This panel displays properties and settings for any objects that are currently selected (e.g. clips, tracks, filters, etc.).
Most things are selected by clicking on them, and they'll get a red outline (or some other similar effect) to indicate that they're selected. A short description of what's selected is always shown at the top of this properties panel.
If you want to deselect everything, the default keyboard shortcut is <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac>+D. Often, if you've selected something like a track or clip, pressing CTRL-A will select all related objects (but this only makes sense for certain types of object).
$end$
$projecttab$
<b>Projects Screen</b>
Click here to swap to the projects screen, where you can manage your projects and the material that they contain.
$end$
$edittab$
<b>Edit Screen</b>
Click here to show the editing screen for this edit.
$end$
$undoredo$
<b>Undo/Redo</b>
Tracktion keeps a list of the operations done to an edit, and you can step back through them using these buttons, or the keyboard shortcuts (which default to <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac>+Z and <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac>+Y).
It would take up too much memory to keep an <i>unlimited</i> history of what's been done, but you can change the list size if you think it's currently too small (go to the settings-screen and click <b>miscellaneous</b>)
Note that once an edit has been closed (e.g. to open a different one), its undo history is erased. You can, however, keep a permanent checkpoint to which you can revert (see the pop-up help on the <b>save/revert</b> button for more info).
$end$
$mediaclip$
<b>Media Clip</b>
Click this row to select the clip and see more options and information about it.
Clips in a project are references to either an audio file or an edit; if it's an audio file, you can double-click to preview it; if it's an edit, double-clicking will open it for editing.
If a clip is selected, you can copy it to the clipboard by pressing <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac>+C, or by dragging it down to the clipboard component (bottom-right of the screen).
You can also drag the clips to different positions in the list, or if there's an edit open, dropping a clip onto the edit's tab (at the top of the screen) will paste it into that edit.
$end$
$mediasourcefile$
This is the source file to which this item refers.
If this filename is a fully-qualified (absolute) path (e.g. '<pc>c:\audio\myfile.wav</pc>/Users/dave/audio/xyz.wav<mac></mac>'), Tracktion simply looks for that filename;
If however the filename is a <i>relative</i> path (e.g. 'myfile.wav'), this is taken as being relative to the <b>project</b> directory. (Relative paths make it easier to move your material about on disk without breaking any links).
You can click the button at the right-hand-side of the filename to rename the file or choose a different file (but remember that making it point at a different file will affect all edits which use it).
$end$
$copyinexternalclipsbutton$
<b>Import External Files</b>
This will look through all the audio files used by the currently selected edit, and if it finds any that belong to another project, it will import these files into the current project, optionally updating the edit to refer to these newly imported clips.
No actual files will be copied, but this means that you'll be able to close or change other projects without affecting this edit.
$end$
$mediaobjcategory$
<b>Category</b>
Some clips can be assigned to a number of categories, which you can search for using the 'search category' button on the search panel.
$end$
$medialistheader$
$end$
$clippreviewwindow$
<b>Clip Preview Window</b>
Clicking and dragging in this window lets you play parts of the clip; you can also start/stop the playback by pressing the spacebar or double-clicking the clip's row in the project list above.
If you hold down SHIFT while dragging, you can select a region of the file; then when you copy it (<pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac>+C) to the clipboard and paste it into an edit, only this region is used.
$end$
$previewmarker$
This marks a point in the wave file that is useful in some way.
Drag it left/right to move it around, or drag it off the top or bottom of the window to delete it.
When moving through an edit using page up/down to jump between cut points, this will also jump to any markers it finds. Also, when dragging the cursor around an edit, you can hold down the <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> key to indicate make it snap to the nearest cut points, and this will also snap to markers.
If a clip contains just one marker, then when pasted into edits the clip will be positioned with its marker at the cursor position, rather than the start of the clip.
$end$
$previewmarkermaker$
Drag-and-drop this onto the waveform on the left to create a new marker.
$end$
$searchprojectbutton$
This lets you choose a subset of the loaded projects in which searches will be carried out.
$end$
$searchcategorybutton$
If any of the projects contain categorised sounds, this lets you perform a search within one of those categories.
$end$
$searchstartbutton$
<b>Keyword Search</b>
Enter one or more keywords in the text box above, and click the 'search' button to perform a search.
To choose which of the currently loaded projects you want to search within, click the 'select projects' button on the left.
As well as searching for the keywords you type in, Tracktion will also look for <i>related words</i>, e.g. plurals, synonyms, mis-spellings, etc.
Boolean expressions are also supported, e.g. "bang or crash" finds clips with either word in them; "bang and not crash" finds ones with 'bang' but not 'crash'; "bang crash" is the same as "bang and crash". You can also search for "all" to get a list of all clips in all projects.
$end$
$numbercontrol$
This control lets you enter a value directly by clicking on the text and typing into it. Press <i>return</i> to apply the new number you've typed, or press <i>escape</i> to undo your typing and reset it to the previous value.
Dragging the slider will also change the value - if you need to make fine adjustments, try holding down the CTRL key while dragging.
<b>Tip:</b> If you have a mouse wheel, this will also change the value when the mouse is over the control.
$end$
$slidercontrol$
Drag this slider to change the value - if you need to make fine adjustments, try holding down the CTRL key while dragging.
$end$
$timecodecomponent$
To edit a timecode, you can click on one of the digit fields and drag the mouse up/down to change that digit field.
