Using Dynamic Scrubbing

Peak provides a unique audio auditioning technique called dynamic scrubbing. This feature is very useful for precisely pinpointing and selecting a desired location in an audio document. Dynamic scrubbing allows you to drag the mouse forward or backward over a waveform while Peak plays a short loop (between 10 and 600 milliseconds) at the scrub location. When you have found the location you are looking for, you can commence editing. Peak allows you to choose the length of this playback loop with the Dynamic Scrub Time command in the Preferences menu. Peak provides two type of dynamic scrubbing: dynamic shuttle scrubbing and dynamic jog scrubbing. Both are described below.

To select a loop duration for dynamic scrubbing:
1. Choose Dynamic Scrub Time from the Preferences menu, and choose a duration from the hierarchical submenu. Typically, a value of between 40 to 80 milliseconds works well.

To use dynamic “Shuttle-type” scrubbing:
1. Hold down the Control key and drag the mouse across an area of the audio document in the audio document window. As you drag the mouse, Peak plays a short loop of the audio at the insertion point. You can control the tempo and direction (forward or backward) of playback by dragging the mouse slower or faster, forwards or backwards.
2. Release the mouse button to stop scrubbing.
3. To make a selection starting at the current scrub point, stop scrubbing, hold down the Shift key, and click the mouse to extend the selection from the insertion point to the desired location.

Jog Scrubbing
Peak provides a variation of the dynamic scrubbing feature which is similar to a technique known in recording studios as jog scrubbing. With this technique, Peak actually engages playback and moves through the file at its normal pace, but allows you to control the playback point by dragging the mouse. You can control the direction (forward or back-ward) of playback by dragging the mouse forwards or backwards. This scrubbing mode affords a greater degree of control when you are “zoomed out” in the audio document window.

To use dynamic “jog” scrubbing:
1. Hold down the Control key and Option key and drag the mouse across an area of the audio document in the audio document window. As you drag the mouse, Peak engages playback while it loops a short portion of the audio at the insertion point. Dragging the cursor farther away from the current insertion point increases the velocity of scrubbing.
2. Release the mouse button to stop scrubbing.
3. To make a selection starting at the current scrub point, stop scrubbing, hold down the Shift key, and click the mouse to extend the selection from the insertion point to the desired location.
Since jog scrubbing mode is engaged by pressing the Option key in combination with the Control key, it is possible to toggle back and forth between jog and shuttle modes simply by pressing or releasing the Option key.

Tape-Style Scrubbing
In addition to dynamic scrubbing feature, Peak provides tape-style scrubbing. To enable tape-style scrubbing, set the Dynamic Scrub Time under the Preference menu to Tape-Style. Tape-style Scrubbing requires Sound Manager version 3.1 or later.

To start tape-style scrubbing:
1. Hold down the Control key on your keyboard, and then click and drag the mouse at the location where you wish to begin scrubbing.

To deactivate tape-style scrubbing:
1. Release the mouse and Control key.

To control tape speed in tape-style scrubbing:
1. As you drag the mouse towards the right, scrubbing speed will increase.
2. As you drag the mouse toward the left, scrubbing will slow down.
3. If you drag the mouse to the left of the point where you started scrubbing, the scrub direction will change from forward playback to backwards playback. The playback bar will show the scrubbing speed at the top of the playbar. Playback speed can vary from minus four times (-4.0x) to four times (+4.0x) original playback speed.