4.2.1 Overlapping and Trimming Cuts

Whilst moving cuts around the display (see section 4.1.9 for details) it is possible to place cuts over the top of each other. When two cuts are overlapped, the selected cut (i.e. the cut being moved) will slide over the top of any other cuts.

The audible effect when the edit is played back is ‘what you see is what you hear’ – i.e. at the overlap point the editor ceases playback of the ‘underneath’ cut, and the cut on the top is heard.

In this way, overlapping cuts can be a powerful way of editing, obviating the need to perform any cut or paste operations. For example, the sequence of actions described in sections 4.1.3 to 4.1.9 to remove a section of audio (for example a cough in a speech recording) can be carried out more efficiently using the overlap method. This is described below.

1 Find the point in the audio at the end of the section to be removed (i.e. place the playback marker at the end of the cough). The ‘scrub’ function described in section 4.1.2 can be used.

2 Perform a ‘Split’ operation (see section 4.1.11 for details)

3 Using the GRAB tool, select the new cut (on the right hand side of the split).

4 Drag the cut over the section of audio which is not required. An edit will effectively be performed, linking the two wanted sections. The unwanted section will not be heard.

Dragging the cut back and forward will alter the transition point between the two sections. This will have the effect of changing the overall length of the piece. Effectively the ‘out’ point of the first section is being modified.

It is also possible to alter the ‘in’ point of the second section.

To do this, the TRIM tool is used. (see section 2.1 for the location of the tool)

1 After selecting the TRIM tool, place the cursor over the start of the second (right hand) section.

2 The cursor will change shape depending on which cut is to be trimmed – to trim the left hand edge of a cut, the cursor points right (‘[‘), to trim the right hand edge of a cut, the cursor points left (‘]’). In this example the cursor should point right (‘[‘).

3 Hold down the mouse button, and drag the mouse. Dragging the mouse right will remove the beginning of the second cut. Dragging left will reveal more of the cut

Using the TRIM tool, the overall length of the piece will not change, but the transition point between the two cuts is altered.

Using a combination of the GRAB and TRIM techniques, the edit can be modified in all aspects until perfect.

4.2.2 Cut Hierarchy

As previously discussed, it is possible to overlap cuts to achieve the desired audio result. This ‘what you see is what you hear’ approach allows easy visual manipulation of audio using the waveform representation.

The audio cut which is ‘on top’ of the other cuts will be the one which is heard. It is possible to bring cuts to the top, or conversely send them to the bottom (i.e. underneath the other cuts in the display) by using the context sensitive menu accessed via the alternative mouse button (usually the right hand button).

After selecting an audio cut (see section 4.1.3 ‘Selecting a section of audio’ for details), click the alternative mouse button. The following menu will appear:

Selecting ‘To Top’ will bring the selected cut to the top of the hierarchy, i.e. the whole cut will be heard during playback. Selecting ‘To Bottom’ will send the cut to the lowest position in the hierarchy, i.e. any overlapping cuts will be placed over the selected cut.

Note

· This operation will be familiar to users who have used computer graphics packages

4.2.3 Adding crossfades

Sometimes it is impossible to make the desired edit without introducing a ‘glitch’ or click at the edit point. This effect can usually be removed by using a crossfade. A crossfade means that rather than simply butting two audio cuts up to each other, the first cut fades out whilst the second cut fades in. This fading action can effectively remove glitches at edit points.

This process is analogous to using a diagonal cut when splicing analogue tape.

Crossfades can be added at any transition point between cuts. They can also be added used to add fades to the beginning and end of individual cuts. Crossfading across multiple tracks is also possible.

Each of these methods is described below.

Adding a Crossfade to a butt edit

Any butt edit can have a crossfade added to it. All of the editing techniques described in this manual can support the addition of crossfades. The procedure is outlined below.

Using the SELECT tool, highlight the area over the edit at which you wish to add a crossfade. The length of the crossfade which will be added can be seen in the ‘Length’ display in the middle of the toolbar. The display can be zoomed to facilitate easy selection of the required length (see section 4.1.1 for details).