Alternatively when you've clicked on a part of the timecode and it's highlighted in red, you can type directly into it - press either the return key or the escape key to commit or undo your typing.
$end$
$defaultwavebutton$
<b>Default Devices</b>
Clicking here will make this the default wave output device.
The default wave output device is the one that gets chosen to play audio previews, and is used for tracks whose output destination is set to 'default wave device' rather than a specific named device.
$end$
$defaultmidibutton$
<b>Default Devices</b>
Clicking here will make this the default midi output device.
The default midi output device is the one that gets chosen to play previews of midi files, and is used for tracks whose output destination is set to 'default midi device' rather than a specific named device.
$end$
$enabledevicebutton$
<b>Device Enable/Disable</b>
Click here to enable or disable this device.
You'll probably want to disable all the devices you rarely use, to make it easier to see which is which. Having less devices enabled also consumes less memory and CPU power.
This is particularly useful for input devices, as disabled inputs don't appear on the left-hand side of an edit, and this area is less cluttered. Output devices that are disabled don't appear in the 'destinations' list for tracks.
$end$
$previewvolumecontrol$
Click and drag this control to set the volume for previewing clips.
$end$
$projecttreeitem$
<b>Projects</b>
These are Tracktion projects that have been loaded.
<pc>Left-</pc>click on one of these to see a list of the clips and edits it contains.
<pc>right</pc><mac>ctrl</mac>-click on them to get more options.
<b>Tip:</b> you can also open a project file or import a tracktion archive file by dragging-and-dropping the file into this window.
$end$
$activeprojectsnode$
<b>Active Projects</b>
The active project list contains the projects you are actively working on.
Any projects that are being used as read-only resources, e.g. for sound effects, can be put in the <b>library projects</b> list to keep them out of the way.
You can <pc>right</pc><mac>ctrl</mac>-click on this folder to open or close active projects.
$end$
$libraryprojectsnode$
<b>Library Projects</b>
Library projects are projects that are used as a resource for searching, but which aren't being actively worked on.
<pc>Right</pc><mac>Ctrl</mac>-click here to add or remove library projects.
$end$
$inputdevice$
<b>Input Device</b>
This represents one of the available input devices you can use to make a new recording. Click on it to select it and get more options.
To make a recording from this device, drag it up/down (and to the right) so that its arrow points into the track you want to record into. (Devices that haven't got an arrow are inactive). Then hit the record button, and depending on the type of input this is, either an audio or midi clip will be recorded and added to that track.
$end$
$inputdevicepanel$
Dragging this area with the mouse lets you quickly scroll the tracks up and down - and <pc>right-button-dragging</pc><mac>CTRL + dragging</mac> resizes the tracks.
<i>Tip for users with mouse wheels:</i>
When the mouse is over this side of the screen (or over the filters on the right of the screen), you can use the mouse wheel to scroll the tracks up/down.
And if you hold down CTRL whilst wheeling, it'll zoom all the tracks vertically around the mouse position.
$end$
$newfiltergenerator$
<b>New Filter Generator</b>
This lets you insert new audio filters into tracks or clips, by dragging this icon over to wherever you want the new filter to go.
As you move over the track's filter area, red highlights will appear to show places that can accommodate a new filter; then when you let go of the mouse, a menu appears to let you choose which filter you want to insert.
Audio clips can also contain filters which apply just to the duration of that clip - just drag this tool onto a clip to add a filter.
$end$
$masteroutputdevices$
<b>Master Output Filters</b>
This shows the set of filters that will be applied to the mixed output of the whole edit before it goes to an output device.
You can drop filters onto it and drag them round just like track filters.
(If the edit is being sent to multiple output devices simultaneously, each device will have its own copy of this set of filters).
$end$
$midikeyboardpopup$
Shows the range of notes being displayed in the midi editor window.
To <b>scroll</b> this up and down, drag it with the left mouse button.
To <b>zoom</b> in and out, drag the buttons at the top or bottom of the keyboard.
If you have a mouse wheel, you can also <b>scroll</b> by moving the wheel whist the mouse is over this keyboard, or <b>zoom</b> by moving the wheel with the CTRL key held down.
Holding down <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> and clicking a key will select all the notes at that pitch. (You can then click again to deselect them).
<pc>right</pc><mac>CTRL</mac>-clicking the keyboard will pop up a menu with more options.
$end$
$midicontrollermutebutton$
$end$
$mergemidi$
<b>Merge Midi Clips</b>
This will take all the selected midi clips, and merge their midi data into a single clip, keeping all the note positions as they were.
The clips needn't be adjacent, and can be spread across more than one track.
Note that doing this will discard some of the clips' characteristics, such as their individual channel numbers.
$end$
$pitchchangeselectednotes$
This will apply a pitch change to the selected set of notes.
$end$
$loopline$
This line indicates the join between subsequent loops; drag it with the mouse to stretch the loop length, or hold down the CTRL key and drag to move the loop start position.
$end$
$fadeinoutdragger$
Drag this to change the length of the fade in/out on this clip.
$end$
$volumepanfilter$
<b>Volume and Pan Filter</b>
This built-in filter alters the volume and/or pan of the audio or midi signals passing through it.
Drag the rectangular area with the mouse to change the volume, or drag the white horizontal line to change the pan.
<b>Tip:</b> If you hold down CTRL when you start dragging the panning, you can change both the pan and volume simultaneously.
<b>Tip:</b> To drag the filter to another position, you can pick it up by clicking on the very edge of the filter.
