Turbo Tips!
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, but only a handful of people seem to know them or use them. Here are some really good ones. I hope they help someone.
-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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! Er... I mean the variety that does NOT cause anyone harm. This is Boy Scout/Girl Scout stuff. Being prepared!
Shooshie