Working with the Timeline

Tip To expand the size of this Help window, so you can see the illustration and its explanation at the same time, click the Maximize button in the upper right corner of the window.

Understanding the Timeline

Timeline component

Description

1. Track button bar

Use these buttons to adjust the master volume for a track, or to play back one track at a time without hearing any other tracks.

2. Timeline Ruler

The numbers in this bar across the top of the Timeline show the relative time within the Playlist in Hours:Minutes:Seconds.

3. Track

Each music file in the Playlist shows up as a track in the Timeline.

4. Title bar

The Title and Artist are displayed in a bar across the top of each segment in a track.

5. Sprocket

MixMeister uses sprockets to define how songs link together and overlap. Each sprocket is marked by a vertical red line.

6. Music plot

A visual representation of the changes in volume of a song over time.

7. Track Type Indicator

This circle at the left end of each segment indicates whether the track is a Primary track using Standard Mixing , a Primary track using Beat Mixing , or an Overlay track . This circle is blue by default, but turns orange when the segment is selected. All segments in a track have the same track type.

8. Intro and Outro Ranges

MixMeister marks an Intro Range and an Outro Range in every Beat-Mixed song, with one sprocket at the beginning and another at the end of each range. Adjust the positions of the Intro and Outro Ranges by moving the sprockets. Change the length of overlap by dragging the red-orange bar at the bottom of the Intro Range or top of the Outro Range.

9. Volume markers

These blue boxes connected with a blue line show how MixMeister will fade the volume of a song in and out. Drag the blue boxes up or down to adjust the volume; drag them right or left to move the volume markers.

10. Tempo box

These red boxes allow you to see and modify the tempo of a song during playback. There are two tempo boxes for songs using Standard Mixing and four for songs using Beat Mixing. The lines between the boxes represent how the tempo changes.

11. Segment

Songs are one segment by default. However, you can break the song into segments. For example, you can take a ten-minute dance remix and chop it into a few segments to represent the intro, first chorus, etc. You can then delete or copy segments to rearrange the song. Selected segments are indicated by a highlighted header.

To change the level of Timeline detail

You can adjust the level of detail you see in the Timeline by zooming in and out.

Tip  You can also use the mouse wheel—the middle button on your mouse—to zoom in or out. Roll the wheel forward to zoom in for more detail; roll it backward to zoom out for less.

To change the position in the Timeline

You will need to move around in the Timeline when you're editing your mix or when you want to jump ahead or jump back while playing your mix. Do one of the following:

To keep the current play position in view

If you move to another point in the Playlist, MixMeister scrolls back to the current play position after several seconds when this option is turned on.