$end$
$genericfilter$
<b>Filter</b>
Existing filters can be dragged onto other tracks and positions in the same way the 'new filter' tool is used.
Create new filters with the <i>new filter generator</i> tool at the top-right of the screen.
<b>Tip:</b> when a filter is selected, you can use the ALT + cursor keys to move the selection to adjacent filters.
$end$
$vstfilter$
<b>VST Filter</b>
This is a VST plug-in filter; click on it to select it and edit its settings.
Existing filters can be dragged onto other tracks and positions. Holding down <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> before dragging a filter will create a copy of it.
$end$
$levelmeterfilter$
<b>Level Meter Filter</b>
This filter monitors the level of signals passing through it.
When an input signal peaks over 0 dB, red warning bars will appear at the top of the filter, and these remain visible until you reset them by clicking on the meter.
You can use as many level meters as you need to see the levels at various points in a chain of filters. Selecting a level meter filter provides a bigger levels display and more options.
$end$
$equaliserfilter$
<b>4-Band Equaliser Filter</b>
This is a 4-band parametric equaliser; select it to edit its settings.
$end$
$equaliserpoint$
Drag the centre of this circle to move the equaliser parameter.
To change the cut-off sharpness, drag the outer area of the circle.
To reset this parameter, drag it off the top or bottom of the window.
$end$
$tracktionsampler$
<b>Sampler</b>
The sampler is a soft-synth that allows a set of audio files to be triggered by midi events.
$end$
$samplerrootnote$
<b>Root Note</b>
This indicates the key for which the currently selected sample will be played back at its original speed.
To change it, drag this triangle left and right.
$end$
$samplerrange$
<b>Sampled note range</b>
This shows the range of notes over which the <i>currently selected</i> sample is active. A single key can trigger multiple samples if their ranges overlap.
Drag either the left or right ends to alter this range.
$end$
$sampleraddbutton$
Click here to browse for audio files to use as samples. Any files you choose will also be imported into the project.
<b>Tip:</b> You can also add files to the sample list by dragging-and-dropping them from a Windows explorer box.
<b>Tip:</b> Another way to add samples is by copying clips from a project or edit to the Tracktion clipboard, then pasting (<pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac>+C) them into the sampler.
$end$
$samplerremovebutton$
Click here to remove the currently selected sample from the list.
$end$
$sampleropenended$
Turning this on means that each time the sample is played, it is allowed to carry on playing without being cut off by either a midi note-up event or the same key being played again.
Be careful when using this with long samples, as it'll quickly use up all the available voices!
$end$
$samplergain$
<b>Volume</b>
This is the extra volume to apply to the <i>currently selected</i> sample.
(Double-click to reset the volume to 0 dB).
$end$
$samplerpan$
<b>Pan</b>
This is the panning to use for the <i>currently selected</i> sample.
(Double-click to reset the panning to the centre).
$end$
$samplerwaveform$
<b>Sample Preview</b>
This shows the section of the waveform that the currently selected sample will play.
To trim the start and length of this section, you can click and drag the ends of the waveform to the left and right.
$end$
$cpumeter$
<b>CPU Meter</b>
This bar indicates how much of the computer's available CPU is being used for audio playback; the more filters and tracks an edit contains, the more CPU power is needed to play it back without glitching.
If this bar starts to reach levels over 90%, you could try freezing or muting some tracks to make it less demanding.
$end$
$timecodemenu$
<b>Timecode</b>
You can choose whether to view your edit in terms of bars/beats, or minutes/seconds.
Changing between different timecode types won't actually alter the edit's contents, but when changing the tempo, you can optionally adjust the speed of all the clips in the edit to reflect this change.
$end$
$mastervolume$
<b>Master Volume</b>
This is the master volume applied to all output devices (both audio and midi). Click and drag it to change the volume, in the same way as any other volume control filter.
Click to select the master volume and get extra options for setting the levels, etc.
$end$
$tempodisplay$
This shows the edit's current tempo and time-signature. Click on it to change these settings.
$end$
$track$
<b>Track</b>
Click on this track to select it (you can hold down <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> when clicking to multiply-select tracks).
To resize a track, drag the area just below it; you can also double-click a track to make it bigger or smaller.
If you have a mouse with a wheel, you can hold down CTRL and move the wheel to resize all the tracks, centring them around where the mouse is.
$end$
$trackadvance$
<b>Track Advance</b>
The contents of individual tracks can be played slightly earlier than the other tracks, in order to compensate for delays that are introduced later in the track's signal path, e.g. by filters, external midi devices, etc.
If 'auto-advance' is selected, the track will be advanced by the sum of all the delay times for its filters (which may be 0 ms, as not all filters introduce a delay). Manually entering a time in the 'advance' box will override this.
$end$
$trackoutputselector$
<b>Track Destination</b>
The output of each track can be directed to either:
an <b>audio output device</b>, either a specifically named device, or just the 'default audio output', which can be set on the <i>devices screen</i>. If a track goes to an audio output, any midi clips in the track will be inaudible (unless you're using a soft-synth filter in the track to render this midi data into audio);
a <b>midi output device</b>, which can likewise be set to 'default midi output'. Any non-midi clips in the track will be inaudible;
or <b>another track</b>, where the signal will be passed through that track's filters along with the track's own contents. This is useful if you want a group of tracks to all pass through the same filter chain - e.g. a set of midi tracks all sharing the same soft-synth.
Click on the left-hand-side of a row to select that device or track.
