AudioDesk User Guide PDF

AudioDesk 3
User Guide
1280 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02138
Business voice: (617) 576-2760
Business fax: (617) 576-3609
Technical support: (617) 576-3066
Tech support web: www.motu.com/support
Web site: www.motu.com
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and Limited Warranty on Software
TO PERSONS WHO PURCHASE OR USE THIS PRODUCT:

carefully read all the terms and conditions of the click-wrap
license agreement presented to you when you install the software.
Using the software or this documentation indicates your
acceptance of the terms and conditions of that license agreement.
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documentation. Both the program and the documentation are
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limited to the terms and conditions described in the license
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This summary is not your license agreement, just a reminder of its

terms. The actual license can be read and printed by running the
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agreement, the terms of the click-wrap agreement prevail.
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replace the disk(s) under this Limited Warranty.
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Copyright Notice
Copyright 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003,

2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998 by Mark of the Unicorn, Inc. All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated
into any human or computer language, in any form or by any means
whatsoever, without express written permission of Mark of the
Unicorn, Inc., 1280 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA,
02138, U.S.A.
AudioDesk, Digital Performer, MOTU, Mark of the Unicorn and the
unicorn silhouette logo are trademarks of Mark of the Unicorn, Inc.
Contents at a Glance
Part 1: Getting Started
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Computer Requirements
Installing AudioDesk
MIDI Hardware
MOTU Audio System (MAS)
Hard Disk Recording Concepts
User Interface Basics
Tutorial 1: Recording Audio
Tutorial 2: Mixing and Finishing
Part 2: The AudioDesk Project

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The AudioDesk Project

Control Panel
File Interchange
The Consolidated Window
Soundbites Window
Audio File Management
Printing
Part 3: Customizing Your Workspace

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Preferences
Commands
Part 4: Playing and Recording

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Audio Bundles
Audio Tracks
Playback
Recording
Audio Monitor
Looping
Part 5: Editing
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Edit window
Information Windows
Tools
Editing Basics
Selecting
Edit Menu
Audio Menu
Fades and Crossfades
Part 6: Arranging
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Markers
Sequences
Clippings
Movie Window
Part 7: Mixing
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Mixing
Mix Automation
Part 8: Processing
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Effects Window
Audio Effects Processing
Audio File Conversion
PureDSP Basics
Background Processing
Transposing Audio
Part 9: Mastering
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Bounce To Disk
Mastering
Part 10: Synchronization

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Receive Sync
Transmit Sync
MIDI Machine Control
Part 11: Appendices

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Troubleshooting and Support

Frequently Asked Questions
Additional Resources
Index
Contents
Contents
Part 1: Getting Started
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MIDI Hardware
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Important! Register your software

Minimum computer requirements
How to Check your computer specifications
Running the AudioDesk installer
Opening AudioDesk
Examining Audio Units plug-ins
Setting up MIDI hardware
Technical support
Overview
CoreMIDI
Audio MIDI Setup
Setting up your MIDI equipment
Connecting MIDI gear directly
Connecting MIDI gear via a MIDI interface
Overview
What is MAS?
Preparing your Mac
Supported audio hardware
Configuring the hardware driver
Controlling monitoring latency
Slaving MAS to external sync
Optimizing MAS performance
Studio configuration
Fine-tuning audio I/O timing
More ways to enhance performance
Monitoring system performance
Overview
How audio is recorded on disk
How hard disk recording differs from tape
How much disk space does audio require?
Hard disk requirements and maintenance
Digital audio terms
Overview
Learn to use your Mac
Windows
Control Panel
The Windows menu
Clicking shortcuts
Using modifier keys with cursor actions
Contextual menus
Standard keyboard shortcuts
Customizing keyboard shortcuts
Changing text box values by dragging
Main counter shortcuts
Specification of time units
Choosing a global time format
Overview
How it works
Creating a new AudioDesk project
Enabling audio hardware
Choosing an input
Preparing an audio track for recording
Monitoring the live signal
Establishing audio input and checking the level
Recording
Playing back the recorded track
Whats in this tutorial
Tutorial checklist
Opening the tutorial file
The Mixing Board
Start mixing
Automated mixing
Drawing controller data in the Edit window
Plug-ins
Bouncing to Disk
Part 2: The AudioDesk Project

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Overview
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Components of an AudioDesk Project

Creating a new project
Opening an existing project
Recent Files
Opening files in other formats
Saving a project
Saving a project file under a different name
Save a Copy As
Using Save a Copy As for incremental backups
Collecting a project for backup or transfer
Closing or quitting a project without saving
Avoiding disaster
Exporting a project
Reverting to a previously saved project
Saving a project as a New template
Loading a sequence from another file
Quitting AudioDesk
Setting AudioDesks startup preferences
Helpful project and disk hints
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Control Panel
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File Interchange
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Soundbites Window
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Overview
Control Panel Quick Reference
Transport Controls
Counter
Memory buttons
Auto-Record button
Overdub record mode
Countoff button
Wait button
Slave to External Sync button
Status Strip
Setting the tempo and meter
Click
Audible Mode
Auto Scroll
Solo Mode
Mac keyboard controls
Overview
Introduction
Importing OMF/AAF files
Exporting OMF/AAF files
Overview
Quick Reference
Windows menu
Deciding how to work with windows
Opening the Consolidated Window
Consolidated Window title bar
Other window title bars
The body (center) section
The Sidebars
The Mixing Board
Using Horizontal Dividers
Dragging cells
Cell focus
Getting rid of a cell
Popping windows in and out
Overview
Quick Reference
Soundbites window mini-menu
Opening the Soundbites window
The Soundbite list
Soundbite Basics
Mono and stereo audio
Importing and exporting audio
Soundbite Management
Dragging and dropping soundbites
Working with multiple sample formats
Converting an audio file
Automatic conversions
Reload Soundbite
Replace Soundbite
Viewing more Sound File Information
Edit in waveform editor
Overview
The Audio Files folder
Renaming audio files
Moving audio files
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Working with multiple drives

Deleting audio files
Getting rid of unused audio
Compacting an entire project
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Printing
Part 3: Customizing Your Workspace

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Preferences
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Commands
Overview
The Preferences window
Automatic Conversions
Edit Window
Information Bar
Region Commands
Soundbite List
Tools
Audio Files
Audio Options
Auto Scroll
Document
Click
Countoff
Receive Sync
Transmit Sync
Transport
Help
Overview
Opening the commands window
Navigating the commands window
Command groups
Assignments
Sequence remote assignment
Export Key Bindings
Import Key Bindings
Upgrading command bindings
Part 4: Playing and Recording

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Audio Bundles
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Audio Tracks
Overview
Audio bundles
Three tabs
Adding and deleting bundles
Renaming bundles
Working with tiles on the grid
Bundle channel formats
Reassigning bundles
Overview
Types of audio tracks
Audio (disk) tracks
Mono tracks versus stereo tracks
Aux tracks
Master faders
Creating an audio track
Creating several audio tracks at once
Audio track settings
Track type icon
Track name
Audio input and output
Enable/disable
Monitoring an audio track input
Changing audio track settings on the fly
Making audio assignments for multiple tracks
Managing your computers system resources
Record-enable button
Play-enable button
Takes
The Active Layer
Lock
Track color
Automation settings
Solo exemption
Track comment
Track settings menu
Waveform vertical zoom
Insert menu
Level meter
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Playback
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Recording
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Audio Monitor
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Looping
Overview
Playback basics
How to play a sequence
Monitoring levels
Editing during playback
Screen re-display
Muting and unmuting tracks during playback
Soloing Tracks
Looping playback
Playing the current selection
Auto-scrolling
Scrubbing audio
Slow and fast forwarding
Overview
Choosing a sequence to record into
Setting tempo and meter
Recording to a click
Click preferences
Countoff options
Preparing a track for recording
Audio monitoring (audio patch thru)
Using the wait and count-off features
Start recording
Stop recording
How audio is recorded on disk
Undo record
Recording stereo audio
Recording several audio tracks in one pass
Manual punch-in/punch-out on the fly
Automatic punch-in/punch-out
Overdub recording
Recording multiple takes
Cycle-recording
Recording in External Sync
Sample Format
Getting an error message
Overview
Audio Monitor Quick Reference
Mini-menu Quick Reference
Buses in the Audio Monitor
Virtual instrument inputs
Naming a takefile before recording
Changing the takefile location before recording
Adjusting the level meter range
Setting the input level
Other ways to monitor input levels
Overview
Basics
Creating a loop
Part 5: Editing
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Edit window
Overview
Edit window Quick Reference
Tool palette Quick Reference
Edit window mini-menu
Sequences and tracks
Edit window basics
Opening the Edit window
Sequence management
Track management
The Information Bar
The Time Ruler
The Marker Strip
Zooming
Audio track settings
Resizing tracks vertically
Audio graphic editing basics
Inserting soundbites
Moving soundbites
Muting and unmuting soundbites
Overlapping and layering soundbites
Edge editing (trimming) soundbites
Graphic time stretching of audio
Applying fades and crossfades
Takes
Graphic editing techniques
Selection techniques
Show times
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Sync points
Working with breakpoint mix automation
Working with loops
Working with event flags
Scrolling during playback
Scrubbing in the Edit window
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Information Windows
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Tools
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Editing Basics
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Selecting
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Edit Menu
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Audio Menu
Snap Information
Cursor Information
Event Information
Selection Information
Track Selector
Sound File Information
Information Bar
Overview
Rotating the Tool palette
Palette docking
Closing the Tool palette
Keyboard shortcuts for tools
The Pointer Tool
The I-Beam Tool
The Pencil Tool
The Zoom Tool
The Scrub Tool
Insert Loop Tool
Overview
Multiple Undo/Redo
Editing during playback
Selecting
Region editing
Audio editing basics
Sample accurate editing
Audible mode
Overview
Selection basics
Data selection
Time range selection
Overview
Undo/Redo
Undo Previous Action / Redo Next Action
Undo History
Cut
Copy
Copy to Clipping window
Paste
Paste Multiple
Paste Repeat
Paste Repeat Multiple
Erase
Repeat
Merge
Merge Multiple
Merge Repeat
Merge Repeat Multiple
Merge Together
Merge Repeat Together
Snip
Splice
Splice Multiple
Shift
Heal Separation
Split
Split at Counter
Trim
Trim End / Trim Start
Pitch shift
Change automation Data
Set Loop
Clear Loops
Play Selection
Show/Hide Clipboard
Select All
Select All in Range
Deselect All
Overview
Dither
Strip Silence
Fade
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Delete fades
Bounce to Disk
Merge soundbites
Audio plug-ins
Soundbite layering
Time stamps
Set/clear sync points
Duplicate
Reload Soundbite
Replace Soundbite
Reveal in Finder
Edit in Waveform Editor
Take automation snapshot
Mute region
Clear mute automation
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Overview
What is a crossfade?
Creating a single fade or crossfade
Types of crossfades
Fade curves
How fades are generated
Background processing
Fades are anchored to their splice
Applying multiple fades in one operation
Reapplying the last fade settings
Deleting fades
Editing existing fades
Fades that cannot be fully computed
Trimming soundbites that have a fade or crossfade
Clipping when crossfades are calculated
Part 6: Arranging
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Markers
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Sequences
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Clippings
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Movie Window
Overview
Markers window Quick Reference
Markers window mini-menu
Basics
Opening a Markers Window
Switching between sequences
Adding markers
Changing the name of a marker
Changing a marker time location
Setting the counter to a marker location
Jumping to a marker with a shortcut
Selecting markers
Using markers to define an edit region
Selecting with markers
Markers in the Edit window
Locking and unlocking markers
Shifting locked markers in time
Locked markers and the sequence start time
Marker hints
Overview
Sequences window Quick Reference
Basics
The Sequence Control buttons
Overview
Clipping Window Quick Reference
Clipping Windows Basics
Clippings
Overview
Random access digital picture
Opening movies
Closing movies
Movie controls
Movie window mini-menu
Improving movie window performance
FireWire QuickTime video playback
Using third-party video hardware
Movie audio while slaved to external sync
Part 7: Mixing
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Mixing
Overview
Mixing Board Quick Reference
Mixing Board mini-menu
Mixing Board window basics
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CONTENTS
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Track strips
Automated mixing
Mixing in real time
Editing your mix graphically
Monitoring
Audio mixing features
Working with effects plug-ins
Narrow view in the Mixing Board
Working with multiple mixes
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Mix Automation
Overview
Automated mixing basics
Mix automation setup
Global automation enable/disable
Automation setup for each track
Automation settings in other windows
Reasons to disable automation
The automation modes
Recording automation
Inserting and editing automation
Mute region and clear Mute Automation
Tempo locked, beat-based automation
Snapshot automation
Automation preferences
Removing and restoring plug-ins
Automation and system resources
Part 8: Processing
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Effects Window
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Overview
Effects Window Quick Reference
Opening and Closing the Effects window
Bypassing an effect
Saving, loading, and editing presets
Editing Effects
Overview
Real-time plug-in processing
Real-time versus rendered effects
Dynamic CPU management
File-based plug-in processing
Working with MAS plug-ins
Working with Audio Unit plug-ins
Using effect presets
Busing, master faders & aux tracks
Monitoring system performance
Copying and pasting effect settings
Plug-ins from other companies
Plug-in Automation
Tempo-locked effects
Channel configurations
Side chain inputs
235 Making a plug-in effect permanent

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PureDSP Basics
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Part 10: Synchronization

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Receive Sync
Transmit Sync
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Transposing Audio
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Overview
Performing conversions
Converting the sample rate
Converting the sample format
Converting the file format
Converting the interleave format
Converting entire audio files
Soundbite replacement options
Automatic Conversions
Overview
PureDSP audio processing
Selecting audio for processing
Constructive editing
Audio quality is preserved
Handling lengthy processing tasks
Soundbite preferences for PureDSP
Overview
Background Processing window
Background processing and Undo/Redo
Background processing preferences
Overview
The Pitch Shift command
Fine-tuning audio by cents
Selecting audio for pitch-shifting
Two kinds of pitch-shifting
Tips for successful pitch shifting
Part 9: Mastering
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Bounce To Disk
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Mastering
Overview
Setting outputs
Previewing
Bounce to Disk settings
Bouncing to Disk
Bouncing to MP3
Overview
Master fader
Allocating processing power
Real-time bounce to disk
Rendering audio
Bounce to disk
Delivery
Overview
Receive Sync basics
Basic types of sync
Using Receive Sync
Choosing a SMPTE frame format
Choosing a SMPTE start frame
Sync to port menu
Sample-accurate sync
MTC (MIDI Time Code)
Slaving to external sync
Slaving to VITC
Synchronization hints
Overview
MIDI Time Code
MIDI Beat Clocks
Analog SMPTE Time Code (LTC)
Turn off Transmit Sync when you dont need it
Overview
Setting up MMC hardware
Setting up AudioDesk
Setting up a MOTU MTP AV or Digital Timepiece
Activating MMC in AudioDesk
Part 11: Appendices

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Overview
Preventing Catastrophe
General troubleshooting
Audio troubleshooting
Technical support
Overview
Installing
Setting up
Recording and playback
Editing
Mixing and Finishing
Plug-ins
Overview
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Using The AudioDesk User Guide
Help Files
motu.com
273 Index
6
CONTENTS
Part 1
Getting Started
CHAPTER 1
IMPORTANT! REGISTER YOUR SOFTWARE

MOTU can only provide customer service and technical
support to registered users. Therefore, it is very important
for you to register your software immediately after purchase.
To do so, follow the directions below that apply to you:
Method of purchase
How to register:
If you purchased
AudioDesk
Choose Register AudioDesk from the Help

menu to register online, using the serial
number on the installation CD jacket. Keep
this jacket for your future reference.
If you purchased an upgrade

from earlier version of
AudioDesk
You are already registered and no further

action is necessary.
MINIMUM COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS

AudioDesk requires:
PowerPC G4 CPU 1 GHz or faster (including PowerPC G5
CPUs and all Intel processor Macs)
512 MB RAM or more
Mac OS X version 10.5 or 10.6; v10.5.8 or later is required
A display with 1024 x 768 resolution or higher
Computer recommendations
The recommended system for AudioDesk is:
PowerPC G5 or Intel CPU, with multi-core processor or
multiple processors
1 GB RAM or more
A display with 1280 x 1024 resolution or higher
The faster the Mac, and the more RAM installed in it, the
more responsive AudioDesk is. Scrolling during playback is
smoother, the counter updates regularly, and actions that you
take with the program are faster especially during
playback.
HOW TO CHECK YOUR COMPUTER SPECIFICATIONS

To check your computers specifications the processor
type, processor speed, and amount of RAM your computer
has choose About This Mac from the Apple menu.
CHAPTER 2
RUNNING THE AUDIODESK INSTALLER
SETTING UP MIDI HARDWARE
1 Insert the AudioDesk Installer disc.
AudioDesk supports MIDI input and output for time code

synchronization and MIDI Machine Control.
2 Double-click the Install AudioDesk icon. You will need to

enter an administrator password to install AudioDesk
3 Follow the directions the installer gives you.
To set up AudioDesk for use with MIDI hardware devices

connected to your computer, see chapter 3, MIDI
Hardware (page 10).
OPENING AUDIODESK
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
After a successful installation, you are ready to launch

AudioDesk for the first time.
At this time you will need to authorize AudioDesk. With the
AudioDesk installer disc in your CD/DVD drive, enter your
name and keycode. You must be logged in under an account
with administrator privileges to authorize AudioDesk.
EXAMINING AUDIO UNITS PLUG-INS

AudioDesk supports Mac OS X Audio Unit (AU) plug-ins in
addition to its native MAS plug-in format.
If you have questions, please review this manual carefully

first. You can reach MOTU tech support as follows:
24-hour online tech support database with search engine:
www.motu.com
Web-based tech support: www.motu.com/support

Tech support phone: (617) 576-3066
(9 a.m. 6 p.m. Eastern)
Downloads: www.motu.com
When you first run AudioDesk, it examines any AUs

currently installed in your system, checking them for
problems. This process may take a few minutes, depending
on the nature and quantity of the AUs installed in your
system. Each plug-in is examined only once, the first time it
is loaded by AudioDesk. On subsequent launches of
AudioDesk, AUs that have already been examined will not be
examined again. If a problem is detected with a particular
AU, it will not be loaded for use in AudioDesk to prevent
crashing and other serious problems.
For more details about using AUs, see Working with Audio
Unit plug-ins on page 233.
CHAPTER 3
MIDI Hardware
OVERVIEW
AudioDesk supports MIDI input and output for time code
synchronization and MIDI Machine Control. AudioDesk is
compatible with any MIDI hardware that supports Mac OS
Xs CoreMIDI services. The Mac OS X Audio MIDI Setup
utility Lets you:
Configure the USB MIDI interface(s) and/or other USB
MIDI device(s) connected to your Mac
CONNECTING MIDI GEAR VIA A MIDI INTERFACE

For MIDI equipment that connects to your Mac via a MIDI
interface, you will need a Mac-compatible MIDI interface
and MIDI cables.
Installing the MIDI interface
1 Install the MIDI interface as directed.
Describe and configure the MIDI devices connected to

your Mac via a MIDI interface
The MIDI devices in Audio MIDI Setup appear in

AudioDesk as MIDI input sources and output destinations.
CoreMIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Audio MIDI Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting up your MIDI equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Connecting MIDI gear directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Connecting MIDI gear via a MIDI interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
device supports CoreMIDI, when you are finished installing

it as directed, AudioDesk should be able to see the devices
MIDI input and output channels (and cables).
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COREMIDI
2 Make sure your MIDI interface is connected and turned

on.
3 Launch the Audio MIDI Setup utility.
This can usually be found in /Applications/Utilities. If it has
been moved, just search for Audio MIDI Setup.
4 Confirm that the MIDI interface is present in the MIDI
Devices tab of Audio MIDI Setup.
CoreMIDI is the under-the-hood portion of Mac OS X that

handles MIDI services for MIDI hardware and software.
CoreMIDI provides a variety of features to support
AudioDesks extensive professional MIDI features.
AUDIO MIDI SETUP

Audio MIDI Setup is a utility included with Mac OS X that
allows you to configure your Mac for AudioDesk and other
CoreMIDI compatible applications. Audio MIDI Setup
provides:
A virtual studio on your Mac that graphically represents
your MIDI hardware setup and that is shared by all
CoreMIDI-compatible programs
A simple, intuitive list of your MIDI devices whenever you

need it in any CoreMIDI-compatible program
SETTING UP YOUR MIDI EQUIPMENT

MIDI gear connects to your Mac in one of two ways: directly
(via USB, FireWire, PCI, etc.) or via a MIDI interface
CONNECTING MIDI GEAR DIRECTLY

For MIDI equipment that connects directly to your Mac (and
that is CoreMIDI compatible), such as the MOTU 828mkII
FireWire audio/MIDI interface, follow the directions it gives
you for installation, including the installation of any software
(drivers, etc.) that it requires. No special additional
procedures are necessary for AudioDesk. As long as the
Figure 3-1: In this example, a MOTU FastLane-USB interface as it appears in the

MIDI tab of Audio MIDI Setup.
Connecting your MIDI devices

Connect your MIDI device(s) to the interface as follows:
MIDI IN connects to MIDI OUT and MIDI OUT

connects to MIDI IN.
Creating a MIDI configuration
Once your MIDI interface appears in Audio MIDI Setup, you
are ready to create a MIDI configuration in Audio MIDI
Setup that names the devices connected to the interface,
shows how they are connected, and identifies properties they
may have for particular purposes. All of this information is
shared with AudioDesk and other CoreMIDI compatible
applications.
Adding devices in Audio MIDI Setup
To add a device in Audio MIDI Setup:
1 Click the MIDI Devices tab.
10
2 Use the Add New External Device command in the MIDI

Devices menu to add a device.
3 Drag on its input and output arrows to draw connections
to the MIDI interface that match its physical connection.
Figure 3-2: Connecting the device to the interface.
Figure 3-3: Device settings.
4 Double-click the device to make further device settings,

such as input and output channels.
5 Repeat the above steps for each MIDI device connected to

the interface.
6 When you are finished, quit Audio MIDI Setup.
Your configuration is automatically saved as the default
configuration. You can use the Configuration menu to create,
duplicate or delete alternative configurations.
11
MIDI HARDWARE
CHAPTER 4
OVERVIEW
This chapter explains what MAS is, how to configure it for
your audio hardware, and how to obtain the best
performance possible from your Mac. The performance tips
in this chapter can have a dramatic effect on how well
AudioDesk operates, so be sure to review this chapter
carefully.
What is MAS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preparing your Mac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Supported audio hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Configuring the hardware driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Controlling monitoring latency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Slaving MAS to external sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Optimizing MAS performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Studio configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fine-tuning audio I/O timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
More ways to enhance performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Monitoring system performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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WHAT IS MAS?
MAS is the hard disk recording engine that drives
AudioDesks digital audio recording capabilities. MAS
provides a complete audio recording environment, including
many features previously only available on expensive
hardware-based systems. Advanced features include an
adjustable number of internal busses, aux tracks, master
faders and sends. MAS also provides a plug-in architecture
for real-time audio effects, such as reverb, compression and
EQ. These real time effects are covered in detail in Audio
Effects Processing on page 230.
PREPARING YOUR MAC

Here are several things you need to do before using
AudioDesks native audio recording and playback features.
Processor Performance on the Power Mac G5
For the best possible performance from AudioDesk on a
Power Mac G5, got to System Preferences > Energy Saver >
Options and choose the Highest setting for Processor
Performance. It may be necessary to reset this option after
installing an update to the Mac OS, as doing so can make it
revert back to its default setting.
Here is Apples own explanation of this setting:
The PowerPC G5 processor in your Power Mac G5 can run at
various speeds. The default setting for this feature is
Automatic, which allows the system to run the processor at
full speed when required, and at a lower speed during periods
of light processing activity. Certain real-time applications, such

as audio creation or gaming, may perform optimally when
using the highest processor performance setting. You can
change the processor performance setting in the Energy Saver
pane of System Preferences.
Hard drives
Hard disk recording makes severe demands on your
computers hard drive. The more tuned-up your hard drive,
the better performance you will get out of MAS. 7200 rpm or
faster drives are recommended, though it is possible with
smaller projects to use a slower drive (such as those found
inside some laptops). As far as MAS goes, there are no special
requirements for hard disks. Just make sure your hard drive
is as tuned up as possible.
Free up as much RAM as possible
Hard disk recording uses a lot of RAM. In addition, the
number of audio tracks you can record and play simultaneously is directly related to the amount of memory available
in your Mac. More available RAM gives you more audio
tracks, up to the limits of your hard drive, and smoother
performance overall.
SUPPORTED AUDIO HARDWARE

AudioDesk supports any MOTU audio interface, including:
MOTU PCI audio interfaces, such as the 2408, 2408mkII,
2408mk3, 1224, 24i, 24I/O, 308, 1296, HD192, etc.
MOTU FireWire and high-speed USB 2.0 audio interfaces,

such as the 828, 828mkII, 828mk3, 896, 896HD, 896mk3,
UltraLite, UltraLite-mk3, UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid, Traveler,
Traveler-mk3, 8pre, etc.
CoreAudio
CoreAudio is a term that refers to the software technology
built into Mac OS X that provides all of its standardized
audio features. More specifically, we use CoreAudio to refer to
Mac OS Xs standard audio driver model. A CoreAudio driver
allows a piece of audio equipment to establish audio input
and output with AudioDesk and any other Mac OS X
CoreAudio-compatible software.
Once a MOTU interface CoreAudio driver has been
successfully installed (as described in its installation instructions), and it has been chosen for use in AudioDesk (Setup
menu> Configure Audio System>Configure Hardware
Driver), it will appear as a choice for audio input and output
inside AudioDesk, as explained in the next section.
12
All MOTU audio hardware supports CoreAudio

All MOTU audio hardware, including our PCI systems and
FireWire interfaces, ship with CoreAudio drivers that allow
them to operate successfully with virtually all Mac OS X
audio software.
Track count and system performance
The number of audio tracks you can record and play simultaneously depends on your Mac system. A faster computer
with more RAM and a fast hard drive gives you more tracks.
A slower computer with less RAM and a slow hard drive
gives you fewer tracks.
CONFIGURING THE HARDWARE DRIVER

A hardware driver is peripheral component of the MOTU
Audio System that allows AudioDesk to communicate with a
piece of MOTU audio hardware. If you havent already
installed the driver for your audio hardware, do so now,
before proceeding below.
To establish the link between AudioDesk and your audio
hardware, you need to activate its driver in AudioDesk. To do
so, go to the Setup menu and choose Configure Audio
System>Configure Hardware Driver. The Configure
Hardware Driver window appears as shown below in
Figure 4-1:
simultaneously, but there are additional setup requirements

for reliable operation. See Enabling multiple drivers on
page 14.
Driver settings
Make the driver settings as follows:
Master Device
If only one driver is enabled (highlighted) in the list, this
menu can be ignored.
If you are operating multiple audio devices (you have two or
more devices selected in the list), choose the device that you
wish to use as the master clock. For further details about this
important setting, see Enabling multiple drivers on
page 14.
Sample Rate
Choose the desired sample rate for recording and playback.
44.1 kHz is the standard rate for audio compact discs. If you
intend to play audio files that have already been recorded,
make sure you match their sample rate. If you arent sure
what their sample rate is, import them into an AudioDesk file
and look at them in the Soundbites window.
If you are operating multiple devices, this setting applies to
all of them.
Clock Source
This setting determines the clock source for each audio
device. Choose each device from the menu on the left and
choose its clock source from the menu on the right.
The choices in the clock source menu depend on the audio
hardware, and the items in the menu are supplied by its
driver. Most devices have an Internal setting, which means
the audio device will run off its own clock. This means that
audio playback and recording in AudioDesk will operate at
the rate set by the hardware, and AudioDesk will use the
hardware as its master time base (so that MIDI and audio
stay in sync with each other).
Figure 4-1: The Configure Hardware Driver window. Note that you can select multiple drivers to operate several audio devices simultaneously. In this example, a
MOTU 828mk3 (FireWire) interface is being used with a MOTU PCI audio interface.
In most cases, multiple devices must be externally clocked with one another to
remain resolved to each other. Otherwise, they will drift apart over time. MOTU
FireWire audio interfaces, however, can slave to other devices via the Core Audio
driver itself, without any external clocking required. For details, see Slaving MOTU
FireWire devices to other Core audio drivers on page 15.
Enabling one or more hardware drivers

All MOTU Audio drivers currently installed in your
computer appear in the list shown in Figure 4-1. Click a
driver to enable it. Shift-click to enable multiple drivers at
one time. This allows you to use multiple audio devices
If, however, you make AudioDesk slave to external sync while

the audio hardware is running on its internal clock, the audio
hardware and therefore audio playback and recording in
general will not be resolved to external time code. Your
best bet in this scenario is to slave your audio hardware to the
same source that is feeding time code to AudioDesk. You can
use a synchronizer such as the MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV
or Digital Timepiece to resolve to time code and supply the
your audio hardware with resolved digital audio clock via
word clock or another digital audio sync format. See
chapter 49, Receive Sync (page 252) for complete details.
13
MOTU AUDIO SYSTEM (MAS)
If your audio hardware has digital inputs (such as a S/PDIF

connector), the clock source menu will probably also
provide settings that let you clock off the digital input source.
In general, the audio hardware either needs to slave off the
external digital source or vice versa. Or both the audio
hardware and the external source need to be resolved via a
third device, such as a digital audio synchronizer. If the two
devices are not resolved with one another, youll hear clicks,
pops, distortion, or other similar artifacts in your digital
transfers.
Host Buffer Multiplier

If you are using just one audio driver (only one driver is
selected in the driver list shown in Figure 4-1 on page 13),
choose a setting of 1.
Buffer Size
A buffer is a small part of computer memory that briefly
holds digital audio samples as they are passed between the
computer and your audio hardware. Choosing a smaller
buffer size reduces latency, which is the delay you may hear
when listening to live audio input that you are monitoring
through AudioDesk. But lower settings also increase the
processing load on your Mac, which impacts the number of
real-time effects plug-ins you can run at one time.
The overall buffer size employed by MAS is a product of the

Host Buffer Multiplier and the Buffer Size. Therefore, it is
best to keep the Host Buffer Multiplier setting as low as
possible.
If you wont be running live inputs through AudioDesk, or

playing software instruments, you can choose higher settings
to free up CPU processing bandwidth for plug-ins or other
processor-intensive components of your virtual studio. A
typical setting for this scenario is 512 or 1024 samples.
If you are running live input through AudioDesk, choose the
lowest setting that your computer can handle, keeping in
mind that you still need to give your computer enough
processing power to handle the plug-ins you are using with
AudioDesk. Settings of 256 or lower produce reasonable
monitoring latency: a setting of 256 samples produces
round-trip monitoring latency of around 12-13 milliseconds
(ms), and the delay starts to become inaudible. If, after
choosing a lower setting, you hear clicks and pops in your
audio, or you see spikes in the processor meter in the
Performance window (Studio menu), try raising it again.
If you are using two or more audio drivers (two or more are
selected in the driver list shown in Figure 4-1 on page 13),
choose a setting of 2. If you experience problems with your
audio (clicks, pops, distortion, gaps, etc.), try a setting of 3 or
4.
Work priority
The Work Priority option (Figure 4-1 on page 13) lets you set
the Mac OS X thread priority for the MOTU Audio System
engine. Choose the highest setting your audio hardware
allows. If you are experiencing audio performance problems,
try the Medium setting. If problems persist, try the Low
setting. When using the Medium and Low settings, you may
need to increase the buffer size for best results. It is
recommended that you leave this option set to High.
Enabling multiple drivers
As demonstrated in Figure 4-1 on page 13, you can Shiftclick multiple drivers in the Configure Hardware Driver
window. This allows you to use two or more audio devices
simultaneously, such as a MOTU 896mk3 FireWire audio
interface and a MOTU HD192 PCI system. All devices
operate at the chosen sample rate in the Configure Hardware
Driver window.
When you enable multiple drivers, their corresponding
devices will play and record audio at the same time, but they
may drift apart over time, unless you take steps to
synchronize their audio clocks with each other.
Monitoring latency has no effect on recording: it only exists

for a live signal as it is being monitored. It has no effect
whatsoever on the timing accuracy of the material being
recorded to disk. AudioDesk is precisely calibrated to record
and play back hard disk audio perfectly on time.
For MOTU FireWire audio interfaces, you can resolve them

directly to the Core Audio driver of the other device. See
Slaving MOTU FireWire devices to other Core audio
drivers on page 15.
If adjusting the Buffer Size setting just doesnt allow you to

strike the right balance between processor load and
acceptable monitoring latency, you can also try external
hardware monitoring. as explained in Audio monitoring
(audio patch thru) on page 113.
For other audio devices, there are two basic methods for
resolving them with each other: slave one device to the other,
or slave both devices to a third master clock. If you have three
or more digital audio devices, you need to slave them all to a
single master audio clock, such as a word clock distribution
device or universal synchronizer.
14
Master
long playback or recording passes. To slave your MOTU

FireWire audio interface to another device, choose the other
device from the Clock Source menu.
Master
Slave
Slave
Slave
Figure 4-2: To resolve two or more digital audio devices with each other, you need
to choose a clock master.
To continue with our earlier example, you could slave the

896mk3 FireWire interface to the HD192 as demonstrated
below:
Master
Word clock out
HD192
Clock source setting: Internal
Word clock in
Slave
896mk3
Clock source setting: Word Clock In
Figure 4-3: To resolve two or more digital audio devices with each other, you need
to choose a clock master.
Specifying the master device

Specify the device that will be the master device by choosing
it from the Master Device menu (Figure 4-1 on page 13).
Specifying clock sources
Use the clock source menus (Figure 4-1 on page 13) to
specify the clock source for each device. Typically, the master
device will be set to Internal or a similarly named clock
mode that implies that it will be operating under its own
clock unless you are slaving your entire system to an
external clock source of some kind, such as synchronizer that
is resolving to video, blackburst, etc.
The clock source setting for all other devices should reflect
how they are being slaved to the master device. In our
example shown in Figure 4-3 above, the clock source setting
for the 896mk3 interface is Word Clock In, since it is slaved to
the HD192 via word clock. In Figure 4-4, the 828mk3 is
slaving to the PCI-424 Core Audio driver.
Slaving MOTU FireWire devices to other Core audio
drivers
The MOTU FireWire driver has the ability to resolve to other
CoreAudio drivers. This allows your MOTU FireWire
interface to resolve to other audio interfaces running simultaneously on the same computer, such as the Macs built-in
audio, a PCI-424 core system, or even 3rd-party interfaces,
without the need for external word clock connections
between the devices. Doing so ensures that audio tracks
being played or recorded by your MOTU FireWire interface
will not drift apart from tracks on the other device during
Figure 4-4: Resolving a MOTU FireWire audio interface (an 828mk3 in this
example) to another CoreAudio driver (the PCI-424 driver).
CONTROLLING MONITORING LATENCY

There are several Mac performance issues that you should
know about regarding Audio Patch Thru when running
AudioDesk under MAS. For details, see Buffer Size on
page 14 and Audio monitoring (audio patch thru) on
page 113.
SLAVING MAS TO EXTERNAL SYNC

In addition, if you plan to slave AudioDesk to external sync
(SMPTE time code), be sure to read chapter 49, Receive
Sync (page 252) for important information.
OPTIMIZING MAS PERFORMANCE

You can further refine the audio performance of your system
with the items in the Configure Audio System sub-menu
(Setup menu). The following sections discuss these features.
STUDIO CONFIGURATION
The Studio Configuration dialog shown below in Figure 4-5
can be opened by choosing Configure Audio System >
Configure Studio Settings from the Setup menu.
15
Work Quanta
The Work Quanta setting controls the intervals at which the
MAS engine does its calculations. This setting is best left at
its factory default value (100ms). Raising it can free up some
CPU processing for more real-time effects, but at the expense
of possibly affecting the smoothness of real-time graphics
displays (such as the playback wiper). Conversely, lowering it
can help smooth out even further the playback wiper and
other animated graphic elements.
Figure 4-5: AudioDesks Studio Configuration dialog.
The Studio Configuration dialog

The Studio Configuration dialog lets you fine-tune
AudioDesks audio engine. These settings are governed by
many factors, including the amount of RAM in your
computer, the computers overall speed and the performance
of your hard drive. These options are best left at their default
settings, but they can be adjusted as described in the
following sections.
Free up as much RAM as possible
Before you attempt to adjust your studio configuration, you
should try to free up as much RAM in your Mac as possible.
Here are several things you can do:
Quit all other programs when running AudioDesk.
Buy more RAM (its affordable these days)
Stereo buses
This setting determines the number of internal audio buses
provided by MAS and seen in the audio menus in the Edit
window and Mixing Board. This value is fairly arbitrary and
does not in itself affect system performance that much. The
number of buses you actually use, however, may have an
impact your system resources.
Prime Seconds
The Prime Seconds setting determines how far in advance
AudioDesk pre-cues disk audio before playback begins, prerendering effects processing, if any, that would be required to
play back the audio. If you experience any issues with
playback immediately after it begins, you can try increasing
this setting in small increments (0.5 seconds). Doing so may
clear up issues of this kind.
Conversely, if you find that hitting the play button is not as
responsive as you would like, especially after cueing to a new
playback location, try lowering the Prime Seconds settings.
Doing so means that AudioDesk has less data to pre-cue,
which will make it more responsive.
Max Work Percent

Max Work Percent lets you control the amount of CPU usage
for the MOTU Audio System (MAS) engine when it is prerendering disk tracks and cueing them for playback. You will
likely achieve the best performance on your system using the
default value of 80%. You can adjust upwards or downwards
from 80% based on your computers overall speed, the size
and intensity of your AudioDesk projects, the nature of the
work you are doing (studio recording versus live
performance, etc.) and other factors specific to your
individual situation. Higher values devote more processing
to the audio engine and less to graphics display (and other
tasks). Lower values reduce CPU resources for audio and
increase them for graphics redraw and other tasks.
Automatic plug-in latency (delay) compensation
Some plug-ins introduce a small amount of delay (latency) to
the track on which they are instantiated. Here are a few
examples of plug-ins that introduce latency:
Universal Audio UAD-1 plug-ins
TC Electronic PowerCore plug-ins
Any plug-in that employs look-ahead
The amount of the delay depends on the plug-in, and the

delay is usually unavoidable, due to the nature of the plug-in
itself. For example, a look-ahead peak limiter must delay the
signal by the amount of the look-ahead in order to do its job
(usually several milliseconds). Hardware accelerated plugins, such as UAD-1 and PowerCore plug-ins, require an extra
loop in their signal path between the host computer and the
acceleration hardware, and this loop introduces a small
amount of delay (usually on the order of several hundred
samples or so).
AudioDesk provides automatic compensation for plug-in
latency when disk audio is being played through the plug-in.
In essence, AudioDesk knows the exact amount of delay
introduced by the plug-in (down to the sample) and simply
feeds the disk audio to the plug-in early by that same amount,
so that the plug-in has just enough time to process the audio
and play it perfectly on time, with sample-accurate precision.
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Automatic delay compensation only works with audio files

being played back from a hard disk. Delay compensation
cannot be applied to live audio (because it cannot be cued
early by the audio engine).
AudioDesk automatically determines the delay
compensation for each plug-in, if any. There is no additional
preparation necessary. In addition, AudioDesk supports
delay compensation for any MAS or Audio Unit plug-in.
Most of the time, you will probably want to leave the Auto
Plug-in Latency Compensation option enabled. The only time
you would likely need to disable it is if you are working with
a project created in an earlier version of AudioDesk in which
you set up latency compensation manually with delay plugins, etc. To make your old file play back exactly like it did in
earlier versions of AudioDesk without making any changes
to it, unchecked this option. If you wish, you could then
remove your manual latency compensation and then reenable automatic compensation.
Pre-fill file buffers for quick start
The Pre-fill buffers for quick start option, when checked,
causes AudioDesk to fill its playback buffers before you press
the play button. The result is that AudioDesk starts much
more quickly because it does not need to load massive
amounts of audio data from disk at the instant you initiate
playback. Instead, AudioDesk loads the play buffers any time
you move the play head (main counter) to a new location, or
make any changes that would affect playback near the play
head.
FINE-TUNING AUDIO I/O TIMING

MOTU PCI audio interfaces, as well as some MOTU
FireWire audio interfaces like the 828mkII and 896HD,
support sample-accurate digital audio transfers with other
devices that support sample-accurate ADAT sync. This
means that when you transfer audio between AudioDesk and
an ADAT, for example, you can record the audio back and
forth as many times as you want between them and it will
remain exactly at its original sample location (unless you
movie it in AudioDesk, of course).
Occasionally you may encounter a situation in which you
observe a slight offset of one sample or perhaps a few
caused by inherent latencies in the devices you are using with
your MOTU interface. Usually, these offsets will be
consistent, and you can compensate for them in AudioDesk.
To do so, choose Configure Audio system>Fine-tune Audio I/
O Timing from the Setup menu.
Figure 4-6: Fine-tuning the timing of audio playback and recording.
MORE WAYS TO ENHANCE PERFORMANCE

Here are a few additional ways in which you can improve
audio performance:
Get a multi-processor/multi-core Mac
AudioDesk takes full advantage of multi-processor and
multi-core Mac computers. This is best way to get the most
out of your AudioDesk experience. For example, a dualprocessor or dual-core machine would effectively double the
performance of AudioDesk running on its single-CPU or
single-core counterpart.
Bouncing to play more tracks
Another way to play more audio tracks is by using
AudioDesks Bounce to Disk feature, which takes any
number of selected audio tracks and bounces them down to
a single track. For more information, see chapter 47,
Bounce To Disk (page 245).
Spreading audio files over several disks
Another way to improve audio performance is to spread your
audio files over several hard disks. This makes it easier on
each drive, making your system more responsive and
possibly allowing you to be able to play more tracks.
Choosing a lower sample rate
You can greatly improve audio performance as well as
increase the number of simultaneous audio tracks by
using lower sample rates (44.1 kHz instead of 96 kHz for
example).
MONITORING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

The Audio Performance window below in Figure 4-7 can be
opened from the Studio menu. This window displays a meter
for the processor resources of your Mac, as well as the
playback and recording buffers in MAS.
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Figure 4-7: The Audio Performance window shows you how much of your Mac
system resources are being used. If the meters reach near the top, you should
consider reducing the number of audio tracks you are asking it to play.
Processor
This meter shows how much of the computers CPU
bandwidth is currently being used by AudioDesk. If the
meter approaches 100% or spikes, try bouncing real-time
effects to disk and then disabling the live effects.
Play and record buffers
These meters show activity in the MOTU Audio System
engines playback and recording buffers. If the Pre-fill file
buffers for Quick Start option is checked in the Studio
Configuration window, then the play buffer meter will fill to
100% before playback begins. This behavior is normal with
this option enabled.
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CHAPTER 5
OVERVIEW
HOW HARD DISK RECORDING DIFFERS FROM TAPE
This chapter briefly covers several important concepts about

hard disk-based digital audio recording. You may not feel
that you have the time to review the basics, but the more
you know, the more you will be able to accomplish. After you
read this chapter (it will only take a few minutes):
Consider for a moment how audio is recorded on a tape deck:

it is essentially a linear process. The audio signal gets
recorded in a straight line (on the tape) from beginning to
end. To play back, the tape passes over the head of the tape
deck. If you want to start playback at a certain location in the
music, you have to fast-forward or rewind the tape to that
location. This is true for traditional analog tape decks as well
as digital tape machines like the Alesis ADAT.
You will get a better sense of the vast creative possibilities

open to you with this technology.
You will work more efficiently.
You will be less likely to make costly mistakes.
Tape
Be sure to also consult the owners manual for your MOTU

audio interface, as its use can impact AudioDesk in many
important ways.
How audio is recorded on disk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How hard disk recording differs from tape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How much disk space does audio require? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hard disk requirements and maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Digital audio terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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21
HOW AUDIO IS RECORDED ON DISK

AudioDesk and other Mac-based digital audio recording
systems record audio data in much the same way. Audio data
gets recorded onto the hard disk in the form of an audio file:
you press record in AudioDesk, play in some music, and the
audio signal is encoded digitally in the audio file.
Audio recorded on tape
Figure 5-1: On a traditional tape deck, audio is recorded linearly on the tape from
beginning to end.
Consider, on the other hand, how a computer hard disk

works: it is very similar to a CD player. The hard disk consists
of a round, magnetic platter that spins very fast and stores
data. Suspended above this spinning platter is an extremely
fast read/write mechanism, similar to the optical mechanism
in a CD player, which reads and writes data to the platter. The
read/write head moves incredibly fast (faster than the eye
can see), providing virtually instantaneous access to any
location on the hard disk.
Hard disk platter
Sectors on the
hard disk
By default, AudioDesk uses interleaved audio, which stores

all channels for each track in a single file. If you record onto a
mono audio track and two stereo audio tracks, AudioDesk
will create three audio files.
You may also use deinterleaved, or split stereo, audio files. If
so, recorded stereo audio data is stored as separate mono files
with the same name and .L and .R before the file extensions,
such as Guitar-1.L.wav and Guitar-1.R.wav. The
corresponding soundbites in the track remain perfectly
sample-locked, no matter what you do.
Every time you press the record button, record some music,
and then stop, AudioDesk automatically creates a new audio
file when you start recording, records the audio data into the
audio file as you play, and then closes the audio file when you
press stop. AudioDesk immediately readies another audio file
for the next take while inserting the last one into the audio
track at the appropriate time and adding it to the list in the
Soundbites window.
Digitally encoded
audio data
Figure 5-2: With a hard disk recording system, audio is converted into digital form
(numbers) and stored on the hard disk platter, much like a CD player. The hard disk
read/write mechanism moves so fast, it has virtually instantaneous access to any
location on the hard disk.
Random access
This instantaneous access, often called random access, allows
you to cue immediately to any location in your music,
without having to wait for the hard disk mechanism to locate
it. Hard disk recording systems convert an audio signal into
digital data (basically transforming the audio signal into a
continuous stream of numbers), and then write the digital
19
data sequentially to the hard disk. Because of the extremely

high speed of the hard disk read/write mechanism, you have
instant access to any part of the recorded audio.
Non-destructive editing
With their random access capability, hard disk recording
systems provide other important advantages over tape
machines. For example, you can cut, snip, splice, shift, rearrange, and otherwise edit the original pass of audio
without actually modifying the original data. If you
rearrange the order of a few sections in a digital audio track,
AudioDesk simply rearranges references to those sections of
data without affecting the original audio data itself. This
process, called non-destructive editing, is possible because
AudioDesk stores the edit points separately from the audio
data. You can always revert to the original audio data if you
want, up until the time that you decide to permanently erase
it from the hard disk.
Instantaneous editing
Non-destructive editing is a virtually instantaneous process
because the edit points you create during editing are very
small (only a few bytes) and can therefore be handled quickly
by the computer. As a result, your edits in AudioDesk take
effect immediately as you do them.
Non-linear editing and playback
As you can see in Figure 5-3, non-destructive editing makes
it quick and easy to re-arrange the order of any portion of the
originally recorded audio. And you can revert to the original
take at any time.
Repetition without duplication
Random access also allows you to repeat the same section of
music as many times as you like within your piece of music
without duplicating the actual audio data itself. For example,
you could have a one-measure drum loop that repeats for 60
measures, but it only consists of one measures worth of
audioapproximately two seconds. The loop is simply
placed end to end in the track sixty times. (Alternatively, it
could be looped with a loop in the track.) You can even play
back the same region of audio on several tracks at the same
Audio track in AudioDesk with

original take:
Verse 1
Verse 2
time. A chorus effect can be created with a vocal passage by

placing it in four separate tracks and slightly offsetting the
audio in each track. When you do so, AudioDesk does not
actually create four copies of the audio data on your hard
disk; instead, the computer references the same passage of
audio on the hard disk four times simultaneously. As a result,
you are actually conserving hard disk space when using a
single region of audio in multiple places.
HOW MUCH DISK SPACE DOES AUDIO REQUIRE?

The freedom you enjoy as a result of the benefits described
above comes at a price: hard disk space. One mono minute of
CD-quality (16-bit, 44.1 kHz) audio takes up about 5
megabytes (MB) of space on your hard disk. A stereo minute
takes up 10 MB. If you have a MOTU 2408mk3 hard disk
recording system, and you have audio playing on 24 channels
for a five minute tune, thats 24 channels times 5 minutes,
which adds up to 120 minutes of audio. Multiply that by
5 MB per minute, and your 5 minute song takes up 600 MB
of hard disk space! And that doesnt count alternative takes,
overdubs, and other audio that you generate during the
course of a recording session. During a typical session, you
can easily fill upwards of 1 GB (1 gigabyte) of hard disk space
in no time.
The table below shows disk space for one minute of digital
audio at various sample rates and bit depths:
Bits
Ch
44.1 kHz
48 kHz
88.2 kHz
96 kHz
176.4 kHz
192 kHz
16
5.3 MB
5.7 MB
10.5 MB
11.5 MB
21 MB
23 MB
24
7.9 MB
8.6 MB
15.9 MB
17.3 MB
31.7 MB
34.6 MB
16
10.6 MB
11.5 MB
21.2 MB
23 MB
42.3 MB
46 MB
24
15.9 MB
17.2 MB
31.7 MB
34.5 MB
63.5 MB
69 MB
Figure 5-4: Hard disk space requirements for one minute of mono and stereo
digital audio at various sample rates and bit depths.
Fortunately, AudioDesks Audio Monitor always shows you

how much hard disk space you have available on your hard
disk during a session so that you can manage your audio
tracks intelligently and never run out of space at a crucial
moment (such as the middle of a record pass!)
Chorus
Edit points at section boundaries
The same track after nondestructive editing:
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Figure 5-3: Hard disk recording systems provide non-destructive editing, which gives you instantaneous flexibility, as well as the ability
to revert back to the original take at any time. Note that when you do this type of editing in AudioDesk, the audio data stored on hard
disk does not move. AudioDesk just rearranges pointers to the audio data.
20
HARD DISK RECORDING CONCEPTS
In addition, AudioDesk provides audio management

features that let you easily identify unused audio and delete it
from the hard disk.
Audio data
HARD DISK REQUIREMENTS AND MAINTENANCE

AudioDesk itself does not have any special requirements
with regard to the performance of the hard disk(s) on which
you will be recording audio. The faster your hard drive, the
more tracks you will be able to play and record simultaneously. (To learn more about getting the most out of your
computers performance, see Studio configuration on
page 15.)
Hard disk maintenance procedures such as defragmenting
and re-initializing will help improve overall performance.
For further information, see Hard drives on page 12.
DIGITAL AUDIO TERMS

Here are some terms and concepts you should be familiar
with.
Project
A project is a folder that AudioDesk creates on your hard disk
when you start a new recording session. It includes an
AudioDesk file, along with a folder for the audio files youll
generate while recording.
Audio file (or Sound file)
An audio file is a document on your Macs hard disk that
contains digital audio data. Its size is determined by the
duration of the audio data, by the sample resolution, and by
the number of audio channels (1 for mono files, 2 for stereo
files). A one-minute mono audio file recorded at 44.1 kHz
takes up about 5 megabytes of hard disk space. Stereo files
are twice as large as mono files. Therefore, a one-minute
stereo file is about 10 megabytes.
Audio files come in several different formats. In AudioDesk,
the default format for recording is Broadcast WAVE, but you
can also record as AIFF, (Audio Interchange File Format) and
Sound Designer II.
Audio files contain more than just the audio information.
They also contain a list of regions (explained below) in the
audio file, as well as any playlists (also explained below) that
have been created for it using other audio software programs.
Regions
Playlists
A Broadcast WAVE file
Figure 5-5: A sound file contains the original audio recorded into it, as well as any
regions (soundbites) and playlists created by AudioDesk or other audio editing
software you might use to edit the file.
Region
This is the term most commonly used to refer to a section of
audio in an audio file. It could be a one-second sound effect,
a 16-bar phrase, or the entire length of the audio file. You can
define an unlimited number of regions in an audio file.
Technically speaking, a region consists of pointers, which are
references to the exact location (digital sample) in the audio
file where the region begins and ends. These pointers are
very small compared to the amount of audio data they
represent. This is why region editing is so fast and efficient: it
deals with the manipulation of pointers, which consist of a
very small amount of data.
Soundbite
The word Soundbite is synonymous with the word Region as
described above. In AudioDesk, we call regions soundbites
because the word region means something entirely different
in AudioDesk: it is a period of time within one or more tracks
over which an editing command will take effect. Therefore,
to avoid confusion with the word region, we use the term
soundbite to describe an audio file region. They are one and
the same.
Soundbites can be placed in any audio track at any time
location. They can be duplicated as many times as you like
with virtually no additional memory overhead, since they
are merely pointers to audio data on the hard disk. With only
two exceptions, soundbite editing and management in
AudioDesk is entirely non-destructive. (The exceptions are
the Compact command and deleting the very last soundbite
in an audio file, which cause audio data to be deleted from
disk.)
21
Soundbite.1
Soundbite.2
Soundbite.3
Figure 5-6: Soundbites (regions) exist within an audio file. A soundbite is any
portion of an audio file. It can even be the entire audio file. Soundbites that you
record or import into an AudioDesk file are cataloged in the Soundbites window.
They appear as regions of audio in audio tracks.
MOTU Audio System

The MOTU Audio System is the audio engine that provides
digital audio recording and playback in AudioDesk.
The MOTU Audio System also supplies real-time effects
plug-ins, which you can use to process audio tracks in real
time with effects like parametric EQ, reverb, chorusing, etc.
It is also an open system, supporting real time plug-ins from
other companies as well. All plug-ins are processed with
extremely high fidelity 32-bit, floating point calculations.
Audio track
An audio track holds audio regions (soundbites), as well as
audio volume and pan data. You can view the contents of an
audio track in the Edit window.
In general, the overall performance of the MOTU Audio

System (the number of audio tracks you can play simultaneously, along with the maximum amount of effects
processing you can employ in real time) depends on the
overall speed and performance of your computer. Together
with these features, the MOTU Audio System supports all
MOTU Audio interfaces, giving you get the best of both
worlds: you get to take advantage of the large number of
possible audio tracks and real-time effects provided by the
MOTU Audio System, along with the high-fidelity analog
and digital inputs and outputs supplied by your MOTU
interface.
Audio input/output
An audio input or output refers to the physical input or
output jack in the recording system you are using. Regardless
of the MOTU audio interface(s) you have, AudioDesk allows
you to freely assign audio tracks to whatever physical inputs
and outputs are provided.
For the most part, you dont need to be concerned with the
MOTU Audio System. It runs automatically when you use
AudioDesk. The only time you would think about it is if you
would like to try to optimize its performance with the
Configure Audio System in the Setup menu of AudioDesk. For
details, see Studio configuration on page 15.
Playlist
A playlist is a collection of regions played end-to-end to
produce a continuous presentation of music. Some programs
can save playlists within the audio file itself, just like regions.
Playlists stored in audio files can be imported into
AudioDesk as a single audio track in the Edit window.
Figure 5-7: Assigning an audio track to an audio output.
22
CHAPTER 6
OVERVIEW
LEARN TO USE YOUR MAC
The user interface encompasses everything that you do to

interact with the program: what you see on the screen and
how you use the mouse, keyboard and peripheral devices. In
this section youll find information about AudioDesks
windows, dialog boxes, mouse and keyboard actions and
how to specify and locate regions using units of time. This
section also describes AudioDesks enhancements to the
standard Mac user interface.
Before using AudioDesk, please review the standard Mac

user interface conventions. If any of them seem unfamiliar,
please refer to the Mac owners manual for a full explanation.
Be sure you are familiar with how to:
Use the mouse and keyboard
Open, copy and delete files from the Finder
Choose commands from menus and use their keyboard

shortcuts
Learn to use your Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Windows menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Clicking shortcuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using modifier keys with cursor actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contextual menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Standard keyboard shortcuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Customizing keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Changing text box values by dragging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Main counter shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specification of time units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choosing a global time format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Window Zoom
button
Title bar
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24
24
25
25
25
26
26
26
27
27
28
Respond to dialog boxes
Enter and edit text
WINDOWS
Figure 6-1 shows an example of an AudioDesk window.
Window controls
All of AudioDesks standard window controls, such as the
close button, minimize button, zoom button, and scroll bars,
work the same way as standard Mac window controls.
Window title
The window title shows the name of the window, and often
the track or sequence that it pertains to.
Window title
Minimize button
Close button
Tab bar
(double-click to pop-in/out
of Consolidated window)
Window
Target
Tab bar
collapse/
expand
Mini-menu
Track selector
list
Scroll tab
Scroll bar
Zoom
controls
Track selector
show/hide button
Grow box
Figure 6-1: An AudioDesk window.
23
Window target
In some windows, such as the Edit window, you can switch to
a different sequence in the same window.
its original size. To access the mini-menu when the title bar is
collapsed, control-click the Title bar expand/collapse button;
to access the window target menu, Command-click.
1 Click the Window Target tab in the title bar.
Track selector button

The Track Selector button shows and hides the track selector
list along the left-hand side of the window.
Window target
Track selector list

Click the track names in the list to show/hide them.
Window target menu
Figure 6-2: Click the window target tab to switch the window to a different
sequence.
2 Choose the desired sequence.

The contents of the window changes to the sequence you
select.
Mini-menus
Many AudioDesk windows have a mini-menu as shown in
Figure 6-1. Mini-menus operate the same way as menu bar
menus at the top of the screen. Mini-menus contain
commands pertinent to that particular window.
Mini-menu button
Mini-menu
Zoom buttons
These zoom the current window in and out.
The active window
Most of the time, the window in which you are currently
working is the active window. The active window is indicated
by fully detailed borders; when a window is inactive its top
border and scroll bar are blank. To activate a window so that
you can work in it, simply click anywhere on it. AudioDesks
main Control Panel and Tool palette are always active; it is
not necessary to click on them first.
A single click on an inactive window makes that window
active, and in addition, the item in the window that was
clicked responds.
CONTROL PANEL
The Control Panel is the command center for your
AudioDesk project. It contains basic transport controls like
Play, Stop, Record, etc., playback location Counters, and
some additional modes and playback controls such as
Memory Cycle, Click, Countoff, and so on. For more
information, see chapter 11, Control Panel (page 44).
THE WINDOWS MENU

The Windows menu helps you manage the AudioDesk
windows on your computer screen.
The Close command closes the top-most window.

Figure 6-3: An AudioDesk mini-menu.
You can also control-click on the Title bar collapse/expand

button to view the mini-menu.
Tab bar
Double-click the Tab bar to pop the window in or out of
AudioDesks Consolidated Window. For details, see
Popping windows in and out on page 68.
Tab bar expand/collapse button
You can collapse the Tab bar area of a window to reduce the
amount of screen space it uses. Click on the Tab bar expand/
collapse button once to collapse it, and again to expand it to
Bring All To Front brings all AudioDesk windows in front of

all other windows from other applications (and the Mac
Finder).
The Windows List displays all of the open windows, with a
check next to the active window. Select a window to make it
the active window.
Closing all windows
To close all open windows (except the control panel), press
Command-Control-W. If you hold down the Command and
Control keys when choosing the Close command in the
Windows menu, it changes to Close All Windows.
24
USER INTERFACE BASICS
Closing all effect windows

To close all open effect windows, press Command-ShiftControl-W. If you hold down the Shift and Control keys
when choosing the Close command in the Windows menu, it
changes to Close All Effect Windows.
CONTEXTUAL MENUS
Contextual menus provide convenient access to frequently
used commands and options.
CLICKING SHORTCUTS
Option-click: If you hold down the Option key and click on
a check box, all check boxes will be unchecked except for the
one you Option-clicked on.
Command-click: If you hold down the Command key and
click on a check box, all check boxes will be checked except
for the one you clicked.
USING MODIFIER KEYS WITH CURSOR ACTIONS

Some actions are done with the cursor and keyboard
together:
To Control-click: Hold down the Control key, move the
mouse to position the arrow cursor on the object and click
the mouse. In many places, Control-clicking will cause a
contextual menu to appear with convenient shortcuts to
relevant commands and options. See Contextual menus,
below.
To Command-click, hold down the Command key, move the
mouse to position the arrow cursor on the object and click
the mouse. Command-clicking is used for selecting noncontiguous items; for example, you would use Commandclick to select several independent tracks in the Edit window.
Command-click also toggles the current grid snapping
setting for example, if grid snapping is turned on, holding
down the Command key temporarily disables it.
To Shift-click, hold down the Shift key, move the mouse to
position the arrow cursor on the object and click the mouse.
Shift-clicking is used for selecting contiguous items; for
example, to select ten consecutive markers in the Markers
window, click on the first marker, the hold Shift and click on
the tenth marker. You can also click and drag across items in
a list to make a contiguous selection.
To Shift-drag, hold down the Shift key while dragging. Doing
so extends the current selection.
Figure 7: The contextual menu for an audio selection in the Edit Window
To access the contextual menu, click with the right mouse

button or hold the Control key and click with the left mouse
button.
Existing behaviors which utilize clicking while holding

the Control key take precedence over the contextual menu.
That is, when Control-click is already used in a particular
context for a different function, you must use right-click to
access the contextual menu.
Contextual menu items
The menu items shown in the contextual menu will depend
on the context, as the name implies. For example, if you
right-click on a selection of audio data in the Edit Window
(as shown in Figure 7), you will see contextual menu items
for moving and editing audio data, revealing the data in the
Finder, audio plug-ins, and Edit Window track options.
Some menu items may be unavailable temporarily (grayed
out) depending on the kind of selection you have made,
which layer is active, whether there is any data on the
clipboard, and so on.
To Option-click, hold down the Option key, move the mouse

to position the arrow cursor on the object and click the
mouse. Option-click is used to edit the name of a track,
sequence or marker for editing. After editing, the new entry
can be confirmed by pressing the Return key.
All items that appear in the contextual menus are available

elsewhere as regular menu items, mini-menu items,
keyboard shortcuts, and so on. That is, the contextual menu
is never the only place to find a command or option.
To Option-drag, hold down the Option key while dragging.

