The Digital Performer Tips Sheet

Discussion of Digital Performer use, optimization, tips and techniques on MacOS.

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Shooshie
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The Digital Performer Tips Sheet

Post by Shooshie »

Links repaired 11/11/11. Please report broken links to Shooshie. Last Update October 24, 2015
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Go to Abbreviations Glossary
Go to Automation Control Points and Controllers Tutorial
Go to Controller Selection Tutorial

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=Digital Performer Tips=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


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Gleaned from the collective wisdom of the folks at MOTU Nation Forum


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If this is your first time to read the tips, please take a moment to visit the copyright info (basically conditional freeware) and the disclaimer (don't hold us responsible, etc).


INTRODUCTION
It started with a thread in the Digital Performer forum at MOTUNation: Topic: Share your favorite DP tip! Or, things you wish someone had told you about without having to learn the hard way. Here, I have attempted to group the tips for easier reference, and I've mentioned the name of the tipster only in italics at the end of each tip. It's important that people be recognized for their contributions, but the most important thing here is that the tips are easy to find and easy to use. Tips that I've added here that do not appear in the original forum thread are credited to [Editor]. (That would be me: Shooshie) Much work remains to organize the tips better, a daunting task which may never happen, given the nature of this growing list. Not to worry, let's keep adding those tips! Thanks to all at Unicornation who contributed to this thread and made it possible! If your name doesn't appear, and you think it should, please write me and tell me. Sometimes two people reported the same tip. Anyway, THANKS TO EVERYONE! MOTUNation is a great group of people!
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THE TIPS
[Editor's Note: These tips are not guaranteed. In fact, nobody can be sure that they cannot destroy your computer and burn down your house. We're assuming you can surmise the risks yourself. Read the disclaimer at the end of the file before attempting any tips. Your decision to try these tips will be considered proof of your willingness to accept responsibility for whatever happens! We know you know what we mean, but we gotta say it, anyway, because people say there are people out there who would do bad things to all of us if they could hold us legally responsible for their own problems, which they cannot, since they're using tips that are not guaranteed to work, and about which they have been duly warned. That said, we hope you enjoy what you learn here, and that you won't use it to burn down anyone's house. Please. Ok? Fine.]



Category: General Usage
Common Problems that Happen to Everyone Sooner or Later
Works in: Commands Window, View Filter

1) The Problem: MIDI Note Won't Play / The MIDI MASTERS or COMMANDS Muting MIDI EVENTS
• A MIDI note quits working. Just one note. Oddly, as you play a scale on your MIDI keyboard, that note simply does not sound. You know it’s getting MIDI, because you can see a MIDI event for the note if you check in a shareware app called MIDI Monitor, but the note does not go through DP. That’s a pretty good sign that DP has begun using that note to toggle one of your MIDI Masters or another command.
• MIDI Masters turn on a set of commands that you normally would leave turned off, but now you want to use them for some form of remote control, activating commands from the COMMANDS window (or switching them off) which give you control through MIDI notes or other events. It may also utilize keyboard commands.
• Please look up MIDI Masters in the DP Manual’s index to better understand how they work and what they do. They are powerful, desirable controls, but when you accidentally invoke them without knowing what’s going on, it can send you on many wild goose chases trying to figure out what has happened to your MIDI keyboard and/or computer keyboard.
• Sometimes the merging of keyboard bindings in a new version of DP will cause this to happen.

Example
For example, F#2 may be designated to toggle on/off the MIDI Master. If that is the case, F#2 will not sound when played from the keyboard [or other designated MIDI controller]. It will still play back fine from a MIDI track, but not from the device originally programmed to toggle the Master.

How to fix the problem:
• Open the Commands Window [SHIFT-L]. Go to the MIDI Master. See if there is a MIDI keyboard binding for F#2 (or whatever note is not working)
• If that is not the case, you will need to locate where the F#2 has been inserted as a command. The Commands window will not directly search for keys used in commands, but you can find it indirectly by typing that key or MIDI note into a vacant command in the Commands Window. If it is already being used somewhere else, DP will give you an alert dialog that asks you if you are sure you want to use the key [note], because it is already being used in… [other commands]. Then you go to those commands and remove the key binding from it. Select it and type “Delete” (Backspace) to vacate the field.
• If one of your Masters has been inadvertently switched on, other MIDI events may also be muted. You may not want to delete them all from the Commands Window. Just turn off the Master. See if there is a key set to toggle it on and off, and either change it to something you won’t hit accidentally, or delete it and work the master directly through the Commands Window.


2) The Problem: DISAPPEARING DATA
• Suddenly your data is missing. You can play it, but you cannot see it. You have opened every window possible, but all your MIDI (or other data) is gone.
How to fix the problem:
• Open the View Filter.
• At the bottom right you will see “Set All” and “Clear.”
• Click “Set All” and your data will be visible again. (check to make sure that all appropriate boxes are checked before closing the dialog box.

Why does this happen? If you accidentally click COMMAND-F, you will open the View Filter. The next step you make will determine whether your data will “disappear” or not. It’s very easy to hit “Clear,” thinking you’ve hit “done” or “ok” to dismiss the dialog. Sooner or later, this one bites everyone, so it’s good to know what to do when it happens. The best thing to do when the View Filter appears by accident is to hit COMMAND-W, which closes the filter’s window without invoking any commands.
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The Editors
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Category: Computers 101
Tip Number One: BACKUP
Works: everywhere
Make reliable backups of all data before attempting any shortcut or procedure in this document. It's a good habit, no matter your intents and purposes. Learn from the DP manual what to look for in the folder of a saved project, and back up all of it. You will probably need to use your backups at some time in your career with Digital Performer, though most users can vouch for the fact that it is rare, and that DP is a very stable application. That does not excuse the need for a reliable backup to good CD, DVD, or hard drive media.

Audio should be saved as-is, and not converted into other forms for archiving. Nor should audio files be compressed for archiving.

It has been said by Apple "geniuses" that backups to CD or DVD should be burned at a slow speed to increase the reliability and durability of the discs, the argument being that the longer the laser is in contact with the media substrate, the more defined will be the holes it burns in that substrate, and the lower the chance for error or abnormal deterioration. I repeat that here for your consideration, but I cannot vouch for its accuracy. I treat it as the truth, myself.

In addition to restoring the documents later, it is also possible to restore portions of a Digital Performer document by using the "Load" command under the FILE menu. From this dialog, one can copy chunks, songs, soundbites, effects settings, and many other parameters, loading them into a new file as desired.

DP 7.x gives you options for AutoSave. You may save your file at selected intervals, and/or you may create a backup file at those same intervals. Personally, I save backups and leave my active file unsaved until I specify it. That may not be the best way for you to work, but I mention it merely for your consideration.

Other backup options these days include USB flash drives, some of which may hold many gigabytes in a physical space about the size of a fingernail. Also, hard drives are cheap. Especially the little portable drives with names like "WD Passport" or "Seagate GoFlex". These can hold enormous amounts of data in not much larger than an iPhone.

One of the best backup options available to Mac users is Time Machine. Consult your Mac documentation, learn what to exclude, turn it off (or exclude undesired drives ) before booting drives you do not want to backup, and get familiar with how it works. What you will find is that when used properly, especially with a huge hard drive that won't run out of space soon, Time Machine may be the simplest, easiest to use backup solution ever created. (Also puts on a great show, but it's very functional and non-intrusive.) It's very reliable if you follow the instructions, and it has saved me many times.

There are those who say "backing up" means multiple rotating backups. While Time Machine will not automatically produce these, it is possible to do such backups in Time Machine by selecting another backup disk. Or you can manually drag files to a 3rd disk, 4th disk, etc. every week or month and let Time Machine do the incremental stuff. Find the way that guarantees your data will be safe, and keep copies off-site.
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Shooshie
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Category: MIXING
Automation when Mixing
Works in: Mixing Board, Sequence Window
Turn off the automation prefs under the setup window called 'effects parameter' before every mix and/or turn off the automation "write" button. When you are mixing in a DAW, it can be too easy to automate nearly everything. EQ's, mutes, pans, volumes, sends and everything else are subsequently automated if the write buttons are left on accidently when you are previewing any settings during playback. If you are panning or muting tracks just to hear how things sound, you can leave behind a trail of automation that can be ridiculously hard to clean up later. So, turn off the red automation record (write) button on all tracks, and only turn on the ones you actually want to write to. Be sure to set up your automation prefs so that you don't record automation you don't want.
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Timeline
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Category: MIXING
Automation
Snapshot Automation finishes out track settings
Works in: Sequence Editor and Mixing Board
Snapshots can set effects settings automation to the desired position all the way to the end of a track. Look up Snapshot, Automation in index of manual. Current at time of this writing (July, 2005), page 703.
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TheHopiWay
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Category: MIXING
Snapshot Automation for copying effects settings to another location
Works in: Sequence Editor and Mixing Board
Page 706 in manual. Follow instructions carefully and you can copy effects settings from one place to another by
1) position playback wiper where you want to copy automation settings,
2) globally disable automation
3) move to new location
4) globally enable automation
5) Be Careful: DO NOT MOVE wiper or budge Transport Counter at this point
6) take automation snapshot
7) snapshot will copy settings as they were in the original location, and apply them at the point where you took the snapshot (new location)
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[Editor]
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•••••••••••••••••••••GROUPS•••••••••••••••••••••
Grouping Tracks to perform simultaneous operations
[Editor's Note: if you have "Suspend Track Groups" selected under PROJECTS••”>MODIFY TRACK GROUPS, the following tips will not work. Deselect that option first. Also, you may need to change the grouping options to get all of (or only) the actions you desire in a group. To do this, see the tip on Changing Grouping Options.]
Category: Mixing
Category: Playback
Category: Setup
Category: Editing

Category: Setup:
•••••• Changing Grouping Options--Actions that affect groups
Works: all windows where groups can be used (Tracks Overview Window and Mixing Board, mainly)
When you use groups, you may find that the operations you wish to perform on all tracks in the group do not work, or that some operations you would like NOT to work. You can control what is affected in group actions. In the menu bar, select PROJECT••”>TRACK GROUPS. The Track Groups window will open. If you are using Consolidated Windows, it may take you a moment to see it. In the Track Groups mini-menu, pull down to SET TEMPORARY GROUP TYPE... A dialog box will open, and you can select the actions you want to perform en-masse. Pretty nifty, eh?
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Shooshie
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•••••• Temporary Grouping of ALL VISIBLE Tracks
Works in: Tracks Overview Window, Mixing Board, Sequence Editor (For some operations)
Double tap "w" for a group of all visible windows. Tap w once to un-group. This works in Tracks Overview Window, Sequence, Mix, and other windows. It works on all visible tracks. If you want to change the magnification of the audio soundbites in the Sequence Window, this grouping will affect all tracks with the action you perform on a single track. Play enable, record enable, volume sliders, pan pots, mutes, etc., all will be grouped by tapping "w w", and any action will affect all tracks until ungrouped with a single tap on "w". Warning: it also works on color. Changing one track's color will change ALL tracks to the same color when grouped with the "w w". That's not undoable. If you don't want color to be affected, deselect it by using the method in the Changing Group Options tip.

[Editor's Note: if you have "Suspend Track Groups" selected under PROJECTS••”>MODIFY TRACK GROUPS, the above tips will not work. Deselect that option first. Also, you may need to change the grouping options to get all of (or only) the actions you desire in a group. To do this, see the tip on Changing Grouping Options.]
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Kind Of Loud
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•••••• Changing Colors of a group of Selected Tracks
Works in: Tracks Overview Window, Mixing Board, Sequence Editor
Select any tracks you want (Shift-Click). Hold down the letter "t" while picking a color. All of the tracks you selected will change to that color. Sequence Editor: change colors by clicking to left of track name.
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666
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•••••• Create Groups, Change Takes on Multiple Tracks Simultaneously
Works in: Tracks Overview Window plus Mixing Board
To create groups for performing operations such as switching takes on several tracks at a time, for instance, when recording multiple tracks at once:
1) CONTROL-N in the mixing board,
2) click on the tracks you want to group.
3) Hit "RETURN."
4) A dialog box pops up, and you select the actions you want to operate as a group.
5) Choose "Switch Takes" in the dialog, and/or Create New Take, etc.
6) Go to the Tracks Overview Window and change a take, and all tracks in that group will change their takes.

To turn off groups, CONTROL-COMMAND-G, or do it through the Track Groups window (Project Window)
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musicarteca
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Categories: Setup, Mixing, Editing
•••••• Temporary Group from SELECTED TRACKS
Works: in any track with multiple tracks or track controls
I select the tracks and make a temporary group by hitting 'T' twice. Then changing a take in one will change all the others in the group. Hit 'T' once to cancel the temp group. Oh yeah, the Take stuff has to be enabled in 'Set Temp Group Type', which is in the mini menu of the Groups window (option-shift-g). Of course a regular group can be used too (command-shift-g).
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Tim
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Categories: Recording, Setup, Playback
•••••• Change I/O of Multiple Tracks Simultaneously
Works in: Tracks Overview Window
Highlight a bunch of track names in the Tracks Overview Window, hit OPTION-A and you can simultaneously change the inputs and outputs of multiple tracks all at once.
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TOD
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Category: Playback, Mixing.
••••••Group Fader Move keeping relative positions intact
Works: in mixing board window

OK, you're geting close to a mix, and everything's sounding good. You're fine-tuning your level on the the master fader prior to pulling in a compressor, but you're getting the odd clip light on the master fader. You need to locate the culprit/s, and adjust levels without altering their relative relationships within the mix.

The amazing 'W' trick!:
1. Hide all channels in the mixing console except the ones you want to temporarily group and tweak.
2. Hold down 'W".
3. Change the level of any of the faders, and they'll track as a group until you release the W.
[Editor's note: the linear relationship between the faders may not be consistent over larger moves, making this tip ideal for a tweak, but maybe not so much for a large adjustment without rebalancing. If you consistently are getting clips in your master fader, requiring large moves to fix them, consider mixing with stems (submixes) using Aux tracks, where you can have another level of control before the Master fader.
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chamelion
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•••••••••••••••••••••End of GROUPS•••••••••••••••••••••


Category: Navigation
OSX Zoom (Universal Access)
Works: Anywhere
Although it's not a DP short cut, the zoom in OSX is a useful feature. Open System Preferences/Universal Access/Turn On Zoom...Then it's Option/Command/+ to get right in there and Option/Command- to come back out.... Pretty awesome after tracking and knocking off 12/15 cold one's and want to do a little touch up and see things better!!
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Kind Of Loud
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Category: Navigation
Scrolling the Counter
Works: Counter in Control Panel
Scroll-wheel on the frame in the Transport for single-frame advance (works with seconds, minutes or hours too).
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dix
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Category: Navigation
Windows Open with Keystrokes/Menus
Works: Anywhere
If you're new you may not have discovered the nifty window commands listed under Project in the DP menu bar...

Shift-M (Brings up the Mixer)
Shift-S (Brings to the front the Sequence Editor)
Shift-T (Brings up the Tracks Overview Window)
Shift-B (Soundbites list)

etc..they all are listed with their shortcuts.
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Buzz Smith
=bz=

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Categories: Setup, Editing
Switches Are Continuous Data (graphic editor)
Works: Graphic Editing Windows
Some continuous controllers like to display as on/off switches, in the space between the MIDI editor and the velocity editor panels in the Graphic Editing Window. They appear in boxes with their number on them, and if you have a lot of them, they are hard to reach and hard to edit. (Controller 64--"sustain"--is an example)

In the Preferences window, go to Editing --> Continuous Data, and click the "Switches are continuous data" option. Now, Controller 64 and any other switches will appear in the lower panel with the velocity and other continuous data icons, and will display a colored range showing when they are "on."

Conversely, if it's already set that way, and you get tired of the colored ranges, you can set them back to switches and the colored areas will go away, the icons appearing in that strip between the upper and lower editing panels.
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Shooshie
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Categories: Setup, Editing, Mixing, Navigation
Navigating to Selection During Editing
Show Selection in Sequence Editor
Works: Tracks Overview Window, MIDI Edit Window, Drum Editor, QuickScribe Editor, Soundbites Editor
In the Navigation section, reassign the Command View Selection in Sequence Editor to a more accessible keystroke. Now, in the Tracks Overview window, highlight a track or section of tracks you'd like to edit more closely. Hit your newly assigned key. VOILA. Much easier than resizing and hiding/showing tracks all the time. [my default key combo is "Control-Command-E" ----Editor]
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amplidood
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Category: Setup
Mental States: too long on the job
Works: everywhere
When you can't tell difference between kick drum and a flute;
GO TO BED
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Hiddenstory
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••••••••••••CONTROL KEY TIPS••••••••••••
Category - MIDI Editing, Mixing
The PROPORTIONAL DRAG
"CONTROL-drag"
and other tricks accomplished with the CONTROL KEY
Works: MIDI Editor Window - Single or Multiple Tracks; Sequence Editor (appropriate layers)

The Control Key does many things in the MIDI Graphic Editing window:
First, Vertical and Horizontal Proportional Dragging:
1) •••••• CONTROL-Compressing MIDI Velocities

In the Control Point Lane at the bottom of the MIDI Editor, or in the Velocity or Control Point layers of the Sequence Editor, select your notes by dragging over the velocities. Grab the tallest "V" icon among the ones you selected. Hold down the CONTROL key for proportional dragging. Use the SHIFT key to contrain your movement only to the vertical. Drag up or down, and the entire selection will adjust proportionately, having the effect of compression or expansion of MIDI velocities.

Why is this useful?

Because when you change patches, almost invariably the response envelope will be different. In some patches, the "meat" of their dynamic response will be from about 10 to 30. Anything higher will not produce louder sound. In others, the working range may be 20 to 90. The Yamaha Disklavier, an actual MIDI'd grand piano, functions best between 30 and 98, with the average working range at 40 to 65. So, when you change patches, you have to adjust your velocities. You can do that with the Change Velocity plugin, but sometimes I prefer the visual of dragging the velocities, so I can see their relative loudness compared to other lines. This way, there is no guesswork.

Of course, it's also useful just to expand your dynamics. But that's obvious.

2) •••••• CONTROL-Rhythmic (Time) Augmentation and Diminution
As described above, select the notes or continuous data icons you want to change, proportionately to each other. Hold down the CONTROL KEY, and use the SHIFT KEY to constrain it to horizontal motion, only. Drag the Velocity/CC icons horizontally, and the notes/events will move proportionally in time, augmenting their relative attack times, while retaining the same note-lengths. This is functionally different from "Scale Time" because note lengths are not altered.