(Bear in mind that if you select output devices specifically by name, the track won't play back on other computers with different audio hardware. So for portability, it's best to stick to default devices).
$end$
$rendertrackbutton$
This will render the selected tracks, and it will then replace those tracks with the newly rendered version.
$end$
$insertnewclipintotrackbutton$
This lets you insert new, empty clips into the track.
Use it to create new midi clips for editing.
$end$
$trackresizer$
Drag here with the <pc>left</pc><mac>mouse</mac> button to resize this track vertically.
Drag with the <pc>right mouse button</pc><mac>CTRL or COMMAND key held down</mac> to resize all the tracks above it.
$end$
$muteandsolo$
Click on the <b>M</b> and <b>S</b> to toggle this track's <i>Mute</i> or <i>Solo</i> mode.
<pc>Right</pc><mac>CTRL</mac>-click on it for more options.
Tracks that are inaudible (either because they're muted, or because other tracks are soloed) are shown with a big red cross.
<b>Tip:</b> holding CTRL or SHIFT whilst clicking on a solo button will let you solo more than one track at once.
$end$
$timebar$
<b>TimeBar</b>
You can drag this with the left button to scroll left/right; holding down the SHIFT or ALT key when dragging will move the cursor position. When dragging the cursor, moving up and down will also zoom in and out.
Dragging with the <pc>right mouse button</pc><mac>CTRL key held down</mac> will 'stretch' the zoom level, keeping the cursor position constant. (Because this effectively stretches the distance between the mouse and the cursor, it'll only work if you don't start dragging too close to the cursor).
To insert a numbered marker at the current cursor position, press <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> + a number key (1 - 9); to jump to an existing marker, just press its number key.
$end$
$stripwindowbackground$
Clicking and dragging here with the left button will move the cursor around.
Hold down SHIFT while dragging to keep the cursor still and move the background.
Hold down <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> while dragging to snap the cursor to the nearest cutpoint.
Hold down ALT and drag to lasso multiple clips. (ALT + SHIFT adds to the current selection; ALT + <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> removes clips from the current selection).
Right-click and drag left/right to zoom in or out on the area between the cursor position and the mouse pointer (for this to work you have to click at least a couple of centimeters away from the cursor position).
$end$
$markinout$
<b>In/Out Markers</b>
Drag these markers around to set the mark in/out points.
You can also move the in or out point to the current cursor position by using the key shortcuts <b>I</b> and <b>O</b>.
$end$
$clipdraggerbar$
Drag this bar to move the selected clip's position and track.
If the <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> key is held down when you first click here, a new copy of the selected clips will be made.
Keeping <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> held down whilst actually dragging will turn snapping off (if it's turned on).
Holding down the SHIFT key will let you drag the clips up and down without affecting their start time.
$end$
$clipdragbuttonstart$
Dragging this button trims the start of the clip, without moving the clip's contents.
If <i>snapping</i> is turned on, holding down the CTRL key while dragging will temporarily turn snapping off.
If you hold down the ALT key before starting to drag this button, this will let you <i>stretch</i> the clip.
$end$
$clipdragbuttonstartandcontents$
Dragging this button moves the start of the clip, and also its contents.
If <i>snapping</i> is turned on, holding down the <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> key while dragging will temporarily turn snapping off.
If you hold down the ALT key before starting to drag this button, this will let you <i>stretch</i> the clip.
$end$
$clipdragmoveends$
Dragging this button trims the start and end of the clip without moving the clip's contents.
If <i>snapping</i> is turned on, holding down the <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> key while dragging will temporarily turn snapping off.
$end$
$clipdragslipping$
Dragging this button moves the clip's contents without affecting its start or end positions.
If <i>snapping</i> is turned on, holding down the <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> key while dragging will temporarily turn snapping off.
$end$
$clipdragbuttonendandcontents$
Dragging this button moves the end of the clip, and also its contents.
If <i>snapping</i> is turned on, holding down the <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> key while dragging will temporarily turn snapping off.
If you hold down the ALT key before starting to drag this button, this will let you <i>stretch</i> the clip.
$end$
$clipdragbuttonend$
Dragging this button trims the end of the clip, without moving the clip's contents.
If <i>snapping</i> is turned on, holding down the <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> key while dragging will temporarily turn snapping off.
If you hold down the ALT key before starting to drag this button, this will let you <i>stretch</i> the clip.
$end$
$clip$
<b>Clip</b>
An audio or midi clip - click on this to select it and get more options.
To select multiple clips, you can hold down <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> or SHIFT when selecting. You can also <i>lasso</i> a bunch of clips by holding down the ALT key and dragging with the left mouse button. (ALT + SHIFT adds to the current selection; ALT + <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac> removes clips from the current selection).
If clips overlap and one ends up hidden behind another, you can <pc>right</pc><mac>CTRL</mac>-click to get the clip's menu and choose 'bring obscured clips to front' (or use the key shortcut <b>B</b>).
<b>Tip:</b> double-clicking an <b>audio</b> clip will play a preview of just that clip, without any filters or other tracks.
<b>Tip:</b> double-clicking a <b>midi</b> clip will expand the clip for editing the midi notes.
<b>Tip:</b> using ALT + cursor up/down/left/right will select the clips adjacent to the currently selected one (and pressing ALT + SHIFT + cursor keys will multiple-select adjacent clips).
$end$
$multipletakesbutton$
This shows a list of the alternative takes that were recorded for this clip whilst using looped-record mode, and lets you choose which one to use.