Doing so makes a copy of what you are Option-dragging.
This is also a shortcut for zooming in the Edit window.
Object selections
When there is object-selected data (such as soundbites,
automation data points, and so on), right-clicking directly
on the selected items will open the contextual menu for those
25
items. However, in cases where it is difficult to click directly

on a small object, so you may also right-click in the empty
space above or below the selection in the same track.
The up arrow will move through a list of names or events,

confirming the current selection and moving to the previous
one.
For example, say you have selected multiple volume

automation data points, the first of which starts at 13|1|000
and the last of which ends at 16|3|240 (Figure 7-1). The
contextual menu for those selected points can be invoked by
right-clicking on any of the selected points, or in any empty
space in that track between 13|1|000 and 16|3|240. If you
right-click before 13|1|000 or after 16|3|240, or directly on an
unselected point, the original selection will be deselected.
The down arrow will move through a list of names or events,

confirming the current selection and advancing to the next
one.
The left and right arrows move from text field to text field,
confirming the current selection and advancing to the next
one in the arrow direction.
In addition to these, there are many shortcut keyboard
commands that will allow you to choose commands from
menus very quickly. They are indicated on the menus to the
right of the commands themselves and can be used instead of
pulling down the menu and selecting the command. To use a
shortcut command, hold down the Command key and press
the indicated key. For example, command-X is the shortcut
for the Cut command. Instead of pulling down the Edit menu
and selecting Cut, hold down the Command key and press
the X key.
Figure 7-1: Opening the contextual menu for a selection of volume automation
points
STANDARD KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

The following keyboard commands are applicable to dialog
boxes and text boxes.
Pressing on the return key is the same as clicking on OK: it
confirms the selection in the dialog box.
Figure 7-3: Examples of keyboard equivalents for menu commands in AudioDesk.
Pressing on the enter key will also OK a dialog box. It is also

used when editing a list of names or data, confirming the
current one and moving to the next.
CUSTOMIZING KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
Pressing the command and period keys together is the same as

clicking on the Cancel button: it cancels the selection and
leaves the previous settings/values unchanged.
CHANGING TEXT BOX VALUES BY DRAGGING
Just about all keyboard shortcuts can be customized. For

details, see chapter 19, Commands (page 91).
You can change number or note values in text edit boxes

throughout AudioDesk by pressing on the text box and
dragging up or down. You can also edit text box values in the
usual ways (by typing, etc.)
Figure 7-2: Typing Command-period cancels the current dialog box or operation.
Pressing the escape key is the same as clicking a Cancel button

and pressing Command-period ( . ).
Pressing the tab key will confirm the current entry field, then
move to the next field in the box or list and highlight it.
Pressing Shift-tab does the same thing, only it moves to the
previous field or box.
26
By dragging
This is a great short cut for quickly yanking the counter:
1 Press on the desired measure, beat, or tick field (or hour,
minute, second, or frame field if you are working with
SMPTE).
2 Drag up or down.
Figure 7-4: Examples of editing quickly text in AudioDesk by dragging up and

down.
MAIN COUNTER SHORTCUTS

The current playback location can be changed at any time by
editing the main Counter directly (as apposed to using one of
the other numerous ways of cueing AudioDesk). You can edit
the counter even while the sequence is playing back. There
are several ways to edit the current Counter location in
AudioDesk, as described below.
By typing
To edit the counter by typing:
1 Click on the field in the time display to highlight it.
By pasting
Counter values can be copied and pasted from nearly any
field where a counter value is displayed: the main counter,
aux counter, Information Bar, and so on.
1 Click in any counter field so that it becomes pop-edited.
2 Press Command-C or choose Edit menu > Copy.
3 Click in the main or aux counter field to highlight it.
4 Press Command-V or choose Edit menu > Paste.
SPECIFICATION OF TIME UNITS

In AudioDesk, you will always be dealing with time specifications. AudioDesk gives you the option of using measure time
(measure|beat|tick), real time
(minutes:seconds.hundredths), frame time
(hours:minutes:seconds:frames) and samples (digital audio
samples).
2 Type in a new time value.
Below is a brief explanation of each time format:
While a field is highlighted, just type in a new value. Use the

backspace key to erase an incorrect entry.
Measure time (measure|beat|tick)
Press the Tab or the decimal key on the keypad to cycle

through each field of a time display, highlighting each so that
you can type in a value. For example, to enter the time
11|1|015 as shown in the example above:
1 Click on the beats field to highlight it.
2 Press 11.
3 Press the Tab or decimal key.
4 Press 1.
5 Press the Tab or decimal key.
Figure 7-5: Specifying time in measures, beats, and ticks.
A specification of measure-oriented musical location. The

number of beats in the measure depends on the specified
meter: 4/4 will define 4 beats per measure, for example. Beats
are subdivided into 480 ticks per quarter note. At that
resolution, a beat in 6/8 time (an eighth note) will have 240
tick subdivisions, a beat in 2/2 time (a half note) will have
960 tick subdivisions and so forth. Measure time is useful
since it is the most musical.
Real time (hours:minutes:seconds:hundredths)
6 Press 0, 1, and 5.
7 Press the Return key.
As a shortcut, press the decimal key on the Mac keypad. To
cancel the edit, press Command-period.
Figure 7-6: Specifying real time in hours, minutes, seconds, and hundredths.
Measurement in standard clock time. This is a simple,

already familiar method for location.
27
Frame time (hours:minutes:seconds:frames)
Figure 7-7: Specifying SMPTE time in hours, minutes, seconds and frames.
Frame time is a special type of real-time measurement. With

it, you can synchronize AudioDesk (via a SMPTE to MIDI
converter) to a device that uses SMPTE time code as a time
reference. Unlike measure time, frame time is used when
absolute time location is necessary.
SMPTE stands for Society of Motion Picture and Television
Engineers. Although SMPTE time code is used mostly in film
and video work, it is often used for audio applications. One
SMPTE frame corresponds to one film or video frame. The
number of frames per second depends on the equipment you
are working with; AudioDesk supports 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97
drop frame, 29.97 non-drop, and 30 frames per second.
Three non-standard frame rates are also supplied: 30 drop,
Legacy 29.97 drop frame, and Legacy 29.97 non-drop. See
Non-standard frame rates on page 253.
CHOOSING A GLOBAL TIME FORMAT

The Time Display sub-menu (Setup menu) lets you specify
the time format to be displayed throughout AudioDesk in
time rulers, dialogs, windows and any place where time is
displayed. For example, you could view SMPTE time code or
real time throughout AudioDesk, such as the Edit Grid in the
Edit window.
Time format keyboard shortcuts
There are a several command shortcuts for choosing the
global time format (Figure 7-9). To locate them, search in the
Commands window for one of their names. The Next Time
Format command cycles through all global time formats.
Figure 7-9: The time format shortcuts in the Commands window (Setup menu).
SMPTE is useful as a standardized location scheme when

synchronizing to production devices such as a tape deck or
video deck. See chapter 49, Receive Sync (page 252) for a
more detailed explanation.
Samples
Figure 7-8: Specifying time in samples.
The number of samples since the beginning of the project.
28
CHAPTER 8
OVERVIEW
These instructions show step by step how to record and play
back an audio signal in AudioDesk. Working through this
tutorial is a good way of confirming that you have correctly
set up your computer audio system.
How it works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating a new AudioDesk project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Enabling audio hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choosing an input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preparing an audio track for recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Monitoring the live signal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Establishing audio input and checking the level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Playing back the recorded track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
store your AudioDesk files. Name the file and press the Save
button. If you cant think of a better name, AudioDesk will
call the file New File by default.
29
29
29
30
30
30
30
31
31
HOW IT WORKS
The procedure for recording an audio signal into a computer
can be broken into two basic steps.
First, hardware must be set up to provide a path for the audio
signal into the computer.
Figure 8-1: A new AudioDesk project.
What you see next is the default new file template, as shown
above in Figure 8-1. Initially, you see the Control Panel and
the Edit window. This new file will have several audio tracks
ready to use.
Second, software must be set up on the computer to record

that information. Playing back digital audio from a computer
is a reversal of that process. Software is set up to play back a
digital audio file. A path is set up from the digital audio file to
ultimately a set of speakers or headphones.
The Edit window

The Edit window will be empty in a new file because the file
does not yet contain any audio. The left side of the window
shows the various settings for each track.
An audio signal that you want to record into AudioDesk

could come from several different sources. You may want to
sing, talk or play an acoustic instrument and record that
signal. You may have an electronic instrument that you want
to record such as an electric guitar or synthesizer. You may
want to play back an analog tape or even a vinyl LP and
record that audio into the computer.
The key to using any audio system is to follow the signal flow.
The first step is to get an audio signal into the Mac. You can
choose which audio inputs and outputs are available to
AudioDesk as follows:
To record an audio signal into AudioDesk, a path from the

origin of that signal into the software must be set up.
Conversely, for playback, the software settings must be
correct and there must be a path for the signal to reach
speakers or headphones.
CREATING A NEW AUDIODESK PROJECT

Launch AudioDesk by double-clicking the application icon.
You will then get a dialog box asking you to name a new
AudioDesk file and to choose a location to save the new file.
Use this dialog box to navigate to where you would like to
ENABLING AUDIO HARDWARE
1 Choose Setup menu>Configure Audio System>Configure

Hardware Driver.
2 The Configure Hardware dialog appears.
This window allows you to select the audio hardware that
AudioDesk is currently using and to make changes to that
hardware. When AudioDesk is first installed in the computer,
the software defaults to using your MOTU audio interface for
audio input and output. The first time you open the
Configure Hardware Driver window, it will be set to your
MOTU interface. If not, make sure that it is. What you choose
in the Configure Hardware Driver window is what will be
available as inputs and outputs to AudioDesk.
29
Once you have confirmed that your MOTU audio hardware

is selected for audio I/O, click OK to close the Configure
Hardware Driver window.
CHOOSING AN INPUT
Now you will select an input for a mono audio track. Mono
audio tracks have a single waveform icon next to their name.
Click in the Input menu for a mono audio track, as
demonstrated below in Figure 8-2, and choose the New
Mono Bundle sub-menu.
In the sub-menu, you will see a choice of whatever inputs are
provided by your MOTU audio interface. You might also see
buss inputs, and possibly several other selections, depending
on whether you have installed software synthesizers,
samplers, or similar applications.
For the purposes of this tutorial, choose Analog Input 1.
Figure 8-3: Record-enabling the track.
If the track does not yet display a record-enable button

as shown above, it needs to be assigned a valid audio output.
To do so, click on the italic text in the Output column next to
the track (the italic text probably says something like
Out 1-2). Choose the New Stereo Bundle, and choose an
available input from the sub-menu.
MONITORING THE LIVE SIGNAL

Record-enabling a track also enables audio patch thru for
that track, meaning that the audio signal that is present at the
input of the track is patched to the output of the track (unless
Studio menu > Audio Patch Thru is set to Off).
Additionally, each audio track also has an Input Monitor
button:
Figure 8-4: Input monitoring enable/disable.
Drag vertically here to view

all the track settings. Note,
however, that they all are
also available in the track
setting menu circled above.
Figure 8-2: Choosing an audio input bundle. In this example, the New Mono
Bundle sub-menu shows inputs from a MOTU 2408mk3 PCI interface.
If you wanted to record into a stereo track, you would do the

same thing in the input menu for a stereo track, except that
you would create a new stereo bundle instead of a mono
bundle.
PREPARING AN AUDIO TRACK FOR RECORDING

For an audio signal to get recorded into a track, the track
must be record-enabled. Look for the circular button next to
the track name. Press that button and it will turn red. The
track is now record-enabled and ready.
The Input Monitor button enables audio patch thru for the
track the same as record-enabling, but the track will not
record from its input when AudioDesk is recording. This is
useful if you want to monitor the signal, but not record it.
A track can have both its record and input monitor buttons
enabled, though only one is necessary to enable audio patch
thru for the track. However, it can be useful to engage both.
For example, enable input monitoring to hear the live signal
and practice before recording a pass. Record-enable the
track to record a pass, then turn record-enable off after the
pass. With input monitoring still enabled, youll still be able
to hear the input, but the track will be record-safe.
For more information on monitoring input signals and the
different Audio Patch Thru modes, see Audio monitoring
ESTABLISHING AUDIO INPUT AND CHECKING THE

LEVEL
Now check the input level of the signal you are about to
record. Go to the Studio menu and open the Audio Monitor
window. The Audio Monitor shows the level of signal as it
gets recorded, as demonstrated below in Figure 8-5.
30
TUTORIAL 1: RECORDING AUDIO
RECORDING
To put AudioDesk into record mode, at least one track must
be record-enabled, as you did earlier in this tutorial
(Figure 8-3 on page 30).
Figure 8-5: Seeing the input level in the Audio Monitor.
It is important that input level is strong enough but not so

loud as to overload the input. When a track is record-enabled
in the Edit window, it shows up highlighted in the Audio
Monitor window. If there is a signal present at the input of the
record-enabled track, you will see VU activity in the Audio
Monitor window. When you see this signal, you are ready to
record.
Now press the Record button in the Control Panel and

AudioDesk will start to record. As AudioDesk records, you
should see the green cursor moving in the Edit window. A
red stripe will appear trailing behind the cursor indicating
that audio is being recorded. The Audio Monitor window
will show the strength of the signal as it gets recorded.
If the input signal is too loud or not loud enough, you must
change that level before the signal reaches the input of the
computer or audio interface. Matching audio levels is critical
to getting a good recorded sound.
Use the input gain controls on your MOTU interface, if any.
If it doesnt have input gain control, a simple mixer or
microphone preamplifier is a good way to ensure that input
levels are strong enough without overloading.
Generally, software generated audio signals, such as soft
synths or samplers, will have optimum level by default. On
some soft synths or samplers you may also have settings
available to control output gain.
Note that the Mixing Board in AudioDesk controls playback
output from the program. It has no control over input level.
Figure 8-7: Recording audio.
PLAYING BACK THE RECORDED TRACK

After you have recorded a signal, you can stop the transport
and turn off the tracks input monitor-enable and recordenable buttons. Then rewind and play: you should hear what
you just recorded. The Mixing Board in AudioDesk will
allow you to adjust output level of the recorded track.
Setting the audio file destination

The Audio Monitor window also lets you select where on
your computer that new audio files will be created and shows
you available recording time on the destination disk.
Double-click here to change
where the audio file to be
recorded will be placed.
Click once here to view the

full path name for the
current destination.
Figure 8-6: If you want, you can change the destination of the audio file that is
generated by the record operation.
For this tutorial, lets use the location already provided. but if
you wanted to change it, you would click the take file name to
select it and then choose Set Take Folder from the Audio
Monitor mini-menu.
31
TUTORIAL 1: RECORDING AUDIO
CHAPTER 9
WHATS IN THIS TUTORIAL

In this tutorial, you will:
Mix the project with the Mixing Board
Finish and bounce your project
You can stop at any time by choosing Quit from the

AudioDesk menu.
TUTORIAL CHECKLIST
To make the tutorial as clear as possible, we assumed the
following:
Youve successfully completed the entire installation
section of this guide, including the setup of your Audio MIDI
Setup configuration.
It helps if you have gone through the first tutorial, but it is

not required.
OPENING THE TUTORIAL FILE

Locate the Tutorial 2 AudioDesk project file found on the
AudioDesk installer disc. Copy it to your hard drive, then
open the file.
Youll see the Control Panel at the top of the screen, and
below that, the Edit window and Mixing Board for Sequence
1 (Seq-1). These windows contain the controls and
information you will need to mix your audio.
THE MIXING BOARD

AudioDesks Mixing Board provides a comprehensive,
flexible, and integrated mixing environment for your audio,
with real-time processing available with audio plug-ins.
Each strip in the Mixing Board represents one track, and

each track has its own controls. These include inserts, sends,
solo, mute, record-enable, input monitor-enable,
automation play/record, pan, volume fader, and input/
output assignments, though the available controls vary a
little based on track type (audio, aux, etc.).
You can use the Mixing Board in the Consolidated Window
body, the Consolidated Window sidebar, or as an
independent window. Each one has its benefit:
In the Consolidated Window sidebar: this is useful as a
single-channel inspector while editing. With the Scroll the
Mixing Board to the selection preference enabled (this can be
toggled via key command if one is assigned in the
Commands window), the Mixing Board will update to follow
the selected track.
In the Consolidated Window body: this is the best
configuration when mixing is the central task.
32
As an independent window: this is best for advanced

window layouts. For example, you might need to see lots of
faders at once, or you may have two monitors with the Edit
window on your first monitor and the Mixing Board on the
second.
4 Once youve got the volume level and pan setting youd
like for each track, stop playback and rewind to the
beginning of the sequence.
START MIXING
The Automation Snapshot dialog has many possible

combinations, but for this step lets use All Time, Tracks
Shown in Mixing Board, and Data Types Visible in Mixing
Board.
First, lets set initial levels and panning in the Mixing Board.
You can adjust as you playback to hear your changes as you
make them. You can adjust faders and pan knobs by clicking
and dragging them, or if your mouse has a scroll wheel, by
placing your mouse over them and scrolling.
Once you have the initial mix, you can start automating it.
AUTOMATED MIXING
Now lets do some automated mixing.
5 Choose Take Automation Snapshot from the Audio menu.
Doing so causes the Mixing Board to insert volume and pan

data events in each track currently being displayed in the
Mixing Board (four audio tracks). The data is placed at the
current location in the main counter.
For more information on Snapshot Automation, see
Snapshot automation on page 220.
1 Turn on automation playback for each channel by clicking

on the automation playback and gliding across all other
channels while holding down the mouse button. Do the same
for automation recording.
6 Open the Edit window to view the volume and pan events
just inserted.
Click and hold down
mouse button here
Glide over all automation buttons

while holding the mouse
2 Start playback by pressing the space bar, and adjust the

mix as follows.
To do this
Do this
Adjust a tracks
volume
Drag each track slider individually. You can also

press on the plus and minus buttons, or click anywhere on the slider to make a sudden jump.
Adjust panning
Drag a knob up and down or left and right. You can

also click on the value box below the knob and type
in the desired value (between zero and 127, where 64
is pan center).
Solo or mute tracks
Click their solo or mute buttons. Try gliding (dragging) over the solo and mute buttons. (Its fun.)
Record a fader movement
1. Record-enable automation on any track.

2. Press the Play button.
3. Move the fader you want to record.
When you record a fader, it generates a stream of
automation data in the track. If you are Memorycycle recording, be aware of where you are in the loop
as you record so that you dont overlap. For example,
try to start recording in bar 1 and finish in bar 4. To
start recording the slider, just grab its handle with
the mouse. To stop, just let it go.
Watch a fader animate

after recording
DRAWING CONTROLLER DATA IN THE EDIT

WINDOW
Now we are going to enter and edit some additional
controller data in the Edit window.
1 The first thing we need to do is open up the Edit window.
Locate the Guitar Loop in the Edit window.
2 If you have not already done so, enable automation

playback by choosing play from the automation menu.
3 Click on the Insert menu. Youll get a list of all parameters
available on that channel including all automatable
parameters for any effects inserted on the channel. Well
enter in some pan automation, so choose Pan.
Just play the sequence.
3 Turn off automation recording by gliding back over the

channels.
4 Your cursor will turn into a Pencil tool. Enter an

automation point near the top of the soundbite. This
represents panning to the left side, as indicated by the L on
the ruler.
33
TUTORIAL 2: MIXING AND FINISHING
Audio track inserts
5 Enter an additional automation point at the end of

measure two, on the lower edge of the soundbite, which
represents panning to the right side.
6 Press play to hear the resulting pan automation.
PLUG-INS
Plug-ins allow for real-time processing. You can add audio
plug-ins to any track: audio, aux, and master fader tracks.
1 Like the Edit window, the Mixing Board features a track
selector that allows you to show and hide specific tracks. To
open up the track selector, click the track selector button in
the lower left of the Mixing Board.
Guitar Loop track
3 Locate the insert slots for your Guitar Loop channel and
insert a Phaser. While playing the sequence, experiment with
different effects settings and effects chains.
BOUNCING TO DISK
Track selector button
2 Now that the Mixing Board is displaying the track

selector, you may see that there are some tracks that are not
visible. If the Guitar Loop track is not visible, locate it in the
Track Selector and select it. The Guitar Loop track is now
visible in the Mixing Board.
Bouncing to Disk does exactly as its name implies: it bounces

multiple tracks down to a single audio file. Original tracks
are preserved, and new audio files are created.
Bounce to Disk is used to create a final mix of your project, or
whenever you want to mix multiple tracks down to a single
soundbite.
1 Make a selection of audio tracks. In this case, lets press
Command-A to Select All.
34
2 Choose Bounce to Disk from the Audio menu (or press

Control-J). You will now see the Bounce to Disk dialog.
3 There are a variety of options available in the Bounce to
Disk dialog for File Format, Channels, Sample Format, what
to do with the resulting file, and so on.
Sample Format: Project Default
Import: Add to Soundbites Window
Source: Analog 1-2 (or whatever output pair your tracks

are assigned to)
File name: Tutorial 2 mix
You can also Bounce to Disk as an MP3; for details, see

chapter 47, Bounce To Disk (page 245).
4 Press OK and the Bounce will commence.
5 When finished, youll see the new file in the Soundbites
window.
Lets choose the following settings:
File Format: Project Format
Channels: Same As Source
6 To audition the bounced file, select it and press Optionspacebar: Enjoy! Youre listening to your completed mix.
35
Part 2
CHAPTER 10
OVERVIEW
COMPONENTS OF AN AUDIODESK PROJECT
This chapter reviews basic procedures for handling

AudioDesk projects. Most are standard Mac File menu
procedures; however, AudioDesk is in some ways unique in
how it manages projects and their many associated files.
A typical AudioDesk project consists of the following

components:
Components of an AudioDesk Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Creating a new project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Opening an existing project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Recent Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Opening files in other formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saving a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saving a project file under a different name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Save a Copy As. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Save a Copy As for incremental backups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Collecting a project for backup or transfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Closing or quitting a project without saving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Avoiding disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reverting to a previously saved project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saving a project as a New template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Loading a sequence from another file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quitting AudioDesk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting AudioDesks startup preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Helpful project and disk hints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
37
38
38
38
38
39
39
39
39
40
40
40
40
41
41
42
42
42
42
Project
Folder
Project
document
Figure 10-1: The components of an example AudioDesk project.
The Project Folder

When you first create a new project, AudioDesk makes a
project folder in which it places your new AudioDesk project
file. In addition, several additional folders, described below,
are created to store files that AudioDesk may generate as you
work on the project.
Audio Files folder
An audio file is a document on your Macs hard disk that
contains digital audio data. (For further explanation, see
chapter 5, Hard Disk Recording Concepts (page 19)). As
you record, AudioDesk places newly generated audio files
37
into the Audio Folder, unless you change this default location
before you record. (See Changing the takefile location
before recording on page 120.) Audio files are not required
to be in this folder. An AudioDesk project can use audio files
located on any available hard drive. AudioDesk keeps track
of them, even if you move them on the Mac OS desktop. The
Audio Files folder is primarily intended as a default location
for new files that you record in the project. For further
information, see chapter 15, Audio File Management
(page 81).
Analysis Files Folder
An AudioDesk project folder may also includes an Analysis
Files folder; AudioDesk generates one or more analysis files
for each audio file being used in the project. Analysis files
greatly reduce the amount of time it takes AudioDesk to
apply PureDSP processing (time stretching and pitchshifting) to the audio files. AudioDesk handles analysis files
automatically, so you never need to be concerned with them.
For further details, see Audio file analysis on page 239.
The Fades Folder
Fades and crossfades are calculated in realtime and do not
generate any additional files on disk. In earlier versions of
AudioDesk, the projects fades and crossfades were created as
audio files and placed in the Fades folder, so projects from
AudioDesk version 3.0 and earlier may have a Fades Folder. If
the project is opened in AudioDesk 3.2 or later, the fades will
be calculated in realtime and the unused fade files will be
deleted.
Figure 10-2: Creating a new AudioDesk project.
3 Navigate to the hard drive and folder where youd like to

save the new project.
4 Click Save.
OPENING AN EXISTING PROJECT

Here are several ways to open an AudioDesk project:
Action
What happens
Drag and drop a project file onto the

AudioDesk application icon.
Launches AudioDesk (if its not

already running) and opens the
project.
Double-click the project file icon.
Launches AudioDesk (if its not

already running) and opens the
project.
Choose Open from AudioDesks file

menu.
A standard Mac open dialog appears,

from which you can select the project
you wish to open. If an unsaved
project is open at the time you do this,
youll be asked if you wish to save the
changes before the newly chosen
project is opened.
For further details, see How fades are generated on

page 179.
CREATING A NEW PROJECT

To create a new project:
1 Double-click AudioDesk to launch the program (if it is
not already running).
Alternatively, you can click once on the AudioDesk program
icon to select it and choose Open from the File menu. As a
keyboard shortcut, you can press Command-down arrow.
Only one AudioDesk project can be open at a time, although

there are many ways to transfer data between projects. For
details, see Loading a sequence from another file on
page 42 and chapter 37, Clippings (page 191).
RECENT FILES
For convenient access, the Recent Files sub-menu in the File
menu displays the most recent AudioDesk projects you have
opened, so you have quick access to them.
2 Choose New from the AudioDesk File menu.
OPENING FILES IN OTHER FORMATS
Youll now see a standard Mac Save dialog.
Use the Open command in AudioDesks File menu to open

the following types of files:
Files created in Digital Performer and Performer
Files created in earlier versions of AudioDesk
OMF Interchange files
AAF interchange files
38
THE AUDIODESK PROJECT
After choosing one of these files in the Open dialog, a

message will appear informing you that AudioDesk is
converting file formats, if necessary. The file will open as an
AudioDesk file.
Importing OMF/AAF files via drag and drop
You can import OMF and AAF interchange documents (with
the .omf or .aaf file name extension) by dragging and
dropping them into the Sequences window.
SAVING A PROJECT
When you open a project from a disk, AudioDesk makes a
copy of that project file (not the entire project folder, just the
project file as shown in Figure 10-1 on page 37) and puts it in
the Macs temporary memory (called Random Access
Memory, or RAM). When you work with the project, you are
actually working with the copy that is in RAM, not the
original project file on disk. If you choose Save from the File
menu, AudioDesk writes the changes you have made into the
original project file on the disk. If you do not save, the
changes you have made are never written to the disk. For
example, if you quit without saving changes, the work you
have done is not saved on the disk and is permanently
deleted from the computers memory.
This is why you should save frequently. If AudioDesk or your
Mac should malfunction, all of the work you have
accomplished since you last saved may be lost! (See
Avoiding disaster on page 40.) However, if the project was
recently saved, you can retrieve the latest version from the
disk and proceed without having lost much work.
SAVING A PROJECT FILE UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME

To preserve the last-saved version of the project and save the
current state of the project under a different name:
1 Choose Save As from AudioDesks File menu.
The Save As dialog appears (Figure 10-2 on page 38).
2 Choose the desired location for the new project file and
type in the new name for the project, if desired.
3 Click Save.
Your project is saved on the disk in its current state under the
new name. In addition, the project you currently see on your
computer screen is the newly created project.
SAVE A COPY AS
The Save a Copy As command works exactly the same way as
the Save As command described above, except for the very
last sentence. When youve completed the Save a Copy As
operation, the project you see on your computer screen is not
the newly created project; instead, its the original project
that you were saving from. In addition, it may still be in an
unsaved state (if you havent saved it since making any
changes).
USING SAVE A COPY AS FOR INCREMENTAL

BACKUPS
The Save a Copy As feature as described above is great for
making incremental backups of your project file. To do so:
To save a project:
1 Every 15 minutes (or as often as you can bear), choose

Save A Copy As.
1 Choose Save from AudioDesks File menu.
2 Type in new name for the backup file.
Your project is saved on disk in its current state, replacing the

old version with the same name. If you want to keep the old
version, use the Save As command on the File menu (see
below) instead to save the current version under a different
name.
For example, you might adopt a numbering convention, such

as MyProject.1, MyProject.2, etc.
If you are saving the file for the first time, a dialog box will
appear prompting you for a name, as shown in Figure 10-2
on page 38.
2 Type in the name of your file.
You cant use a colon in the name; all other characters are
permitted, including spaces. If you enter a name that is
already in use, a dialog box will ask you to confirm your
choice.
3 Click Save.
4 Continue working on your current project file that is still
on screen.
By choosing Save a Copy As every 15 minutes or so and
incrementing the number, you have a separate copy of your
project file that is never more than around 15 minutes old.
This means that if the most current project file is damaged or
corrupted somehow, youve never lost more than 15 minutes
of work.
3 Click Save.
39
COLLECTING A PROJECT FOR BACKUP OR

TRANSFER
The Save As commands described in the last two sections
only save the project file under a different name. The rest of
the files related to the project (audio files, analysis files, and
fades) are not included in the Save As operation.
There may be times, however, when you need to apply the
Save As operation to the project as a whole, and include all
related audio files, analysis files and fades.
There is an option in the Save As and Save a Copy As windows
called Duplicate Audio Data. When checked, this option
makes AudioDesk create an entire duplicate set of all the
audio files being used by the current project. Also included
are all of the PureDSP analysis files and fades, if any. This
command will collect all audio files that are being used,
even if they are scattered across several hard drives.
Figure 10-4: If you close or quit an unsaved project, AudioDesk warns you about
audio files that were created in the unsaved project and lets you either keep them
or discard them.
The alert dialog shown above in Figure 10-4 lets you choose
whether you want to delete them or not.
AVOIDING DISASTER
AudioDesk project files often represent many hours of hard
work. If something bad should happen to the file, and its
your only copy, youve lost all that hard work forever. So
please follow these guidelines and make them habit:
Save early and save often
Make incremental backups with Save As
Backup early and backup often
For details about incremental backups, see Using Save a

Copy As for incremental backups on page 39.
EXPORTING A PROJECT
AudioDesk can export projects in several other file formats:
Figure 10-3: The duplicate audio data option makes a copy of the entire project
folder.
OMF Interchange
AAF Interchange
Digital Performer (Version 3.1, 4.1, 4.5, 4.6, 5.1, 5.12, and
6.0)
The Duplicate audio data option is ideal for backing up

AudioDesk projects, as well as transferring them to clients or
collaborators, because it ensures that all associated audio
files, analysis files and fades are included.
CLOSING OR QUITTING A PROJECT WITHOUT

SAVING
If new audio files have been created in an unsaved project,
and you dont save the project before quitting or closing,
AudioDesk will alert you to the fact that there are unsaved
audio files on disk:
AudioDesk (Version 1.0 and 2.0)
To export an AudioDesk project to a different file format:

1 In the Sequences window, play-enable the sequence that
you wish to save.
2 Choose Save As from the File menu.
3 Choose the desired file format from the Format menu.
4 Click Save to activate the conversion.
5 If you are saving an OMF or AAF interchange document,
youll now see another window with several options that are
specific to that file format.
Exporting to earlier versions of AudioDesk
AudioDesk is constantly being updated and developed. Due
to these changes, projects saved in the current version cannot
be loaded into earlier versions of AudioDesk. If for some
40
reason you need to work with a project in an earlier version,

AudioDesk lets you export projects in any format as far back
as AudioDesk Version 1.0. Just use the procedure described
in Exporting a project on page 40.
When saving as any prior version of AudioDesk, a Fades
folder will be created automatically if needed.
Exporting to Digital Performer
AudioDesk can export projects to Digital Performer Version
3.2 or later via the procedure described in Exporting a
project on page 40.
Exporting to OMF or AAF
AudioDesk can export projects to OMF and AAF files. See
Exporting OMF/AAF files on page 60.
REVERTING TO A PREVIOUSLY SAVED PROJECT

If youve made unwanted changes to a project, you can undo
the changes youve made by returning to the last saved
version. This operation is identical to closing the project and
opening it again.
1 Choose Revert to Saved from the File menu.
A dialog box asks you to confirm this choice.
2 Click on OK to confirm the action, Cancel to withdraw it.
Reverting to the last saved version of the project means that
all changes youve made since you opened or last saved the
project will be lost.
Reverting to a previously saved version is useful when
experimenting with a project. You can quickly discard all
changes by using this command. Make sure that you save the
file in the state you want it before beginning to experiment.
SAVING A PROJECT AS A NEW TEMPLATE

The Save As New Template command, found in the File
menu, allows you to customize your copy of AudioDesk. You
control what appears on the screen when you open a new
project, by creating your own New project template. A
template is a skeleton project, a framework designed to save
you time when building your project.
For example, lets say you typically work in projects with one
sequence, the same number of tracks, measure time and
SMPTE displays in the Counters, and a Sequence Start Time
of measure -1. In addition, you arrange AudioDesks
windows to suit your screen size and style of working.
You can use the Save As New Template command to give your
New projects all of these characteristics automatically.
When you choose Save As New Template from the File menu,
AudioDesk remembers the exact state of the project file and
reproduces it next time you request a new project. The New
command, also in the File menu, will produce an untitled,
empty new project identical to the source project.
To use the Save As New Template command:
1 If you arent already in an AudioDesk project, open one or
choose New from the File menu.
2 Configure AudioDesks windows, their contents, and any
other features as you find most useful.
This file will be your template source project: AudioDesk will
remember your exact track setup, window layout, mix
automation settings, and so on.
3 Choose Save As New Template from the File menu.
AudioDesk redefines your New template based on the
current project. All attributes specific to the current project
now comprise a New project in the copy of AudioDesk you
are using.
To see the effects of Save As New Template, close the current
project and choose New from the File menu. A new, empty,
untitled project appears, identical to the last project you
saved as the new template.
Hints for using Save As New Template
Remember that the Save As New Template command
customizes only the copy of AudioDesk in which it is used.
Every copy of the program has its own template; a fresh copy
of AudioDesk will yield the default New project setup.
For this reason, make a spare copy of your template source
project using the Save As command described earlier in this
chapter. Pick a suitably descriptive name for the project, like
AudioDesk Template. This way you can retrieve your
preferred setup into any copy of AudioDesk by opening
AudioDesk Template and immediately choosing Save As
New Template from the File menu.
Redefining your New project template is easy. To do so, do the
following:
1 If an AudioDesk project is currently open, choose Close
from the File menu to close it.
If youve made any changes to the project, youll be prompted
to save them.
2 Choose New from the File menu.
41
A new project opens, identical to the project you saved as

New.
3 Make any changes you wish to make to the new project
template.
4 Choose Save As New Template from the File menu.
The changes you made to the existing project will now
become part the new template.
LOADING A SEQUENCE FROM ANOTHER FILE

When an AudioDesk project is currently open, the Load
command in the File menu lets you load sequences from
other files directly into the open project without closing it.
To load a sequence into an open project:
1 Choose Load from the File menu.
The standard Mac Open dialog box appears.
2 Click the file containing the sequence you wish to load,
then click Open.
Alternatively, you can double-click the file name.
AudioDesks Load dialog box appears, displaying the project
name at the top.
5 Optional: If you wish to load any other items from the

selected project, click the check boxes for the appropriate
options.
6 Click OK to confirm your choice or Cancel to withdraw
the Load command.
Clicking OK causes the selected sequences to be placed in the
Sequences window of the currently open AudioDesk project.
You can change each items position in the list by dragging its
Type icon.
QUITTING AUDIODESK
Quitting AudioDesk returns you to the Finder.
Choose Quit from the AudioDesk menu.
A dialog box may appear asking you if you want to save
changes made to the file. To save the changes, press Yes. If you
dont want to save changes, press No. To withdraw the Quit
command and return to your AudioDesk file, press Cancel.
SETTING AUDIODESKS STARTUP PREFERENCES

When AudioDesk first launches, you have four choices for
what it can do:
Open a new project
Present you with the Open file dialog box, which lets you
open either an existing project or a new project with the
New button
Sequence
s list
Neither of the above, which lets you either choose Open or

New from the File menu
Open the project you last had open
To set this preference, choose Preferences from the

AudioDesk menu, select the Document pane, and choose the
desired setting. This setting is stored in the AudioDesk
Preferences file in the Preferences Folder inside your user
library directory on your hard disk.
HELPFUL PROJECT AND DISK HINTS

3 Make sure the Load Sequences option is checked.
File menu commands (except Save) cannot be used during

playback. To use a command in the File menu, press the Stop
button beforehand.
If it is not, click its check box. The Sequences list displays all
Sequences in the selected project.
Save your file as often as possible. You should use the Save
command after every significant change to your project.
4 Select the sequence you wish to load.
Always keep backup copies of your important projects. We

cannot emphasize enough the importance of this. At the end
of a working session, copy to a backup disk all of the files you
recorded and edited. (The Save A Copy As command is good
Figure 10-5: Loading a sequence from another project into the currently open file.
Click the sequence name to select it. If you wish to load more
than one, Shift-click or drag to select contiguous items and
Command-click to select non-contiguous items.
42
for this, together with the Duplicate Audio Data option.) If

anything should happen to your original, you will have fully
updated backup of the file.
Using the Save A Copy As command while working can be
useful when you want to keep a record of earlier versions.
Be sure to backup your projects as often as is bearable, at least
at the end of every working session and several times during
the session if possible. The consequences of not making
backups are severe: if your hard disk is damaged, some or all
of the projects may be lost forever.
Using the Mac OS stationery feature
AudioDesk supports the Mac OS Stationery pad feature in
the Get Info window for a project file as shown below:
Figure 10-6: Stationery pad option in the Get Info window.
When this option is checked, the project file can be opened,

but the Finder will prevent you from modifying the original
file by forcing you to Save As when you attempt to save the
project. This option is great for preserving projects that you
do not want to modify and that you use regularly as a
template from which to build other files. For more
information about the Stationery pad option, consult your
Mac OS help.
43
CHAPTER 11
Control Panel
OVERVIEW
Control Panel Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Transport Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Memory buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Auto-Record button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Overdub record mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Countoff button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Wait button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Slave to External Sync button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Status Strip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Setting the tempo and meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Click. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Audible Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Auto Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Solo Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Mac keyboard controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
AudioDesks Control Panel contains all the functions that

make AudioDesk go: buttons to record, play, rewind, set
tempo, and more. The Transport controls look and act just
like the transport controls for a tape recorder. Additional
buttons provide immediate access to many of AudioDesks
significant features. To open it, choose Control Panel from
the Studio menu.
Marker menu
Transport Controls
Main
Counters
Memory Bar
Time Format
menu
Aux
Counters
Sequence Bar /
Auto Record Bar
Audio settings:
Clock Mode, Sample Rate,
Sample Format, Frame Rate
Current tempo
Current beat value
Tempo slider
Current meter
Click
Auto
Rewind
Auto- Overdub
Record Record
Auto
Stop
Audible
mode
Slave to External Sync

Auto-Scroll
Memory
Cycle
Link Selection
to Memory
Countoff
Wait
Solo mode
Link Playback to
Memory
Pre/Post-Roll
Link Playback to Memory

Figure 11-1: AudioDesks Control Panel.
44
CONTROL PANEL QUICK REFERENCE

Transport Controls: These are AudioDesks main controls for
playback, recording, etc.
Main Counter: Displays the current playback position in one

of AudioDesks four time formats: measures|beats|ticks, real
time, SMPTE time, or samples. Use the time format menu to
the right to cycle through the four formats. Click the
numbers and type to change the playback location. For more
information about editing times in the Main Counter, see
Main counter shortcuts on page 27.
Sub Counter: Displays the current playback position in an

alternative time format.
Time format menus: Independently for each counter, choose

from the four time display formats: measures|beats|ticks, real
time, SMPTE time and samples.
Marker menu: Lets you jump to any marker, or other
Wait button: Causes AudioDesk to wait for a keystroke (or

any other MIDI event) from a MIDI or Mac keyboard as a
signal to start playing back or recording. Wait can also be
used together with Countoff to create an indefinite countoff.
Slave to external sync: When engaged, AudioDesk will wait

for external sync. Option-click to open the Receive Sync
preferences to set sync options.
Status Strip: The Status Strip has two sections that display
information. The left side displays the Memory Bar, which
contains the locations for Memory functions. The right side
displays the name of the project, the name of the current
chunk, and the Sequences menu, or if enabled, the
AutoRecord punch-in and punch-out times.
Current Meter: Displays the meter. To change the meter, you

must use the Change Sequence Meter command in the Project
menu.
significant points in the sequence, such as the Memory-Cycle

points or the Auto-Record punch-in location.
Tempo Slider: Lets you control the tempo of the sequence.

Drag the slider to change the tempo.
Auto-Rewind button: Causes automatic rewinding to the

Memory Start location any time playback is stopped (for any
reason).
Current Beat Value: Displays which note value gets the beat
Auto-Stop button: Causes playback or recording to
Current Tempo: Displays the current tempo in beats per
automatically stop at the Stop location in the Memory Bar.
in the beats-per-minute tempo indicator. Click on it to

change it.
minute. Click on it and type in a new tempo.
Memory-Cycle button: Causes the region between the

Memory Start and Stop points to seamlessly repeat. In the
Edit window, repeat barlines appear in the time ruler to
indicate the repeat points.
Clock Mode: Provides quick access to the master clock
Link Playback to Memory: Causes playback to start at the

Memory Start location and end at the Memory End location.
Sample Format: Lets you set the sample format of your
Link Selection to Memory: Causes the Memory Start and

End locations to be set by the current time range selection.
Frame rate: Sets the SMPTE frame rate for your project.
source for your system.
Sample Rate: Lets you set the sample rate of your project.
project.
Click (metronome) button: Turns the audible metronome

Auto-Record button: Causes automatic punch in and punch
click on or off. Option-click to open the Click preferences.
out during recording at the start and end times specified in

the Auto Record Bar.
Audible mode: Enables/disables Audible mode.
Overdub record button: Toggles overdub record mode, in
Auto Scroll: Enables/disables auto scrolling for the active
which newly recorded audio data is recover as a new layer on

top of existing data instead of completely replacing it.
window.
Countoff button: Causes a number of measures to countoff

before playback or recording. The button denotes the
number of measures, which can be set in the Countoff
preferences by Option-clicking the button.
Solo Mode button: Engages and disengages solo mode.

Pre/Post Roll: Adds a lead-in and lead-out when using
Link Playback to Memory. These are available only when
Link Playback to Memory is enabled.
45
CONTROL PANEL
TRANSPORT CONTROLS
The Transport Controls are the buttons that make
AudioDesk go: with them you can record, play, rewind and
more. The Transport Controls are enabled by clicking on
them. When a button is enabled, it is highlighted and its
function is active: the Record button records, the Pause
button pauses, etc. Most buttons can be disabled by clicking
a second time. To disable the Play and Record buttons, press
the Stop button.
Think of AudioDesks transport controls as similar to tape
recorder or CD player transport controls. But AudioDesks
transport controls are more flexible than their hardware
counterparts in that they are programmable via the Memory
buttons (on the left of the window), utility buttons (on the
right) and menu commands.
The Play button and playback
Clicking the Play button starts playback of the currently playenabled sequence. Playback will begin from the current time
specified in the Counter. Playback can be delayed by the
Countoff button and held by the Pause and Wait buttons.
If the Rewind button is clicked during recording, the record

button is turned off. The sequence rewinds normally.
For details about rewinding automatically, see The AutoRewind button on page 51.
The Stop button
Clicking on the Stop button stops playback and recording. It
also turns off the Pause button. All notes sounding when the
Stop button is clicked will cease (unlike pause). If the AutoRewind feature is on, AudioDesk will rewind to the Memory
Start location when the Stop button is clicked.
Figure 11-4: AudioDesks Stop button.
The Pause button

Clicking on the Pause button once turns it on; clicking on it a
second time turns it off. The Pause button is highlighted
when it is on.
Figure 11-2: AudioDesks play button.
Figure 11-5: AudioDesks Pause button.
The Play button turns green while the sequence is playing. It

flashes when waiting for synchronization in the External
Sync mode or when the wait button is on.
Turning on the Pause button during playback will cause

playback to be suspended. Turning it off will cause playback
to resume.
During playback, most AudioDesk features remain

accessible, including the Save command and all editing
commands. As a general rule, commands that cannot be
used will either appear greyed out during playback or they
will have no effect.
If the Pause button is turned on before playback, playback

will be suspended until the Pause button is turned off.
The Rewind button

Clicking on the Rewind button sets the current location to
the start of the sequence. If a memory mode is enabled,
clicking on the Rewind button will rewind to the Memory
Start location. Double-clicking the button will always rewind
to the start of the sequence.
Figure 11-3: AudioDesks Rewind button.
If the Rewind button is clicked during playback, playback is

held for a moment while the sequence rewinds. Playback
then resumes from the rewind location.
While the Pause button is on, you can use the Rewind button
and Counter to adjust the current playback location. You
may also set times in the Edit, Memory, and Auto-Record
bars.
The Record button and recording
Clicking on the Record button turns it on and begins
recording in the currently play-enabled sequence from the
current location in the counter. When it is on, the Record
button is red and can be turned off by clicking on it again.
This disables the record function while continuing playback.
You can also turn on and off the record button during
playback for manual punch-in and punch-out, as many
times as you like. A more general way to think of the Record
button is as an on/off toggle switch that you control
manually.
46
CONTROL PANEL
You can edit the counter fields to change the current location.
You can change which time formats are displayed by
selecting the time format from the Time Format menu next
to each counter.
Figure 11-6: AudioDesks Record button.
At least one track must be record-enabled before the record

button is pressed. This is done by clicking on the recordenable button for the desired track (or tracks). Recordenabling a track makes it the destination for incoming
recorded data.
If the Auto-Record button is enabled, the Record button will
flash red when enabled. It will then turn red when the Punch
In location is reached. When the Punch Out location is
reached, the Record button returns to record-ready mode.
If the Record button is flashing in record-ready mode due
to Auto Record, clicking on it will turn it off, cancelling the
punch-in.
Measure Time
Measure time is the most musical of the time formats.

Locations are displayed in standard measures and beats, with
an additional unit called the tick. Unless you are doing film
or video work, it is probably the only time representation you
will need (though you may want to use real time for an
objective measurement of the length of your sequence). The
three units are separated by vertical bars. The example
shown below shows measure 1, beat 1, tick 0.
When slaved to external sync, stopping or rewinding the

master device will turn off the record button.
AudioDesks display resolution is 480 ticks per quarter note.

Event times can thus be viewed and edited with an accuracy
of 1/480 of a quarter note at this setting.
Overdub Record
See Overdub record mode on page 55.
Real Time
Undo Record
Recording can be undone at any time with AudioDesks
multiple undo features. For details, see Undo/Redo on
page 160.
Fast/Slow Forward & Rewind
These four buttons scan through your sequence fast or
slow, forward or backwards. The right set of arrows cues
forward in time, the left set cues backwards. The inner
arrows cue slowly, the outer ones cue faster. The left arrows
cause playback to pause while cueing backwards until the
arrow is released. If used during recording, the Record
button will be turned off before cueing.
Real time is clock time, i.e. time expressed in

hours:minutes:seconds.hundredths of a second. Real time is
useful to measure elapsed time for your sequence. By default,
the sequence begins at time 0:00:00.00; this can be changed
with the Set Sequence Start command described later in this
chapter.
Frame Time
COUNTER
The Counter displays the current playback position in the
currently play-enabled Sequence, expressed in four different
forms: measure time (measure|beat|tick), real time
(hours:minutes:seconds.hundredths), frame time
(hours:minutes:seconds:frames) and samples (digital audio
samples). Two of these formats can be displayed at the same
time: one as a main counter and the other as an auxiliary
counter. These time standards are explained in detail in the
next few sections.
Frame time is a visual display of SMPTE (Society of Motion

Picture and Television Engineers) time code. It is generally
used in film and video work, but is increasingly used for
synchronization in audio production. It is displayed
similarly to real time, in hours, minutes, seconds, and
frames. Frames are subdivisions of a second. The first frame
number in a second is zero. AudioDesk supports these frame
formats: 23.976 frames per second (fps), 24 fps, 25 fps, 29.97
fps, 29.97 drop-frame, and 30 fps. Additionally, there are
three non-standard frame rates available: Legacy 29.97 fps,
Legacy 29.97 drop-frame, and 30 drop-frame. See Nonstandard frame rates on page 253 for more details.
47
CONTROL PANEL
When synchronizing to an external time code source, the

counter will always display the same frame time that is being
received from the external source. You may specify the
SMPTE location at which the first measure of the sequence
starts.
Samples
want to move to. As soon as you click outside the highlighted

field or press the Return key, the specified value will be
entered.
These keys will always edit the main counter, even when it is
set to SMPTE time, Real time or samples.
Setting the Counter Display
To change which time format is shown in the Main or
Auxiliary Counter, click the Time Format menu buttons to
the right of each counter.
The samples time format displays the number of digital audio

samples since the beginning of the project. AudioDesk places
digital audio in audio tracks with sample-accurate precision.
Using the Counter to change the current playback
location
The current playback location is the position where the
Sequence will next play or record from. You can edit the
counter fields to change the current location.
You can change the current location in the currently playenabled Sequence by editing the counter numbers. This can
be done while the Sequence is stopped or playing. If you edit
the counter while the Sequence is playing, it will continue to
play while you enter the values and will cue to the new
location after you confirm your edit. To edit the counter:
1 Click on the time value you wish to change.
The number field will highlight.
2 Enter the number you want.
You can only enter valid values (e.g. you cant enter 27 frames
if youve chosen a 25-frame standard). Use the Tab key to
move from one value field to the next. The decimal point on
the keypad can also be used to cycle through fields. If you
make a mistake in entering a value, press the delete key or
click on the field again and re-enter the value.
3 Click outside the highlighted number field or hit the
Return key.
Using the decimal key or Command-T to edit SMPTE
main counter
The decimal key on the Mac keypad will now highlight the
main counter, even if it is SMPTE time, Real time or samples.
There is a shortcut for setting the measure time: using
Command-T or the decimal point on the keypad will select
the measure field and set the beat field to 1 and the tick field
to 000. You may then enter the number of the measure you
Figure 11-7: Use the Time Format menus to choose which of AudioDesks various
time formats you would like to display in the counter.
The Counter displays dashes when no sequence is playenabled in the file. To display numbers, play-enable a
Sequence in the Sequences window.
During playback, the measure time counter is updated each
time a metronome click would occur. If the click value is set
to a half note in 4/4 time, only beats 1 and 3 will display in
each measure. The click value can be set with the Change
Sequence Meter command in the Project menu.
Playback dashes
If you would like for the last field of the counter to be
displayed as dashes, instead of numbers quickly rolling by,
enable the Playback Dashes option. You can set this
independently for each counter.
Round on Entry
By default, the Round on Entry option, found under the
Time Format menu (Figure 11-7), is enabled and edits to
larger time fields will clear smaller time fields. When the
Round on Entry is disabled, smaller time fields are
preserved when editing larger fields.
For example, locate to 3|2|017, then select the counters
measures field and drag it upward. With Round on Entry
enabled, the counter value will become 4|1|000, 5|1|000,
6|1|000, etc.; with Round on Entry disabled, the counter
value will become 4|2|017, 5|2|017, 6|2|017, etc.
48
CONTROL PANEL
The Marker menu

The Marker menu, underneath the sub counters time format
menu, contains markers and other significant locations in
the sequence. Use it to conveniently and instantly jump to
any location in the sequence.
Setting the start time
The start time of the sequence is what you see in the counter
when you rewind to the very beginning. Normally, the
default start time for a sequence is measure time 1|1|000, real
time 0:00:00.00 and frame time 0:00:00:00.
You can, however, use the Set Sequence Start Time command
in the Sequences window mini-menu to change these start
times to anything you want.
To set the start times of a sequence:

1 If you have more than one sequence in the file, make sure
it is the currently play-enabled chunk.
To do so, look at the current sequence name in the Control
Panel. If you need to switch sequences, choose the desired
sequence from the Sequence menu in the Control Panel, or
use the Skip buttons in the Sequences window.
Figure 11-9: The current sequence name is displayed in the information bar.
2 Click the Sequence menu and choose Set Sequence Start

Time.
3 A dialog box appears. The current sequence name is
displayed near the top of the dialog box.
Figure 11-8: The Set Sequence Start Time command allows you to choose the start
time at the beginning of the sequence for all of AudioDesks time formats. If the
Sequences window has more than one sequence, click the name of the desired
sequence before accessing the menu command.
If you are synchronizing AudioDesk to SMPTE time code,

youll need to set the SMPTE start time according to SMPTE
frame at which you want the AudioDesk to begin playing.
For example, you may want the downbeat of the first measure
in the sequence to begin playing when the time code reaches
1:00:20:00.
You might also want to change the sequence start time
because you would like to create one or more pickup
measures before measure 1 (1|1|000).
The start times you enter for measure and real time are
arbitrary and only affect the display of time locations. The
SMPTE time code start time, however, determines the frame
at which the sequence will actually begin playing while
AudioDesk is slaved to external time code.
Figure 11-10: The Set Sequence Start dialog lets you choose completely different
start times for each of AudioDesks various time formats. This is where you determine the sequences SMPTE start time (offset).
4 Click on the value(s) you wish to change.

5 Enter the new value(s).
You may enter a value for each of the various time formats.
Measure values range from -9999 to 9999. Real time ranges
from 0:00:00.00 to 23:59:59.99. Frame time ranges from
0:00:00:00 to 23:59:59:30.
6 Click on OK to confirm your choice or Cancel to cancel it.
Using SMPTE timecode bits
In addition to the start frame, you may offset the SMPTE
start time by a number of bits. There are 80 bits per frame.
Although AudioDesk does not have single bit time
resolution, it does offer sub-frame time resolution. Use the
bit offset to finely adjust the start time.
49
CONTROL PANEL
Setting the SMPTE frame rate

The SMPTE frame rate can be set with Frame Rate command
in the Setup menu.
Preserving locked markers when changing the start
time
If your project contains locked markers, you can either
preserve their location relative to the start of the sequence or
preserve their absolute frame time when changing the
sequences SMPTE start time. For details, see Locked
markers and the sequence start time on page 184.
Creating pickup measures before 1|1|000
Normally, when you rewind AudioDesk back to the
beginning of the sequence, the measure counter reads
1|1|000. But sometimes you may have several pickup beats
(or measures) in your music, and you may still want the
music at measure 1 to remain at measure 1. If so, you can
create as many pickup measures before 1|1|000 as you need.
To create a pickup measure:
1 As described in the previous section, set the measure start
time of the sequence to 0 to create 1 pickup measure.
If you need two pickup measures, set the Measure start time
to -1. If you need 4 bars, set it to -3.
2 Now, when you press Rewind back to the beginning of the
sequence, the Counter window will read 0|1|000.
If you set up two or four pickup measures instead of only one,
the counter would read -1|1|000 or -3|1|000 respectively.
3 If you already had data recorded in the sequence, shift the
data back to its original location.
When you change the Measure start time, data that used to
be at 1|1|000 is now at 0|1|000, and so on. All data has
changed to match the new start time. To restore all data to its
original position before you changed the start time, use the
Shift command to shift it back to where it was before.
7 Click OK.
You have now successfully restored all data back to its
original location before changing the measure start time, and
you also have several empty pickup measures in which to
record.
The accuracy of the counter display
AudioDesks first priority is to keep up with the flow of audio
data. If it encounters a great deal of data, it selectively ignores
its graphic display until the microprocessor load decreases.
This may keep the counters from updating and they may skip
beats during these times. This is AudioDesks way of keeping
up, and does not necessarily mean that data is being played
inaccurately.
A side effect of this is that the counter may not always be
accurate. It should therefore not be used as a metronome. In
general, the counter display should not be used as a visual
indication of tempo.
Controlling how often the counter updates
During playback, the measure time counter is updated each
time a metronome click would occur. For example, if the
click value of the current meter in the sequence is set to a half
note in 4/4 time, only beats 1 and 3 will display in each
measure. The click value can be set with the Change
Sequence Meter command in the Project menu.
4 Highlight all track names in the Edit window and doubleclick the Load Selection button in the Selection
Information window.
Negative numbers in the counter display

When using an external sync source, AudioDesk may run for
a little while before the sequence actually starts. During this
time, you may see negative bar numbers. These increase in
value (towards zero) until the start measure is reached.
This selects the entire sequence.
MEMORY BUTTONS
5 Choose Shift from the Edit menu.

6 Choose the Later option and type in the number of pickup
measures that you previously added.
The Memory buttons (Auto-Rewind, Auto-Stop and

Memory-Cycle) allow you to automate the primary
transport controls. By using the Memory buttons, you can
program the transport controls to activate at times specified
in the Status Strip.
If you added 1 pickup measure by setting the start time to

0|1|000, shift by 1 measure here.
50
CONTROL PANEL
The Auto-Stop button

Enabling the Auto-Stop button causes playback of the
sequence to automatically stop at the Stop location on the
memory bar. Clicking on the Auto-Stop button enables it;
when enabled, it is highlighted.
If you want to permanently loop a region in one or more

tracks and specify the number of times the loop will repeat,
insert a loop as described in chapter 26, Looping
(page 123).
Click on the Memory-Cycle button to enable it. The next
section discusses several ways to set the start and end times
in the Memory Bar as shown in Figure 11-14.
Figure 11-11: The Auto-stop button.
The Memory-Cycle button and the Auto-Stop button cannot

be enabled at the same time.
The Auto-Rewind button
Enabling the Auto-Rewind button causes the sequence to
automatically rewind to the Start location on the memory
bar. This occurs when the Stop button is pressed or when
playback reaches the end position in the memory bar in
Auto-Stop mode. Clicking on the Auto-Rewind button
enables and highlights it.
Figure 11-12: The Auto-rewind button.
Auto-Rewind is useful for returning to a particular location

after stopping. It saves you from having to stop and rewind
manually.
The Memory-Cycle button
The Memory-Cycle button is a cycle-playback and cyclerecording feature that causes a portion of the entire sequence
to be played repeatedly until the stop button is pressed, just
like drum machines and hardware sequencers. Cyclic
playback begins when the sequence reaches the specified
Memory-Cycle region. When the Counter reaches the end of
the region, it seamlessly returns to the beginning and will
continue to do so until you press the stop button, unhighlight
the Memory-Cycle button, or cue past the end time.
The Memory-Cycle button and the Auto-Stop button cannot

be enabled at the same time.
Viewing Memory-Cycle points graphically
When Memory Cycle is enabled, the start and end times
appear graphically as repeat barlines in the Time Ruler of the
Edit window at the start and end time as shown Figure 11-14.
Playback cycles between these points seamlessly. You can
drag the repeat barlines left and right with the mouse to
change the cycle points. If the edit resolution check box is
checked, the barlines snap to the current resolution setting
(such as 8th notes, for example) as you drag them. For an
explanation of edit resolution, see Setting the Edit Grid
Resolution on page 146.
You can adjust the cycle points at any time, even during
playback. This lets you build loops and other tasks without
ever having to stop the music.
Setting Memory-Cycle points
The Memory-Cycle region is defined by the start and end
times in the memory bar. You can set these points by:
typing (use the tab key as usual)
dragging on the numbers vertically
choosing the desired command from the Memory Bar

menu
using several clicking shortcuts
loading them with commands
linking them to selection (as explained in Link Memory

to Selection on page 53)
Figure 11-13: The Memory-Cycle button allow you to seamlessly cycle any portion
of a sequence.
Use Memory-Cycle for multiple consecutive playbacks of a

particular region. This can be very useful for cycle-recording
a loop section or drum pattern, mixdowns, rehearsing a part
that you plan to record, or for scrutinizing a particular region
of a performance.
loading them with the Remembered Times command
These same techniques are also used for selections, and they
are described in detail in Selection Information on
page 148.
You can also record successive takes when cycling.
51
CONTROL PANEL
The region is loaded into the Memory start and end times. In
addition, the Memory-Cycle repeat barlines appear in the
time rulers at the beginning and end of the region you
highlighted. Now AudioDesk will cycle between them during
playback and recording.
Figure 11-15: Setting Memory-Cycle points with the shortcuts in the memory bar
menu.
To automatically set the times to the current selection

bounds, see Link Memory to Selection on page 53 To do so
manually:
Selecting the Memory-Cycle region for editing

If you would like to quickly select the region within the
Memory-Cycle repeat barlines to insert a loop, or other
editing operation, click one of the two repeat barlines.
1 Set the Edit resolution in the time ruler.