Useful applications:
1) fill up a predefined amount of space with an existing selection of notes or music.
2) altering large amounts of Continuous Controller data that needs to fit a certain space
3) Correcting rushed or dragged performance; you can quickly bring a rushed bar in time this way.
etc.

•••••• CONTROL-Change arpeggio to chord, starting at same time
You have a full-keyboard arpeggio, and you changed your mind. You need all the notes to start together. Select them, hold down CONTROL, then drag the attack (left end of the notebar) of one of the notes to the left or right. Dragging to the left will extend all notes toward the beginning of the bar, making them all start together. Dragging to the right will shorten all notes, making them start together with the last of the notes selected.

•••••• CONTROL-Extend arpeggio, chord (or any notes) so that all notes cut off simultaneously
Select the notes, hold down CONTROL, and drag the CUT-OFFS (right end of the notebars) to the right. All notes will now cut off together wherever you leave them.

This is useful for any group of notes (arpeggio or not) which need to release together. It's a quick fix for a ragged cutoff.
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Shooshie
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•••••• Change Takes on Multiple Tracks Simultaneously
Works in: Tracks Overview Window plus Mixing Board
To switch takes on several tracks at a time, for instance, when recording multiple tracks at once:
1) CONTROL-N in the mixing board,
2) click on the tracks you want to group.
3) Hit "RETURN."
4) A dialog box pops up, and you select the actions you want to operate as a group.
5) Choose "Switch Takes" in the dialog, and/or Create New Take, etc.
6) Go to the Tracks Overview Window and change a take, and all tracks in that group will change their takes.

To turn off groups, CONTROL-COMMAND-G, or do it through the Track Groups window (Project Window)
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musicarteca
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Category: Setup
Moving Tracks in the Tracks Overview Window
Moving Multiple Tracks
Moving Tracks to Top of a Column or Folder
Move Selected Tracks to be Together

Works in: Tracks Overview Window
• Move track(s) up or down: Select a tracks or multiple tracks. Hold down the CONTROL key and press "Page Up" or "Page Down" to move your selection up or down by one line in a list. If there are gaps between the selected tracks, the selection moves up or down WITH the gaps "preserved" in place.
• Move selected track(s) to top/bottom of list or folder. Hold down the CONTROL key and press "home" or "end". If there are gaps between selected tracks, the gaps are preserved.
• Move selected tracks to be together: After selecting non-contiguous tracks you want to bring together, press OPTION-CONTROL HOME. The tracks will become contiguous in the list, beneath the top-most track of the selection. (Gaps in selection are eliminated)

• These commands are undo-able.
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Shooshie
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Category: Navigation
Zoom Levels in Editor windows, using keyboard
Works in: Graphic Editors
Many of the zoom commands involve the Control key. You can set three zoom levels in the edit windows, then zoom to those levels with keyboard commands. See the Mini-Menus under "Zoom."
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Shooshie
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Category: Playback, Mixing, Editing
Playing a Selection
Works in all Graphic Editors and Tracks Window
Select a few notes in a track, or some notes from several tracks which you want to hear.
To play, press CONTROL-SPACEBAR to hear them in context with all play-enabled tracks.
Press OPTION-SPACEBAR to hear them alone, without any other notes except those that are selected.
_________________
Shooshie
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••••••••••••End of CONTROL KEY TIPS••••••••••••

Categories: Editing, Mixing, Playback
Smooth, Continuous Zooming
Works in: Windows with timelines
Control-click +mouse up/down in the time ruler for really fast and efficient zooming in and out. [Editor's Note: click exactly where the wiper "glass panel" is, on the upper part of the ruler. Wherever you Control Click, the Wiper will snap to that location if you're doing it right. Then up/down motion will create "continuous zoom." Also, scroll wheel works when mouse is over wiper glass.]

I was pretty excited when I figured that one out...
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Panopticon
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Category: Recording
Quick Punch-in, Punch out:
Works: any window in which you would normally record
If you are recording a difficult take where the musician/ singer has to go back to the same spot several times, the usual way is to set up the auto punch-in/out and the playback start time, but this takes some time to set up, so here is an accelerated way to do it:

••• Enable the "Link Selection to Memory" and "Memory Play" buttons on the selection tab on the control panel. Press the pre-roll an write the amount of measures (or beats) that you want to play before the punch in; and optionally, you can also write the post-roll amount. Make sure that the auto-record button is not depressed.

••• Now when you make a selection in the time ruler, it will automatically setup this range as the punch in/out range on the record enabled track(s). When you press record, the play will start a few measures before (determined by the pre-roll amount), and automatically punch-in/out to the selected range, if the musician makes a mistake, simply press record again and it will repeat the same procedure from the same place.

••• additional bonus: I programed the key number 2 to perform the command "extend selection to the end of the sequence", so lets say that I am recording a singer, and he makes a mistake, I stop recording, make a small selection at the time ruler right before the stopped and quickly press the keys 2 (extend selection to the end), and 3 (record), so it will play back some pre-roll time for the singer to prepare, and then continue recording from the selected spot. Very quick procedure.
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musicarteca
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Category: Setup
Opening VI or upper-most Effect
Works: Tracks Overview Window, Sequence Editor Window
1) Select a VI track and then press shift-F to open the VI from the tracks or sequence window.
2) If you select an audio track and press shift-F, it will open its upper-most plug-in.
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musicarteca
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Category: Mixing
eVerb Effects through flex-bussing
Works: Mixer
My trick isn't DP-specific, but works great with DP since DP allows for flexible aux bussing...

Two mono auxes in place of stereo auxes. For example, instead of plugging in a single, stereo eVerb in an aux buss, try using two mono auxes, panned hard left and right, with the same eVerb, but adjusted slightly differently. It can make for a more "spacious" sounding verb rather than a solid wash.

To add, try using subtle EQs and echoes with mono verb busses. Or stacking different verbs in an aux bus.
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heavypick
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Categories: Editing, Mixing
Left-Right Scrolling
Works in: all windows, more-or-less
I just discovered a great one! I have a scroll-wheel mouse. If I hold Shift and roll the wheel in Sequence view, it scrolls right and left. Yea!
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Aaron Lyon
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Category: Setup
Commands Window
Works in: Commands Window
Almost all actions in Digital Performer can be assigned keyboard commands (or change the defaults) via the Commands window. There are a bunch more grouping features available but the user has to enter his/her own keyboard commands. The Commands window is very useful but for some reason, I don't think many people ever even look at it.
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666
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Categories: Recording, Mixing, Editing, Playback
Navigation
Markers
Works: in all playback/editing windows
Clicking on a marker's name takes you to that marker. [Editor]


Category: Setup
Save Your Work
Works: Everywhere
My most useful DP tip••¦Command-S to save. Often!
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blue
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Category: Setup
Consolidated Windows
Annoying? Turn it off!
Does anyone else prefer not to use the consolidated window? my tip: turn that annoyance off in Prefs.
[Editor's Note: I included this because newcomers may not know that they can use independent windows.]
_________________
James Murphy
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Category- Mixing
Quickly display all tracks in Mixing Board
Works: in non-consolidated windows view. (Not in Consolidated Windows)
Press the option key while clicking the sequence name in the upper right corner of the mix window. You get a pull down from there instead of from the mini-menu.  
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Blue
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Category: Setup
Consolidated + Free Windows
Suggested Windows Configuration

Works: Recording, Editing, Mixing
I have mixed feelings about the Consolidated Windows and use it but in combination with other "free" windows. I keep the Sequence editor and Mixer window separate and leave the Tracks Overview Window in the CW. In the sidebar I keep the Performance window, Markers, Soundbites window and Undo History. When I need it, I open the Conductor track and the Audio Monitor in the left sidebar. Bottomline... my main windows, which are usually larger than the others, I keep separate and leave a visible corner at all times so I can access them with a click.  
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Splinter
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Category: Setup
The Consolidated Window
Suggested Windows Configuration

Works: Everywhere
I have about a dozen configurations of Consolidated Windows saved, which pop up at a keystroke.
Special Tip: use QuicKeys, which gives me more options for keystrokes even than DP.

Plus, I still have some configurations that use free windows, not Consolidated Windows. Just because it's turned on doesn't mean you have to use it all the time.

One thing I like most about Consolidated Windows is that I can go from chunk-to-chunk easily, just by enabling a new chunk, and will already have the exact same layout in front of me for that chunk. That was impossible before.

I switch between consolidated and free windows easily using Apple's Exposé, which I have configured for the left side of the keyboard, so that I don't have to move my hand from the mouse. Exposé rocks! So do Consolidated Windows and QuicKeys.
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Shooshie
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Category: Mixing
Category: Editing
View Selection in Sequence Editor
Works in: Tracks Overview Window, Event List, MIDI Editors, Quickscribe, Drum, and partially works in Soundbite Window
In the Commands Window, go to the Navigation section. The very last command in that group is "View Selection in Sequence Editor." Reassign the keystroke of that command to something that a human being could actually do on a regular basis. I personally use "S" for it, since I've never used the "Scrub" tool even once in my life. Now highlight a track or section of tracks in the Tracks Overview, and hit your new magic key. HAPPINESS!!!!

Editor's note: Default command is CONTROL-COMMAND-E
  _________________
amplidood
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HOT TIP!
Category: Mixing
Category: Playback
Category: Editing
••• Start Playback from Edit (instead of counter)
••• Play Selection
••• Play region within selection boundaries

Works in: All editing windows
If you are editing and want the playback to always start from the editing point instead of where the cursor is (a la Pro Tools), then in the Selection Tab on the main transport:
1) Enable Link Selection to Memory
2) Enable Memory Play
3) then click inside the soundbite that you want to edit with the letter "i" depressed.
Playback will start from that edit point.

[Editor's Note: with above settings, you can also just select anything, and playback will start and stop within the bounds of the selection. Add the Memory button, and it will loop. Of course, as always, as soon as you select a soundbite, DP plays the soundbite selection by itself.]
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musicarteca
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Category: Mixing
Category: Editing
Category: Recording
Consolidating Composite Takes
Works in: Tracks Overview Window
I comp takes very often and I find the following procedure to be very efficient and a fast way to work with, it favors working with several takes on one track instead of the usual "several takes expanded on several tracks" method.

1- On the sequence editor display only the track(s) that you want to comp.

2- Create a new empty take and name it Comp.

3- Divide the song with markers, and click on the first marker to select a region from that marker to the next, or select the region manually on the time ruler.

4- With the same region selected listen to every take. Use option-space bar to audition the selected region on each take and CONTROL-OPTION UP/DOWN ARROW to navigate through takes. Once you found the best one, copy it and paste it at the comp take.
[Editor's note: OPTION-SPACEBAR used to be CONTROL-SPACEBAR. It was changed because Spotlight in Tiger now uses CONTROL-SPACEBAR.]

5- Click the next marker and repeat the procedure for the next selected range.

6- Move the edges of the adjacent soundbites to fine tune the edit, and cross-fade at will. Soundbite's time integrity to the sequence is always maintained, so there is no need to move soundbites. (just their edges).

7- If you select a region that is OK, except for only one note, you can select that note from an different take (always in the time ruler), copy it and paste at the comp take.

8- Repeat until the end of the song.

I very much favor this procedure because:
1- It is very quick once you get use to it.
2- You let your ears be the guide instead of your eyes. Isn't it the way it is supposed to be?
3- It is the way to go if you want to comp several tracks at the same time, for example a multitrack drum set, or a complete band playing to a click track.
[Editor's Note: Combine the composite takes procedure with the "Play region within selection boundaries" tip above, for even faster workflow]
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musicarteca
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Categories: Setup, Playback, Mixing
Create a Meter Bridge [Obsolete Tip, good for versions up to 5.x]
Works in Mixing Board
In the Mixing Board mini-menu, hold down the option key and select "Level Meter." Your mixing board controls will all go away, leaving only the meters, forming a "Meter Bridge" to leave open while you're working in the Sequence Editor or Tracks Overview Window. It's something I can live without, but it's kind of cool.
    _________________
Shooshie
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Category: Setup
JOIN UNICORNATION
Works in: everything
 draudio2u
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Category: Setup
Move Mulitple Tracks Simultaneously
Works in: Tracks Overview Window
1. Select the tracks you want to move
2. Use Control-Page Up/Down to shift them all one place at a time
3, The real trick to making this quick is temporarily disabling "Lock layout to track order" in the Mixing Board mini-menu.
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amplidood
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Category: Setup
Moving Multiple Tracks Simultaneously
Move Selected Tracks to be Together

Works in: Tracks Overview Window
You can also move tracks to the top or bottom of the list by using "home" and "end" instead of "page up" and "page down" while holding down the CONTROL key. That gives you a little more flexibility when moving stuff around.
 
I don't know if they just added this in 4.6, but I noticed there is now a "move selected tracks to be together" command. After selecting the tracks you want to move, press OPTION-CONTROL HOME. This, with the other move commands, gives you total flexibility when shuttling tracks around in the tracks list. Awesome!
 _________________
blue
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Category: Playback
Category: Editing
Playback Wiper in Soundbites Window or Waveform Editor
Works in: Soundbites Window
You can click anywhere on a soundbite in the Soundbites Window or Waveform Editor, and you can see a moving green playback wiper showing you where you are as you're listening. Just click where you want playback to start and hit "Option-Spacebar. [Editor's note: auto scroll does not apply to this feature. Set your window up so that your entire selection can be viewed without clicking.]
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666
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Category: Setup
Output destination (Audio Outs) for Audible Mode
Works in: Sequence Editor
To change the destination for Audible Mode (e.g. audio that you scrub, or select in the Sequence Editor window), open Studio->Audio Bundles, click the Output tab and drag the output bundle to the top of the list that you wish Audible Mode to be heard through. This is useful for e.g. changing the Audible Mode destination to your headphones so that your clients don't hear a lot of crap when your editing audio...
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qo
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Category: Editing
Finding the right Soundbite, quickly
Works in: Sequence Editor, Tracks Overview Window
Sometimes it's easy to have an incredible amount of soundbites in a project and having problems finding the right one in the soundbites window is not so uncommon. Need to find them quickly and have them highlighted, like in Pro Tools?

First, select a soundbite, then hit one of these combos:
••• Command-alt-control-L brings up the soundbite list;
••• Command-alt-control-A brings up the soundbite info;
••• Command-alt-control-W brings up the the waveform editor.

Notice the soundbite becomes highlighted and is very easy to spot.
[Editor's note: a meme to remember this by: LAW. From left to right, the letters correspond to the buttons in the Soundbite Window: List, Info, Editor. Also, since we're thinking in 3's, the control/option/command keys are also a triple.]
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Archer
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Category: Setup
Startup Clippings
One of my favorite DP 4 time-saving features is STARTUP CLIPPINGS!
Projects>Clippings>New Startup Clipping Window.

I can drag and drop a Reason file such as MYSONG.RNS to a startup clipping window. Then when I load the DP4 song, Reason will automatically load and load its corresponding file.
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thanatopsis
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Category: Setup
More Keyboard Buttons (for more shortcuts)
Works: Everywhere
My favorite totally non-MOTU thing is my Contour Shuttle Pro. Great for DP4 and Final Cut Pro. 13 or more extra buttons and a jog/shuttle dial. Great for making shortcuts to all the keyboard commands people have been mentioning.
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thanatopsis
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Category: Editing
Selecting Tools
Works in: Editing Windows, wherever toolbar is present (even if it's closed)
Hold down the following keys for tool selection:
A ••• Pointer
I ••• I-beam
P ••• Pencil
R ••• Reshape Data

Hit the key twice and the tool selection sticks.

••• One more: the new command to toggle the tool palette between horizontal and veritcal is shift-option-~(tilde), not 'control-accent grave', which now toggles you between windows.
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bobk
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Category: Video
Matching Downbeats with Hitpoints
Works in: Sequence Editor, Markers, Conductor Track
I do mostly video scoring.

lock your markers, and then when you find that your downbeats don't match the hitpoints you want, use subtle tempo changes in the conductor track to massage it to where you want it to be by the time you get to that point in the film.

of course, using more sequenced MIDI and less recorded audio makes this work a lot better.
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Veej007
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Category: Setup
Custom Keyboard Commands
Works in: Commands Window (Setup Menu)
[Editor's Note: I've included only two examples of general keyboard setup, since that tends to be very personal. These do illustrate how convenient one can make working on the keyboard. One warning: When setting your keyboard without using modifiers (Command, Option, Shift, or Control), be very careful when using it. You may think you're typing the name of a new track, when actually you missed the text field and have now deleted your audio, randomized your MIDI, saved your file, and bounced it all to disk!

Also, be to watch out for when using the alphabet without modifiers: turn off the subset of COMMANDS that deal with Chunk selection. When you create a new chunk, DP may assign it a key you've already used for something else.

I included Hammerman's set because it is so logically done. Others may be inspired by it.]


Grouping Tasks with adjacent keys on keyboard
Works in: Keyboard shortcuts, Commands Window
••• I've assigned SET LOOP to my F4 key and CLEAR LOOP to my F5 key.... Very, very handy. Just select a region and ...BANG... loop it (or unloop it)
••• also, BOUNCE TO DISC is set to F13....
••• delete track to F2
Key commands are our friends!
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taylor12k
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A whole set of key commands
Here are my custom key commands. Keep in mind that some have overriden default commands so use with caution!
Custom DP4 Commands

A Play Selection
B Bounce To Disk
D Change Duration
F Fade
G Fade Again
H Delete Fade
K Change Key
M Change Meter
N New Take
Q Quantize
S Toggle Solo Mode
T Transpose
V Change Velocity
W Scrub Tool
X Mute Tool
Z No Tool
Option+I Insert Measures
Option+G Create Group
Option+N Toggle Narrow View (Mixer)
Option+T Change Tempo
Opt+Ctl+B Record Beats
Cmd+Opt+Ctl Scale Time
Command+I Set Input Filter
Cmd+Ctl+Delete Delete Tracks
Option+ ? Scroll Left a little
Option+? Scroll Right a little
\ Clear All Clipping Indicators
/ Switch Staff (Quickscribe)
F7 Toggle Play (Polar)
F8 Toggle Record (Polar)
F12 Copy
F13 Paste
F16 Tap Tempo

Some are more logical to me like making the mute tool be an X since the cursor turns into one. I think normally Dashboard is F12 but I moved that one as well since I like copy and paste to be one key commands. These save me alot of time and I like to make things simple. Hope you find some of them useful.
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Hammerman
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Time Stretching / Pitch Shifting large soundbites
Works in: Sequence Editor Window
When you need to pitch shift (if you're pre 4.6) or time stretch one part of a larger soundbite, split the section you want to tweak and use merge soundbites on it. When you pitch-shift/time-stretch, DP will now only analyze the small section instead of the entire soundbite.
 _________________
Guru
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Continuous Horizontal Zoom with the Scroll Wheel
Works in windows with Timelines
hover your wheel-mouse over the wiper-glass in any editing window with a ruler, and scroll. [Editor's Note: Or Hold down COMMAND-OPTION while dragging the mouse up and down after clicking in the glass of the wiper.]
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warpmaster
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Using Empty Take as Placeholder for Bounced Tracks
Works in: Tracks Overview Window
Tip=Using alt MIDI takes to make bouncing VI's to audio faster and safer.