$end$
$autosetmasterlevel$
This operation will scan the edit for peak levels, and then set the master level to be the maximum possible without clipping.
$end$
$biglevelmeter$
<b>Level Meter</b>
<pc>Right</pc><mac>CTRL</mac>-click this meter to change the type of reading it uses.
$end$
$setdelayspeedfromtempo
The delay speed can be calculated as a multiple of the length of a beat.
$end$
$setphaserfromtempo$
The phaser rate can be calculated as a multiple of the length of a beat.
$end$
$autocrossfade$
If two clips overlap, this will automatically set their fade in and out lengths so that the overlap becomes a crossfade.
$end$
$cliploopingbutton$
<b>Looping</b>
Looping a clip will cause it to repeat a section of its source file for the length of the clip.
Once looped, a clip can be trimmed to extend the number of loops, and the section which is looped can be modified using the divider lines which appear within the clip.
$end$
$recordsyncadjust$
<b>Record adjustment</b>
When playing and recording at the same time, there is a delay between audio being played out, and the same sounds coming back in. The length of this delay depends on factors including the latencies of the input and output devices used, and any other external devices that may be in the audio chain.
The 'time adjust' value is the time, in milliseconds, by which audio recorded through this input device should be shifted in order to compensate for the delay.
To help calculate this length for your current hardware set-up, click <b>auto-detect</b> to run a utility which will play a sound, and measure how long it takes for the sound to be re-recorded.
$end$
$splitclips$
This will chop any selected clips into two halves.
$end$
$copymarkedarea$
This will copy to the clipboard all the parts of any <i>selected</i> clips between the mark-in and mark-out points.
$end$
$deletemediaclipbutton$
This will delete this item from the project. Any clips in edits which refer to this will no longer be playable.
You can optionally delete the source file which it references, or just remove the item from the project without affecting any files.
$end$
$deletemediafiles$
This will delete the file to which this item refers.
$end$
$findreferencedmaterialbutton$
This will produce a list of all those items in the project which are referenced by this edit.
$end$
$createeditcopybutton$
$end$
$exporteditbutton$
Exporting an edit will create a new project, and new copies of any audio files required to play this edit correctly.
You can either produce a directory full of the new files, or a single <i>tracktion archive</i> file which contains the same data in a compressed format, and which can be decompressed by loading it back into Tracktion.
When making copies of the audio that the edit requires, it can either export all these files in their entirety, or can just export enough excerpts to replay the edit.
$end$
$importmediatoproject$
This lets you import audio files into the project, either from somewhere on a hard disk (in which case no copy is made of the files), or from an audio CD.
When on the edit screen, you can also import a wave file directly into your edit simply by dragging-and-dropping the file onto wherever you want it to go.
$end$
$findorphans$
This will create a list of all the clips within the project that are not used by any of the edits.
$end$
$freezetracks$
<b>Freezing Tracks</b>
If there are a lot of tracks in your edit, or if some of them use a lot of filters (and hence CPU), you can cut down on the resources required to play them by freezing some of the tracks that you're not currently working on.
When a set of tracks are frozen, they are rendered and mixed into a hidden wave file, so that subsequent playback will use almost no CPU power.
Doing this doesn't lose any information though, so at any time you can easily 'unfreeze' tracks to edit them.
$end$
$shrinkgrowtracks$
$end$
$normalisemidibutton$
If the speed setting of this clip is not 1.0, clicking this button will adjust all the note times so that they remain in their current positions, but setting the speed back to 1.0.
$end$
$insertprogramchange$
This lets you either:
- insert a midi program change message at the cursor position (if the cursor is within the extent of this clip)
- or remove any existing program changes from the clip and insert one at the start.
$end$
$setmidiinputprogramnum$
This lets you set the input program number from a list of named programs.
$end$
$midiinputchannum$
Setting this to a value other than 'any' will cause a channel number to be applied to all the messages that get recorded from this device.
If set to 'any', the channel numbers of incoming messages are left unchanged.
$end$
$midiinputprognum$
Setting this to a value other than 'none' will insert a program change message at the start of any midi that gets recorded through this input device.
$end$
$midiinputquantisebutton$
$end$
$midiinputmergeoption$
If this option is enabled, then midi messages that are recorded into a track will be merged into any midi clips that are already there.
If disabled, midi messages are recorded into new clips which are laid over any existing ones.
$end$
$quantiseselectednotes$
This will apply a quantisation to the currently selected midi notes.
$end$
$quantiseamount$
<b>Partial Quantise Control</b>
This lets you adjust the proportion by which notes are moved towards their quantised positions.
0% is completely un-quantised; 100% is completely quantised.
$end$
$midiouttimeadjust$
The timing of a midi output device can optionally be adjusted by a number of milliseconds, in case external devices have special latency requirements.
$end$
$etoewaveinputoption$
If this is enabled, this input device will continuously feed its input into any track it is 'plugged into'.
$end$
$waveinputlatency$
This value is the size of buffer you want to use when recording from this device.
The lower the value, the less latency there will be, but it becomes more difficult for the computer to keep up. If there are glitches, you could try using <b>realtime</b> mode (see the settings screen, under 'devices').
For reliable recording, it's probably best to keep this quite high (50ms or more).
If you're doing simultaneous playback/recording, it's a good idea to re-test the synchronisation (with the 'auto-detect' button) after changing the latency.