If you want the end points to land directly on beat or measure
boundaries, the easiest way to do so is to set the edit
resolution to an appropriate value, such as eighth notes or
quarter notes. If you want to be able to set the loop points
with no constraints whatsoever, uncheck the edit resolution
box.
2 Drag over the desired region in any time ruler.
3 Highlight the Memory-Cycle button if it is not already
highlighted.
4 Choose Set to Selection Bounds from the memory bar
menu.
Figure 11-16: Selecting what is being cycled by clicking one of the Memory-cycle
markers.
Link Playback to Memory

When enabled, the Link Playback to Memory button
(Figure 11-17) causes playback to begin and end at the times
prescribed in the Memory Bar (below the main transport
buttons).
Figure 11-17: Link Playback to Memory button.
Memory-Cycle
button is activated.
Memory bar start and end times are
displayed here. You can change
them by typing, dragging their
values up/down, or by loading times
with the menu shown to the right.
Edit resolution
Repeat barlines are displayed in

the time ruler. They can be
dragged left and right; when
dragging, they snap to the
current edit resolution, if any.
Figure 11-14: Playback and recording loop seamlessly between the Memory-Cycle start and end
markers, which you can drag with Snap To Grid turned on or off.
52
CONTROL PANEL
In addition, the playback wiper is only visible during

playback. When this mode is enabled, memory start and stop
indicators appear in the time rulers of the Edit window:
Figure 11-21: With AutoRecord enabled, separate punch in/out points are
provided by the AutoRecord bar.
Figure 11-18: Memory start and end indicators show where playback will begin
and stop with the Link Playback to memory mode is enabled.
If Memory Cycle is also enabled (see The Memory-Cycle

button on page 51), playback will continuously loop within
the Memory-Cycle points, and the memory start and stop
indicators appear with brackets to indicate that looping will
occur:
Figure 11-19: If Memory Cycle is also enabled, the memory start/stop indicators
appear with brackets to indicate that playback will loop.
Preroll and Postroll

When Link Playback to Memory is enabled, the Preroll and
Postroll buttons become enabled. Click them to add the
specified amount of preroll and postroll before and after the
memory start and stop indicators. Preroll and postroll are
displayed in time ruler as shown below in Figure 11-20. You
can drag these indicators to change the amount of pre/
postroll, or type in the desired amount in the text boxes
provided next to the buttons.
Link Memory to Selection

When enabled, the Link Memory to Selection button
(Figure 11-22) causes the Memory Start and Stop times to
always match the current selection start and end times. By
combining this mode with other memory modes, playback
will always begin, end and loop over the current selection.
For example, if you enabled Memory Cycle, the memory
cycle start and end times will always match the time range
that is currently selected.
Figure 11-22: Link Memory to Selection button.
Linking playback to the current selection

By enabling both Link Playback to Memory and Link Memory
to Selection, you essentially link playback to selection. In
other words, playback will always begin and end at the start
and stop of the current time range selection, with preroll and
postroll, if any. If Memory Cycle is also enabled, playback
will loop indefinitely within the current time range selection.
In this mode, the current selection can be changed by editing
the memory bar, and vice versa.
If Memory-Cycle is enabled, there is no Postroll because

playback never makes it past the end of the looped region.
Figure 11-20: The Preroll and Postroll indicators.
The Preroll and Postroll text boxes adhere to the current

global time format. This allows you to specify the amount of
Preroll and Postroll in any time format you wish, including
SMPTE frames, milliseconds, etc. For further information
about time formats, see Choosing a global time format on
page 28.
Punching in and out
If a track is record-enabled, and AutoRecord is disabled, the
memory start and stop indicators turn red and serve as
punch-in and punch-out points.
If AutoRecord is enabled, then the AutoRecord Bar
determines the punch-in and punch-out times, and separate
punch-in and punch-out indicators appear in the time ruler.
Figure 11-23: To always play (or loop) the current time range selection, enable
both memory link buttons, and Memory Cycle. If you include Memory Cycle, there
is no postroll.
Looping a soundbite
To quickly begin looping playback around a selected
soundbite, double-click the soundbite with the I-Beam tool
(in the Tool palette). To temporarily get the I-Beam tool
(without having to go to the Tool palette), hold down the i
key.
53
CONTROL PANEL
AUTO-RECORD BUTTON
Auto-Record causes recording to automatically turn on and
off in a specific region. This allows you to record without
having to manually enable and disable the Record button.
Figure 11-24: The Auto-Record button allows you to precisely program punch-in
and punch-out points for recording.
Clicking on the Auto-Record button enables and highlights

it. Clicking on the Auto-Record button also causes the Auto
Record punch in and punch out times to appear in the Status
Strip. Punch in and punch out times are specified in the Auto
Record Bar: Punch in is the time where recording begins;
Punch out is where recording ends. Auto-Record can be used
while AudioDesk is slaved to external sync; see chapter 49,
Receive Sync (page 252) for details on recording while
slaved to each type of sync.
The Auto-Record button will remain on until you click on it
again to disable it. Remember to disable it when you finish
using it.
Viewing the punch-in and punch-out points graphically
When Auto-Record is enabled, the punch-in and punch-out
times are displayed graphically as arrows in the time ruler of
the Edit window as shown in Figure 11-25.
You can drag the arrows left and right with the mouse to
change the punch-in and punch-out points. If the edit grid
check box is checked, the arrows snap to the current
resolution setting (such as 8th notes, for example) as you

drag them. For an explanation of edit resolution, see Setting
the Edit Grid Resolution on page 146.
You can adjust the arrows at any time, even during playback
or recording. This lets you adjust punch-in and punch-out
on the fly without having to stop the music.
Setting the punch-in and punch-out points
The Auto-Record region is defined by the in and out times in
the Auto-Record Bar. You can set these points by:
choosing the desired command from the Auto-Record Bar

menu
loading them with commands
loading them with the Remembered Times command
These same techniques are also used for selections, and they
are described in detail in Selection Information on
page 148.
Quickly selecting what you have recorded
You can quickly select the region between the punch points
by clicking one of the arrows. This is a handy shortcut for
editing what you have just recorded with auto-record.
Auto-record button
is activated.
Auto-record bar start and stop times are

displayed here. You can change them by typing,
dragging their values up/down, or by loading
times with the menu shown to the right.
Punch points are displayed in the time

ruler. They can be dragged left and
right; when you drag them, they snap
to the current edit resolution.
Figure 11-25: Punch-in and Punch-out points are depicted graphically with the Auto-Record
markers, which you can drag with Snap to grid turned on or off.
54
CONTROL PANEL
OVERDUB RECORD MODE

If you click the Overdub button, AudioDesk goes into
Overdub record mode. Overdub mode causes all new audio
data to be layered on top of existing data, rather than erasing
and replacing existing data.
Figure 11-26: AudioDesks Overdub Record mode button.
For further information, see Overdub recording on

page 117.
COUNTOFF BUTTON
Enabling the Countoff button causes a countoff of a specified
number of measures before playback or recording. The
Counter does not move forward until after the countoff.
Clicking on the Countoff button enables and highlights it.
You must enable the Click (in the Studio menu) to hear the
countoff.
Figure 11-27: The Countoff button produces any number of bars of countoff that
you wish.
To set the number of countoff measures, Option-click on the

Countoff button. The Countoff preferences will open, where
you can enter the number of measures and specify whether
the countoff should occur only when recording. If the
Countoff only when recording option is chosen, there will be a
countoff before recording, but not before playback or any
other function. For further details, see Recording to a click
on page 109.
Figure 11-28: The Wait button causes AudioDesk to wait for an incoming MIDI
event before it begins to play or record.
To enable the Wait button, click on it; it will highlight. Then,

press either the Record or Play buttons. The wait button will
then begin to flash, signaling that it is waiting for a keystroke.
To start playback or recording, press the enter key on the Mac
keyboard or your MIDI controller instrument.
The Wait button will remain enabled until it is clicked off.
Thus, it will be in effect every time the Record or Play button
is clicked on.
Use Wait to give yourself a moment to ready yourself at your
keyboard or other input instrument before recording. Using
Countoff and Wait together allows you as much time as you
need to prepare for recording.
If you turn on the Wait button together with the Countoff
button, you create an indefinite countoff the countoff
keeps going until you start playing.
SLAVE TO EXTERNAL SYNC BUTTON

When engaged, AudioDesk follows an external clock source,
as specified in the Receive Sync command (Setup menu).
Double click this button to open Receive Sync window. For
details, see chapter 49, Receive Sync (page 252).
Figure 11-29: The Slave to External Sync button.
The countoff bars are in the same meter as the sequence. See
Countoff on page 89.
Use the Countoff button to give yourself time to adjust to the
current tempo and prepare for recording. Using the Countoff
and Wait buttons allows ample preparation for a recording
pass; this is particularly useful in situations where the
computer and keyboard are not adjacent.
Indefinite countoff
For an indefinite countoff (the countoff keeps going until you
start playing), turn on the Wait button (discussed in the next
section) at the same time as the countoff button.
WAIT BUTTON
Enabling the Wait button causes AudioDesk to wait until it
receives a MIDI event before it begins to play back or record.
55
CONTROL PANEL
STATUS STRIP
The Status Strip has two sections that display information.
The left side displays the Memory Bar, which contains the
locations for Memory functions. The right side displays the
name of the project and the sequence, or the AutoRecord
punch-in and punch-out times, if enabled.
The Memory and Auto Record Bars
The Memory Bar is always visible on the left-hand side of the
Status Strip. The Auto-Record bar appears on the right-hand
side of the Status Strip when you enable the Auto-Record
button.
The Memory Bar
The Memory Bar displays the start and stop times for AutoStop, Auto-Rewind, and Memory-Cycle (see above). To
deactivate the Memory Bar, turn off the currently enabled
Memory button by clicking it.
The Remember Times command (control-R), allows you to

save any time range selection, so that you can load it into the
Auto-Record bar later on. You can also load remembered
times into the selection panel and the Memory-Cycle bar. For
complete information, see The Remember Times
command on page 159.
The Project and sequence info
The right half of the status strip (Figure 11-30) shows you the
name of the project you currently have open, followed by the
currently play-enabled sequence. Just to the right of the
sequence name is the Sequences menu, which lets you add,
delete, rename and otherwise manage multiple sequences in
your project.
Figure 11-31: The Memory Bar.
For details about editing the start and end times in the
Memory bar, see Setting Memory-Cycle points on page 51.
The Rewind button works differently when the Memory Bar
is visible: clicking on the Rewind button once will rewind to
the Start time in the Memory Bar; clicking on it again will
rewind to the beginning of the sequence.
Figure 11-33: The Sequence menu also provides commands for creating, naming,
and deleting sequences, as well as copying the current selection to its own, new
sequence.
Memory bar times can also be loaded by selecting the region

graphically. See Setting Memory-Cycle points on page 51.
The Control Panel displays the tempo and meter of the

currently play-enabled Sequence.
SETTING THE TEMPO AND METER
The Auto Record Bar

The Auto Record Bar will appear when the Auto Record
button is enabled. When it is visible, Auto Record is in effect.
Current
meter
Tempo
Slider
Beat
value
Current
Tempo
Figure 11-34: AudioDesks Tempo Controls.

Figure 11-32: The Auto-record bar lets you set precise, automated punch-in and
punch-out points during recording.
You can enter the start and end times numerically in the Auto
Record Bar. See The Memory and Auto Record Bars on
page 56. You can also set them up graphically. Viewing the
punch-in and punch-out points graphically on page 54.
Figure 11-30: The status strip.
Setting the tempo

Tempo is expressed in beats per minute (bpm). The beat
value can be any standard musical duration between a
sixteenth and whole note. All beat values can be dotted. A
dotted value is equivalent to one and a half times the value of
the duration. (A dotted quarter note is equivalent to one and
The
sequence
menu
56
CONTROL PANEL
a half quarter notes, for example.) Tempos are displayed and

entered with an accuracy of a hundredth of a beat per
minute. This allows you to specify tempos with two numbers
to the right of the decimal point, e.g. 104.78 beats per minute.
In addition to providing you with a high degree of resolution,
this also allows you to easily enter tempos that match
standard frame click metronome values (for film scoring
applications).
To set the tempo, edit the tempo box in one of the following
ways:
drag the tempo slider
You can change the tempo at any time, even during playback.
Setting the meter
The Control Panel displays the meter for your reference. To
change meter, choose Project menu> Change Sequence Meter.
The metronome click versus the beat value

The beat value (Figure 11-34 on page 56) is the note duration
that gets the beat in a given meter. In
4/4, for example, the quarter note usually gets the beat: in this
case, the beat value is a quarter note. In 6/8, the beat
generally falls on the first and fourth eighth notes in the
measure, thus the dotted quarter is the beat value.
The beat value you set does not necessarily correspond to the
value you set for the metronome click. The metronome click
value is set when specifying the meter with the Change
Sequence Meter command (Figure 11-35). For example, in
6/8 meter, you may set a tempo of an eighth note = 220, but,
set the metronome click to a dotted quarter note (standard in
6/8 time). Quite often though, the beat value will be the same
as the meter denominator (the lower number of the meter
marking).
Tempo Control during external synchronization
When slaving to external time code (such as SMPTE) using
MTC sync mode, AudioDesk follows its own internal tempo.
Set the desired tempo in the normal fashion.
AudioDesk automatically adjusts real time and frame
locations when the current tempo is changed.
CLICK
This buttons toggles the Click on and off. For more details on
the Click and its options, see Recording to a click on
page 109.
Figure 11-35: Changing the meter.
AUDIBLE MODE
A meter consists of a beat value and the number of beats per

measure. The beat value is generally the rhythmic pulse or
beat of the music; a measure consists of a certain number of
these beats. AudioDesk displays meters in the standard
musical fashion as a fraction, with the beat value in the
denominator (on the bottom) and the number of beats per
measure in the numerator (on top). In AudioDesk, the
numerator can be a value between 1 and 99. The
denominator must be a power of 2 (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64).
When engaged, Audible Mode allows you to listen to notes

and soundbites one at a time as you highlight them. For
details, see Audible mode on page 155.
Numerator
AUTO SCROLL
Auto Scroll controls if and how windows will scroll during
playback, recording, and cueing. For details, see Autoscrolling on page 107.
SOLO MODE
This button toggles Solo Mode on and off. For more details
on Solo Mode, see Soloing Tracks on page 107
Denominator
57
CONTROL PANEL
MAC KEYBOARD CONTROLS

The Control Panel functions can be operated from the
numeric keypad on the Mac extended keyboard.
Memory
Toggle
Figure 11-36: The Mac extended keypad assignments for AudioDesks Transport
controls.
In addition, the space bar acts as a play/stop toggle. These

key assignments are provided for your convenience.
However, you can create your own customize key
assignments using the Commands window. See chapter 19,
Commands (page 91) for more information.
58
CONTROL PANEL
CHAPTER 12
File Interchange
OVERVIEW
AudioDesk can exchange projects with other applications
using industry-standard formats such as OMF, and AAF.
AudioDesks support for import and export of these formats
is built-in no additional software is needed (though the
other application youre interchanging with may require
additional plug-ins or add-ons to import the files).
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Importing OMF/AAF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Exporting OMF/AAF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
INTRODUCTION
OMF interchange (Open Media Framework Interchange,
sometimes abbreviated as OMFI) and AAF (Advanced
Authoring Format) are file formats used to interchange
projects and their audio files between different applications.
AudioDesk has the ability to import and export AAF 1.0 and
OMF 2.0 session files for interchange with other OMF and
AAF-compliant applications. You should be able to exchange
both AAF and OMF sessions with any application that
supports AAF (1.0) or OMF (1.0 or 2.0) session interchange.
AudioDesks implementation has been mostly tested with
Pro Tools, Logic Pro, and Avid Xpress.
IMPORTING OMF/AAF FILES

OMF and AAF files can be opened like a regular AudioDesk
project:
Using File menu > Open
Double-clicking in the Finder
Dragging to the AudioDesk dock icon
Dragging to the Sequences window
Once opened, you will be prompted to choose a project

name and location for the project files. Any audio files that
need to be extracted (such as with OMF or AAF files
containing embedded audio) will be copied to the projects
Audio Files folder.
General recommendations for import
First and foremost, please read all documentation regarding
OMF and AAF interchange for the application you will be
interchanging with. In many cases, a broad choice of
compatible settings are available; understanding those
settings will assist you in creating the best OMF or AAF file
for use in AudioDesk.
Keeping your files organized and properly labeled prior to

exporting will make interchange much easier files will have
descriptive names and you wont need to worry about
missing files. However, note that some applications may
rename audio files when exporting as OMF or AAF.
Guidelines for creating OMF and AAF files for use in
AudioDesk
AudioDesk can import OMF and AAF files using WAVE,
AIFF, Sound Designer II, or embedded audio. AudioDesk
does not import MXF audio.
AudioDesk can import OMF & AAF files using 16 and 24
bit audio.
Video files embedded in or referenced by OMF and AAF
files are ignored when imported into AudioDesk.
AudioDesk can accept OMF or AAF files at any of the
frame rates AudioDesk can use as its project frame rate:
23.976, 24, 25, 29.97 (drop & non-drop), and 30 (drop &
non-drop). Files at HD frame rates of 50, 59.94 (drop & nondrop), and 60 (drop & non-drop) can also be imported, but
the frame rate is set to the corresponding half rate. Files at
other frame rates can also be imported, but their frame rates
are not supported and you must choose one of AudioDesks
supported frame rates.
When exporting OMFs for use in AudioDesk, choose

OMF 2.0 over 1.0 whenever possible. If no choice is
provided, check the applications documentation to find out
which OMF version is exported. Though OMF 1.0 files will
generally import into AudioDesk without issue, OMF 2.0 is
strongly recommended for the most robust OMF
interchange.
Fades can be saved as part of the OMF/AAF file; however,

different host applications may handle this fade data
differently (including ignoring them entirely). To ensure
consistent fades between hosts, choose to render the fades as
separate regions. This is somewhat less flexible as your those
fades are now regular audio regions, but it ensures consistent
results. Most hosts will include enough extra audio around
the abutting regions to allow you to delete the fade and trim
out the original audio regions, should you wish to change
your fade. Check your applications documentation to see
how it handles fades. If it supports fades as OMF/AAF
effects, make a short test file to ensure that they translate into
AudioDesk as intended.
59
Remember, OMF and AAF files do not transfer any

MIDI data; in addition to notes and controllers, components
such as tempo changes and markers may be saved as MIDI
data. If you need to transfer them as well, export a Standard
MIDI File in addition to your OMF or AAF file.
EXPORTING OMF/AAF FILES

To export an OMF or AAF file, choose Save As or Save a Copy
As from the File menu, and then choose OMF Interchange or
AAF Interchange from the Format menu (Figure 12-1). The
OMF/AAF Export Options window appears (Figure 12-2).
Figure 12-1: AudioDesk can import and export OMF and AAF files.
OMF/AAF export options

Other applications support varying degrees of OMF and
AAF interchange support, depending on the application and
version. For example, older versions of Pro Tools only
support DigiTranslator 1.0 OMF files, but newer versions
support DigiTranslator 2.0 files. Similarly, other applications
that support OMF and AAF interchange also have varying
degrees of support for these interchange files formats. As a
result, AudioDesk provides numerous interchange options to
give you the broadest possible compatibility across the
board. Here is a brief explanation of the OMF/AAF export
options shown in Figure 12-2.
The Enforce Compatibility options

The Enforce options at the top of the window enable or
disable various options below so that you wont inadvertently
enable an option that is not supported by the third-party
application. For example, DigiTranslator 2.0 does not
support clip-based pan; therefore, when you chose the
Enforce DigiTranslator 2.0 compatibility check box at the top
of the window, the Export clip-based pan check box at the
bottom of the window becomes grayed out (unavailable).
As another example, Logic Pro (as of version 8.0) does not
support AAF files with embedded audio data. Therefore, if
you check the Enforce Logic compatibility check box at the top
of the window, and you are exporting an AAF file, the Embed
audio data in OMF/AAF file option below becomes grayed
out.
Reference existing audio files
Reference existing audio files will reference the existing audio
files in the current location; it does not create new audio files
(with some exceptions see below). Choose Reference
existing audio files if you want the OMF or AAF file to refer to
the same set of audio files on disk as the AudioDesk project
that you are exporting from. This option saves disk space
because it does not duplicate audio data. Because the
AudioDesk Project and OMF/AAF file refer to the same set of
audio, use this option when you are making permanent
(destructive) changes to the audio data in the audio files
that you would like to be reflected in both AudioDesk and the
program you are interchanging with. For example, you might
be removing clicks and pops, normalizing, etc. It can also
help to simply save disk space when you are interchanging
with another application on the same computer.
The Reference existing audio files option will be grayed out if:
Youve chosen the Quantize edits to frame boundaries
option, which requires you to use the Consolidate audio files
option.
Your project contains Sound Designer II audio files and
you are exporting as AAF (as AAF does not support Sound
Designer II audio files).
Your project contains 32-bit floating point audio files
(excluding fade files, which are always 32 bit float; fades will
be converted to 16 or 24 bit, depending on your export
settings).
Your project contains a mix of interleaved and
deinterleaved files, or a mix of mono files and interleaved
stereo files. All audio files must be interleaved OR
deinterleaved OR a mix of deinterleaved and mono to be
exported as references.
Figure 12-2: The OMF/AAF Export Options.
60
FILE INTERCHANGE
Even when using Reference existing audio files is permitted,

note that some applications may not support all audio file
format combinations that AudioDesk does, such as mixed
file formats (e.g. WAVE and AIFF) or mixed sample formats
(e.g. 16 and 24 bit). Check your target applications
documentation, and if necessary convert the file format or
sample format of your files before exporting as OMF or AAF,
or use Copy all audio files or Consolidate audio files instead.
Reference existing audio files exceptions
When the Reference existing audio files option is selected,
AudioDesk will try to reference the existing files if possible.
However, there are some cases where your choices for the
other export options will force the creation of new audio:
When the export format (OMF or AAF) does not support
audio files in the file format of those in your project, any files
in non-supported formats are exported as audio files. OMF
supports AIFF, WAVE, and SDII, whereas AAF supports only
AIFF or WAVE. So for example, if you are exporting as AAF
and your AudioDesk project contains mostly WAVE files, but
also contains some SDII files, AudioDesk will export
references to the WAVE files (i.e., they will not be copied) but
the SDII files will be converted to WAVE files.
When converting from 24-bit to 16-bit, the converted files
are exported as audio files.
When using Export fades as precomputed regions), the fade
regions are exported as audio.
When additional audio must be created, the new audio will

be embedded (when exporting as OMF) or created as
additional WAVE files (when exporting as AAF).
Copy all audio files
Choose Copy all audio files to make a completely selfcontained copy of the entire project, including all audio files
and fades. All audio files that are listed in the Soundbites
window are included, even if they are not used in any tracks
in the project. This option is ideal for transferring the project
to another hard drive or computer as it ensures that all
associated audio files are collected and included in the
interchange document. When you use this option, the
exported project will have no references to your original
project. This makes it completely independent, and it will not
be affected by any changes made to the original project.
The Copy all audio files option is grayed out if youve chosen
the Quantize edits to frame boundaries option, which requires
you to use the Consolidate audio files option (explained in the
next section).
Consolidate audio files

Like Copy all audio files above, the Consolidate audio files
option leaves no references to the original project and
instead copies the original audio. However, it only copies
audio that is actually used in soundbites. Portions of audio
files that fall outside of soundbite boundaries are not copied.
This option is useful because it can save a significant amount
of disk space in some projects. If you are looking to
economize on the project size, perhaps for archival purposes,
this option is a good choice.
The Handle Size option specifies the amount of extra audio
(in milliseconds) to include before and after each soundbite.
This is useful if you will be trimming (edge editing) the
soundbites in Pro Tools or other destination application.
Embed audio data in OMF/AAF file
This option applies to audio being copied during the export
operation, if any.
Choose Embed audio data in OMF/AAF file to place the
copied audio directly into the OMF or AAF file itself. This
makes a single, completely self-contained document that
consists of a copy of the entire project, including all audio
files and fades. See Copy all audio files on page 61 and
Consolidate audio files on page 61 for further information
about what audio gets copied and when this option is useful.
The current version of Logic Pro doesnt support

embedded audio in AAF files (although it does for OMF), so
this option will be disabled if those compatibility check
boxes are enabled (in the AAF export dialog only).
DigiTranslator 2.0 supports embedded audio in AAF

files, but only when using Pro Tools 7.0 or higher. Since
DigiTranslator 2.0 may be used with versions of Pro Tools
before 7.0, enabling the Enforce DigiTranslator 2.0
compatibility mode disables the use of embedded audio in
AAF files. If you know for certain that you will be
interchanging the AAF file with Pro Tools 7.0 or higher, you
may uncheck Enforce DigiTranslator 2.0 compatibility and
enable the Embed audio data in OMF/AAF file.
Export audio data as Sound Designer II/AIFF/WAVE files
These options apply to audio being copied during the export
operation, if any. Choose the desired file format for the audio
files being copied to the AAF or OMF project.
The Sound Designer II file option is disabled (not available)
when you are exporting to an AAF file because AAF files do
not support Sound Designer II files.
61
FILE INTERCHANGE
Export fades as options

The Export fades as OMF/AAF effects option produces fades
and crossfades that can be fully modified in Pro Tools after
the transfer, if desired. The Export fades as precomputed
regions option renders each fade as an audio region,
preserving the exact nature of the fade or crossfade as it was
programmed in AudioDesk but rendering it un-modifiable
in Pro Tools. For example, if you like the way your fades and
crossfades sound already in AudioDesk, and do not need to
further modify them in Pro Tools, use this option.
If youve chosen the Quantize edits to frame boundaries
option, then the Export fades as OMF/AAF effects option is
not available (grayed out).
Exporting 24-bit audio
The Convert 24 bit audio to 16 bits option converts all 24-bit
audio in the project to 16-bit audio. Most third-party audio
applications support 24-bit audio, so it is recommended that
you enable this option only if you must. If you are exporting
24-bit audio and wish to maintain this bit depth, choose
Export 24 bit audio directly.
One notable 16-bit-only example is OMFTool/

DigiTranslator 1/0. If you intend to open the OMF file in
DigiTranslator 1.0, enable the Convert 24 bit audio to 16 bits
option.
Export sample-accurate edits/Quantize edits to frame
boundaries
For Avid Xpress and other applications that require OMF/
AAF files to specify all timing in SMPTE time code frames,
choose Quantize edits to frame boundaries. AudioDesks
current frame rate setting (Setup menu> Frame Rate) is used.
This frame rate setting must match the frame rate in the Avid
Xpress session into which you will import the OMF/AAF file.
Also, when using the Quantize edits to frame boundaries
option, you are forced to use the Consolidate audio files and
Export fades as precomputed regions options. All of your
soundbites will get trimmed so that they start and end on
frame boundaries. To maintain timing and ensure that all
audio is properly included, AudioDesk then generates oneframe audio regions placed before and after the trimmed
soundbite, containing the audio that was trimmed.
For all other applications (that dont require frame-based
timing), choose Export sample-accurate edits. Consult the
documentation for your editing application to determine if it
requires frame-based timing for audio.
Export clip-based volume/pan

Because the OMF and AAF interchange formats support a
clip-based automation model, automation data between
clips is lost when exporting, but automation data within the
boundaries of every audio region is preserved during
transfers.
The Export clip-based volume and Export clip-based pan
options determine whether volume and/or pan automation
data will be included in the resulting OMF or AAF
interchange document.
If the Enforce DigiTranslator 2.0 compatibility or Enforce Logic
compatibility options are checked, then the Export clip-based
pan option is grayed out because DigiTranslator 2.0 and
Logic do not support pan automation interchange via OMF
or AAF.
If you are exporting an OMF file intended for use with
DigiTranslator 1.0, leave both options unchecked as these
options are not supported by DigiTranslator 1.0.
Export original time stamps
Check the Export original time stamps option to include the
original time stamps in each audio file. If your destination
application does not support them, you can turn them off.
For a complete explanation of time stamps, refer Time
stamps on page 171.
If you are exporting an OMF file intended for use with
DigiTranslator 1.0, leave this option unchecked as this option
is not supported by DigiTranslator 1.0.
Export soundbite names
Check the Export soundbite names option to export each
audio region with its given soundbite name in AudioDesk.
Export all sequences
If the AudioDesk project you are exporting has two or more
sequences, check the Export all sequences option if you wish
to include all sequences, even the ones that are not currently
play-enabled. This option is grayed out if you are enforcing
any compatibility modes other than Avid Xpress.
Export all takes
If the tracks in the sequences you are exporting have multiple
takes, check the Export all takes option if you wish to include
them in the export operation. Each take is saved in the OMF/
AAF export document as a separate track.
62
FILE INTERCHANGE
OMF/AAF export summary

Here is a summary of OMF and AAF export:
AudioDesks Avid Xpress compatibility mode is the

recommended starting point for interchange with any NLE:
OMF/AAF export option
Summary
Consolidate audio files, 1000 ms handle
When exporting AAF
Disables Export audio data as SDII files

Disables Reference existing audio files
(when using SDII files)
Export audio as WAVE or AIFF
Deinterleaved audio (interleaved unchecked)
Export 24 bit audio directly
Export fades as pre-computed regions
Quantize edits to frame boundaries
DigiTranslator 2.0
compatibility
Logic
compatibility
AAF only: Disable Embed audio data

Disables Export clip-based pan
Disables Export all sequences
Disables Export all takes
AAF only: Disable Embed audio data
Disables Export fades as OMF/AAF effects
Disables Export clip-based pan
Disables Export all sequences
Disables Export all takes
Avid Xpress
compatibility
Requires Quantize edits to frame boundaries
Quantize edits to frame

boundaries
Requires Consolidate audio files

Requires Export fades as precomputed regions
General OMF/AAF export recommendations

If the application you are interchanging with is not covered
by the OMF/AAF Export dialogs Enforce compatibility
modes, use the following generic settings as a starting point.
There are two basic groups of OMF/AAF settings: those
intended for DAWs (digital audio workstations, such as
AudioDesk), and those intended for NLEs (non-linear video
editing applications, such as Final Cut Pro).
Exporting to DAWs
AudioDesks default settings are a good starting point for
interchange with any DAW. To return to the default settings,
press the Default button in the OMF/AAF Export Options
window at any time. The default settings are:
Enforce DigiTranslator 2.0 compatibility
Enforce Logic compatibility
Copy all audio files
Export audio as WAVE or AIFF
Deinterleaved audio (interleaved unchecked)
Export 24 bit audio directly
Export fades as pre-computed regions
Export sample-accurate edits
Using embedded audio

In the above recommendations, we recommend using copied
or consolidated WAVE or AIFF audio. Depending on the
target application, you may also be able to use embedded
audio, but it is recommended that you do not embed the
audio if you are unsure.
If there is a problem importing the file when the audio is
embedded, you may be unable to open the file or access its
associated audio; but if you use copied audio, in a worst case
scenario you may be able to manually re-create the project
using the time stamped audio files. Check with your target
applications documentation to see if embedded audio is
permitted for OMF or AAF files. You may also want to create
a small test file to verify that it works before sending large
projects when time is sensitive.
OMF version
AudioDesk always creates OMF version 2.0 files.
Transferring an OMF or AAF document to Pro Tools
After exporting a AudioDesk project to an OMF or AAF
interchange document as described in the previous sections,
convert the resulting OMF or AAF document into a Pro
Tools session using DigiTranslator 2.0 or later.
For further information, refer to your DigiTranslator
documentation or contact Digidesign.
Exporting to NLEs
Non-linear video editing applications, such as Avid Xpress
and Final Cut Pro, require that edits are aligned with frame
boundaries; this means that the Quantize edits to frame
boundaries option must be enabled, which in turn forces
Consolidate audio files and Export fades as precomputed
regions.
63
FILE INTERCHANGE
CHAPTER 13
OVERVIEW
Many of AudioDesks powerful features are presented in
separate windows, such as the Edit window, Mixing Board
and Markers window. The Consolidated Window gives you
access to them in one window. You can quickly access the
desired feature by clicking its corresponding tab, without
having to switch to a different window. In addition, the
Consolidated Window is highly configurable, allowing you
to split the window into multiple different sections for quick
access to critical features conveniently presented in one
window. The Consolidated Window provides you with a
simplified, unified, highly customized work space.
Quick Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Windows menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Deciding how to work with windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Opening the Consolidated Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Consolidated Window title bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Other window title bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
The body (center) section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
The Sidebars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
The Mixing Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Using Horizontal Dividers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Dragging cells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Cell focus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Getting rid of a cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Popping windows in and out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
QUICK REFERENCE
Main body: This is the main section of the Consolidated
Window. It displays tabs across the top for switching between
the Edit window and Mixing Board.
Tabs: Click the tabs to switch the main body to the desired
window. Command-click a tab to close all rows except for the
one you clicked on.
Main body
Left sidebar
Sidebar
cells
Sidebar
tabs
Left sidebar
divider
Figure 13-1: The Consolidated Window
Tabs
Right sidebar
Tab
bar
Horizontal divider
Right sidebar
divider
Window
selector
Tab
bar
Sidebar
divider
Consolidated Window
resize thumb
64
Left/right sidebar: These are resizable columns that flank the

main body and can be independently shown or hidden. In
addition, the sidebars can be divided horizontally into any
number of independent sections.
Left/right sidebar dividers: Drag these dividers to resize the
sidebars; double-click the divider to open or close the
sidebars.
Window selector: Lets you choose what is displayed in the

sidebar section. Each sidebar cell has its own window
selector.
Sidebar tabs: Each sidebar cell contains one window by

default, but you can add additional windows as tabs. To add
another tab, choose the Add tab item under the Window
selector menu, or hold option while selecting another
window. Click the x button on a tab to close it, or hold
option and click the x button to close all other tabs in the
cell.
Tab bar: The tab bar displays tabs for the cell (or window).
Double-click any empty portion of the tab bar to remove the
window or sidebar cell from the Consolidated Window and
makes it a separate window. The tab bar area then turns into
a pop-back-in area, which puts the window back into the
Consolidated Window.
WINDOWS MENU
These items under the Windows menu apply to the
Consolidated Window.
Open/Close Left/Right Sidebar: Shows or hides the sidebar.

Keyboard shortcuts are shift-[ and shift-].
Set Focus to Next/Previous Cell: In the Consolidated
DECIDING HOW TO WORK WITH WINDOWS

Most of AudioDesks primary features can either float as
stand-alone windows or reside as a pane within the
Consolidated Window. The best way to learn how the
Consolidated Window might work best for you is to try a few
different window configurations for particular purposes.
For example, open the Edit window in the Consolidated
Window body and place the Mixing Board in the left side bar.
When you select a track for editing, the fader for that track
scrolls into view in the Mixing Board strip. As another
example, open the Edit window in the body, and the
Soundbite window and Sound File Info windows in the left
sidebar.
You dont have to use the Consolidated Window if you dont
want to. If you would like to work with independent windows
as in previous versions of AudioDesk, simply pop all
windows out of the Consolidated Window by doubleclicking in its popout area (Figure 13-7 on page 68). To put a
stand-alone window into the Consolidated Window, doubleclick its pop-back-in area (Figure 13-8 on page 68).
OPENING THE CONSOLIDATED WINDOW

To open the Consolidated Window, double-click the popback-in area (Figure 13-8 on page 68) on an individual
window.
CONSOLIDATED WINDOW TITLE BAR

The title bar of the Consolidated Window has the same
standard close, minimize, and zoom buttons as other
AudioDesk windows, with one addition: the name of the
project file:
Close, minimize, &
zoom buttons
Project
file name
Window, the focus is the section of the window with the

slightly darker shaded title bar. Some operations in
AudioDesk only apply to the section that currently has the
focus. It is equivalent to the active (front-most) window
when you are working with multiple windows. Use these
commands to set the focus to the next or previous cell in the
window. Keyboard shortcuts are control-tilde (~), and
option-control-tilde.
Close Cell: Removes the specified cell (the cell that currently
has the focus). Keyboard shortcut is control-w.
Pop Out of/Into Consolidated Window: Pops the active cell

or window out of or back into the Consolidated Window.
Keyboard shortcut is Control-1.
Figure 13-2: The Consolidated Window title bar.
Command-click the project name to reveal a menu showing

the path of the file on disk. If you click on any of the folders
shown in this menu, a Finder window will open to that folder.
65
THE CONSOLIDATED WINDOW
OTHER WINDOW TITLE BARS

When a window is displayed in the Consolidated Window, its
title bar appears at the top of the section as a Tab bar,
complete with a mini-menu and other Tab bar controls that
are specific to that window, as demonstrated below in
Figure 13-3:
Consolidated window
title bar
Sidebar cell
menu
Edit window Tab

bar
Figure 13-3: When the Edit window and other windows are displayed in the
Consolidated window, their title bar appears as the Tab bar at the top of the cell.
THE BODY (CENTER) SECTION

The main body (center) section of the Consolidated Window
is reserved for AudioDesks Edit window and the Mixing
Board. These windows have tabs across the top, and you can
access either of them by clicking their corresponding tab. For
information about splitting the body into several sections,
see Using Horizontal Dividers on page 67.
THE SIDEBARS
Sidebars display list windows and monitors. To open the lefthand or right-hand sidebar, double-click the divider as
shown in Figure 13-3, or simply drag it towards the center of
the Consolidated Window. You can also use the keystroke
shortcut (Shift-[ or Shift-]). Likewise, to close a sidebar,
double-click the divider, drag it towards the edge of the
Consolidated Window, until it disappears, or use its
keystroke shortcut (Shift-[ and Shift-]).
Figure 13-4: The sidebar cell menu lets you choose what is displayed in the cell.
Choosing what to display in a sidebar cell

You can choose what is displayed in a sidebar cell via a menu
accessed by clicking on the current windows title, as shown
above in Figure 13-4.
Resizing the sidebar
To resize the sidebar horizontally, drag its divider.
Splitting the sidebar
For information about splitting the sidebars into several
sections, see Using Horizontal Dividers on page 67.
Using multiple tabs in one cell
Each sidebar cell contains one window by default; choosing a
different window from the window selector menu will
change the current window to the newly selected window.
However, you can also add additional windows within a
single cell, as tabs. To add another tab, choose the Add tab
item under the window selector menu, or hold the Option
key while selecting another window.
If you add more tabs than there is space to display, a tab with
a double chevron on it will appear. Click on this tab to display
a menu of the tabs that are not currently visible.
66
USING HORIZONTAL DIVIDERS

To divide the body or the sidebars into two more horizontal
sections, grab the horizontal divider at the bottom of the
section and drag up:
Horizontal
divider
To close a tab, click the x button on that tab. To close all but
one tab in the cell, hold option and click the x button on the
tab that you wish to remain.
THE MIXING BOARD

The Mixing Board is a special case because it can be
displayed either in the main body (center) section of the
Consolidated Window or in either sidebar.
The center section is better for viewing many channels at a
time. For example, you could display several dozen faders in
the center section below the Edit window, as demonstrated
below:
Figure 13-6: To divide a section of the Consolidated Window horizontally, drag the
horizontal divider upward.
The main body can be divided into a maximum of two rows,

but you can divide sidebars into as many horizontal sections
(cells) as you like.
In the sidebar, you can also create additional dividers by
Option-dragging an existing divider.
If youd like to close all of the rows in the body and display
only one row, Command-click on the tab for the window you
wish to display. The window you Command-click doesnt
have to be open already when you click on it.
DRAGGING CELLS
Figure 13-5: Displaying the Mixing Board in the body section of the Consolidated
Window. It can be placed at any vertical position you wish.
The sidebars are best for showing just one or several

channel strips at a time, as demonstrated in the left sidebar in
Figure 13-1 on page 64.
You can drag a window from one cell to another by grabbing

its tab bar with the hand cursor and dragging it to the desired
location. You cannot, however, drag a body section to a
sidebar or vice versa, except for the Mixing Board. (The
Mixing Board is the only window that can appear in either a
sidebar or the body of the window.) But you can freely drag
sidebar sections to any new location within either sidebar.
And you can freely drag body sections above or below one
another in the center section.
You can also drag windows out of the Consolidated Window
to make them a separate window. Also see Popping
windows in and out on page 68.
CELL FOCUS
In the Consolidated Window, the focus is the cell in the
window with the slightly darker shaded title (tab) bar. Some
operations in AudioDesk only apply to the cell that currently
has the focus. It is equivalent to the active (front-most)
window when you are working with multiple windows.
67
To apply the focus to a cell, click its Tab bar with the hand
cursor. Its Tab bar turns darker. You can also use the Set Focus
to Next/Previous Cell Window menu commands, or press
Control- or Option-Control-. You can now apply cellrelated features to that cell, such as removing it as explained
in the next section.
GETTING RID OF A CELL

To remove a cell from the Consolidated window, give it the
focus (as explained in the previous section), and then choose
Close Cell from the mini-menu (or press control-w). You can
also click its Tab bar close button. The cell can also be moved
out of the Consolidated Window by dragging it as explained
above or popping it out (see below).
Tab bar
Figure 13-7: Double-click the Tab bar to extract the cell and make it an independent window.
Conversely, when windows are open on their own, doubleclick the Tab bar to pop the window back into the
Consolidated Window in its original location.
Tab bar in a
separate window
Tab bar
show/hide button
POPPING WINDOWS IN AND OUT

The empty space in the Tab bar of each cell constitutes its
popout button. Double-click this area to move the cell out of
the Consolidated Window and make it a separate window.
The keystroke shortcut for this is control-1 (which pops out
the cell that currently has the focus).
Figure 13-8: Double-click the Tab bar to pop the window back into the Consolidated Window.
If you want to pop a window back into the Consolidated

Window but its Tab bar is collapsed, use the Tab bar show/
hide button to expose it, or use the keystroke shortcut
(Control-1).
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CHAPTER 14
Soundbites Window
OVERVIEW
This chapter assumes that you are familiar with terms like
audio file, region, soundbite, playlist and audio track. If not,
review chapter 5, Hard Disk Recording Concepts
(page 19).
As you work with AudioDesk, youll create many soundbites.
The soundbites window helps you manage them. Think of
the Soundbites window as your catalog of audio data. It lists
all of the portions of audio that you are dealing with in the
project. It helps you keep the ones you want and throw away
the ones you dont.
Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Soundbites window mini-menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Opening the Soundbites window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Soundbite list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Soundbite Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mono and stereo audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Importing and exporting audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Soundbite Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dragging and dropping soundbites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with multiple sample formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Converting an audio file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic conversions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reload Soundbite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Replace Soundbite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewing more Sound File Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit in waveform editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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QUICK REFERENCE
Soundbite list: The soundbite list shows detailed settings for
each soundbite.
Columns: Each column displays one piece of information

about a soundbite: name, file name, duration, sample rate,
sample format, timestamp, and so on. You can choose which
columns to show and how they are ordered.
View By menu: This controls how the soundbites how are
sorted: by name, file name, duration, sample rate, and so on.
Search box: Searches soundbite names and audio file names

for the entered text. As you type a search term, the window
will update in realtime to display the relevant results.
SOUNDBITES WINDOW MINI-MENU

New Audio File: Creates an empty mono or stereo audio file
on your hard drive.
New Audio File from Selection: Creates a new, separate audio

file on your hard drive based on the currently selected
soundbite. In other words, the new audio file will contain a
copy of the currently selected audio.
Import Audio: Opens a dialog box that allows you to
audition and load audio files and/or individual soundbites
(regions). This is the same as the Import Audio command in
the File menu.
Export Selected Soundbites: Lets you save the currently

selected stereo soundbite(s) in a variety of file formats,
including AIFF, WAVE, Sound Designer II, and MP3.
View By
menu
Soundbite Search box

list
Columns
Figure 14-1: The Soundbites window serves as a catalog and

command center for all of the audio files in a project.
69
Columns Setup: Lets you shown and hide the columns in the
Soundbite list.
Create New Folder: Lets you add a new folder to the

soundbite list. This command is only available when Folders
is chosen in the View by menu at the top of the Soundbites
window.
Select unused soundbites: Highlights all soundbites in the

list that are not currently being used in any tracks in any
sequence in the file. Once highlighted, these soundbites can
be removed from the list or deleted entirely from their parent
audio file. (Note that the audio data itself is not removed by
deleting. See Compact below.)
Compact: Caution! Unlike Delete, this command actually

removes audio data from the hard disk. Compact removes all
portions of the parent audio file of the currently selected
soundbite(s) that are not defined as a region in the audio file
region list. This command can be used to remove unused
audio data in one or more audio files to free up space on the
hard disk.
Delete: Removes the selected soundbites from the list,

removing AudioDesks reference to the data from the
Soundbites window. If the soundbite is the last one in the
parent audio file to be deleted, AudioDesk asks if you would
like to delete the parent audio file entirely.
OPENING THE SOUNDBITES WINDOW

To open the Soundbites window, choose Project
menu>Soundbites, or press its keystroke shortcut, Shift-B.
THE SOUNDBITE LIST

The Soundbite list (Figure 14-2) provides a complete list of
all soundbites in the AudioDesk project, along with detailed
information about each soundbite.
Showing/hiding columns in the soundbite list
Figure 14-1 at the beginning of this chapter (page 69) shows
the default information shown in the soundbite list. The
Columns Setup mini-menu item lets you show and hide
columns as desired. (As a shortcut, double-click or Optionclick the label at the top of one of the columns to open this
dialog.) Figure 14-2 below shows all of the columns.
Convert Audio File: Opens a dialog box that lets you change
the sample rate, sample format, file format, and/or
interleaved format of the currently selected soundbites in the
list. Several levels of quality are provided. For more
information, see Converting an audio file on page 79.
Automatic Conversions: Opens the Automatic Conversions

preferences where you configure how AudioDesk
automatically converts audio data, wherever necessary, to
make it conform to the current projects sample rate.
Remove From List: Deletes the soundbite from the
Soundbites window list without deleting its corresponding
region in the audio file region list.
Figure 14-3: Double-click or Option-click any column title in the Soundbites

window to open the Columns Setup dialog.
Rearranging soundbite list columns

To rearrange the order of the columns, drag the label at the
top of a column to the left or right. AudioDesk saves your
customized column arrangement in the AudioDesk
preferences file, so it is remembered in all of your AudioDesk
files.
Soundbite list quick reference
Here is a brief explanation of each column in the soundbite
list.
Figure 14-2: The soundbite list with all detail columns shown.
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
Move Handle: Drag up or down to reposition the soundbite

in the list. Also use it to drag and drop the soundbite into
other windows or the Mac OS desktop. When dropping it
into an audio track in the Edit window, hold down the
Command key while dragging to make it snap to the end of
the previous soundbite in the track. A question mark icon on
the move handle means that AudioDesk does not currently
know the location of the audio file containing the soundbite.
The soundbite cant be played and its waveform cant be
displayed. An X icon on the move handle means that
AudioDesk cannot currently play the soundbite for some
reason. For example, it may be located on a hard disk that
isnt supported by your hard disk recording hardware, or it
may not match the current sample rate setting of your audio
hardware. For details, see Lost soundbites and Finding
lost soundbites on page 77.
Name: Displays the name of the soundbite (region). Click the
name to select it. To hear it play back, turn on Audible Mode
in the Control Panel and then click it. Option-click to popedit the name. Double-click the name to edit the soundbite
in a third-party audio editor such as Bias Peak.
Original time: The time at which the soundbite was
originally recorded (or created), regardless of where it
currently resides. If a soundbite does not have an original
time stamp (perhaps it was created in an earlier version of
AudioDesk that didnt support time stamping), then no time
is shown. For details, see Show times on page 142.
User time: Displays the soundbites user time stamp, if it has
DSP: The DSP column shows the soundbites preference

settings for transposing and time scaling. These settings
determine what happens (or does not happen) when you
attempt to pitch-shift to time-scale the soundbite. Each
soundbite can have its own unique settings. For complete
information about these preferences, how to set them, and
what the results will be, see Soundbite preferences for
PureDSP on page 150.
File: This is the name of the audio file that contains the
soundbite. Double-click to replace or relocate the soundbite.
Option-click to change the name of the audio file.
Disk: Shows the name of the disk on which the audio file
resides.
Keyboard shortcuts for finding soundbites in the
Soundbite list
The keyboard shortcut for selecting a soundbite in a track in
the Edit window and then viewing that soundbite in the
Soundbites window is Command-Option-Control-L.
A keyboard shortcut is also available for viewing the selected
soundbite in the Sound File Information window,
Command-Option-Control-A.
View By menu
The View By menu at the top of the Soundbites window is a
powerful sorting feature that allows you to view soundbites
hierarchically by the characteristics shown below in
Figure 14-4:
one. A user time stamp can be applied to a soundbite at any

time with the Time Stamps command in the Audio menu. If a
soundbite does not have a user time stamp, then no time is
shown. For details, see Show times on page 142.
Duration (real time): Indicates the length of the soundbite in

hours, minutes, seconds, and hundredths of a second.
Sample Rate: Indicates the rate in samples per second at
which the audio data making up the soundbite was sampled.
Format: Displays the bit depth (e.g. 16-bit or 24-bit) of the

audio data in the soundbite.
Interleaved Format: Displays the interleaved format (mono,

deinterleaved, or interleaved) of the audio file the soundbite
is from.
Creation Time: Displays the date and time that the soundbite
was created.
Source: Explains briefly how the soundbite was created.
Figure 14-4: Hierarchical sorting in the Soundbite list.
When you choose an item from the View By menu, the

Soundbites window sorts all soundbites alphabetically and/
or numerically based on what you choose, displaying
soundbites hierarchically beneath the attribute that you
choose, with disclosure triangles so that you can show/hide
all of the soundbites for a certain attribute. For example, if
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
you sort by file name, audio files will be listed alphabetically

with a disclosure triangle that shows the soundbites indented
to the right beneath it, as demonstrated below in Figure 14-5:
source might say Transpose from Guitar.1 or Bounce.

This setting can often help you trace the relationships
between soundbites.
Viewing soundbite sources hierarchically with By Folder
view
The By Folder view has one additional feature over other
views: it displays the sources of soundbites and newly
generated audio files hierarchically, so that you can trace
their origins. For example, if you use the Edge Edit Copy
feature to make a new soundbite from an existing soundbite,
the new soundbite will be listed below the original with an
indentation to the right. If you make yet a third soundbite
from the second, it will be listed below the second and
further indented to the right. This is demonstrated in
Figure 14-7:
Figure 14-5: Sorting by file name.
Here are a few other examples: you could sort by Time

Created to find a soundbite you recorded during a particular
recording session. Or you could sort by Channel Format to
view all stereo soundbites currently being used.
Organizing soundbites into folders
The Soundbites window allows you to create your own
folders and then view soundbites By Folder. To create a folder,
first view By Folder and then choose Create New Folder from
the Soundbites window mini-menu. A new Folder appears,
either at the bottom of the list or just below the currently
selected item in the list. You can then drag soundbites into it
using their move handles.
When creating a new folder, you may need to scroll to

the bottom of the list to see the new folder.
Commanddouble-click a folder (or any other view by

container) to select all soundbites in it.
Soundbite source
The Soundbites window displays the source of each
soundbite (as shown in Figure 14-6), to provide you with
information about where it came from. For example, the
Figure 14-7: The By Folders view shows the origins of soundbites by displaying
them below their source soundbite or audio file. In this example, JF #1 Scat.2 was
created by duplicating JF #1 Scat. And JF #1 Scat.3 was created by edge editing JF
#1 Scat.2.
There is no limit to the number of possible levels in the

hierarchical display shown in Figure 14-7. And this sort of
hierarchical grouping only occurs for audio files generated
from existing files by operations (such as PureDSP timestretching, file-based plug-in processing from the plug-ins
menu in the Audio menu, etc.) or from soundbite editing
operations (such as Edge Edit Copy) where there is a clearly
defined source soundbite.
You can separate hierarchically related items by dragging
them elsewhere in the list, but the visual representation of
their relation to one another cannot be later restored once
youve done so.
Dragging soundbites into folders
In By Folder view, there are two ways to put a soundbite into
a folder:
Figure 14-6: The Soundbites window displays where a soundbite came from in the Source column.
In this example, the soundbite list is being sorted by source, as well.
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
by dragging the soundbites move handle into the name

column to manually determine its position in the list, or
by dragging the soundbites move handle onto the folder
name in the name column. In this case, the soundbite will be
put at the top of the list inside the folder.
MONO AND STEREO AUDIO

Soundbites may be mono or stereo. AudioDesk does not
support multi-channel (surround) audio files. If you need to
work in surround, upgrade to Digital Performer.
When using interleaved audio files, a stereo soundbite stores

all of its channels in one file.
Searching the Soundbites list

A search field is provided to search soundbite names and
audio file names.
When using deinterleaved, a stereo soundbite comes from a

stereo pair of files that have the same name (except that one
contains .L and the other .R, as in Guitar-1.L.wav and
Guitar-1.R.wav), the same length, the same sample rate,
and the same sample format.
If you drag the soundbites move handle onto the folder

icon, the soundbite will not be placed in the folder. Instead, it
will be placed below the folder in the list.
When using the deinterleaved format, you cant really tell the
difference from within the program. You can think of a stereo
soundbite as a single soundbite that just happens to have
individual channel components. But the channels are tightly
linked; there is no way to accidentally shift one relative to the
other. Even AudioDesks pitch-shifting, time-scaling, and
tempo-adjusting features preserve the phase relation
between the left and right channels of stereo soundbites.
Figure 14-8: Searching the Soundbites list
IMPORTING AND EXPORTING AUDIO
As you type a search term, the window will update in

realtime to display the relevant results.
The Soundbites window provides many features for

exporting and importing digital audio into and out of
AudioDesk. Many audio file formats are supported.
To clear the search results and return to the regular view,

click the x button at the right side of the search field, or
press the Escape key.
SOUNDBITE BASICS
A new soundbite is created in AudioDesk every time you
record audio. For example, when you record-enable an audio
track, hit the record button, play in some audio, and press
stop, you have just created a soundbite in the track. In
addition, the soundbite gets added to the list in the
Soundbites window. New soundbites are also generated
when you apply file-based DSP operations to existing
soundbites, or perform a bounce to disk operation. Any time
you create new audio, a soundbite is added to the soundbite
list.
Generating soundbites while editing
Soundbites can also be created in AudioDesk with soundbite
editing commands like Trim and Split. For example, when
you select a portion of the existing soundbite and choose
Trim, the unselected portions get stripped away, and the
highlighted portion that you are left with is a new soundbite.
As always, the new soundbite gets added to the list in the
Soundbites window.
Importing and exporting audio by drag & drop

AudioDesk supports standard Mac drag and drop
techniques for importing audio files from the Mac desktop
into any window in AudioDesk that holds audio, such as the
Soundbites window. This is true for all of the supported file
formats listed in Audio file formats that can be imported on
page 75. If the imported file does not match one of
AudioDesks supported native formats, AudioDesk can
automatically convert the file for you.
Soundbites can be exported in a similar fashion by grabbing
their move handle in the Soundbites window and dragging
them to the Mac desktop (or any window in the Finder).
The Import Audio command
The Import Audio command lets you to browse audio files
and soundbites before importing.
To import using the Import Audio command, choose Import
Audio from the File menu (or the Soundbites window minimenu). Youll see the standard Mac OS file window (as shown
below in Figure 14-9). In this window, you can import
individual regions from an audio file (unlike drag & drop
into the Soundbite list, which imports all regions), and you
can audition them before importing. (See Specifying audio
output for auditioning on page 155.)
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
dialog box. In this case, AudioDesk can automatically

convert the audio to the projects sample rate. For complete
details, see Automatic Conversions on page 86.
If an audio file has a sample rate that does not match the
currently sample rate setting in the Configure Audio System >
Configure Hardware Driver command in the Setup menu, it
appears with an X on its move handle in the Soundbites
window, as shown in Figure 14-14 on page 77. You can play
the audio file either by changing the sample rate setting in the
Configure Hardware dialog to match the audio file, or by
changing the sample rate of the audio file itself with the
Convert Audio File command in the Soundbites window
mini-menu. For more information, see chapter 43, Audio
File Conversion (page 236).
Figure 14-9: Importing audio. Click the audition button (circled) to turn on
auditioning. This allows you to hear individual audio regions when you click them.
Click the Add button to add them to the list of regions you would like to import. As
you can see, this window lets you import individual audio regions.
QuickTime movie sound tracks, MP3 files and many other

types of audio files can be auditioned in the Import Audio
dialog.
AudioDesk can natively use interleaved or deinterleaved 16bit or 24-bit audio files, in AIFF, WAVE, and Sound Designer
II file formats.
Other types of audio files are converted into the project audio
file format for use in AudioDesk. For a list of audio file types
that can be imported, see Audio file formats that can be
imported on page 75, and for details on the conversion
settings, see Automatic Conversions on page 86.
Importing an entire audio file
The easiest way to import an entire audio file is to drag and
drop it into a track in AudioDesks Edit window. Make sure
the track type (mono or stereo) matches the audio file. You
can also import an entire audio file using the Import Audio
File menu command as described in the previous few
sections.
Loading soundbites from other AudioDesk files
You may encounter a situation in which you have created
soundbites in another AudioDesk file and you would like to
work with them in the current AudioDesk file. To load
soundbites from another AudioDesk file, use the Load
command in the File menu and check the Soundbites option.
For details, see Loading a sequence from another file on
page 42.
Converting soundbites that cannot be played
When you import soundbites into AudioDesk, it may be the
case that they cannot be played properly. For example, the
imported audios sample rate might not match the playback
sample rate currently chosen in the Configure Hardware
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
Audio file formats that can be imported

AudioDesk is able to import the following audio file formats:
AIFF
WAV
Broadcast WAV (non-MPEG)
Sound Designer II
mp3
Acid
REX (and RCY)
Apple Loops
Core Audio Format (CAF)
QuickTime movies
AVI movies
Audio CD files
MuLaw files
You can import any of the file formats above by dragging the
file into AudioDesk and dropping it into the Soundbites
window or in most cases any window that holds audio.
If you drag and drop an audio file into AudioDesks
Soundbites window, all of the regions in the audio file are
imported.
Importing 8-bit audio
8-bit audio files are converted to 16 bits when they are
imported.
Importing REX files

Recycle 1.0 and 2.0 REX files can be imported into
AudioDesk, either by dragging and dropping them from the
Mac desktop into a mono or stereo audio track, or by using
the Import Audio command (File menu). Recycle 1.0 RCY
files can also be imported.
Importing a REX file into a track
When you drag and drop a REX file into a track, be sure that
the track format (mono or stereo) matches the REX loop. As
shown in Figure 14-10, the individual audio slices in the REX
loop are placed in the track at the appropriate measure, beat
and tick location to preserve the feel of the loop at the current
tempo of the sequence. After importing, each slice of the
REX loop is treated as in individual soundbite, both in the
track and in the Soundbites window.
If you change the tempo, the REX slices will breath with the
tempo, staying precisely in time with the sequence. When
they are first imported, REX slice soundbites are given the
Dont time scale attribute in the Soundbites window, so each
individual slice wont be automatically time-stretched when
the tempo is changed. However, you can easily change this
attribute to Time Scale in the Soundbites window, as
explained below.
Importing REX files into the Soundbites window
You can import REX files using the Import Audio command
in the Soundbites window mini-menu (or the File menu).
This opens the audio import window, in which the REX file
can be auditioned before importing. Just enable auditioning
by clicking the speaker button and the click on the REX file in
the file list. After importing, all of the REX files individual
Figure 14-10: Importing a REX file into a track.

Each slice is placed as a separate soundbite to
conform to the sequences meter and tempo.
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
slices are handled as individual soundbites, with no further

grouping or association. Therefore, it is better to drag and
drop a REX file into a track, where you can then loop, repeat
or cut/paste it as a whole loop.
For further information about exporting to the MP3 file

format, see Bouncing to MP3 on page 247, as MP3 export
works the same way for bouncing as it does for exporting.
Viewing REX loop slices and changing their time-stretch

attribute
You can easily view all of the soundbite slices that belong to a
REX file with the Soundbite windows sorting features. Just
view by file name, and the REX file will appear with a
disclosure triangle next to its name that lists all slices below
it. If you wish to change the time scale attribute of the slices,
select them switch to the Info pane, and choose either Time
Scale or Dont Time Scale for the Time Compress/Expand
soundbite attribute. You can do so for multiple selected
soundbites (REX slices) at one time. If you dont time scale
the slices, you might (but are unlikely to) hear gaps between
the slices when using the loop at a tempo that is considerably
less than its original tempo. Most of the time, however, you
will get better results with the Dont Time Scale setting, which
preserves the audio slices in their original form (tempo).
As you work with AudioDesk, youll create many soundbites.