OK..when bouncing VI's etc.
1) Bounce the VI using freeze or whatever way you like
2) Un-route the VI from the main out to stop eating power.
2) Take the MIDI track that went to the VI and do the following-
2A- put an asterisk next to the take # you used-(this let's you know it was the take you used in the future for recall)
2B- (here's the new dicovery-) Create a new take in the MIDI track and name it "B"..or..like I do, "Bncd". This stands for BOUNCED. You could also name it FRZ for FREEZE.

So what's so cool about this?

Well..it allows you to not worry about shutting off all the MIDI automation or having MIDI data playing a double of the audio that you have bounced if it accidentally gets play enabled again. It allows you to not have to mess with muting the MIDI track or, like I used to do, automating in a mute for the MIDI track. But it allows you to keep the routings for future reference if needed.
How about when we all accidentally option click a play button and all the old MIDI turns on? That really sucks.
This new take being named "Bncd" allows everything to stay routed without fear of things playing back when you don't want them to!
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toodamnhip
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Category: Recording
Counter-to-Auto Record In & Out
Works in: Tracks Overview Window (anywhere, actually)
The stock key commands for Counter to Auto Rec in and out are F3 and F4.
One way to do what you mention is: Hit (.) on the number pad, enter the bar/beat/ticks you want for Auto Rec in, then hit F3......repeat with F4 for Auto Rec out.
Or mouse up and click in the punch in/out fields to enter values (click on the first then (TAB) to the rest).

I don't think there's any other way to manually enter the values.
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Tim
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Keyboard-Selecting Chunks
Works in: everywhere. [setup in Commands Window]
i use dp4 live on a laptop and we have about 70 or 80 songs that were loaded as separate sequences in the chunks window. i assigned letters of the alphabet in commands to call up specific songs on the fly and/or to get in the general area of the songlist so i dont have to scroll all the way through.
[Editor's Note: this can be used in live performance to select songs on the fly.]
 _________________
polabran
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Quick-Selecting audio in tracks
Works in: Tracks Overview Window
If you've sliced up an audio track in order to edit it and then want to select everything on that track, it's a pain to select all those slices by dragging.

To select everything on a track in the Tracks Overview window:
••• Command A (this highlights all the tracks)
••• Then click on the desired track
••• This will cause everything on that track to be selected.
[Editor's Note: This works also if you place values in the Selection Fields in the Tracks Overview Window, then click on a track. Or Select a range by dragging while zoomed out, then click on a track. It's a "one-two punch" for selection. Select the range, then the track.]
 _________________
PDGood
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Category: Setup
Renaming Clippings with "copy" in the name
Works in: Tracks Overview Window
When you drag a clipping containing tracks, DP inserts the word "copy" at the end of each track. This can be a problem when creating songs in the Chunks window, which then must be converted back to sequences later, because it depends on track names to keep tracks together when all the Chunks have been recombined. So, a quick way to get rid of the word "copy" at the end of each track name:
First, option & click on the track name.
Then:
1- press "right-arrow" to place cursor at end of name
2- option & back space to erase "copy" in one touch,
3- then one more back space to erase the space.
4- Use the arrow down to go to the next track.

You can go through a series of tracks in a hurry once you get the "rhythm" down.
 _________________
Grigri
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Category: Setup, Export
Exporting stems to Pro Tools:
Involves: Sequence Editor, Tracks Overview Window, Bounce-to-Disk
There are many ways to export or transfer a DP file to Pro Tools, here is a simple and efficient way. First of all I assume what is probably the most common situation: Recording in DP and transferring to mix in PT. In this case, the ideal is to export the clean tracks, so even if there is a reference mix in DP, one wouldn't want to print automation or plug-ins to the track. Here is the procedure:

1- Copy a small piece of empty soundbite and paste it at the beginning of each track; this is to make sure that all the tracks start from the same place.
2- Select all tracks and merge.
3- Identify every merged soundbite by renaming it.
4- Go to the soundbite window and sort by time created. The merged soundbites should be at the end of the list.
5- Select all the merged soundbites and export them to a separate folder. They are ready to be opened in PT.

••• If you repeat this process often it would be a good idea to create a clipping with the small empty soundbite, so that it can just be dragged at the beginning of every track for every project. Make sure to create a mono and a stereo version of the small empty soundbite and drag it to the clippings window.

••• If you have a sequence with a large number of tracks, save time by setting to record-ready every track that does not start at the beginning, and simply record briefly, then continue to merge the tracks.

••• If you have a tempo map and/or MIDI information that you want to export to PT as well, save the file as SMF, open it in PT, and then import the audio.

In the case that you don't want to export the clean tracks to PT but instead a group of sub-mixes, lets say vocals, rhythm section, strings, sfx, etc. then:

1- Assign each group of tracks that corresponds to a sub-mix, to a separate pair of busses.
2- Create a stereo audio track for every sub-mix and assign their inputs to the corresponding pair of busses.
3- Record the sub-mixes, all from the same starting point.
4- Rename the tracks and export.

- If you have some aux tracks that are common to more than one sub-mix, for example if you want to share a reverb, either duplicate the aux track and assign each copy to the corresponding buss, or record a sub-mix, change the assignment of the aux track and then record the next sub-mix.
 _________________
musicarteca
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Go to Top of Part One
Go to Top of Part Two
Go to Top of Part Three
Go to Abbreviations Glossary
Go to Automation Control Points and Controllers Tutorial
Go to Controller Selection Tutorial


End of Section 1 of the Digital Performer Tips Sheet... Section 2 begins in the next post.
Links updated 11/11/11. Last Update: February 20, 2014
Last edited by Shooshie on Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:58 am, edited 18 times in total.
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Shooshie
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Digital Performer Tips Sheet, Section 2

Post by Shooshie »

Go to Top of Part One
Go to Top of Part Three
Go to Abbreviations Glossary
Go to Automation Control Points and Controllers Tutorial
Go to Controller Selection Tutorial
Links updated 11/11/11.
2nd most recent update: 11 11, 2011
Last updated: Last Update: September 3, 2014


******** The Digital Performer Tips Sheet *********

__________________Part 2__________________

XYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYX



Editor's Note: The new forum software truncated the tips sheet. While I thought it was going to hold it all, it didn't; so I'm having to split it into multiple sections. That's ok. It was getting pretty large for one "page" anyway. Here begins section 2 of the Digital Performer Tips Sheet:



THEME WITH VARIATIONS: [Editor's Note: The Following tips must be kept together in PDFs or Databases. They are interdependent, and don't make sense when separated.]
Category: Mixing
Category: Setup
THEME:
••••••••••••Duplicating Mix From Song to Song••••••••••••
Involves: Mixing Board, LOAD Menu, Chunks Window, Sequence Editor
Lets say you are mixing an album that has all the songs with similar instrumentation, you want to mix the first song and use this mix as a starting point for the rest of the songs. We shall explore some variations on this idea.

•••••• VARIATION 1:
Loading Chunk to new DP Project
We will assume that there is one song per project. Here is the procedure:
[Editor's Note: throughout this tip, "Song" refers to a song in the traditional sense (as in a new DP project file), NOT DP's "Song Window" from the Chunks Mini-Menu.]
••• 1- Mix song #1
••• 2- Open song #2, and from the File menu Load song #1. Make sure not to load soundbites. A new empty chunk is created with the mix from song #1, including all levels and plug-ins.
••• 3- Compare the track layout from this new chunk to the previous chunk (original song #2 chunk). Add, delete or arrange tracks on the new chunk to fit the previous one.
••• 4- Go to the original song #2 chunk, select everything and copy.
••• 5- Go to the new chunk, and paste. Now you have song #2 with a reference mix from song #1, ready to start retouching the mix.

- Here is a little tricky part: the levels that are loaded are the "initial" values from the mix, which might not be what you want as a reference value. Lets say that mix #1 starts with a fade in on several tracks, their loaded (initial) value will be zero. To overcome this, here is what you do "before" loading the reference mix:

••• 6- Go to song #1 who is already mixed, and shift the sequence 2 measures late (now the sequence starts at measure 3 instead of measure 1 for example).
••• 7- Place the wiper in a place of the mix where the levels suit your preferred reference levels.
••• 8- Disable automation
••• 9- Go to measure 1 and take a snapshot "from counter to next change (flat)".
••• 10- Enable automation.
••• 11- Now you have a mix that has the initial reference values on measure 1 and start the automation levels for this particular song on measure 3.
••• 12- you are ready to load the reference mix on the next song.
_________________
musicarteca
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Variations on a theme by musicarteca:
•••••• VARIATION 2:
Duplicating Mix In Multiple Chunks, Same DP Project
If you are mixing multiple songs in the same DP file (using multiple chunks), use Variation 1 with the following alterations:
••• Step #2
••”••”a) in the Chunks Window, with Song #1 selected, Choose Duplicate Sequence from the Chunks Mini-Menu.
••”••”b) Play-enable this chunk, and open it.
••”••”c) Open VIEW FILTER (COMMAND-F) from SETUP MENU.
••”••”d) Deselect Audio Volume and Audio Pan,
••”••”e) Drop down to the Automation and Controllers box. Click Show All Except:
••”••”f) Click Add; then begin adding all automation that you DO NOT want to delete
••”••”g) Close View Filter
••”••”h) Select All (COMMAND-A)
••”••”i) Delete (Delete key)
••”••”j) Open VIEW FILTER (COMMAND-F)
••”••”k) Click Set All and close window
••”••”l) You now have an empty Tracks Overview Window, except for automation from the previous mix. Your plugins remain as they were in Song #1, and if you saved their automation in step f, it also remains.

This seems like a lot of work to get an empty, saved mix, but it really goes fast. It's just a few clicks, delete, and a couple more clicks. At this point, you can resume the steps in Alex's tip above. Note that step #12 should now read "You are ready to duplicate the reference mix for Song #2 or beyond."

Variations on a theme by musicarteca:
•••••• VARIATION 3:
Duplicating Mix Using Saved File Template
This variation can be made to work with either new Files or new Chunks, but it depends on being able to save your original song as a Template. Sometimes the timing of the situation just does not permit that. In such cases, Variations 1 or 2 would be more appropriate. But if you can create a template, you will save yourself a LOT of time. This is the easiest way to duplicate mixes into other songs.

••• 1- Record and Mix Song #1.
••• 2- Save this song as a template from the File Menu (Save As Template). If you want to record the following songs in the same project file, using chunks, choose "Use as Default New Template" in the dialog that pops up.
••• 3- By saving Song #1 as a template, your track layout will be saved, along with I/O, sends, routing, etc., AND also your plugins in the Mixing Board will already be loaded when you create a new file or chunk. If you don't need automation, but just the plugins, then creating a new Song or Chunk is all you need to do now, and you will have a template for Song #2, and you're done here, UNLESS...

••• 4- If you want your automation from Song #1, do the following:
••”••”a) In Song #1, open the View Filter (COMMAND-F) under the Setup Menu.
••”••”b) Click "Clear at the bottom of the dialog box.
••”••”c) Select Audio Volume and Audio Pan. You will see their automation lines appear in the tracks behind the View Filter window.
••”••”d) Select Automation and Controllers
••”••”e) In the box below, click Only, and click Add.
••”••”f) choose the controllers whose values and/or automation you want to copy from all tracks (you may also want Markers, System Exclusive, Meter Changes, etc., depending on your songs)
••”••”g) When you're sure you have chosen all the elements you want to duplicate in the mix close View Filter and Select All (COMMAND-A)
••”••”h) copy
••”••”i) Open View Filter and choose Set All to restore things to the way they were
••• 5- If Song #2 will be in a new project file, pull down the File menu to New, then select the Template you saved. You will be prompted to save Song #1; that's up to you.
••• 6- If Song #2 will be in a new Chunk, be sure that your template for Song #1 was saved as the Default New Template. Then simply create a New Chunk in the Chunks Window
••• 7- Open the Tracks Layout in Song #2 and Select All (COMMAND-A)
••• 8- Paste. You should immediately see all your automation from Song #1 appear in the empty tracks.
••• 8-b- Note: If you are adding automation after you have recorded audio or MIDI data into the tracks, you should Merge, rather than Paste. This will preserve your data while adding the automation over it.

There are other variations and combinations of the above, but I think we've covered the basics of copying a mix to another song. Maybe some day MOTU will provide us with a dialog and we can just choose what to copy, then with one button, Bam! But until then, these steps are not difficult once you try them and get the hang of it.
_________________
Shooshie
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••••••••••••End of THEME WITH VARIATIONS••••••••••••


Categories: Editing, Mixing
Chopping Soundbites to Grid (or non-Grid) in the Sequence Editor
Works in: Sequence Editor
Here's a few things I do when chopping up soundbites by hand in the sequence editor, say, for export to a sampler.

The quickest way to make both grid conforming and non-grid conforming chops of audio in the sequence editor is to turn grid on at desired resolution, select the I-beam tool and then click on track name to hightlight it in the left hand column. This way you can use the I-Beam cursor which will snap to the grid and press option-y to chop audio there OR if you desire to cut more precisely than the grid allows, use command-y to chop exactly where the wiper is (Command-key releases your cursor from snapping to the grid). [Editor's note: holding down the I-key or tapping it twice will give you the I-beam cursor.]

(Clicking the track name stops you having to double click the soundbite's bar to select it (yellow border) every time you want to use the wiper chop command).

For chopping using the wiper it is useful to first set zoom settings 1,2 and 3 in mini menu for quick zoom jumps - and then for extra zoom control click and drag wiper up or down. With practice you can get from a whole song view down to sample level at a specific point in a couple of seconds.

It speeds things up when you're chopping up lots of audio by hand.
_________________
jazzmistress
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Categories: Playback, Editing, Mixing
A/B-ing Tracks
Works in: Mixing Board, Sequence Editor, Tracks Overview Window
To quickly compare two tracks that have similar information (tracks A and B), solo and mute track A, and leave track B untouched. Now clicking on the solo button (or pressing its keyboard shortcut) will toggle listening between tracks A and B.
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musicarteca
Alex Rodriguez
Legato Productions

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Categories: Editing, Mixing
One song, multiple mixes:
Works in: Mixing Board, Chunks
Before 4.6, if you had a mix and wanted another one with slight changes, you had to automate everything and/or take a snapshot of your settings so that faders, pans, and send levels were saved in order to duplicate the mix and make the changes. (See "Snapshot Automation for copying effects settings to another location") Otherwise, manually positioned faders did not remain in place with their mixes. Since version 4.6, positions of manually placed faders and pans are saved with each mix, so there is no need to automate anymore. Unfortunately, if you want to make more radical changes between mixes, like adding or deleting tracks, or changing buss assignments, all the previous mixes will be affected as well. Such radical changes are not saved in the mix.

So what I do is what I usually did for multiple mixes before 4.6: duplicate the chunk, and freely adjust the new mix. It is not the ideal solution, but it definitely works and saves time.
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musicarteca
Alex Rodriguez
Legato Productions

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Categories: Mixing, Editing
Copying/Pasting Breakpoint Automation without deleting Soundbites
Works in: Sequence Editor Window
In the tracks in the Sequence Editor, Breakpoints are the little dots in your automation lines, which represent the actual data points which collectively form the shape of the curves, ramps, and levels of automation itself. If you follow the directions of the manual, you may delete your soundbite when pasting breakpoint automation into the Sequence Editor. To copy breakpoint automation data from one audio track to another (SE window):
1. Select the appropriate type of data (Volume, Pan, etc) from the drop-down menu of the source and destination tracks. [Editor's note: Select all tracks you plan to work on, hold down "T" or tap "T" twice to group the tracks, then select the data type from the menu. The tracks will change to your selected data type in unison as a temporary group, rather than having to choose the data for each track. If you tapped T twice, ungroup them by tapping T again.]
2. Select the breakpoint data with the lasso cursor, and then select 'Copy'.
3. In the destination track, use 'MERGE' (COMMAND-M) instead of 'Paste.' If you use 'Paste', the soundbite data in the destination track is erased in the region of the pasted breakpoints.

If you're using DP 4.12 (as I was at a colleague's studio yesterday), this is not mentioned in that manual in the section on copying and pasting breakpoint data. I called MOTU tech support, and they said Copy and Paste should work. In the 4.5 manual, they added a sentence about using Merge to preserve the soundbite. What baffles me is why anyone would want to paste breakpoint data while at the same time deleting the soundbite beneath it.
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BobK
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Categories: Editing, Playback, Recording, Mixing
Go to Markers, Next Marker, Previous Marker
Works in: Graphic Editing Windows, Tracks Overview, Sequence Editor, Conductor Track, Drum Editor, Quickscribe Window
To facilitate faster navigation while working in Digital Performer,
Go to the markers by typing SHIFT-CONTROL-M.
Go to the next marker by typing SHIFT-CONTROL-PERIOD. (right arrowhead)
Go to the [/i]previous[/i] marker by typing SHIFT-CONTROL-COMMA. (left arrowhead)
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Tim
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•••••••••••••••Theme with Variations: Tempo Mapping•••••••••••••••
Categories: Recording, Editing
••••••Variation 1:
Quantizing Barlines to MIDI using "Adjust Beats"

Works in: Graphic Editing Windows
Some people prefer to begin an arrangement with a realtime recorded MIDI performance of the music. How do you quantize such a track so that you can then add other tracks and make them perfectly in time with your performance? One of the most powerful features of Digital Performer is the Adjust Beats feature. Go to Project Menu••”>Modify Conductor Track••”>Adjust Beats. Select it, and choose the "Preserve Realtime Performance" checkbox if you want the performance of your track to remain unchanged. (This saves your performance in time exactly as you played it.) Now, you're going to align the barlines to the music. I'm going to describe my method.

To make my method work easily and efficiently, it is first desirable to open the Graphic Editor and the Conductor Track Editor in the Consolidated Window, and zoom them so that they are vertically aligned. If they are both open in the Consolidated Window, then their lengths are the same. That's step one (which took patience before Consolidated Windows were available in DP). Now, with the counter set to 000 (so both tracks start together) adjust the zoom of the conductor track so that it matches your graphic editing window's horizontal resolution. You may find it easiest to use the continuous zoom feature by CONTROL-CLICKING on the green wiper and dragging up and down until the barlines are perfectly inline. However you do it, once the windows are lined up, they should stay together throughout the rest of the steps.