$end$
$recordtriggerlevel$
<b>Triggered Recording</b>
If this value is set to a value greater than -INF, then when a recording is started, this device will wait for the input signal to reach this level before actually starting to record the audio.
$end$
$waveinputlevels$
This monitors the levels coming in through this device.
Right-click on it for more options.
$end$
$filenamepattern$
<b>New Filename Pattern</b>
This pattern defines the way Tracktion names new files that it makes when recording from this input device.
<pc>
The name can either be a normal path, e.g. "c:\myaudio\audiofile_", in which case tracktion will create files like "c:\myaudio\audiofile_1.wav", "c:\myaudio\audiofile_2.wav".
</pc><mac>
The name can either be a normal path, e.g. "/Users/dave/audio/audiofile_", in which case tracktion will create files like "/Users/dave/audio/audiofile_1.wav", "/Users/dave/audio/audiofile_2.wav".
</mac>
It can also contain the following special patterns:
<b>%projectdir%</b> - this is replaced by the current project's directory
<b>%edit%</b> - this is replaced by the name of the edit
<b>%track%</b> - this is replaced by the name of the track into which it's recording
<b>%date%</b> - replaced by the current date as DDMMMYYYY
<b>%time%</b> - replaced by the current time as HHMMSS
so for example "%projectdir%/newaudio_%edit%_%track%_%date%" might create files such as:
"/Users/dave/project1/newaudio_myedit_track 1_21Jul2003_2.wav" etc.
</mac>
$end$
$waveoutlatency$
This is the latency to use for this device.
Lower latencies make the audio output respond more quickly, which is good for things like playing soft-synthesizers with live midi input devices, but latencies are limited by the hardware device, and CPU speed.
If you set this to a low value and the output contains glitches or breaks up, try increasing the value until playback is ok.
<pc>For improving playback performance at low latencies, Tracktion also has an optional <b>realtime</b> mode (to turn this on, see the <i>devices</i> section of the settings screen). This is turned off by default as it may cause problems on some systems.</pc>
$end$
$waveoutdither$
<b>Dithering</b>
This will add dithering (very low-level noise) to the output signal for this device, which can lower the noise floor and improve the perceived quality.
..perceived by <i>some</i> people, that is, but not by me. I can't hear the difference. Maybe I need better speakers or ears or something. But believe me, it <i>does</i> actually do what it's supposed to. Probably best left turned off unless you've got super-hearing.
$end$
$cliphistory$
<b>Clip History</b>
Shows the original source of this clip, and the steps through which it has passed, such as being compressed and archived, etc.
$end$
$launchexternaleditor$
This lets you launch an external wave editor to manipulate this audio file.
$end$
$projectsourcefile$
This is the name of the file that this project is stored in.
$end$
$midichannelforclip$
This is the midi channel number that will be used for all midi events within this clip.
$end$
$showhidemidieditor$
This will expand or contract the clip's track height, so that the midi editor is made visible or invisible.
Any other method of stretching the track height will also show the midi editor.
$end$
$playbutton$
<b>Play</b>
This will start or stop the edit playing. (The key shortcut for this is the spacebar).
$end$
$recordbutton$
<b>Record</b>
This will start recording from any input devices that are 'plugged into' tracks.
$end$
$abortrecording$
This will stop the current recording and delete any material that has so far been recorded.
$end$
$restartrecording$
This will stop the current recording, delete any material that has so far been recorded, and start the recording again.
$end$
$looptogglebutton$
<b>Looped Playback</b>
If you have set the mark in and out points to be a distance apart, turning on looping will cause playback to continuously loop around this region.
%%turn looping on/off%%
$end$
$punchtogglebutton$
<b>Punch-in Recording</b>
To use punch-in recording, turn this on, put the cursor at a time before the mark-in position, and start recording.
A recording will only be made when the cursor reaches the mark-in point, and will stop after it reaches the mark-out point.
%%turn punch-in on/off%%
$end$
$clicktogglebutton$
<b>Click Track</b>
Turn this on to enable the click-track.
Click-track options are available from the <b>click track</b> button in the bottom-left region of the screen.
%%turn click track on/off%%
$end$
$snaptogglebutton$
<b>Snapping</b>
If snapping is turned on, then when dragging clips or midi notes, the times are snapped to the nearest whole interval of whatever time-signature and tempo is active.
The snap interval also depends on the current zoom level - to snap to a finer granularity, zoom in further.
%%turn snapping on/off%%
$end$
$masteroutputlevels$
<b>Master Output Levels</b>
These are the master levels showing the overall output from the edit.
When the signal exceeds the maximum value and clipping occurs, red warning bars appear at the top of the meter, and remain there until you reset them by clicking on the level-meter. Because this is the master level, clipping means that the output is being distorted, and you should lower the master volume.
Click here to get more options and see a more accurate level display.
$end$
$timestretchmode$
<b>Time-Stretching</b>
These options let you choose how the clip should be time-stretched:
"Quick" time-stretching uses a granular algorithm that works best for drums and non-pitched sounds. It also uses the least CPU.
The "Normal" and "Best" modes use a phase vocoder to correct the pitch, but use more CPU.
$end$
$searchformissingaudiobutton$
If a clip refers to a file that has been deleted or moved, this lets you search for a replacement file.
$end$
$fadeshape$
These buttons let you choose the shape to use for the fade in/out curves.
In general, convex curves are best for crossfading between clips, and concave curves are smoothest for fading into silence.
$end$
$audioclipchannelselector$
If a clip contains a stereo wave file, this allows you to either use both channels, or just the left or right channel alone.