The Soundbites window helps you manage them. Think of
the Soundbites window as your catalog of audio data. It lists
all of the portions of audio that you are dealing with in the
file. It helps you save the ones you want to keep and throw
away the ones you dont.
Acid file and Apple Loop import

AudioDesk can import Acid WAV files and Apple Loop AIFF
files. To do so, drag and drop the Acid or Apple Loop file into
the Soundbites window or into an audio track of the same
format (mono or stereo). Or import them as usual using the
Import Audio command in the Soundbites window minimenu (or the File menu). If the file has a tempo, the tempo
will be imported with the audio so that it will automatically
conform to the sequence tempo when placed in a track.
Audio file exporting
The Export Selected Soundbites command in the Soundbites
window mini-menu can export any soundbite in the
following file formats, which include several Mac OS X Core
Audio export formats:
SOUNDBITE MANAGEMENT
Sorting the soundbites list

The View by menu at the top of the Soundbites window lets
you sort soundbites by any criterion shown in the list. For
details, see View By menu on page 71.
Auditioning soundbites with Audible Mode
There are two ways to audition (play back) a soundbite in the
Soundbites window:
1 Click the Audible mode button in the Control Panel so
that it is highlighted.
2 Click the name of the soundbite you wish to hear.
3 To stop playback, wait for the soundbite to finish playing,
or click the mouse.
Alternatively, you can do the following, regardless of whether
the Audible mode button is highlighted or not:
1 Highlight the name of the soundbite you wish to hear.
2 Option-click the Audible Mode button.
3 To stop playback, wait for the soundbite to finish playing,
or click the mouse.
Changing the audio output for auditioning
See Specifying audio output for auditioning on page 155.
Figure 14-11: The audio export file formats.
For the Core Audio Export formats, stereo soundbites are

exported in the interleaved stereo version of these formats.
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
Renaming a soundbite
To rename a soundbite in the soundbites window, Optionclick its name.
Click the name of the soundbite to highlight it and choose

Replace Soundbite from the Audio menu. For more
information, see Replace Soundbite on page 174.
Soundbites that cannot be played
If a soundbite cannot be played back for some reason
(perhaps its sample rate doesnt match the current sample of
the project), AudioDesk displays an X icon as shown
below:
Audio file
Audio data
Regions
Playlists
Phasor Loop
Phasor Loop-02
Figure 14-12: Renaming a soundbite.
When you change the name of a soundbite, AudioDesk

updates the name of the corresponding region in the audio
file. For example, if you use the Split command to create a
new soundbite, it appears in the Soundbites window with a
name like Soundbite.3. AudioDesk adds a new region to the
audio file region list called Soundbite.3 as well. At this point,
if you viewed the audio files region list with third-party
waveform editing software, you would see Soundbite.3 in the
audio files region list. If you change the name of Soundbite.3
to Low whistle in AudioDesks Soundbites window,
AudioDesk updates the name of Soundbite.3 to Low whistle
in the audio file region list as well.
Lost soundbites
At times, AudioDesk may lose track of the location of an
audio file. For example, the audio file may have been dragged
to the trash since the AudioDesk file was last saved. Or the
hard disk on which the audio file is located may be off line at
the moment. In this case, AudioDesk displays the move
handle of the soundbite with a question mark as shown
below:
Figure 14-14: AudioDesk displays this icon when it cannot play back the soundbite
for some reason.
If necessary, you can convert the soundbites sample rate

using the Convert Audio File mini-menu item.
Selecting unused soundbites
While you work with AudioDesk, you may find that you have
many soundbites in the list, but some of them are not going
to be used in the sequence and are no longer needed for any
other purpose.
The Select unused soundbites command searches through
every track in every sequence in the file to determine which
soundbites are being used in a track and which ones are not.
It then highlights all the soundbites that are not being used.
Once highlighted, you can inspect, audition, delete, or group
them as desired to clean up the list.
To select unused soundbites, choose Select unused soundbites
from the Soundbites window mini-menu. All soundbites that
are not being used in a track become highlighted in the
Soundbites window list.
Figure 14-13: AudioDesk displays this icon when it does not currently know the
location of the audio file containing the soundbite.
Finding lost soundbites

If AudioDesk does not know the location of a soundbite as
shown in Figure 14-13, you can remind AudioDesk where it
is using the Replace Soundbite command in the Audio menu.
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
Deleting soundbites
The Delete command in the Soundbites window mini-menu
removes currently selected soundbites from the list. In
addition, the soundbites corresponding region is removed
from the audio file region list as shown in Figure 14-17 below
(unless the region is being used as part of a playlist in the
audio file).
Note that the Delete command will only delete the actual audio
data when the last soundbite referring to an audio file is
deleted. If you want to delete just a portion of the audio data
from an audio file, use the Compact command. See
Compacting audio files on page 82. If you do not want
AudioDesk to remove the region from the audio file region
list (because it is used in another AudioDesk project, for
example), use the Remove from list command described in
the next section.
Deleting soundbites that are currently being used in a
track
If a soundbite you are deleting is being used in a track,
AudioDesk presents a warning box as shown below.
Figure 14-16: Hold down the Option key while choosing Delete from the minimenu to bypass this warning.
Removing soundbites from the soundbites list without

deleting their corresponding region in the audio file
There may be times that you wish to delete a soundbite from
the list, but you do not want to delete its corresponding
region in the audio file region list as shown in Figure 14-17
on page 78. For example, the region might be part of a
sequence in another AudioDesk project. In this situation, use
the Remove from list command.
Once this command severs the connection between the
soundbite and the region in the audio file, you wont have
access to the region unless you import it again. (See
Importing and exporting audio on page 73.) Also, after
removing a soundbite from the list, you cannot compact its
audio data without first importing it and then deleting the
soundbite. (See Compacting audio files on page 82 for
more information.)
Audio file (before deleting)
Audio file (after deleting)
Audio data
Audio data
Regions
Playlists
Regions
Playlists
Gruve Fill
Mini Fill
Figure 14-15: Deleting soundbites removes their corresponding region in the audio file.
Just the region and its pointers are removed; not the actual audio data.
Audio file
(before Remove from list)
Audio file
(after Remove from list)
Audio data
Audio data
Regions
Gruve Fill
Mini Fill
Playlists
Regions
Playlists
Gruve Fill
Mini Fill
Figure 14-17: The Remove from list command leaves the region list in the
audio file untouched. You can re-import the soundbites later, if desired.
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
Deleting the last soundbite in an audio file

If you delete a soundbite, and it is the last soundbite
belonging to a particular audio file, AudioDesk asks you if
you wish to completely remove (delete) the audio file from
the hard disk:
2 Hold down the Option key and choose Delete from the
Soundbites window mini-menu.
All of the highlighted soundbites are removed from the list,
and their parent audio files are deleted from the hard disk.
Compacting audio files
The Compact command in the Soundbites window minimenu deletes portions of an audio file that are not part of a
soundbite and then closes the gaps between the leftover
regions. For more information, see Compacting audio files
on page 82.
DRAGGING AND DROPPING SOUNDBITES

Remember, AudioDesk is cautious about deleting audio data:
it never deletes audio data that is possibly being used in other
files. Therefore, if an audio file has regions in its regions list,
AudioDesk wont allow you to accidentally delete it.
You can drag and drop soundbites into the Edit window,
the Mac desktop or any window in the Finder. To do so, grab
the move handle of the soundbite as shown below in and
drop it into the desired window.
Bypassing warning dialogs when deleting audio files

You can bypass warning dialog boxes by holding down the
Option key while you choose Delete or Remove from list from
the mini-menu. AudioDesk proceeds as if you answer Yes to
the alerts.
In the Edit window the soundbite is placed at the point in the

track you drop it onto. If you hold down the Command key
while dragging, the soundbite will snap to the end of the
previous soundbite from the drop point or to the beginning
of the track. For more information, see Dragging and
dropping audio into the Edit window on page 136.
Deleting an audio file that contains regions

If an audio file contains regions, but you are absolutely sure
that you want to throw away the file, you can do so by
dragging the file into the trash in the Finder.
Getting rid of unused soundbites after a session
After a recording session with AudioDesk, you can quickly
get rid of all the soundbites that you did not use in a track as
follows:
1 Choose Select unused soundbites from the Soundbites
window mini-menu.
This highlights all soundbites that are not being used in a
track.
For more information about dragging and dropping

soundbites to and from the Mac OS Finder (to import and
export them), see Importing and exporting audio by drag &
drop on page 73.
WORKING WITH MULTIPLE SAMPLE FORMATS

AudioDesk can use 16-bit integer and 24-bit integer audio
files together in the same project, without any conversions.
CONVERTING AN AUDIO FILE

The Convert Audio File command in the Soundbites window
mini-menu allows you to change the sample rate, sample
format (bit depth), file format (AIFF, Broadcast WAVE, or
Figure 14-18: Dragging and dropping Soundbites into the Edit window. .
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
Sound Designer II), or interleave format of an audio file or

soundbite. Like AudioDesks other file-based constructive
DSP processes, these operations can occur in the
background. For complete details, see chapter 43, Audio File
Conversion (page 236).
AUTOMATIC CONVERSIONS
AudioDesk can automatically convert audio data wherever
necessary to make it conform to the current projects sample
rate. Because processing is initiated automatically and
carried out via background processing (for lengthy
operations), these auto-conversion features greatly
streamline the process of importing audio quickly into your
projects, or the process of converting the entire project to a
different sample rate. For complete details, see Automatic
Conversions on page 86.
RELOAD SOUNDBITE
Reload Soundbite (Audio menu) updates a soundbite to
match its corresponding region in the audio file. For
example, if you trim the edges of a region with other
software, the Reload Soundbite command updates the
soundbite in your AudioDesk project to use the new edge
boundaries. This command is useful after using the Edit in
Waveform Editor command (see below). For more
information, see Reload Soundbite on page 172.
REPLACE SOUNDBITE
Replace Soundbite replaces a soundbite with a completely
different region. For example, if you have inserted a
soundbite called Riff in many places throughout your
sequence, but later you record a better-sounding riff, you can
quickly replace the old one with the new one using Replace
Soundbite. For more information, see Replace Soundbite
on page 174.
VIEWING MORE SOUND FILE INFORMATION

To view more information for a soundbite or audio file, such
as the length in samples, the creation or last edited date &
time, Automatic Conversions settings, sync point, and more,
use the Sound File Information window.
For details on the Sound File Information window, see
Sound File Information on page 149.
EDIT IN WAVEFORM EDITOR

The Edit in Waveform Editor switches you directly into a
third-party waveform editor, such as BIAS Peak, for pencil
tool editing of the waveform and other tasks. For details, see
Edit in Waveform Editor on page 174.
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SOUNDBITES WINDOW
CHAPTER 15
OVERVIEW
the information for the parent audio file in the Sound File
Information window. If necessary, you can make the window
larger to see the entire path.
This chapter tells you:
Where audio files are stored on disk
If you copy a file onto another volume and delete the original,
AudioDesk will not know about it and will ask you to find it.
How to manage the audio files associated with an

AudioDesk project
WORKING WITH MULTIPLE DRIVES
How to get rid of unused audio
How to reclaim hard disk space using the Compact

command
The Audio Files folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Renaming audio files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Moving audio files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with multiple drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deleting audio files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Getting rid of unused audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Compacting an entire project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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THE AUDIO FILES FOLDER

As explained in Components of an AudioDesk Project on
page 37, each AudioDesk project includes an Audio Files
folder (Figure 10-1 on page 37).
The Audio Files folder keeps track of all of the audio files for
an AudioDesk project. In a new project, takefiles are placed
in the Audio Files folder by default. You can record an entire
AudioDesk session without concern for the location of the
audio files you record because AudioDesk will automatically
store them by default in this folder. However, audio files do
not have to be located in this folder. For example, you might
import an audio file into the project that is located on
another hard drive. Or you might want to record audio on
another hard drive that has much more free space on it. (See
Checking the current takefile location on page 120.)
RENAMING AUDIO FILES

You can rename audio files at any time by editing the file
name in the Finder or by Option-clicking its name in the
Soundbites window. In either case, AudioDesk automatically
updates the name in the other location so that they always
match.
MOVING AUDIO FILES

You can freely move audio files to any location you want and
AudioDesk will automatically keep track of them. You can
even place them on a different hard drive. If you are not sure
where an audio file is, and you would like to find out, click
one of its soundbites in the Soundbites window and look at
Since AudioDesk does not care on which hard drive you

record and store your audio files, you can store audio files for
a single AudioDesk project on several different hard drives.
This can help improve the overall disk performance of your
system because it distributes the intensive disk accessing
burden across more than one disk.
DELETING AUDIO FILES

You can delete audio files by dragging them into the trash in
the Finder. The only drawback to this method is that you
cant view or audition the regions that the file contains to
verify that you dont need them. If you want to inspect the
soundbites in the audio file before deleting it, use
AudioDesks Soundbites window. Open the AudioDesk file
associated with the audio file (or import its soundbites into
AudioDesk) and do the following:
1 View by file name (using the View by menu the top of the
window).
This groups the soundbites together by audio file.
2 If you want to check the soundbites by listening to them,
turn on the Audible Mode button (in the Control Panel) and
click them.
3 Drag over their names to highlight them.
4 Choose Delete from the mini-menu and answer Yes when
asked if you would like to delete the audio file.
As a shortcut, hold down the Option key when selecting the
Delete mini-menu command to bypass the warning dialog.
GETTING RID OF UNUSED AUDIO

AudioDesk provides several simple techniques for
permanently removing unused audio data from the hard
drive. You can employ these techniques at any time to
generate more free hard disk space. Just be aware that they
permanently remove audio data, so be careful when
choosing what to delete. The next few sections cover these
techniques.
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Selecting and deleting unused soundbites

The Soundbites window mini-menu has an item called Select
Unused Soundbites. This command highlights all soundbites
in the list that are not being used in any track in any sequence
in the file. (For more information, see Selecting unused
soundbites on page 77.)
If the data is part of a region in the audio files region list, it is

not deleted.
If the data is not part of a region, it is deleted.
The key to successfully compacting a file is to make sure that
the region list in the audio file contains regions that you want
to keep, and only those regions that you want to keep.
How do you do this? With the Soundbites window. If you
delete a soundbite that you want to discard, AudioDesk
removes the soundbites corresponding region in the audio
files region list (see Deleting soundbites on page 78), and
the remaining audio data is deleted when compacted.
Conversely, soundbites that are not deleted are not
compacted.
Once highlighted, you can delete the soundbites by choosing

Delete from the mini-menu.
Compacting audio files
After a recording session, you should get rid of all the data
that ended up not being used in any of the tracks to reclaim
significant amounts of free space on the hard disk.
Compacting is a process that deletes portions of an audio file
that are not part of a soundbite and then closes the gaps
between the leftover regions.
As shown in Figure 15-1, the unused data between
soundbites is removed, and the remaining soundbites are
placed end to end. Compacting conserves disk space by
removing unwanted data from within a file, while preserving
data being used for soundbites.
You can compact all audio files at once or individually.
When compacting occurs, there is only one criterion for
determining if data is thrown out:
If any audio data in the audio file is being used by other

AudioDesk files, it is not deleted by these commands as long
as you have not deleted the region from the audio files region
list with AudioDesk or other sample editing software.
AudioDesk does not delete any regions in the audio file, even
if they are not used in the currently open AudioDesk file.
Since compacting results in the erasure of audio data on the
hard disk, and possibly very large amounts of audio data, this
operation may take a few moments, depending on how much
audio data is being removed.
To compact one or more audio files:
1 (Optional) Choose Select unused soundbites from the
Soundbites window mini-menu.
This highlights all of the soundbites that are not being used
in any track in the file. These are likely candidates for
disposal.
Is the data part of a region in the audio files region list?
All unused audio

gets removed.
Audio file before compacting:
Soundbite A
Soundbite B
Soundbite C
Audio file after compacting:

Soundbite A
Soundbite B
Soundbite C
Figure 15-1: Compacting removes all audio data that doesnt fall within an existing
region. Depending on how much unused audio gets removed, this process can free
up large amounts of space on the hard disk.
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AUDIO FILE MANAGEMENT
2 Delete all soundbites from the Soundbites window that

you want to discard using the Delete command in the minimenu.
If necessary, you can audition ones that you arent sure about
using Audible mode. To delete the soundbite, highlight its
name and choose Delete from the mini-menu. Dont use the
Remove from list commandit will not remove the regions
from their audio files.
3 Highlight a soundbite from each audio file that you wish
to compact.
If you want to compact all the audio files, choose Select All
from the Edit menu (or press Command-A).
4 Choose Compact from the Soundbites window minimenu.
The compacting operation may take some time. After
compacting, an alert box informs you that disc space wont
actually be reclaimed until after you flush the undo history,
which permanently discards the data removed by the
compact operation. If you click Dont Flush, then the
compacted data is preserved in the undo history, and youll
still have a chance to recover it if you change your mind. If
you click Flush, then the undo history is flushed, and the data
removed by the compact operation is permanently discarded
(and therefore becomes unrecoverable).
The first case is rare. It isnt often that you want to delete a
region from anywhere other than the file it was first created
in. Otherwise, the region is probably there for a purpose
and therefore you dont really want to delete it.
To avoid the second case, only use the Remove from list
command with soundbites you are absolutely sure that you will
never want to discard. Otherwise, they might take up
precious hard disk space without you even knowing it. If this
is the case, import the region into AudioDesk and then delete
the soundbite with the Delete command.
COMPACTING AN ENTIRE PROJECT

The Compact Project command (File menu) provides a
unified, comprehensive way to discard unused audio, flush
the undo history and reduce a projects overall size on disk.
Compact Project is specially designed to eliminate the items
you choose in the dialog in the optimum order to achieve
maximum efficiency in compacting the project.
You can use this feature at any time you wish during the
course of a project, but it flushes the entire undo history, so
beware. This feature is particularly useful for project
archiving, as it can significantly reduce the projects footprint
on disk, making it much easier to archive.
Warning: Compact Project affects the original project,

and it permanently discards data that is flushed during the
compacting process.
Compacting wont work if

There is one condition in which compacting wont do the
right thing for you: if the data you want to get rid of exists as
a region in the audio file and there is no corresponding
soundbite for it in AudioDesks Soundbites window. This
situation can arise if:
the region wasnt created in the current AudioDesk file
OR
Figure 15-2: The Compact Project command.
at some point you highlighted the region and chose the

Remove from list mini-menu command, which removes the
soundbite name from the Soundbites window but doesnt
delete the corresponding region from the audio file region
list.
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AUDIO FILE MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 16
Printing
To print the contents of a list window, such as the Markers

Window, the Sequences window, or the Commands window:
1 Bring the window you want to print to the front to make it
the active window.
To do so, click its title bar or choose its name from the
Windows menu.
2 Choose Page Setup from the File menu, make any desired
changes to the page settings, and click OK to confirm the
settings.
The options that appear in this dialog box depend on the
type of printer you are using. For example, if you are printing
on a laser printer, you can choose an enlargement or
reduction above or below 100%.
3 Choose Print from the File menu.
The standard print setup dialog box appears for your printer.
4 Set up the printer options as needed, such as the number
of copies, and click OK.
The entire contents of the list is printed.
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Part 3
Customizing Your
Workspace
CHAPTER 17
Preferences
OVERVIEW
Restoring factory default settings

To restore factory default settings for the current preferences
being displayed in the window (as indicated by what is
currently selected in the list), click the Defaults button.
The Preferences command (AudioDesk menu) let you

further customize your AudioDesk workspace.
The Preferences window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Automatic Conversions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Edit Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Information Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Region Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Soundbite List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Audio Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Audio Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Auto Scroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Background Processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Countoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Receive Sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transmit Sync. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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THE PREFERENCES WINDOW

To view a set of preferences, click their name in the list. The
settings are displayed on the right. Fly-over help is supplied
in the Description section below: when you move the cursor
over a setting, a brief explanation of it appears below.
Reverting
If you have made changes to the current preferences being
displayed in the window (as indicated by what is currently
selected in the list), and you change your mind and wish to
go back to the settings as they were before you made changes,
click the Revert button.
Closing the Preferences window
Changes you make in the Preferences and Settings window
go into effect as soon as you make them. To close the window,
click its close button, or click the Done button.
AudioDesk can automatically convert audio data wherever
necessary to make it conform to the current projects sample
rate. Because processing is initiated automatically and
carried out via background processing (for lengthy
operations), these auto-conversion features greatly
streamline the process of importing audio quickly into your
projects, or the process of converting the entire project to a
different sample rate.
The Automatic Conversions preferences (Figure 17-2)
provides a global switch (the Enable Automatic Conversions
option), and it also allows you to further specify your
preferences for how audio is automatically converted.
Figure 17-2: The automatic audio file conversion preferences.
Figure 17-1: AudioDesk preferences.
Enabling and disabling automatic conversions

Use the Enable Automatic Conversions check box to turn
automatic conversions on or off for the current project. This
setting is saved with the project. You can also toggle this
setting with a key binding.
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Automatic conversion settings

The following settings let you customize how files are
automatically converted.
On Import
This option converts audio when it is first imported into
AudioDesk.
Whenever File Doesnt Match Project
These options do the same thing as the On Import option,
plus they automatically convert audio whenever
circumstances arise where the audio no longer matches the
project. For example, if you decide to change the projects
sample rate, say from 48 kHz to 44.1 kHz, all audio will
automatically be sample rate converted. Needless to say, you
need to be mindful of making changes like this, as very large
amounts of audio data can be generated as a result of using
these options.
Never
Choose this option when you dont want audio files to be
automatically converted for this file characteristic.
EDIT WINDOW
Figure 17-4: Region window preferences.
Apply closes window: Makes the window close when you

click the Apply button or press Enter.
Apply sends window to back: Causes the window to go to the

back when you click the Apply button or press the Enter key.
Apply with Enter key sends window to back: Causes the

window to stay in front when you click the Apply button and
go to the back when you press the Enter key.
SOUNDBITE LIST
For details about the Soundbite list column setup
preferences, see Showing/hiding columns in the soundbite
list on page 70
TOOLS
These two preferences for the Tool palette allow you to
automatically dock the Tool palette to the edge of the Edit
window, either vertically or horizontally.
Vertical Tool palette
This check box option, when enabled, causes the Tool palette
to assume a vertical orientation.
Figure 17-3: The Edit Window preferences.
Track Selector button

This preference determines the behavior of the track selector
button found in the Edit window and Mixing Board. For
details, see Track Selector on page 149.
Edit Window guides
The Show marker grid lines and Show edit grid lines options
toggle (show or hide) the display of lines extending
downwards from the Edit Window time rulers through the
data grid from markers in the marker strip or beats in the
time ruler (for the Edit Grid).
INFORMATION BAR
This preference pane is used to configure how the
Information Bar will appear in each edit window. For more
information, see Information Bar on page 151.
REGION COMMANDS
The Region Commands preferences determines the behavior
of audio plug-in windows when you apply them as offline
region commands. You can choose one of the following three
options:
Auto Position Tool Palette

This check box option, when enabled, allows you to dock
the tool palette to the outside edge of the Edit window. Just
drag the Tool Palette near the desired edge of the Edit
window, and it will snap to the outside edge, justified to the
nearest corner. Press control- (tilde) to toggle the Tool
palette between a vertical or horizontal orientation. When it
is vertical, it will snap to the left or right edge of the Edit
window. When it is horizontal, it will snap to the top or
bottom edge.
Once the Tool palette is docked, it will remain at its docked
position until you move it. If the docking position is offscreen when you first bring the Edit window to the front, the
palette will automatically jump to the opposite edge, if
currently visible.
If you resize the Edit window with the zoom button in its title
bar, it will automatically leave room for the docked Tool
palette.
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PREFERENCES
When using Broadcast WAVE, if a file will be smaller than

4 GB at the end of an audio recording pass, the resulting file
will be a regular Broadcast WAVE file. If the resulting file will
be larger than 4 GB, it will use the industry standard Wave64
extension to the Broadcast WAVE file format.
Figure 17-5: The Tool palette docked to the upper left corner of the Edit window.
The palette automatically docks itself to the Edit window (if the docking option is
enabled).
AUDIO FILES
Audio file defaults

Default Author / Default Copyright determine the default
text for these items in new audio files. These fields are saved
in the audio files and can be view in the Sound File
Information window.
Broadcast Wave Organization Code is the three-character
organization code that AudioDesk includes in the Unique
Source Identifier field of all Broadcast WAVE format files.
Refer to EBU document I30-1997 or www.ebu.ch for more
information.
Audio File Locations
AudioDesk provides several global preferences (that apply
across all projects) for choosing where imported or
converted audio is stored on disk.
Copy Audio to Project Folder options
These options control where imported audio files are stored,
including audio files that do not need to be converted into
AudioDesks native file format.
Figure 17-6: The Audio Files preferences
Project File Format and Default File Format

AudioDesk supports a variety of audio formats:
File Formats: AIFF, Broadcast WAVE, Sound Designer II
Sample Formats: 16-bit integer and 24-bit integer
Interleaved Formats: interleaved and deinterleaved
Here you can specify the default settings for new projects and
the settings for the current project. These settings affect
newly recorded or created files; they do not affect existing
files in your project.
Wave64
If you anticipate creating audio files larger than 4 GB, choose
the Broadcast WAVE file format.
How quickly you create a 4 GB file depends on the

channelization, sample rate, and sample format. When
recording as an interleaved stereo 16 bit 44.1 kHz file, it takes
about 6.7 hours to create a 4 GB file, but only about 1 hour
when recording as an interleaved stereo 24 bit 192 kHz file.
AudioDesk supports a variety of native audio file formats:

mono and stereo AIFF, Broadcast WAVE, and Sound
Designer II files, interleaved or deinterleaved, in 16-bit and
24-bit integer formats. If you import audio that is already in
one of these formats, it does not need to be converted.
However, you may find it to be convenient for AudioDesk to
automatically copy the imported file into the projects Audio
Files folder anyway, so that all audio for the project, imported
and otherwise, is consolidated in one place. If so, choose the
Always copy Imported Audio To Project Folder option. If you
only want this to happen when the imported audio is in nonnative format and needs to be converted, choose the Only
when format is not a playable file format option. If, however,
you want even converted files to remain in the same folder as
their originals (instead of the projects Audio Files folder),
choose the Never option.
Store converted or processed files options
These options control where converted or processed files are
stored. The In Project folder option refers to the Audio Files
folder in the project folder. This option ensures that the audio
files are always consolidated together in the project folder.
The With Original File option stores converted files in the
same folder as the original file.
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PREFERENCES
AUDIO OPTIONS
RECEIVE SYNC
The audio preferences apply to AudioDesks audio recording

features.
For details about the Receive Sync settings, see Receive

Sync on page 252.
Show alert when playback overloads the processor(s)

When this preference option is checked, AudioDesk will
display an alert dialog when system resources do not allow it
to play back audio without interruption. In other words, if
the clip light in the Performance Monitor (Studio menu)
lights up, this option will also cause an alert dialog to appear.
This option is useful for circumstances where you want to be
sure that playback is completely uninterrupted, such as when
you are transferring your final mix to a DAT tape. To alleviate
processor load, bounce effects to disk and quit other
applications, which can add additional strain to your
computer's CPU resources.
TRANSMIT SYNC
For details about the Transmit Sync settings, see Transmit
Sync on page 256.
TRANSPORT
The Transport preference controls the behavior of the Wait
button.
MultiRecord is always on for audio tracks

Causes audio tracks to always be in this mode.
AUTO SCROLL
For details about the Auto Scroll settings, see Autoscrolling on page 107.
BACKGROUND PROCESSING
For details about the background processing preferences, see
chapter 45, Background Processing (page 240).
DOCUMENT
Choose how you would like AudioDesk to open when you
first launch the application. AudioDesk can do one of four
things:
Open a new project.
Present you with the Open file dialog box.
Neither of the above. In this case, no window or dialog box

appears. Instead, AudioDesks menu bar appears at the top of
the screen, and the only menu available is the File menu,
from which you can choose New or Open.
Figure 17-7: Transport preferences.
When a note is played

If the When a note is played option is chosen, the main
transport will start moving when a MIDI note-on is received.
When a note or controller is played
If this option is chosen, the transport will start when a MIDI
note-on or MIDI controller event is received.
On any MIDI activity
If this option is chosen, the transport will start moving when
any MIDI data is received, except for active sensing or MIDI
clock.
HELP
Help tags
There is a Show Help Tags checkable item under the Help
menu.
Open the project you last had open.
Upgrading command bindings

These preferences let you choose what to do with your
Command key bindings when upgrading to a new version of
AudioDesk. For details, see Upgrading command bindings
on page 92.
CLICK
For details about the click options, see Click preferences on
page 110.
COUNTOFF
For details about the countoff options, see Countoff
options on page 111.
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PREFERENCES
When checked, you can hover over most items for a second
or two and a tooltip description of the item will appear.
Checking for updates

AudioDesk can automatically check for new versions. When
a new version is available, a dialog will prompt you with
options to download or skip the update.
Figure 18: Automatic update check
This automatic check can be disabled by deselecting

Help menu > Check for Updates Automatically. To check for
updates manually, choose Help menu > Check for Updates
Now.
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PREFERENCES
CHAPTER 19
Commands
OVERVIEW
The Commands window lets you assign keyboard shortcuts
to AudioDesk functions. This allows you to use your Macs
keyboard to quickly execute AudioDesk operations.
Opening the commands window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Navigating the commands window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Command groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sequence remote assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Export Key Bindings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Import Key Bindings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Upgrading command bindings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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OPENING THE COMMANDS WINDOW

The Commands window is opened by choosing it from the
Setup menu. The window contains a list of all assignable
commands in AudioDesk. It is arranged in columns that
display the command name and two keyboard assignments.
Browsing with the list navigation commands

You can use the List Navigation Commands to navigate the
Commands window, select any command and give it a
keyboard shortcut.
Figure 19-2: Use the List Navigation
COMMAND GROUPS
Commands are visually organized into logical groups. For
example, all menu items found under the File menu are
grouped together. Each group can be displayed or hidden by
clicking the disclosure triangle to the left of the group name.
Option-clicking a disclosure triangle will show or hide all
groups.
NAVIGATING THE COMMANDS WINDOW

There are several ways to search and browse in the
Commands window.
Searching for commands
Type in a text string at the top of the window. As you type a
search term, the window will update in realtime to display
the relevant results.
closed disclosure triangle

open disclosure triangle
ASSIGNMENTS
To assign a keyboard shortcut to a given command, simply
click in the Mac Key column of a command and a field will
appear indicating it is ready to receive a key stroke from the
keyboard. The key or combination of key and modifiers you
press at this time will be entered into the field.
There are two keyboard shortcuts available for any given
command. For example, the Slave to External Sync command
could be mapped to both Command-7 and Option-S.
You can use any key you want, except for the delete key,
which removes the current keyboard shortcut, if any.
For your convenience, keyboard shortcut assignments are
displayed in AudioDesks menus.
SEQUENCE REMOTE ASSIGNMENT
Figure 19-1: To search for a command, type in a text string and click Search.
When you create new sequences, AudioDesk automatically

gives them control assignments if Add sequence selection
commands automatically is checked in the Commands
window mini-menu. The first sequence in a file is assigned to
the a key on your Mac keyboard. The second is assigned to
the letter b, then c, and so on. AudioDesk automatically
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avoids all conflicts with other existing Commands, skipping

letters as needed so the sequence wont have the same letter as
another command.
EXPORT KEY BINDINGS

Commands are stored in the Command Bindings file
inside the AudioDesk Preferences folder. Key bindings can
also be exported to a file which can be imported at a later
date.
UPGRADING COMMAND BINDINGS

There are several preferences in the Preferences and Settings
window (AudioDesk menu) for the Commands window.
These preferences let you decide what to do with your
Command key bindings when upgrading to a new version of
AudioDesk:
This allows you to:

Create libraries of key binding sets with different personalities.
Back up your key bindings.
Export your key bindings for use on another AudioDesk

system.
Save your key bindings before importing another set.
To export a set of key bindings, select Export Key Bindings

from the Commands window mini-menu.
Figure 19-4: Options for the Commands window.
Ignore new commands

This option does not add new commands introduced in a
new version of AudioDesk (if any) to the Commands
window.
Merge new commands
This option merges any new commands included with a new
version of AudioDesk with your current set of commands. If
you have customized any key bindings, they will be
preserved.
Figure 19-3: The Commands window mini-menu.
This will bring up the standard MacOS save dialog box where
you can name your key bindings file and choose a location
where it will be saved.
IMPORT KEY BINDINGS

Key bindings can be imported from previously exported
files. AudioDesk comes with a set of key binding files that
match the operation of other sequencing and digital audio
packages. If you are upgrading to AudioDesk from another
software package, you may find it helpful to load the key
bindings from your old software to ease the transition. Be
sure to check the MOTU web site (www.motu.com) for
updated and additional key binding sets.
Merge new commands and save the old ones

This option does the same as the option above, but it also
saves a copy of your old command set on disk in your Mac
OS X user directory, in case you wish to revert back to the old
set using the Commands window mini-menu Import
command.
Ask when upgrading commands
Check this option if you would like to be asked what to do
with your commands when upgrading to a new version of
AudioDesk.
To import a set of key bindings, select Import Key Bindings

from the Commands window mini-menu (Figure 19-3).
This will bring up the standard MacOS open dialog box
where you can choose a key bindings file to import.
When importing commands, AudioDesk gives you the
option of merging the new shortcuts (ones that differ from
your current shortcuts) with your current set, and you can
save or print a list of bindings that dont match.
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COMMANDS
Part 4
Playing and Recording
Audio Bundles
CHAPTER 20
OVERVIEW
The Audio Bundles window serves as the crucial link
between the virtual mixing world in AudioDesk and the
audio hardware that is physically connected to your
computer. The Audio Bundles window provides a convenient
layer between them that lets you effectively manage audio
inputs and outputs.
Audio bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Three tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding and deleting bundles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Renaming bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with tiles on the grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bundle channel formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reassigning bundles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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AUDIO BUNDLES
Inputs, outputs and busses are all accessed via audio bundles.
An audio bundle groups together a set of ins, outs or busses,
then lets you refer to that group as a single entity. Audio
bundles provides a layer of indirection between the audio
assignment menus and the inputs, outputs and busses they
contain. This is similar to how style sheets work in word
processing programs. Instead of defining Times, 12pt for
sections of text, you define a style called Body Text whose
properties are Times, 12pt This way, you can re-format
your entire document by simply redefining what Body Text
means.
In AudioDesk, you could have a large project consisting of

many sequences with complex output and bussing
assignments. Should you decide to switch a bus from an
outboard reverb to an internal plug-in, the Audio Bundles
window allows you to rewire your entire project in a single
operation.
You can even change the behavior of existing bundles. If you
decide you want to make a mono mix of your stereo project,
simply change your primary output assignment from a
stereo bundle to a mono bundle.
Bundles allows you to clean up your assignment menus,
choosing only to display bundles that youll actually use. For
example, you might not need to look at 24 outputs from a
single audio interface.
Once a bundle is defined, it is available on the input and
output assignments menus throughout AudioDesk.
THREE TABS
The Bundles window has three tabs that display inputs,
outputs, and busses. Click on a tab to view the type of bundle
you wish to edit. Before adding or removing bundles, be sure
you are looking at the correct tab.
ADDING AND DELETING BUNDLES

At the bottom of the Audio Bundles window, you will find
four buttons (Figure 20-1). Click the Add button to add a
single bundle, or if you need to create a number of bundles,
Tabs
Available inputs,
outputs or busses
Bundle type menu

Bundle type (model)
Handle to rearrange the
order of bundles
A mono bundle
Add/delete bundle
buttons
Figure 20-1: The Bundles window (Studio menu).
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click the Add multiple button. Bundles can be deleted by

selecting a bundle and clicking the delete button. Use the Del.
Unused button to get rid of all bundles shown in the list that
are not currently being used in the project.
The names of the row and column under the mouse cursor
are now highlighted, making it easier to determine which
row and column you are currently in.
Creating an audio bundle from assignment menus

Anywhere in AudioDesk where you can choose an input or
output assignment, such as in the Edit window, you can also
create a new bundle.
Figure 21: Highlighting in the Bundles window
BUNDLE CHANNEL FORMATS

Once youve created a bundle, choose a channel format for it
(mono or stereo) from the menu to its right, as shown below.
Figure 20-2: Creating a new output bundle from the Edit window.
Once a bundle is defined, it will remain available until the

bundle is deleted.
RENAMING BUNDLES
By renaming a bundle, you can create your own names for
audio inputs, outputs and buses. For example, instead of
generic terms like Analog 1, you could name an audio input
in your system My U87 Mic. The customized bundle name
will appear in all menus that display audio inputs, outputs
and/or virtual buses.
To name a bundle, double click or option click on a bundle
name. When youre done, hit the return key. The enter key
moves the edit field to the next bundle name.
Figure 21-1: Choosing a channel format for a bundle. This determines what type of
bundle it is (mono or stereo) and the number of tiles available for output and bus
assignments to the right.
Audio bundle properties are bound to a hardware driver

When you create bundles, the following properties are
bound to the audio hardware driver currently active in the
Configure Hardware Driver dialog (under Setup
menu>Configure Audio System):
the bundle model (mono or stereo)
the bundles physical output assignments (the

arrangement of the channel tiles in the grid)
Most sources or destinations are the physical inputs and

outputs on an audio interface, but they can also be busses
inside of AudioDesk.
If you switch to a different hardware driver, the bundles

youve created remain, but you can completely reconfigure
the properties listed above without disturbing these same
properties for the original hardware driver. For example, if
you are working with a MOTU 2408mk3 (or other PCI-424
based audio interface), and you then switch to a FireWire
interface like the 828mk3, you can change the physical
output assignments (move the tiles) for a bundle for the
828mkII without disturbing your 2408mk3 output
assignments.
The sources and destinations available are displayed in the

upper right corner of the audio bundles window. You may
have to scroll left to right to see the entire list. Audio bundles
are defined in the list on the left side of the screen.
Bundles and panners

The output bundle assigned to a track determines the type of
panner it has. There are two types of panners: stereo panners
and mono (direct). Stereo panners look and operate exactly
WORKING WITH TILES ON THE GRID

The Audio Bundles window consists a grid where you can
place and move tiles that route audio bundles that you define
to their sources or destinations. You make a connection by
placing a tile in the grid square that intersects the bundle
(row) with its source or destination (column).
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AUDIO BUNDLES
like stereo pan knobs on a normal mixing console. Mono

bundles remove the panner altogether, offering a direct path
from the channel to the bus or output.
Stereo panner
Mono panner
Figure 21-2: The output bundle assigned to a track determines what type of
panner it has in the Mixing Board.
A mixing board can contain multiple types of bundles. You

can mix in stereo, send multiple mono outputs to a digital
mixing board and create a stereo mix simultaneously.
Direct line outputs
Mono audio bundles allow you to bypass panners if you wish
to use AudioDesk like a tape recorder. This is useful if you use
an external mixing board to mix. In Figure 21-3 below, see
eight mono bundles are routed to eight analog outputs on a
MOTU 2408mk3 audio interface.
Figure 21-4: Moving a bundle to a different set of outputs.
To swap the left right output of a stereo bundle, drag the

bundle tile onto its opposite channel.
Stereo bundles can be split over non-adjacent destination

pairs.
Figure 21-3: A direct line out configuration for external mixing.
Hint: if your mixing board consists entirely of mono

bundle outputs, you can choose to disable the display of
panners in the mixing board by using the mixing boards
mini menu.
REASSIGNING BUNDLES
Once a bundle is defined, you can move the assignment to
another location. This is a powerful feature of bundles.
To reassign the reverb send of an entire project to a new set of
busses, simply grab the bundle tiles and move to the new
assignment.
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AUDIO BUNDLES
CHAPTER 22
Audio Tracks
OVERVIEW
TYPES OF AUDIO TRACKS
Types of audio tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Audio (disk) tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Mono tracks versus stereo tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Aux tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Master faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Creating an audio track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Creating several audio tracks at once . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Audio track settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Track type icon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Track name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Enable/disable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Audio input and output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Changing audio track settings on the fly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Making audio assignments for multiple tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Managing your computers system resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Record-enable button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Play-enable button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
The Active Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Track color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Automation settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Solo exemption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Track comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Track settings menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Waveform vertical zoom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Insert menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Level meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
AudioDesk provides these audio track types:
Audio (disk) tracks
Aux tracks
Master faders
Audio tracks are used for recording and playing hard disk
audio. Aux tracks and master faders, described later in this
chapter, are used for signal routing and mixing.
AUDIO (DISK) TRACKS

An audio track (disk track) is where digital audio data is
recorded, edited, and played back. It could be a recording of
a single instrument, containing any number of punch-ins
and overdubs for the instrument. Or it could contain a wide
variety of sounds occurring at different times, such as sound
effects. You can record any audio you want into an audio
track, including speech, vocals, sound effects, etc.
Audio (disk) tracks are the only type of audio track into
which you can record or place audio. They can be mono or
stereo.
MONO TRACKS VERSUS STEREO TRACKS

A mono track uses up one channels worth of audio. A stereo
track uses two channels worth of audio. Stereo tracks are
designed to support stereo recording and editing. Mono
audio tracks can only hold mono soundbites, whereas stereo
audio tracks can only hold stereo soundbites. Stereo audio
tracks have an input pair (i.e. in 1-2) instead of a single input,
like mono tracks.
AUX TRACKS
An Aux track is a special kind of audio track that routes an
input directly to an output. Think of it as an individual signal
path within AudioDesks virtual mixing environment. You
cannot record audio into an Aux track, nor can you place
pre-recorded audio into it. But you can insert and record mix
automation data into an Aux track (as well as loops).
Aux tracks are primarily intended as a routing mechanism.
Aux tracks allow you to route audio from any source to any
destination. Here are just a few examples: you can route
audio tracks to an Aux track via a bus; you can route an input
on a external audio interface (such as a MOTU 2408mk3)
directly to an output. You can route several audio tracks to a
single effects plug-in that you have placed on an Aux track
effects insert.
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CREATING SEVERAL AUDIO TRACKS AT ONCE
Figure 22-1: Aux tracks as they appear in the Edit window. They do not have a
record button, and you cannot record audio into them (or place soundbites in
them). They are meant to serve purely as a virtual routing mechanism. Notice that
the track reverb has stereo inputs.
You can add as many Aux tracks as you like, and, as

mentioned earlier, you can use them in many situations to
get audio from here to there in your system using the Aux
tracks input and output assignments. For details about
bussing and aux tracks, see chapter 39, Mixing (page 199).
MASTER FADERS
A master fader track controls the overall level of a output or
bus bundle.
If you want to add several audio tracks at once, hold down

the Option key while accessing the Project menu and choose
one of the multiple track options from the Add Track submenu.
AUDIO TRACK SETTINGS

In the Edit window, the panel to the left of each track shows
all of the settings for the track. Audio track settings are as
follows:
Input
monitor
Track name
Play/ Record- Track Level Waveform

mute enable settings meter vertical
menu
zoom
Track type icon/

color selector
Active layer
Audio output
Audio input
Automation
settings
Take
Insert menu
Figure 22-2: A master fader as it appears in the Edit window. Master faders do not
have a record button, and you cannot record audio into them (or place soundbites
in them). They are meant to serve purely as a virtual level control mechanism for
outputs and busses. Notice that the track Master-1 has stereo outputs.
Like Aux tracks, master fader tracks have no record button

(or pan knob), and you cannot place audio in them. Instead,
the master fader track provides an output assignment and
volume control and automation over the output or bus you
assign to it. The most common way to use a master fader is as
a sub-mix fader for an output (or a bus) to which you have
assigned a group of audio tracks. You can then control
(automate, process, etc.) them as a group with the master
fader. This is a great way to automate the level of a group of
tracks without having to create a fader group.
CREATING AN AUDIO TRACK

Choose Add Track from the Project menu, and then from the
Add Track sub-menu choose the desired type of audio track
you wish to create (mono or stereo audio, aux track, or
master fader). If you choose stereo, youll see the inputs for
the track shown as pairs (e.g. 1-2, 3-4, etc.) You can create as
many audio tracks as you like, although the maximum
number that youll be able to simultaneously play and record
depends on your computer.
New tracks are added to the Edit window and a fader strip is
added to the Mixing Board.
New audio tracks are named Audio-1, Audio-2, etc. You can
change the name by Option-clicking the name to pop-edit it.
Resize handle
Figure 22-3: Audio track settings. The display of these controls changes depending
on the vertical size of the track.
Track type icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Track name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Audio input and output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Enable/disable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Record-enable button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Play-enable button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
The Active Layer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Track color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Automation settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Solo exemption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Track comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Track settings menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Level meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Waveform vertical zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Insert menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
TRACK TYPE ICON

AudioDesk provides the following types of tracks, with the
following icons to identify them in the Edit window:
Icon
Track type
Mono audio track
Stereo audio track
Aux track
Master fader
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AUDIO TRACKS
Click the track icon to change the tracks color. For further
details, see Track color on page 102.
Input monitoring button,

Play-enable button,
and Record-enable button
TRACK NAME
New audio tracks are named Audio-1, Audio-2, etc. Track
names offer the following features:
Click or Command-click a track name to select the track
for deleting, duplicating and other track management tasks.
See Track management on page 130.
Option-click the track name to rename it. Use the Enter or
down arrow key to OK the name change and move to the
next track in the list. Use the up arrow key to OK the name
change and move to the previous name in the list.
Commanddouble-click a track name to open the Mixing
Board with that tracks channel showing.
Track names highlight if there is a selection in the track.
AUDIO INPUT AND OUTPUT

For each audio track, you choose an input source and output
destination as shown in Figure 22-3. The available choices
reflect the physical input and output jacks on the MOTU
audio hardware installed in or connected to your computer.
The Audio Bundles window determines what you see in these
menus. See chapter 20, Audio Bundles (page 94).
You can choose an existing input or output (or input or
output pair), or you can create a New mono bundle or New
stereo bundle to assign the track to a new input or output. Or
you can assign it to an input or output bundle that you
created in the Bundles window, as explained in chapter 20,
Audio Bundles (page 94). A red dot in the input menu
indicates that the input is currently record-enabled; bold
indicates that a bundle is currently in use.
Input
and output
destinations
Figure 22-4: A red dot next to an input indicates that a track assigned to that input
is currently record-enabled.
Output assignments
The track in Figure 22-4 above is assigned to and panned
across outputs 1 and 2. To play a track on a single output,
pan hard left or right (where the odd numbered output is left
and even is right). Alternatively, you can create a mono
bundle and assign the output to that bundle.
ENABLE/DISABLE
Audio tracks require varying amounts of computing
resources, depending on the amount of mix automation data
in the track, what plug-ins are instantiated on the track and
other factors. The audio track Enable/Disable option allows
you to temporarily take an audio track off line to free up its
computing resources. Note, however, that doing so causes
AudioDesk to re-allocate its audio engine resource. Track
enabling/disabling is not designed to produce totally smooth
transitions during playback or recording. Therefore it is best
done when AudioDesk is stopped. You can certainly do it
during playback, but it is strongly recommended that you
avoid doing so in critical listening situations.
If you wish to simply mute and unmute a track during
playback (or recording), leave it enabled and use its play
button to mute and unmute it. Doing so preserves the tracks
system resources and ensures a completely smooth
transition.
Track Enable
Each audio track has its own Enable setting (Figure 22-5). In
the Edit window, Mixing Board and other windows that
display track settings in menus, this setting is a checkable
menu item. When a track is disabled, it relinquishes all of its
system resources. But note that bringing it back on line is not
instantaneous.
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AUDIO TRACKS
checked, causes master faders to be left alone. If, for some

reason, you would like them to be included, you can
unchecked this option.
Audio track
enable
Figure 22-5: Audio track enable.
MONITORING AN AUDIO TRACK INPUT

AudioDesk lets you listen to the live input signal being fed to
a track via its chosen hardware input by patching thru the
input signal to the tracks output destination. See Audio
monitoring (audio patch thru) on page 113.
CHANGING AUDIO TRACK SETTINGS ON THE FLY

You can change audio track input, output, and send
assignments while playing. However, as noted above,
enabling or disabling a track entirely to free up its system
resources is best done when AudioDesk is stopped.
MAKING AUDIO ASSIGNMENTS FOR MULTIPLE

TRACKS
The Audio Assignments command in the Studio menu
provides a convenient way to reassign audio inputs and
outputs. Just select the tracks you wish to assign and then
choose this command.
MANAGING YOUR COMPUTERS SYSTEM

RESOURCES
The number of tracks you can play or record at the same time
depends on the computing resources provided by your Mac.
See Studio configuration on page 15 to optimize your
system for the maximum number of audio tracks.
Track bouncing with the Bounce command
One way to hear more tracks at once is to mix many tracks
down to one track. You can do this freely in AudioDesk
because in the realm of digital audio, there is no noise
accumulation as a result of digital mixing. Another great
advantage to digital mixing is that the original tracks remain
intact, so you can always go back to them if you want (or you
can delete them to free up space on your hard disk). You can
even create multiple versions of a mix and quickly A/B the
mixes. For more information about using the Bounce
command, see chapter 47, Bounce To Disk (page 245).
RECORD-ENABLE BUTTON
The record-enable button arms the track for recording.
When the track is armed, the button is red. Multiple audio
tracks may be record-enabled at one time.
Record-enable buttons are only present if the sequence is
selected for playback in the Sequences window.
To arm several adjacent audio tracks, glide the cursor over
their record buttons (with the mouse button held down).
PLAY-ENABLE BUTTON
Figure 22-6: The Audio Assignments feature.
Assigning inputs and outputs

You can choose to include or exclude inputs or outputs with
the check boxes provided. You can either assign them to the
same input/output pair or assign them to consecutive input/
output pairs (1-2, then 3-4, etc., for example), starting with
the pair that you choose in the menu.
Skipping master faders
Typically, youll quickly select all tracks when using the audio
assignments feature. But master faders usually have their
own special output assignment and should therefore be
excluded from the audio assignment operation. For your
convenience, the Skip Master Fader tracks option, when
The Play-Enable button engages a track for playback. When

the button is green, the track plays; when the button is white,
the track is muted. If muted, the data for the track is still
there; you are just silencing the track during playback. Click
the button to toggle between these two states.
Any number of tracks may be play-enabled at one time, but
your computer ultimately determines how many tracks you
can truly play all at once.
When Solo mode is engaged, clicking the play button toggles
between play-enabled (green) and muted (orange) or
disabled (white), depending on its state before entering solo
mode.
Here are a few shortcuts for play-enabling tracks: to toggle
the status of several tracks at one time, just drag (glide)
over their play buttons. To Play-enable all tracks except for
one, command click its play-enable button. To play-enable
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AUDIO TRACKS
only one track and unplay-enable all others, Option-click the

tracks play-enable button. This convention also applies
throughout AudioDesk to similar toggle buttons.
Duplicate Take
Creates an exact duplicate of the current take, including all of
the data in the track. The current take is the one with the
check mark next to it in the top portion of the menu.
For important information about track soloing and how it

relates to the play-enable buttons, see Soloing Tracks on
page 107.
Delete Take
Gets rid of the current take.
TAKES
Delete all except current take

Gets rid of all takes except the current take.
A take stores the contents of the track. Each track can have an
unlimited number of takes. If you want to keep what is
already in a track, but you want to try an alternative version
of it (either recorded from scratch or based on the current
take), choose New Take or Duplicate Take from the Take
menu. The original data is preserved in its own take, which
you can always return to by choosing it by name from the
Take menu.
Takes are great for cycle-recording. If youd like to try
recording again the next time through the loop, just choose
New Take from the menu. Your previous take is saved, and a
new, empty take is ready to be recorded into. After you are
done, you can either pick the best take, or even build a final
composite take made of the best parts of several takes by
cutting and pasting.
Take menu
The Take menu has several commands to help you manage
your takes:
Multiple takes indicator

When a track contains multiple takes, a bullet () is displayed
to the right of the take name. This provides a way of knowing
at a glance if each track has multiple takes without having to
inspect the Take menu of each track individually.
Takes interact with multiple mixdowns
See How mix mode impacts your sequencing on page 211
for an important discussion about how working with
multiple mixdowns in the Mixing Board interacts with takes.
THE ACTIVE LAYER

In the Edit window, tracks can display multiple types of data
at the same time (soundbites, volume mix automation, pan
automation, etc.), superimposed on top of one another. Each
type of data resides in its own display layer, which you can
make active (bring to the front) while other layers remain
dimmed but visible in the background.
The Active layer menu (Figure 22-3 on page 98) lets you
choose what type of data you would like to bring to the
front as shown below in Figure 22-8. In audio tracks, mix
automation data (volume, pan, etc.) and loops are displayed
directly on top of the soundbites, which are dimmed in the
background. When soundbites are made active, they cover
automation data. Mix automation lines remain dimmed and
visible in the background when soundbites are chosen as the
active layer.
When a data type is made active, it can be inserted and
edited independently of other data types.
Figure 22-7: A take stores the entire contents of a track. Takes are great for recording multiple versions of the track. You can create an unlimited number of takes for
each track.
New Take
Creates a new, empty take for the track.
Rename Take
Lets you rename the current take. The current take is the one
with the check mark next to it in the top portion of the menu.
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AUDIO TRACKS
Where the color gets displayed

The color for a track is displayed in several places throughout
the program:
Figure 22-8: Choosing the active layer.
On the color swatch and track name in the Edit window
On soundbites in the Edit window
On audio cross fades (and fades)
On tracks in the Mixing Board
Choosing the active layer for all tracks at once

Hold down the Option key when choosing what to display to
change all tracks at once. You can do so from any track.
Shortcuts for changing the active layer
Here are a few shortcuts for choosing the active layer:
To activate soundbites for editing, click the title bar of any
soundbite.
To activate any type of automation data, click on any

control point.
To activate any event flag (explained in chapter 27, Edit

window (page 126)), click it.
See Figure 40-14 on page 218 for an illustration of these

techniques.
Hiding background layers
You can temporarily hide all mix automation layers that are
currently background layers (not the active layer) with the
Show Active Layer Only item in the Edit windows minimenu.
LOCK
The Lock setting locks or unlocks the track. When a track is
locked, its name is underlined and all data in the track stays
anchored to its current SMPTE frame location, even if you
change the tempo of the sequence.
Working with color schemes

A color scheme is a set of related colors that can be easily
interchanged with a different set of related colors. For
example, you could have a Metallic scheme and a Earthy
Pastels scheme. AudioDesk provides several preset schemes,
and you can freely change between them at any time. You can
also create your own schemes.
Changing the color scheme
To switch to a different color scheme, go to the Setup menu,
choose Colors and choose the desired scheme from the submenu.
Editing color schemes
To edit a color scheme, go to the Setup menu, choose
Colors>Edit Color Schemes. Doing so opens the Edit Color
Schemes dialog as shown below in Figure 22-9. The scheme
currently being used is highlighted.
TRACK COLOR
AudioDesk allows you to choose any display color you want
for each track. Coloring tracks can help you to distinguish
them more easily in the Edit window, Mixing Board and
elsewhere in the program. You can use preset colors or
choose any color you want from the Mac OS color picker.
AudioDesk also provides many different color schemes (sets
of colors) for you to choose from. You can even create your
own schemes.
Figure 22-9: The Color Schemes dialog.
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AUDIO TRACKS
Here is a summary of what you can do with color schemes in

this dialog:
To do this
Do this
To choose a different scheme
Click it once to select it and then click Done.
To edit a scheme
Double-click it. Or click it once to highlight

it and click the Edit button.
To delete a scheme
Click it once to highlight it and click the

Delete button.
To rename a scheme

Rename button.
To duplicate a scheme

Duplicate button.
To make a new color scheme
Duplicate an existing one (as described

above), rename it, and edit it as desired.
Using the Color Picker

The color palette (as shown in Figure 22-10 on page 103)
also lets you create your own colors using the Mac OS Color
Picker. To open the color picker for a swatch, just doubleclick the swatch. Remember, only the swatches in the leftmost and right-most columns of the palette can be modified.
The swatches in the middle of each row are automatically
filled with a gradual blend between the colors on either end
of the row.
Modifying a color scheme

To modify a color scheme, double-click it in the Edit Color
Schemes dialog (shown in Figure 22-9). When you do, the
color palette appears as shown below in Figure 22-10.
The swatches in these two
columns can be changed to
any color you want. Notice
that they have a heavier
border to indicate that they
can be changed.
The swatches in the middle

of each row are a gradual
blend from the left-most
color to the right-most
color in the row.
Figure 22-10: A color scheme palette. The 12 swatches in the in left-most and rightmost columns the ones with the heavier borders can be changed. The
swatches in-between are automatically filled with a gradual blend of the colors on
either end of the row.
Here is a summary of what you can do in this window:

To do this
Do this
To open the Mac OS color

picker
Double-click on any swatch in the left-most

or right-most columns.
To fill a swatch using the

eyedropper tool
Click once on the swatch to select it and then

move the cursor over any color on your
screen even colors outside of AudioDesk
and its windows.
To move a row up or down
Drag the swatch on either end of the row.
To flip a row (switch the leftand right-most swatches)
Drag either swatch to the other side of the

row.
To change which swatch is currently selected (with a heavy

border)
Use the arrow keys, or click the desired

swatch.
Figure 22-11: Double-click any swatch with a heavy border to open the standard
Mac OS color picker. Use the magnifying glass tool (circled) to eye-dropper any
color on your screen.
Using the color picker to import colors

The color picker (as shown in Figure 22-11 above) lets you
import any color you like using the magnifying glass tool.
Just click the magnifying glass, and then move the cursor
over any object on your computer screen even windows,
dialogs, icons, and other items outside of AudioDesk (on the
Mac OS desktop or in other applications running at the same
time as AudioDesk).
For example, you could open a graphic image of some kind
in Adobe Photoshop (or other graphics program) and then
use the magnifying glass tool to import any color that is
currently visible in the graphic image on your screen. You
might find it helpful in this situation to close all of
AudioDesks other windows before opening the color picker
so that they will not cover up parts of the image you would
like to click with the magnifying glass tool.
Choosing a color for a track
To choose a color for a track, click on the color swatch next to
the track name in the Edit window, as shown below in
Figure 22-12. Or Control-click any part of the track name in
the Edit window or Mixing Board.
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AUDIO TRACKS
The Pick Colors Randomly option

The Pick colors randomly option appears for several of the
choices above it in the Assign Colors dialog. When it is
checked, it assigns the specified colors at random to all
currently selected tracks. When it is unchecked, colors are
assigned from the current color scheme palette starting with
the first color specified and then proceeding to the right and
then down to the beginning of the next row.
AUTOMATION SETTINGS
Figure 22-12: Choosing a color for a track.
Assigning colors
The Assign Colors sub-menu command (Setup menu) lets
you assign colors to multiple tracks at one time. Numerous
options are provided, as shown below in Figure 22-13:
Figure 22-13: Assigning colors to many tracks at one time.
To use the Assign Colors command, select one or more

tracks and then choose Setup menu > Colors > Assign Colors.
Choose the option as desired and the click OK. Below is a
summary of the assign color options:
Option
Explanation
according to Color
Preferences
Assigns colors to each track according to the settings in

the Color Preferences dialog.
to all different colors
Assigns a color to each track from the currently selected

color scheme (palette). When the Pick Colors Randomly check box is not checked, this option starts at
the beginning of the palette and works its way towards
the end as needed according to the number of tracks
selected. If Pick Colors Randomly is checked, it will
assign colors randomly from the palette.
to different shades
of the same color
Lets you choose a specific color from the color palette

and then only uses the various shades of that color
(from the same row in the palette).
to colors in a range
Lets you choose a start color and an end color from the
color palette and then cycles through all the colors in
between as needed according to the number of tracks
selected.
to the same color
Lets you assign all currently selected tracks to a single

color of your choice (as specified by the swatch provided).
The automation settings menu (Figure 22-3 on page 98) lets

you specify various mix automation settings for the track.
For details, see Automation settings in other windows on
page 214.
SOLO EXEMPTION
When you solo a track, the track you solo plays and all other
tracks are muted. However, there are often tracks that should
never be muted, even during soloing, such as master faders
and aux returns. In addition, there might be disk tracks that
you wish to always hear as you work (such as a tempo
reference of some kind). For cases like these, a setting called
Solo Exempt appears in the Track settings menu
(Figure 22-14 on page 105). Checking this menu item means
that the track will not be muted when other tracks are soloed.
To further indicate this, the tracks solo button in the Mixing
Board disappears. Master faders are always solo exempt;
therefore, their setting cannot be toggled. Aux tracks are
always Solo Exempt by default (although you can defeat their
exempt status, if you wish). Solo exempt status can also be
toggled in the track settings menus in the Mixing Board
(below the track name).
TRACK COMMENT
The Comment is a remark that you can save for each track. It
is simply a space for text that you can use for whatever
purposes you wish. To enter or change a comment, choose
Comment from the Track Settings menu and enter or edit the
text. Click OK or the Enter key to confirm your entry, or
press Cancel or Command-period to cancel it.
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AUDIO TRACKS
TRACK SETTINGS MENU
INSERT MENU
The Track Settings menu provides all of the tracks settings in

menu form. Since tracks can be resized vertically (see
Resizing tracks vertically on page 134), their panel settings
get covered up when their vertical size is reduced. However,
the Track Settings menu remains visible, even at a tracks
smallest vertical height, so that you always have access to the
tracks settings.
The insert menu in each track lets you choose any type of
data to insert into the track, except soundbites. You can insert
volume, pan, send levels, track mutes and plug-in parameter
automation for any plug-ins currently assigned to the track.
For complete details, see Inserting and editing automation
on page 218.
Figure 22-14: Even when a track is reduced vertically to its smallest size, the Track
Settings menu gives you access to all track settings.
WAVEFORM VERTICAL ZOOM

The vertical zoom menu (Figure 22-15) vertically shrinks or
expands the waveform display. In audio tracks, it has no
effect on the actual amplitude of the audio in the track; it is
for display purposes only. Option-drag to vertically zoom all
tracks.
Figure 22-16: The Insert menu.
LEVEL METER
Each audio track displays a mono or stereo level meter (with
red clip indicator). These level meters function identically to
the level meters in the Mixing Board. For details, see Level
meters on page 206.
Figure 22-15: Waveform/note grid vertical zoom.
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AUDIO TRACKS
CHAPTER 23
Playback
OVERVIEW
Playback basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
How to play a sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Monitoring levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Editing during playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Screen re-display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Muting and unmuting tracks during playback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Soloing Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Looping playback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Playing the current selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Auto-scrolling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Scrubbing audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Slow and fast forwarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
PLAYBACK BASICS
When AudioDesk plays tracks, it reads audio data from the
hard disk and sends the digitally encoded audio signal to
your MOTU audio interface. The digital-to-analog (D-to-A)
converters in the audio hardware then convert the digital
audio signal into an analog one that plays from the
speaker(s) you have attached to the audio hardware. Because
the audio data is stored on the hard disk, AudioDesk has
random access to the audio and can cue virtually instantaneously to any location in the stream of audio. For more
information about these basic hard disk recording concepts,
see chapter 5, Hard Disk Recording Concepts (page 19).
HOW TO PLAY A SEQUENCE

To play an AudioDesk sequence:
1 Open an AudioDesk project.
2 If the project contains more than one sequence, choose
Sequences from the Project menu and play-enable the
sequence that you wish to play back.
There are many ways to cue AudioDesk. Here are just a few:
to simply rewind to the beginning of the sequence, click the
Rewind button. To start at a specific location other than the
beginning, type in the location in the main counter. Or click
the wiper cursor at the desired playback location in any
time ruler in the Edit window.
6 Press the Play button or press the space bar.
The sequence will begin to play. The Counter advances.
7 When finished playing back, press the Stop button.
MONITORING LEVELS
Long throw metering is available in the Mixing Board; see
Level meters on page 206.
EDITING DURING PLAYBACK

Many of AudioDesks features, such as windows, dialog
boxes, edit region selection, edit commands, and other
features can be used during playback. You do not have to
press the Stop button beforehand. As you listen to your music
and find that would like to make a change, dont reach for the
Stop button. Just execute the command while the music is
playing.
Here are some examples of things you can do during
playback:
Select a region for editing
Edit a region with the Edit or Audio menu commands
Cut, copy, drag, Option-drag (copy), etc. audio data in the

Edit window
Choose a different output destination for a track
Only one sequence can play at a time.
Add, delete, rename, or reposition a track
3 Play-enable the tracks you wish to play back.
Access a mini-menu command
In the Edit window, click the Play-enable button to the right

of the track name(s) you wish to hear. If the track is not play
enabled, you will hear nothing from the track.
Some features, because of their nature, cannot be accessed

during playback. These features are either greyed out
(inaccessible) during playback or will have no effect unless
you press the Stop button before using them.
4 For each track, choose an audio output destination as

explained in Audio input and output on page 99.
SCREEN RE-DISPLAY
5 Set the location from which you want playback to begin.
During playback, AudioDesk does its best to update items on

the Mac screen, such as the Counter and scrolling windows.
However, audio recording and playback can often place a
high demand on the computing power of the machine, and
AudioDesk makes playback a much higher priority than
106
refreshing the screen display. Therefore, you may find at

times that AudioDesk must devote all of the computers
resources towards this end and thus may not be able to keep
the screen display completely smooth and current. In
addition, editing commands may sometimes take longer due
to the amount of processor time required to deal playback.
Rest assured, however, that your data is playing back
accurately.
LOOPING PLAYBACK
MUTING AND UNMUTING TRACKS DURING

PLAYBACK
AUTO-SCROLLING
Tracks can be muted and unmuted during playback by using

solo mode or by clicking their play-enable button in the Edit
window. You can also record the action of muting and
unmuting tracks (for details, see chapter 40, Mix
Automation (page 212)).When muting a track, the response
is instantaneous.
Playback of the entire sequence can be looped seamlessly

between any two points see The Memory-Cycle button
on page 51.
PLAYING THE CURRENT SELECTION

To play back the current selection, choose Play Selection
from the Edit menu (or press Option-spacebar).
Auto-Scroll (Setup menu) lets you control if and how

windows will scroll during playback, recording, and cueing.
You can choose whether all windows on the screen will scroll,
or only the top window. You can also choose to display or not
display the scrolling wiper in any window. Finally, you can
choose between paging or continuous scrolling.
SOLOING TRACKS
Soloing tracks allows you to isolate tracks for playback. This
is a quick way to temporarily mute or unmute many tracks at
once without having to click on the Play-Enable buttons of
each. Think of soloing as a second, independent play-enable
state for all tracks. Any combination of tracks can be playenabled when solo is turned on even tracks that have been
muted when solo is off.
The color of the play-enable button tells you its play status:
Green means the track will play in the current mode
(solo or not soloed)
White means the track is muted and will not play
Orange means that the track is muted when soloing is

on but play-enabled (blue) when soloing is turned off
Click a play-enable button to change its status at any time,

regardless of whether solo is turned on or off.
Solo is turned on and off by pressing the solo button (labelled
S) in the Control Panel. Solo status can be changed during
playback. You may mute and unmute tracks at any time
during playback.
Both the soloed play state and the un-soloed play state are
remembered until you change them, and both are also saved
with the project.
When tracks are muted during soloing, AudioDesk
continues to process the audio data contained in them. This
allows tracks to be soloed and un-soloed during playback
without pauses or glitching.
Figure 23-1: The Auto Scroll preferences allows you to configure how AudioDesk
windows scroll during recording, playback and cueing.
All windows versus the top window

Choose Only the top window follows the counter to improve
scrolling performance in the top-most (active) window
when you have more than one window open on the screen.
This option reduces AudioDesks processing load. If you have
a slow computer, or if your sequences tend to contain large
amounts of dense data, this option will ensure responsive
scrolling and smooth screen redisplay.
When you choose either of the All windows follow the counter
options, all windows will scroll together during playback or
recording, and they will even stay together when you cue
AudioDesk when it is stopped. For example, if AudioDesk is
stopped and you press Rewind, all Auto-Scrolling windows
will scroll to the new location indicated in the counter. AutoScrolling occurs when pressing the cueing buttons, typing a
new location into the counter, cueing to a marker in the
Markers window, or any other cueing method.
If you also want all windows to scroll together when you
scroll one of them manually (with their horizontal scroll
bar), choose the top-most option: All Windows follow the
counter and stay together when you scroll them manually.
Paging versus continuous scrolling
AudioDesk provides two types of window scrolling:
Paging
107
PLAYBACK
Continuous scrolling
Paging
When the Continuous Scroll option is unchecked, all
AudioDesk windows proceed one windowful at a time
during playback. That is, when playback reaches the last
measure or event in the current time range being displayed in
the window, the window jumps to the next windowful of
data, just like clicking in the grey area of a scroll bar.
Continuous Scroll
When the Continuous Scroll option is checked, the contents
of the top-most window scroll smoothly from right to left,
with the current playback location centered (left to right) in
the window. If the wiper is being displayed in the window, the
wiper remains centered in the middle of the window, except
when it is close enough to the beginning of the sequence that
it must first travel from the left-hand side of the window to
the center.
Initially, the playback position is centered (left to right) in the
window. You can change it to show more of the sequence
before or after the current position by Option-dragging the
wiper.
Because continuous scrolling requires a great deal more of
the computers processing resources, it only applies to the
top-most (active) window.
Enabling/disabling Auto Scroll
You can temporarily enable and disable Auto Scroll in the
Edit window using the Auto Scroll button in the Control
Panel as shown below.
computer screen. For example, if you pull down to zoom in,

and you want to zoom in further but youre getting close to
the bottom of the screen, release control, move back up to the
top of the wiper (doing so maintains the current zoom level),
press control, and then pull down to continue zooming in
further.
You can also drag the wiper horizontally as you zoom with it
to move the focus of the zooming. For example, you can drag
left or right as you drag down to further zero in on a
particular location. Hold down the Command key to
temporarily suspend horizontal wiper movement.
Wiper zooming is an extremely useful zooming shortcut. It
works particularly well when used hand in hand with Zoom
Back (Command-[).
Auto-scrolling with multiple sequences
Auto-scrolling will only occur in windows related to the
currently play-enabled sequence.
Suspending auto-scrolling
You can temporarily suspend auto-scrolling by simply
clicking on the Auto Scroll button. The window will stop for
a moment before it resumes auto-scrolling. This lets you view
or edit things quickly without having to stop playback. Auto
scrolling resumes after you leave the window alone for about
5 seconds. You can manually resume auto scrolling by
clicking the Auto Scroll button. When Auto-Scroll is enabled,
windows that contain time rulers open to the current
playback location.
SCRUBBING AUDIO
You can scrub the audio in a soundbite in the Edit window.
For information, see Scrubbing audio inside a popped-up
soundbite on page 141.
Figure 23-2: Enabling and disabling Auto Scroll.
Cueing with the wiper

There are several ways to cue the current playback location
with the wiper, either when AudioDesk is stopped or playing:
SLOW AND FAST FORWARDING

Fast forward advances the counter at four times normal
speed and skips audio like a CD player. Slow forward
advances the counter at half speed and slows audio down
without skipping.
Double-click any time ruler at the desired location
Click once in the upper half of the time ruler with the
wiper cursor
Drag the wiper tab in the time ruler
Zooming with the wiper

You can zoom in and out by Control-dragging vertically on
the playback wiper itself. Control-drag down to zoom in;
drag up to zoom out. Release the Control key to temporarily
suspend wiper zooming. This allows you to continue
zooming, even after youve reached the top or bottom of the
108
PLAYBACK
CHAPTER 24
Recording
OVERVIEW
CHOOSING A SEQUENCE TO RECORD INTO
AudioDesk records very much like a multi-track tape deck:

you connect inputs, specify tracks to record into and push
the record button. AudioDesk, however, has a great deal
more flexibility than a tape deck. There are many features
you can use while recording that affect which types of data
are recorded, control the time span in which recording takes
place, manage multiple takes on the fly, automate looprecording, and much more.
If you have more than one sequence in the project, be sure to

play-enable the one that you wish to record into. To do so,
look at the current sequence indicator in the Control Panel.
Choosing a sequence to record into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Setting tempo and meter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Recording to a click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Click preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Countoff options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Preparing a track for recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Audio monitoring (audio patch thru) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Using the wait and count-off features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Start recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Stop recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
How audio is recorded on disk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Undo record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Recording stereo audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Recording several audio tracks in one pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Manual punch-in/punch-out on the fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Automatic punch-in/punch-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Overdub recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Recording multiple takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Cycle-recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Recording in External Sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Sample Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Getting an error message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
If you need to switch sequences, use the Sequences menu in

the Control Panel, or use the Sequences window.
Figure 24-1: The current sequence.
SETTING TEMPO AND METER

If the material you are recording is musical in nature, then it
is best to match it with the tempo and meter in the sequence,
if any. Then it will be much easier to edit and mix the material
musically with reference to measures and beats. To align liverecorded audio data with the beats and barlines in
AudioDesk, record to existing material (such as a drum
loop) or to a click, as covered in the next section.
Setting the tempo and meter
To set the tempo and meter, see Setting the tempo and
meter on page 56. If your music involves a tempo map (a
series of tempo changes, including, perhaps, ones that
change smoothly over time), you need to upgrade to Digital
Performer.
RECORDING TO A CLICK
The Click is the audible indication of the Metronome beat.
The Click clicks on the beat. The beat is determined by the
meter setting. If the Click is on, AudioDesk will click at the
beginning of every measure. The first beat of every measure
is slightly accented. The subsequent clicks in the measure
depend on how the metronome click value is set in the
current meter. To learn more about setting the meter, see
Setting the tempo and meter on page 56.
Enabling the click
To turn on the Click, choose Click from the Studio menu or
press Command-5. To turn off the click, choose it again.
When the Click is on, the Click menu item will be checked.
You can also toggle the click on and off by pressing the Click
button in AudioDesks Control Panel.
The Click preferences described in the next section provide
many options for how the click is heard, its volume, etc.
109
CLICK PREFERENCES
The Click Options command (Studio menu) provides several
options for the click. You can also open this dialog by
Option-clicking the Click button in the Control Panel, or by
choosing AudioDesk menu> Preferences and clicking the
Click list entry (Figure 24-2).
Type of click
There are two choices for the type of click: Audio and MIDI.
Audio click
The audio click plays back with sample-accurate precision.
You can assign the click to play on any available audio output
bundle in your system. A variety of preset click sounds are
provided, and you can add an unlimited number of your own
custom click sounds.
Audio output
Choose the desired audio output bundle for the click sound
from the menu provided.
Figure 24-3: Choosing an audio output bundle for the audio click.
Click sounds
Choose the desired accented and normal click sounds from
the menus provided (Figure 24-4). A variety of preset sounds
are provided, including the ubiquitous Urei metronome click
sound. Or you can use any compatible audio file you wish
using the Choose File menu item.
Figure 24-4: Choosing a click sound.
Audio click volume control

Use the Master Volume slider (Figure 24-2) to control the
overall volume of both the accented and normal clicks. Use
the individual volume knobs to the right of each click sound
menu to adjust their volume relative to each other.
Adding your own click sounds
To add your own clicks to the click sound menus, save them
as a mono AIFF, WAVE, or Sound Designer II audio file, give
the file the name you wish to see in the menu, and then drop
it into the Clicks folder in /Library/Application Support/
MOTU/AudioDesk. You can add as many click sounds as
you wish.
Disabling the audio click
To disable the audio click, uncheck the Audio check box
(Figure 24-2).
Figure 24-2: Click options.
110
RECORDING
MIDI Click
The MIDI click (Figure 24-2) sends a MIDI note for every
click. For this option, you must set up an instrument to
receive these notes and play a click sound of your choosing.
For example, you could use an external hardware drum
machine to play a side stick or rim shots.
COUNTOFF OPTIONS
To access the Countoff options, Option-click the Countoff
button in the Control Panel. You can also choose AudioDesk
menu > Preferences and clicking the Countoff list entry
(Figure 24-5).
Data for MIDI click

These options define what notes are played if the MIDI option
is selected. The Accented note is played on the first beat of each
measure; the Normal note is played at all other times. Each
note has four parameters:
First, you specify the device that will play the accented and
unaccented click by choosing it from the menu provided.
The list of devices in the menu shows any external
instruments provided by Mac OS Xs Audio MIDI Setup
utility.
Pitch is the pitch of the note, expressed as a scale letter (A-G)
(use the number sign # to represent a sharp, or a small letter
b to represent a flat) and an octave number. For example, C3
means middle C.
Velocity is the attack (on) velocity, expressed as a number
from 0-127.
Gate specifies the length of the note in milliseconds
(thousandths of a second).
Click options
Always click makes the click audible whenever AudioDesk is
counting off, playing or recording.
Only during countoff makes the click audible only during
countoff measures. When playback or recording begins, the
click will fall silent. See Countoff button on page 55 for
more information about the countoff.
Only when recording makes the click audible only when
AudioDesk is in record mode. If the Countoff button is
enabled, AudioDesk will also click during the countoff in this
mode.
No accent removes the accent from the first click in each
measure. This option affects both the audio click and the
MIDI click.
Audition Click
If the Audition Click option is enabled, AudioDesk will
audition the metronome sound as it is currently configured,
at the current tempo.
Figure 24-5: Countoff options
Countoff only when recording

The Countoff only when recording option causes the countoff
to occur only before recording, not before playback or any
other function.
Countoff length
The length of the countoff (Figure 24-5) can be specified in a
number of whole measures using the Countoff n measures
setting. Accordingly, the Countoff button in the Control
Panel (Countoff button on page 55) displays the number of
measures in the countoff.
PREPARING A TRACK FOR RECORDING

To prepare an audio track for recording (see Audio (disk)
tracks on page 97):
1 Activate the desired input for the MOTU audio interface
you are using.
For details, see Configuring the hardware driver on
page 13.
2 Choose an audio input to record from.
This is a physical input jack (or pair of jacks) on your MOTU
audio hardware, a virtual input from a software synthesizer
or sampler, or one of AudioDesks internal virtual busses as
the input. This means that you can record output from any
other trackor combination of tracksthat are assigned to
the bus you choose. In the Edit window, choose the input by
clicking on the Input menu for the track as shown below in
Figure 24-6. You can also choose the track input from the
Mixing Board from the menu below the track name.
Master click volume

The Master Click Volume slider (Figure 24-2) controls the
volume of the click.
111
RECORDING
If the tracks record button is missing, you need to

choose an input first (Step 2 above).
Press on the current

audio input assignment
to change it.
4 In the Audio Monitor, confirm the current record input, as

shown in Figure 24-7 on page 112.
When you record-enable an audio track, the corresponding
input row in the Audio Monitor turns red. In addition, the
takefile name switches to plain text (instead of being
italicized) as shown in Figure 24-7. Plain text indicates that
the takefile has been created on disk and that the system is
ready to record.
The red dot in

the menu
indicates the
currently recordenabled input.
5 In the Audio Monitor, check for free hard disk space as

shown in Figure 24-7.
Figure 24-6: Choosing an audio input in the Edit window. You can also choose an
audio track input in the Mixing Board.
3 Record-enable the audio track.