Select ‘Crossfade’ from the ‘Tools’ menu

The following window will appear.

This is where the crossfade type or ‘law’ is chosen. It is possible to have a different fade in and fade out type. Select the appropriate type by clicking the required type – the current selection will be highlighted.

To create the fade, click OK. To abort the operation, click Cancel.

The fade will be instantly performed, and indicated in green on the editor display.

Adding a fade out to the end of a cut

The crossfade function can be used to add a fade out to the end of a cut. The procedure for doing this is as follows.

1 Select the audio at the end of the cut over which the fade out is to happen. Note that it is necessary to select the end of a cut – a fade can only be performed if the selection includes the very end of the cut

2 Select ‘Crossfade’ from the ‘Tools’ menu.

3 Select the required type of fade. Note that changing the fade in type will have no effect on this operation

4 The fade will be added in green

Adding a fade in to the beginning of a cut

The crossfade function can be used to add a fade in to the beginning of a cut. The procedure for doing this is as follows.

1 Select the audio at the start of the cut over which the fade in is to happen. Note that it is necessary to select the start of a cut – a fade can only be performed if the selection includes the very beginning of the cut

2 Select ‘Crossfade’ from the ‘Tools’ menu.

3 Select the required type of fade. Note that changing the fade out type will have no effect on this operation

4 The fade will be added in green

Crossfading across tracks

It is possible to use the crossfade function to perform crossfades even where the audio to be crossfaded is on different tracks. This makes it possible to perform complex edits whilst keeping audio on separate tracks – for example to fade between speech and music whilst keeping the speech on tracks 1&2 and music on tracks 3&4.

To perform this type of fade, the end of the track to be faded out should lie in the correct position with respect to the beginning of the track to be faded in. This is shown below.

Using the SELECT tool, drag from the start of the fade out diagonally to the end of the fade in, as shown below.

Select ‘Crossfade’ from the ‘Tools’ menu, and select fade in and out types as appropriate.

The fades will be indicated in green, as illustrated.

Note

· The fades will always extend to the edge of the selection, even if this extends beyond the start / end of the cut. If this is the actual start / end of the audio file, the fade will be through silence. Where it is a previously edited cut, the audio will extend to fill the whole fade in a similar manner to using the ‘trim’ tool (see section 4.2.1 ‘Overlapping and trimming cuts’ for more information).

·

4.2.4 Modifying a fade

If after performing the edit the fade is not exactly as required, the various parameters can be changed. Both the length and type of the fade can be altered.

Altering the fade law (curve)

1 Choose the GRAB tool from the toolbar

2 Click once on the fade to select it. It will be highlighted dark green

3 Select ‘crossfade’ from the ‘tools’ menu

4 Select a new fade curve and click OK

5 The new fade laws are now used. All other aspects of the fade remain the same.

Note

· Both the fade in and fade out law can be changed for a crossfade. For a simple fade in or out, only the appropriate setting can be changed

Altering the fade time

1 Choose the TRIM tool from the toolbar

2 Position the cursor either at the left or right hand edge of the fade

3 Hold down the muse button and drag the mouse to alter the fade length

4 The fade time can be seen in the ‘Length’ window in the toolbar

Note

· The fade beginning / end cannot be moved inside the edge of the cut.

Removing a crossfade

1 Choose the GRAB tool from the toolbar

2 Click once on the crossfade to select it. It will be highlighted dark green

3 Press ‘Delete’ on the computer keyboard

4 The crossfade will be removed

4.2.5 Breaking apart stereo files

When stereo files are imported into the editor, they are treated as such, and the right and left channel portions remain in the correct stereo relationship, regardless of where the cut is placed in the display. This means, for example, that even if a stereo file is placed across tracks 2 and 3, the left channel of the file will be heard from the left speaker and vice versa.

It is possible, however, to ‘break apart’ stereo files, to treat them as independent mono files.

