How are YOU using chunks?

[mbeazley]

Chunking and the ability to create 'songs' with chunks is a unique & powerful feature in DP with seemingly endless possibilities. Would love to see a thread of ideas/tips telling how chunking helps you create.

[m2]

I don't use chunks for song creation, but I do use it extensively for scoring to picture. I keep all the cues for a single episode or film reel in one project. Often multiple episodes in a single project where I can have one picture file synced up to the project and then write cues where they are spotted. Move on to the next one and so on. In the end I may have, say 12-15 cues - all as separate chunks - for a 22min episode in a project file. Sometimes then I will put them all in a 'song' that represents the whole show where you copy in the conductor data for each as you assemble the show. It make's it nice if you are trying to lay off the whole thing in a single pass without stopping DP to change chunks.

[belexes]

1 chunk - 1 song

[hearttimes]

1 chunk = 1 version of one song. wondered for years why 'duplicate chunk' wasn't in mini menu, but that copy and paste of a chunk worked.

[musicarteca]

hey Hearttimes,

Duplicate chunk has been in the mini menu for as long as I can remember.

<small>[ July 20, 2005, 09:18 PM: Message edited by: musicarteca ]</small>

[Shooshie]

Not only can you duplicate the chunk, but you can duplicate the layout of it without the music if you prefer.

I have used it sometimes for layered arrangements in which various elements need to be moved independently of each other, quickly and easily. I also use it for voiceovers with music in background (or foreground), and anything in which elements need to be timed separately. Once the Song is set the way I want it, I convert it back to a sequence.

I also use it for a song list for live performance. Use the Chunk Chaining buttons to stop the song at the end, then cue the next song and wait for user input to start it.

There are lots of uses. Creativity will come up with solutions if you have the tools, and the chunks window gives you a number of important tools.

Shooshie

[thesoundsmith]

I used to use chunks for storing sysex snippets for things like turning my DX7II-FD into a split or un-split state, or other such clumsy manipulations on the XP80 or Kurzweil, et al. Then we got clippings, so I don't use chunks anymore except for the main one.

I have to say part of the reason I have never used them is that I hate the name, 'chunks.' Sounds like something I'd blow if I didn't like the sequence.

If they had called then "Pwrformances", I may have looked for more uses from them. Now I only see one use - if I get a Powerbook and take DP live, I could play backing tracks with some control (currently I'm half of a due that uses the iPod for backing tracks we create in DP...)

[shepherdgary]

I'm an ex Vision user - we used to call them sequences on that programme. I am used to building up songs from loads of different sequences/chunks.

But I find the Song part of DP incredibly clunky compared to Vision - when you drag a chunk to the song it doesn't even copy the Conductor track across - and sometimes with Virtual Intruments like Reason, playing back a song you either don't hear the sounds, or the balance is too loud. It seems to be something to do with Aux tracks.

But all I want to do is hear one chunk play in sequence after another exactly as they are - and without having to merge them all together in a single Chunk. So am I doing something wrong?

Also, when merging chunks in this way, is there any way I can get round the fact that tracks don't all get merged unless they are named exactly the same in each sequence?

[Tim]

I've always thought "Chunks" was a lame name to use.
Not as goofy as the coffee drink terms for Studio Sizes though.

[jfmguitarist]

i use chunks like this: when i track an album i create a tracking template based on the band's instrumentation and create a new project with that template for each song and i use these versions of the projects throughout initial tracking and overdubbing. i also do the majority of the editing in these tracking template versions. then, i mix one song.. usually the one that contains all the elements that come up in the other tracks... directly in that template.. and build my mix, adding plug-ins, auxes, VI's, etc, etc... when i am done with that first mix i make a "mix template" out of that. after that, for each subsequent song i create a new project from the mix template and bring the tracking template version of that song in as a chunk using the Load command. then i just open both sequence editors, make sure the tracks all line up, and copy all the soundbites/MIDI/conductor track, etc. from the tracking template chunk and paste it into the Mix template chunk... then tweak from there ... repeat for all other songs.

<small>[ July 22, 2005, 05:43 AM: Message edited by: James Murphy ]</small>

[Shooshie]

Originally posted by garys:
But all I want to do is hear one chunk play in sequence after another exactly as they are - and without having to merge them all together in a single Chunk. So am I doing something wrong?

Also, when merging chunks in this way, is there any way I can get round the fact that tracks don't all get merged unless they are named exactly the same in each sequence?

It's almost too easy to believe. Just click the chunk-chaining buttons. You have two choices: stop between chunks, and await user input (hit start again) for the next chunk to begin, or just play right into the next chunk as if there was no break between them. This is all done without the use of Songs, or even without messing with the chunks, other than to set the end-point of each chunk, if it's necessary to do so manually.

The chaining buttons are on the control panel, next to the memory buttons. They should be the ones on the far left, beneath the word MOTU on the control panel. Look up "Chaining" in the index of the manual.

Shooshie

[wonder]

I only use my Chunk for the Truffle Shuffle.

[shepherdgary]

Cheers Shooshie - I'll try this. Last time I did chaining of chunks there was a pause between each one. I'll look at this again - thanks.

[ryst]

I STILL don't understand chunks. i have read the manual, saw the DP (macaudiolab) videos, read things here and I still can't grasp chunks.

[Kubi]

[quote]Originally posted by ryst:
I STILL don't understand chunks. i have read the manual, saw the DP (macaudiolab) videos, read things here and I still can't grasp chunks.

<small>[ July 22, 2005, 10:25 AM: Message edited by: Kubi ]</small>