$end$
$midinotemodebutton$
<b>Edit Notes Mode</b>
Enable this to edit the midi notes in the clip.
$end$
$midicontrollermodebutton$
<b>Edit Controllers Mode</b>
Click this to choose a type of midi controller to edit.
(In the menu, controllers shown in green are those which already appear somewhere in the clip, those in red aren't yet present).
When in controller-editing mode, the midi notes can't be edited - click the 'edit notes' button above to return to this mode.
N.B. before changing to 'note velocity' mode, a subset of notes can be selected, in which case only the velocities of these notes will be editable.
$end$
$keysbutton$
<b>Keyboard shortcuts</b>
This lets you view and change the assignment of keyboard shortcut keys.
It also includes a handy option to show a HTML version of the keystrokes so it can be printed out as a quick reference guide.
$end$
$createnewproject$
$end$
$openproject$
This lets you open a tracktion project (a .tracktion file), or a tracktion archive (a .trkarch file).
When opening an archive, you'll need to specify a directory into which it is first decompressed.
<b>Tip:</b> You can open a project or archive file by dragging-and-dropping the file into this window.
$end$
$saveeditbutton$
Options to let you save the current edit, or throw away your changes and revert to the state it was in when last saved.
$end$
$exporteditbutton$
<b>Export and Rendering</b>
This provides options for rendering the edit into a single audio or midi file, or for creating an archive containing the complete state of the edit.
$end$
$clipboard$
<b>Clipboard</b>
This shows the items that are currently on the clipboard.
You can copy clips to the clipboard by dragging them down onto this panel, (or of course by using <pc>CTRL</pc><mac>COMMAND</mac>+C). This panel also shows other types of item that may be on the clipboard, such as filters, tracks, etc.
<pc>Right</pc><mac>CTRL</mac>-click an item for more options, including removing an item, or clearing the clipboard.
$end$
$restorefilterpresetbutton$
<b>Filter Presets</b>
Click here to restore a previously created filter preset.
Filter presets are stored as part of your user preferences (which can be imported and exported from the 'miscellaneous' section of the settings screen).
$end$
$addfilterpresetbutton$
<b>Filter Presets</b>
Click here to save this filter's current settings as a new preset.
You can either choose to overwrite one of the existing presets with these new settings, or create a new preset.
Filter presets are stored as part of your user preferences (which can be imported and exported from the 'miscellaneous' section of the settings screen).
$end$
$deletefilterpresetbutton$
<b>Filter Presets</b>
Click here to delete an existing preset.
Filter presets are stored as part of your user preferences (which can be imported and exported from the 'miscellaneous' section of the settings screen).
$end$
$loadusersettings$
<b>User Settings</b>
User settings include things like current keyboard mappings and filter presets.
They can be imported or exported to copy settings between different Tracktion installations.
$end$
$saveusersettings$
<b>User Settings</b>
User settings include things like current keyboard mappings and filter presets.
They can be imported or exported to copy settings between different Tracktion installations.
$end$
$exportprojectbutton$
This lets you copy a project, and all the audio files needed to recreate the project.
It can either create a directory full of the necessary files, or a compressed Tracktion archive file.
$end$
$waveoutchannel$
This lets you select which of the output card's channels to play through (if it has more than one stereo pair).
$end$
$settingsrealtime$
Realtime mode will make Tracktion the highest priority task running on the computer, which will probably help to reduce the minimum latency possible.
The most serious problem with realtime mode is that some VST plugins can freeze the operating system when you click on their interfaces. (This is caused by the way the plugins' interface code is written, and there's nothing Tracktion can do to fix the problem!)
It can also cause less dangerous side effects such as making the computer unresponsive when the CPU load is high.
Best way to find out if it works well on your PC is to try it.
$end$
$etoeinstop$
<b>End-to-End</b>
If enabled, this means that all the filters in your edit will keep playing even when in stop mode.
This lets you play soft-synths, listen to live inputs going through effects, etc., but in edits that use a lot of CPU power, it can slow down editing operations.
$end$
$scrolltogglebutton$
<b>Scrolling</b>
If enabled, this will smoothly scroll the user interface to follow the cursor while playing.
If turned off, the display will move along a screenful at a time. This is more efficient if the CPU is being heavily used.
$end$
$overallposcomponent$
<b>Overall Position</b>
Shows the proportion of the whole edit that's currently visible on-screen.
Click and drag this left/right to scroll to another part of the edit.
$end$
$rewirechannel$
<b>ReWire</b>
This selects which of the output channels from this ReWire device should be played.
$end$
$rewiremidiin$
<b>ReWire</b>
ReWire devices can have multiple input buses, each of which can have multiple sub-channels - this lets you select which of these bus/channel combinations to use as the target for midi events being sent into the filter.
$end$
$vstpath$
<b>VST Plugin Searchpath</b>
This is the list of directories that will be searched for VST plugins. Sub-directories will also be searched, and the directory structure will appear on the filters panel when adding new filters.
To alter one of the directories in the list, double-click its row.
$end$
$addnoise$
<b>Anti-Denormalisation Noise</b>
If enabled, this will add a small (about -500dB) amount of noise to the signal path, to counteract 'denormalisation' problems with Pentium 4 CPUs.
Denormalisation can cause playback to stutter and overload the CPU, and happens when some plugins use numbers which are too small to be calculated correctly.
Most modern plugins won't suffer from this problem, and AMD and Pentium 3 CPUs are less badly affected.