This can be done in several different windows in AudioDesk.
In the Edit window, click the record-enable button next to
the track name as shown in Figure 22-3 on page 98. In the
Mixing Board, click the record button below the solo and
mute buttons. More than one track can be record-enabled at
a time.
Record-enabling must be done before you actually

begin recording; audio tracks cannot be record-enabled
during playback or recording. You can, however, punch in
and out on the fly. See Manual punch-in/punch-out on the
fly on page 116 and Automatic punch-in/punch-out on
page 116 later in this chapter.
The Audio Monitor displays free hard disk space in either

minutes or megabytes (click to toggle the display as shown in
Figure 24-7). One mono minute of audio at 44.1 kHz (CD
quality) takes up approximately 5 megabytes of disk space.
One stereo minute of audio takes up twice that (10
megabytes). (For other sampling rates, see How much disk
space does audio require? on page 20.) Plan your session
accordingly. If necessary, you may need to back up and
remove audio files left over from other projects from the hard
drive. Or you may need to record onto a different hard drive
than the currently selected one (see the next two sections).
Its a good idea to give yourself extra space (several hundred
megabytes at least) because hard disk fragmentation is more
likely to adversely affect audio recording when the hard disk
is almost full.
If you are recording multiple tracks at once, you can record
them on separate hard drives (as described in the next step).
6 In the Audio Monitor, check the location of the current
takefile as shown in Figure 24-7.
Check how much record time is available on your hard disk (click to toggle
between min/sec or MB/GB).
Play some sample input to

make sure the input level
meter reads as close to zero
dB as possible.
Confirm that the take file for the record input is on

standby (not italicized). This means that the file
has been created on the hard disk. If it isnt, recordenable the audio track in the Edit window.
Confirm the location of the audio file. Is it located

where you want it (or where your hard disk recording
system requires it to be)? Click to toggle between full
and abbreviated path display.
Figure 24-7: The Audio Monitor (Studio menu) is an important component of the audio recording process. Always
check the settings shown above before recording. In this example, recording is being done on inputs 3-4.
112
RECORDING
When AudioDesk records audio, it places the audio data in

an audio file on your hard disk with a name that matches the
track being recorded into, followed by a dash and a take
number. We refer to this destination audio file as a takefile. By
default, takefiles are located in the same place on your hard
disk as the last takefile recorded for that input. For new
projects, takefiles are initially located in a folder called Audio
Files, which is located in the project folder. (See
Components of an AudioDesk Project on page 37.)
The current takefile location is displayed in the Audio
Monitor as shown below in Figure 24-7.
If desired, you can change the current takefile location. For
details, see Changing the takefile location before recording
on page 120. You can also rename the current takefile. For
details, see Naming a takefile before recording on
page 120.
7 Check the audio input level.
Check Retain Clip in the Audio Monitor mini-menu, play the
input signal at its peak levels, and watch the level meter and
adjust the input so that the peaks occur as close to 0 dB as
possible without triggering the Clip indicator shown below.
Clip indicator
Digital clipping is much harsher than analog clipping.

Therefore, its better to err on the low side. Use discretion.
AUDIO MONITORING (AUDIO PATCH THRU)

Audio input monitoring is the process of listening to the live
input signal being fed to a track via its chosen hardware
input. AudioDesk lets you do this by patching thru the
input signal to the tracks output destination (see Audio
input and output on page 99). So be sure to choose an
output destination assignment that is patched to a listening
device. For example, you might choose a pair of audio
outputs on your audio interface that are connected to a set of
speakers, or a pair of outputs that are patched to the
headphone outs on your audio interface. The output
assignment can also be a bus that is being routed via an aux
track to your speakers.
The input monitor button
To monitor an audio tracks input, click its input monitor
button to enable it (make it turn blue). There are several ways
to enable input monitoring, as summarized below:
Mixing Board
Edit window
Figure 24-8: The input monitor button in the Mixing Board and Edit window.
If you dont see the Input Monitor button for a track, you
need to choose an input for the track. See Audio input and
output on page 99.
Input monitoring can be enabled or disabled independently
of the tracks record-enable state.
The record button
When you record-enable a track (Figure 24-6 on page 112),
input monitoring is enabled and you will begin to hear the
live signal being received on the tracks chosen hardware
input. This is true, regardless of whether or not the tracks
input monitor button is engaged.
If you dont hear live input when the track is recordenabled, audio patch thru might be turned off, as explained
in the next section.
Input monitoring modes
AudioDesk provides four input monitoring modes that
govern when you hear live input and how the live input signal
interacts with disk audio (existing audio material in the
track) during playback and Auto Record. In addition, input
monitoring can be disabled entirely. To access them, go to the
Studio menu> Audio Patch Thru sub-menu:
Input
monitoring mode
Explanation
Off
The track input is never audible, regardless of the

input monitor or record button state.
Input Only
When the track is either record-enabled or the input

monitor button is enabled (or both), you hear the
track input only, and you will not hear any disk audio
during playback.
Auto
Same as Input Only, except that during Auto Record,

when you are playing but not yet punched in, you will
still hear disk audio (until punch in occurs).
Blend
When the track is either record-enabled or the input

monitor button is enabled (or both), during playback,
you hear both the input and the disk audio.
Monitoring input levels

In addition to the level meters in the Audio Monitor
(Figure 24-7 on page 112), long throw metering is available
in the Mixing Board (see Level meters on page 206 Level
meters on page 206).
113
RECORDING
Monitoring outside of AudioDesk

If you are using AudioDesk with an external mixer, or via the
hardware-based CueMix monitoring features in your MOTU
audio interface, you might choose to monitor in the external
hardware instead of through AudioDesk. In this scenario, or
any situation in which you do not need to monitor the
incoming audio via the outputs of the audio interface
connected to your computer, disable Audio Patch Thru.
Applying real-time effects processing to live audio input
You can apply AudioDesks native effects processing to the
live input signal by assigning effects plug-ins to the track in
the Mixing Board. (See Inserts on page 203.) However, you
should read the following sections first, which discuss several
important issues surrounding audio input monitoring.
Audio monitoring latency
You might hear a slight delay when monitoring audio input.
For example, if you have a sequence that already has several
tracks of audio recorded, and you then try to record along
with it while monitoring your input via Audio Patch Thru,
you might hear a slight delay in what you are playing. This
delay is commonly referred to as monitoring latency.
Fortunately, however, the audio will be recorded into the
sequence accurately and in sync with the other previously
recorded audio tracks (as long as you managed to play it in
sync with the sequence). But what you hear while you are
recording will be noticeably and consistently behind. In
other words, what you hear during recording will not be what
you get: during recording, the input signal will sound late,
but when you play it back after recording it, it will be fine
(again, as long as you managed to play it in time with the
sequence).
Hardware monitoring versus monitoring with effects

processing
When you use your audio hardwares built-in hardwarebased monitoring feature (if any), there is little or no
audible delay. However, the trade-off is that the input signal is
not routed through the MOTU Audio System. This means
that if you have effects such as EQ or reverb assigned to the
track that is currently record-enabled, you will not hear the
effects applied to the input signal.
In summary, your two choices for monitoring input are: 1)
delayed input with effects, or 2) dry input with no delay.
You also have a third option: turn off your audio hardwares
hardware-based monitoring and lower the Buffer Size
setting. The default settings is 1024 samples. Try lowering it
to 512, 256 or even 128 samples. This gives you the best of
both worlds: very low monitoring latency (3-6 ms) with
effects processing. The trade-off in this scenario is that the
lower buffer settings put more strain on your computer.
Setting the input monitoring mode
The two choices for input monitoring described in the
previous section are provided by choosing Configure Audio
System > Input Monitoring Mode from the Setup menu,
which opens the dialog shown below in Figure 24-9.
Again, audio is always recorded accurately. Latency is only an

issue for monitoring (the live audio input that you listen to
while recording).
Figure 24-9: AudioDesk provides two input monitoring modes. Direct hardware
playthrough provides monitoring without delays, but it does not provide effects
on the monitored signal. Monitoring record-enabled tracks through effects lets
you monitor input with effects applied to it, but there could be a noticeable delay
in the signal.
There are several ways to minimize monitoring latency.

Some of them are specific to certain hardware.
Direct hardware playthrough

Direct hardware playthrough provides accurate monitoring
with no delays, but if you have real time effects (EQ, reverb,
etc.) assigned to the track being recorded into, you will not
hear them during monitoring. Effects will, however, be
applied to the recorded material during subsequent
playback.
Monitor outside of AudioDesk entirely (with a mixing

console, for example).
Use your MOTU audio hardwares built-in near-zero
CueMix monitoring. Set input monitoring mode
(Figure 24-9) to Direct hardware playthough. You will not be
able to monitor through MAS effects, but monitoring latency
will be completely eliminated. See Hardware monitoring
versus monitoring with effects processing below for more
information.
When this option is chosen, the input signal currently being

monitored can always be heard, i.e. it will be patched
through when AudioDesk is stopped, playing or recording.
This option is required to enable the Cue Mix monitoring
feature.
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RECORDING
Monitor record-enabled tracks through effects

Monitor record-enabled tracks through effects lets you apply
effects to the input signal (via the effects inserts of the
currently record-enabled track), but you might hear a delay
during recording. If, however, the input signal is actually
received by the Mac in sync with the rest of the sequence, the
input signal with be recorded properly (with no delay).
When this option is chosen, the input signal currently being
monitored can always be heard when AudioDesk is either
stopped or recording. During playback, however, the input
signal being monitored will never be summed with existing
track contents. Instead, you will hear either one or the other.
Record-enabling audio tracks on the fly

You can record-enable (and disable) audio tracks while
playing (but not while actually recording). In other words,
you can toggle audio track record-enable buttons as long as
the record button is not red or flashing red. Therefore, to
change record-enabled audio tracks during a record pass,
just press the record button to temporarily drop out of
record, change audio track record-enables as desired, and
then press record again to drop back into record. If you have
already recorded some material, and you change record
enables on the fly in this manner, the previous material is
put away (the red, temporary waveform bars turn into
normal, editable soundbites).
USING THE WAIT AND COUNT-OFF FEATURES
STOP RECORDING
The Wait feature holds recording until you hit a key on your
MIDI keyboard or the Mac keyboard. Countoff gives you a
number of measures of countoff in the starting tempo before
recording begins. For details, see Wait button on page 55,
Recording to a click on page 109 and Countoff options
on page 111 earlier in this chapter.
START RECORDING
After making the preparations already discussed in this
chapter, you are ready to begin recording:
1 Set the Counter to the location in the sequence at which
you want to begin recording.
If you are recording into a new sequence, youll probably
want to start at the beginning of the sequence. To do so, click
the Rewind button. To start at a specific location other than
the beginning, type in the location in the Counter.
2 To begin recording, press the Record button in the
Control Panel.
The Record button will turn red, indicating that AudioDesk
is recording in real-time. You can also trigger recording by
pressing the 3 key on the Mac keypad.
To achieve the fastest response possible when you begin

recording, use pause-record. That is, press the pause button
first and then record. AudioDesk allocates record buffers as
needed and then waits for you to press pause again to begin
recording.
Display update during recording
During recording, AudioDesk displays audio data as it is
being recorded. For audio, youll see a continuously updating
red bar. This bar appears temporarily during the record pass;
it is for display purposes only and cannot be edited.
However, as soon as recording stops, the bar is replaced by a
fully editable soundbite.
To stop recording, stop AudioDesk by clicking the Stop

button, pressing the space bar, or pressing the [0] key on the
keypad.
AudioDesk stops recording and takes a moment to process
the audio data.
For audio tracks, each record pass gets placed in the audio
track as a single soundbite. The soundbite also gets added to
the list in the Soundbites window. You can view the
soundbite by opening the Edit window.
HOW AUDIO IS RECORDED ON DISK

For a detailed explanation, see How audio is recorded on
disk on page 19.
UNDO RECORD
You can undo what you record at any time. The audio will be
preserved in AudioDesks 10-step undo history, until it is
bumped off the undo history list by subsequent actions.
RECORDING STEREO AUDIO

Stereo recording is done in the same fashion as already
described in this chapter, except that you record into a stereo
track instead of a mono track. To add a stereo track, choose
Add track > Stereo Track from the Project menu. Then just
record-enable the track and prepare for recording as usual.
If your project interleave format is interleaved, the stereo
audio will be recorded to a single file.
If your interleave format is deinterleaved, recorded audio
data is stored as two separate mono files, each with the same
name and .L or .R in the file names (e.g., Guitar-1.L.wav
and Guitar-1.R.wav). The corresponding soundbites in the
track will remain perfectly sample-locked, no matter what
you do.
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RECORDING
RECORDING SEVERAL AUDIO TRACKS IN ONE PASS

AudioDesk lets you record as many audio tracks at one time
as your computer and audio hardware allow. Just recordenable the tracks as needed.
The total number of audio tracks you can record into at one
time depends on your hard disk recording hardware. For
example, a MOTU 2408mk3 can record up to 24 inputs at
one time.
MANUAL PUNCH-IN/PUNCH-OUT ON THE FLY

You can punch in and punch out on the fly as many times as
you need during a single record pass, regardless of how many
tracks are record-enabled.
and punch out times are specified in the Auto Record Bar:
Punch in is the time where recording begins; Punch out is
where recording ends. Auto-Record can be used while
AudioDesk is slaved to external sync; see chapter 49,
Receive Sync (page 252) for details.
Figure 24-13: The Auto-record bar lets you set precise, automated punch-in and
punch-out points during recording.
The Auto-Record button will remain on until you click on it

again to disable it. Remember to disable it when you finish
using it.
To use Auto-Record:
1 Arm the track(s) you wish to record into.
Figure 24-10: To punch in manually, use the record button in the main transports.
To manually punch in, press play and then press the record
button in the main transports at the desired time. Press
record again to punch out. You can also use the [3] key on the
Mac extended keypad.
AUTOMATIC PUNCH-IN/PUNCH-OUT
AudioDesks Auto-Record feature allows you to automate
recording at precise punch-in and punch-out points. This
feature allows you to record without having to manually
enable and disable the Record button. Automatic punch-in
produces the most accurate results possible when punching
in. When you punch-in manually, there may be a brief
delayon the order of a few hundred milliseconds for audio
tracksbefore recording actually begins.
Figure 24-11: The Auto-Record button allows you to precisely program punch-in
and punch-out points for recording.
To punch in automatically, set up AudioDesks Auto Record

feature in the Control Panel as shown below in Figure 24-12.
Figure 24-12: Use the Auto Record button in the Control Panel to automate punchins.
2 Press the Auto-Record button, which is located below the

transport controls.
The button highlights to signify that Auto-Record is on.
3 Enter the Punch In and Punch Out locations.
The Punch In location is where recording will begin. The
Punch Out location is where recording will end. You can
enter them in numerically in the Auto Record Bar. You can
also set them up graphically. See The Memory and Auto
Record Bars on page 56 and Viewing the punch-in and
punch-out points graphically on page 54.
4 Move to a location in the sequence before the Punch In
point.
This location should be a spot that will give you plenty of
time to prepare to enter the new material, anywhere from a
whole section to a few bars before the Punch In point.
5 Get ready to record.
6 Press the Record button.
The sequence plays from the current location in the Counter.
The Record button starts flashing. When the Punch In time is
reached, the record button becomes continuously
highlighted. When this happens, AudioDesk is recording and
you can play new material. When the Punch Out time is
reached, the Record button will return to flashing.
7 Press the Stop button when you are finished.
Clicking on the Auto-Record button (below the main

transport controls) enables and highlights it. Clicking on the
Auto-Record button also causes the Auto Record punch in
and punch out times to appear in the Status Strip. Punch in
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RECORDING
OVERDUB RECORDING
Overdub recording preserves existing data in the track.
1 Click the Memory-Cycle and Overdub record buttons in

the Control Panel.
Figure 24-14: AudioDesks Overdub Record mode button.
When overdub record mode is enabled, punched-in audio is

layered on top of existing audio. The existing audio remains
beneath it, but only he newly overdubbed soundbite will play
(i.e. what you see is what youll hear. See Overlapping and
layering soundbites on page 138 for more information
about how multiple, overlapping soundbites play back in a
track.) If you change your mind about the punch-in and wish
to remove it, just delete the overdubbed soundbite, which
uncovers the original audio beneath.
When overdub recording over existing material, the new

material is not merged with the existing material. Instead, it is
overlaid on top. To merge soundbites together into one
soundbite, place them into separate tracks first and then use
the Bounce to Disk command in the Audio menu.
When overdub record mode is disabled, and you punch-in
over existing audio in a track, the existing audio is completely
replaced by the newly recorded audio. This record behavior
prevents multiple layers of soundbites from piling up on top
of one another when you are overdubbing. Instead, punching
in will never create overlapping soundbites. Wherever there
is a punch-in, the current soundbite is trimmed and a new
soundbite begins. However, only those parts of existing
soundbites you recorded over are erased. For example, if you
record over the beginning of a soundbite, only the portion
recorded over is replaced.
Memory-cycle
Overdub
Figure 24-15: To cycle-record, turn on the Memory-Cycle and Overdub record

modes.
The Memory-Cycle button causes AudioDesk to loop a

section indefinitely. To prevent accidental erasure of the
previous record pass, AudioDesk falls out of record mode
when it hits the cycle end point, unless overdub mode is
enabled.
2 Set the start and end times of the region you want to loop
in the Memory bar.
For a two bar loop, make the stop time 3|1|000. For a four bar
loop, make the stop time 5|1|000. Stop time is always the
downbeat of the measure after the last one in the loop. You
can set the loop points graphically by dragging the loop
repeat barlines in the time ruler of the Edit window, as shown
below:
Memory-cycle start and end points (can be dragged)
If you change your mind about the punch-in and wish to

remove it, go back in the Undo History, or remove the
punched in soundbite and use the new Heal Separation
command (Heal Separation on page 165) to close the gap.
3 Set the tempo in the Control Panel.
Overdub record mode lets you choose either method

(replacing or layering) for punch-in recording.
5 Cue AudioDesk to the beginning of the loop region.
RECORDING MULTIPLE TAKES

A take stores the contents of the track. Each track can have an
unlimited number of takes. Takes are an ideal way to record,
store, edit, and combine multiple versions of the material in a
track. For details, see Takes on page 101.
CYCLE-RECORDING
Several of AudioDesks features can be combined to provide
comprehensive cycle-recording.
4 If needed, make sure that the Click is enabled in the Studio

menu.
6 Click the record button in the Control Panel and begin

recording.
Cycle-recording generates takes
When you cycle-record into an audio track with Overdub
Record mode turned on as shown in Figure 24-15,
AudioDesk automatically creates a new take for each record
pass. For example, if you record a bass line into Take 1, the
track will automatically switch to take 2 immediately at the
end of take 1. This allows you to play a second take that is
completely different than the first.
Setting up for cycle-recording

To cycle-record:
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RECORDING
Capturing the perfect take

By automatically creating takes during audio cyclerecording, AudioDesk allows you to continuously record
multiple independent passes into an audio track inside the
current Memory-Cycle loop points. For example, you could
set up the Memory-Cycle points around a solo section and
then continuously play in multiple passes of the solo, one
after the other, without ever stopping. AudioDesk saves each
pass separately during recording. When you stop recording,
AudioDesk then splits each pass into its own take. You can
then choose among takes, or even build a composite take
based on parts from each pass.
Audio cycle-recording with punch-in/punch-out
Audio cycle-recording can also be used together with
AudioDesks Auto-Record punch in/out feature. You can set
up an Auto-Record region inside the Memory-Cycle region
and perform multiple record passes in Overdub Mode as
described earlier. Each pass inside the Auto-Record region is
stored in a separate take. This allows you to give yourself a bit
of pre-roll and post-roll when recording multiple passes.
Creating a permanent loop
Once you are satisfied with a loop that youve created, you
can make it permanent by inserting a loop into one or more
tracks. Use the loop tool in the Tool palette (Studio menu).
RECORDING IN EXTERNAL SYNC

When recording in external sync, the Record button is
turned off every time the master device stops or rewinds.
This is a safety precaution, to prevent accidental erasure of
previously recorded data. Refer to chapter 49, Receive Sync
(page 252) for details on recording while slaved to external
sync.
recording, this extra 48 dB of SNR is not a significant

advantage. On quiet recordings, however, with long
instrument decays or reverb tails, the extra SNR can become
much more of an important advantage over 16-bit recording.
The more significant difference between 16 and 24 bit
recording is the resolution, and this factor impacts sound at
all levels, soft and loud, even to the untrained ear. As
mentioned earlier, 24-bit recording has 256 times the
resolution of 16-bit recording. You can readily hear the
difference when A/B-ing material recording at the two
different sample formats. 24-bit audio has a noticeably
enhanced detail, tightness in the low end, and overall depth.
All MOTU audio hardware supports 24-bit recording.
Choosing the sample format
AudioDesk allows you to choose the sample format you want
for each project. You can freely import files at different
sample formats and use them without first converting them.
The projects sample format setting (Preferences > Audio
Files) applies only to newly recorded or created files; existing
files are not affected when you change that setting.
The sample format is saved with the AudioDesk project, and
it can be different from project to project. You can also set a
default sample format to be used for new projects. You can
change the sample format of a project at any time.
SAMPLE FORMAT
AudioDesk supports two sample formats: 16-bit integer and
24-bit integer.
24-bit digital audio recording uses a 24-bit word to describe
each sample recorded. 16-bit recording provides 2 to the
16th or 65,536 values to record the level of audio for
any given sample. 24-bit recording supplies 8 more bits (2 to
the 24th), providing over 16 million separate values
(16,777,216 to be exact) with which to record the level of any
given sample. As you can see, 24-bit recording provides 256
times the resolution or fineness of 16-bit recording.
24-bit recording has several advantages over 16-bit
recording. One is signal-to-noise ratio. In digital recording,
each bit provides approximately 6 dB of signal-to-noise ratio
(SNR). So 16-bit recording provides a theoretical 96 dB of
SNR, 20-bits provide 120 dB, and 24-bits provide 144 dB.
With medium to loud audio material, such as a pop music
Figure 24-16: Choosing the sample format for an AudioDesk project.
GETTING AN ERROR MESSAGE

AudioDesk keeps close track of whether or not it had any
trouble processing the audio data during recording. If
conditions prevent it from successfully encoding all the
digital audio information, you will be presented with an
error message letting you know that an error occurred. These
errors can be due to conditions such as:
Other background software interruptions
A highly fragmented hard disk
A hard disk that has an access time that is too slow
Other interruptions
See Audio troubleshooting on page 265 for more

information about how to handle error messages.
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RECORDING
CHAPTER 25
Audio Monitor
OVERVIEW
The Audio Monitor (Studio menu) displays important
information about the recording settings for each digital
audio input.
automatically generated audio files are referred to as takefiles.

Heres a brief summary of what you can do with takefile
names:
To do this
Do this to the takefile name
Audio Monitor Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Mini-menu Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Buses in the Audio Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Virtual instrument inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Naming a takefile before recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Changing the takefile location before recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Adjusting the level meter range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Setting the input level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Other ways to monitor input levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
To rename the takefile
Uncheck the mini-menu

option called Base file names
on track names and then
Option-click the takefile
name.
To relocate the takefile
Double-click
To select one or more takefiles

for mini-menu commands
Click to select a single takefile;

Shift-drag to select a range;
Command-click to select or
deselect multiple non-contiguous takefiles
AUDIO MONITOR QUICK REFERENCE
Available record time

Displays the total amount of time available for recording on
the hard disk where the take file is currently located. Time is
displayed in minutes and seconds. Click the value to toggle
between minutes:seconds and megabytes (MB). Optionclick to toggle all inputs at once. One minute of audio at
44.1 kHz takes up about 5 MB of hard disk space. For other
sample rates, see How much disk space does audio require?
on page 20.
Figure 25-1: The Audio Monitor window.
Input (IN)
The leftmost column in the Audio Monitor indicates each
audio input provided by your MOTU audio hardware.
Level meters
The level meters work like a standard VU meter on a mixing
console. They indicate the amplitude of audio being
recorded on each input. The meters in the Audio Monitor
show input levels only. Playback levels are displayed in the
level meters in the Mixing Board window. (See Level
meters on page 206.) The Level Range mini-menu
command allows you to change the range of the meters from
6 dB to 42 dB.
Takefiles
The Takefile column displays the name of the audio file that
will contain the next portion of audio to be recorded on each
input. As soon as you record-enable an audio track,
AudioDesk automatically creates an audio file with a name
that matches the name of the track being recorded into,
followed by a take number (e.g. Guitar-3). These
Take Folder
Displays the current location on disk of the takefile. Click to
toggle the display between showing the full path name and
the abbreviated path name; hold option to toggle the display
for all takefiles at once.
MINI-MENU QUICK REFERENCE

Set Take Folder: Lets you change the location of the currently
selected takefile(s) in the Audio Monitor window. Click,
Shift-click, or use Select All to highlight the take file names
before choosing this command.
Level Range: Lets you choose among several different level

ranges for the meters in the Audio Monitor, from 6 dB to 42
dB.
Retain Clip: When checked, this command causes the clip
indicators to remain lit after clipping has occurred (instead
of only remaining lit as clipping occurs). Click the clip
indicator to turn it off.
Base file names on track names: When the Track option is

checked, this command causes takefile names to be derived
from the name of the track currently being recorded into. For
example, When this option is checked, and the currently
record-enabled track is named Guitar, the takefile name will
119
be called Guitar-x, where x is a take number automatically

assigned by AudioDesk. Likewise, when the Input option is
checked, this command causes takefile names to be derived
from the name of the input of the track currently being
recorded into. Use Custom to choose your own names.
Scroll to Record Enabled Inputs: When checked, the Audio

Monitor will automatically scroll to the record-enabled
input(s).
BUSES IN THE AUDIO MONITOR

The Audio Monitor shows both inputs and busses. For
example, typically youll have several hardware inputs, along
with sixteen or more buses. (The number of available buses is
adjustable. See Stereo buses on page 16.) Bus inputs are
displayed in the Audio Monitor because you can assign a bus
to the input of a track, which you can then record. When you
record a track that has a bus as its input, the audio input from
the bus gets recorded onto your hard drive into the takefile
shown for the bus in the Audio Monitor window. To help you
identify them, takefiles for bus inputs are given a default
name that includes the word bus.
VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT INPUTS

The Audio Monitor also displays any virtual instrument
inputs that may currently be available to AudioDesk, from
virtual instrument software that is running concurrently
with AudioDesk. Any inputs that appear in the Inputs tab of
the Audio Bundles window (Studio menu) will also appear in
the Audio Monitor.
NAMING A TAKEFILE BEFORE RECORDING

If the Base file names on >Track mini-menu item is checked,
then AudioDesk will automatically derive the audio file name
from the name of the track currently being recorded into.
If the Base file names on >Input mini-menu item is checked,
then AudioDesk will automatically derive the audio file name
from the name of the input of the track currently being
recorded into.
If you want, you can choose the Base file names on >Custom
mini-menu item and give the takefile any name you wish. To
manually set the takefile name before recording, choose the
Base file names on >Custom mini-menu item and Optionclick the takefile name in the Audio Monitor. To rename the
audio file after it has been recorded, Option-click its name in
the Soundbites window.
CHANGING THE TAKEFILE LOCATION BEFORE

RECORDING
AudioDesk automatically keeps track of the audio files
associated with the project, regardless of where you store
them on your hard disk(s). (For more information, see
chapter 15, Audio File Management (page 81).) There

might be times, however, when you would like to change the
takefile location.
By default, AudioDesk places takefiles into a folder named
Audio Files that it automatically creates in the project folder
when you first open a new project. If necessary or desired,
you can move the takefile to a different disk or folder. For
example, you may want to organize your takefiles into folders
as you record them for convenience. Each input can be
assigned a different location, allowing you to record into
separate folders and even hard drives. For general tips about
audio file management, see chapter 15, Audio File
Management (page 81).
To change the location where a takefile will be recorded:
1 Double-click the takefile name in the Audio Monitor.
Alternatively, you can click the takefile name once to
highlight it and choose Set take folder from the mini-menu.
The Change Directory window appears.
2 If necessary, use the Change Directory window to go to
the desired folder or location on your hard disk.
3 If you want to create a new folder, click New Folder.
4 If you want to select an existing folder, click the folders
name in the list to highlight it, and click Choose.
Changing the takefile location for several (or all) inputs
once
To change the takefile location for all inputs at one time, click
and Shift-click the takefiles you want to change and then
choose Set Take Folder from the Audio Monitor mini-menu.
Organizing audio files into folders as you go
Lets say youre currently adding the following to a sequence:
backup vocals on input 1 and acoustic guitar on input 2. And
you know you will be recording at least several takes for each
part, thus creating several audio files for each.
In this situation, you might find it handy to place the vocal
takes into one folder and guitar takes (record files) into
another so that you dont get the vocal audio files mixed up
with the guitar audio files. (It isnt absolutely necessary to
separate record files like this, but the more takes you record,
the easier it will be to sort through them later on, if
necessary.)
Checking the current takefile location
The current location of the takefile for each input is shown in
the Take Folder column in the Audio Monitor as shown
below.
120
AUDIO MONITOR
The abbreviated take file location.
Click it to display the full path name

of the take file location, which is
shown with single colons.
To view the full path to the takefiles location:

1 Click the take folder location.
2 Click the windows zoom button in the title bar to expand
the window so you can see the full path name.
The Level Range setting here in the Audio Monitor also

controls the dynamic range of the input level meters in the
Mixing Board window.
Using the clip indicator to avoid clipping
Each sample in a digital audio signal is expressed as a
number within a certain range. (In 16-bit audio, the value of
each sample is expressed as a binary number containing 16
bits, which provides a range of over sixty five thousand
values.) If the level of audio being recorded or played back
exceeds the range that can be expressed, the result is clipping.
Those portions of the audio waveform that exceed the
maximum value of the dynamic range get cut off at the
maximum value that can be expressed. This causes the top of
the waveform to get chopped off, giving it a shape more like a
square wave, as shown below. The clipped audio signal on the
left will sound distorted:
Figure 25-2: Click the zoom button to expand the window.
3 Click the zoom button again to return the window to is

original size and position.
You can also double-click the path to open a Finder window
to that location.
Remembering takefile locations
AudioDesk remembers the takefile location settings when
you save the file so that it will remember to put takefiles in the
same folder the next time you record. If you like, you can save
takefile locations in your new template file using the Save As
New Template command.
Clipped
Not clipped
When clipping occurs, the level meters clip indicator will

light up as shown below:
Clip indicator
ADJUSTING THE LEVEL METER RANGE

By default, the level meters have a full range from -42 dB to
zero dB (clip). The Level Range mini-menu command lets
you adjust the range to as small as 6 dB. Just choose the
desired range from the menu. You can even change it during
recording. For a signal with a wide dynamic range, use a
larger value; for a signal with a fairly consistent and narrow
dynamic range, use a smaller value and record it as close to
zero as possible. But be sure not to clip. (See the next
section.)
Retain clip
If Retain Clip is checked in the Audio Monitor mini-menu,
the clip indicator lights up at the first occurrence of clipping
and remains lit as a reminder that clipping has occurred. To
clear the clip indicator, click it. This is a convenient way to
keep track of clipping without having to stare continuously at
the meter.
The Retain Clip setting here in the Audio Monitor also

affects the clip indicators of the output level meters in the
Mixing Board window.
Clearing the clip indicators
Click an indicator to clear it. Double-click it to clear all
indicators, or choose Clear all clipping indicators from the
Studio menu.
121
AUDIO MONITOR
Scrolling to the record-enabled inputs

If the Audio Monitor has a lot of channels showing, this
menu item can come in handy. When it is checked, the Audio
Monitor will always scroll to the record-enabled input(s) so
you can easily see activity on the input without having to
scroll the window manually.
SETTING THE INPUT LEVEL

When recording, get as high a level as possible without any
clipping. Before you record, always sample the entire range of
the audio input you will be recording and adjust the input
level accordingly. Ideally, the loudest part of the signal should
peak just below zero dB (when the meter is all the way up
without the clip light). Digital clipping is harsh, with
virtually no headroom, so try to avoid it as much as possible.
OTHER WAYS TO MONITOR INPUT LEVELS

In addition to the level meters in the Audio Monitor
(Figure 25-1 on page 119), long throw metering is available
in both the Mixing Board (Level meters on page 206).
122
AUDIO MONITOR
CHAPTER 26
Looping
OVERVIEW
A loop is a region of data in a track that is played repeatedly.
The result is similar to using the Repeat command on the
Edit menu to insert multiple copies of a region (see Repeat
on page 163). Instead of actually copying the data, however,
the loop feature simply replays the region over and over.
Looping is thus more memory-efficient than making
repeated copies of a region. Also, making a change in a
looped section is easy: instead of changing every repeat of
the data as you would if you had copied and pasted it, you
simply change the data in the looped region. Tracks or
sections of tracks can be looped independently; it is thus
possible to build a complex sequence out of a small number
of events.
A loop is different from the Memory-Cycle button because a
loop is a permanent addition to a track. In addition, the loop
only loops one track, whereas Memory-Cycle loops the
entire sequence. For information about Memory-cycle
looping, see The Memory-Cycle button on page 51.
Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Creating a loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
BASICS
A loop has three components: a start point, an end point and
a number of repetitions. When a loop starts, it plays through
its data normally. When the end point is reached, the region
is played again from the start point. This cycle repeats for the
specified number of repetitions, or indefinitely if an infinite
loop is specified.
When the loop finishes its number of repetitions, the next
data played will correspond to the location on the Counter.
For example, the region from measure 1|1|000 to 4|1|000 is
looped four times. After the loop finishes, the Counter will be
at measure 13 (four times three measures is twelve: measure
13 comes after measure 12). The data in the track continues
playing from measure 13, not from measure 4. If there is any
data in measures 4 through 12, it is skipped. The loop takes
precedence over any intervening data.
When moving to a location in a sequence, AudioDesk figures
out whether any tracks are in the middle of a loop and keeps
count of where in the looping process these tracks are. This
allows you to begin playing or recording from any location
and be sure that the loops will all play correctly.
Independent track looping

Each track has its own set of loops. This means that each
track can be looped independently of others. (You can,
however, temporarily loop the entire sequence using the
Memory-Cycle button)
A loop starts right on its Start time and ends just before its
End time. For example, a loop set from 1|1|000 to 4|1|000
would play the data from 1|1|000 to 3|4|479 (at 480 ticks-perquarter-note resolution); the next repetition would play the
same data immediately at 4|1|000. The number of repetitions
equals the total number of times you want the region to play;
this includes the first pass.
A loop need not be set on measure boundaries (i.e. on beat
one, tick zero of the measure). They can start anywhere in a
measure. Well use loops starting on measure boundaries as
examples to keep things clear. In practice, any location is
fine.
Nested loops
Each track may can contain multiple loops. You can even
have nested loops in a track, i.e. loops within loops. Heres an
example of nested loops, all in the same track:
Bars 1 to 3 played 8 times (lasting from bar 1 to 17)
Then the whole 32 bar section is looped:
When bar 33 is reached, bars 1 to 3 will be played another 8

times, bars 17 to 19 another 4 times, and bars 25 to 27
another four times. Then this whole process will repeat twice
more until bar 129 is reached.
When loops conflict
It is possible to set up loops such that they overlap with each
other or otherwise conflict in the same track. When this
happens, the first loop in the track takes precedence. When
two conflicting loops start at the same time, the one that has
a later ending time takes precedence.
Here are some examples of the effects of conflicting loops:
Bars 1 to 9 played four times, bars 5 to 13 played four
times.
123
The first loop takes precedence. Bars 1 to 9 are played and the
loop repeats back to bar 1. The second loop is ignored.
Bars 1 to 17 played four times, bars 1 to 3 looped infinitely.
Bars 1 to 3 are played eight times, lasting until bar 17. Then
the outer loop (the one with the later end time) takes over,
terminating the inner loop. This returns to bar 1, playing
the inner loop eight times again. This cycle repeats four times
until the outer loop is finished. At that point, the sequence is
at bar 65 and it continues playing from there, all previous
loops done.
Bars 1 to 5 played four times, bars 5 to 7 played eight times.
The second loop is completely ignored since its time is

skipped while executing the first loop. When a loop begins at
a time that is skipped after executing a previous loop, that
loop is ignored (like all other data in the skipped region).
CREATING A LOOP
3 The start and end locations of the current selection are

entered as the start and end locations in the dialog, but you
can edit them if you would like to adjust them.
Choose the number of repetitions for the loop, or choose
Infinite.
4 To enter the loop, press Return. To cancel, press Escape or
Command-period.
1 Choose the Insert Loop tool in the Tool palette.
Editing loops with the Edit menu

Loops can be edited like any other event with the commands
on the Edit menu. If you Cut, Paste, or otherwise edit a
region that contains loops, the loops will be edited along with
the other events.
Figure 26-1: Use the Loop Tool to insert loops.
To edit loops with the commands in the Edit menu select the
track(s) to be edited in the Edit window, define the region
using the Selection Bar Start and End times, and choose the
desired command from the Edit menu.
Loops can be inserted directly into a track in the Edit

window as follows:
2 If desired, enable the edit grid and choose a grid size.

3 Click at the desired start location directly in the track
strip, drag to the right to draw the desired length, and release
the mouse at the end location.
A loop appears. Use the cursor tracking in the Time Ruler to
align the beginning and end of the loop while inserting it.
Information about the loop will appear in the Information
Bar.
For further information about inserting loops in the Edit
window, see Working with loops on page 144.
Inserting a loop using the Set Loop command
To insert a loop using the Set Loop command (Edit menu):
1 In the Edit window, select the data you would like to loop.
Removing loops
Loops can be deleted like any other type of data. Select the
loop and press the delete key, or use the Cut or Erase
commands.
Loop recording
Loop recording is the process of overdub recording into a
region over and over again. This is best done with the
Memory-Cycle feature in AudioDesk. See Cycle-recording
on page 117 for detailed information.
Inserting and editing loops during playback
Loops can be inserted and edited during playback as
described throughout this chapter. Just remember that it may
take AudioDesk a moment to cue up data after youve made a
change, depending on the magnitude of what you did with
your edit or insertion.
2 Choose Set Loop from the Edit menu.

A dialog pops up.
124
LOOPING
Part 5
Editing
CHAPTER 27
Edit window
OVERVIEW
The Edit window provides a multitrack graphic environment
for editing multiple audio tracks. You can view one or more
tracks at a time using AudioDesks standard track selector to
show and hide tracks as desired.
Audio tracks display waveform data with automation data
overlaying it. You can switch layers in each track
independently to bring any type of data to the front for
editing.
The Edit window provides sample-accurate editing of audio.
The Edit window includes basic track management features,
such as adding, duplicating and deleting tracks and
sequences, making it one-stop shopping for editing and
managing an AudioDesk project.
Edit window Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Tool palette Quick Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Edit window mini-menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Sequences and tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Edit window basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Opening the Edit window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Sequence management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Track management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
The Information Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
The Time Ruler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
The Marker Strip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Zooming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Audio track settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Resizing tracks vertically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Audio graphic editing basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Inserting soundbites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Moving soundbites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Muting and unmuting soundbites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Overlapping and layering soundbites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Edge editing (trimming) soundbites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Graphic time stretching of audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Applying fades and crossfades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Graphic editing techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Selection techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Show times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Sync points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Working with breakpoint mix automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Working with loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Working with event flags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Scrolling during playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Scrubbing in the Edit window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
126
Cursor Information: Displays the mouse pointers current
EDIT WINDOW QUICK REFERENCE
location in the unit of measurement for the currently active

layer in the track (dB for audio volume, the name of the
soundbite the cursor is currently over for, etc.)
Track Selector: Click or drag over the names of the tracks in
Event Information: Displays the currently selected
this list to show or hide them in the Edit window. Optionclick to hide all except the one you click; Command-click to
show all except the one you click.
Track
selector
Cursor
coordinates
Event
Information
Marker
strip
soundbite, automation control point, or other type of data

event numerically, allowing you to edit the events
parameters, such as name, velocity, and attack time.
Time
ruler
Selection
Information
Edit
grid
Minimenu
Vertical
waveform
zoom
Track
name
Show/hide Snapshot
track
selector
Track
Settings
panel
Track
settings
menu
Loop
Scrolling
wiper
Audio
mix automation
data
Selected
soundbite
Zoom
buttons
Pointer
Zoom Insert loop
I-Beam
Scrub
Pencil
Tool Palette
Figure 27-1: The Edit window
127
EDIT WINDOW
Marker Strip: Displays markers. Markers must be edited in

the Markers window. No audio data appears in the Marker
Strip.
Scrolling wiper: Indicates the current playback location.
Time Ruler: Measures time in any combination of
(and inserted) when they are chosen as the active layer for
the track. Use the Pointer Tool for most soundbite editing
operations.
AudioDesks various time formats. Double-click to place the

playback wiper. Drag to make a time range selection. Shiftclick to extend or shorten the existing time range selection.
Edit Grid: If the Edit Grid box is turned on, data snaps to the
edit grid. If it is turned off, data doesnt snap to grid. Edit
Resolution can be changed by typing in a different number of
beats|ticks, or by choosing a duration from the note menu.
All time formats are supported.
Nudge amount: Specifies how far selected events are moved

by the left/right arrow keys. See Nudge on page 147.
Mini-menu: Provides features specific to the Edit window.

See Edit window mini-menu on page 128.
Vertical waveform zoom: Controls the height of the audio
Drag it to change it or double-click in the time ruler.
Selected soundbite: Soundbites can be manipulated directly
Zoom buttons: Reduce and enlarge the display vertically or

horizontally. Click the plus sign to zoom in; click on the
minus sign to zoom out. Press to zoom continuously.
Zooming out gives you an overview; zooming in focuses on a
shorter period of time at higher resolution. Editing can be
done at any zoom level. Option-click to zoom in or out to
minimum or maximum zoom level.
TOOL PALETTE QUICK REFERENCE

Pointer: Use the pointer to select data, move data, and trim
soundbites.
I-Beam: Use the I-Beam tool to make time range selections.
waveform within the track strip.
Pencil: Use the pencil tool to insert data.
Show/hide track selector: Opens and closes the track
Zoom: Click to zoom in the time ruler (for all tracks).
selector.
Option-click to zoom the time ruler out. Shift-Option-click

to zoom backwards (through previous zoom settings). ShiftOption-Control click to zoom forwards.
Automation Snapshot: Takes a snapshot of the current

automation settings you specify for the tracks you specify
over the time range you specify. The snapshot operation
inserts automation events in each included track at the
current main counter location. This can be done while
AudioDesk is stopped or playing back.
Track settings panel: Displays information and track
settings. The amount of information displayed depends on
the tracks current vertical size. All settings are always
available in the Track settings menu.
Scrub: Plays back the audio contained in a soundbite as you

drag horizontally over it. Hold down the Shift key to select
while scrubbing. (Soundbites must be the active layer in the
track.)
Insert Loop: Inserts a loop in a track when you drag
horizontally.
EDIT WINDOW MINI-MENU
Track settings menu: Contains all settings for the track.

Some of these settings might also be displayed in the Track
settings panel, depending on the tracks current vertical size.
Loop: You can insert loops, automation or any other type of

track data by choosing it from the Insert sub-menu in the
Track settings menu.
Audio mix automation data: Mix automation data events
(volume, pan, plug-in parameters, etc.) are viewed by
choosing Volume from the Tracks Active Layer menu in the
tracks information panel. Mix automation data is displayed
as a line superimposed on top of the audio waveform, with
automation events appearing as breakpoints on the line,
which can be inserted, dragged, and selected.
Figure 27-2: The Edit window mini-menu.
Sequences: The Edit window displays one sequence at a time.

That is, it displays all tracks in a single sequence. This submenu provides several features for working with multiple
sequences, if your AudioDesk project has them. See
Sequence management on page 129.
Zoom: Provides many shortcuts for zooming in the Edit

window. See Mini-menu zoom shortcuts on page 133.
128
EDIT WINDOW
Go To Counter: Scrolls the Edit window to the time currently

displayed in the Counter. The counter location will appear at
the left-most position in the window.
OPENING THE EDIT WINDOW
Go To: Scrolls the Edit window to a time you specify, which
SEQUENCE MANAGEMENT
will appear at the left-most position in the window.
The Edit window displays one sequence at a time. That is, it

displays all tracks in a single sequence. The Edit window
provides several features for working with multiple
sequences, if your AudioDesk project has them.
Show Active Layer Only: Hides all data that is not in the
current active layer for each track.
Show Times: this menu item produces a sub-menu, from

which you can choose which time stamp to display on
soundbites: none, the current time, the original time stamp (if
any) or the user time stamp (if any).
Edge Edit Copy: This item affects soundbite trimming (edge
editing). When checked, this item causes a new soundbite to
be created when you trim (edge edit) any soundbite,
preserving the original. When Edge Edit Copy is unchecked,
trimming a soundbite affects the original soundbite (and all
instances of it in elsewhere in the project). Option-drag to
override the current Edge Edit Copy setting (checked or
unchecked).
SEQUENCES AND TRACKS

AudioDesk is modeled after the straightforward,
conventional concept of a multitrack recorder. For a
multitrack tape recorder, the basic unit of musical
organization is a reel of tape. Typically, one song would be
recorded on one reel of tape.
In AudioDesk, the basic unit of organization is called a
sequence. A sequence holds a set of tracks. (Think of a
sequence as a reel of tape or one section of the tape, like
the chorus or the first verse.) Each track, in turn, holds an
individual stream of audio data. Typically, a track is the
recording of an individual instrument or voice. But tracks are
very flexible and allow you to organize your work in many
different ways.
Unlike analog tape, AudioDesk sequences can hold as many
tracks you like.
EDIT WINDOW BASICS

The Edit window serves as a multitrack waveform editor for
audio tracks. There is one Edit window window for each
sequence. In projects with more than one sequence, you can
open multiple Edit windows (one for each sequence).
To open the Edit window, choose Edit window from the

Project menu or press shift-E.
Making the Edit window display a different sequence

You can create an unlimited number of sequences in a
AudioDesk project. You can make the Edit window display
any sequence you want by choosing it from the Sequence
sub-menu in the Edit window mini-menu (Figure 27-2 on
page 128). Doing so causes AudioDesk to display the
sequences tracks; in addition, the sequence name is
displayed in the title bar of the Edit window. It also playenables the sequence being viewed. If the Edit window is
displaying a sequence that is not play-enabled, then this
menu will appear blank.
Using the title bar to switch sequences
You can also use the Edit window title bar to change which
sequence is displayed. To do so, just click the sequence name
in the Window Target menu as shown below. Note, however,
that this method of switching sequences is slightly different
than using the Sequence menu as described above because it
doesnt play-enable the sequence; it only switches the display.
If you want to hear the sequence you are switching to, use the
Sequence menu.
Figure 27-3: You can also switch the sequence being displayed in a Edit window by
clicking the Window Target menu.
Creating new sequences in the Edit window

When you choose New from the File menu to create a new
AudioDesk project, the newly created project that appears on
your screen contains a single empty sequence named Seq-1
that is displayed in the Edit window. You can use the
Sequence menu to create other new sequences. Just choose
either New Sequence or Copy Selection to New Sequence (as
explained in Making a new, separate sequence based on the
current selection on page 130.)
129
EDIT WINDOW
Moving tracks up or down

To move tracks up or down in the Edit window, drag them by
the left edge of their information panel as shown below in the
Edit window.
Reposition
cursor
Figure 27-4: The Sequence sub-menu menu also provides commands for creating,
naming, and deleting sequences, as well as copying the current selection to its
own, new sequence.
Renaming and deleting a sequence in the Edit window

The Sequence menu shown above lets you also rename or
delete any sequence. Just choose the sequence by name from
the menu, and then choose the desired command.
Making a new, separate sequence based on the current
selection
The Copy Selection to New Sequence command (as shown in
Figure 27-4 on page 130) creates a new, separate sequence
based on the current selection. For details see Splitting up
an existing sequence into separate sequences on page 187.
Opening two or more Edit windows at once
As mentioned earlier, you can freely switch which sequence
is displayed in the Edit window. If youd like, you can also
open multiple Edit windows so that you can view two or
more sequences at the same time. Just double-click its name
in the Sequences window.
TRACK MANAGEMENT
The Edit window provides many features for managing
tracks in the project.
The Track Selector
The Edit window provides a collapsible track selector list on
the left-hand side of the window (Figure 27-2 on page 128)
that lets you show or hide the desired tracks in the window.
Click a track name to show (select) it or hide (deselect) it.
Option-click to hide all except the one you click; Commandclick to show all except the one you click. Drag across several
adjacent tracks to show or hide them. Use the show/hide
button in the lower left corner to show or hide this list.
Figure 27-5: Move the cursor over the left edge of the Track settings panel until you
see this cursor. Then drag it up or down ad desired.
Creating a new track

To create a new, empty track, choose Add Track from the
Project menu and choose the type of track desired from the
sub-menu (mono audio track, stereo audio track, etc.) The
new track is added to the bottom of the Edit window with the
name Track-n, where n is a number. If you would like to
add the track somewhere in the middle of the Edit window,
click an existing track name first to highlight it. The new
track is added just below the highlighted track.
To add several tracks at once, hold down the Option key
while choosing one of the multiple track options from the
Add Track menu in the Project menu. You will be prompted
for the number of tracks to add. You can add as many tracks
as you wish to the project.
Selecting tracks
There are many reasons for selecting tracks. For example, to
select data for editing or delete a track, you must first select
the track. There are several methods for selecting tracks:
To select a single track, click on its name. It will highlight.
To select several tracks, hold down the Command key and
click on the names of the tracks you wish to select. They will
highlight.
To deselect tracks when more than one are highlighted, hold
down the Command key and click on the tracks you wish to
deselect. They will unhighlight.
To select tracks for the track management operations
discussed in the next few sections, click or Command-click
their names to select them.
The track selection techniques are also used to select data
inside the tracks for editing with AudioDesks powerful Edit
and Audio menu commands. For complete details, see
chapter 31, Selecting (page 157).
Duplicating track layouts
You can add new, empty tracks by duplicating existing
tracks. To duplicate one or more tracks:
130
EDIT WINDOW
1 Select the desired track(s).
THE TIME RULER
2 Choose Add Similar Tracks from the Project menu.
The Time Ruler measures time horizontally for all data in the
Edit window tracks displayed below it.
The duplicate track appears in the Edit window with the

word copy is appended to its name. This command does not
copy the data in the track; instead, it copies only the tracks
name, playback assignment and other track settings.
Duplicating tracks
You can duplicate one or more existing tracks, including the
contents of the tracks with the Duplicate Track command.
1 Select the track(s) you wish to duplicate.
2 Choose Duplicate Tracks from the Project menu.
The duplicate track appears in the Edit window with the
word copy is appended to its name.
Deleting tracks
To delete a track, select it by clicking on its name and choose
Delete Tracks from the Project menu. The track will
disappear from the project. Delete several tracks at once by
selecting them all before choosing the Delete Track
command. When a track is deleted, all of its data is gone,
although this operation can be undone.
Making audio track input and output assignments
The Audio Assignments command in the Studio menu is a
convenient shortcut for making input, and output
assignments to many tracks in one quick operation. Select
the tracks you wish to assign and then choose the Audio
Assignments from the Studio menu. For further details, see
Making audio assignments for multiple tracks on
page 100.
THE INFORMATION BAR

The Information Bar at the top of the Edit window (Figure
27-1 on page 127) appears just below the title bar and is
divided into three sections that display precise, numeric
information about cursor location, currently selected data,
the current selection, and minimum editing resolution. For
details on the Information Bar and its sections, see
chapter 28, Information Windows (page 146).
Figure 27-6: The Time Ruler gives you a visual indication of where data is. It can
display time in any of AudioDesks various time formats.
Cursor tracking
To help align the mouse pointer with the Time Ruler, a line
appears inside the Time Ruler to indicate the current
position of the mouse. The cursor location is displayed
numerically in the Cursor Information section of the
Information Bar.
Choosing time formats
The Time Ruler can display time in any combination of
AudioDesks various time formats. You can choose which
formats to display with the Time Display sub-menu (Setup
menu).
Zooming the Time Ruler
See Zooming on page 132.
Using the Time Ruler to cue playback
You can double-click the time ruler as shown below to make
AudioDesk jump to that location.
Click once near the top of the
ruler with the cue cursor
or double-click in the
lower half with I-beam
cursor.
Figure 27-7: Cueing playback in the Time Ruler.
Using the Time Ruler to select a time range

A region can be selected by dragging horizontally in the
lower half of the Main Time Ruler with the I-beam cursor as
shown below. For more similar techniques, see Time Ruler
selection techniques on page 158.
Drag in the lower
half with I-beam
cursor.
Figure 27-8: Selecting a time range in the Time ruler.
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THE MARKER STRIP

The Marker Strip appears just below the Time Ruler. It
displays markers. It is always visible and is not affected by
vertical scrolling.
Figure 27-9: The Marker strip.
A marker appears as a marker icon, followed by the markers

name. The marker icon indicates the markers exact location.
If the marker is locked, a lock icon will appear between the
pointer and the marker name.
Working with markers in the Marker strip
The Time Ruler lets you display and edit Markers. Here is a
summary:
To accomplish this
Do this
Create a new marker
Click on the marker well to the right of the

Time Ruler and then drag and drop a marker
onto the marker strip.
Marker
well
Select everything from one

marker to the next one
Click the icon of the first marker. Shift-click to

extend the selection.
Lock (or unlock) a marker
Option-click its icon.
If markers occur very close together (based on the current

zoom setting) or at the same location, they are displayed with
a menu icon, shown below in Figure 27-10. Press the menu to
view the events at that location.
Showing marker grid lines

The Show marker grid lines Edit window preferences (see
Edit Window on page 87) toggles the appearance of a
yellow line that extends downwards from each marker
through the Edit window grid. This line is can be used to
align data to the marker location.
Making a time-range selection with markers
Click the marker to make a time range selection that extends
to the next marker.
Editing markers
To move, delete or otherwise edit the marker, use the
Markers window as explained in chapter 35, Markers
(page 182).
ZOOMING
Zooming in the Edit window is similar to the zooming found
in most Mac graphics programs. When zooming in, objects
become larger as the display magnifies a portion of the
screen. When zooming out, objects shrink as the display
encompasses a larger region.
The horizontal axis (time) and vertical axis (waveform
amplitude, volume, pan, etc.) can be zoomed independently.
For example, you can zoom out the Time Ruler to see more
measures at one time, and zoom in vertically to focus on the
volume range.
There are many ways to zoom the Edit window, as explained
in the following sections.
Zoom buttons
The Edit window lets you zoom all tracks both horizontally
and vertically. Zoom in using the plus (+) button to get
more detail. Zoom out with the minus (-) to get more of an
overview. If you press continuously, the window zooms
continuously. Shortcut: Option-click to zoom to the
maximum or minimum setting. When zooming vertically,
tracks proportionally maintain the relative vertical sizes.
Figure 27-11: The Edit window Zoom buttons.

