Is it possible to use the Channel Strip with grouped tracks?

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Robert Randolph
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Is it possible to use the Channel Strip with grouped tracks?

Post by Robert Randolph »

It appears that to use the Channel Strip on a track that is in a group, you need to "Suspend Track Grouping" first, or you need to use a custom group type with 'Selection' off.

I have some relatively complex nested edit groups (with selection on) in a large project, and often I want to make quick changes. It seems like the channel strip is the intended function for this, but having to hit the "Suspend Track Grouping" hotkey before and after selecting a track seems cumbersome.

I've spent around an hour looking in the manual, and I'm not even sure exactly what I'm looking for, so I'm not finding much. Are there any other ways around this? Maybe a different workflow?
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Shooshie
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Re: Is it possible to use the Channel Strip with grouped tra

Post by Shooshie »

I'm not even sure how "nested groups" would work, though I guess it depends on what attributes you select to group in each layer. Seems that any move you made in a lower layer would change the upper layers, too.

As for using a channel strip for a track that's grouped, I can only guess that it would alter the group as if it were the mixing board, but you just wouldn't see the other tracks moving. I don't know of a fix for that. Or maybe if you show one grouped track in the channel strip, it shows all of them. I just haven't used it enough to know that. (My Mixing Board is always open, full screen, in desktop #2 of Spaces)

You could give the "suspend track groups" command a MIDI binding and use a pedal for it. That might be easier than reaching for the keyboard each time, but then it uses up an entire pedal for that. You wouldn't be able to use the pedal for anything else.

I don't know. Track groups existed from the beginning. The channel strip was added only when Consolidated Windows were added. I'd have to check my records to figure out when that happened. I don't think they revised the track grouping algorithms for that. The channel strip is more of a convenience for saving screen real-estate, where the mixing board is the real feature. I know that absolutely does not help you out, as I suppose I'm just restating the obvious.

Shooshie
|l| OS X 10.12.6 |l| DP 10.0 |l| 2.4 GHz 12-Core MacPro Mid-2012 |l| 40GB RAM |l| Mach5.3 |l| Waves 9.x |l| Altiverb |l| Ivory 2 New York Steinway |l| Wallander WIVI 2.30 Winds, Brass, Saxes |l| Garritan Aria |l| VSL 5.3.1 and VSL Pro 2.3.1 |l| Yamaha WX-5 MIDI Wind Controller |l| Roland FC-300 |l|
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Robert Randolph
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Re: Is it possible to use the Channel Strip with grouped tra

Post by Robert Randolph »

MIDI footpedal idea is a good one. I'll try that until/unless someone has another idea. Thanks!
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Robert Randolph
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Re: Is it possible to use the Channel Strip with grouped tra

Post by Robert Randolph »

So I found another workflow to use as well.

I turn OFF selection in my custom groups, then when I want to work with a specific group, I option-left click it in the track selector. This selects only the tracks in the group of the track that is option-clicked. Then I can simply use the various commands to work on everything shown. (w and cmd-a mostly).

This allows me to select grouped tracks easily for use in the channel strip, but still allows me to be able to work on a track group as its own 'single-entity' when required.

A second question based on this workflow, is there a quick way to re-enable all tracks in the track selector? Option-click shows only what you clicked, and Cmd shows everything but what you clicked. The best I've figured out is to Cmd-click then click again, or create a dummy track to cmd-click.
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Shooshie
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Re: Is it possible to use the Channel Strip with grouped tra

Post by Shooshie »

Robert Randolph wrote:So I found another workflow to use as well.

I turn OFF selection in my custom groups, then when I want to work with a specific group, I option-left click it in the track selector. This selects only the tracks in the group of the track that is option-clicked. Then I can simply use the various commands to work on everything shown. (w and cmd-a mostly).

This allows me to select grouped tracks easily for use in the channel strip, but still allows me to be able to work on a track group as its own 'single-entity' when required.
Excellent!

Robert Randolph wrote:A second question based on this workflow, is there a quick way to re-enable all tracks in the track selector? Option-click shows only what you clicked, and Cmd shows everything but what you clicked. The best I've figured out is to Cmd-click then click again, or create a dummy track to cmd-click.
That's what I do. [bold faced in your quote]

Shooshie
|l| OS X 10.12.6 |l| DP 10.0 |l| 2.4 GHz 12-Core MacPro Mid-2012 |l| 40GB RAM |l| Mach5.3 |l| Waves 9.x |l| Altiverb |l| Ivory 2 New York Steinway |l| Wallander WIVI 2.30 Winds, Brass, Saxes |l| Garritan Aria |l| VSL 5.3.1 and VSL Pro 2.3.1 |l| Yamaha WX-5 MIDI Wind Controller |l| Roland FC-300 |l|
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