As long as the "Adjust Beats" dialog box is open (it doesn't have to be visible, just open) you can drag the barlines and beat lines to match your notes. It's like quantizing, but it's not the music that gets quantized; it's the barlines. You can use "snapping" to make them snap to the notes a little faster. When there is a note off the beat and the barline must go between notes, or when the music is off the beat, hold the COMMAND KEY to suspend snapping. Then look at your conductor track as you move the barline. The tempo marker for that beat will go up and down as you move the barline back and forth. Keep watching the tempo marker in the conductor track as you drag the beat or bar between the syncopated notes, where you estimate it should belong. When it is even and matches the other tempos on either side of it, then you've got the barline in the right place. You will get the hang of it pretty fast.

Continue throughout the track, and soon you'll have a quantized track that sounds like a live performance--because it IS a live performance. This enables you to add other tracks and quantize them to the beats in the normal way, using the Quantize command, and they, too, will sound like live performances.
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Shooshie
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Categories: Recording, Editing
••••••Variation 2:
Quantizing Barlines to Audio using "Adjust Beats"

Works in: Sequence Editing Windows
The above tip can also be used to adjust beats to Audio so that your tempos match a recorded audio track. In that case, use the Sequence Editor, and move your audio track and Conductor track so that they are together. However, you may find that you get superb results from using an automated command under the Audio menu. Pull it down to "Adjust Sequence to Soundbite Tempo" with your soundbite selected in its audio track. You may need to analyze the Soundbite Tempo before doing this. That option is also under the Audio menu. If these options fail to work, try the method described above for adjusting beats to MIDI, except instead of MIDI notes, you will be adjusting your barlines and beats to line up with audio transients. You may want to have a track of MIDI music already recorded for playback purposes, to test and see how precise is your positioning as you move the barlines. With a little practice you will find it easy.
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Shooshie
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Categories: Recording, Editing
••••••Variation 3:
Tempo mapping from a live performance, using Beat Detection

Works in: Sequence Editor/Soundbite Editor
DP has several ways to create a tempo map from a live performance; one of them is through Record Beats, where you tap along with the recorded music creating the barlines; another one is adjust beats where you physically move the barlines to accommodate them to the performance. These are both very well explained, step by step, in the manual.

A third procedure, Beat Detection, is a little bit trickier, because it requires you to follow strictly every step or it won't work. The steps might vary depending on the music program and the goal that you want to accomplish. Here is the general procedure:

1- On the Sequence Editor select the soundbite from which you want to extract the tempo map.
2- Go to the Wave Editor, click inside the soundbite and select all.
3- In the "beats" mini menu (WE) choose find beats in selection.
4- Press the beat tab to see the beats. Zoom in at will.
5- Edit the beats if necessary. this step is very important, because if the beats are not placed where they are supposed to be, or if there are too many (or too few). the tempo will not be calculated correctly. You can add, delete or disable beats. You can also adjust the beat sensitivity and beat detection (audio menu).
6- Go to the SE, select the soundbite and choose Audio menu>soundbite tempo>Analyze soundbite tempo.
7- Set the tempo control to conductor track.
8- With the soudbite still selected choose audio menu>Adjust Sequence to Soundbite Tempo.
9- Play back the sequence with the click, it should match the performance tempo.
[Editor's note: this technique is obviously better-suited for music with a clear beat, such as upbeat pop music than for, say, an Adagio for Strings where the beat is implied more than felt, though your mileage may vary. For music which does not respond well to this technique, use tap tempo or "Adjust Beats" techniques.]
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musicarteca
Alex Rodriguez
Legato Productions

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••••••••••••••••••End of Tempo Mapping••••••••••••••••••


Category: Mixing
Fast Automation Breakpoint Editing
Works in: Sequence Editor
I have a really handy way to tweak breakpoints in volume automation editing that PT can't do.

I select the point(s), and type CONTROL-C (a key command that I have mapped, it''s not a default). This bring up CHANGE CONTINUOUS CONTROLLERS. Select "AUDIO". In 4.5 onward, this will remain the default choice whenever you open DP. Prior, you must select it the first time you open every project. Enter a number (or negative number), hit enter or return, and your point is raised or lowered by that amount of dB. Drag over a larger selection, and move them all in one command. Select the WHOLE track(s)..., you get the idea. I can positively FLY with this method. Very little mousing, and the precise nature of numeric entry. You may need to hit the TAB key once when you open the CCC box, to select the correct field.

In PT, there is no key command (or even a dialog box!) to raise or lower breakpoints by a numeric amount, decibels or otherwise. You must use the trimmer tool. Yet ANOTHER trip to the toolbar, select it, drag your selection range, then drag the entire range up or down with your mouse, while READING the amount your are changing. PT will, as a side effect, make a very steep rise or fall at the ends of your selection area. Which you will then have to eliminate manually. No wonder the PT crowd needs hardware fader banks. I own a PTHD system, and I HATE editing breakpoint automation in it.

If you get even halfway fluid with the technique above, you will never want to edit automation in PT ever again.
[Editor's note: see Working With Controllers for more tips on fast editing with Controller data in the MIDI Edit Windows]
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pcm
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Category: Setup
Opening VI or upper-most Effect
Works: Tracks Overview, Sequence
1) Select a VI track and then press shift-F to open the VI from the Tracks Overview Window or Sequence Editor window.
2) If you select an audio track and press shift-F, it will open its upper-most plug-in.
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buddhabelly
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Category: Mixing
Displaying (only) a Selected Group of Tracks in Mixing Board
Works in: Tracks Overview
While in the Tracks Overview window, highlight the tracks you'd like displayed then hit the 'W' key for grouping (or tap W twice) then open the Mixing Board. Only the selected tracks will show up in that window (unless it was already open with others showing). [Editor's note: If the Mixing Board is already open, and if your Consolidated Window preferences are set for it, you can select any track in any window, and the Mixing Board will scroll to that track, but the Grouping trick is a great one to open the window without having to then choose the tracks you want to display.]
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Schweats
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Category: General
Resting your ears
Works in: Mixing and Editing windows, everywhere else
After a long session, your ears start to tire. First to go is the high frequencies, and with them, our ability to distinguish timbre, articulations, sibilants, and even spatial relationships to some extent. Work becomes counter-productive then, and the things you change will almost invariably be things you want to change again when your ears are rested. It's hard to believe, and many of us go into denial over it, but after 8 hours or so you really need to give your ears a rest. That doesn't mean sit back and listen to CDs, either! ;) Some drugs can have adverse effects on how you hear things, too. I won't even venture to suggest which ones to watch out for, but I've had trouble with painkillers (after surgeries) and with cold remedies. It's always your own choice; nobody's forcing you to, but if you find yourself listening to late-last-night's mixes and asking yourself "what was I thinking?!!" then you really ought to consider treating your body with a little more respect. Of course, everyone knows that if your mix won't get any better, a bottle of Jack Daniels fixes everything. (that's a joke, son. It really doesn't. Really.)
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Shooshie
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Category: Mixing
Freezing a track in V-Rack
Works in: Mixing Board
[Editor's Note: This tip is lifted verbatim from the MOTU Tech Sheet. I trust MOTU will not mind me borrowing this for our tip sheet, as opposed to just rewriting it in my own words.]
Anyone who has used V-Rack has learned rather abruptly that freezing the tracks is not as easy as it was before V-Racks. How do you get around the grayed-out "Freeze Tracks" menu item? Here's MOTU's own technical note:

You can setup your sequences so freezing tracks in a V-Rack is only a few quick steps. In this example, we have a MIDI track in our sequence, and MachFive in a V-Rack.

••• In your V-Rack, assign MachFive's output to Bus 1-2

••• In your sequence, create an aux track with its input set to Bus 1-2. You will now hear MachFive's output through this aux track, through whatever output you have the aux track assigned to.

••• Now highlight the MIDI & aux tracks and use Audio menu > Freeze (or Control-Command-F) to print MachFive's output.

This setup is very analogous to using physical MIDI hardware, as in both cases there is a MIDI track, an aux track to monitor, and the instrument itself is "elsewhere" (in the case of MIDI hardware, it's in a studio rack; in this case with MachFive, it's in a V-Rack).

This also has the advantage of being able to mix entirely in your sequence, and also provide independent control in each sequence your project may have. That is, you can leave MachFive at unity gain & panned center in the V-Rack, and instead adjust the aux tracks in each of your sequences (you may also add automation to this aux track for volume, pan, etc.). Each aux track in each one of your sequences can have totally different volume & pan settings, as well as different plug-in effects.
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MOTU Tech Notes
(Thanks to SDFalk for the reference)

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Category: Setup, Mixing
Easy Setup of V-Racks
Works in: Chunks Window, Clippings
Editor's Note: The following tip, combined with the tip above (Freezing a track in a V-Rack) may ease your work as you use V-Racks for your Virtual Instruments. This is a good tip, because you may find yourself in need of eliminating all but one or two VIs even in V-Rack in order to minimize CPU usage. This enables a quick setup of your V-Rack when you are keeping it nearly empty. Just drag over the rack you want, then delete instruments when you don't need them anymore.

A good way to work is to make a Clipping of your v-rack (or Clippings of several different v-racks) and simply drag them into your chunks window as needed........the instruments will be there in the v-rack and the v-rack can then be "activated" (in the chunks widow) for each chunk you want to use.
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bmiller360
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Category: Movie Soundtrack
Importing MP4 Movies to Open in Digital Performer
Works in: Movie Editor Window
A quick workaround for importing an mp4 movie: open it up in
Quicktime Pro and resave it as a reference movie (for example a 1gb
mp4 movie works out to about a 3mb reference movie).
It will open up fine in DP and only takes a second to resave
in Quicktime Pro.
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SDFalk
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Category: Editing
Copying/Cutting & Pasting/Merging to the same counter location
Works in: Graphic Editing Windows, Sequence Editor

This is the quick way to be sure your merge/paste goes to the same counter location from which the data was copied or cut.

1) Make your selection
2) SHIFT-OPTION-CONTROL-C (Set Memory to Beginning of Selection)
3) OPTION-CONTROL-C (Set Cursor to Memory)
4) Copy (or Cut)
5) Go to your destination track
6) Merge (your data will appear in the new track, exactly where your cursor is set, meaning it is in the same location as before, just moved to a new track.)

In the Commands window (SETUP-->COMMANDS), you can reassign the keyboard commands for steps 2 & 3, if you like, to something like F1 and F2, to make it easier for you (you may have to remove the key-bindings from other commands which are connected to those keys by default). In fact, if you have QuicKeys, you can program it to do steps 2, 3, and 4 in one click, then your Merge is a simple matter.

The above makes it simple for copying/cutting/pasting/merging note or event data from track to track in the same location. Now, Let's look at dragging from track to track. Select a note in any window. Now, go to the tracks window. You will see the selected note. Click on it and drag it up or down to the track you want. The note you had selected will merge into the new track, in exactly the same counter location. Click carefully so as not to lose your selection.
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Shooshie
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Category: Shortcuts, Tools, Keyboard Commands
••••••••••••Secrets of the Tracks Overview Window••••••••••••
Works in: Tracks Overview Window
The Tracks Overviews Window is more flexible than you think. Try the following key-commands while clicking and dragging in the Tracks Overview Window:

First of all, these apply when your Selection Mode is set to "All." (See Preferences/Tools, look for drop-down menu at the top with three options: Range selections only, Phrase and Event Selections Only, and All) "All" is the most flexible when you learn the following keyboard modifiers.

[NOTE: some of these have changed in recent versions of DP. I do not know if those changes were intentional. They may change them back in a later version. If you try any of these, and they do not work right, please contact me to change it back.]
••• Shift-Click will select an entire phrase or add to a selection.
••• Option-Control-Click will select an entire bar (or whatever resolution you have your grid set to) [Formerly Control-Click]
••• Command-Click&Drag selects individual notes if you start outside a phrase and drag into it
••• Command-Drag on selected notes overrides bar constraints, and moves notes exactly to whatever location you drag them to
••• Option-Drag copies selection and merges copy into new location.
••• Option-Command-Drag does the same as above, but overrides bar constraints and moves copied events to exactly the location to which you drag them.

IMPORTANT:
••• Control-Option-Click & add Command enables you to select any range within a phrase. Add Shift key to add to selection. [formerly CONTROL-COMMAND-Drag]
••• Command-Shift will add/remove phrases in selection. I do not know of a way to remove individual notes from selection in the Tracks Overview Window.

Note the next-to-the-last command in my list: Option-Control-Click & add Command enables you to select individual notes within a phrase. This is probably one of the most useful combinations. [Formerly Control-Command-Click & Drag]

Once you have your selection as you wish, then just click on it and drag. Do not use the Shift key when clicking on it, or you will select the entire bar.

Grid Resolution - The Tracks Overview Window can be stretched (COMMAND-RIGHT ARROW) or collapsed (COMMAND-LEFT ARROW) so that clicking in a "bar" in the grid selects less or more data, respectively. Expand it so that each bar in the grid represents one 8th note (240 ticks) and it becomes easy to grab 8th notes and move them around. Likewise for 16ths, or quarter notes, or any other resolution.

When you drag notes or events in the Tracks Overview Window, by default they are constrained to the grid. You can move them up, down, left, or right, but they will jump to the next bar of the grid, retaining their relative position within that bar. If you want to move them without constraint, hold down the COMMAND Key and drag. As you learn to use it, the Tracks Overview Window becomes more and more similar to the Graphic Editing windows. In the Consolidated Windows, I like to keep one window set captured (recalled with a keyboard command) that puts the Tracks Overview Window on top, and the MIDI Edit Window on bottom, full-screen across. That makes it easy to leap back and forth between them.

Moving Soundbites to Front or Back - Sometimes soundbites overlap. To reach a buried soundbite:
••• COMMAND-SHIFT-MINUS to move backward
••• COMMAND-OPTION-MINUS to move to the back
••• COMMAND-SHIFT-EQUAL to move forward
••• COMMAND-OPTION-EQUAL to move to the front.

Dragging Markers - You can Drag Markers in the Tracks Overview Window.
•••To toggle the grid on or off, hold down the COMMAND KEY and drag.
•••To toggle locked/unlocked markers, hold down the OPTION KEY and click on the marker.
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Shooshie
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Category: Editing, Mixing
••••••••••••••••••More Secrets for Selecting a Soundbite (Soundbite Selection, How to select a soundbite.)••••••••••••••••••
Works in: Tracks Overview Window, Sequence Window
[Editor's Note: a newcomer to Digital Performer was having trouble selecting entire soundbites, and asked for help. The answer that solved his problem was a preference setting, which is our first tip. But in the process, a number of good tips were suggested for selecting soundbites. We "old pros" forget how perplexing this can be for newbies, so a few of these tips are listed here. They might help some of us who... er... forget sometimes
1. If you click on a soundbite, but DP seems to resist selecting it in its entirety, go to: Preferences••”>Tools••”>Cursor Selection Mode, and set drop-down menu for "All Selections."
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Tim
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2. Sometimes when moving, dragging, or selecting an object, DP seems to resist allowing your cursor to go exactly where you want it to go. This may be due to the constrain box being selected (upper right corner of window, a box next to constrain options: note values or time values, etc.) You can deselect the box, but that is not always necessary. If you merely hold the Apple key [COMMAND KEY] while selecting with the mouse you have free control over what you are selecting. You can highlight anything with no grid constraints.
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studiodog
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3. Different parts of the Soundbite display may respond differently to your click. Be sure to click on the colored bar at the top of the soundbite.
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James Steele
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4. If there is a partial selection that extends past the screen in both directions, and you want to click on the soundbite to select the whole thing, you will find that in the Tracks Overview Window, clicking and/or dragging will not select the whole soundbite. To select the entire soundbite without having to fuss around with it, you can do any of the following:
a. hold down CONTROL-OPTION, and single click it inside the partial selection (or double click either place)
b. click in a blank area on the screen to deselect everything, then click on the soundbite
c. COMMAND-D will deselect everything, then click the soundbite

If the entire soundbite is selected, and you want to select only a part of it in the Tracks Overview Window, clicking on the already-selected soundbite will not allow for modifying the selection. You can do either of the following:
a. hold down the CONTROL KEY and click/drag in the soundbite
b. hold down the "I" key (or tap it twice) and click/drag.

These combinations work in the Sequence Window, as well, but are not as necessary.
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Guitar Gaz and the editor
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5. To select all the soundbites in a track, click COMMAND-A (select all), then click the track name(s). Alternatively, double-click the word "Selection" at the top left of the Tracks Overview Window, then select the track name(s). OR... hit Shift+Return (to Grow Selection To Start) then Option+Shift+Return (to Grow Selection To End).
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Tim & the editor
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6. To select a defined range:
a. set the range in the Selection fields (Start and End) in the Tracks Overview Window
b. set the range in the Selection fields (Start and End) in the Selection Control Panel (to the right of your Counter)
c. click & drag the selection in a track in either the Tracks Overview Window or the Sequence Window
THEN••“••“after a, b, or c••“••“select the track name(s)
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Shooshie
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7. [When multiple copies of one soundbite cause selection problems]
Tip: When you're constructing a new track out of bits and pieces (like a drum track) and pasting the same grab throughout, a cymbal for example, you sometimes reach a point where you need to shorten one of the pasted copies to work with something in the arrangement. Problem is that when you drag from the right of the grab to shorten it, all the previous 'pastes' move with it. To prevent this, trimming a miniscule piece from the end of the grab before you drag to shorten it separates it from the other pasted copies, and they are no longer affected.

When you have your patchwork of grabs sounging like a kickass drum part, select the whole thing and merge soundbites (Shift-Opt-M). I often use this technique when I have a great loop but the kick or snare sucks, or I want to alter the feel to fit something in the arrangement.