Figure 27-10: When items in the Marker Strip occur very close to one another (or
even on the same exact tick), the Marker Strip displays the menu icon shown here.
Click the menu to see the events; you can select them by choosing them from the
menu.
Zooming quickly by pressing

If you press continuously on a zoom button, the display will
zoom continuously until you release the mouse.
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EDIT WINDOW
Wiper zooming
You can very quickly and conveniently zoom in and out by
Control-dragging vertically on the green playback wiper, as
described in Zooming with the wiper on page 108.
Keyboard zooming shortcuts
Below are several keyboard shortcuts for zooming. In
addition, all of the zooming shortcuts discussed in the next
section (Mini-menu zoom shortcuts) have keyboard
shortcuts, which are available in the Commands window (see
chapter 19, Commands (page 91).
Shortcut
What it does
Command-left arrow
Zoom out horizontally.
Command-right arrow
Zoom in horizontally.
Command-up arrow
Zoom in vertically.
Command-down arrow
Zoom out vertically.
Option key
When added to the above shortcuts,

the Option key zooms all the way.
Mini-menu zoom shortcuts

The Zoom mini-menu item provides many useful options
for magnifying or reducing the data displayed in the Edit
window. AudioDesk offers completely unlimited zooming
between the minimum and maximum horizontal zoom
levels.
Figure 27-12: The Zoom sub-menu in Edit window mini-menu.
Zoom in/out
Zooming in (either vertically or horizontally) enlarges the
data; zooming out reduces it.
Zoom to selection
Zoom to Selection fits the current selection to the left and
right edges of the window.
Zoom Back and Zoom Forward
As discussed in Zoom history and Zoom Forward/
Backward on page 133, the Zoom Back and Zoom Forward
commands keep track of every zoom operation that you do
since you first opened the Edit window. Therefore, they allow
you to step backwards and forwards through all of the
different scrolling and zooming actions youve taken. Just

keep choosing them over and over to work your way
backwards or forwards.
Working with the zoom settings
The zoom settings let you store favorite zoom settings and
easily restore them by choosing them from the menu (or
pressing their key binding). To store a zoom setting:
1 Zoom the display the way you want.
2 Choose the desired Set Zoom Setting command in the
menu.
To restore the zoom setting, choose the desired Go to Zoom
Setting command.
Switching among 2 or 3 zoom settings
The zoom settings commands discussed above are ideal for
zooming among several different zoom settings. For
example, you might want to switch back and forth between
the sample level and an overview level to consecutively make
small sample edits and then audition them.
The Zoom Tool
The zoom tool (magnifying glass) in the Tool palette lets you
zoom in on a portion of the note grid by dragging a zoom
box over it. See the table below for many Zoom Tool
shortcuts.
Shortcut
What it does
Click once
To zoom in horizontally.
Option-click
To zoom out horizontally.
Shift-click
To zoom backward through zoom history
Shift-Control-click
To zoom forward through zoom history
Drag in the time ruler
To fill the window with the region you

select without affecting the vertical
zoom
Drag over an area
To zoom vertically and horizontally at

the same time
Option-click the zoom out button
To zoom all the way out
Option-click the zoom in button
To zoom all the way in
Command-click the zoom buttons
To toggle between the last two zoom

levels
Zoom history and Zoom Forward/Backward

AudioDesk remembers consecutive zoom operations in the
Edit window. For example, if you zoom in three times
consecutively to get a closer look at some data, AudioDesk
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EDIT WINDOW
remembers each zoom setting. You can then use Zoom

Backward and Zoom Forward shortcuts to move forwards
and backwards through these remembered zoom settings.
Zooming, Edit Resolution and nudging
Editing is allowed at any time zoom setting. However, the
current zoom level may affect the resolution at which events
can be edited by dragging. For example, lets say that the Edit
Resolution unit is set to 20 ticks. If you zoom way out, you
will not be able to drag a note by only 20 ticks because one
screen pixel, which is the smallest unit of movement on the
Mac screen, will equal a time value greater than 20 ticks. So,
even if you move the note as little as possible, you will still
have moved it more than 20 ticks.
In the example above, AudioDesk handles the situation by
constraining location to multiples of 20 ticks. When you
move the note, its new location will become the nearest
multiple of 20 ticks, such as 80, 140, or 420 ticks.
If you need more precision, zoom in. Or, you can nudge data
in precise increments at any zoom level use the arrow keys
and the Nudge Amount window. See Heal Separation on
page 165.
Waveform zooming
Waveforms can be zoomed vertically and independently
from the track vertical zoom, as demonstrated in
Figure 27-14: Resizing tracks vertically.
Shortcuts for vertical track resizing

Use the following shortcuts to resize tracks:
To do this:
Hold down this key

while dragging:
To make all tracks the same height
Option key
To enlarge one track and make all other

tracks scale their height to fit in the window
Control key
To zoom back to the previous state after

either of the above operations
Press command-[ (left bracket),

or choose Zoom Back from the
Zoom sub-menu in the Edit window mini-menu.
To make tracks snap to fixed sizes vertically
Command key
These modifier key shortcuts can also be used when

vertically resizing from track setting menus as shown below:
AUDIO TRACK SETTINGS

The panel to the left of each track in the Edit window shows
all of the settings for the track.
Input
monitor
Track name
Play/ Record- Track Level Waveform

mute enable settings meter vertical
menu
zoom
Track type icon/

color selector
Active layer
Audio output
Audio input
Figure 27-15: Resizing tracks from the track settings menu.
Automation
settings
Take
Insert menu
Resize handle
Figure 27-13: Audio track settings. The display of these controls changes depending on the vertical size of the track.
For complete details, see Audio track settings on page 98.
RESIZING TRACKS VERTICALLY

Tracks can be resized vertically. Position the mouse over the
bottom edge of the track settings panel until you see the hand
cursor. Then drag up or down as desired.
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AUDIO GRAPHIC EDITING BASICS

This section explains several important concepts to keep in
mind when you work with audio tracks in the Edit window.
Working with waveforms
The Edit window displays soundbites and the audio data
within them as a waveform in a standard time-versusamplitude display as shown in Figure 27-16. The waveform
shown inside soundbites is a representation of the sound in
graphical form. Time is expressed on the horizontal axis.
Amplitude (loudness) is expressed on the vertical axis, and
the waveform oscillates up and down over a center axis that
represents zero, or no sound at all. The louder the sound is at
a certain point, the greater the deviation is from zero. Silence
is represented by a straight line. the point at which the
waveform crosses zero is called a zero-crossing.
A soundbite is represented as a block of waveform data
with adjustable boundaries. The waveform inside it
represents the actual audio data in the audio file on disk. This
graphic display allows you to make edit decisions based on
what you see, as well as what you hear.
Figure 27-18: A stereo soundbite is represented as two audio channels joined

together, which always remain phase-locked.
Soundbites are clones

An important thing to realize about soundbites in the Edit
window is that they are clones of their original soundbite in
the Soundbites window as shown in Figure 30-1 on page 154.
For further explanation, see Soundbites in a track are
clones of the original on page 154.
Graphic editing is nondestructive
All of the editing procedures described in this chapter are
non-destructive. For an explanation of non-destructive
editing, see Non-destructive, destructive and constructive
audio editing on page 155.
Soundbites that cannot play
Soundbites that cannot be played (because they dont match
the projects global sample rate, for example) are now
displayed in the Edit window with a red outline and a grayed
waveform, in addition to a red X in their icon in the
Soundbite list, to alert you to the fact that they cannot
currently play back.
Figure 27-17: A soundbite is represented as a block of audio with a waveform

inside.
Stereo versus mono waveforms

In stereo tracks, paired left/right soundbites appear in the
Edit window as two smaller waveforms joined together as
shown in Figure 27-18. A stereo soundbite shows both
channels connected together as one unit, so that they can
always be edited simultaneously, with sample-accurate phase
lock between the channels.
Amplitude
+100%
Reveal In Finder command

The Reveal In Finder command shows you the location in the
Mac OS Finder of the parent audio file for the currently
selected audio or clippings. By default, this new command is
bound to Option-R.
zero crossing
0
Time
-100%
Figure 27-16: A simple audio waveform displayed on a time versus amplitude scale.
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EDIT WINDOW
INSERTING SOUNDBITES
The following sections explain several different ways to insert
soundbites into the Edit window. The soundbite must be
present in the Soundbites window list before doing so. If it
isnt, you must import it beforehand. See Importing and
exporting audio on page 73.
Dragging and dropping audio into the Edit window
You can also place audio in the Edit window by dragging
soundbites from the Soundbites window, a Clipping window
or the Mac OS Finder. In the Soundbites window, just grab
the move handle of the soundbite and drop it on top of the
open Edit window. The soundbite is placed at the exact
location displayed in the pointer coordinates box at the
moment you drop it. Control-drag the soundbite to make it
snap to the end of the previous one (or the beginning of the
track if it is empty). In the Finder, just drag the audio file icon
from the Mac desktop or any window into the Edit window.
The soundbites number of channels (mono or stereo) must
match the number of channels for the track you wish to
insert it into.
Figure 27-20: Click the soundbite name and then click OK, oras a shortcut
simply double-click the soundbite. You can also select the desired soundbite by
typing the first letter of its name. When the list disappears, the cursor turns into a
cross-hair.
Click the cross-hair cursor in the Edit window at the location

where you want to place the soundbite, using the pointer
coordinates (Cursor Information on page 147) to help
determine the location.
Building a playlist
You can quickly build a playlist in the Edit window by
Control-dragging soundbites into it from the Soundbites
window. Holding down the Control key when you first grab
the soundbite causes it to snap to the end of the previous
soundbite when you drop it.
Figure 27-19: Dragging and dropping Soundbites into the Edit window from the
Soundbites window: grab the move handle and drop it on top of the Edit window.
Use the pointer coordinates for precise placement. Control-drag the soundbite to
make it snap to the end of the previous one. You can also drag and drop audio
into the Edit window from the Mac OS Finder.
Using the Insert Audio command

To insert a soundbite in the Edit window with the Insert
Audio command:
1 Press Shift-F1.
This is the default key binding for the Insert Audio command,
but this may be reassigned in the Commands window.
2 If there are no soundbites currently in the project (the
Soundbites window list is empty), then the Import Audio
dialog appears so you can load an audio file from disk.
3 Select the desired soundbite from the list that appears.
The soundbites number of channels (mono or stereo) must
match the number of channels for the track you wish to
insert it into.
Changing a soundbite name

To change a soundbite name in the Edit window, Optionclick its name.
Replacing a soundbite with another
To replace a soundbite with a another one from the
soundbites window, click it once to select it and then click its
name in the Information Bars Event Information section, as
shown in Figure 27-1 on page 127.
MOVING SOUNDBITES
Soundbites can be moved earlier or later in time by simply
dragging them left or right, respectively. If the Edit
Resolution check box is off, they move freely at the highest
resolution allowed by the current zoom setting.
Moving soundbites vertically from one track to another
You can freely drag soundbites from one track to another
simply by dragging them vertically as long as the tracks
involved are currently being displayed, of course.
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EDIT WINDOW
Constraining dragging operations

You can vertically or horizontally constrain dragging
operations in the Edit window by holding down the Shift key
while dragging. This applies to soundbites, automation data,
and other objects.
Moving multiple soundbites at the same time
You can move several soundbites together by selecting them
and dragging them together as a unit. Shift-click to select
multiple soundbites. Also see Selection techniques on
page 141.
Option-dragging to make a copy

To quickly make a copy of a soundbite while dragging,
Option-drag it. The new soundbite is an exact clone of the
original; in other words, they both refer to the same original
soundbite listed in the Soundbites window. For example, if
you rename either copy, they will both change to the new
name.
Snapping to the edit grid

When the Snap to Grid check box is checked, soundbites
snap to the Edit Resolution grid when you drag them. See
Setting the Edit Grid Resolution on page 146 and the edit
grid controls in Figure 27-1 on page 127.
Nudging soundbites with the arrow keys
Select one or more soundbites in the Edit window and type
the left or right arrow keys on your Mac keyboard to nudge
the data forward or backward in time. Use the Nudge
Amount in the Snap Information window to control the
resolution. See Heal Separation on page 165.
Throwing soundbites to the next or previous
soundbite
There is a shortcut for making a soundbite snap to the next
or previous soundbite in the window: click the soundbite
first to select it, and then Control-drag the soundbite in the
direction you want it to snap. For example, if you want a
soundbite to be placed end-to-end with the next soundbite
to the right as shown below, select it and then control-drag it
to the right. You only have to drag a short distanceenough
to determine the direction.
Figure 27-22: Option-dragging to make a copy of a soundbite.
Option-Control-dragging to copy soundbites & place

them end to end
By holding down both the Option key and the Control key
when dragging soundbites, you can copy and place
soundbites end-to-end at the same time. This is a great
shortcut for building playlists made up of many repeating
soundbites, as shown in the example below.
Figure 27-23: Option-Control-drag soundbites to quickly place them end to end.
Creating a stutter effect

You can easily make a stutter effect by Option-dragging a
soundbite several times and overlapping the copies. For
rhythmic precision, it is easiest to do so with edit resolution
turned on and set to a fairly small increment, such as 16th
notes.
Figure 27-24: This 16th-note stutter effect was created by Option-dragging copies
of a soundbite with edit resolution turned on.
Figure 27-21: Control-dragging a selected soundbite a short distance in either

direction causes the soundbite to snap to the next or previous soundbite.
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EDIT WINDOW
MUTING AND UNMUTING SOUNDBITES

To temporarily mute a soundbite, select it and choose Mute
Region from the Audio menu. This inserts mute automation
data at the beginning and end of the soundbite. To unmute,
select it again and choose Clear Mute Automation from the
Audio menu.
AudioDesk allows you to drag the edges of soundbites to

change their boundaries. Just click the edge of the soundbite
with the trim cursor (shown below in Figure 27-26) and drag
left or right. The current edit resolution applies. When doing
so, you uncover or cover up the audio in the audio file as
illustrated in Figure 27-26 below. To override the current edit
grid setting (on or off), command-drag the edge instead.
If the edge stops when you drag it, preventing you from going
any further, then you have reached the end of the audio file.
Figure 27-25: Muting a soundbite.
OVERLAPPING AND LAYERING SOUNDBITES

AudioDesk allows two or more soundbitesor portions
thereofto occupy the same location in an audio track.
Each soundbite is handled in a separate layer that can be
manipulated independently of other soundbites. However,
only the visible portion of each soundbite plays back. A
simple, intuitive rule of thumb is: what you see is what you
hear. In other words, when one soundbite covers up another,
it also takes over playback in the track.
Use the Layering commands in the Audio menu (Move
Forward/Backward and Move to Front/Back) to control how
overlapping soundbites are layered as you edit them.
EDGE EDITING (TRIMMING) SOUNDBITES

As explained in Figure 5-6 on page 22, a soundbite
represents a portion of audio from its parent audio file stored
on disk. For example, a soundbite can be as short as a
fraction of a second or as long as many hours. A soundbite
can represent a portion of the parent audio file, or it can
represent the entire file.
Affecting all copies of a soundbite versus one copy

The Edge Edit Copy command in the Edit window minimenu allows you to choose whether you want to modify the
original soundbite you are dragging or preserve the original
by making a copy of it when you drag.
Edge editing all copies
When Edge Edit Copy is unchecked, dragging a soundbite
edge affects the original soundbite, as well as every other
instance of it. For example, if you edge edit a soundbite called
Drum Fill that has been placed many times throughout a
percussion track, all copies of it in the track will change.
Edge editing one copy
When Edge Edit Copy is checked, it causes a soundbite to be
copied when you drag one of its edges, which preserves all
original copies of the soundbite. The result is a new
soundbite that is identical to the original except for the new
boundary and a slightly different name. You probably wont
even notice that a copy is being made. Instead, it will seem
like you just moved the edge of the soundbite. The only
noticeable change is a number appended to the soundbite
(or, if it already has a number, it will increment by 1). The
new soundbite is also added to the list in the Soundbites
window.
Soundbite
boundaries
Soundbite as it appears in
the Edit window
New boundary
Parent audio file

(stored on disk)
Old boundary
Trim cursor
Figure 27-26: Edge editing a soundbite by dragging its boundaries.
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EDIT WINDOW
Original soundbite
New soundbite
after Option-dragging its edge
Figure 27-27: Edge Edit Copy.
Option-dragging to override Edge Edit Copy

Option-dragging a soundbite edge temporarily overrides the
current setting of the Edge Edit Copy command. This allows
you to set it the way you prefer most of the time, and the
Option-drag to temporarily override it when necessary. For
example, if you may want to edit all instances of a soundbite
most of the time, uncheck the Edge Edit Copy command so
you can simply drag soundbite boundaries, and use the
Option-key to override this setting when needed.
Edge editing multiple soundbites
To trim (edge edit) multiple soundbites together at the same
time, select them, and then trim either the left edge or right
edge of any selected soundbite.
Figure 27-29: To make the edges of multiple soundbites snap to the same location,
hold down the Control key while trimming.
Edge editing when soundbites overlap

When soundbites overlap one another, you may not have
direct access to the soundbite edge you wish to edit because it
may be covered up by another soundbite, and you may not
want to change how they overlap with the layering command
in the Audio menu. In this situation, you can edit the hidden
edge by Shift-clicking the opposite, visible edge. Doing so
gives you control over the edge you didnt shift-click.
Trim opposite edge cursor.
Mutron bass.2 ends here,

but its right edge is covered.
Grab the right edge of Mutron bass.2

by Shift-clicking its left edge.
Figure 27-28: To trim multiple soundbites together in one operation, select them
and drag an edge.
If you would like all edges to snap to the same location, hold
down the Control key while dragging an edge as shown
below:
Figure 27-30: Edge editing when the edge you want to drag is covered by another
soundbite.
Using the edit grid when edge editing

The edit grid does not affect edge editing. However, if you
would like your edge edit to snap to the edit grid, hold down
the Command key while clicking on the soundbite edge to
move it.
Scrubbing while trimming soundbites
If Audible Mode is turned on (the button in the Control
Panel with the speaker icon), audio scrubs as you drag the
edge of a soundbite to trim it. This allows you to hear your
trim edits as you make them.
GRAPHIC TIME STRETCHING OF AUDIO

You can time-stretch audio graphically by grabbing the edge
of a soundbite with the hand tool and dragging it to the
desired length. To get the hand tool, position the cursor over
the edge of the soundbites colored title bar as shown below in
Figure 27-31. When time-stretching a soundbite that has a
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EDIT WINDOW
sync point, audio stretches or shrinks around the sync point,

which remains anchored to its original location. For details,
see Time-stretching and sync points on page 143.
depending on the initial direction of movement. For

example, if you click the mouse, hold down the Shift key, and
drag upwards, the mouse will only move up or down: it will
not stray left or right.
Constraining mouse movement in this way is often
extremely helpful. For example, if you want to modify just
the value of a automation control point without changing its
location, the Shift key allows you to do so by preventing the
mouse from moving left or right.
Option-drag to duplicate
Similar to the Mac OS Finder and Mac graphics programs,
Option-dragging a data event (or several selected data
events) leaves the original data unchanged and places a copy
of the data at the destination. Option-dragging is a
convenient shortcut for copying and pasting.
Figure 27-31: To graphically time-stretch a soundbite, position the cursor over the
edge of the soundbite just below the crossfade handle and grab it with the hand
cursor.
APPLYING FADES AND CROSSFADES

You can apply fades and crossfades to the boundaries of
soundbites using fade handles or time range selections. For
complete details, see Fades and Crossfades on page 175.
Fade/crossfade handles
TAKES
Takes are a way to store multiple versions of a track within a
single track. You can add, delete, and manage takes using the
Takes menu. For complete details, see Takes on page 101.
GRAPHIC EDITING TECHNIQUES

All of AudioDesks powerful editing features are available in
the Edit window. Most editing can be done with the mouse
using familiar actions like clicking, dragging, and Shiftdragging. Such actions can shift data, reshape mix
automation data curves, and more.
The sections below describe basic features that you will find
helpful when working in AudioDesks graphic environment.
Shift-drag to constrain
If you hold down the Shift key before you begin to drag a
soundbite or other data event (or a group of selected data
events), the pointers movement on the screen will be
constrained to either the horizontal or vertical axis,
Other selection techniques

There are many other useful selection techniques. See
chapter 31, Selecting (page 157).
Dragging multiple data types
The Shift-click method of selection allows you to simultaneously select and drag multiple data types.
For example, to move a loop containing soundbites, volume
automation data, and a pan automation data, select all four
data types by Shift-clicking (or Shift-dragging over them)
and drag them to a new location.
Nudging
The Nudge Amount (Snap Information window) lets you
move selected data with the left and right arrow keys by any
amount in any unit of measurement that you choose. See
Nudge on page 147.
Using Edit Resolution
When the Snap to Grid check box is selected, data that is
moved or inserted will snap to positions corresponding to
the current edit resolution setting. For example, if the current
Edit Resolution unit is 240 ticks, events that are moved with
the mouse will snap to positions at every 240 ticks on the
grid. If the Edit Resolution check box is not checked, events
will move freely. You can temporarily override the current
grid setting by holding down the Command key as you drag.
For further review, Setting the Edit Grid Resolution on
page 146.
Using Undo
The Undo command in the Edit menu will undo the last ten
actions you performed in the Edit window.
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EDIT WINDOW
SELECTION TECHNIQUES
Scrub wiper
AudioDesk offers a variety of ways to select audio data in the

Edit window. Once audio is selected, you can apply one of
AudioDesks many powerful editing operations. For a
complete discussion of selecting techniques in the Edit
window, see chapter 31, Selecting (page 157).
Shift-clicking to select non-adjacent events
Holding down the Shift key also serves as a useful way to
select more than one event. For example, if you have already
selected a soundbite and you want to select another, scroll to
the other soundbite (if necessary) and Shift-click on it (but
dont drag). It will highlight, and the first soundbite will
remain highlighted.
Selecting a region in the time ruler over one or more
tracks
To select any time range, regardless of the audio data
contained in within the region, drag in the time ruler as
shown below. A time ruler selection affects all visible tracks.
Be sure to hide tracks and data types you dont wish to
include. Mix automation data in the region will also become
selected. Shift-click to extend or shorten the current
selection. You can also turn on the edit grid when dragging.
Pasting into a time ruler selection
If there is data in the clipboard, you can use the Paste or
Merge commands. Doing so pastes the clipboard contents
into the same track (or tracks) it was copied or cut from
starting at the beginning of the selected region.
Scrubbing audio inside a popped-up soundbite
To scrub audio inside a soundbite, use the Scrub Tool (in the
Tool Palette). You can also double-click the soundbite with
the Pointer Tool to pop-edit it and then Command-drag in
either direction to scrub forwards or backwards as shown
below. The scrub wiper indicates the current scrub location.
Be sure to hide the tracks
you dont want to include in
the selection.
Scrub wheel cursor

Figure 27-33: Command-drag to scrub audio within a pop-edited soundbite. In
this example, the audio is being scrubbed forwards.
Controlling scrubbing speed

To speed up scrubbing up to two times normal speed
move the scrub wheel cursor further away from the scrub
wiper. To slow down, move the scrub wheel cursor closer to
the scrub wiper. For a finer degree of control, zoom in the
display horizontally.
Scrubbing while selecting
When dragging to make and adjust selections inside a
soundbite, you can scrub the audio while selecting by
holding down the command and Shift keys together as
shown below in Figure 27-34. This lets you hear what you are
selecting as you drag. For example, if you have made a
selection already, and you want to extend its edge and scrub
at the same time, hold down both the command and Shift
keys while you drag.
Figure 27-34: Scrubbing while selecting.
Drag in the time ruler. Use

the edit grid if desired.
Figure 27-32: Selecting a time region using the time ruler.
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EDIT WINDOW
Editing selected audio data

Once you have selected audio data using one of the methods
described in the previous sections, you can employ
AudioDesks numerous editing commands. For complete
information, see chapter 32, Edit Menu (page 160) and
chapter 33, Audio Menu (page 169).
SHOW TIMES
The Edit window mini-menu has a command called Show
Times, with several sub-menu options, that display the
SMPTE time code start and end times of each soundbite. The
time locations are displayed in the upper left-hand corner of
each soundbite as shown below in Figure 27-35.
Figure 27-35: The Show Times menu lets you choose how to display the location of
each soundbite.
with the Time Stamps command in the Audio menu. If a

soundbite does not have a user time stamp, then no times
will be shown.
If a soundbite has a user time stamp, you can move the
soundbite to its user time stamp location with the Time
Stamps command in the Audio menu.
For applying user time stamps to soundbites, see Setting a
user time stamp on page 171.
SYNC POINTS
A sync point can be placed inside a soundbite as positional
reference point for the soundbite instead of its beginning (left
edge). For example, if you have a soundbite that consists of a
hinge squeak followed by a door slam, followed by a hollow
echo, you could put the sync point right at the door slam.
Sync points can also be very important for percussive hits
that have a small bit of sound before the hit, such as a ruff
snare hit. The example below in Figure 27-37 shows a cymbal
hit with a small snare roll going into it. The Sync point has
been placed at the cymbal crash, which is the highest point of
rhythmic interest.
Current Time
When you choose Current Time in the Show menu, all
soundbites display their current location.
SMPTE start time
SMPTE end time

Figure 27-37: A soundbite sync point.
Figure 27-36: SMPTE start and end time.
Original Time Stamp

When you choose Original Time Stamp in the Show Times
menu, soundbites display the time at which they were
originally recorded (or created), regardless of where they
currently reside. If a soundbite does not have an original time
stamp (perhaps it was created in an earlier version of
AudioDesk that didnt support time stamping), then no
times will be shown.
If a soundbite has an original time stamp, you can move the
soundbite to its original time with the Time Stamps
command in the Audio menu.
User Time Stamp
When you choose User Time Stamp in the Show menu,
soundbites display their user time stamp, if they have one. A
user time stamp can be applied to a soundbite at any time
The sync point determines how the soundbite will be

positioned when doing things like quantizing the soundbite
or dragging it.
Creating a sync point
To create a sync point:
1 Double-click the soundbite in the Edit window to popedit it.
2 Click at the desired location inside the pop-edited
soundbite to place the flashing cursor. Use scrubbing, if
necessary, to find the desired location in the audio.
3 Once youve placed the flashing cursor as desired, choose
Set Sync Point from the Audio menu. The sync point triangle
appears.
Importing sync points
If you export audio regions with sync points from Pro Tools,
you can import them with their sync points into AudioDesk.
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EDIT WINDOW
Clearing sync points

To clear the sync point from one or more soundbites, select
them and choose Clear Sync Points from the Audio menu.
Moving a sync point
You can move a soundbites sync point in the Sound File
Information window. For details, see Sound File
Information on page 149.
Time-stretching and sync points
The location of sync points are preserved when you time
stretch soundbites by dragging in the Edit window as
demonstrated below in Figure 27-38.
Zooming for a better resolution

When inserting controllers, it helps to get a zoom setting that
best suits what you are doing. For example, if you are making
fine adjustments to the track level, use a large vertical zoom
setting for better resolution. If you need to check out the
overall level throughout a track, zoom out.
Inserting mix automation data
To insert mix automation data in the Edit window:
1 Choose the data type you wish to insert from the active
layer menu (Figure 27-13 on page 134) and then click the
Pencil Tool in the Tool palette (Studio menu).
Pencil
Figure 27-40: The Pencil Tool.
2 If the desired data type does not yet have a layer, choose
the desired automation data type from the tracks insert
menu. This creates a layer and turns the cursor into the
Pencil Tool.
Figure 27-38: When you time-stretch a soundbite that has a sync point, the sync
point anchors the time stretch, which extends out from the sync point in both
directions.
WORKING WITH BREAKPOINT MIX AUTOMATION

The Edit window lets you display, insert, and edit volume,
pan, plug-in parameters, send levels, track mutes and other
mix automation data in the form of breakpoints (dots) on a
continuous line. In audio tracks, mix automation data is
stored in the form of sample-accurate control points that
generate sample-accurate ramps during playback. The
following sections discuss the specific techniques of working
with breakpoint-style automation lines and points.
For complete details about working with audio mix
automation, see Inserting and editing automation on
page 218.
Figure 27-39: The Edit window displays mix automation data with break--point
automation curves.
Choosing the active data layer

To view, insert or edit mix automation data in a track, you
must first make it the active layer as explained in The Active
Layer on page 101.
Figure 27-41: Creating a new automation data layer for insertion.
3 Insert data as follows:

To do this:
Do this:
To insert a single data event
Click in the track with the Pencil.
To insert a stream of data

events
Drag the Pencil. A stream of data is inserted.
Reshaping an existing curve

Use the same procedure as in the previous section to reshape
an existing line or curve. Just drag over the existing data with
the reshape tool.
Selecting mix automation data control points
To select mix automation data:
1 Click the Pointer Tool in the Tool palette (Studio menu).
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EDIT WINDOW
2 Make a data selection as follows:

To do this:
Do this:
To select a single data

event
Click it with the finger cursor.
To select several data

events
Drag over the events in the grid with the I-beam

tool or lasso cursor.
To select a automation
data curve
Drag over the curve with the I-beam tool or the

lasso cursor.
To select all events of a

data type
Double-click a control point of that type.
To add to the current

selection
Hold down the Shift key while using any of the

selection techniques above.
To deselect data events
Hold down the Shift key while using any of the

above techniques on selected data.
To deselect all data
Choose Deselect All from the Edit menu or press

its keyboard shortcut. Or click once in any empty
area in the Edit window.
Dragging control points

You can drag any control point on a line anywhere within the
track strip. Notice that you can even drag it past events on
either side of it as shown below. When you do, you delete the
events that you drag over. This is a convenient shortcut for
removing a curve.
Removing control points

To remove a single control point, click it to select it and the
press the delete key. To remove a curve, drag over it
horizontally in the track to select all of the points and then
press the delete key.
Cutting, copying, and pasting control points
To cut, copy and paste audio mix automation data in the Edit
window, select it first (as described earlier in Selecting mix
automation data control points on page 143), and then cut,
copy and paste them as usual. When pasting, you might find
it useful to insert a control point at the location you wish to
paste. Be sure it is selected before you paste. If you wish to
preserve soundbites at the location where you are pasting,
use Merge instead of Paste.
Disabling automation temporarily
To temporarily disable the automation data in an audio
track, turn off automation playback as explained in Global
automation enable/disable on page 213.
WORKING WITH LOOPS

Inserting a loop
To insert a loop in the Edit window:
1 Click the Loop Tool in the Tool Palette.
2 Turn on edit resolution as set it as desired.
3 Drag over the region you wish to loop.
Moving the control

point to the left
Moving the control

point to the right
(and down)
Figure 27-42: Dragging control points.
Selecting multiple data types at one time

To select several data types at one time:
1 Click the I-Beam Tool in the Tool palette (Studio menu).
2 Drag over the desired time range in the track. Time range
selections select all data within selected area, including audio
and other types of automation data.
Selecting control points with soundbites
Use the procedure described in the previous section.
4 To set the number of repetitions in the loop, pop-edit the

loop parameters in the Event Info window.
Changing the loop points by dragging
To change an existing loops location or duration, drag either
end of the loops bracket.
Changing the loop numerically in the Event Info
window
To change the loop numerically, click the loop icon to make
the loops information appear in the Event Info window, and
then pop-edit the values in shown in the info bar.
Changing the number of repetitions in a loop
To change the number of repetitions in the loop, edit the loop
numerically as described in the previous section.
Deleting a loop
To delete a loop, click the loop icon to select it and then press
delete.
Duplicating a loop
To duplicate a loop, Option-drag the loop icon.
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EDIT WINDOW
WORKING WITH EVENT FLAGS

An event flag is a data event that is considered to be a discrete
event, rather than a control point on a line, or one of a stream
of events that change gradually over time. Here are a few
examples of event types that appear as event flags in the Edit
window:
Track mutes
Audio plug-in parameter automation events for

parameters that are not continuous (i.e. they have discrete
values, such as LFO type sine, square, triangle, etc.)
the setting for an event flag, press on it and choose the

desired setting from the menu as shown above in
Figure 27-43. To move an event flag, simply drag it. to delete
it, click to select it and press delete.
When event flags are displayed very close together (due to
their proximity and the current horizontal zoom setting),
they are combined into a single flag. Click the flag to see a
menu of the separate events at that location.
SCROLLING DURING PLAYBACK

The Auto-Scroll command in the Setup menu controls how
the Edit window scrolls during playback. For example, the
playback wiper can travel across the window, or the window
can scroll beneath a stationary wiper that remains anchored
in the middle of the window. See Auto-scrolling on
page 107.
SCRUBBING IN THE EDIT WINDOW

There are several ways to scrub in the Edit window:
Figure 27-43: Event flags.
Event flags are handled just like other data types in the Edit
window: they have their own layer, they can be inserted using
the Pencil Tool and the Insert menu, and so forth. To change
With the scrub tool (Figure 27-1 on page 127) drag

horizontally on a soundbite with the scrub cursor to popedit and scrub the soundbite.
While trimming if Audible Mode is turned on,

soundbites scrub while being trimmed.
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EDIT WINDOW
CHAPTER 28
Information Windows
OVERVIEW
The Information windows provide feedback about a wealth
of parameters, events, controls, and more. Each Information
window has its own particular display or purpose, but they
all behave similarly in several ways:
The contents of the Information windows update to the
current window, selection, cursor position, etc. while you
work; in this way, they serve as central locations for feedback
about your project.
When popped out of the Consolidated Window, the
Information windows float (except for the Sound File
Information window).
Figure 28-2: Snap to Grid.
If the Snap to Grid box is turned on, data snaps to the edit
grid. If it is turned off, data doesnt snap to grid. The Edit
Grid Resolution determines the amount of time between
grid points.
Setting the Edit Grid Resolution
To change the Edit Grid Resolution, use the value field
provided to type in the desired grid duration, or choose a
preset length from the unit= menu.
The key command associated with each Information

window (except for the Sound File Information window) is a
show/hide toggle: press the key command once to show the
window, then press it again to hide the window.
Snap Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Cursor Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Event Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Selection Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Track Selector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Sound File Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Information Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
SNAP INFORMATION
The Snap Information window contains information
pertaining to snapping and nudging.
Figure 28-1: The Snap Information window.
Snap to Grid
The edit grid determines the minimum time unit for editing.
The minimum time unit consists of a duration, such as 240
ticks. Soundbites, loops, region boundaries, automation
data, Memory-Cycle repeat barlines, or any object that can
be dragged horizontally will only move in time increments
equal to the value of the edit grid unit.
Figure 28-3: The edit grid menu for measures and beats provides triplet and dotted
triplet values.
When you type in a value, the note displayed next to the ticks
box will grey out (or text will be displayed in italics) if the tick
value does not equal one of the presets in the menu.
Edit grid supports all time formats
The Setup menu > Time Display sub-menu lets you choose
any time format you wish. This time format will also be used
for the edit grid (measures, frames, real time or samples).
For example, if you choose SMPTE frames as the global time
format, the Edit Grid switches to frame time, and grid
editing can be done at SMPTE time code increments such as
one frame, 10 frames, etc. A significant by-product of this
feature is that the real-time grid, SMPTE frame grid and
sample edit grid preserve the real-time relationship of events
with respect to each other during edits. For example, if you
move several sound effects events to a location in the
sequence that is at a different tempo, their spacing with
respect to one another will not expand or contract due to the
different tempo; instead, their relation to one another will be
maintained. This is similar to the editing behavior in locked
tracks.
Using Snap to Grid

The Snap to Grid box can be enabled or disabled with the
check box provided. The current edit grid resolution unit is
shown as a note duration and a number of beats and ticks.
146
milliseconds. Choose the desired time format from the menu

and then enter the amount of time. You can change the nudge
amount at any time.
Figure 28-4: The Time Display window affects the edit grid, allowing you to edit it
SMPTE frames, real time values (such as milliseconds) and even samples.
Snap to Grid and selecting

Snap to Grid applies to selection, too, so it is an effective way
to constrain selection operations.
Edit resolution when the grid is turned off
When Snap to Grid is turned off, data can be dragged freely.
The smallest unit of resolution is one screen pixel, the exact
resolution of which is determined by the current zoom level.
Temporarily overriding Snap to Grid
The Command key temporarily overrides the current Snap
to Grid enable/disable state. For example, if Snap to Grid is
currently enabled, the holding down the Command key
while dragging overrides the current edit grid. Conversely, if
Snap to Grid is currently disabled, the Command key forces
dragging to snap to the current Snap to Grid grid setting. The
same is true for selection operations.
Dont let the edit grid fool you
When you zoom in, the edit grid may cause data to seem like
it is stuck; that is, data will not move when you try to drag
it. This is because the edit grid is larger than the distance you
are dragging. To unstick the data, deselect the Snap to Grid
check box, or hold down the Command key while dragging.
Doing so overrides the edit grid temporarily.
Displaying edit grid lines
You can display lines extending downwards from the time
ruler through the data grid to indicate the current edit grid.
See Edit Window guides on page 87 for details.
Figure 28-5: Setting the Nudge Amount.
When you choose a mensural time format (one that involves

measures, beats and/or ticks), data is nudged in the same
manner as using the Shift command (Edit menu) with the
Preserve Real-time Performance option unchecked. This
means that the data being nudged maintains its metrical
relationship to the sequence, changing the way it plays back,
if necessary, to respect any tempo changes that may be
programmed in the conductor track in the area in which the
data is being nudged.
When you choose any other time format (real time, SMPTE
frames, sub-frames, milliseconds, or samples), the real time
performance of the data is preserved, regardless of any
tempo changes.
When you choose the Use Edit Grid menu item, the nudge
amount is determined by the edit grid setting above. If the
edit grid is currently disabled, then nudging occurs in the
same manner as in the window itself (by one screen pixel).
CURSOR INFORMATION
The Cursor Information window displays the current
location of the mouse cursor with respect to the horizontal
and vertical axis in the edit windows. Values in this box are
continually updated as the mouse cursor moves around the
edit window, giving you immediate, numerical accuracy
when inserting and manipulating data with the mouse.
Snap to Grid and nudging with the arrow keys

Snap to Grid only affects dragging operations. It is
independent of nudging data with the arrow keys (except
when Nudge is set to Use Edit Grid see Nudge below).
Nudge
Figure 28-6: The Cursor Information window
The Nudge Amount lets you to choose the unit of time by

which you can nudge any selected data with the arrow keys.
Many different time formats are supported, including
SMPTE frames, SMPTE sub-frames, samples, and
Time
The pointers horizontal coordinate, Time, displays the time
of the current cursor location.
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INFORMATION WINDOWS
Value
The cursors vertical coordinate, Value, depends on its
location, and the Edit windows active layer. It will display
audio volume when over audio track volume automation,
soundbite names when over soundbites, and so on.
choosing a command from the Set To menu
loading them with keyboard shortcuts
loading them with the Remember Times Command
These techniques are discussed below.
EVENT INFORMATION
Editing the selection bar numbers directly

To enter a start or end time, click in a field and enter a value.
You can use the Tab key (or decimal point key on the keypad)
to cycle through the measure|beat|tick fields. Or simply press
on any field and drag up or down to change its value.
The Event Information window displays numerical details

about a single event that has been selected. For example, a
selected soundbite appears with its location, name, duration,
original time stamp, and user time stamp.
Using the Set To menu shortcuts

The Set To menu holds several great shortcuts for loading
times into the Selection Information window:
Figure 28-7: The vertical value of the cursor updates to the type of data under the
cursor
Figure 28-8: When you click a note, its numerical information can be displayed and
edited in the Event Information window.
Information displayed in the Event Information section can

be edited by clicking it. You can use the Tab key and arrow
keys to move from field to field and press return to confirm
any changes you have made. The events graphic display will
change to reflect the modifications.
SELECTION INFORMATION
The Selection Information window holds the start and end
times for any region that you wish to edit in any currently
highlighted tracks.
Figure 28-9: The Selection Information window.
You can set these times by:
making a time range selection in an edit window
Figure 28-10: The Set To menu provides several useful shortcuts for entering start
and end times in the Selection Info window.
Command
What it does
Set to
Selection Bounds
Loads the beginning and end of the currently selected

region into the Selection Information window.
Set to
Sequence Bounds
Loads the very beginning and end of the entire

sequence.
Set Start to Counter
Loads the current counter location into the start time.
Set End to Counter
Loads the current counter location into the end time.
For the last two commands, AudioDesk loads the counter

location at the time you click the menu, not when you actually
choose the command. This helps you load start and end
times on the fly during playback. Click the menu at the
desired instant, and then take as much time as you need to
choose either Set Start or Set End.
Clicking the start and end buttons
The buttons to the right of the Selection Start and Selection
End values let you load times as follows:
Click the button to load the current counter location even
on the fly during playback.
Command-click the button to load the beginning or end of
the sequence into the start time or end time, respectively.
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INFORMATION WINDOWS
Control-click the button to load the beginning or end of the

Remembered Times (previously retrieved from a selection
with the Remembered Times command) into the start time
or end time, respectively.
The selection bar shortcuts
There are two shortcuts for loading the current counter
location into the Selection start and end times. By default,
they are assigned to the F5 and F6 keys on your Mac
keyboard. You can change these key assignments if you like.
See chapter 19, Commands (page 91) for details.
The Remember Times command
save any time range selection, so that you can load it into the
Selection Information window later on. You can also load
remembered times into the Memory Bar and the AutoRecord Bar. For complete information, see The Remember
Times command on page 159.
Load Selection
The Load Selection button provides additional shortcuts.
Click the Load Selection button once to Set Selection to
Remembered Times, or double-click the button to Set
Selection to Sequence Bounds.
Making a selection in an edit window
You can make a Time Range selection in an edit window to
set the Selection times. For example, you could click one of
the Memory-Cycle markers in the Edit window to select the
Memory-Cycle region. The selection is automatically loaded
into the Selection Information window.
Figure 28-11: The Track Selector window.
Track Selector button preferences

You can determine what happens when you click the Track
Selector button in an edit window by changing the Track
Selector button preference. Open AudioDesk menu >
Preferences and choose Edit Window from the list on the left.
The Track Selector button has three options:
Always open Track Selector window
Always open the edit windows Track Selector
Opens Track Selector window for editors inside the

Consolidated Window
SOUND FILE INFORMATION

Sound File Information window (Studio menu) gives you
detailed information about the currently selected soundbite.
Preroll and Postroll

These text fields set the Preroll and Postroll for Link Playback
to Memory mode. See Preroll and Postroll on page 53.
TRACK SELECTOR
The Track Selector window is much like the Track Selector
that is a part of the Edit window and Mixing Board. However,
rather than being a part of a window, it is a separate window
that updates to the current active edit window. In this way,
you can use a single Track Selector for all windows.
Additionally, since it is a separate window, it can be resized
and positioned anywhere on screen, rather than being a fixed
size in a fixed location.
Figure 28-12: The Sound File Information window shows information about the
currently selected soundbite and its parent audio file.
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INFORMATION WINDOWS
Choosing an audio file or soundbite

To view information in the Sound File Information window,
click a soundbite in the Soundbite Window or in your
sequence to select it. When you do, the Sound File
Information window shows information about the currently
selected soundbite and its parent audio file.
The Sound File section
The Sound File section at the top of the window shows
information about the soundbites parent audio file, such as
its location, sample rate, length and the date it was created
and last modified.
You can even type in comments about the audio file that are
stored with the file itself (so they will appear in this window
when you import the audio file into other AudioDesk
projects). The menu at the top of the section allows you to
switch to a different audio file, if you like.
The Soundbite section
The Soundbite section in the middle of the window show
details about the currently selected soundbite, such as its
start time, end time and length (in samples).
The menu at the top of the Soundbite section lets you display
the information for any soundbite you wish.
The start, end and length of the soundbite are displayed in
number of samples, whereas the Length in Time is a real-time
measurement. The Original Time Stamp is the location at
which the soundbite was originally recorded, if any. This
setting, as well as the User Time Stamp, are explained further
in Time stamps on page 171. The Transpose and Time
compress/expand are the same as the information displayed

in the Soundbite list (see Soundbite preferences for
PureDSP, below).
Soundbite preferences for PureDSP
As shown in Figure 28-13, the popup menus in the status
area at the top of the Soundbites window show the Transpose
preference and the Time Compress/Expand preference for
the selected soundbite or soundbites.
Figure 28-13: The PureDSP pitch-shifting and time-stretching preferences are

found in the Info pane for each soundbite.
Standard versus PureDSP pitch shift

The Transpose preference determines what will happen if the
soundbite is selected when you use the Transpose command
with the Transpose Audio box checked. If it is set to Use
PureDSP Pitch Shift, the soundbite will be shifted with the
PureDSP algorithm. This is best for pitched monophonic
sounds such as solo vocals (preferably recorded dry) or solo
monophonic instruments. Set it to Use Standard Pitch Shift if
youd like the bite to be transposed with the Standard pitch
shift algorithm. Soundbites that should never be transposed,
such as drum sounds, should be set to Dont Pitch Shift. This
feature allows you to select your entire sequence and
Transpose, without having to worry about which soundbites
should be shifted and which shouldnt. For more information
about PureDSP pitch shifting, see chapter 46, Transposing
Audio (page 242).
Time scale versus dont time scale
There are only two options for the Time Compress/Expand
preference: Allow Time Scale and Dont Time Scale. This
determines the behavior of graphical time-stretching. You
may want to mark soundbites that contain a single note or
sound effect, for instance, as Dont Time Scale. A soundbite
that contains multiple notes, such as a two-bar drum loop,
would typically be set to Allow Time Scale, so that its tempo
will always match that of the rest of the sequence.
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INFORMATION WINDOWS
Setting PureDSP prefs for multiple soundbites

To set the PureDSP preferences for two or more soundbites at
one time:
1 Select the soundbites.
2 Open the Sound File Information window. The Sound File
menu will now say Selected files.
Choose the desired PureDSP preferences in the Soundbite
section. If the Soundbite sections details are not visible, click
the triangle next to the Soundbite section to expand it.
Enabled
Disabled
To choose which fields from the Information windows

appear in the Information Bar, open an Information window
and choose Configure Info Bar from its mini-menu: the
Information window will enter configuration mode.
INFORMATION BAR
The Information Bar (Figure 28-14) is a configurable strip
available in the Edit window. It can contain some or all of the
information shown in each of the Information windows
(excluding the Sound File Information windows).
Information Bar settings
The Information Bar is configured using the Information Bar
preferences (AudioDesk menu > Preferences > Information
Bar) and the Configure Info Bar command (Information
window mini-menus.)
To enable a field so that it will be shown in the Information

Bar, check the circle next to the field; to disable a field so that
it will not be shown in the Information Bar, uncheck the
circle next to the field.
Opening the Information windows
To open an Information window from the Information Bar,
click the circled letter at the left of the section.
Showing/hiding the Information Bar

To show the Information Bar for the Edit window, open the
Information Bar preferences and enable at least one of the
sections. To hide the Information Bar for the Edit window,
disable all sections.
Configuring the Information Bar
There are two parts to configuring the Information Bar:
Choosing which sections are visible
Choosing which fields are shown within each section
To choose which sections are visible, open the Information

Bar preferences and enable the desired sections.
Additionally:
Option-clicking the circled letter will open the
Information window in configuration mode.
Command-clicking the circled letter will open the
Information Bar preferences.
Figure 28-14: The Information Bar
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INFORMATION WINDOWS
CHAPTER 29
Tools
OVERVIEW
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS FOR TOOLS
The tools in the Tool palette (Studio menu) are used for
inserting, selecting, editing, zooming, looping and
scrubbing data the Edit window.
Hold down the following keys for tool selection:
Pointer
Zoom Insert loop
I-Beam
Scrub
Pencil
Figure 29-3: Tool shortcuts.
Tool shortcuts can be sticky

If you double-tap the keys shown in the tool shortcuts shown
above in Figure 29-3, the tool will remain selected until you
select another tool.
Figure 29-1: The Tool palette
Rotating the Tool palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Palette docking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Closing the Tool palette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Keyboard shortcuts for tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
The Pointer Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
The I-Beam Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
The Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
The Zoom Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
The Scrub Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Insert Loop Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
THE POINTER TOOL

The Pointer Tool produces the standard cross-hair
selection cursor for marquee selections over
multiple data events and finger selection cursor for
selecting and editing individual data events. For example,
you could select several bars of data by positioning the crosshair cursor over an empty portion of the data grid and
dragging out a selection box over the desired data events.
Heres a summary:
To do this:
Do this with the Pointer Tool:
ROTATING THE TOOL PALETTE
To select a data event
Click it with the finger cursor.
The Tool palette can be rotated to a vertical orientation by

pressing Shift-Option-tilde (~).
To select several data events
Shift-click each one.
To select a region of data events
Drag a selection box over them with

the cross-hair cursor. To get the
cross-hair, position the cursor over an
empty cell.
To select all data events within a time

range
Drag in the time ruler.
To duplicate a data event
Option-drag it.
To move a data event
Drag it with the finger cursor.
To move several data events together
Select them, grab one with the finger

tool and drag.
Figure 29-2: Press Shift-Option-tilde (~) to toggle the Tool palette between a
horizontal and vertical orientation.
PALETTE DOCKING
There are two preferences (in the Preferences command in
the AudioDesk menu) for the Tool palette that allow you to
dock the Tool palette to the edge of edit windows, either
vertically or horizontally. See Tools on page 87.
CLOSING THE TOOL PALETTE

Press Shift-O, or click the close button in the upper left
corner of the Tool palette title bar.
THE I-BEAM TOOL

The I-Beam Tool allows you to make time range
selections in the Edit window, regardless of the
material you are dragging over to make the
selection. Time range selections in the Edit window are much
easier with this tool, especially when you are making
selections that begin in the middle of soundbites. As usual,
you can hold down the Shift key while using the I-Beam tool
to extend or shorten the current selection. Shift-click other
tracks to add them to the current selection without changing
the start and end times. To make a time range selection that
152
matches the duration of a soundbite, double-click the

soundbite or note with the I-Beam. To temporarily get the
I-Beam cursor when another tool is selected, hold down the
i key.
Here are some further details about double-clicking with the
I-Beam to create time range selections.
Selecting soundbites with the I-Beam tool
If, using the I-Beam tool, you double-click a portion of a
soundbite that is partially covered by other soundbites, youll
select the entire soundbite, even the parts that are covered.
However, if you hold down the Option key while doubleclicking it with the I-Beam tool, youll only select the portion
of it that you clicked, as determined by soundbites that cover
it on either side of where you click.
Double-clicking a soundbite with the I-Beam tool can also
cause AudioDesk to immediately begin looping playback
around that soundbite. For details, see Looping a
soundbite on page 53.
I-Beam cursor
Click the I-Beam tool at any location in the Edit window to
place an I-Beam cursor (flashing vertical line) wherever you
click. The I-Beam cursor serves two basic purposes:
An insertion point for a paste or merge operation
An anchor point for selection commands
For further information about making selections with the

insertion point, see Initiating time range selections with an
insertion point on page 159 and Modifying a time-range
selection using the computer keyboard on page 159.
zoom in and Option-click to zoom out. In the time ruler or

continuous data grid, drag horizontally to zoom the time
axis only.
Zoom tool shortcuts
Here are some zooming shortcuts:
Shortcut
What it does
Click once
To zoom in horizontally.
Option-click
To zoom out horizontally.
Shift-Option-click
To zoom backward through zoom history
Shift-Option-Control-click
To zoom forward through zoom history
Drag in the time ruler
To fill the window with the region you

select without affecting the pitch zoom
Option-click the zoom out button
To zoom all the way out
Option-click the zoom in button
To zoom all the way in
Command-click the zoom buttons
To toggle between the last two zoom

levels
For other zooming features and shortcuts, see Zooming on

page 132.
THE SCRUB TOOL

The Scrub Tool lets you scrub data inside a
soundbite. Make sure that soundbites are the active
layer in the track, and then scrub directly on the
soundbite.
INSERT LOOP TOOL
THE PENCIL TOOL

The Pencil Tool lets you insert data using the
following techniques:
To do this:
Do this with the Pencil Tool:
To insert a data event
Click
To insert data curve
Drag
The Insert Loop tool lets you graphically insert a

loop in a track by dragging in the Edit window. For
details, see chapter 26, Looping (page 123).
THE ZOOM TOOL

The Zoom Tool (magnifying glass) in the Tool
palette lets you zoom in on a portion of the Edit
window by dragging a zoom box over it. Click to
153
TOOLS
CHAPTER 30
Editing Basics
OVERVIEW
AudioDesk provides unmatched features for editing audio
data. This chapter provides a introduction to editing in
AudioDesk and covers several general features.
Multiple Undo/Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Editing during playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Selecting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Region editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Audio editing basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Sample accurate editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Audible mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
MULTIPLE UNDO/REDO
AudioDesk supports ten steps of Undo/Redo. It can
remember your last ten actions, even after you close and quit.
There are several commands in the Edit menu to support a
simple, single-step undo behavior, plus several commands to
step forward and backward through the undo history. The
Undo History window provides a list of your last ten actions
and numerous features for navigating through the undo
history and jumping to any point. or complete details, see
Undo History on page 160.
EDITING DURING PLAYBACK

Almost all edit operations in AudioDesk can be done during
playing back so that you dont have to stop and start to hear
the result. For example, you could edit some audio while the
sequence is playing and then use the Undo/Redo command
as the music continues playing to compare the original and
modified data.
2 Apply the desired operation from the Edit or Audio

menus.
These steps are discussed briefly in the following sections.
Selecting regions
There are many ways to select regions. For a summary, see
Time range selection on page 158.
Applying Edit and Audio menu operations
Once youve selected a region, you can choose any command
from the Edit or Audio menu. See chapter 32, Edit Menu
(page 160) and chapter 33, Audio Menu (page 169) for
details about these basic commands.
AUDIO EDITING BASICS

The following sections explain several important concepts to
keep in mind when editing digital audio.
Soundbites in a track are clones of the original
It is important to understand that soundbites in a track are
clones of the original soundbite in the Soundbites window
as shown below in Figure 30-1. They do not actually consist
of the soundbite itself; they are a reference to the original
soundbite. As a result, you can freely cut, copy, paste,
duplicate, and re-arrange a soundbite in a track as much as
you want without affecting or duplicating its original in the
Soundbites window. On the other hand, if you change the
soundbites name or length, all instances of it will change,
too, including the original.
SELECTING
To edit anything in AudioDesk, you must first select it.
AudioDesk provides many useful ways to make selections,
from a single eventor event parameterto the entire
project. Once youve made a selection, you can apply
AudioDesks many powerful Edit menu commands to
whatever is selected. Be sure to learn all of the ways to make
selections by reading chapter 31, Selecting (page 157).
REGION EDITING
A region is a span of time across one or more tracks.
AudioDesks edit windows provide flexible region editing
across one or more tracks, allowing you to edit data within
that region with a wide range of edit operations. The process
of region editing consists of the following basic steps:
1 Select a region.
Figure 30-1: Soundbites in tracks are merely references, or clones, of the original
soundbite in the Soundbites list. In turn, the Soundbites there are references to the
original audio data in the audio file on the hard disk.
154
Interestingly, the original soundbite is itself merely a

reference to something else: it is a pointer to the original
audio data in the audio file, as shown above in Figure 30-1.
As a result, the amount of data that you generate by
duplicating soundbites is insignificant, since soundbite data
is merely a pointer to the actual audio data.
Non-destructive, destructive and constructive audio
editing
When you edit audio, your edit operation is either nondestructive, destructive or constructive. A clear
understanding of these terms will help you make better
decisions about how to edit your audio. Here is a brief
explanation:
Type of
audio editing
Explanation
Non-destructive
Original audio data is preserved. Only pointers to the

original audio data are modified. Example: trimming the
edge of a soundbite in the Edit window.
Destructive
Original waveform data is permanently modified. Example: normalizing audio in a third-party Waveform Editor.
Constructive
Original audio data is preserved on disk while being

replaced in the AudioDesk project by new audio generated by the constructive editing operation. Example:
transposing the pitch of a soundbite.
For further explanation, see Non-destructive editing on

page 20 and Constructive editing on page 238.
Non-destructive Edit menu
Edit menu operations are non-destructive when applied to
audio, except for the Pitch Shift command. With Pitch Shift,
audio data is processed constructively, (where the original
audio is replaced by newly processed audio. See
Constructive editing on page 238.)
SAMPLE ACCURATE EDITING

AudioDesk provides sample-accurate editing of audio data.
This capability affects AudioDesks interface in several ways,
as explained in the following sections.
The fourth time format: samples
AudioDesk has a fourth time format: samples. This format
can be chosen for display in the programs main counter and
auxiliary counter. It is also available as a fourth possible time
ruler in the Edit window. (See Choosing a global time
format on page 28.)
If you display samples in the counter, it shows the number of
digital audio samples from the beginning of the project. This
number is, of course, dependent on the projects overall
sample rate. For example, if the sample rate for the project is
44.1 kHz, and you cue the counter to 1 second, the sample
counter will display 44,100 samples.
Figure 30-2: AudioDesks sample counter.
Zooming in to the sample level for editing, trimming,

nudging, etc. by sample
The Edit window allows you to zoom in to the sample level to
perform sample-accurate editing tasks. For example, you
could place a soundbite at an exact sample location. You can
also trim the edges of soundbites at the sample level, or select
them and nudge them one sample at a time with the arrow
keys. Audio playback is sample accurate, and you can even
perform sample-accurate digital transfers to other devices,
such as ADATs and Tascam digital tape recorders, if your
hard disk recording hardware supports this feature, such as
the MOTU 2408mk3 audio interface.
AUDIBLE MODE
Audible Mode allows you to listen to soundbites one at a
time, or phrase by phrase, as you highlight them in an
AudioDesk track. This feature appears as a speaker icon in
the title bar of the Edit window. Audible Mode provides an
easy, intuitive way to see and hear an individual phrase or
soundbite. Soundbites can be played back one at a time by
clicking on them individually or as a phrase by highlighting a
region.
See Specifying audio output for auditioning, below.
Enabling audible mode
To toggle Audible Mode on and off, click the speaker icon in
the Control Panel.
Figure 30-3: The Audible mode button.
Playing individual soundbites

To audition a soundbite in the Edit window, click the
soundbite and hold down the mouse button. The soundbite
will only play until you release the button.
To audition a soundbite in the Soundbites window, click it
(but dont hold down the mouse button).
Specifying audio output for auditioning
When you audition a mono soundbite, AudioDesk plays it
via the first mono output bundle that it encounters in the
Audio Bundles window (i.e. the highest one in the list).
Similarly, when you audition a stereo soundbite, it plays via
the highest stereo bundle in the Audio Bundles window list.
To change which bundle is used, make it the highest bundle
in the list using the move handle. For complete information
about audio bundles, see chapter 20, Audio Bundles
(page 94).
155
EDITING BASICS
Playing phrases
Using the Play Selection command in the Audio menu, it is
also possible to play any selection.
To play a selection:
1 Select the data. (See chapter 31, Selecting (page 157) for
details.)
2 Choose Play Selection from the Audio menu, or press
Option-space bar.
Alternatively, you can Option-click the Audible Mode button
in the Control Panel. The speaker icon does not have to be
highlighted.
Playback can be stopped at any time by clicking or striking a
key on the Mac keyboard.
156
EDITING BASICS
CHAPTER 31
Selecting
OVERVIEW
Before you can edit anything in AudioDesk, you must first
select it. AudioDesk provides many useful and powerful ways
to make selections. Once youve made a selection, you can
apply AudioDesks many powerful Edit menu and Audio
menu commands to whatever is selected.
Selection basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Data selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Time range selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
SELECTION BASICS
There are two ways to make selections in AudioDesk:
Data selection Selects specific data events
Time range selection Selects a region of time, regardless

of what is in the region
Selections are global

Once you have made any type of selection, the selection
remains in effect until you either deselect or make another
selection.
The current selection remains in effect even if you close

the Edit window. So be careful not to inadvertently edit a
hidden data selection. Always be certain about what the
current selection is before using Edit and Audio menu
operations.
Applying successive edits to the selection
Data remains selected even after you apply an edit operation
to it. This lets you easily apply successive edits to the same
data.
Selecting data events

Data selection involves clicking (or dragging over) actual
data events themselves in one AudioDesks Edit window. The
events become highlighted to indicate they are selected, and
they can then be edited or otherwise modified.
Selecting a time range
A time range selection spans a certain period of time in one or
more tracks, regardless of what data is in the region. In fact,
time range selections can even be empty. For example, you
could select four empty measures and actually copy them
into the Clipboard perhaps to splice the empty space
somewhere in a track. Or, you could select two empty
measures at the beginning of a track and then use the Snip
command to remove them and move up everything else in
the track to replace them.
Edit operations that require time range selection
There are a few commands in the Edit menu that require time
range selection: Snip, Repeat, Paste Repeat and Merge Repeat.
These commands wouldnt be able to do anything useful
without a clearly defined end time for the selection, which
data event selections dont provide. Therefore, these
commands are grayed out if the current selection is a data
selection. To use them, make a time range selection as shown
later on in Time range selection on page 158.
Playing the current selection

To play back the current selection, choose Play Selection
from the Edit menu.
DATA SELECTION
The Pointer tool in the Tool palette (Studio menu) is used for
data selections. Hold down the a key as a temporary
shortcut for enabling the pointer tool. Or double-tap the a
key to permanently switch to the pointer tool.
Pointer
Figure 31-1: Use the pointer tool to make data selections.
Place the cursor over the item you wish to select so that the
cursor turns into an arrow or a pointing finger, and click the
object to select it. Soundbites have to hot-spot regions: the
upper portion is reserved for data selection (arrow cursor)
and the lower portion is reserved for time range selection
(cross-hair cursor):
Data selection
Time range
selection
Figure 31-2: Position the cursor over the top half of a soundbite with the arrow tool
to select the soundbite. Position the cursor over the bottom half to initiate a time
range selection with the cross-hair cursor.
157
TIME RANGE SELECTION

Time range selections in the Edit window are affected by the
edit grid, if enabled. For details, see Setting the Edit Grid
Resolution on page 146 and the edit grid controls in Figure
27-1 on page 127.
The Pointer and I-Beam tools in the Tool palette (Studio
menu) can both be used to make time range selections. The
I-Beam tool restricts time range selections to one track at a
time, whereas the pointer tool lets you select across several
track in one operation.
Figure 31-4: Using the I-Beam tool to select non-adjacent tracks.
Time Ruler selection techniques

There are several time-saving techniques for selecting data in
the Edit window Time Ruler:
Pointer
I-Beam
Figure 31-3: Use the pointer tool and I-Beam tools make time range selections.
Time range selections with the pointer tool

