the left Nudges the selected marker by one pixel to the right gt Selects the previous marker ane P Selects the next marker 188 Appendix A Using Apple Loops Utility Soundtrack Keyboard Shortcuts Appendix General and File Key command Function Creates a new blank project o Opens the Open dialog oan _ ie w Closes all open projects Saves the current project O th As dialog t th j ith arag cnn 5 pens the Save As dialog to save the project with a new name Opens the Save As dialog to save a copy of the project with a o a s different name Adds the selected audio file to the Bin e udio fi in Closes all projects and quits Soundtrack s Fees Windows Tabs and Layouts Key command Function Opens the Video tab of the Utility window ni Opens the Project window Opens the Browser tab of the Media and Effects Manager Opens the Effects tab of the Media and Effects Manager 189 190 Key command Function E Minimiz

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