Maybe this is all obvious in hindsight, but I remember it driving me crazy until I figured out how to handle it.
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chamelion
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[Editor's Note: Some of these tips overlap the previous "Secrets of the Tracks Overview Window," but are repeated here for convenience.
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Unicornation Members
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Category: Mixing
••••••••••••Tips for Crossfades••••••••••••
Works in: Sequence Window
1. If you're doing a large batch of crossfades (large drum edits, vocals, etc), try closing all edit windows while they are processing. Watch how much faster they get done. About 10x faster on my system. Weird.
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amplidood
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2. ....and always switch to a new mix without plugins [to speed up crossfades]
TheHopiWay
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**3. It used to be (maybe back in DP v2.7 or something) that if I wanted to do a bunch of crossfades at once, I could select all in a track, hit Control-F, and it would do all at once, butt splices and open soundbite edges. Now it only does the butt splices and leaves the open edges untouched. Well, I just recently realized that if I just hit Control-F-Enter two times in a row, it'll do the splices on the first time, and open edges on the second. And I was wasting so much time having to go and select and x-fade all the open edges separately.
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**[excellent tip! ••”the editor]


Category: General
Speeding up Background Processing on slower Macs
Works for background processing, when you need it fast
I'm running an ancient 1ghz G4 Powerbook and still getting a lot of work done with it. You are correct that clearing other CPU tasks out of the way will speed up computations such as crossfades, DSP analysis, Soundbite Merging, and even printing effects.

Lets say I want to apply the Waves Ren Comp as a printed affect to my vocal track. Let's say the vocal track has a hundred edits. I will select all the edits and hit Apply on the Waves plug. I then switch to a blank sequence that has no tracks. This allows the CPU to dedicate to the job of printing the Waves effects to the vocal edits.

OSX is a multi-thread OS, but on a single CPU computer, there still has to be a heirarchy of tasks. Background processing tasks are lower priority than real-time processing (live effects, aux tracks, busses, etc).
On a multi-CPU machine this is much less of an issue.
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Magic Dave
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Category: Setup
Quickly Audition Color Schemes
Works: Everywhere
Open the Color scheme edit window. A list of all the color schemes appears, along with the color editor. Click on any of the names in the list, and not only will it select that sheme for editing, but it will apply it to the tracks for auditioning. You can try out a lot of schemes in a hurry this way, rather than having to select each one through the menus.
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lord funk
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Category: MIDI Editing
Working With Controllers
MIDI Edit Windows

Tired of using the MIDI Edit Window's pop-up menus to select controller data to work on? There are different ways of working with controller data. If you look at the first pop-up menu on the left (bottom of MIDI Edit Window) you will see three choices: dots, bars and lines. Try selecting " Lines." This enables you to work with controllers in a different way, similar to the automation points for tracks in the Sequence Editor.

Tap the A key twice to select the regular cursor/pointer (also called the "Marquee Tool"). With this, you can double-click on a controller and all the edit points (icons, or dots) of its type will be selected. (actually, this works with any of the 3 settings, not just lines) Then you can work on its type with any of the tools except the pencil, which will still add data of the type selected in the pop-up menu. One big difference when working with Lines is that you can click anywhere on a line with the regular cursor and add an edit point to that line. You can also grab an edit point and move it, and the line follows it, editing as it goes.

That goes for any controller. Click on its line, and you've added an edit point. Click on another line, and you add an edit point to THAT controller. Click on an edit point, and of course, you select it for editing with the reshape tool, or of course you can delete that point. Or, just drag an edit point over others, and it will eliminate them as you drag. It's a different way of working, but you can get a lot of mileage out of your edits without ever using the pencil tool.

By the way, the control keys for the tools are:

A--Cursor (Marquee Tool)
R--Reshape Tool
P--Pencil Tool
I--Ibeam Tool
S--Scrub Tool
Z--Zoom Tool

Tap and hold the keys to access that tool temporarily, or tap twice to switch to that tool until you make another switch.

If you want to create Controllers from scratch, where there are none previously in that track, I know of no other way than to select the controller you want with the menus (or paste them in from another track).

One other helpful hint. Click on the vertical space to the left of the controller window, where the numerical units form a scale for the controllers. There are three settings, and you cycle through them by anywhere clicking on the scale. When using Lines, they are:

1) Pitch bend only
2) Controllers and Pitch Bend
3) Controllers Only

When using points or bars instead of lines, you also get Velocities in 2 and 3.

In my view, you can't get much better than what MOTU offers here. If you're really in need, you could use QuicKeys to set up a menu selection for the controllers you want, but if you're using the methods I've outlined above, you will not have to use the menu for more than one time per controller number per track. And you can always copy controllers from one track to another to further avoid having to use the pencil.

It's a different way of working, but if it's efficiency that you're looking for, you'll find working with lines faster and easier for most situations if you just give it a try and get used to it. Of course, you always have the other methods: points and bars if you need them.

[Note: see "Fast Automation Breakpoint Editing" for more ways of working with Controller data.]

_________________
Shooshie
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Category: Audio Editing, Mix, Record, Pitch
Creative Pitch Editing
works in: Sequence Editor Window
I had a bad backup singer, the bass player of a metal band, singing unison with the lead vocalist. Rather than tweak the hell out of him with the pitch correction, i copied the lead vocalist's pitch and pasted it on the bass player's vocal. After a little tweaking, all was fine.

Method:
1) In the Sequence Editor window, choose the pitch layer in the track you wish to edit (instead of soundbites layer).
2) Select all the pitch using the lasso tool.
3) Copy.
4) Select over pitch in the target track.
5) Paste


.....try different pitch segmentations.
I've also created harmonies playing the notes in on guitar, copying the pitch and pasting to a vocal track.
_________________
David Pine
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Category: Setup
Avoiding Unwanted Keystroke Actions
works in: Commands Window
When setting up Digital Performer for the first time, you should open the Commands Window and familiarize yourself with the entire list. It's a good idea to print the entire list out. You can discard the pages of font commands. They don't serve much purpose, other than in text selection on scores. If that's important to you, keep them. But there is a serious issue that may perplex new users:

In the Commands Window, under the heading "Chunk Selection Commands," you will find settings allowing key-bindings for individual chunks (sequences) in your file. By touching a single key, you can change chunks (almost) instantly. Go through these and delete the keyboard equivalents if you do not want to be bothered by them. If you don't, you may touch a key and find that you suddenly are no longer working in the same sequence as before. Note that it also works for MIDI keyboards and controllers. Unless you wish to set those far out of your controller's range to avoid accidents, delete those, also.

But there's more. In the mini-menu of the Commands Window, you will find the item "Add Chunk Selection Commands Automatically." Uncheck it. If you have it selected, it will add a keyboard equivalent (usually single letters of the alphabet) every time you create a new chunk, causing this strange behavior of jumping to that junk when you accidentally touch its key on the keyboard. It's useful for live performance--if you're very careful. But when I use it, I prefer a more complicated command, like COMMAND-OPTION-CONTROL-SHIFT-4, or something more to that effect, to prevent accidental changes.

Here is a thread about that in the Unicornation Forum.
_________________
Editor, inspired by posts from bbowers and daveyboy
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Category: Setup, MIDI Edit
Auditioning Patches for MIDI synths/samples
Works in: Tracks Overview Window
To scroll thru synth patchs and audition sounds for MIDI track playback without having to click in the Patch or Default Patch menus each time, click CONTROL- ARROWS(up/down).
_________________
blue
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Category: General
Cycling through windows with keyboard command
Works in: everywhere
A quick shortcut to cycle through the panels in Consolidated Windows, as well as any other open windows:
COMMAND-accent - cyle forward
COMMAND-tilde - cycle backward
Of course, they're the same key, just with the added SHIFT key for backward cycling.
_________________
Editor
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Category: Editing, MIDI Editing, Setup, Recording
Keyboard Shortcuts utilizing arrow keys in Tracks Overview Window
Works in: Tracks Overview Window
Select a MIDI track in the Tracks Overview Window, and:
SHIFT + Arrow Keys Up/Down - cycle through Output devices
OPTION + Arrow Keys Up/Down - cycle through channels of current Output Device

Select ANY track in the Tracks Overview Window, and:
Arrow Keys Up/Down - Record enable next or previous track
SHIFT-OPTION + Arrow Keys Up/Down - Move selection up or down one track. (works for entire track or for partial selections, such as a measure or beat or fraction thereof).
COMMAND-SHIFT + Arrow Keys Up/Down - Expand selection by one track. (works for entire track or for partial selections, such as a measure or beat or fraction thereof).
COMMAND-Arrow Keys Right/Left - Zoom tracks in or out.
COMMAND-OPTION-Arrow Keys Right/Left - Zoom to maximum/minimum extreme
COMMAND-SHIFT-Arrow Keys Right/Left - Move insertion point to next barline

Select MIDI or Audio data in Tracks Overview Window and:
Arrow Keys Right/Left - Move data by one horizontal unit (one bar, or subdivision of bar, or group of bars, depending on zoom. In other words, from one column to the next, whatever zoom value that may currently be.)


Select an Audio Track in the Tracks Overview Window, and:
CONTROL-SHIFT + Arrow Keys Up/Down - increase or decrease byte volume by .5 dB.
_________________
Mr. Clifford and Editor
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Category: Editing
Renaming Soundbites from Sequence Editor
Works in: Sequence Editor
In DP version 4.5 or later, you can rename soundbites directly in the Sequence Editor window. Just option-click on the soundbite's name in its upper left corner, change, and hit return. This will apply the new name globally.
_________________
Shooshie
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Category: Recording, Editing, Conversions
Converting Audio Directly to MIDI
Works in: Sequence Editor
This one bowled me over when I found out about it from billf. From MOTU's website, in the overview of features added in DP 4.6:
MOTU wrote:Got an audio performance that you'd like to convert to MIDI data? Copy Digital Performer's pitch segments from the audio track and paste them into a MIDI track. Clean them up a bit with quantize, etc. and you've now got a MIDI track that matches the audio performance. Layer a vocal with MIDI instruments, or sing in a melody and then convert it to MIDI for further development and orchestration.

source: http://www.motu.com/products/software/d ... ation.html
Note: pitch correction works on MONO tracks. If you have a stereo recording, you will get best results if you duplicate one channel in the Soundbites window (or Finder) and drag that into your Tracks Overview Window. Then you can proceed to convert it to MIDI using DP's Pitch Correction feature.
_________________
billf and the Editor
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Category: Audio Mixing and Editing
Changing Volume Automation Data Precisely
Works in: Sequence Editor
After recording your faders and reshaping certain areas, you finallyhave your volume automation curves drawn just the way you want them, but let's say you think the whole thing is about 10% too loud. You can select all your automation control points by double clicking on one point in your audio track's "volume" layer in the Sequence Editor, but you may feel that dragging--even SHIFT-dragging to constrain direction--is just not accurate enough. To the rescue: REGION/CHANGE CONTINUOUS DATA. The dialog box comes up, and rather than typing in "7" for the controller number (CC#7 = Volume Control), look further in the dialog box and you will see a specific selection for "Audio Volume." (also Audio Pan, etc.) You can then select the operation: change by percentage, add to or subtract from, set, or limit to minimum/maximum.
_________________
Shooshie
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Category: Audio Mixing and Editing
Pitch Control using Waves' Tune Plugin
Works in: Mixing Board, Sequence Editor, Tracks Overview
I was working on a 35 vocal-track opera production and needed THE fastest, most efficient way to clean up intonation, and wobbly vibratos (opera singers...) Having pretty well explored and tweeked the entire pitch automation package in DP5 (which is VERY good), I still needed something easier. (95 minutes of music x 35 vocal tracks, plus those pesky opera singer vibratos...)

Waves Vocal Bundle to the rescue. The most amazing program for this purpose I have ever seen. Settings allow you to eliminate almost entirely the segmentation problems associated with vibrato, while still keeping the warmth and 'signature' of the singer. In addition, the intonation repairs are clean and concise. I find the software remarkably intuitive, and once you explore the pencil tool, you will discover it is quite easy to 're-write' a performance to equal what you hoped the singers were doing. Side to side comparisions reveal that the Waves Vocal Bundle introduces fewer artifacts, while maintaining a highly realistic performance, which in many cases, is better than the singers actually sang. A huge bonus is that to treat the same passage with Waves, vs. MOTU pitch automation, I have cut my editing time by over 50% with a higher quality end result.

One IMPORTANT detail: Waves' Tune has a limitation in which it does not work properly over lots of tempo changes. If your track has a lot of tempo changes (opera has 15-20 every measure) then you must select a new TAKE in the conductor track. After your work with Waves is done and you bounce to disk, you can restore your tempo track and everything will be in order with your original markers.

_________________
HGMoses
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Category: General Operation, Setup
Import/Export Audio Bundles in DP 5.x
Works: in DP 5.x Bundles Window
Tired of recreating the same bundles again and again? Started a new project and did get a chance to save to template and its bundle?
This method is for DP 5!
Audio Bundles in DP 5 is now called more simply "Bundles". It is located in the Studio Menu, and can also be accessed via the key command SHIFT + U. From the Bundles' new little mini menu (which does not exist in DP 4 6x) there are two options: Import Bundle and Export Bundle.

Where are these Bundles Stored?
At present, they can be stored anywhere you like. If you've never saved a bundle, you won't find any on your computer. Create a folder in a memorable location and give it a memorable name such as DP AUDIO BUNDLES FOLDER or similar.
NOTE: The new savable bundle files will sport the extension: '.bundexp'.
To Save a Bundle is to Export a Bundle. Here's how:

1) Choose Export Bundles fom the Bundles mini menu, give it a unique name and make sure the extension '.bundexp' appears.
2) Click Save.
3) Done.

To Import a saved or exported Bundle:
1) Choose Import Bundle from the Bundles mini menu.
2) Locate your custom exported Bundles folder from the finder window that opens.
3) Select the '.bundexp' file of your choice.
4) Click OPEN.
5) You're done.

The saved Bundle config is ADDED TO the curent Bundle config and doesn't delete anything you may have already set up. You can always deleted any duplicates and unused bundles from the buttons across the bottom of the Bundles Window.
NOTE: MUCH OF THIS INFO IS NOT FOUND IN THE DP5 MANUAL pp. 169-174--!!
_________________
Frodo
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Go to Top of Part One
Go to Top of Part Two
Go to Top of Part Three
Go to Abbreviations Glossary
Go to Automation Control Points and Controllers Tutorial
Go to Controller Selection Tutorial

2nd most recent update: 11 11, 2011
Last updated: Last Update: September 3, 2014
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Last edited by Shooshie on Fri Apr 27, 2007 12:50 am, edited 35 times in total.
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Shooshie
Posts: 19820
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DP Tips Sheet Part 3

Post by Shooshie »


Go to Top of Part One
Go to Top of Part Two
Go to Abbreviations Glossary
Go to Automation Control Points and Controllers Tutorial
Go to Controller Selection Tutorial


******** The Digital Performer Tips Sheet *********

__________________Part 3__________________

XYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYXYX

Last updated: March 25, 2015

Category: Setup, Operation
Understanding and optimizing operations in DP5
Accessed: Audio Setup Menu, Preferences; works everywhere!

DP5 has three new features in the Configure Studio Settings dialog for optimizing audio engine performance, all accessible at Setup-->Configure Audio Settings-->Configure Studio Settings.

1. Prime Seconds-- a "look-ahead" feature that pre-renders audio and effects, and pre-cues this data before playback begins.

While MOTU recommends, ironically, leaving these settings at factory default, you may try lowering the Prime Seconds number to improve responsiveness of the space bar.

2. Work Quanta-- adjusts the time intervals MAS refreshes its calculations. Raising this number can free up CPU resources to redirect them towards audio tasks at the expense of sluggish graphic display, including wiper performance. Lowering it improves graphic displays and any animation like moving faders, but at the expense of using more CPU resources.

3. Max Work Percent-- Allows you to assign how much CPU horsepower goes towards pre-rendering for playback in percentages. Higher values give the audio engine more leg room at the expense of graphics and animation responsiveness. Lower values do the opposite.

4. Buffer Sets the delay between the time you press a key, and the time that playback begins, or the time that a note plays.* With options for 128, 256, 512, 1024, and sometimes 2048, the buffer can make a huge difference in how many plugins or VIs DP can handle at once. For recording and overdubbing, cut latency as much as possible with a low setting. For playback and mixing, higher settings are permissible, allowing for more virtual instruments, reverbs, compressors, and other CPU hogs. Located in the Setup menu-->Configure Audio System-->Configure Hardware Driver."

*This isn't literally what the buffer does, but for understanding it for our purposes, that's the noticeable effect. In fact, the buffer sets aside a small part of memory to hold audio samples briefly for easing the transition from hard disk to the CPU. Larger buffers hold more samples and require less I/O operations. Smaller buffers are faster but keep the processor busy retrieving data. The units for buffers would be "samples" as in audio samples. 256 samples takes about 13 milliseconds between reading and playing.

5. Host Buffer Multiplier - increases the total buffer appropriately for each audio driver in use. Smaller is faster. Larger may reduce CPU strain. Increment 1 for each audio driver currently selected in Hardware Setup. Further increases may help in some cases.

6. Work Priority - Sets OS X's priority for dealing with Digital Performer's MOTU Audio System operation thread. If you're using 3rd party software concurrently, such as Virtual Instruments or external processors connected by "Rewire" or "Soundflower" or "Jack Tools," then you may want to lower the Work Priority setting to allow more CPU attention to those applications. If DP is all alone, then by all means raise it to High. It also can be affected by the type of audio interface you may be using. According to the DP "Getting Started" manual, some 3rd party interfaces, such as the Yamaha 01x mixer, require the Low setting. Other 3rd party devices may require the Medium setting. All MOTU interfaces allow you to use the High setting.

7. Background Processing - found in the Preferences Panel --> General --> Background Processing. Turn off the automatic processes that you don't use often. You can always turn them back on or trigger them manually. These will slow down your system as you add tracks, making for occasional frustration.

8. Overload Alerts - Turn off "Show alert when playback overloads the processor(s)" at Preferences --> General --> Audio Options. While it may be nice to know, it can happen often, and it interrupts your work for very little gain. The interruption itself sometimes can be a problem.

9. Use V-Racks for Virtual Instruments, Limiters, Reverbs - If you have a project with multiple chunks, and each has its own virtual instruments (VIs), centralize access to those VIs by loading them into a V-Rack. Select your VI tracks and choose Projects-->Sequences-->Move Selected Tracks to V-Rack. Alternatively, go to V-Racks by opening the Mixing Board and clicking on the V in its header. Then navigate the menu bar to: Project-->Add Track-->Instruments-->Add Instruments-->and fill out the dialog box. Instruments or plugins in V-Racks are available to all Chunks in the current project via I/O through busses. For greater ease, name your busses for the specific instruments and plugins they represent by using the naming functions in the Audio Bundles window. (Studio-->Bundles) Once done, VIs not currently in use by an inactive chunk will no longer be taking up CPU cycles.