Below is a summary of time range selection techniques:
To accomplish this
Do this
To get a cross-hair cursor

over a soundbite
Move the cursor to the top half of the soundbite.
To make a time range selection
Drag diagonally over one or more tracks with

the cross-hair cursor.
To make several non-adjacent time range selections
Shift-drag with the cross-hair cursor.
To extend or reduce the current time range selection
Shift-drag with the cross-hair cursor.
To select any time range in all

tracks
Drag in the Time Ruler.
To select everything between

two markers
Click the first marker in the time ruler.
To select everything between

the auto-record punch in/
out points or the Memory
Cycle repeat bars
Click either the punch-in or punch-out arrow

marker in the time ruler.
To deselect all current selections
Click in the area below the overview or press

Command-D.
Drag horizontally in the lower half of the Time ruler with

the I-Beam cursor. Shift-click to extend the selection. (If Edit
Resolution is turned on, dragging will snap to the Edit
Resolution grid.)
Drag in the lower

half with I-beam
cursor.
Click one of the Memory-Cycle markers (to select the
region between them).
Click the Auto-Record punch-in or punch-out marker (to

select the region between them).
Click any marker to select the region between it and the

next marker.
Time range selections with the I-Beam tool

The I-Beam tool is ideal for surgical selection operations,
such as selecting tracks that are not adjacent to one another.
As you drag the I-Beam tool to make a time range selection,
it constrains the operation to a single track. You can then
Shift-click other tracks above and below the selected region
to add them to the selection.
To remove a track from the current selection, Shift-click the
track name.
158
SELECTING
Initiating time range selections with an insertion point

If you click the I-Beam tool or the Pointer tool cross-hair
anywhere in the Edit window, an insertion point appears:
Modifying a time-range selection using the mouse

Shift-click (or Shift-drag) near the edge of the selection you
want to adjust.
Listening to the current selection
To listen to the currently selected region, press Commandspacebar or Option-click the Audible mode button. Doing so
causes the selected region to play in its entirety.
Figure 31-5: The insertion point in the Edit window.
There are numerous keyboard shortcuts for controlling the

placement of the insertion point, as shown below in
Figure 31-6.
Once youve placed the insertion point, you can use it as a
starting point for making and extending a selection, by Shiftclicking and other selection modification techniques,
including the keyboard shortcuts discussed in the next
section.
Modifying a time-range selection using the computer
keyboard
The Commands window (Setup menu) has a large selection
of shortcuts for manipulating selections.
The Remember Times command

save a time range selection, so that you can load it into the
Selection bar later on. You can also load remembered times
into the Memory Bar and the Auto-Record Bar.
To use Remember Times:
1 Make any selection.
2 Press Control-R.
The start and end time of the current selection is stored by
Remember Times.
To load the Remember Times into the Selection Bar, Memory
Bar, or Auto-Record Bar, use the Set to Remembered Times
command under the Selection, Memory, or Auto-Record
menus.
Figure 31-6: selection commands.
159
SELECTING
CHAPTER 32
Edit Menu
OVERVIEW
For a general explanation of how to use Edit menu
operations, see chapter 30, Editing Basics (page 154).
Undo/Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Undo Previous Action / Redo Next Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Undo History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Cut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Copy to Clipping window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Paste. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Paste Multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Paste Repeat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Paste Repeat Multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Erase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Repeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Merge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Merge Multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Merge Repeat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Merge Repeat Multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Merge Together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Merge Repeat Together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Snip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Splice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Splice Multiple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Heal Separation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Split. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Split at Counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Trim. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Trim End / Trim Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Pitch shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Change automation Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Set Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Clear Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Play Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Show/Hide Clipboard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Select All. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Select All in Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Deselect All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
UNDO/REDO
Both Undo and Redo give you a brief description of the

action they are undoing or restoring, such as Undo drag
soundbite or Redo paste into track Lead Guitar. As in past
versions of AudioDesk, you can use this command as a
simple, one-step undo/redo. AudioDesk, however, is
carefully keeping track of your last ten actions. At any time,
you can choose to go back into that history as far as you like.
For complete details, see Undo History on page 160.
UNDO PREVIOUS ACTION / REDO NEXT ACTION

These two commands allow you to step repeatedly
backwards and forwards through the projects current
history of actions (the undo history). For example, if you
choose Undo Previous Action three times, youll go back three
actions. If you then choose Redo Next Action three times,
youll be back where you started. For further details, see
Undo History on page 160.
UNDO HISTORY
AudioDesk supports ten steps of Undo/Redo. In other
words, it can remember the last ten actions youve taken in a
project, even after you close and quit, across any number of
sessions. There are several commands in the Edit menu to
support a simple, single-step undo behavior, plus several
commands to step forward and backward through the undo
history. The Undo History window provides a list of the ten
actions and numerous features for navigating through the
undo history and jumping to any point. An undo time line is
also provided.
Summary of Undo commands in the Edit menu
The Edit menu has these Undo-related commands:
Command:
Default
key binding:
What it does:
Undo [action]
Command-Z
Undoes the last action.
Redo [action]
Command-Z
Restores what has just been

undone.
Undo Previous
Action
Command-OptionZ
Goes one step back in the Undo

History.
Redo Next Action
Command-Shift-Z
Goes one step forward in the

Undo History.
The Undo command will undo the effects of most

commands and actions that add, delete, move, or otherwise
modify data.
The Undo/Redo command either takes away the current
action or restores the action that was just undone. In essence,
these two commands switch between the last two places
youve been in the Undo History (see page 160).
160
The Undo History window

The project Undo History window (Edit menu) shows the
last ten actions taken in a project. Each action taken appears
as a line of information in the list, including its name (a brief
description of the action), the time it occurred, the amount
of memory (RAM) it takes to remember it, and the amount
of disk space, if any, required to keep it as an action that can
be undone later. Disk space only applies to actions that
require disk space to begin with (such as recording). For
example, if you record 20 MB of audio data, and then undo
the record pass, the record pass item stored in the undo
history takes 20 MB of disk space.
The Editing strip just below Time of Day displays individual

actions as small vertical lines. The white area represents the
elapsed time from ten actions ago up to the most recent
action. To go to a particular location in the time line and
identify the actions there, you can click directly on the action
lines in this strip to highlight them, both in the strip itself and
in the undo history list below. The list will provide all of the
details.
The Now column

The Now column, on the very left of the history window,
displays a dot next to the most recent action taken or redone.
It truly is now in the sense that its location represents the
current state of the document. Double-click this column next
to any action to immediately jump to that point in the undo
history.
CUT
Heres a zooming shortcut for the undo time line: click

on the Editing strip and drag vertically. Drag down to zoom
in and drag up to zoom out.
The Cut command removes data in the selected region and

places it on the Clipboard. This does not remove the time
region specified; instead, it leaves the measures blank
(silent), without data events. The Cut command is undoable.
Before measure 3 is cut:
Track-1
Actions that have been undone are displayed with a blue

highlight. To redo (jump to) an undone action, double-click
the Now column to the left of its name.
A selected
action
Clipboard
After measure 3 is cut:

(The length of the music is the same.)
The Undo history time line

The Time column in the undo history list gives you the exact
time at which each action was taken. The time line at the top
of the window provides a linear representation of the undo
history. The Time of Day strip provides a time reference.
Drag it left or right to move backwards or forwards in time.
Zoom buttons are provided to the left. The current action
marker is represented as a green vertical line. This marker
corresponds to the current action dot in the Now column. To
move the current action marker, move the current action dot
as explained in the previous section.
Actions on the
undo time line
Track-1
Clipboard
3
COPY
The Copy command copies the data from the selected region
and places it on the Clipboard. The original data is not
affected at all. The Copy command is undoable.
Undo time line
Time line zoom buttons

The current action
marker
Elapsed time
(dark gray area)
The current
action
Selected
action
Undone
actions
(shaded
blue)
Figure 32-1: The Undo History window (Edit menu).
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EDIT MENU
Clipboard
Choosing tracks and location at the same time

You can use any of the selection techniques in the Edit
window to choose the track and the location at which you
want to paste with one easy selection. See Time range
selection on page 158.
Clipboard
What happens when you paste

The length of the pasted region is exactly that of the data in
the Clipboard (including any blank space at the beginning
and end of the region that was placed on the Clipboard).
Before measure 3 is copied:

Track-1
After measure 3 is copied:

(The length of the music is the same.)
Track-1
COPY TO CLIPPING WINDOW

The Copy to Clipping Window command places the current
selected data into the clipping window that you choose from
the sub-menu as a single clipping. For details, see chapter 37,
Clippings (page 191).
Pasting data always replaces what was previously there. The

Paste command is undoable.
Measure 3 from Track-1 is copied into the clipboard:
Track-1
PASTE
The Paste command inserts the contents of the Clipboard
(i.e. whatever was most recently cut or copied) into a track at
the location that you specify. When you paste, you need to
tell AudioDesk where you want the Clipboard data to go.
AudioDesk needs to know:
Clipboard
3
Track-2 before measure 3 is pasted:

Track-2
10
11
12
Track-2 after measure 3 is pasted:
What track (or tracks)
What time in the track (or tracks)
Choosing a track (or tracks) to paste into

To choose the track you want to paste into, you can either
click the tracks name in Edit window to highlight it, or you
can create an insertion point by clicking in a track with the
Pointer tool or I-Beam tool (see Initiating time range
selections with an insertion point on page 159). To paste
into several tracks at once, highlight their names (see
Selecting tracks on page 130).
If the Edit window is currently displaying multiple tracks
(and there is no currently selected data), data will be pasted
into the track it was copied from.
Indicating the time at which you want to paste
There are several useful ways to choose the time at which you
want to paste:
If there is already a current selection in any track,
AudioDesk will use the beginning of the selection (either the
first event of a data selection or the start time of a time range
selection) to determine where it pastes.
If there is no current selection, AudioDesk pastes into the
location currently displayed in the main counter (and also
indicated by the playback wiper).
Track-2
10
11
12
PASTE MULTIPLE
This variation of the Paste command can be accessed by
holding down the Option key while accessing the Edit menu.
Paste Multiple allows you to paste data from a single track
into multiple tracks in a single operation. For example, if you
copied track A, and you wish to paste it into tracks X, Y and
Z, select tracks X, Y and Z, hold down the Option key, and
then choose Paste Multiple from the Edit menu.
PASTE REPEAT
The Paste Repeat command fills the current time range
selection with the contents of the clipboard, repeating the
clipboard data to fill up the selection. For example, if you
would like to fill a section of a track with material on the
clipboard, repeating it as many times as necessary to fill the
section, just make a time range selection over the section and
choose Paste Repeat. In cases like this, Paste Repeat is more
convenient than the Repeat command because you dont
have to figure out how many times to repeat the data. Paste
Repeat fills the selection for you, automatically repeating the
data as many times as necessary.
PASTE REPEAT MULTIPLE

This variation of the Paste Repeat command can be accessed
by holding down the Option key while accessing the Edit
menu. Paste Repeat Multiple allows you to paste data from a
single track into multiple tracks in a single operation. For
example, if you copied data from track A, and you wish to
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EDIT MENU
paste repeat the data into tracks X, Y and Z, select tracks X, Y

and Z, hold down the Option key, and choose Paste Repeat
Multiple from the Edit menu.
region. Using the Splice option in the Repeat dialog box, the
repeated data moves the pre-existing data to a later time in
order to make room for the data in the repeated region.
ERASE
Repeat vs. looping

The Repeat command is useful for repeating sections of
music, creating the same effect as looping. The advantage of
using the Repeat command over looping is that you can
make each of the repeats slightly different. Loops take less
memory (which is an advantage) and each copy is exactly the
same. Choose between them according to your needs at the
time.
The Erase command works like the Cut command except

that no data is put on the Clipboard: all data in the selected
region is removed and the region is left blank. The Erase
command is undoable.
Before measure 3 is erased:
Track-1
Clipboard
Repeat can also be used to create stutter effects with

soundbites (by rapidly repeating the beginning of the
soundbite).
After measure 3 is erased:

(The clipboard remains empty.)
Track-1
Clipboard
REPEAT
The Repeat command makes an internal copy (which does
not go on the Clipboard) of the data in the selected region,
then pastes, splices or merges this data repetitively
immediately following the selected region. For example,
repeating bars 1-3 three times places a copy of bars 1-3 in
bars 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Regardless of the events in the
region, the entire selected region is repeated. In the above
example, the start and end locations in the Selection bar
would be set to 1|1|000 and 4|1|000, respectively. The entire
three bar region is repeated, with each repetition starting on
the down beat of the following measure. In most cases, it is
best to select entire measures or groups of measures to
repeat; this ensures that the repetitions will line up correctly
with measure boundaries.
MERGE
The Merge command combines the contents of the clipboard
with pre-existing data in the selected tracks. The merged
audio is layered on top of any existing audio at that time, but
the actual waveform data is not merged. Instead, the result is
two soundbites layered on top of one another.
You need only specify a Start time when merging; the End
time has no effect. The Merge command is undoable.
Track-1
Track-2
Merged Track
MERGE MULTIPLE
This variation of the Merge command can be accessed by
Merge Multiple allows you to merge data from a single track
copied track A, and you wish to merge it into tracks X, Y and
then choose Merge Multiple from the Edit menu.
Figure 32-2: The Repeat command.
The Repeat command requires a time range selection instead

of a data selection. For a further explanation, see Edit
operations that require time range selection on page 157.
Using the Paste option in the Repeat dialog box, the repeated
data replaces the data in the repeated region: the pre-existing
data is erased. Using the Merge option in the Repeat dialog
box, the repeated data is merged with the data in the repeated
MERGE REPEAT
The Merge Repeat command fills the current time range
selection with the contents of the clipboard, repeating the
clipboard data to fill up the selection. For example, if you
would like to merge clipboard data into a section of a track,
repeating it as many times as necessary to fill the section, just
make a time range selection over the section and choose
Merge Repeat. Merge Repeat is convenient because you dont
have to merge many times by hand. Merge Repeat fills the
selection for you, automatically repeating the data as many
times as necessary.
163
EDIT MENU
MERGE REPEAT MULTIPLE
SPLICE
This variation of the Merge Repeat command can be

accessed by holding down the Option key while accessing the
Edit menu. Merge Repeat Multiple allows you to merge data
from a single track into multiple tracks in a single operation.
For example, if you copied data from track A, and you wish
to merge repeat the data into tracks X, Y and Z, select tracks
X, Y and Z, hold down the Option key, and choose Merge
Repeat Multiple from the Edit menu.
The Splice command inserts data on the Clipboard in the

selected region, making a gap for the new data and moving
pre-existing data later in time to make room for the new
material. The event just after the Start time moves forward
the amount of time of the region on the Clipboard. Thus, if a
one-measure section is copied to the Clipboard and spliced
at measure 3, the old events starting at measure 3 shift to
measure 4. The Splice command is undoable.
MERGE TOGETHER
Before measure A is spliced:
This variation of the Merge command requires that there be

two or more tracks of data already on the clipboard. If so,
Merge Together can be accessed by holding down the Option
key while accessing the Edit menu. Merge Together allows you
to merge data from two or more tracks on the clipboard into
a single track in one operation. For example, if you copied
tracks A, B and C onto the clipboard, and you then wished to
merge them all into track Z, select track Z, hold down the
Option key, and then choose Merge Together from the Edit
menu.
MERGE REPEAT TOGETHER

There is a third variation of the Merge Repeat command:
Merge Repeat Together. This command merge repeats data
on the clipboard from multiple tracks into a single track in
one operation. To use this command, copy data from two or
more tracks, make a time range selection in a single track,
and then hold down the Option key while accessing the Edit
menu. If all of these conditions are met, the Merge Repeat
command turns into Merge Repeat Together.
SNIP
The Snip command removes data in the selected region and
places it on the Clipboard. The time region containing the
data is removed as well, closing up the gap between the
beginning and end of the region: events at the End time are
moved to the Start time. The Snip command is undoable.
The Snip command requires a time range selection instead of
a data selection. For a further explanation, see Edit
operations that require time range selection on page 157.
Track-1
Clipboard
After measure A is spliced:

(Measures 3 & 4 are shifted to 4 & 5.)
Track-1
3 (A) 4
Clipboard
A
SPLICE MULTIPLE
This variation of the Splice command can be accessed by
Splice Multiple allows you to splice data from a single track
copied track A, and you wish to splice it into tracks X, Y and
then choose Splice Multiple from the Edit menu.
SHIFT
The Shift command moves the selected region ahead or back
in time. The shift distance can be specified in one of two
ways:
Shift by amount lets you specify a number of measures
and/or a quarter notes|ticks duration, entered into a dialog
box. Measures are computed based upon the meter marking
at the start point of the selected region.
Shift to time lets you specify an exact location, in any
time format you wish, to which you would like to move the
data.
Before measure 3 is snipped:

Track-1
Clipboard
After measure 3 is snipped:

(Measures 4 & 5 are shifted to 3 & 4.)
Track-1
Clipboard
3
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EDIT MENU
Original soundbite :
Remaining soundbites after the middle section has been cut:
Figure 32-3: The Shift command.
Original soundbite restored by Heal Separation command:
To move the region ahead, choose Earlier; to move it back,

choose Later. The region will be shifted in time by the
amount you enter. The Shift command is undoable.
Preserve realtime performance
The Preserve realtime performance option, when checked,
will shift the selected data to the new location based on the
first selected event. All of the rest of the selected events will be
shifted relative to the first in a manner that preserves the
realtime performance at their original location.
If you move the soundbites relative to each other, they cant be healed
(use Merge Soundbites instead):
HEAL SEPARATION
Heal Separation rejoins adjacent soundbites that currently
have a gap between them. Soundbites must belong to the
same parent audio file, and their position in the track relative
to each other must match their relative positions in the
parent audio file. For example, if you remove a section from
the middle of a soundbite, you can use the Heal Separation
command to rejoin the resulting soundbites, as shown below
in Figure 32-4. However, if you move the soundbites relative
to each other, Heal Separation cannot rejoin them. Heal
Separation can be done across multiple soundbites.
Figure 32-4: Heal Separation.
SPLIT
Split allows you to break up audio soundbites into separate,
smaller soundbites. Split makes divisions at the boundaries
of the region you select.
Split, Cut, and Erase all do a similar thing: they split out a
section of the soundbite. The difference is that Split leaves
behind the resulting piece, whereas Cut and Erase remove it.
SPLIT AT COUNTER
Split at Counter splits all currently selected soundbites at the
current main counter location (as indicated by the playback
wiper). The default key binding for this command is
Option-Y, but you can customize this binding in the
Commands window.
165
EDIT MENU
Selecting a region:
Figure 32-5: Using the Split at Counter command (Edit menu) to split soundbites at
the wiper location.
After using Split:
TRIM
Trim allows you to select a portion of a soundbite and remove
the parts of it that are not selected. For example, you might
want to extract a single measure from a soundbite that is 8
measures long. It is also very useful for removing silence at
the beginning and/or end of a recorded soundbite.
Using Split and Trim
To split or trim a soundbite:
After using Trim:
1 Select the region you wish to split or trim.

2 Choose Split or Trim from the Edit menu.
Data is split or trimmed as shown in Figure 32-6. In the case
of splitting, data is divided into three separate parts. For a
split soundbite, there is no audible gap between the three
parts at this point (unless you move them).
3 To change the name of the resulting soundbites, Optionclick the name.
Once split, soundbites can be dragged and edited independently.
Figure 32-6: Using Split and Trim.
TRIM END / TRIM START

The Trim End command (Edit menu) removes any portion
of a soundbite between what is currently selected and the end
of the soundbite, if any. To change this menu command to
Trim Start, hold down the Shift key while accessing the Edit
menu. Trim Start removes any portion of the soundbite
between what is selected and the beginning of the soundbite.
166
EDIT MENU
Original
Trim End
Create Stairsteps
AudioDesk supports ramp automation with Audio Unit
plug-ins. If you open a project created in a version of
AudioDesk before Audio Unit ramp automation was
supported, the project may contain stair-stepped
automation. If that data is ramp-compatible, it will be
converted into a ramp when you first open the project. If, for
some reason, a situation calls for stair stepping, but the
automation data has been converted into a ramp, you can
convert it back into stair steps using the Create Stairsteps
option.
Optionally, you could use the Create Stairsteps option with
any ramp data, if you wanted to make it choppier and more
abrupt as an effect.
Trim Start
Figure 32-7: Trim End and Trim Start.
PITCH SHIFT
The Pitch Shift command transposes the pitch of
monophonic audio. For complete details, see chapter 46,
Transposing Audio (page 242).
CHANGE AUTOMATION DATA

With the Change Automation Data command, you can
modify existing automation data by scaling it or limiting it to
a specific range.
Add ___ to all values
The entered value is added to all automation data in the
selected region. Enter a positive number if you wish to
increase the values in the region or a negative number if you
wish to decrease them. If a value exceeds the limit of its data
type, it will be truncated at the limit value.
Limit to a range from ___ to ___
Events in the selected region whose values are outside the
range of values that you enter (lower than the from value and
higher than the to value) are changed to those values.
Change to ___% of current value
The values of all events in the selected region are scaled by
the entered percentage value. Thus, specifying 50% halves
the values, and 200% doubles the values. If a value exceeds
the limit of the its data type, it will be truncated at the limit
value.
The Randomize option

The Randomize option allows you to generate variability in
automation data that you select. Notice that the Randomize
option is a check box, which means that it can be used with
any of the radio button options above. Check the box to
randomize; uncheck it for no randomization. When this
command randomizes, it chooses random values within the
range that you specify.
Emphasis
The Emphasis sub-option causes the tendency of the
randomization to be higher or lower within the specified
range. Thus, if you wish to randomize the automation data
events within a certain range, but you wish them to tend to be
higher, use a positive emphasis; use a negative emphasis if
you wish them to tend to be towards the lower end of the
range. A value of zero equals no emphasis, which causes the
randomization to occur evenly within the range.
SET LOOP
Set Loop creates a loop over the selected region(s). This is the
same as inserting a loop with the loop tool in the tool palette.
CLEAR LOOPS
Clear Loops removes all loops within the current selection.
PLAY SELECTION
Plays the current selection. The keyboard shortcut for this
command is option-spacebar.
SHOW/HIDE CLIPBOARD
Choosing Show Clipboard from the Edit menu brings up a
window that describes the contents of the Clipboard (in
text). When the Clipboard is showing, the menu entry
changes to Hide Clipboard. When you choose this, the
Clipboard window is closed.
167
EDIT MENU
The Clipboard is a temporary storage place that holds data

that is cut or copied. All data that is cut or copied is put on the
Clipboard. When you paste, the data to be pasted comes
from the Clipboard.
The Clipboard retains data until a new cut or copy action is
made. This means that you can cut or copy a region of data
once and paste this same information as many times as you
like. The Clipboard retains its data between project files. You
can therefore copy data from one project file and paste it into
another.
AudioDesks Clipboard also lets you cut, copy and paste text
between AudioDesk and other programs.
SELECT ALL
The Select All command generally selects all visible tracks in
the Edit window for the entire range of the sequence.
SELECT ALL IN RANGE

To access the Select All in Range command, hold down the
Option key while accessing the Edit menu, or press
Command-Option-A.
The Select All in Range command selects all tracks, as its
name implies, but it only selects a certain time range, rather
than the entire length of the sequence. The time range is
determined either by the selection start and end times
currently chosen in the Selection Information window
(Selection Information on page 148), or by the current
selection, if any.
DESELECT ALL
The Deselect All command makes all currently selected data
not selected.
168
EDIT MENU
CHAPTER 33
Audio Menu
OVERVIEW
The Audio menu is, in part, an extension of the Edit menu,
providing further editing operations. The Audio menu has a
combination of non-destructive, destructive and
constructive editing operations. (See Non-destructive,
destructive and constructive audio editing on page 155.)
The Audio menu also contains soundbite management
features and other audio-related operations and settings.
Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Strip Silence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Fade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Delete fades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Bounce to Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Merge soundbites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Audio plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Soundbite layering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Time stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Set/clear sync points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Duplicate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Reload Soundbite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Replace Soundbite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Reveal in Finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Edit in Waveform Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Take automation snapshot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Mute region. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Clear mute automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
169
DITHER
AudioDesks mixing and processing engine employs 32-bit
resolution. When 16-bit or 24-bit digital audio first enters
AudioDesk, its bit depth (resolution) is raised to 32-bits.
From then on, as the audio is mixed and processed, it
remains at 32 bits until it leaves AudioDesk. The Dither
command, when checked, makes AudioDesk use dither
whenever it must reduce the bit depth of audio. For example,
if you bounce your mix to disk as a 16-bit, 44.1 kHz AIFF
audio file to later burn a CD, AudioDesk converts your mix,
which internally is being processed in 32 bits, to 16 bits
during the bounce operation. If the Dither command is
checked, dither is employed to help reduce the inherent
quantization distortion that occurs when audio bit
resolution is reduced.
Figure 33-2: The Strip Silence dialog.
3 Set the options accordingly and Click OK.

4 Play back the new soundbites to check for clicks, pops, or
cutoffs.
If the parameters you chose do not produce soundbite
regions that are satisfactory, choose Undo from the Edit
menu and try again with different parameters.
STRIP SILENCE
Strip Silence breaks up a soundbite into several smaller
soundbites by removing all of the portions that consist of
silence.
Before:
After:
Figure 33-1: Strip Silence.
For example, you can use Strip Silence to remove the silence
between words to separate them.
To use Strip Silence:
1 Click the soundbite in the Edit window to select it.
2 Choose Strip Silence from the Audio menu.
A dialog box appears asking for several parameters. See the
discussion below for more information.
5 When you get soundbite regions you are satisfied with,

Option-click their names to rename them, if desired.
Setting the Strip Silence options
When you remove silence in a soundbite, AudioDesk needs a
precise definition of silence from you, since there is always
some noise in a recorded audio signal. The three options in
the Strip Silence dialog box define silence. Together, they act
just like a noise gate. They define a volume threshold, an
Attack period, and a Release period.
Threshold
The Threshold is a cut off point for the (amplitude) level of
the audio. If audio falls below the threshold, it will be cut. If it
rises above the threshold, it wont be cut.
The Threshold is expressed in percent of amplitude; values
range from 1 to 100%. What value you should use depends
on the nature of the audio and the signal to noise ratio. The
rule of thumb is to try to set it as low as possible without
generating unwanted soundbites (that are merely noisy
silence) or extensions at either end of soundbites. Using a
low setting results in less clicks, pops, or clipping at the
beginnings and ends of the soundbites created. But if you set
the threshold too low, then hardly any audio will be removed,
and you may still have unwanted low portions of the signal.
For clean audio with a high signal to noise ratio, use a
Threshold value below 5%. You may be able to go as low as
1%, which will reduce a possible clipping effect at the
beginning or end of each new soundbite and still produce
individual soundbites that do not have an excessive amount
of near silence at either end. With more noisy audio, you may
have to select a higher Threshold to avoid creating lots of
short, unnecessary soundbites.
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AUDIO MENU
Attack
The Attack is the minimum amount of time in milliseconds
that audio must remain above the Threshold in order not to
be cut. If the audio contains percussive attacks, such as drum
sounds, you can set this fairly low (less than 10 milliseconds)
to obtain a clean attack on the resulting soundbites. If the
audio contains longer, sloping attacks, or irregular attacks,
you might need to set this higher to avoid a clipped effect at
the beginning of the soundbite.
Release
The Release is the period of time in milliseconds in which the
audio must remain below the threshold in order to be cut. If
the audio stays below the threshold for as long as the
duration, it will be cut. If it rises above the threshold before
the duration has passed, it will not be cut. Try values around
100 milliseconds. Set this value higher if the soundbites
sound clipped at the end.
FADE
The Fade command lets you create fades and crossfades at
the boundaries of soundbites to eliminate undesirable
artifacts. For complete details, see Fades and Crossfades on
page 175.
DELETE FADES
See Deleting fades on page 180.
BOUNCE TO DISK
Bounce to Disk does exactly as its name implies: it bounces
multiple audio tracks down to a single audio file or stereo
pair of audio files. Original tracks are preserved, and new
audio files created during bouncing. For complete details, see
chapter 47, Bounce To Disk (page 245).
MERGE SOUNDBITES
Use Merge Soundbites to quickly create a single, new
soundbite out of several adjacent soundbites. To do so, select
the adjacent soundbites and choose Merge Soundbites from
the Audio menu. This operation creates a new audio file, sort
of like a mini-bounce. But it does not include any volume,
pan or other automation data. It is meant for joining audio
regions on a small, local scale.
If you use the Merge Soundbites command when there is a
time range selection that extends beyond the selected
soundbite(s), the resulting soundbite extends to the
beginning and end of the selection.
AUDIO PLUG-INS
The Audio Plug-ins sub-menu holds non-real-time versions
of your MAS and AU plug-ins, allowing you to apply them
constructively as region operations on audio selected in any
window. For more information, see Making a plug-in effect
permanent on page 235.
SOUNDBITE LAYERING
In audio tracks, soundbites can overlap one another, giving
you a great deal of flexibility when working with audio in the
audio graphic editing environment in the Edit window. See
Overlapping and layering soundbites on page 138.
TIME STAMPS
A time stamp is the SMPTE time code location at which a
soundbite starts and ends. AudioDesk provides a host of
features for creating, importing, displaying, modifying and
using time stamps.
Original Time Stamp
There are three ways in AudioDesk to create a soundbite with
an original time stamp:
Record it
Bounce it
Create it with the Merge Soundbites command
You can also import soundbites with time stamps.

User Time Stamp
A user time stamp can be applied to a soundbite at any time
with the Time Stamps command in the Audio menu.
Time stamps and editing
Time stamps are preserved when you perform nondestructive soundbite edits. For example, if you trim the
beginning of a soundbite, the time stamp changes to reflect
the new location of the left edge of the soundbite. If you split
a soundbite, each resulting soundbite has a time stamp
consistent with the original soundbites time stamp.
Moving soundbites to their original or user time stamp
Regardless of their current location, you can always move
soundbites to their original or user time stamp location by
selecting them and choosing one of the commands from the
Time Stamps sub-menu in the Audio menu as shown below
in Figure 33-3.
Figure 33-3: The Time Stamps commands in the Audio menu.
Setting a user time stamp

To apply a user time stamp to one or more soundbites, place
the soundbites at the desired location in the sequence, select
them, and then choose Time Stamps>Set User Time Stamp
from Sequence in the Audio menu.
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AUDIO MENU
If you have the same soundbite positioned at different

locations in your project, and you then apply a user time
stamp, AudioDesk notifies you that the soundbite is being
used at more than one location. It then gives you the option
of duplicating the soundbite so that each occurrence can be
given the correct time stamp.
Editing time stamps
You can change time stamps in the soundbites Info pane in
the Soundbites window. For details, see Sound File
Information on page 149.
Displaying time stamps
You can view a soundbites original and user time stamp in
the Soundbites window, if desired. See The Soundbite list
on page 70.
You may also view the original or user time stamp on your
soundbites in the Edit window. See Show times on
page 142
Exchanging time-stamped audio with Pro Tools
AudioDesk stores both its user time stamp and the original
time stamp with the region data in the parent audio file itself,
just like Pro Tools. Therefore, you can freely transfer time
stamped audio files between AudioDesk and Pro Tools.
Other programs that support the way Pro Tools time stamps
audio files should also work.
SET/CLEAR SYNC POINTS

A sync point can be placed inside a soundbite as positional
reference point for the soundbite instead of its beginning (left
edge). See Sync points on page 142.
DUPLICATE
The Duplicate command creates an entirely new soundbite
based on the currently selected soundbite. The new
soundbite is given a different name from the original by
adding a number extension to the end of the original name.
For example, if you duplicate a soundbite with the name
Snare Hit, Duplicate creates an identical soundbite with the
name Snare Hit.2. The important thing to realize here is that
you now have two separate soundbites that are not connected
to each other. As a result, you can freely modify Snare Hit.2
(trim its edge, for example) without affecting the original
soundbite, Snare Hit.
Duplicating is different from copying a soundbite, which
produces a clone of the original that is still connected to it.
If you modify a copied soundbite, the original is modified,
too (and vice versa).
The Duplicate command does not duplicate the actual

audio data; it duplicates pointers to the audio data.
Therefore, destructive editing that you perform on the
duplicate soundbite will affect the original soundbite. So be

careful when editing duplicate soundbites with a third-party
waveform editor.
RELOAD SOUNDBITE
When a soundbite is created, AudioDesk adds a
corresponding region in the audio file with the same name as
the soundbite. AudioDesk does this so that other
applications can access and use the regions. Most
importantly, it prevents the region from being deleted when
using the Compact command. (The Compact command
never deletes audio data that falls within a region in the audio
files region list.)
Use Reload Soundbite any time that you have made changes
to a region in an audio file using software other than
AudioDesk and wish those changes to be reflected in the
regions corresponding soundbite in AudioDesk.
For example, lets say that you have changed a regions
boundaries in an audio file using a third-party waveform
editor such as BIAS Peak, and you then switch back into
AudioDesk. But now a discrepancy exists between the region
in the audio file and the soundbite in the AudioDesk file: the
soundbite still consists of the original region, not the
modified one. To make the soundbite match the region
again, use the Reload Soundbite command.
To reload a soundbite, select the soundbite. (The Reload
Soundbite command operates on only one soundbite at a
time. If you select more than one in the Soundbites window,
it replaces the highest one in the list. If you select more than
one soundbite in the Edit window, it replaces only the earliest
one.) Choose Reload Soundbite from the Audio menu.
AudioDesk searches in the parent audio file for a region that
matches the name of the soundbite and loads the parameters
for the region into the soundbite. Reload Soundbite affects all
instances of a soundbite in an AudioDesk file.
Reloading after destructive editing in an audio file
As another example, lets say that you have created several
soundbites in AudioDesk.
If you open the audio file with a third-party waveform editor
and cut a region of audio data at the beginning, all of the
regions after the cut are shifted earlier, as shown in
Figure 33-4 on page 173. AudioDesk, which may not even be
running at the time, has no indication that anything has
changed in the audio file.
The soundbites in AudioDesk no longer correspond
correctly with the original regions of audio data, which have
shifted earlier in the audio file due to the removed data. In
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AUDIO MENU
fact, as you can see in Figure 33-4, AudioDesk is pointing to

Soundbite.3 in a portion of the audio file that no longer even
exists!
By using the Reload Soundbite command on the soundbites,
you can properly re-align the soundbites in AudioDesk with
their original regions of audio data:
To reload a soundbite:
1 Select the soundbite you wish to reload.
You can do so by highlighting it in the Soundbites window or
Edit window.
2 Choose Reload Soundbite from the Audio menu.
AudioDesk searches in the parent audio file for a region that
matches the name of the soundbite and loads the parameters
for the region into the soundbite.
The Reload Soundbite command can be used any time that
you need to refresh the boundaries of a soundbite.
In general, always use Reload Soundbite after modifying an
audio file with other software besides AudioDesk.
Reload Soundbite affects all instances of a soundbite in an

AudioDesk file. In other words, reloading affects the
soundbite and all clones of that soundbite wherever they
may exist in audio tracks.
Youll notice that Reload Soundbite isnt really going to be
used much if you dont use any other programs besides
AudioDesk to work with the audio file. However, any time
that you edit regions or audio data in an audio file, think
about what impact the editing has on any AudioDesk files
that contain soundbites from that audio file.
Reloading all soundbites in an audio file at one time
Often, youll have several and usually many soundbites
that originated the same audio file, and youll need to reload
all of them. Certainly a tedious task if you had to do so one at
a time. But there is a shortcut for reloading all of them at
once:
1 Commanddouble-click the name of the parent audio file
next to one of the soundbites in the Soundbites window.
It doesnt matter which soundbite you choose, as long as its
from the parent audio file you need to reload from.
AudioDesk soundbites as regions in

an audio file
Audio file:
Soundbite.1
Soundbite.2
Soundbite.3
Audio data that will be

cut in a waveform editor
AudioDesk soundbite pointers remain the same after audio

has been cut with other audio software.
Audio file:
Soundbite.1
Soundbite.2
Soundbite.3
The Reload Soundbite command realigns soundbite

pointers with their original regions of audio data.
Audio file:
Soundbite.1
Soundbite.2
Soundbite.3
Figure 33-4: Using Reload after destructively editing an audio file with another program.
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AUDIO MENU
These soundbites all

belong to the same
parent audio file
called Drum Loop.
Command-double click
the audio file name to
reload all soundbites
from the file.
2 In the dialog box that appears, locate and select the parent
audio file.
If you are doing this procedure after having moved the entire
project from one hard disk location to another, be sure to
select the newly copied version of the audio file not the
original.
Thats it. AudioDesk automatically reloads all of the
soundbites in the file.
If reloading fails
The Reload Soundbite command fails if AudioDesk cannot
find a region with the same name as the soundbite in its
parent audio file. Or, it may not be able to find the parent
audio file. If so, AudioDesk warns you that this is the case and
asks you to select another region to replace the soundbite.
For information about replacing soundbites, refer to the next
section.
REPLACE SOUNDBITE
The Replace Soundbite command is similar to Reload
Soundbite but gives you more flexibility. It allows you to
replace a soundbite with any audio file regioneven an
entirely different region from another audio file. In addition
to updating the soundbites start and end pointers, Replace
Soundbite also updates the name if the soundbite is being
replaced by a region with a different name.
Just like Reload Soundbite, Replace Soundbite replaces all
instances of a soundbite in an AudioDesk file. Heres an
example. Lets say that you recorded a vocal soundbite,
named it Yeah!, and are using it as an effect in a mix. You have
placed it fifteen or twenty times throughout the mix. During
the course of the session, you decide that you would like to
replace all the Yeah!s with a different soundbite that you
recorded and named Hey! Replace Soundbite makes
substitutions like this easy.
To replace a soundbite:
The Replace Soundbite command operates on only one

soundbite at a time. If you select more than one in the
Soundbites window, it replaces the highest one in the list. If
you select more than one soundbite in the Edit window, it
replaces only the earliest one.
2 Choose Replace Soundbite from the Audio menu.
The open audio file dialog box appears.
3 Select the audio file and region you want to replace the
soundbite with.
After you click the Done button, the new region takes the
place of the old region. Likewise, all instances (clones) of
the old region in all the tracks are replaced as well.
REVEAL IN FINDER
The Reveal In Finder command shows you the location in the
Mac OS Finder of the parent audio file for the currently
selected soundbite or clippings. By default, the keyboard
shortcut for this command is Option-R.
EDIT IN WAVEFORM EDITOR

The Choose Waveform Editor command (Setup menu) lets
you choose a third-party waveform editor, such as BIAS
Peak, to perform destructive waveform editing on the
currently selected soundbite. Whenever you invoke the Edit
in Waveform Editor command (Audio menu), AudioDesk
automatically launches the third-party waveform editor and
opens the audio file with the region selected for editing.
TAKE AUTOMATION SNAPSHOT

An automation snapshot is the process of inserting mix
automation data for multiple mix parameters in one step at a
particular location or over a specified time range. For
complete details about how to use this Audio menu
command, see Snapshot automation on page 220 in
chapter 40, Mix Automation (page 212).
MUTE REGION
The Mute Region command lets you insert mute automation
data over a selected time range in a track. For details, see
Mute region and clear Mute Automation on page 220.
CLEAR MUTE AUTOMATION

The Clear Mute Automation command lets you remove mute
automation data in a track. For details, see Mute region and
clear Mute Automation on page 220.
1 Select the soundbite that you wish to replace.
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AUDIO MENU
CHAPTER 34
OVERVIEW
AudioDesk allows you to apply fades and crossfades to the
edges of soundbites.
What is a crossfade? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Creating a single fade or crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Types of crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Fade curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
How fades are generated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Background processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Fades are anchored to their splice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Applying multiple fades in one operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Reapplying the last fade settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Deleting fades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Editing existing fades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Fades that cannot be fully computed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Trimming soundbites that have a fade or crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Clipping when crossfades are calculated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
A fade is similar to a cross fade, except that it occurs at the

start or end of a single soundbite, and it fades between the
soundbite and silence.
Fades and crossfades consist of audio data computed by
AudioDesk and then placed on top of the original audio. The
original audio is not modified in any way, and you can
remove the crossfade at any time.
CREATING A SINGLE FADE OR CROSSFADE

There are two ways to create a fade or crossfade:
Drag the fade/crossfade handles on a soundbite
Make a selection and apply a fade with the Fade command

(Audio menu).
Creating a fade/crossfade with fade handles

Fades and crossfades can be applied directly to soundbites by
pulling fade or crossfade handles directly on the soundbites,
as shown below in Figure 34-2:
Fade/crossfade handles
Fade/crossfade cursor
Figure 34-1: To create a fade or crossfade, select one or more soundbite boundaries
and choose Fade from the Audio menu.
WHAT IS A CROSSFADE?
A crossfade occurs at the boundary what well call the
splice point between two soundbites. It fades out the
volume of the first soundbite while fading in the volume of
the second. A crossfades main purpose is to produce a
smooth transition between the soundbites, preventing clicks
and pops and other undesirable artifacts that can sometimes
occur. Crossfades are general in nature, however, and they
can also be used for volume effects and other purposes.
Select/Edit Fade/crossfade cursor
Figure 34-2: Position the cursor over a fade or crossfade handle until you see the
fade/crossfade cursor shown above. Then just pull out a fade of the desired length.
Double-click the fade or crossfade to edit its shape further.
175
To create a fade at the boundary of two soundbites that are

touching, hold down the Command key while dragging one
handle or the other:
Before:
Figure 34-3: Hold down the Command key to create a fade (instead of a crossfade)
where two soundbites touch.
Fades and crossfades are inserted with the shape most

recently specified in the Fade dialog (Audio menu).
After:
By default, fades and crossfades are inserted and edited

symmetrically. To shorten or lengthen just one side of a
crossfade while pinning the other side where it is, hold down
the Option key while dragging the fade handle as shown
below:
Original crossfade:
Figure 34-5: Editing multiple fades in one operation.
Option drag to edit one side only
For example, if you needed to make all fades in a track a little

longer, you can select all soundbites and then grab one fade
to change them all.
Applying a fade/crossfade to a selection
To apply a single fade or cross fade to a selection:
Figure 34-4: Option drag to move just one side of the fade. The other handle
remains pinned to its original location.
1 In the Edit window, make a selection over a splice point

(the soundbite boundary that defines the fade or crossfade
you wish to create).
To edit multiple fades together in one operation, select the

soundbites that contain the fades, and then grab the fade
handle of one of the selected soundbites:
You can use your selection to define the length of the

crossfade, or you can create a fixed-length fade that is
different from your selection.
Splice point (boundary between
touching soundbites)
Selection for
the crossfade
Figure 34-6: Selecting a region over a soundbite boundary to apply a fade.
176
FADES AND CROSSFADES
2 Choose Fade from the Audio menu to open the Create

Fades dialog, as shown in Figure 34-1.
3 Set the fade-out and fade-in curves as desired. These
curves are explained later in the chapter.
4 To create a fade over the exact length of your original
selection, choose the Fade selected time ranges option from
the menu at the bottom of the dialog. To create a fade of a
specific length, choose Create fixed-length fades and then
enter the desired length for the fade (in milliseconds) in the
before splice and after splice text boxes.
Figure 34-9: A pre-crossfade.
If you make a selection to the right of the splice point, you

create a post-crossfade as shown below. This is useful if you
want to maintain the volume of Soundbite 1 right up to the
splice point.
5 Click OK to apply the fade.

fade-out
curve
Crossfade
fade-in
curve
Figure 34-10: A post-crossfade.
Figure 34-7: A crossfade.
TYPES OF CROSSFADES
When you apply a crossfade, the selection you make relative
to the splice point determines the type of crossfade. If you
make a selection with the splice point somewhere in the
middle, you will create a standard, centered crossfade as
shown below in Figure 34-8.
Crossfades use material beyond the splice

All three types of crossfade discussed in the previous section
use hidden material in each region beyond the splice point.
In the centered crossfade shown below, the fade-out starts in
Bass riff 1 and extends into the beginning of Bass riff 2; the
portion of the fade-out to the right of the splice point is
actually calculated from material in Bass riff s parent audio
file material that is currently not visible.
Soundbite Bass riff 1
fade-out
Material beyond Bass riff 1
from its parent audio file used
to calculate the fade-out
Figure 34-8: A centered crossfade.
If you make a selection to the left of the splice point, you

create a pre-crossfade before the splice point as shown below
in Figure 34-9. This will let you maintain the volume of the
beginning of Soundbite 2 without fading across it. This is
especially useful if there is a percussive downbeat at the
beginning of Soundbite 2 that you want to preserve.
Bass riff 1s parent audio file

Figure 34-11: The area beyond Bass riff 1 in its parent audio file is used to calculate
the fade-out curve of the crossfade. The same is also true for the area preceding
Bass riff 2 in its parent audio file.
If there isnt enough additional material in the parent audio

file for the fade-out (or fade-in) calculation, the fade will
drop to zero at that point.
177
Fades mix with silence

Fades, on the other hand, do no use material beyond the
edges of the soundbite from the parent audio file. Instead,
they mix with silence to create a smooth transition to (or
from) zero volume.
Fade types
The fade dialog box offers three types of crossfades and two
types of fades:
Equal gain crossfades are recommended for material that is

phase coherent or nearly phase-coherent, as in crossfades
between soundbites from the same audio source material
(the same instrument, for example). Equal gain crossfades
help avoid clipping that can occur when using equal power
crossfades (described below). Equal gain fades are available
for both fades and crossfades.
Regardless of which fade type you create, you are given

handles on the curves in the diagram to further adjust the
curve. The standard fade curve offers a single handle; it
creates a smooth, continuous general-purpose fade. The one
exception to this is when you are using independent curves,
in which the standard curve also gives you two end points
that let you modify where the curve starts and ends.
Figure 34-12: Here is an example of an equal gain crossfade with a standard curve.
S-shaped curves give you several handles, including one at

the crossover point where it inverts its shape. S-curves are
particularly useful for material that is hard to crossfade with
a standard curve.
Equal power crossfades are recommended for material that is

not phase coherent, such as completely different musical
instruments. Equal power crossfades help you to avoid the
volume drop that can sometimes occur with equal gain
crossfades. Equal gain fades are available for both fades and
crossfades.
Independent crossfades are recommended for special

circumstances in which you cannot achieve the desired
results with the equal gain or equal power curves or when
you specifically need to create entirely different fade-out and
fade-in curves. This option only applies to crossfades; it is
not available for fades (since a fade consists of only one
curve).
Figure 34-13: Here is the same equal gain crossfade shown in Figure 34-12 with an
S-shaped curve instead of a standard curve.
When you choose independent S-shaped curves, you can get

as elaborate as you need.
FADE CURVES
For all of the fade types discussed in the previous section,

you can choose between a standard fade curve or an Sshaped curve. If you are using an equal power or equal gain
crossfade, both the fade-in and fade-out curve must be the
same curve type. (The curve buttons in the window enforce
this for you.) However, if you are using independent curves,
you can choose a different curve type for the fade-in and
fade-out.
Figure 34-14: Here is a crossfade with independent S-shaped curves.
Fade curve presets

On each side of the Fades dialog, below the fade-out and
fade-in sections, there is a row of buttons that provides you
with several useful fade curve presets. These presets are
commonly useful curves provided as a convenience to you.
They are by no means magical in any way. These curves will
178
cover most of the situations you encounter. You can also use
them as a starting point and then further tweak them with
the handles in the curve diagram.
move one of the two soundbites that define a crossfade, the

crossfade will disappear. If you move them together, the
crossfade will move with them.
APPLYING MULTIPLE FADES IN ONE OPERATION

For the most part, the icons on the buttons give you a pretty
good idea of the shape of the curve and the effect it will have
on your audio. The square corner presets are notable
because the keep the volume of the fade-in or fade-out
constant either full volume or zero volume for the
entire length of the fade.
HOW FADES ARE GENERATED

When you make a fade (or crossfade), AudioDesk computes
the fade on-the-fly no files are created on disk. Fades are
applied non-destructively, just as with volume automation or
realtime effect inserts.
Most crossfades are short enough that they take very little
time to compute. However, you may often generate several
and possibly many crossfades at one time (explained
later). Therefore, AudioDesk employs its background
processing features whenever it creates crossfades so that you
dont have to wait for them to be generated. A crossfade that
has not yet been computed appears with gray lines in the Edit
window. Once it has been computed, it appears with the
normal pink and purple lines.
For further information about background processing, see
chapter 45, Background Processing (page 240).
FADES ARE ANCHORED TO THEIR SPLICE

In general, fades and crossfades are preserved during editing
operations such as dragging, shifting, compacting or setting
the soundbite start time. For example, if you trim the edge of
a soundbite, and it has a fade on it, the fade will remain after
the trim operation. If the audio data within the range of the
fade or crossfade changes, it will be recomputed automatically.
There are a few situations in which crossfades cannot be
preserved, due to their nature. Crossfades are defined by the
splice to which they were applied. If the splice point changes,
the fade may no longer be valid because the original
arrangement of audio data from which the fade was
computed no longer exists. As a result, crossfades always
remain anchored to the soundbite edge (or boundary
between two soundbites) to which they were originally
applied. They cannot be moved independently of their splice
point although they can move with their splice point (as
long as it doesnt change in the process). For example, if you
Often, youll need to apply several and possibly many

crossfades at one time. Rather than having to painstakingly
apply them one at a time, AudioDesk allows you to apply as
many fades as you want in one operation. One way to do this
is to use the Shift key to select several splice points at one
time before entering the Fades dialog. You can then apply the
same fade to all of them, using your selections to define the
length of each fade. Or you can apply fixed-length fades.
Another way to apply multiple fades at one time is to make
one large selection that contains any number of splice points
and then apply fixed-length fades to all of them in one
operation. This technique is especially useful when youve
made many detailed edits perhaps dozens or even
hundreds and you need to apply crossfades to all of them.
To apply fixed-length fades and/or crossfades to many splice
points in one operation:
1 In the Edit window, select the region that contains the
splice points you would like to fade and/or crossfade. For
example, if you want to apply fades and crossfades to all
soundbite boundaries in the entire sequence, display all
tracks in the Edit window and Select All.
2 Choose Fade from the Audio menu to open the Fades
dialog.
3 Choose Create fixed-length fades from the menu at the
bottom of the window.
4 If the region you selected contains existing fades, and you
would like to replace them with new fades, check the Update
existing fades option. If you want to preserve existing fades,
leave it unchecked.
5 If you would like to apply crossfades to all eligible splice
points (ones that consist of boundaries between two
touching soundbites), check the Create new crossfades
option. If you dont want to create any crossfades where
soundbites touch, leave it unchecked.
6 If you would like to apply fades to all soundbite edges (e.g.
edges that are not touching another soundbite), check the
Create new fade-ins or fade-outs option. If not, leave it
unchecked.
7 Enter the length of the fade by entering times in the before
splice and after splice value boxes provided. Values are in
milliseconds (100 = one tenth of a second).
179
8 Click OK to generate the fades.
TRIMMING SOUNDBITES THAT HAVE A FADE OR

CROSSFADE
When you click OK, AudioDesks applies the fades. Use the
Background Processing window to monitor its progress. You
can, of course, proceed with other work when the fades are
being processed, if you like. Fades that are not calculated yet
are displayed in gray; fades that are done appear in the same
color as the soundbite.
If a soundbite edge has a fade or crossfade on it, you have to

delete the crossfade in order to change it. This makes sense
because as soon as you change it, the crossfade is no longer
valid anyway (since the splice point has changed). You can
reapply the crossfade after you modify the soundbite edge.
REAPPLYING THE LAST FADE SETTINGS
If clipping occurs when AudioDesk calculates a crossfade,

the crossfade is drawn in red instead of the soundbites color.
In this case, you will probably want to re-apply the crossfade,
adjusting the curves. Try using the equal gain curves (since it
is impossible for clipping to occur when using equal gain).
To apply another fade using the same settings you last used,
hold down the Option key while choosing Fade from the
audio menu.
DELETING FADES
CLIPPING WHEN CROSSFADES ARE CALCULATED
To delete a single fade, click it and choose Delete Fades from

the Audio menu.
To delete all fades within a region, select the region and
choose Delete Fades from the Audio menu.
To delete all fades in the entire sequence, use Select All in the
Edit window (or the Edit window with all tracks showing)
and choose Delete Fades from the Audio menu.
EDITING EXISTING FADES

To modify an existing fade, double-click it.
To modify several existing fades at one time, select them and
choose Fade from the Audio menu.
In either case, after youve made the changes you would like
in the Fades dialog, make sure that the Update existing fades
option is checked before clicking OK.
FADES THAT CANNOT BE FULLY COMPUTED

If AudioDesk computes a fade or crossfade and the level of
the mixed audio in it exceeds unity gain (0 dB), the fade
appears bright red to alert you to the fact that it is clipping.
If, for some reason, a fade or crossfade doesnt have enough
audio for AudioDesk to compute the complete fade, it
appears bright blue. For example, you might draw a crossfade
that is two seconds long, but one of the soundbites involved
may not have a full extra second of audio in the parent audio
file beyond the edge of the soundbite. In this case, the
crossfade appears bright blue to indicate that it cannot be
fully computed.
180
Part 6
Arranging
CHAPTER 35
Markers
OVERVIEW
The Markers window allows you to display and edit the
markers for a sequence. A marker is a name attached to a
particular location. The Markers window can be used as a
sophisticated autolocator, allowing you to move to a location
instantly. The Markers window provides an easy way to
organize your music; markers are visible in the Edit window,
and are useful in quickly specifying editing regions.
Markers window Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Markers window mini-menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Opening a Markers Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Switching between sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Adding markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Changing the name of a marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Changing a marker time location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Setting the counter to a marker location. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Jumping to a marker with a shortcut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Selecting markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Using markers to define an edit region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Selecting with markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Markers in the Edit window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Locking and unlocking markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Shifting locked markers in time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Locked markers and the sequence start time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Marker hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
MARKERS WINDOW QUICK REFERENCE

Position
indicator
Marker name
Locked
indicator
Marker
location
Figure 35-1: AudioDesks Markers window.
Position indicator: Displays the current location in the

Sequence. Drag on the indicator to move it. Click anywhere
in the grey region to move the indicator to a marker. Moving
the indicator changes the current location in the Sequence.
Marker name: Click on a markers name to select it. Optionclick on the name to change it. Drag over several names to
select several markers. Use Command-click to select or
deselect several non-contiguous markers.
Marker location: Displays the marker locations in your

choice of AudioDesks various time formats, including
SMPTE time code. Click on a location to change it. Select the
format you wish to see in the Time Display sub-menu (Setup
menu).
Locked indicator: Indicates that the marker is locked to

SMPTE frame time. Toggle from locked to unlocked and
back by clicking in the lock column next to the marker name.
MARKERS WINDOW MINI-MENU

Add: Adds a new marker at the current location. Hold down
the Option key while choosing Add to add several markers at
once.
Lock: Locks the highlighted markers to real/frame time. A

small lock icon appears by the markers location to indicate
that it is locked.
Unlock: Unlocks the highlighted markers.
Shift locked markers: Shifts all highlighted locked markers
by a time offset.
182
Delete: Deletes the highlighted markers.
BASICS
The Markers window is used to display and manipulate
markers. Each sequence listed in the Sequences window has
its own set of markers. The Window Target tab in the title bar
of the Markers window displays the sequence to which the
markers belong. Each marker consists of a name and a time
location it is associated with. Markers are listed in
chronological order. You can display the location of a marker
in measure time, real time, frame time or samples.
Measure location versus SMPTE location
Normally a marker remains at the same measure location
when you change the tempo of the sequence. In this case,
changes in tempo or structure will affect the SMPTE frame
location of the marker. However, there may be times when
you want a marker to remain anchored to a SMPTE frame
location. AudioDesk lets you lock markers to a SMPTE
frame location. When you change the sequence tempo or
make edits, the SMPTE frame location of locked markers will
not change and, instead, the measure location will change to
reflect the new tempo or edit.
OPENING A MARKERS WINDOW

Each sequence has its own set of markers in the Markers
window. To open the Markers window for a sequence:
1 Open the Sequences window (Project menu).
2 Make sure no sequences are highlighted.
To unhighlight them, briefly click a type icon in the left
column. If a sequence is highlighted, a Markers window will
be opened for that sequence.
3 Play-enable the sequence whose Markers window you
wish to open.
4 Choose Markers from the Project menu, or press Shift-K.
The Window Target tab displays the name of the sequence to
which the markers belong.
SWITCHING BETWEEN SEQUENCES

The Markers window shows the markers for an individual
sequence. If you are working with multiple sequences in an
AudioDesk project, you may often work with just one Edit
window and one Markers window open at a time. If you
switch the sequence being viewed in the Edit window (by
clicking on the sequence name in the Window Target menu),
the Markers window automatically switches to show the
markers of the newly chosen sequence. The result is that the
markers being shown in the Markers window match the

sequence being viewed in the Edit window. This only
happens when one Markers window is open.
You can manually switch the Markers window from one
sequence to another by clicking the name of the sequence in
the Window Target tab as shown below:
ADDING MARKERS
To add a marker, choose Add from the Markers window
mini-menu. The markers location will be the same as that
showing in the Counter. To add several markers at once, hold
down the Option key while choosing Add from the minimenu. A dialog box will appear prompting you for the
number of markers to be added.
CHANGING THE NAME OF A MARKER

To change the name of a marker, Option-click the marker
name. Use the Enter or the down arrow key to approve the
entry and move to the next marker name, or the up arrow key
to approve the entry and move to the previous marker name.
CHANGING A MARKER TIME LOCATION

To change the time location of a marker, click the time
location you wish to change to pop-edit the value. Use the
Tab key to move between time fields. You can use the Enter or
down arrow key to approve the change and move to the time
location of the next marker; use the up arrow key to approve
the change and move to the time location of the previous
marker.
If you change the measure time of a marker, even a locked
marker, the real and frame times will also change. Changing
the real or frame time of a marker will cause the measure
time location to change.
Since the markers are listed in chronological order, a marker
may seem to vanish when you edit its location. In such cases,
the marker has simply been moved out of the visible portion
of the marker list.
SETTING THE COUNTER TO A MARKER LOCATION

You can easily set the current location displayed in the
counter to the location of a marker. This lets you to move to a
location by its name instead of time, making it unnecessary
for you to keep track of a number of arbitrary measures and
times.
183
MARKERS
To move to the location of a marker, press on the position

indicator and drag it to the marker you want. You can scroll
the list up or down by dragging the position indicator slightly
past the top or bottom of the marker list.
JUMPING TO A MARKER WITH A SHORTCUT

In the Commands window (Setup menu), there is a
command called Go To Marker (in the Transport commands
group). By default, the keyboard shortcut for this command
is Shift-Control-M, but you can reassign it to any key you
wish (that doesnt conflict with another assignment, of
course).
If the marker with the start time you want for the edit region
and the marker with the end time for the region are not
adjacent, you must select all markers in between. Click on the
starting marker and drag down until you reach the ending
one.
2 Choose Set to Selection Bounds from the Set To menu in
the Selection Information window.
You can now use one of the commands from the Edit or
Audio menus. You can also use this procedure to transfer
marker times to the Memory and Auto Record bars in the
Control Panel.
After invoking the Go To Marker command, type in the

desired marker number.
SELECTING WITH MARKERS
There are also commands for Go to Previous Marker and Go

to Next Marker. These commands move the counter to the
next or previous marker in the sequence from the current
counter location.
MARKERS IN THE EDIT WINDOW
SELECTING MARKERS
To select a marker in the Markers window list, highlight it by
clicking on its name. There are several methods for selecting
several markers at once:
To select several adjacent markers, press on a marker name
and drag over the desired names. All markers dragged over
will highlight.
To select several non-adjacent markers, hold down the
Command key and click on the names of the markers you
wish to select. They will highlight.
To deselect markers when more than one are highlighted, hold
down the Command key and click on the markers you wish
to deselect. They will unhighlight.
To extend the currently selected region, Shift-drag over the
desired end location.
USING MARKERS TO DEFINE AN EDIT REGION

You can use markers to define a region to be edited: instead of
typing the Start and End locations in the Selection
Information window, you can use the Markers window and
the Selection Set To menu.
To define a region using the Markers window:
1 Select a group of markers such that the beginning and end
marker of the group are at the starting and end times of the
region to be edited.
When you click a marker in the Edit window, it creates a

time-range selection that extends to the next marker or endof-sequence.
Markers appear in the Edit Window, where they can be

locked or unlocked (by Option-clicking). However,
commands on the Edit menu cannot be applied to markers.
LOCKING AND UNLOCKING MARKERS

Markers can be connected to a SMPTE frame location such
that they will retain that location if the tempo is changed:
they can be locked to the location. If the tempo is changed,
the measure time location of the marker will change.
When a marker is unlocked, it remains anchored to a specific
measure/beat/tick, and its SMPTE frame location is flexible.
To toggle a single marker between locked and unlocked
states, click in the lock column next to the markers name, or
Option-click it in the Edit window. To lock or unlock several
markers at once, select them and choose Lock or Unlock
from the Markers window mini-menu.
SHIFTING LOCKED MARKERS IN TIME

The Shift Locked Markers command on the Markers window
mini-menu lets you shift the times of highlighted locked
markers by the amount you specify. Unlocked markers which
are selected are unaffected by this command.
To shift the times of locked markers, select them and choose
Shift Locked Markers from the Markers window mini-menu.
LOCKED MARKERS AND THE SEQUENCE START TIME

There are several options in the Set Sequence Start dialog
that affect the location of locked markers when changing the
sequence start time.
184
MARKERS
The Preserve current frame time option, when checked, lets

you preserve the absolute frame location of locked markers
when changing the SMPTE start time of the sequence. In
other words, locked markers wont move; they will remain
anchored to their SMPTE time code frame.
If the new SMPTE start time causes a locked marker to shift
before the beginning of the sequence, the marker will be
placed at the beginning of the sequence. If you would rather
get rid of such markers altogether, check the Delete if before
start of chunk option.
If you wish to leave locked markers in the same position
relative to the start of the sequence, use the Preserve length of
time from start of chunk option.
Figure 35-2: These Set Sequence Start options either preserve locked markers or
shift them relative to the beginning of the sequence when changing the SMPTE
time code start frame.
MARKER HINTS
Below are some helpful hints for using Markers.
Composing and arranging
Markers provide a useful tool for labeling structural sections
of a piece of music. The music can be recorded first and
markers added afterwards or markers can be entered first to
lay out the structure of the sequence before recording. In the
latter case, markers can be used as a kind of musical outline
for the structure of the piece.
Markers can be used to quickly rewind to the beginning of a
section. They can also be used as structural place holders to
mark the ends of unfinished sections.
Film and video scoring
Markers make an excellent cue sheet for planning out or
displaying the structure of your sequence. They can show
you the relationship between time locations in the film and
measure locations in the music. You can then find the tempo
that best lines up metrical beats of the sequence with
important visual events. This can all be done before
recording a note of music.
In addition to using markers to define the structure and
tempo of your sequence, you may want to add markers for
visual cues and hit points. These markers should be locked
since their time location corresponds to a frame location.
Once locked, the measure time location of the marker will be
updated if you change the tempo and meter. The frame
location will not change.
185
MARKERS
CHAPTER 36
Sequences
OVERVIEW
A sequence is a set of tracks, which are listed in that
sequences Edit window.
The Sequences window displays the sequences in an
AudioDesk file. A sequence is a collection of tracks. An
AudioDesk file can contain as many sequences as you wish.
Sequences can be cued for playback, either automatically or
manually, in order or at random.
Many essential operations in a sequence are done in the Edit
window: tracks are added and deleted, editing regions within
tracks are specified and much more. See chapter 27, Edit
window (page 126) for complete details. Each sequence also
has its own Markers window. See chapter 35, Markers
(page 182) for details.
End time: Displays each sequences End time. In automatic

mode, End time is the downbeat of the measure following the
last complete measure in the sequence. When a sequences
End time is in manual mode, it is bold and can be edited to
any length.
Name: Displays the name of the sequence. Click the name to
select the sequence. Option-click the name to change it.
Double-click the name to open the Edit window belonging to
the sequence.
Comments: Displays as much as possible of your comments

for each sequence. View and edit the comments by clicking
them.
Next/Previous Sequence buttons: If you have more than one
sequence or song in the file, these buttons skip to the next or
previous one, much like the skip buttons on a CD player.
Sequences window Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
The Sequence Control buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Chain Sequences button: When highlighted, starts playback
SEQUENCES WINDOW QUICK REFERENCE
of the next sequence in the list after the current playback

sequence reaches its End time.
Cue Sequences button: When highlighted, it play-enables the

next sequence in the sequences list after the current playback
sequence reaches its End time and stops. To begin playback
of the next sequence, press the Play button, or a command
for the Play button.
Figure 36-1: The sequences window lists all sequences in the AudioDesk file.
Type: This icon is used to change the order of sequences in

the list.
Play: Shows the play-enable button for each sequence. When
a sequences play-enable button is blue, the sequence is playenabled. Only one sequence can be play-enabled at a time.
S# (Song Select Number): Displays the song select number

that will play-enable the sequence when received from a
MIDI controller. Song select numbers range from 0-127. If a
sequence has no song number assigned, the column displays
a single dash (-).
If AudioDesk receives a song select number that is assigned
to two or more sequences, AudioDesk will cue the sequence
that appears highest in the list. For this reason, it is best to
assign a unique Song Select number to each sequence.
The Sequences window mini-menu

The Sequences window mini-menu contains the following
commands:
Add sequence: Adds a sequence to the sequence list. To add

several sequences at once, press the Option key while
choosing Add.
Duplicate Track Layout: Creates a new, empty sequence with

the same track layout as the selected sequence. Select an
existing sequence before choosing this command.
Open sequences: Opens the Edit window for each

highlighted sequence.
Auto/manual end time: Toggles the Auto/manual status of
the selected sequences. Automatic mode locks the sequences
End time at the downbeat of the measure following the last
complete measure in the sequence. Manual mode changes
the time to boldface and allows it to be edited.
186
Set Sequence Start: Establishes the start times of the

currently selected sequence(s) in each of AudioDesks four
time formats: measures, real time, SMPTE time and samples.
The start times are what you see in the counter when you
rewind back to the beginning of the sequence.
Delete: Deletes the selected sequences.
BASICS
The Sequences window lists the sequences in a file and
provides useful features to manage them, such as adding,
deleting, and other operations. Sequences can also be
automatically cued to playback in the order in which they are
listed in the sequences window. For more information about
cueing, see The Sequence Control buttons on page 189.
Opening the Sequences window
To open the Sequences window, choose Sequences from the
Project menu. The sequences window will appear, displaying
a list of all sequences in the project.
Selecting sequences
There are several methods of selecting sequences:
To select a single sequence, click on its name. The name will
highlight.
To select several adjacent sequences, click a sequence name
and drag over the desired names. All sequences dragged over
will highlight.
To select several non-adjacent sequences, hold down the
Command key and click on the names of the sequences you
wish to select. They will highlight.
Duplicating existing sequences

Sometimes you may want to duplicate a sequence to
experiment with changes or for some other reason. To
duplicate a sequence:
1 Highlight the sequences name in the sequences window.
2 Choose Copy from the Edit menu.
3 Choose Paste from the Edit menu.
An exact copy of the sequence, including all the data in the
tracks, will be placed at the end of the list in the sequences
window. Rename it immediately so that you do not get the
copy and the original mixed up.
Loading sequences from another file
AudioDesks Load command (File menu) allows you to
quickly import sequences into an open file from another,
unopened AudioDesk file. See Loading a sequence from
another file on page 42.
Copying and pasting sequences between projects
You can copy and paste entire sequences that have been
selected in the sequences window. When copying and
pasting sequences, all soundbites and sequences used in
them are also copied and pasted into the destination project.
Splitting up an existing sequence into separate
sequences
The Copy selection to new sequence command in the Edit
windows mini-menu sequence sub-menu (Figure 36-2)
takes the current selection in the Edit window and turns it
into a new, separate sequence in the Sequences window.
To deselect sequences when more than one are highlighted,

hold down the Command key and click on the sequences you
wish to deselect. They will unhighlight.
Creating new sequences
To create a new, empty sequence, choose Add sequence from
the sequences window mini-menu. To add several new
sequences at once, hold down the Option key while choosing
Add sequence. You will be prompted for the number of
sequences to add.
Figure 36-2: Copying the current selection to a new, separate sequence.
To create a sequence from the Edit window:

1 Make any selection that you wish.
To create a new sequence with the same track layout as an

existing sequence, highlight the existing sequence and select
Duplicate Track Layout from the sequences window minimenu. A new sequence will be added with the same name as
the sequence you highlighted preceded by the words Copy of.
It will have the same track layout as the highlighted sequence:
the number of tracks, the track names, and the track
playback channel assignments will be identical to the
original.
2 Choose Copy Selection to New sequence from the Edit

window mini-menu (from the Sequences sub-menu as
shown in Figure 36-2).
A dialog box appears.
187
SEQUENCES
OR
Select the sequence from the sequence menu in the Edit
window mini-menu
3 Type in a name for the sequence.