To do this, select the cut to be broken apart, and click the alternative mouse button (usually the right hand button). Select ‘break apart’ from the context sensitive menu.

The two sides of the file can now be selected and edited independently.

Note

· The two sides of the file remain with their original panning, even when broken apart. To change the pan setting, see section 5.1.7 – ‘Altering the pan of a cut’

4.2.6 Linking track controls

The editor defaults to a condition where the controls for each pair of tracks are grouped. This is useful for stereo operation, as it means pan graphs and solo / mute etc can be seen on both sides of a stereo file simultaneously. However, it is possible to de-link the controls.

A pair of tracks which are linked are indicated by the ‘link’ icon between them.

When the icon indicates tracks are linked, and changes in the controls such as volume / pan graph, fader settings etc will be reflected in all the linked tracks

To unlink the tracks, simply click on the link icon. It will change as follows

The tracks can be re-linked subsequently if required.

Notes

· It is possible to link three or more tracks if required - simply activate the link icon between all the tracks

· Linking tracks has no effect on the editing operations with regard to stereo and mono files. Stereo cuts are always edited as such, even when the two sides of the file are across de-linked tracks.

4.2.7 Using the cut library

All the cuts used in a project are placed in the cut library. This is a temporary library which gives fast access to audio cuts. The library is opened by clicking on the ‘library’ button on the toolbar; it is closed by clicking on the same button.

There are three folders within the library, for holding stereo cuts, mono cuts and trash. Cuts which have been used will appear in the stereo or mono folder, depending on their type. Sections of audio which are deleted are stored in the trash folder.

To view the contents of a folder, double click on it. It will open, and its contents will be displayed below.

Cuts which are no longer required can be dragged from the mono or stereo folders into the trash folder. To permanently delete a cut from the library, select the cut by clicking on it, and press ‘Delete’ on the computer keyboard.

To use a cut from the library, simply drag from the library onto the main editor window. When the cut is in the desired position, release the mouse button.

Notes

· The cut library only supports cuts used during the editing process. It is not related to the BMS playout library

· Each project will have its own library – libraries cannot be shared between projects (although the same source audio file can be used in more than one project - see section 3.1.3 ‘Importing and playing audio files’ for more information)

4.2.8 Nudging marker positions

After markers have been placed, or audio cuts inserted, it is possible to nudge their position in small increments. Nudging is achieved via the + (plus) and
- (minus) keys on the keyboard. Various degrees of nudging can be achieved:

+ and – keys alone 10mS nudge

Ctrl and + or - 1mS nudge

Shift and + or - 100mS nudge

The nudge function operation depends on which tool is active – the operation is as follows (see section 2.1 for the location of the tools).

Note

· It is necessary to have ‘Numlock’ activated to use this function with Windows 95 and 98 operating systems.

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GRAB tool

When the grab tool is selected, the nudge function will move the selected cut in small increments.

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SELECT tool

When a section of a cut is selected, the nudge function moves the ‘Start’ marker position. To nudge the ‘End’ marker position, hold down ‘Alt’ on the keyboard with the above key combinations.

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TRIM tool

When a cut is selected, nudging will trim the beginning of the cut in small increments. To nudge the trim on the end of a cut, hold down ‘Alt’ on the keyboard with the above key combinations.

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ZOOM tool

When the zoom tool is selected, the nudge function scrolls the display left or right in small increments. This is particularly useful at high levels of zoom.

4.2.9 Resetting fader / scrollbar levels

All scrollbars used in the editor (used for all fader indications) can be reset to their default value by holding down ‘Ctrl’ and clicking on them with the mouse.

4.2.10 Altering track labels

The track labels at the head of each track can be changed if desired.

To alter the label, double click on the label. The following dialog box will appear.

Type the new name into the box, and click ‘OK’. The new name will appear in the label.

To clear the dialog without changing the name, click ‘Cancel’.

Note

· The track label is also used to define the default name for audio files recorded into the editor – see section 6.1.1 ‘Making a recording’ for more details.