As we think of other optimization tips, we will add them here as well.
_________________
Frodo and the Editors at the Shire
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Category: Setup, Operation
Closing Windows: Quick Optimization for CPU Gains
Works: everywhere

Seeing that a project running at about 60% CPU in DP (4.61) only ran about 40% in Logic, I wondered whether the graphic interface could be making the difference in CPU efficiency. After all, DP's interface looks great, and that may require some processing of its own. So I went into the DP project that was running about 60% and closed the Kontakt plug window, the Sequence Editor and the Tracks Overview Window - that dropped the CPU down to a comfortable 35%. The Sequence Editor alone takes about 10% of the CPU - only scrolling one stereo track. Tracks Overview Window takes another 5%. Closing the Mixing Board brought the CPU down another 2% to about 33%. Closing windows in Logic had some effect but nothing nearly so dramatic. So, it appears that the beautiful and wonderful DP interface that we all love so much is a double edge sword in that it alone seems to eat up about 25%-30% of your CPU power. But at least we have options and can close windows when the going gets rough. So, the next time you are running short on CPU, try closing as many windows as you can, especially the scrolling windows like Sequence Editor and Tracks Overview.

By the way - Whether the windows were opened in the Consolidated Window or individually did not seem to make any difference in the amount of CPU used.

Editor's note: One rule of thumb is to eliminate meters first. Anything that is updating in real time is stealing CPU cycles. There are many options you can turn off. Auto-scrolling, for instance. Or go to the Tracks Overview Window preferences and remove the mini-meters from the display. Even event lists take power to scroll and update, as does the CPU meter itself. Leave Soundbites closed at all times that you're not actually using it, and avoid the Sequence Editor when you can if the CPU meter is pushing red. Use Tracks Overview Window for playback, SE for editing. Plug-in windows with complex, real-time displays are bad, especially if they show FFT meters in real time. Turn FFT off when you are not using it, as it uses CPU resources even when the plug-in window is CLOSED. (Thanks to Phil O for that last bit of advice)
_________________
Resonant Alien
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Category: Mixing, Playback
Getting More out of Altiverb with limited CPU resources
Works in: Tracks Overview, Mixing Board
Whenever you need more instances of Altiverb, but CPU limitations just won't allow it, just render Altiverbs wet outputs as audio, then turn Altiverb off completely... I find my self doing this ALOT with Altiverb. I'll print 2 or 3 tracks of different settings of Altiverb and automate between them during the mix. Use the shorter rooms and plate setting for the stacatto stuff and the longer decaying rooms and halls etc. for the more intimate stuff... of course, you can combine them and chorus (modulate) the rooms decay (ala Lexicons verbs) and do all kinds or really interesting things... I LOVE DAWS!
_________________
newrigel
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Category: MIDI Editing
Edit Resolution Grid, Quantizing, and Shifting
Works in: Graphic Editing Windows

People often ask why DP's Edit Resolution Grid will not snap notes to the grid itself, but merely moves them by the amount the grid is set for. Let me explain why DP uses an "Edit Resolution Grid" instead of a mere "edit grid" or "quantize grid." The grid in DP's case allows you to move data by the amount selected in the resolution grid: a quarter, 8th, 16th, etc. instead of snapping to a beat or subdivision of the beat. In other words, if you start off with a note that's at 1/01/123, and drag it to the right with the resolution set to a quarter note, it will end up at 1/02/123.

Now, if you have a whole phrase to move, you select all your notes and move them. They move by the amount of the resolution grid, but they retain their positions relative to each other! This is very important. With a mere grid, snapping everything to the beat, you would destroy your groove with the first move. Real music in performance rarely resembles anything like a grid in structure and timing. Only robots could do that, anyway. Therefore, DP does not have a grid to which notes just snap; it would be counter-productive to most professional usage of a sequencer, something you'd expect to find more in a music primer than a pro application.

So, if you want to snap to the beat grid, use Quantize or Input Quantize. The latter [Studio-->Input Quantize] will quantize as you record the notes. Quantizing with the Quantize dialog can be made super-fast by setting a single key to call the dialog (F10 for me). Go to the COMMANDS window (Shift-L) and set a keyboard command that works best for you. Then, with your shortcut set, quantizing to the beat can be done in two rapid keystrokes: F10, Return. It takes less than half a second.

One problem that cannot be overcome by using the edit resolution grid is moving an entire group of notes or events so that the first note begins exactly on the beat and the others shift by the same amount, and retain their relative positions to the first note. Neither does Quantization accomplish this. To my knowledge, this has to be done with the Shift command. (Command-L) Use the drop down menu at the top of the Shift dialog to select "Shift to Time or Marker," and then set the exact location to which you wish to move the group or phrase. To maintain their exact time relationship amongst themselves, no matter what tempo settings may exist, use the "Preserve Realtime Performance" option at the bottom of the dialog.

There's more to moving notes and data than I can print here. It's definitely worth reading chapters in the manual on beat detection, editing, quantizing, and the subheadings such as the Shift Dialog.
_________________
Shooshie
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Category: Audio Editing, Conversions, Setup
Registering Audio Files when DP seems to have lost track of unused files
Works in: Soundbites Window

Sometimes DP seems to lose track of audio files that aren't being used. Select "Delete Unused Soundbites" and you may find a number of them which still remain.

One way I've found to get DP to recognize all the files in the Audio Files folder is to go to the Finder, find that Audio Files folder, open it up, select ALL the files and drag them into the Soundbites window. It doesn't copy them or re-copy them. It registers them. Now if you go to delete unused soundbites, DP knows where they are.
_________________
hammerman
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Category: Recording, Editing, Playback
Quick Tempo Change
Works Anywhere in Tempo Slider Mode
When you are in Tempo Slider Mode (as opposed to Conductor Track Mode) changing tempo is as easy as "tap-tap-return." The secret is to tap the backslash key ( \ ) at the tempo you desire and watch the Tempo Slider Display. When you see the tempo value become highlighted, hit Return, and you're done. It should catch your tempo on the second tap. If that's the one you want, hit return; if not, keep tapping until you get what you want. It works while playing, but there may be a slight pause when choosing a slower tempo.

_________________
Shooshie
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Category: Recording, Editing, Playback
Quick Change in Tempo Dialog Boxes
Works in: All Tempo Change Dialogs
You're in Conductor Track mode for tempo control, but a section is not precisely at the tempo you want it to be. So, you open a Change Tempo dialog and start to type in the tempo, but... is the tempo you're thinking of 76? 81? 87? Why not TAP it in, instead? Just place your cursor in the tempo field, where you'd normally type the number, but tap the backslash key ( \ ) at the tempo you desire, instead. The tempo will appear in the field, and you can hit Return to close the box and enter the tempo into the Conductor Track. It works in the "Scale Tempo" dialog as well.

_________________
Shooshie
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Category: Setup (Authorization of DP)
DP Won't Authorize, Problems launching and crashing
Reference thread: http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... =1&t=38841
You've installed Digital Performer from the disk, then you've launched and run the authorizer with disk installed, but you're getting crashes. The MOTU site has a Technote about this, which resides at this address:
http://www.motu.com/techsupport/technot ... ix-Leopard
[Editor: In the event that they change their website, I'm going to add the copy here in this tip.]

Complaint:
I get a message saying Digital Performer is not authorized to run, the trial has expired, or file was created in a later version (Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard)
MOTU's Answer:
This behavior is a result of the authorization file having incorrect file permissions when Digital Performer was installed.

To correct this, the authorization file must be deleted, the permissions repaired, and Digital Performer re-authorized. This page contains instructions specific to Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard; for instructions on this process under Mac OS X v10.2, v10.3, or v10.4, please see this technote.
  • 1. Quit all running applications. Make sure you are logged in as an administrator user, then proceed.
    2. Go to the Finder and choose Find from the File menu (or press Command-F).
    Search in "This Mac" for "File Name." Using the drop-down menus, set the first search line to "Name," "Contains," and type "auth" in the text box.
    3. Hit the Plus (+) button at the end of the line. This will add a second line of criteria to the search.
    4. For this criteria, click the "Kind" menu and select "Other..."; in the list of attributes, locate and select "File Invisible" and press OK. Then choose "Invisible Items."

    The search window should look like this:
    Image

    5. The search will automatically begin as you enter criteria.
    6. Look in the search results for a file named, "Auth-DigitalPerformer 5.0".
    7. If a file by this name is found, drag this file into the Trash. Make sure that you have at least one other file or folder in the Trash; if you don't, create a new, empty folder on your desktop and drag it to the Trash. Now empty the Trash.
    8. Next, repair your disk permissions.
    9. After that finishes, launch DP 5 with the installer CD in the drive. Enter your name and keycode, and it should authorize properly.
_________________
Dark Goob; MOTU; Editor
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Category: Recording, Mixing
Splitting Stereo Track Into Two Mono Tracks
Works in: Waveform Editor

[quote="Various Users"]Is there an easy way to split a stereo audio track into 2 mono ones in DP?

This can be done in the Waveform Editor. Hold the COMMAND key to drag-select one side, or Select All then click on the Left or Right Label at the left of the window. Then Create Soundbite From Selection from the Mini-Menu.
_________________
Tim
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Category: Recording, Editing, Playback
Resizing MIDI, Soundbites, Audio in tracks
Works in: Editor Windows

Hovering the mouse over the graphic editor button for enlarging or shrinking MIDI notes (the one in the upper left corner of the screen) and then moving the wheel makes the notes larger or smaller. No need for pucking around with the size selector.

Same for the soundbites in their editing window and probably across the board in other windows.

Nice tip, huh? I'm real proud of 'er. Thanks MOTU.
_________________
MIDI Life Crisis
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Category: Recording, Editing Audio
Substituting Soundbites at the Same Location
Works in: Event List, Sequence Editor, Soundbites Window, Event Info Window

In the Event List:
  • I just remembered this trick today:
    You have an audio track and you'd like to swap a soundbite for another one?
    1- You open your track's event list to the counter location of the soundbite.
    2- You CTL-double-click on the soundbite's name.
    3- You now get a popup with all the project's soundbites.
    4- You double click on the new soundbite name you want.
    5- Voila!!! you just replaced your soundbite with a new one. You're certain it's at the EXACT same place without having to fiddle with anything.
    __________________
    Dwetmaster
Same Tip, in the Sequence Editor:
  • In the Sequence Editor, click the soundbite you want to change, then click its name in the event info bar. A drop-down window will list all soundbites. Click to choose a new soundbite, then hit OK, or double click your selection. That will replace the soundbite at the same location, just like the previous tip.
    __________________
    GMT
Same Tip, in the Event Info Window:
  • If you use the Event Info Window (Studio Menu/Event Information or CONTROL-E), you can do it all with single clicks.
    __________________
    Phil O
Same Tip, in the Soundbites Window:
  • ...or Right-Clk on a file in the Soundites window.
    __________________
    midney
Thanks guys, I realize it works in all these others areas too. I'm still always trilled to learn a DP trick.
__________________
Dwetmaster
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Category: Recording, Editing Audio, Bounce to Disk
Eliminating Pitch Shift Artifacts
Works in: Sequence Editor

I recently read somewhere about Melodyne that it´s not recommended to merge nor bounce offline coz it will give artifacts like clicks and pops in Melodyne processed tracks. That made me think about DP pitch as I´m having issues with pops, clicks and variable pitching results after merging pitched tracks in DP. These artifacts aren´t there before I´m printing/merging the track(s).

So when reading this about Melodyne it perfectly made sense to me. As DP PITCH is done In Real Time it can differ a little bit each time you play it. It´s all CPU based and together with everything else that needs processing it seems to be hard for the processor to do this identically every time, especially when printing using merge or offline bounce.

So now I´ve changed my way of "bouncing" the pitched tracks to avoid these CPU based artifacts that occur during the offline printing. My solution to this is to RE-RECORD the pitched track from BUS output to a new Audio Track input and record IN REAL TIME while this track is SOLOED! This way all CPU is used for the pitching process. You can monitor the process and detect problems immediately.

Since I´ve started using this procedure i haven´t yet had any problems with these artifacts anymore. The process might take some extra time but is totally worth it. A/B check and you´ll hear the difference.
__________________
Radiogal
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Category: Recording, Editing, Virtual Instruments, Effects, Mixing
Using MachFive3
Works in: MachFive3

MachFive is separate app, it does not come with DP, but it is made to work hand-in-glove with DP—so much so that some of us consider MachFive to be the "other half" of Digital Performer. Using MachFive, you will find many of the features most often asked for in DP, such as advanced time-stretching or pitch shifting. Also, you get one of the most advanced, full-featured samplers ever written for a computer. Top that off with an amazing synthesis engine that simply does more than most synthesizers can dream of. In seconds, you can build a synth patch and apply it to your keyboard layers to be used instantly for incoming MIDI. We're not going to try to describe all that MachFive can do here, but will just give a few examples and send you to the MachFive Tutorial Video Archive at MOTU.com.

Our friend MIDI Life Crisis explains:
MachFive is not just an extension of DP. It is a completely different piece of software and worth every penny, and is totally awesome. I use it every day for a wide variety of functions and never regretted for one second buying it. I gives me a major edge in my work and cuts some of my tasks, literally, by hours and makes some edits possible that I could never do before. It literally paid for itself the first week I had it (all versions).

My clients only care about results, not how much my software cost me, and I care about how much time I need to spend on a particular tasks, especially in the mundane world of editing someone else's audio. If that means I spend $500 on MachFive it is well worth it.

1- I still work with dancers quite a bit. Let's say they have a song they choreographed and it comes in a 126 bpm. They have a school full of pre-teens who cannot muster that speed so they need it at 118 but it still needs to sound great. IRCAM stretch to the rescue. PERFECT!

2- My wife teaches 4th grade and being a theater person and dancer in her former life, directs some of the school theatrical productions. The songs in the show are in Bb but the kids need to sing it in D with maybe an increase in speed! IRCAM again.

3- I design sound. I need a giant sized door to hell for Eurydice. I take a file cabinet, play it at 2 or 3 octaves below the original pitch and wham, you're in hell and no nasty artifacts!

4- I'm looking for a patch. I know I have about a half second of music that is exactly what I need, but how do you take a 1.2 second and make it loop nicely into a lush pad? IRCAM Granular.

5- I need Darth Vader for a commercial or a dinosaur roar. I can literally take Mini Mouse and make Vader or turn a dormouse into a T-Rex.

So what, you might say, these are just tricks. Well, yes, they are fancy, schmancy manipulations but people pay me to do this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU3jWSudTQE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Go to about 2:16 to 2:26 if nothing else. You can freeze those sounds and make them into pads! So what? So now every sound you have is a potential patch. Every orchestral cluster can be frozen into a patch and used with perfect intonation. Un-effin-limited patches.

Not enough? I have not touched the arpeggiator, of the Telematic guitar, or the scripting, or some of the awesome sounds that come with MachFive. And there is much, much more. Please go to MOTU.Com to check out the MachFive Tutorial Video Archive. You'll be amazed at what you can do in MachFive3.
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MIDI Life Crisis
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Category: Recording, Playback, Virtual Instruments, Effects, Mixing
Slaving DP to Live
Works in: Digital Performer, Live, Soundflower
[Comment from the Editor: Normally our Tips Sheet only covers things that are done in Digital Performer. On recommendation from RadioGal, one of our strongest DP advocates, and a significant voice from Europe, we are adding this tip in which DP is slaved to Live (and presumably other DAWs) for expanded workflow. In any case, it's an interesting read, and a simple set of instructions for something that has been done with difficulty for many years. /Editor]

It's a bit of a hack but Live can send MIDI to DP over Interapplication MIDI and get the result with soundflower. The explanation below is very literal - when you've done it once it won't look so complicated.
  • In DP go to Setup -> Interapplication MIDI. If nothing is listed under 'Inputs' press 'Add' and you should see 'DP Input' appear.
  • Quit DP and start Live, then restart DP. (This bypasses Rewire).
  • In Live add a MIDI track and open the 'configure' dialog for 'MIDI To'. Somewhere in the list of MIDI ports you will see 'Output: DP Input'. Switch this on for 'Track' and 'Sync'.
  • Now go to the MIDI track 'To' and choose 'DP Input' on channel 1.
  • In Live add an audio track and open the 'configure' dialog for 'Audio From'. For 'Audio Input Device' select Soundflower. Go back to the audio track and choose 'Ext. In' for 'Audio From'.
  • Switch to DP and check that 'Multi Record' is switched on under 'Studio'. Now add a MIDI track and an instrument, let's say Modulo. In the MIDI track input select 'DP Input' channel 1. For Modulo output select 'Soundflower'.
  • Switch to Live, arm the MIDI track and check that Monitor is set to 'In' for the audio track. Play some notes and you should hear the output from DP.
  • If Modulo output is too quiet go to System Preferences -> Sound and select Soundflower. Check that the output volume is high enough then go back to your regular output.
Hope that helps! DP slaved to Live looks like fun but I don't know how it scales for big projects.
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dubiousmaximus
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Category: Virtual Instruments, General
Spreading the Load Across Multi-Core CPUs
Works in: Digital Performer

Here's a tip for getting the most out of virtual instruments running in DP8.

Because DP8 uses 64 bit addressing and can access all the available RAM in your computer, it is possible to load large amounts of sample based virtual instruments into a DP session.

DP can take advantage of multiple CPU cores. To get maximum efficiency with virtual instruments, it's a good idea to spread the processing load of those instruments among the available cores. Each fader strip in DP can be seen as a separate processing thread by the OS. That means that a single multi-timbral instrument plug-in on an instrument track in DP will be limited to a single CPU core. However, if multiple instantiations of the instrument plug-ins are made over several instrument tracks, this will allow the OS to use multiple cores to handle those separate instruments.

