I-Beam and soundbite selection conundrum

pilotone · Post by **pilotone** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 12:46 pm

I'm trying to use the I-Beam tool and then select a portion of a soundbite (while in Sequence Editor window) and play it back after releasing the mouse. The audible mode IS on....two problems: 1. can't even seem to consistently get the I-Beam tool.....sometimes it appears after enabling, then disabling the Scrub Tool. Once I got the I-Beam, but a differently shaped one which didn't do anything. Of course, I need the I-Beam to gone on to the next step, which is also the 2nd problem........ 2. When highlighting a portion of the soundbite, it usually doesn't play back (I say "usually" because a couple of times it DID and I did not do anything different) What basic step(s) am I missing? I'm referring to the manual, etc., but apparently not at the right places. PLEASE HELP!!

Timeline · Post by **Timeline** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 1:19 pm

I agree the entire 'Tool' pallet is sometimes a bit flakey.

buzzsmith · Post by **buzzsmith** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 2:00 pm

Pilotone:

You don't really need the I beam tool...

In the Sequence Editor, make sure that you are displaying Soundbites (and not Volume, Pan, etc). You can also activate the soundbite by clicking in the colored bar above the waveform display.

Double click on the soundbite, then drag (the region that you drag through should be a dark blue color). When you release the mosue, you should hear the highlighted region.

If you drag with the I-beam. you'll get a lighter blue color, but no playback when you release the mouse.

Hope this is what you need.

=bz=

sdfalk · Post by **sdfalk** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 2:16 pm

I think DP's I-beam tool was more of an attempt to placate Protools users
then anything else.

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 2:41 pm

I've found that there are two kinds of I-Beam modes. One is from the tool palette (or when holding or pressing twice the I key), and the other is when double clicking a soundbite in the sequence Editor (is it called Pop Edit mode??). From my experience, the latter is the only mode that will audition the selection right when selected, otherwise use Option-Spacebar to audition.

Control-Click the soundbite to get back to normal mode.

pilotone · Post by **pilotone** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 7:41 pm

Thank you SO very much everyone that replied. You guys are awesome. I'm going to check this all out now. But I wonder.....did you discover all this by trial and error, or are the answers actually spelled out somewhere in the 1000-page User Guide? I really did try that before asking for help, but if it's there, I guess I didn't know where to look. There are references to it on page 67 (#16) of the "Getting Started" guide, but doesn't go into enough detail other than saying that when you select a portion of the waveform, it will play upon release of the mouse......not in my case.

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:40 am

pilotone wrote:I'm going to check this all out now. But I wonder.....did you discover all this by trial and error, or are the answers actually spelled out somewhere in the 1000-page User Guide?

I've probably spent a total of one hour with the Performer manual since '88, but then I've probably wasted a lot of time just poking about the program. I think I retain stuff better that way though...maybe.

spinnaker · Post by **spinnaker** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:00 am

Double clicking on a track in the edit window is a quick way to select a region. Using the I Beam tool lets you select the same region on multiple tracks.

MIDI Life Crisis · Post by **MIDI Life Crisis** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 8:33 am

>I've probably spent a total of one hour with the Performer manual since '88, but then I've probably wasted a lot of time just poking about the program. I think I retain stuff better that way though...maybe.

---

Same here. Once you get the mindset of the programmers, you usually either get it or you don't. If you don't, there is the manual. If you do, you start making music and don't stop - until you have a question or problem. On the down side of being intuitive, is simply not knowing of useful features that could streamline or expedite your work, but an inquisitive approach is always helpful.

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