$end$
$automationcurve$
<b>Automation Curve</b>
This curve controls the way one of the parameters of a filter changes through the course of the edit.
To select the parameter and see its properties, just click anywhere on the curve.
To add a point to the curve, simply click at a point along the curve and drag the new point to wherever you want it to be.
To move a point, click and drag it. When dragging a point, you can also hold down the CTRL<mac> or COMMAND</mac> key which will allow you to move the point over its neighbours. Holding down SHIFT while dragging a point will also move all the points that follow it.
To delete a point, double-click it, (or drag it very close to a neighbouring point).
$end$
$automationread$
<b>Automation Read Mode</b>
This shows whether automated parameter movements will be played back when playing the edit.
$end$
$automationwrite$
<b>Automation Write Mode</b>
This controls whether the live movements of automatable filter parameters will be recorded while playing the edit.
To record the movements of one or more parameters:
1. Use this button to enable write mode (or press the key shortcut for it).
2. Start playing or recording the edit.
3. Start changing the parameters you want to automate - Tracktion will use the first movement as a trigger to start recording, and this button will flash to let you know automation is being recorded.
4. When you want to stop recording, either stop playback or press this button to punch-out. There is also a 'punch-out-to-end' option (click on the automation options button, bottom-left of the screen, or press its shortcut key)
Using 'punch-out' will stop any active parameters from recording and merge the newly recorded movements into the existing curve for that parameter without stopping playback.
Using 'punch-out-to-end' will do the same, but when it merges the recorded movements into the existing curve, it deletes all the curve data that occur after the punch-out position - effectively leaving the parameter set to the value it had when you punched out.
Both punch-out and punch-out-to-end have key shortcuts.
$end$
$automationbutton$
<b>Track Automation Selector</b>
This button selects which automatable parameter curve to display on this track.
Click it to choose from a list of available parameters.
You can also drag-and-drop this onto a filter and then choose from a list of that filter's parameters. (Filters that are suitable for automation will change colour as you drag it over them).
Also, if the parameter you want to edit is on-screen (e.g. one of the sliders in a filter's properties panel), you can drag-and-drop directly onto that parameter.
To automate the master volume or pan, drag-and-drop onto the master volume control.
$end$
$tempobar$
<b>Tempo</b>
This bar shows all the tempos and time signatures set in the edit.
Click here to select a section so you can change the settings at that point.
To insert a tempo change, move the cursor to the position you want the change to occur and select "insert tempo change at cursor" from the tempo menu (bottom-left).
$end$
$rampedtempo$
<b>Tempo Ramping</b>
If this is enabled, the tempo will gradually change over the length of this tempo section into the tempo that follows it.
$end$
$inserttempo$
This will insert a break in the tempo sequence at the cursor position, creating a new tempo section which you can then edit.
$end$
$showhideracks$
<b>Shows or hides rack filters</b>
This will show or hide the rack filter editor section.
$end$
$showhidefilters$
Shows or hides the filter section of the edit.
$end$
$showhideinputs$
Shows or hides the inputs area.
$end$
$pertrackinput$
<b>Input device</b>
This shows which input will be used to record into this track.
Click it to change the input device it's using or access other options; click on the "R" button to arm or disarm recording for this track.
Clicking a device will also select the device and let you change various properties.
To use draggable input devices instead, turn off the "per-track input devices" option on the 'options' menu (bottom-left of the screen).
$end$
$rackconnectionnode$
<b>Input/output node</b>
Each available input or output channel on a filter is shown as a node. Click-and-drag from one node onto another one to create a new connection between them.
$end$
$rackfilter$
<b>Filter</b>
You can drag these filters around to reposition them - and dragging them off the edge of the rack lets you move them onto another rack or track.
$end$
$rackeditor$
<b>Rack filter editor</b>
Drag-and-drop filters into this area to add them to the rack.
Clicking here will select the rack and let you access its properties.
$end$
$midivelbutton$
Shows or hides the midi note velocity editor.
$end$
$midicontrollerbutton$
Shows or hides the midi controller editor.
$end$
$midipencil$
<b>Midi Pencil Tool</b>
Use this tool to create new notes or draw freehand controller curves.
It can also be used to drag or change the length of existing notes, and to change note velocities.
$end$
$midieraser$
<b>Midi Eraser Tool</b>
Use this to delete notes or controller events.
$end$
$midiselect$
<b>Midi Selection Tool</b>
This tool can be used to select or lassoo multiple notes, and also to move the selected notes around.
$end$
$midilinetool$
<b>Midi Line Tool</b>
This can be used to draw straight lines of notes, controllers, or note velocities.
$end$
$notevelbutton$
<b>Note Velocity</b>
This is the velocity that will be used when a new note is added with the pencil tool.
Click here to change the velocity. If any notes are selected when you change this value, their velocities will be changed to reflect this.
Selecting a note will also update this value to reflect that note's velocity.
$end$
$notelengthbutton$
<b>Note Length</b>
This is the length that will be used when a new note is added with the pencil tool.
Click here to change the length. If any notes are selected when you change this value, their lengths will be changed to reflect the new value.
Selecting a note will also update this value to reflect that note's length.
$end$
$midieditorcolour$
<b>Note Colour</b>
This is the colour that will be used when a new note is added with the pencil tool.
Click here to change the colour. If any notes are selected when you change this value, their colours will be changed to reflect the new value.
Selecting a note will also update this value to reflect that note's colour.