So instead of running 16 sounds inside a single multi-timbral virtual instrument, try spreading those sounds out over three or four instantiations of the multi-timbral VI. You may see a significant increase in CPU efficiency.
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Magic Dave
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Category: Conductor Track, Markers, Tempos, Recording, Editing
Markers: to Lock, or to Not
Works in: Conductor Track, Markers Window
  • Just a reminder:
• If you want a marker always to be at a specified measure, no matter what tempo changes you make, don't lock it.
• If you want a marker always to be at a specified time, no matter what tempo changes you make, lock it.
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Groove from Montreal

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Category: Creating and Editing MIDI and Audio, Shortcuts, Keyboard Commands, Tools
Invoking and Switching Tools with the Keyboard
Works in: Graphic Edit Windows, Toolbar; Context sensitive

TOOLS in the TOOLBAR:
Hold down key to temporarily invoke tool. Tap key twice to switch to the tool.
  • Selections:
    A••• Cursor (Also Arrow, Marquee Tool, Pointer, Mouse: for event selections, buttons, controls, etc.)
    I ••• I-beam Tool (Range Selections)
    MIDI and Continuous Data:
    R ••• Reshape Tool (set functions in Reshape Mode and Reshape Actions buttons on toolbar)
    P ••• Pencil Tool/Insert Tool (add/subtract data. Set data type in Insert Data Type menus in edit windows)
    E ••• Rhythm Brush (Drum Editor; "E" looks like brush)
    Z ••• Zoom Tool (Option key zooms out)
    Soundbites:
    L ••• Loop Tool (Loops audio by dragging over soundbite region to be looped)
    C ••• Scissors Tool (cuts soundbites, pitch edit lines, possibly other line-based objects)
    M ••• Mute Tool (looks like an X, so don't confuse the keyboard command, which is M for Mute. Only works on audio.)
    S ••• Scrub Tool (Audio soundbites. Beware of volume. Quickly scrub to find a particular location)
    / ••• Trim Tool (Slash, the most common editing tool for moving soundbite edges)
    ' ••• Roll Tool (an apostrophe functions between two things, the tool moves back-to-back
    • trailing and leading edges of adjacent soundbites in the same move)
    , ••• Slip Tool (Comma, "Slips" soundbite data while leaving soundbite edges in place, when you've got
    • it located in the right place, but the sound doesn't quite match surrounding soundbites)
    . ••• Slide Tool (Period. Slides soundbite edges and frame while leaving waveforms in place)
    Audio Takes:
    B ••• Comp Tool (For multiple takes, multi-tracked so that they all line up in time with each other.
    • With takes expanded parallel to each other, this tool snips takes into sections which then can be chosen for the best take for each section. Amazingly fast tool. Game changer.)
Control-Click here to download file to your desktop for a printable guide to toolbar keyboard shortcuts (Adobe Illustrator format, printable from Apple's Preview.
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Shooshie

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Category: Editing Audio Automation
Region Editing of Track Automation
Works in: Tracks Overview Window

Some have asked how to invoke Retrograde, Reverse Time, or Scale Time upon audio automation data. Automation appears in layers, such that each automation type has its own layer. That could be Volume, Pan, Mute, or any of the myriad controls on plugins, and more. You cannot access these in the MIDI Graphic Edit Window, and apparently the Region Menu commands don’t work consistently on automation layers in the Sequence Editor.

But the Tracks Overview Window is the ideal place for such edits. Isolate your automation by dragging the other data (soundbites, generally) into an empty track. What’s left is automation, and you will see it as lines and dots in the Tracks Overview Window.

Select cells in the Tracks Overview Window that contain the automation data. Be sure you select all cells within the range of the data, even if they do not have actual automation data within the cells. They form a time range, and it’s the time range that we will be editing.

Once the cells are selected, choose the Region/Retrograde menu, or the Reverse Time or Scale Time. It will behave the way controller or note data behave.

When you're done, drag your original data back into that track, and you're all set.

I haven't found a way to Invert (flip vertical) automation data, however. Invert Pitch requires a "pitch" center to invert around. There is no pitch in automation, so it doesn't work there. But Reverse Time, Scale Time and Retrograde work great, and that's 3 out of 4.

MIDI Automation, as opposed to the audio automation we were just discussing, is just continuous control data, and is thus MIDI data. It can be handled just as any other MIDI data without special consideration, and is most easily edited in the MIDI Graphic Editor, though the Sequence Editor will also work for MIDI. Do not confuse MIDI Volume (CC#7) with Audio Volume.
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Shooshie
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Category: Setup, Recording, Mixing
Clipping in 32 bits/fp Internally and Externally With DP
Works in: Mixing Board, Channel Strip

Generally speaking, in digital audio, 0dB is really and truly an absolute limit. There are lots of books and tutorials out there which can tell you the whole story so you can understand why that's the case, and I recommend that you read them. The basic principles won't take long, and it's not super scientific or anything. (basically, you run out of 16 bit numbers to represent the volume, so it literally has no place to go. The sound of clipping is your digital player interpreting values that it would find nonsensical.)

However, DP and probably many other DAWs allow headroom above 0dB for the purpose of mixing. With twice as many bits for writing each sample’s level (loudness) at the most significant digits, 32bits floating point internal resolution can be pushed a LOT further without clipping your audio within DP. The red light merely tells you that you've exceeded the "real" maximum, that is, the limit for bouncing to CD at 16 bits.

So, we have a lot of freedom to disregard limits while we are working, but it's understood that when you leave DP and go analog (or bounce to CD) you must know to make sure that the summation of audio output channels never exceed 0dB. Most mastering software for creating and burning CDs will do a clipping check and even "normalize" your audio (adjust it downward until all the clips are eliminated, within the 0dB range), but this is poor form and can seriously ruin your mix. You should have taken care of that back in the mix before outputting a two-track file for burning to CD.

There are SO many places where audio can take a leap or a dive, often without your being aware that it's even happening. Go through your audio chain carefully from input to output, studying every analog and digital connection, every plugin, every aux track, master track, fader, pan, and so forth until you are sure you know where everything is set, and how it is affecting the mix. It will make you a better, more thorough audio engineer.

Some methods of eliminating clipping:
1) Care in levels, setup and routing. Any two tracks that are at or near the 0dB limit in volume will likely cause clipping when they are summed into a single output. Examine your stems and mix for levels that are at least -12 dB below the limit. When recording, do a run-through at the loudest and softest spots to see your range, and try to set your mic levels all around to a gain that reflects the levels of the mic that has to be most adjusted for clipping. Use the “clipping” mic as your starting point when setting mic levels. When mixing, you’ll probably have to bring them all down more, but at least they will all be in the same ball park.
2) Use automation to remove extreme clipping. Maybe the artist leaned into the mic and popped an attack or there is some weird combination of attacks and drum hits, but there are often one or two spots that simply stand out above the rest of the mix. You don’t want to bring down all your levels until that stops clipping, for that would ruin your mix, and you may not want to use a limiter. Approximate the location and shape of the curve by manually moving the fader, then refine it with drawing tools. Do this on the track or tracks that seem to be contributing the most to the overage, not on the final mix.
3) Compressor
4) Limiter
5) Look-Ahead Brick Wall Limiter - Serious brick wall limiters like Waves’ UltraMaximizer or MultiMaximizer series, or Stephen Slate’s FG/X can do wonders for a mix while eliminating overages tastefully, without “pumping” the levels. Brick-wall limiters are normally used last in the audio plugin chain.
6) Re-draw audio spikes in a waveform editor to eliminate rogue clips.
7) Use noise-reducing software to eliminate pops and crackles that can cause clipping.

For more on mastering digital audio, read Bob Katz’s book, Mastering Audio.
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The Editor
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Category: Recording, Editing, Playback, Mixing, Shortcuts, Keyboard Commands, Tools
Zooming In DP
Works in: Sequence Editor, MIDI Graphic Editor, Drum Editor, Notation Editor (the horizontal edit window, not Quickscribe)

It's about time we took a comprehensive look at zooming in DP. If I've neglected to put a zooming method in this list, please let me know.
Mini-Menu Zooms:
  • COMMAND-SHIFT-N - Image, Default (Normal) zoom.
    COMMAND-ARROWKEYS - Image, Image, Zooms range IN and OUT (respectively) in edit windows, doubling bars with each command.
    OPTION-COMMAND-RIGHT-ARROWKEY - Image, Zoom all the way in.
    OPTION-COMMAND-LEFT ARROW - Image. Zooms to a little further out than “Normal.” It is supposed to zoom ALL the way out, but as of DP 8.06, it does not. This may be a bug or misunderstood command. (Misunderstood by recent programmers.)
    OPTION-COMMAND-UP & DOWN ARROWS - Image Image, Zooms tracks vertically In and Out, respectively, where applicable.
    Custom Zooms:
    • COMMAND-SHIFT-OPTION-1 (or 2 or 3) - Image, Sets first of three custom zoom levels.
      COMMAND-OPTION-1 (or 2 or 3) - Image, Invoke Custom Zoom 1 (or 2 or 3)
    Three of the most useful zooms:
    • Zoom to fit the selection:
      • COMMAND-OPTION-S - Image, Whatever you have selected will zoom to full screen. (horizontal only)
      Cycle through your past zooms:
      • COMMAND-[ - Image , Goes Backward through previous zooms.
        COMMAND-] - Image, Goes Forward through previous zooms.
Zoom Tool:
  • OPTION key will invoke the zoom tool. Click to zoom in. Within the note-section of MIDI edit window it zooms range and vertical. Within time ruler, it just zooms range.
    OPTION-SHIFT will reverse the zoom tool. Click to zoom out. Does not work in time ruler, but works in the note area of the edit window.
Great Timeline Zoom:
  • CONTROL-DRAG Up & Down Cursor - Zooms continuously with cursor at center. This is one of the most powerful zooms in DP.
Zoom buttons on windows:
  • Look for + and - in bottom right corners within the scroll bars.
    • Image
Mixing Board:
  • While the Mixing Board does not directly zoom, it does have a narrow view (COMMAND-SHIFT-N, Image), and you can show or hide almost any part of the board. Save configurations to make it easy to change them quickly.
Making more room in edit windows:
  • The left-hand part of the edit windows is usually customizable. You may need to save height, width, or both. Look for edges on which the cursor changes to a hand, then drag up/down or left/right to change size. Also, many windows have a grab button for resizing a PART of the window. Look for those, as in this picture (it’s the little “dimple” in the middle of the picture):
    • Image
Tempo Track Vertical Zoom:
  • Place your cursor in the vertical range ruler in the Tempo Track (Conductor Track) at the height of your fastest tempo, then click-drag to the bottom. The track will zoom to fit your tempos, giving you much more resolution for editing.
Image Image
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Shooshie
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As of September, 2014, DP8.07 still had no MIDI mute capability in the MIDI editors, at least not directly. Here is a workaround that utilizes hidden notes in the Quickscribe Editor Window. In Quickscribe, notes can be made “Display-only,” which means they show in the score, but they do not play back in the sequence. For example, if a note is tied over a bar line to an 8th note on the downbeat, the 8th note at the end of the tie is not played, but acts as a release. It is “display-only.” Cues (melody lines from another part that help the performer know when to enter) are also display-only.

Go to QuickScribe’s Mini Menu and you’ll see:
  • • Change Selected Notes to: Display-only (Mutes the selected notes)
    • Display-only Notes: Select All (Reveals these notes)
    • Change Selected Notes to: Small note heads (Provides a visual cue of which notes are Display-only.)
    • Display-only Notes: If Display is unchecked, then they're not visible in Quickscribe.
    • Change Selected Notes to: Normal (Notes sound again.)
Workaround Method:
  • 1) Set up a Consolidated Window Set with the MIDI Editor and QuickScribe.
    2) Select notes to be muted in Quickscribe.
    3) Use the command to change the selected notes to Display-only. They don't sound during playback or when using Freeze Tracks.
    4) While the notes are selected, use the command to change the selected notes to small note heads if you want a visible visual cue.
    • Image
The Keyboard Shortcuts shown above make this job much easier and faster.
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WVanDyck
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Category: Sequence Editor
Three types of Range Selection in the Sequence Editor
Works in: Sequence Editor
In the Sequence Editor, if you use the I-Beam, your selection is constrained to the track in which you're working.
If you use Control-Option-Drag, the lasso tool is like a time-range select for the track you're working in — just like the I-Beam — EXCEPT that if you move it down to other tracks it will pick them up, too. So, you've got three kinds of Range Selections possible in the Sequence Editor, using the mouse:

In the Sequence Editor, if you use the I-Beam, your selection is constrained to the track in which you're working.
If you use Control-Option-Drag, the lasso tool is like a time-range select for the track you're working in — just like the I-Beam — EXCEPT that if you move it down to other tracks it will pick them up, too. So, you've got three kinds of Range Selections possible in the Sequence Editor, using the mouse:

Sequence Editor:
  • 1) Timeline: drag in the timeline to pick up a range in every track
    2) Control-Option-Drag: picks up everything within a range within the track you're working in plus any adjacent tracks you drag over.
    3) I-Beam: drag to pick up everything in a range within one track
Those give you three distinct ways of picking up selections in the Sequence Editor, with increasing levels of constraint as you go down the list.
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Shooshie
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Category: Playback
Usable weirdness: playing back at half-speed/pitch*
Works in: all edit windows
On the left of the transport control are the fast forward and slow forward buttons. If you hit Play, then Pause, then Slow Forward - then Pause again,the transport will play at the slow forward speed. Hitting stop (for some reason) at this point does not reset the transport to normal speed (I don't know why). You must hit Fast Forward or Slow Forward again to set the transport back to regular speed. I don't know if this is what's going on with your project, but it's worth checking out. You may have inadvertently hit the Slow button (or keypad 6) at some point while paused.

To get it back to normal speed, hit one of the fast-forward or fast-reverse buttons while playing back.
*Note: usable weirdness is subject to change in new versions. This post is from 2018, DP 9.52. Test before getting your hopes up in later versions.—Editor
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Phil O
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Category: Playback
Usable weirdness: playing back at half-speed/pitch*
Works in: all edit windows
Continuing comment on the above post:

.. while in playback. Got it. Glitchy but potentially useful.
Some interesting potential, as it does appear to sort of work in record as well. Clicks are a little untethered.
*Note: usable weirdness is subject to change in new versions. This post is from 2018, DP 9.52. Test before getting your hopes up in later versions.—Editor
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Stubbsonic
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Go to Top of Part One
Go to Top of Part Two
Go to Top of Part Three
Go to Abbreviations Glossary
Go to Automation Control Points and Controllers Tutorial
Go to Controller Selection Tutorial
Links updated 11/11/11


Last updated: March 25, 2015
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Last edited by Shooshie on Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:11 am, edited 10 times in total.
User avatar
Shooshie
Posts: 19820
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Turbo Tips (Reposted May 29, 2018)

Post by Shooshie »

Turbo Tips! (posted May 29, 2018)
Especially for comping audio takes, but not limited to that.

There are so many super-speed shortcuts available that it would amaze you and might conceivably cause whiplash. Here are some really good ones. Take your time and work through them slowly, hands-on. They won't make as much sense if you just read them. Also, they get better as you go. The zoom stuff is just a reminder for most of you. After that they get a little more exotic. If you do not currently use them, I guarantee you an order of magnitude increase in speed! (or I'll refund all you paid for these tips!)


-=-=-=-=-=-=- Vertical and horizontal zoom methods:
People occasionally ask how to make the MIDI piano roll bigger so you can see it. The "thicker bars" in the piano roll are accomplished via zoom, same as soundbites. There are three ways to do it:
  • • use the little vertical zoom thing in the upper left corner of the window, which looks a little like a windshield wiper, and is used for zooming the thickness of soundbite wave-forms, too.
    • Command-Up Arrow and Down Arrow — vertical zoom. Just like Command-Left Arrow and Right Arrow are for horizontal zoom.
    • Plus & Minus buttons in the vertical margin bar on the bottom-right corner. Likewise, the ones on the bottom margin bar will zoom the track horizontally.
    • Hold the Cursor over the Wiper and scroll up or down. The track will zoom horizontally with the wiper/cursor at the center. Very fast if you learn to control it.
    • Actually, there are even more methods: use the zoom commands found in the Mini-Menu under Zoom. Here you can make preset zooms recalled with a keystroke.
There are so many ways to zoom the tracks that it's almost surprising when people ask how to do it, for it's hard not to stumble onto it even without reading the manual. There's just no excuse to complain about the track being inconveniently sized.

Learn to zoom often, as you need it. Do not try to stick with one zoom level. They are there to facilitate easy work, in any context.

If you like your zoom level and do not want to change it, but you need to do some quick selection or play-enabling or similar actions, and do not want to scroll, use the Tracks Window (formerly Tracks Overview). It's fast, simple, and fast. Did I say fast?

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Save your range selection
If you KNOW you want to remember your current range selection, you can save it. (this is an existing feature, and has been for years) The command is in a drop-down menu in the Selection area of the top margin of the editor windows. It has a keyboard equivalent.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Quick A/B Comparisons
For quick A/B comparisons, you can select a passage to play either in MIDI or soundbite, then play it using OPTION-SPACEBAR. Now, leave that selected and go looking through the sequence for other passages to compare it to. As you find them, place the wiper in front of each one and play it by hitting Spacebar, then hit OPTION-SPACEBAR again to play the one you originally selected (you might want to save that range selection, as per the above tip, in case you lose it). So you now have two areas playable instantly in an A/B fashion, using only the keyboard to compare them. Spacebar plays passages normally with the moving "wiper," while Option-Spacebar plays a range and track selection.

You can do it the other way around, so that you leave an Auto-Rewind marker at the beginning of the original passage, and play it with SPACEBAR or ENTER. Then as you find "B" comparisons, select them with the I-Beam cursor and use OPTION SPACEBAR to hear them. It's so easy to hear A/B comparisons this way.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Link Selection or Playback to Memory for auditioning comped passages
For example, when comping tracks, use "Link Selection to Memory" and "Link Playback to Memory" to play only the comp you just selected. It will start and stop at the comp boundaries eac time you hit play. Click on another take for that comp section, and it will automatically play THAT one (when you hit Play, of course). But you don't have to hit Play for each comp of each take. Want to go through a whole stack of takes, phrase by phrase, without hitting play between them? Read on...

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Add Memory Cycle to Memory Links, for speedy auditioning of a large number of comps
If you have 20 takes to comp and want to hear each take of each passage fast without interruption, add the memory cycle (Keypad-Minus brings up the repeat signs) to the above (the two "Link" buttons). I think you can actually do it with just "Link Playback to Memory" and Memory Cycle, but I use all three buttons. Now, to hear every one of the takes, all you have to do is click the next take as it repeats the selected comp passage over and over, and it will advance to the next take each time you click a take, always repeating, never stopping. Remember the good takes as you go. Then compare the best ones. When you've heard them all, make your choice and then click in the next comp boundaries and repeat the process until you've finished the song.

To facilitate this, I usually set up the comp boundaries for the whole song before I start. It's pretty simple. Select the length of passages that make good comps, and get all the boundaries set up from beginning to end. Then start auditioning comps. Modify as needed.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Click an I-Beam selection for an instant open-ended starting point/auto-rewind point.
When comping with the above methods, this enables you to click somewhere to go back and hear the transitions between comp boundaries, without stopping at the boundaries. It's very important to listen to transitions between comps, but it's hard to turn off all the buttons that are enabling you to work so fast. This makes it unnecessary to do that. Just click and play until you decide to stop. To bypass the auto-stop and/or auto-loop within comp boundaries, just position your cursor in the comped track itself, where the comp cursor changes to a regular pointer cursor. Now... hover over the lower ¼ of the track. The cursor turns to a crosshair; click it. This places a single line selection in the track. (you can also click in takes, if you hold down the A key, using the above technique, or hold down the I key for an I-Beam) Now hit spacebar and it will start there and play until you stop it. This means you don't have to go and turn off the "Link Playback to Selection" or "Link Memory to Selection" buttons to go back and listen to several passages sequentially in context. When clicking in the lower part of the track, whether in the Sequence Editor or the Tracks Overview window, the cursor acts as an I-Beam without having to switch to an I-Beam. You can click where you want it to start, or Click-Drag for a range that sets your starting and stopping point. This isn't limited to comping tracks. Any kind of editing goes faster when you can just click a starting point.

Much easier to see and emulate with a video, and I hope to make one soon. Will post a link here when I do. Just too busy now.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Set up speedy and easy keyboard commands for your Link to Memory buttons
Now, let's say that you want to toggle off/on the "Link Playback to Selection" or "Link Memory to Selection" buttons. Set up a keyboard command for it in the Commands Window. I use CONTROL-KEYPAD 8 and 9, respectively. This is super-handy, and becomes 2nd nature so easily because it's so easy to reach. Right Thumb on CONTROL, and other fingers for 8 or 9. Those "link" buttons are incredibly helpful and convenient when you can toggle them with the touch of a key.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Memorize the keyboard commands for Auto-Rewind, Auto-Stop, Auto-Cycle, Link Playback to Memory, Link Selection to Memory.
All those little transport setup buttons have keyboard commands. Plus, there is a command to toggle your current setup on and off. They are all located together in the extended keypad [X] — the brackets indicate that the key between them is on the numeric keypad.
  • [8] - Auto-Rewind
    [9] - Auto-Stop
    [-] (minus sign) - Auto-Cycle/Loop
    CONTROL [8] - Link Selection to Memory (set this up in the Commands Window)
    CONTROL [9] - Link Playback to Memory (ditto)
    [7] Toggle current state - Excellent command! Does not affect Link Selection to Memory; only the playback buttons and other transport buttons (auto-rewind, auto-stop, auto-cycle/loop).
Memorize all the keyboard commands for the tools. They are SO helpful and fast. Make a cheat sheet to remember your commands. Tap and hold a command to change temporarily to that tool. Tap twice to change and stay on that tool. Of course, you knew that, right?

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Use Slip, Slide, Roll and time stretch tools for fast editing when comping
Now, back to comping. You're comping some takes together, but one of them doesn't quite fit. It's just slightly out of time compared to the rest. No problem. Select that comp section in the expanded takes and use the SLIP tool (COMMA) to slip the soundbite within its frame so that the starting points are together. Now it lines up the starting point, but the end is too early/late. No problem. Position the cursor as if you were edge-editing, but hold it over the top portion of the soundbite — the upper margin — and it changes to a closed hand. Grab that upper corner of the soundbite and stretch it or shrink it until it lines up. DP adjusts the length of the soundbite, and nobody is any the wiser. If it only needs a note or beat moved, be sure to CUT the part that needs moving, first. Find a "zero crossing" or gap on both sides of the note or passage to be moved. Hold down the C-key (scissors) and click at the appropriate spot on either side of what you're moving. Once it's a separate soundbite, you can use the Slip, Slide, Roll, and/or Time-stretch tools to get it lined up.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Utilize Temporary Groups
Temporary groups are vital. Let's say you show 20 takes for comping. You don't really need to see those take in great detail, so why not make them very thin tracks to save screen space? Select them quickly by dragging over the takes in the Tracks Window. Now in the Sequence Editor, hold down T and vertically zoom one of the selected tracks to one or two lines in height. The rest follow. Release T. Now you can have enough room in the Sequence Editor to get things done without constant scrolling and wondering where you are. Actually, another way to do that is to shrink the original track before you show takes. They'll all come out the size of the original track, then you can expand it. The rest will stay put. But temporary groups have uses far beyond what anyone could imagine or recommend. Be ready to use them when needed.
  • • Hold down W to group all visible tracks. Tap W twice to maintain it until you tap it again.
    • Hold down T to group selected tracks. Tap T twice to maintain it until you tap it again.
-=-=-=-=-=-=- Quickly edit out offensive consonants in background vocals
If you line up a stack of background vocals into a chord, you can get the consonants perfectly in alignment. The problem with that? They create massive plosives and sibilants, not to mention several separate breaths happening all of a sudden. You can quickly fix this if you are careful about it. Select the tracks you want to fix. Temporarily group those tracks (Tap W twice). Cut right at the left-edge of the offensive plosive or sibilant, deselect all (COMMAND-D), then select the soundbite you'll be fixing. Now, hold down SHIFT and select the other tracks with that same passage. Use the Edge-Edit tool to move the soundbite edge PAST the offensive consonant. All those tracks will edge-edit together, past the consonant, and you will have removed it from the stack. By itself, it will sound terrible; the pitched vowel will come in without the idiophonic consonant. But since they are all stacked precisely together, the consonants on the main melody track will suffice for ALL of them! When played together, you get all the harmony and none of the idiophonic buildup of hard consonants and sibilants. Yeah, Baby! This ain't your daddy's tape block and razor blade!

Be sure to listen for pops and fix 'em.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Use "Play Selection" liberally as an alternative to setting up solos
When you're playing comps, you probably have the whole sequence playing so you can hear how the take sounds with everything else. But you want to hear it soloed, too, to listen closely to the comp. You don't want to set up the solo tracks each time, so solo isn't the most efficient way to play it. Use the technique outlined above: position the cursor (hold down the A key or double tap it to switch to the pointer cursor) over the lower 3rd or 4th of the track so that you get a crosshair, then drag over the part you want to hear. Tap OPTION-SPACEBAR, and you'll hear it alone. Note: if you hear nothing, your automation may have that track turned off or turned down at that point. You'll have to turn off automation on the offending track(s) and raise the fader. Or switch to a "new mix" (be sure the old mix is saved). This will start with all tracks on, but no plugins. Switch back to your saved mix before making any changes.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Use the Tracks Window for appropriate operations. It's faster.
I haven't even touched on saving searches, using the Tracks Overview Window as a more efficient window for selection, moving selections, I/O, track colors, setup, record-enabling, and so forth. I believe I cover much of that in the Tips Sheet somewhere in a post called "Secrets of the Tracks Overview Window. This is your administrative window, selection window, and it's a great place to move things around, because it has that grid — easily over-ridden by holding down COMMAND. The cursor changes to a crosshair in the bottom few pixels of each track. Use this to drag a range. COMMAND-DRAG enables precise ranges. Use SHIFT to constrain dragging to one axis. OPTION to copy.

There are lots of things to love about DP, but you have to go find them. The above are super-fast shortcuts, but I've seen so many people who do not even realize the those "Link" buttons exist, or they don't know why they exist, or how to use them efficiently. Those are my go-to transport buttons when editing or comping. Then transport — starting point, stopping point, running through comp takes, listening in context, A/B comparison of selections, and so forth — is all done with clicking and dragging, not buttons or setting up numbers.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- MAS — Memory AutoRecord Selection — set them fast and often with keyboard commands
But since I mentioned numbers, there are 6 settings that can be set with the counter, which are extremely important, yet extremely tedious to do by hand. Use keyboard commands for them. They are the Start/Stop locations for the following:
  • Memory
    Auto-Record
    Selection

Notice the mnemonic: MAS (MOTU Audio System)
To set those locations with the Counter, I use keyboard commands which I set up in the Commands Window. Mine are as follows:
  • Memory:
    • Start — OPTION-F1
      Stop — OPTION-F2
    Auto-Record:
    • Start — OPTION-F3
      Stop — OPTION-F4
    Selection:
    • Start — OPTION-F5
      Stop — OPTION-F6
-=-=-=-=-=-=- When automating tracks with intricate fader moves, add a Trim Track
When you automate Stem Tracks that collect, say, background vocals, or instrumental sections or whatnot, add a Trim Track to your template. You'll need one for each automated Stem. Of course, you can do it with a Trim plugin, but you don't want to have a bunch of those things open. Route the stem through the Trim Track before it goes to the Submaster, Master, or Main Out. When the artist says "those background vocals are wonderful, but could you bring the whole track down about 6dB?" there's no need to stammer around or open the Trim plugin. Just grab the Trim fader and drag it down. Never automate a Trim Track. That would defeat the purpose. This is a great way to achieve the final balancing of all tracks in the mix.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- Learn all the ways you can use these quick settings to your benefit.
You can hit these while playing or recording for return later, or to set up a loop, starting point, stopping point, auto-record point, or a selection for any reasons whatsoever.

Ok, that's probably enough for now. If you learn what I've written in this post, your friends will be amazed at how fast you get around in DP. Seriously. It will increase your working speed immensely. Turbo-speed. At first it takes practice. But it comes quickly, because your brain wants to remember this stuff more than you know. Your brain secretly hates taking time out to go find a button, hover over it and click it, or select a field and type in numbers. With these methods, those actions are minimized or lost entirely.

Enjoy your newfound speed! This is Boy Scout/Girl Scout stuff. Being prepared!

Shooshie
Last edited by Shooshie on Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Obligatory Disclaimer and Copyright

Post by Shooshie »


Digital Performer Tip Sheet
Disclaimer and copyright notice.

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Copyright Info:
Someone mentioned the need for permissions, so here is the whole statement. The editor grants use of this work (the contributions, editing, markup, and compilation of this document) to the Public Domain, with what amounts to a Freeware contract. As long as nobody tries to sell, resell it or profit from it, I give my permission for any form of redistribution and reposting of this document (including PDF, database, print, or other kind of file), as long as the tip credits, disclaimer, and copyright notice are not removed, and as long as the reposter attempts to use the most recent version of the text, wherever that text may concurrently reside. Whether it is reposted as individual tips or whole document, or any combination thereof, the editor only asks that the spirit of this document be maintained and credits given as mentioned in the text. The tips themselves are not copyrighted, so any rephrasing of them is purely up to the user, and if one paraphrases them in a context other than this document or even one that basically paraphrases the content, then credit to the editor or tipster is not necessary. After all, most of these procedures are described in some way in the Digital Performer Manual. In other words, if you want to make your own tip sheet, PDF, database, or book in your own words, fine, go ahead; just don't copy this work and call it your own.

The spirit of this document is to provide educational benefits to users of Digital Performer, to spread awareness of Digital Performer's capabilities, and to help grow the Digital Performer user community in a spirit of sharing of information and camaraderie. Any re-use of this document should maintain the same spirit and non-profit intentions. All tips contained herein are gleaned from the personal experience of the users cited, and do not violate any known copyrights, nor should they ever be considered the property of anyone, including the users cited, since they comprise public information which is essential to carry out the tasks required by the use of Digital Performer or other associated software or musical procedures.



DISCLAIMER:
USE CAUTION WHEN TRYING THESE TIPS
The material covered in this document is intended for experienced users of Digital Performer or other music software who can accept responsibility for their own actions. Use with caution! Be sure you understand the risks, and if you do not understand those risks, and/or cannot accept responsibility for whatever happens, then please do not use these tips! Save your work, and/or back up your data before using any tip. Neither the editor nor those contributors cited, nor Mark of the Unicorn, nor anyone else associated with this document and its contents shall be held responsible for their failure to perform as stated, nor for damages to computers, software, hardware, or music, MIDI or audio files, proprietary or not, which may be incurred as a result of using or misusing these tips, nor does the usage of the information in this document imply any relationship of liability between the editor, the contributors, the host(s), and/or the user, except for the expectations of the user to respect the free distribution conditions stated in this document. The editor shares this information only under the condition that all risk of using it lies with the user. The user's decision to trust and use anything in this unverified document will be considered proof of the user's acceptance of these terms, and proof that the user is willing to accept responsibility for whatever may happen. The editor has tested most, if not all, of these tips, and to his knowledge they perform as stated without negative repercussions of any kind, but nobody can be held responsible for mistakes or problems of any kind--including outright failure or loss of data--except the end user, on whom all liability rests.

Digital Performer is solely the property of Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU), of Cambridge, Massachusetts, which may be altered by its owners without notice, rendering any or all of these tips irrelevant and/or unusable. The tipsters and/or editor are not responsible for this, nor is Unicornation. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. MOTU is privately held, and nobody associated with this document holds any portion of the company, although employees' tips may be used.

The editor retains the right to clarify these statements as needed.

Shooshie
(Dallas, Texas, August 4, 2005.)
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Post by James Steele »

Hey Shooshie... I've been busy as of late, but if I haven't said so already thanks for your efforts both contributing and compiling this information into this format. It's very much appreciated.
JamesSteeleProject.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Mac Studio M1 Max, 64GB/2TB, MacOS 14.4.1 Sonoma, DP 11.31, MOTU 828es, MOTU 24Ai, MOTU MIDI Express XT, UAD-2 TB3 Satellite OCTO, Console 1 Mk2, Avid S3, NI Komplete Kontrol S88 Mk2, Red Type B, Millennia HV-3C, Warm Audio WA-2A, AudioScape 76F, Dean guitars, Marshall amps, etc., etc.!
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Post by Shooshie »

Most welcome, James. The truth is that I've probably benefitted from it as much as anyone! So, thanks for giving us a place to do this. It's a community effort, and I think we all get more out of it than just the tips--and that's saying a lot.

Shooshie
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HOLY EXPLETIVE - THis is the best list I've sen so far

Post by npinero »

Thanks to Shooshie and James or providing this info.
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. - Lennon
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Talkback with foot switch

Post by buzzsmith »

Shooshie (and James)...

Once again thanks for the great DP tips "sticky".

Perhaps I may add a general recording setup / workflow tip...

Something that has definitely increased my ease of use when recording musicians with DP was the simple addition of a foot switch to open the talkback circuit.

This allows both of my hands to stay free on the keyboard and the mouse while communicating with the player(s), so that I may add a track, reassign an output, do a quick edit, add a marker, etc.

Im my case, I use a 32x8 Mackie, and the talkback switch is about 8 feet from the computer desk. Rather than try to get inside the Mackie to run a remote talkback switch, I chose to get a relatively inexpensive battery operated condensor mic, mount it on the desk, and run it into an usused channel on the Mackie.

I took a "momentary on" footswitch (probably an old Roland sustain pedal), ran a shielded line up to the talkback mike, and spliced in to the hot mic wire. In my case, I use the battery operated mic, 'cause I found that with phantom power on, when I depressed the switch, a very loud pop was introduced into the headphone circuit, and I did not think that too many players / vocalists would appreciate this!

I also tried a simple dynamic mic (SM-57), but seemed to get much better results and gain with a condensor.

I don't assign it to a main out (possible feedback), but do assign it to sends 5 and 6 (pre-fader) and then, of course, make sure that sends 5 and 6 are switched to the headphone circuit.

This has really been an aid to me.

=bz=

Picture, but not a great one!...

http://www.buzzsmithmusic.com/images/Talkback.jpg
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Yamaha C7 Conservatory Grand
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Post by logo80 »

:? http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6777
It seems I chosed the wrong Database server to store and share these tips! :lol:
regards, Lorenzo
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Post by dpdan »

bz,
Another great way to use a mic like that, is to use the two wires of the footswitch to short pins 2 & 3 of the XLR connector. This keeps the phantom powered mic up and running, but simply mutes the audio without any clicks or pops, this same wiring can also be used for dynamic mics as a well with phantom power on or off. Use the "normally closed" wires from the footswitch so that the XLR pins 2 & 3 are shorted when the footswitch is not depressed. Holding the footswitch down removes the short, and allows the sound to be unmuted. Sorry that was a little redundant, but hopefully it will be understandable...

Dan
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Post by logo80 »

finally I'm back...
I've update the dp.zip on my site (http://xoomer.virgilio.it/dedicatedtotriton)
adding a file with a little tutorial to install and run mysql, the perl modules and the database itself.
regards, Lorenzo
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Post by sdfalk »

Something I've already posted but in case you missed it..
(and I don't think it's here)
is a quick workaround for importing an mp4 movie is open it up in
Quicktime Pro and resave it as a reference movie (for example a 1gb
mp4 movie works out to about a 3mb reference movie)
It will open up fine in DP and only takes a second to resave
in Quicktime Pro.
A 2018 Mac mini with 16 gb of ram
HUGE bunch o' AU instruments/fx...
A Metric Halo ULN8-3D…mmmmmmm
Remember to eat all your fruits and vegetables!
My OS is The amazingly gratuitous 10.14
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Post by Shooshie »

Search Categories in the Tips:

You can easily search for tips in broad categories by invoking the COMMAND-F search in Safari (and most other browsers). Type in one of the categories used to classify the tips:
  • General Usage
    Computers 101
    MIXING
    Playback
    Setup
    Editing
    Recording
    NAVIGATION
    MIDI Editing
    Video
    Export
    General
    Movie Soundtrack
    Shortcuts
    Tools
    Keyboard Commands
    Audio Editing
    Pitch
    Conversions
    General Operation
    Operation
    Authorization of DP
    Bounce to Disk
    Virtual Instruments
    Effects
    Creating and Editing MIDI and Audio
    Editing Audio Automation
Some of them are very similar to others, which is ok. For example, if you type in "General," you will get General, General Usage, and General Operation, all of which are probably the same category, but separated by many years of typing up tips.

Anyway, I thought having a list might help. It might help me keep the tips closer to the categories that we already have, too.

Shooshie
Last edited by Shooshie on Thu Jan 05, 2006 11:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by dixiechicken »

This is not strictly speaking a DP-tip - but it's real easy to fix and change at will.
On my new PM-G5 sleep-time for my harddrives was set to ten minutes.
This setting is not accessible through the controlpanel.

This can be irritating if your external/extra harddrive goes to sleep while working on a project. (if you're a slow tinkerer like me :) )
Although it's good to conserve power if you're running om batteries.

However if you have used the "Netinfo Manager.app" application in the Utilities-folder to activate your root-account. (must be done first)

1) Open the Terminal application.
2) At the promt - type su and hit enter
3) Type your "REAL" root/superuser password and hit enter
4) Type pmset -a disksleep 120 and hit enter

Now your harddrives wont go to sleep until 2 hours have passed by.
If you type 0 instead they should NEVER go to sleep.

You can change this value any time you wish. If you start "About this computer" in the Apple-menu,
and klick the "More info"-button and skroll down and select "Power" in the left pane,
you should see the new sleep-time value for your harddrives.

Cheers: Dixiechicken
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My God it's full of stars....
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Mac Pro 6-Core Intel Nehalem/Xeon 2.93 GHz 32-GB ram, OS-X 10.13.5-Swe, DP-9.52, Unisyn-2.11, 828-MkII,MTP-AV usb, Latest drvs, Wavearts plugs, Kurzweil-2000, Proteus-2000, EPS-16, Pod-II,
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