4 Type in an End Time to determine the length of the
sequence.
By default, the end time is determined by the length of the
selected region.
5 (Optional) Type in any other information you wish.
6 Press OK to confirm your choice or Cancel to withdraw
the command.
Deleting sequences
To delete a sequence, click its name to highlight it and choose
Delete from the sequences window mini-menu. To delete
several sequences at once, highlight the name of each one as
described in the Selecting sequences section above. You can
Undo this command.
Choosing the current playback sequence
At any given time, one sequence is designated as the current
playback sequence. This sequence is the only one you can
play and record into. Certain functions, such as recording,
are available only to the currently play-enabled sequence. For
example, if a sequence is play-enabled, its Edit window has
record-enable buttons by its tracks. Only that sequences Edit
window will have record-enable buttons.
You may edit any sequence in the file at any time regardless of
whether it is play-enabled or not.
To play-enable a sequence:
Click the play-enable button to the left of the sequence
name. It will turn blue. The play-enable buttons of the other
sequences will be gray.
OR
Click the Next/Previous Sequence buttons as needed until
the sequences name is displayed in the Info bar in the
Control Panel
Playing-enabling by remote control

AudioDesk also provides two different methods of playenabling sequences from a remote device.
Sequence Selection commands
The first method is with the sequence select commands
found in the Commands window (Setup menu), where each
sequence is assigned a Mac key binding. You play-enable a
sequence by pressing its corresponding Mac key binding.
Please refer to chapter 19, Commands (page 91) for more
information.
Song Select messages
The second method is sequence select, which allows you to
cue sequences for playback by sending a MIDI Song Select
message from a MIDI controller. The sequences window
column S# displays the Song Select number that, when
received, will cue the corresponding sequence for playback.
If a sequence has no Song number assigned, the S# column
displays a single dash (-).
Most hardware sequencers and some MIDI keyboard
controllers can send and receive Song Select messages.
Simply send a Song Select message as instructed in that
modules documentation. If the open file contains a sequence
assigned to the Song number in the message, that sequence
will be play-enabled. If more than one sequence has the same
Song number assigned, the one highest in the sequences list
will be cued.
When used in combination with the Sequence Chaining
buttons in the Sequences window, a Song Select message cues
the corresponding sequence to be play-enabled or played
back.
Opening sequences
Each sequence has its own Edit window. To see a sequences
Edit window, click the sequences name to highlight it and
choose Open sequences from the sequence window minimenu. Or just double-click the sequence name.
Rearranging the order of sequences
You may rearrange the sequences in whatever order is most
meaningful to you. To change the position of a sequence in
the sequences list:
188
SEQUENCES
1 Press the type icon of the sequence you want to move.

The cursor changes into that sequence icon.
2 Drag and drop the mouse to the position where you want
the sequence.
Rearranging the order of the sequences is a useful organizational tool. In addition, it lets you determine the sequences
default cueing order when using the Next/Previous
Sequence, Cue Sequences, and Chain Sequences buttons
described later in this chapter.
Changing the name of a sequence
To change the name of a sequence:
1 Option-click the name of the sequence.
A small box will pop up.
2 Type the sequence name in the box.
3 Press the Return key or click outside the box to confirm
the name or Command-period to cancel it.
You can use the Enter or down arrow key to approve the
change and edit the next sequence name in the list. You can
also use the up arrow key to approve the change and edit the
previous sequence name in the list.
Entering comments
To enter or modify comments for a sequence:
1 Click in the comments field to the right of the sequence
name.
A box appears. If youve already entered a comment for the
sequence, the entire comment appears highlighted in the
box.
2 Enter or edit the comment
3 Click OK to confirm the changes youve made and close
the comments box, or click Cancel to discard the changes.
Press the down arrow key or the Enter key to approve the
changes youve made and move to the comment for the next
sequence. The up arrow key likewise moves to the comment
for the previous sequence.
When entering or editing a comment, the Return key starts a
new line of text instead of approving the changes as usual in
AudioDesks user interface.
Auto versus manual end time

The sequences window field End Time displays either the
automatic, AudioDesk-generated ending time of the
sequence, or a time that you have entered manually. Its
important to understand how this time affects your music.
When using the sequence controls in the Sequences window,
youll find that each sequences End time does affect its
playback length. For example, clicking Play with the Chain
Sequences button enabled causes playback of one sequence
after another, each sequence playing until the counter
reaches that sequences End time. Reverb tails or other
playback artifacts that normally would last through the End
time will be cut off. You can avoid this by setting a sequences
End time to be later, thereby building sustain into the
sequences play length.
For more information about sequence cueing, see The
Sequence Control buttons, below.
THE SEQUENCE CONTROL BUTTONS

The Next Sequence and Previous Sequence buttons playenable the next or previous sequence listed in the Sequences
window. The Cue Sequences button play-enables the next
sequence in the list after the current sequence plays to its end
time and stops. The Chain Sequences button causes the next
sequence in the list to automatically begin playing when the
current sequence finishes playback.
Chaining using the Sequences window
The Sequence cueing buttons in the Sequences window allow
automatic and real-time cueing of sequences, and automatic
playback of cued sequences. The Cue Sequences, Chain
Sequences, and Next Sequence, and Previous Sequence
buttons let you play sequences from the Sequences window,
moving up or down the list at your command.
Sequence cueing does not yield seamless transitions between
sequences. Use them for cueing situations where a pause
between sequences either brief or indefinite is
acceptable or preferred.
For example, the sequence control buttons are perfect for live
performance. Before a set, you could organize the sequences
list in the order you wish for the set. Then, before you begin,
you could enable the Wait button. To begin the set, you
simply press play. When the first song ends, the next song
automatically cues up, and you can trigger it at your leisure
from your MIDI keyboard. Or, without the Wait button, you
can have AudioDesk go right into the next song without
waiting.
189
SEQUENCES
It is also possible to cue and play sequences remotely from

your MIDI controller. For more information, see chapter 19,
Commands (page 91).
When the Cue Sequences or Chain Sequences button is
enabled, the Stop time displayed in the Memory Bar
indicates the measure time at which the current sequence will
stop playing and the next sequence will be cued. This time
appears automatically when a sequence is cued; it
corresponds to the sequences End time in the Sequences
window.
You can edit the Memory Bar time by clicking it, but this
change lasts only until the next sequence is enabled. If you
wish a different End time to appear in the Memory Bar
automatically for a particular sequence, pop-edit the End
time in the Sequences window. Simply click the sequence
name and choose Auto/manual end time from the Sequences
window mini-menu. The time becomes bold and editable.
Remember that the End time only affects a sequences playback
length when using the sequence control buttons.
The Cue Sequences button
The Cue Sequences button, when highlighted, play-enables
the next sequence in the sequences list after the current
playback sequence reaches its end time and stops.
Figure 36-4: The Cue Sequences button makes AudioDesk play-enable the next
sequence or song in the Sequences window when it reaches the end of the current
one.
The Chain Sequences button

The Chain Sequences button, when highlighted, starts
playback of the next sequence in the list after the current
playback sequence reaches its End time. This is a simple way
of automatically chaining sequences in their sequences list
order.
Figure 36-5: The Chain Sequences button makes AudioDesk cue up and start
playing the next sequence or song in the Sequences window when it reaches the
end of the current one.
Chaining with this button does not yield seamless transitions

between sequences. Use it for cueing situations where a brief
pause between sequences is acceptable or preferred.
Viewing the Sequence End Time
When the Cue Sequences or Chain Sequences button is
highlighted, the end time of the sequence is graphically
displayed as a final barline in the time ruler of the Edit
window.
The Next Sequence and Previous Sequence buttons
The Next/Previous Sequence buttons enable the next or
previous sequence for playback. Clicking these buttons is
similar to pressing the skip buttons on a typical audio
compact disc player: AudioDesk stops playback of the
current sequence and starts playback of the next or previous
sequence. Chaining sequences in this manner does not yield
seamless transitions between sequences.
To begin playback of the next sequence, press the Play

button, or a command for the Play button.
Chain Sequences (or

Cue Sequences)
button is activated.
Figure 36-3: When either the Cue Sequences or Chain Sequences button is activated, the end of the sequence is graphically depicted in all time rulers with the
end barline marker, which you can drag with Snap to Grid turned on or off. This is the point at which it will stop before the next sequence will be cued.
190
SEQUENCES
CHAPTER 37
Clippings
OVERVIEW
A clipping is anything useful that youd like to conveniently
stash for future use. It could be a single soundbite, a four-bar
phrase, or an entire sequence with any number of tracks. It
can consist of project data in portions of any size. It can even
be a chain of multiple effects plug-ins. Clippings can also be
shortcuts to any item on your hard drive, such as folders or
documents from other applications. You can use a clipping
to link to a text file that contains lyrics or to a folder of your
favorite loops.
AudioDesks Clipping windows are containers for groups of
clippings that you want to access quickly and easily. Clipping
windows are meant to be convenient repositories for bits of
stuff audio or otherwise that youd like to stash
conveniently and recall later at your fingertips. Clipping
windows can be associated with a particular AudioDesk
project or they can be saved independently from any project
so that their contents are always available.
Heres the difference: an AudioDesk clipping window will be

available regardless of the file you have open. A project
clipping window is specific to the file you create it in; it will
save and close with the file.
Figure 37-2: The Clippings menu.
A new clippings window appears.
Clipping Window Quick Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Clipping Windows Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Clippings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
CLIPPING WINDOW QUICK REFERENCE

Clipping window title bar
Bundled effects clipping
An effects clipping
An audio clipping
A text document
Figure 37-1: A clippings window.
CLIPPING WINDOWS BASICS

The following sections show you how to create, rename, use,
and otherwise get the most out of clipping windows.
Creating a new clipping window
To create a clipping window, choose Project menu>
Clippings>New AudioDesk Clipping Window or
Clippings>New Project Clipping Window.
You can create as many clipping windows as you like.

Clippings windows are actually folders
Each clipping window actually consists of a folder in either
the Clippings folder in your AudioDesk project folder (for
project-specific clipping windows) or a MOTU Clippings
folder in ~/Library/Preferences (for global clipping
windows).
Since Clippings windows are simply folders in the abovementioned locations, you can also make clipping windows
by simply creating folders (with any name you want) in those
locations. They will then appear as clippings windows in
AudioDesk the next time you open the project or start
AudioDesk.
Additionally, folders can be aliased into any location where
clipping folders are located. For example, you could create an
alias to your Apple Loops folder (/Library/Audio/
Apple Loops) in the global clippings folder (~/Library/
Preferences/MOTU Clippings). This provides a way to treat
any location on your hard drive as a clipping window,
making its content readily available within AudioDesk
without duplicating the folders contents.
191
Renaming a clippings window

To rename a clippings window, option click its name, or
change the name of its corresponding folder in the Mac OS
Finder.
To rename the clippings window,
Option-click the name.
Opening & closing existing clipping windows

To open a clipping window or bring it to the front, select it by
name from the bottom part of the clippings menu as shown
in Figure 37-2. To close a clipping window, click the close
box.
Clipping windows remember their position on the screen.
Opening a clipping windows folder
To open the corresponding Finder window for a given
clipping window, Command-click on the title bar of the
window and choose the desired folder from the pop-up list.
Deleting a clipping window
To delete a clipping window:
1 Make it the active window.
2 Choose Clippings > Delete Clipping Window from the
Project menu.
Or you can trash the windows corresponding folder in the
Finder.
Viewing by name or large/small icon
The View by options in the Clippings sub-menu as shown in
Figure 37-2 let you display clippings by name only, a small
icon or a large icon.
CLIPPINGS
The following sections show you how to create, rename, use,
and otherwise get the most out of clippings.
Making a clipping
To make a clipping, select some data and choose the Copy to
Clipping Window command in the Edit menu. Or you can
press Command-Option-C to copy to the last clipping
window that you copied to.
You can also drag items from the Finder or from any location
from which soundbites can be dragged (such as the
Soundbites window and other clipping windows).
Dragging clippings into other AudioDesk windows

Once youve made a clipping by copying it to a Clippings
window, you can drag it into any other eligible window in
AudioDesk. Eligible windows are windows that can accept
the type of data included in the clipping. For example, you
cant drag an audio clipping into the Mixing Board. But you
can drag an effect preset clipping into the insert section of the
Mixing Board.
To drag and drop a clipping, drag it by its icon (to the left of
its name) and drop it into the desired window. Or, you can
click it first to select it and then click on it anywhere to grab it.
When you drag and drop a clipping, you are actually making
a copy of it. (The original remains in the Clippings window.)
If the Clippings window is in Show by name mode, there

is no icon to grab. In this case, AudioDesk lets you click
anywhere on a clipping to drag it. Because of this, however,
AudioDesk disallows you from dragging over multiple
clippings to select them. If you would like to do so, simply
switch to one of the show by icon modes.
Track data clippings
Anything that you can put in a track can be stored as a track
data clipping. This includes audio, sequences, automation
data, etc.
Track data clippings appear with a note icon when the
clippings window is in small icon display mode. These types
of clippings can be dropped anywhere in the Edit window.
Soundbite and audio file clippings
Soundbite clippings, when dragged from a clipping window,
become soundbites. They can be dropped anywhere in
AudioDesk that soundbites can be dropped. Both
Soundbites and audio files show up with a single-waveform
icon in the clippings window for mono files or a dualwaveform icon for stereo files.
Plug-in effects clippings
You can select one or more plug-ins for a track in the Mixing
Board (they must be instantiated on the same track) then
turn them into a clipping (as shown in Figure 39-15 on
page 210) by either dragging and dropping them into a
clipping window (as explained in Plug-ins as clippings on
page 210) or by choosing Edit menu> Copy to Clipping
Window.
Saving sequences as clippings
You can select a sequence in the Sequences window and turn
it into a clipping by choosing Edit menu> Copy to Clipping
Window.
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CLIPPINGS
Selecting clippings
To select a single clipping, click its name. To select several
clippings, drag across their names, or shift click each one.
Auditioning clippings
To audition a clipping, double click the clipping. To audition
multiple clippings, select them as described above and then
double-click one of the highlighted clippings.
If you are auditioning audio clippings and dont here
anything, you may have soundbites whose parent audio file
has been deleted, or they might not match the current sample
rate.
If auditioning from the clippings window is not working out,
you can always drop the clipping into a track and set up the
playback settings exactly the way you want.
Deleting a clipping
To delete a clipping, drag it to the trash, or select it and press
the delete key.
Renaming a clipping
To rename a clipping, option click the name of a clipping.
Re-ordering clippings in the Clippings window
You can re-arrange items in the clipping window by grabbing
their icon to the left of their name and dragging up or down
in the list as desired.
Launching other documents from the clippings window
Double clicking on files and folders in the clippings window
to open the folder or open a document in its native
application.
Dragging items in from the Finder
A clipping window can contain any item that the Finder can
contain.
Dragging clipping files in from the Finder
Clippings files (located in one of AudioDesks clipping
folders) can be dragged from the Finder to any window in
AudioDesk that accepts clippings.
Alias clippings
Alias clippings work just like the original file with two
exceptions: rename and delete operate on the alias and not
on the original file. Otherwise, AudioDesk handles the alias
just like the original file.
193
CLIPPINGS
CHAPTER 38
Movie Window
OVERVIEW
OPENING MOVIES
Random access digital picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Opening movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Closing movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Movie controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Movie window mini-menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Improving movie window performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
FireWire QuickTime video playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Using third-party video hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Movie audio while slaved to external sync. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
The Movie command in the Project menu opens a

QuickTime movie in AudioDesk. You can open a separate
movie window for each sequence in a project. To open a
movie for a sequence:
RANDOM ACCESS DIGITAL PICTURE

AudioDesks Movie Window provides synchronized
playback of a QuickTime Movie with audio tracks in a
sequence.
QuickTime movies provide a quantum leap in flexibility and
convenience over the process of synchronizing to video
decks because QuickTime movies give you random access
picturejust like digital audio. Here are just a few example
benefits. You can:
Instantly locate to any spot in the movie
Advance forwards or backwards one frame at a time

through the picture and music
1 Play-enable a sequence in the Sequences window.

2 Choose Project menu> Movie to open a movie.
A standard Mac file browser appears. You may choose any
QuickTime movie file, or any other file that QuickTime can
present as a movie.
Opening a separate movie for each sequence
If you have two or more sequences in the project and you
wish to open a separate movie for each sequence:
1 Play-enable a sequence in the Sequences window.
2 Choose Project menu > Movie to open a movie for it.
3 Play-enable a different sequence in the Sequences
window.
Scrub forward or backward
Seamlessly loop both picture and music
And all of this can be done without the hassles of slaving to

external time code. The time you save and the flexibility you
gain more than make up for the cost of digitizing your film,
video, or other media.
The movie window for the first sequence disappears at this

point.
4 Choose Project menu> Movie to open a movie for the
second sequence.
5 Repeat this procedure for as many sequences as you wish.
When you switch from one sequence to another (by clicking
its play-enable button in the Sequences window), the movie
window will update itself to show the movie you chose for
that sequence. Each sequence also stores a separate location
for the movie window on the screen. So you can reserve a
different spot on screen for each movie. Or you can place
them all in the same location, if you wish.
Using one movie for multiple sequences
If you wish to use only one movie for multiple sequences in a
AudioDesk project, there is a checkable menu item in the in
the Movie Window mini-menu called Use Same Movie for All
Sequences. When it is checked, you get the following
behavior:
Every sequence in the project uses the same movie.
194
Each sequence can have its own unique sequence start

time, but the movie start time is the same for all sequences.
Changing the sequence start time will make the movie begin
earlier or later in the sequence.
The movie window is placed at the same position and size

for every sequence.
Closing the movie window closes it for all sequences.
Choosing a new movie for one sequence chooses that same

movie for all sequences.
CLOSING MOVIES
You may close the Movie window, and AudioDesk will still
remember which movie file you opened this information
will be saved with the file. To reopen the movie, just choose
Movie from the Project menu again.
To close the movie permanently so that AudioDesk forgets
about it, chose Close Movie from the mini-menu.
If you have a movie open and want to choose a different
movie, choose Open Movie from the mini-menu. Only one
movie may be open at a time.
MOVIE CONTROLS
Step buttons
The step buttons move forward or backward through the
movie one frame at a time. Note that this means movie
frames, not SMPTE frames. A movie may have 15 fps, 30 fps,
or even a number that varies throughout the movie. Option
clicking moves to the beginning or end of the movie. The left
and right arrow keys will also work if the window is in front.
Grow box
The grow box works as usual, with these additions:
Holding down the Option key while resizing the window
constrains the window to a good size, meaning one that
QuickTime is able to playback efficiently. This means one
quarter, half, three quarters, full size, double, triple, etc.
Holding down the Shift key while resizing the window
keeps the aspect ratio correct at any size, but the movie is not
likely to play back efficiently.
MOVIE WINDOW MINI-MENU

Open Movie: Presents you with a standard Mac Open dialog
box. You may choose any QuickTime movie file, or any other
file that QuickTime knows how to convert to a movie. You
can use this command to switch to a different movie.
Use Same Movie for All Sequences: Forces all sequences in

the project to use one movie.
Use Black Background before/after Movie: This causes the

movie window to display a black background (instead of a
white background) during time periods before the start time
of the movie and after its end time. This setting has no effect
on the movie file itself and is for AudioDesk display purposes
only.
Volume
Play/Stop
Slider
Step
Buttons
Grow box
Figure 38-1: The Movie window.
Volume slider
The volume control allows you to set the playback volume for
the movies audio track. If the movie has no sound, there will
be no volume control. Option-clicking will mute or unmute
the movies sound. Shift-clicking lets you overdrive the
volume up to 300%.
Play/Stop button
The Play/Stop control starts and stops movie playback. Also,
clicking the movie itself will stop; double-clicking will play.
Slider
The slider shows where in the movie you are, and can be used
to scrub the movie or to set your location in the movie.
Lock to Transport: If this mini-menu item is checked, the

movie is locked to AudioDesks transport. The movie will
slave to AudioDesk as you play, stop, and locate. Conversely,
you can use the movie controls at the bottom of the movie
window to control AudioDesk. If the Lock to Transport is
unchecked, you can control the movie and AudioDesks
sequences independently. This is useful if you want to
preview a movie without synths blaring, wipers scrolling,
and so on.
Close Movie: Closes the movie permanently, so that
AudioDesk forgets about it.
Set Movie Start Time: Allows you to set the SMPTE time that
corresponds to the beginning of the movie. If you want the
movie to start at the beginning of the sequence, this should
be set to the same time as the SMPTE sequence start time.
You may need to try adjusting the start time by 40 time
195
MOVIE WINDOW
code bits if you find that the frames in the movie don't
precisely line up with the frame numbers in AudioDesk's
counter.
Use Movies Color Table: Movies can have preferred color

tables stored inside them. If the movie window is on a screen
in 256-color or 16-color mode, and the movie has a color
table, this item will be enabled (not grayed out). If you check
it, AudioDesk will use the movies color table whenever the
movie window is open, giving (hopefully) truer colors.
Chase Graphical Edits: When enabled, any graphical edits

such as moving, trimming or stretching a soundbite or
editing the placement of automation points will be chased by
the movie window. This allows you to make edits quickly and
see instantly how they relate to picture.
Having many other open windows with scrolling wipers,

auto scroll, level meters, etc.
Avoiding these things will help your movies play back more
smoothly.
FIREWIRE QUICKTIME VIDEO PLAYBACK

The Movie window has the ability to output a DV-formatted
QuickTime movie via FireWire. You can then use a standard
DV camera or FireWire conversion box to convert the
FireWire video into composite video to view it as full screen
video on a standard TV or video monitor as shown below in
Figure 38-2:
DV camera or
FireWire-to-video
converter
Chase Numeric Edits: When enabled, any numeric edits are

chased by the movie window instantly.
Half Size, Normal Size, and Double Size: Resize the window.
One of these may be checked if the window is already that
size.
Movie Floats On Top: This causes the Movie window to

float on top of other windows. This makes it possible to
always have the Movie window visible because it will always
be on top of other windows, even the active edit window.
Video Output: Lets you play back a DV-formatted

QuickTime movie via FireWire.
Copy Movie Audio to Sequence: If the movie has an audio

track, this command creates a new track in the current
sequence and places the movies audio into the new track. If
the movie has no audio track, this command is grayed out.
IMPROVING MOVIE WINDOW PERFORMANCE

QuickTime can tell if it has the power to play all the frames in
the movie. If not, it drops one or more frames, but keeps
playing at full speed. So a movie with 30 fps in it might play
at 30 fps on a fast machine, but only at 15 fps on a slow
machine, dropping roughly every other frame.
video
cable
FireWire
cable
FireWire
equipped
Mac
TV
or
video
monitor
Figure 38-2: Connections for FireWire video output.
FireWire video to composite video converters

There are numerous choices for FireWire video devices that
can convert FireWire video to composite video for viewing
on a standard TV screen or video monitor. Most mid-range
to high-end DV video cameras have this feature (via
composite or S-video output). There are also a number of
affordable third-party converters available.
DV movies
Only DV-formatted movies can be output to FireWire. To
determine a movies format, open it in QuickTime Player and
choose the Show Movie Info as demonstrated below:
The following things may hinder the computers ability to

play a movie back smoothly:
Larger movies (in pixels)
Movies with higher frame rates
Playing the movie from slower drives, e.g. a CD-ROM

drive
Resizing the window to non-optimal sizes (not double,

full, or half size)
196
MOVIE WINDOW
2 Choose Video Output Playback Offset> Other from the

Movie window mini-menu to open a window that allows you
to compensate for your DV devices video playback delay:
Figure 38-3: To check the format of a movie, open it in QuickTime Player and use
the Show Movie Info command.
DV is the native video format of Final Cut Pro

(www.apple.com), iMovie (also from Apple) and other
video applications that support FireWire video. Therefore,
any video that you capture with these programs is already
formatted as a DV movie. For QuickTime movies in other
formats, you can convert them with Final Cut Pro or iMovie
by exporting them as a DV, Final Cut Pro or iMovie video
clip. You can also convert them to DV format with other
digital video products such as Apples QuickTime Pro.
Enabling FireWire video output
Connect a FireWire DV camera or converter as shown in
Figure 38-2. Turn it on, and, if its a camera, put it in playback
mode. Open a DV movie in AudioDesks Movie window.
Then, in the Movie window mini-menu, choose Video
Output>FireWire. To turn it off, choose Video Output>None.
FireWire video output does not support audio
FireWire video output from AudioDesk only supports video;
it does not transfer audio. Therefore, this feature cannot be
used to transfer both sound and picture to a video camera.
FireWire video frame offset
FireWire DV video devices introduce a small amount of
delay during playback. The specific amount of delay depends
on the device, with most devices in the range of 4-5 frames.
AudioDesk can automatically compensate for this offset, so
that video playback remains frame-accurate both when the
transport is stopped and during playback.
To set the DV video playback offset:
1 Choose Video Output from the Movie window minimenu, and then choose the desired FireWire video output
format from the sub-menu.
Figure 38-4: Setting the DV video device playback offset.
Choosing an offset
Specify the number of frames and timecode bits (there are 80
timecode bits per frame). Most devices have an offset around
5 frames. If you dont know your devices FireWire playback
offset, you can experiment with different values to determine
the correct offset. Enter a frame amount (and timecode bit
value, if needed), and then try playing back your video.
Sharp audio hits or time code burn in are quite useful for
judging the offset amount.
Creating offset presets
The Set Playback Offset dialog (Figure 38-4 above) lets you
create named presets for different devices. This lets you
conveniently save and recall multiple offsets by name, in
situations where you are using multiple devices for DV
playback. Use the Add, Delete, Change and Rename buttons
to manage your DV playback offset presets.
USING THIRD-PARTY VIDEO HARDWARE

There are a number of QuickTime-compatible digital video
hardware systems available for Macs that provide playback
performance well beyond that which the computer can
handle on its own. AudioDesk should work with any Macbased digital video hardware system as long as it is
QuickTime-compatible. If possible, however, try before you
buy.
MOVIE AUDIO WHILE SLAVED TO EXTERNAL SYNC

The Movie windows audio track is automatically disabled in
Slave to External Sync mode. The volume control will
disappear in this case.
This first step is required to enable (ungray) the playback

offset menu item below it. Playback offset is only required
when using FireWire video playback.
197
MOVIE WINDOW
Part 7
Mixing
CHAPTER 39
Mixing
OVERVIEW
AudioDesks Mixing Board window provides a powerful
integrated mixing environment your AudioDesk projects. It
also provides access to real-time effects processing.
The Mixing Board will seem familiar because it is modeled
after standard hardware consoles. Lurking under the hood,
however, are many powerful features, as well as many timesaving shortcuts. This chapter covers them all.
Track
Selector
Mixing Board Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Mixing Board mini-menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Mixing Board window basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Track strips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Automated mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Mixing in real time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Editing your mix graphically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Monitoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Audio mixing features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Working with effects plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Narrow view in the Mixing Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Working with multiple mixes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Audio effects processors
Track Insert
Section
Audio track
sends
Solo/mute/rec/
input
Automation
Pan
Faders and
level meters
Track I/O
Track name /
assignments
Audio tracks
Master fader
Aux tracks
Show/Hide
Track Selector
Snapshot
Mix Mode menu
Figure 39-1: The Mixing Board gives you a fully automated mixing environment.
199
MIXING BOARD QUICK REFERENCE

Track Selector: Click or drag over the names of the tracks in
Level Meters: The level meters display the audio output level
for each audio track.
this list to show or hide them in the Mixing board. Optionclick to hide all except the track you click; Command-click to
show all except the track you click.
Track I/O: These menus give you direct access to each tracks
Show/Hide Track Selector: Shows and hides the list of tracks
Track name and assignment: Double-click the track name to
at the left side of the window.
Snapshot button: Takes a snapshot of the current mix
input and output assignments.
open the track in the Edit window. Drag it left or right to

move the track in Mixing Board.
automation settings you specify for the tracks you specify

over the time range you specify. The snapshot operation
inserts mix automation events in each included track at the
current main counter location. This can be done while
AudioDesk is stopped or playing back.
Tracks: Each strip in the Mixing Board represents an disk
Track Insert Section: Displays real-time processing inserts
Audio effects processors: These are real-time, non-
Mix Mode menu: Lets you create and manage multiple mixes
for a sequence. A mix consists of all of the volume pan and
effects automation data in all tracks. You can duplicate a
current mix and then modify it, or start from scratch by
creating a new, blank mix. Volume and pan automation data
for the current mix is recorded into tracks as usual with the
Mixing Board controls, or with the other continuous
controller features in AudioDesk. Once youve created more
than one mix, you can instantly switch between mixes by
choosing them from this menu.
destructive audio processing inserts that can be applied to

audio tracks.
Window Target: Change which sequence youre viewing in
for each track. Choose the desired effect from the insert
menu, or click a menu to open an effects window for the
insert. Insert effects consist of plug-ins such as EQ,
dynamics, reverbs, delays, and any 3rd-party plug-ins you
currently have installed in your system. You can change the
number of inserts per track with the Set Number of Inserts
mini-menu item.
Audio track sends: Allow you to bus the tracks signal, either
track, aux track or master fader track in the currently playenabled sequence. Show or hide them as desired using the
Show/Hide Track Selector (described above). Drag the track
strip name horizontally to re-order them.
the Mixing Board window.
pre- or post-fader, to other tracks.
MIXING BOARD MINI-MENU

Mixer section show/hide: This section of the mini-menu
Solo/Mute/Rec: These buttons perform standard solo, mute
displays checkable menu items that show and hide each

section of the console. Checked items are visible. Unchecked
items are hidden. Hold down the Option key to hide all
sections except the one you choose; use the Command key to
show all sections except the one you choose. If the Auto
Resize command is checked, the console window will
automatically resize itself when sections are shown or
hidden. You can use these options to customize your mixing
board and save screen real-estate.
and record enable functions. Glide horizontally across

these buttons with the mouse to quickly toggle several tracks
at once.
Automation: Enables playback and recording of automation

data and sets the automation mode. For more information,
see chapter 40, Mix Automation (page 212).
Pan: The pan knob pans an audio track across its pair of
outputs, as assigned in the Edit window. For example, if a
track is assigned to outputs 3 and 4, pan hard left sends the
track to output 3; pan hard right sends it to 4. Double-click
the pan knob to go to pan center. If pan automation data has
been recorded, knobs animate during playback (when the
Automation play button is enabled).
Faders: Control volume for each track by generating audio
volume events, which can be recorded into the track for
automation. If automation data has been recorded, faders
animate during playback (when the Automation play button
is enabled).
By default, sends are not shown. If you would like to use

sends in your project, be sure to check Sends in the mini
menu.
Auto Resize: When checked, this menu item causes the

Mixing Board window to resize itself when sections or tracks
are shown or hidden.
Use Narrow View: When checked, this menu item reduces the
mixer channels horizontally, enabling you to display more
channels in the same space.
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MIXING
Enable Mouse Wheel for Sliders and Knobs: When enabled,

the mouse scroll wheel can be used to adjust the volume
fader, pan knob, and other sliders and knobs; when disabled,
the mouse scroll wheel only scrolls the Mixing Board
window.
Set Number of Effect Inserts: Lets you determine how many

insert slots you need per channel. Up to 20 insert slots can be
specified.
Set Number of Sends: Lets you determine the number of
sends per channel. Up to five sends can be specified.
Load Board Layout: Rearranges the window with the mixing

board layout that you choose from the sub-menu. A layout
consists of which tracks and sections are currently showing
in the window. There are several preset layouts, such as Show
Everything, which shows all tracks and sections. You can also
load a layout that you have previously created with the Save
Board Layout command. A shortcut for this command is to
option-click the title bar of the Mixing Board window.
Save Board Layout: Saves the tracks and mixer sections
currently being shown in the window as a customized board
layout, which you can name, save, and recall at later time
using the Load Board Layout command described above.
Delete Board Layout: Discards the customized board layout
that you choose.
Lock Layout to Track Order: Causes the left-to-right order of

tracks in the Mixing Board to match the top-to-bottom order
of tracks in the Edit window. When it is unchecked, tracks in
the Mixing Board can be ordered independently.
Min Time and Value Change: Allows you to set the minimum
amount of time between volume and pan events that the
mixing board controls will generate when you move them.
Also lets you choose the minimum value change. Raising
these values can prevent unnecessarily high data density. But
raising them too high can result in zipper noise, or audible
stepping during smooth changes.
chooses the sequence to open by the front-most window on

the screen, or alternatively, by which sequence is currently
play-enabled.
Showing and hiding tracks
To choose which tracks you want to display, click the Track
Selector button in the title bar as shown below to open the
Track Selector. Then just click tracks to either show them or
hide them. Option-click to hide all except the track you click;
Command-click to show all except the track you click.
Track Selector
Track Selector button
Click,
Option-click,
and
Command-click
in this list.
Figure 39-1: Showing and hiding tracks.
Changing the order of the track strips

To move tracks left or right, drag them by their name at the
bottom of the strip.
Showing and hiding sections
Use the section names at the top of the Mixing Board window
mini-menu to show and hide console sections, such as the
Inserts section. Checked items are visible. Unchecked items
are hidden. This allows you to optimize the console
appearance for your screen size. Hold down the Option key
to hide all sections except the one you choose; use the
Command key to show all sections except the one you
choose. If the Auto Resize command is checked, the console
window will automatically resize itself when sections are
shown or hidden.
MIXING BOARD WINDOW BASICS

The Mixing Board is a track-based mixing console for all
tracks in your AudioDesk project. It has one strip for each
track in the sequence.
Opening the Mixing Board
To open the Mixing Board, choose the Mixing Board
command from the Project menu. If you have tracks selected
at the time, the mixing board will appear with only those
tracks showing. If you have multiple sequences in the file, it
201
MIXING
Renaming board layouts

To rename a board layout, choose the Rename Board Layout
sub-menu item from the Load Board Layout mini-menu
command.
To change the order of

the tracks, drag them by
their name section at the
bottom of each strip.
Figure 39-2: A simplified Mixing Board layout with several sections hidden, including inserts.
Saving custom board layouts

If you have favorite board layouts that you use frequently, you
can save them and later recall them by name. To create a
custom board layout:
1 Using the windows Track Selector, show the tracks you
want to include in the layout; hide tracks you dont.
2 Using the show/hide section mini-menu commands,
show the sections you want to include and hide the ones you
dont.
Manually resizing the Mixing Board window

You may notice that the Mixing Board window automatically
resizes itself when you add or remove tracks, show or hide
sections, or switch board layouts. This is because the Auto
Resize mini-menu command is checked. If you would prefer
to resize the window manually using the grow box in the
lower right corner, uncheck Auto Resize.
Switching sequences
To quickly switch the sequence you are looking at in the
Mixing Board window, click the windows Window Target
tab and choose the desired sequence from the menu. The
tracks shown in the Mixing Board will change when you
change the play-enabled sequence.
TRACK STRIPS
Each audio track strip has the sections shown below in
Figure 39-4.
Audio Track Strip
Inserts
pre/post fader
effects line
3 Choose Save Board Layout from the mini-menu.

4 Type in a name for the layout and click OK.
Switching board layouts
There are several ways to change board layouts:
Choose the layout you want from the Load Board Layout
mini-menu command
Option-click the Mixing Boards Window Target tab and
choose the layout you want from the menu
Sends
Solo / Mute / Rec / Input
Automation controls
Pan and pan readout
Clip indicators
Volume fader
Figure 39-3: Saving and loading customized board layouts.
Level meter
Track I/O assignments

In/out/bus assign
Track name
Track move handle
Figure 39-4: A Mixing Board track strip.
202
MIXING
Inserts
An insert is a real-time effect that is non-destructively
applied to the data in the track on playback. Tracks can be
processed with audio plug-ins.
Each insert in the track is represented as a menu from which
you can choose the desired effect. Up to twenty inserts can be
simultaneously applied to an individual track, depending on
how many inserts are configured with the Set number of
inserts mini-menu option. When you select the desired
processor type from a menu, the Effects window opens to
display the selected processors parameters. See Working
with effects plug-ins on page 209 for more information.
The signal for a track passes through the inserts from top to
bottom. Accordingly, inserts are labelled A, B, C, etc. from
top to bottom. Similar to hardware mixing consoles, the
order in which effects are applied makes a difference, so keep
this in mind when employing multiple inserts. Insert settings
apply globally to the entire track and are remembered until
you change them.
Configuring the number of insert slots
If you find yourself running out of insert slots, you can add
insert slots with the Set Number of Effect Inserts command
located in the mini menu of the Mixing Board. You can
configure up to twenty inserts per channel.
pre fader effect
pre/post fader divider

post fader effect
Figure 39-5: Configuring pre- and post-fader effects with the pre/post fader divider
line.
Be careful when boosting gain

Some plug-ins provide volume controls of their own. By
default, AudioDesks effects inserts are pre-fader, so it is
possible to boost level above unity gain with a plug-ins
volume control. So be careful when setting levels for plug-ins
that have been configured pre-fader.
Sends
The Mixing Board provides up to five sends per track. A send
can be routed to a physical output in your system or to any
virtual bus that you configure in the Audio Bundles window.
Each send has the following controls:
Send
level
Unity gain dot.

Mute
Pre-fader
Mono send
Send assignment
Stereo send
Stereo panner
Figure 39-6: Send controls.
If you place an effects plug-in in the last (bottommost) insert,

another row of inserts will be added automatically.
Configuring inserts as pre- or post-fader
AudioDesk allows you to graphically configure inserts as
either pre- or post-fader inserts with the pre/post fader
divider line as shown below in Figure 39-5. Inserts above the
line are pre fader. Inserts below the line are post fader. A prefader insert is applied to the signal running through the
channel before it reaches the channels fader; similarly, a postfader insert effect is applied to the signal after the channels
fader.
When viewing the Mixing Board in Narrow Mode (Narrow

view in the Mixing Board on page 210), the send mute
buttons and pre-fader buttons are converted into a checkable
menu command in the send menu.
Mono, or stereo sends
Use the Send assignment menu (Figure 39-6) to route the
send to any desired bus or output destination. Sends can be
assigned to a mono or stereo destination:
You can grab the handle on either side of the pre/post fader
divider to move the location of the divider in the inserts
chain.
Figure 39-7: In this example, the send is being assigned to a stereo bus.
203
MIXING
Send level
Use the Send level knob (Figure 39-6) to control the amount
of signal going to the send destination. The range is from -
to +6.02dB. Optiondouble-click the send level knob to set
the send level to unity gain (0 dB), as indicated by the blue
dot at the 2 oclock position.
When you turn the send level knob, AudioDesk displays the
send amount (in dB) in a pop-up box, as demonstrated
below:
Figure 39-9: The Send From Channel sub-menu for stereo tracks. In the first
example, only the left channel of a stereo track is going to the send.
Figure 39-8: Send level is displayed as shown here as you adjust the send knob.
Send mute/unmute switch

Click the M button to mute or unmute the send. When
engaged (on/illuminated), the send is muted.
Pre-fader button
The P Pre-fader button (Figure 39-6) determines whether
the signal is passed to the send bus before the channel fader
(pre) or after the channel fader (post). When disengaged
(off/dark), the send is post-fader. When engaged (on/
illuminated), the send is pre-fader. When set to pre-fader, the
send level is not affected by the main volume fader of the
track. When set to post-fader, it is.
Send panners
If you have assigned a send to a stereo destination, a stereo
panner appears, as shown in Figure 39-6, to control send
panning. As a shortcut, double-click the panner to return to
pan center.
Send From Channel
For stereo tracks (or tracks whose signal has been split into
stereo by insert plug-ins), the Send From Channel menu item
(Figure 39-7) lets you choose how the source signal is fed to
the send.
For mono send destinations, the Send From Channel submenu lets you choose which individual source channel (left,
right, etc.) goes to the send. Or you can choose Mono Sum to
send all source channels merged down to one channel:
For stereo send destinations, choose Stereo from the Send

From Channel sub-menu to feed the stereo source signal to
the stereo send. Or you can choose an individual component
channel (left, right, etc.) to go to the send (in stereo). For
example, you could feed only the left channel of the source
signal to the left and right channels of the send.
Configuring the number of sends
If you find yourself running out of sends, you can add more
with the Set Number of Sends command located in the mini
menu of the Mixing Board. You can configure up to five sends
per channel.
Solo and Mute buttons

Solo and Mute buttons perform standard soloing and muting
functions for each track. In fact, they correspond directly to
the soloing and muting features throughout AudioDesk. For
example, if you mute a track in the Mixing Board, its playenable button becomes disabled in the Edit window.
When soloing and muting, the volume fader background
color changes to indicate the playback state of the track as
follows:
Fader background color
Meaning
Blue
Track can play
Yellow
Track cannot play because at least one other track

is soloed
Gray
Track is muted
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MIXING
Record / Input (monitor) buttons

The Record button puts the track into record. The Input
button engages input monitoring. These buttons function
identically to their counterparts in the Edit window. See
The record button on page 113 and Audio monitoring
Stereo panning
The following chart demonstrates the results of stereo
panning. In general, center the knob for full separation of the
stereo signal.
Stereo pan knob position
Left signal
Right signal
Automation play buttons

When the Automation play button is turned off, all
automation data in the track is temporarily disabled,
allowing you to override the automation data with the
current settings.
Button shortcuts
The table below describes several shortcuts for the Solo,
Mute, and automation play buttons:
To do this
Do this
To solo or mute all tracks except the one

you click
Command-click the tracks solo

or mute button
To unsolo or unmute all tracks except the

one you click
Option-click the tracks solo or

mute button
To change the solo, mute, or auto setting

for several adjacent tracks quickly
Drag across the buttons horizontally with the cursor
Panning
The data range for panning tracks is <64 (hard left) to 63>
(hard right) with zero as pan center.
Pan pots pan an audio track across its pair of outputs. For
example, if a track is assigned to outputs 3 and 4, pan left
sends the track to output 3; pan right sends it to 4.
Below is a summary of techniques for pan knobs:
To do this
Do this
Change panning smoothly

over time
Drag the pan knob up and down or left and

right, or click on the number in the value
readout and drag up or down
Go directly to pan center
Double-click the knob
Increment or decrement the

pan setting by one
Click the left or right arrow button
The Trim plug-in can be used to invert the phase of an

audio signal or constrain the stereo image of a stereo track.
Volume faders
The volume faders control the output level for each track by
generating audio volume events, which can be recorded into
the track for automation. If automation data has been
recorded, faders will animate during playback (when the
Automation play button is enabled).
Volume is expressed in decibels (dB) where zero is unity
gain. Audio faders provide an additional +6 dB of boost
above zero dB. For example, if you move a fader in the
Mixing Board as high as it can go, it will be set at 6.02 dB
above unity gain. This range is provided throughout the
program, wherever audio volume data values are displayed.
The background color of volume faders changes depending
on the solo and mute state of the track. See Solo and Mute
buttons on page 204 for details.
Below is a summary of mousing techniques for changing the
values of Mixing Board volume faders:
Figure 39-10: Gliding across the Solo, Mute, and automation play buttons. You can combine
gliding with the Command and Option key modifiers as described in the table above.
205
MIXING
Drag the handles to

change the sliders
value smoothly. Hold
the Command key for
finer control.
Press the +/- buttons to
move the slider smoothly.
Drag up and down on the

fader value to change the
number smoothly.
Click anywhere on
the bar to snap the
slider to that
position.
Click the +/- buttons to

move the slider by one.
Input/Output/Bus Assignment menu

The menu below the track name lets you make assignments
for input and output, bus assignments, and audio track
enable/disable. Solo Exempt status is also provided. These
are the same assignments that you can make for the track in
the Edit window. They are provided here in the Mixing
Board for your convenience.
For more information about the I/O menus, see and
chapter 22, Audio Tracks (page 97).
Click the fader value

directly to type in a
number.
Figure 39-11: The many ways to control a fader.
Level meters
The level meters display the audio output level in dB for the
track as determined by the volume automation data in the
track. The Level Range mini-menu command in the Audio
Monitor window controls the dynamic range displayed in the
Mixing Board level meters. For details, see Adjusting the
level meter range on page 121. For even more detailed
metering, you can use the Trim plug-in (chapter 22, Trim
(page 28) in the AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide).
On stereo audio tracks or tracks that have been made stereo
by the application of a stereo (or mono-to-stereo) effects
plug-in, the level meter displays the signal with true stereo
meters.
Clip indicators
Audio tracks display a clip indicator above their level meter.
If the Retain Clip mini-menu command in the Audio
Monitor window is checked (see Retain clip on page 121
for details), these clip indicators will remain illuminated
until you click them. Double-click to clear all clip indicators,
or choose Clear all clipping indicators from the Studio menu.
Making the Mixing Board look like a meter bridge
Option-selecting the level meter mini-menu command in
the Mixing Board window creates a meter bridge, which you
can save as a custom board layout.
Track name
Track names appear here, with an ellipsis for long names, if
necessary. You can drag a name horizontally to reposition its
channel strip in the Mixing Board window. Option-clicking
on a name allows you to rename the track from the Mixing
Board.
You can open the Edit window from the Mixing Board by
double-clicking any track name.
Figure 39-12: Input/output assignments can be made in the Mixing Board with the
menu under the track name.
AUTOMATED MIXING
The Mixing Board is a powerful environment in which to
automate your mixes. This section explains how to
accomplish basic mixing tasks with the Mixing Board.
Setting initial levels with the Mixing Board
Regardless of whether you plan to automate your mixing
directly in AudioDesk or externally using an automated
mixing console or other hardware automation system, it is
always best to set initial mix automation settings in all of your
tracks. This ensures consistency in your mix, gives
AudioDesk an initial setting to chase to, and gives you a basis
for any changes made later in each track. AudioDesks
snapshot feature is a powerful and convenient way to create
initial values. Snapshots can include any mix automation
parameters, including volume, pan, plug-in parameters,
mutes, solos, etc. See Snapshot automation on page 220.
Figure 39-13: The Snapshot button.
Viewing initial settings

To view initial settings, open the Edit window and select
volume or pan from one of the track display menus with the
Option key held down (which switches all tracks to display
volume). To make changes graphically, drag the control
points up or down as desired.
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MIXING
Making snapshots elsewhere in the mix

You can make snapshots as described above anywhere in
your AudioDesk mix.
Changing initial levels (or any snapshot)
You can change your initial settings at any time, or any
snapshot for that matter, by queuing to the same tick location
in the main counter and repeating the procedure described
earlier in Setting initial levels with the Mixing Board. The
snapshot feature will never duplicate controller data on the
same tick, replacing existing data with the new snapshot
value if data already exists at that location. Just make sure the
main counter is exactly at 1|1|000 (or wherever your initial
settings are located).
MIXING IN REAL TIME

Mix automation is control data that changes the behavior of
the effects and mixing board over time. Automation data can
be recorded, edited and played back using the sophisticated
set of tools that AudioDesk provides. Automation data can be
used to control volume, pan, sends and most effects
parameters. For complete information on automation, see
chapter 40, Mix Automation (page 212).
EDITING YOUR MIX GRAPHICALLY

You can edit your mix graphically in the Edit window. See
Inserting and editing automation on page 218.
MONITORING
An important part of mixing is the process of monitoring live
inputs. A live input could be a signal that you are currently
recording, such as a microphone. For complete information
about monitoring, see Audio monitoring (audio patch
thru) on page 113. Also see Effects can be applied to Patch
Thru on page 209.
AUDIO MIXING FEATURES

The Mixing Board and Effects windows gives you access to
AudioDesks sophisticated digital audio mixing and routing
environment. Audio is handled internally in the MOTU
Audio System engine in 32-bit floating point resolution. The
following sections discuss several topics that are specific to
audio mixing.
Audio mixing features
AudioDesks virtual mixing environment provides the
following features:
Mixing
Automation
Bussing
Audio track sends
Mono and stereo Aux tracks
Master faders
Real time effects plug-ins
Bussing
A bus is an internal signal path. AudioDesks virtual bussing
is modeled after a conventional mixing board. AudioDesk
provides up to 99 stereo busses. You can set the number of
busses in the Studio Configuration dialog as shown in
A bus routes signal from one place to another. It can also
combine several signals as a sub-mix and route them
together. To use a bus, you assign as bus bundle as an input or
output of an audio track or an aux track (explained in the
next section). You can also assign a bus bundle as the output
of a master fader. Audio track sends can also be assigned to a
bus.
There are many useful ways to employ this powerful bussing
architecture. For example, you can save large amounts of
your systems processing resources by applying effects plugins to an aux track and then bussing multiple audio tracks to
it, rather than applying the same plug-in multiple times to
each individual audio track. By applying the plug-in only
once on the aux track, you conserve processing resources.
The impact of mixing and bussing on MOTU Audio
System resources
The MOTU Audio System relies on the main CPU in your
Mac for all of its processing. Mixing and bussing require a
certain amount of CPU power; the more you mix, split,
route, and merge tracks using input, output and bus
assignments, the more CPU power youll use up. You can
keep an eye on how much by viewing the Performance
window as shown in Figure 4-7 on page 18. Each time you
make a connection, split a signal, or merge two or more
signals together in AudioDesks virtual mixing environment,
youll use a tiny bit more CPU power. However, the amount
of bandwidth taken up by such a connection is relatively
small compared to the amounts required by MOTU Audio
System effects plug-inseven low-overhead ones like the
EQ plug-ins. You wont need to be very concerned about
CPU power for basic mixing and routing. But you will need
to be a lot more conscious of your CPU resources as soon as
you start using effects plug-ins.
Multi-processor support
When operating AudioDesk on a multi-processor or multicore Mac, you can take full advantage of distributed
processing. A dual-processor or dual-core computer, for
example, effectively doubles the amount of processing
available for mixing and plug-in processing (over its single-
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MIXING
CPU or single-core counterpart). If you have a multiprocessor/core computer, AudioDesk takes full advantage of
the multiple processors/cores.
Aux track shortcut

You can create an aux track while assigning a track output or
a send to a bus. The bus will then feed the tracks signal to the
newly created aux track.
Aux tracks
In the Mixing Board, Aux tracks look just like audio tracks,
with effects inserts, four sends, solo, mute, etc. The only
difference is that aux tracks have no input monitoring button
and no record-enable button. If the Aux track has stereo
inputs, it will only display stereo effects plug-ins in the effects
insert menus. If the track has mono inputs, it will only
display mono or mono-to-stereo plug-ins in the insert
menus.
Conserving CPU resources with aux tracks
If you would like to apply the same plug-in to two or more
audio tracks, consider assigning the plug-in to a single Aux
track insert instead. Then, apply it to multiple audio tracks
by bussing them to the Aux track, using either their main
output assignment, a send, or both (if youd like a a bit of the
original signal mixed in with the affected one). Having one
plug-in with multiple inputs requires far less processing
resources than applying the plug-in on multiple tracks.
Using aux tracks for live inputs such as synthesizers
You can use Aux tracks to feed live inputs (synths, etc.) into
your mix. However, you may need to compensate for
monitoring latency. See Audio monitoring latency on
page 114.
Figure 39-14: Shortcut for routing a track to an aux track via a bus.
Master faders
In the Mixing Board, the only way master faders differ from
other types of audio tracks is that they do not have a pan
knob. In their place, master faders have built in fold-down
menu. The fold-down menu allows you to fold down your
mix to mono if you need to generate a mono mix or to check
for mono compatibility. Note that you can apply plug-ins to
the inserts of a master fader to apply the plug-in effect to your
entire mix (or all tracks being sub-mixed to that master
fader).
Monitoring with Aux tracks present

Heres a problem you may encounter when monitoring
inputs: you keep hearing an input, even though you dont
have any tracks record-enabled. Or, you keep hearing an
input, no matter which track you record-enable.
The most likely cause of these situations is the presence of an
Aux track. If you have created an Aux track that patches an
input directly to an output, youll always hear the signal from
the Aux tracks assigned input unless you un-play-enable
the Aux track altogether. So if you encounter monitoring
problems, check your Aux tracks.
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MIXING
WORKING WITH EFFECTS PLUG-INS

How effects settings apply to a track
Effects settings apply globally to the entire track. To apply an
effect to just a portion of a track, you can use bypass
automation to disable, enable and then disable again the
effect. Or you can apply the effect constructively using one
of the following procedures. Make a time range selection in
the track and then do one of the following:
Bounce to disk
Save the plug-in settings as a preset, remove the real-time

plug-in from the track (delete the plug-in from the insert)
and then apply it constructively from the Audio menu >
Audio plug-ins sub-menu using the same preset you just
saved.
Effects can be applied to Patch Thru

Effects can be applied to any audio input that you are
Patching Thru. To real-time process a patched thru signal:
1 Assign the desired effects insert to a track in the Mixing
Board window insert section.
2 Record-enable the track in the Edit window.
3 Feed live audio to its input.
Patch thru effects work even when playback is stopped
Plug-in effects can be applied to a live input signal, even
when playback is stopped.
Audio monitoring settings
When monitoring live audio through MAS effects, be sure to
enable Monitor record-enabled tracks through effects in the
Input Monitoring Mode window which is accessed from the
Configure Audio System (Setup menu). For details, see Audio
monitoring (audio patch thru) on page 113.
Copying and pasting parameters from one insert to

another
You can copy and paste effects parameters from one insert to
another. Just choose Copy from the Edit menu while a
specific inserts effect is being displayed, switch to a different
insert with that same effect, and choose Paste.
Plug-in insert assignments and effects settings are

remembered
Effects settings are saved with the file. In addition, the
settings for each insert and track are remembered even if you
temporarily remove the effect and re-apply later on. Settings
are also remembered if you switch audio hardware.
Mono and stereo effects
Audio plug-ins come in mono and stereo variants. When
using a stereo mix bus destination, effects plug-ins can be
mono-to-mono, stereo-to-stereo or mono-to-stereo. If a
mono audio tracks is assigned to a stereo bundle, it is panned
across the bundles output pair. If you assign mono plug-in,
the track remains mono. However, as soon as you choose a
mono-to-stereo plug-in, the tracks output becomes stereo.
In addition, all plug-ins on subsequent inserts will
dynamically switch to stereo as well. If you remove the stereo
plug-in, the track output will revert to mono.
When DSP resources are exceeded
AudioDesk will warn you if it cannot successfully allocate
resources as a result of something that you do, such as add
more audio tracks or choose a new type of effect.
Missing plug-ins in effects inserts
If an effect plug-in is missing when you open a AudioDesk
project that uses it, an alert window appears, and you are
given the option of remembering or forgetting the missing
plug-in. If you choose to remember it, the missing effect will
be displayed in parentheses in any inserts in the Mixing
Board where it was being used. This allows you to preserve
missing effects assignments in a project when they are not
present. For example, you might copy a project from the
main computer in your studio onto your laptop for tweaking
on the road. And perhaps your laptop doesnt have all the
same plug-ins installed. You can now work on the project,
save it, and then open it again in the studio without losing
plug-in assignments in the Mixing Board.
Drag & Drop plug-ins
After you choose a plug-in for an insert, it fills the socket as
shown in the Insert section of the channel strip shown in
Figure 39-4 on page 202. You can now treat the plug-in as an
object that can be selected, deleted, dragged to a different
insert, duplicated, or drag & dropped into a Clipping
window. Here is a summary of drag and drop techniques for
plug-ins in the Mixing Board:
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MIXING
To do this
Do this
To change to a different
plug-in on the same
insert
Press on the plug-in thats there already to open

the plug-in menu.
To open the plug-ins

window
Double-click it.
To select a plug-in
Click it.
To remove a plug-in
Select it and press the delete key.
To move a plug-in to
another insert
Position the cursor over the left edge of the plugin until you see the hand cursor, and then drag it.
To duplicate a plug-in on
another insert
Hold down the Option key and then drag with the
hand cursor.
To select several plug-ins
Shift-click them.
To move several plug-ins

to other inserts
Select them and drag them with the hand cursor.
Several plug-ins
stored as a group in
a single clipping.
Figure 39-15: Storing plug-in settings in a Clipping window. You can store individual plug-ins or store several plug-ins together as a single clipping.
NARROW VIEW IN THE MIXING BOARD

The Mixing Board also has a narrow view that displays
more tracks at one time, as shown to the right in
Figure 39-16. This feature is a checkable item called Use
Narrow View in the Mixing Board mini-menu. Everything
works the same way in narrow view as it does in the normal
view, with the following exception: the mute buttons and
pre-fader buttons for sends are transformed into a checkable
item in each send menu.
There is also a keyboard shortcut that toggles the narrow
view and its default key binding is Command-Shift-N.
In narrow mode,
the mute buttons
for the sends are
transformed into
checkable items in
each send menu.
To duplicate several
plug-ins
Hold down the Option key and then drag them

with the hand cursor.
Plug-ins as clippings
Using the hand-grabbing technique described in the
previous section, you can drag and drop plug-ins in and out
of Clipping windowsor even folders on the Mac desktop.
This is a handy way to store your favorite plug-in settings. If
you want to keep the settings youve made in a plug-in for
general use, just drag it into a Clipping window. The same
applies for groups of plug-ins. If you drag several plug-ins
together into a Clipping window, they will be stored as a
single clipping. When you drag them back into the insert
section of the Mixing Board window, they will expand back
into the original number of plug-ins (taking up one insert for
each plug-in, as usual).
Figure 39-16: To see more tracks at one time in the Mixing Board window, check
the Use Narrow View mini-menu item.
When creating the plug-in clipping, you can also use the
Copy to Clipping Window command in the Edit menu, as
explained in Plug-in effects clippings on page 192.
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MIXING
WORKING WITH MULTIPLE MIXES

The Mixing Board window has a very powerful feature called
the Mix Mode menu, which is located in the lower left-hand
corner of the window as shown below. This feature allows
you to create an unlimited number of independent mixes in a
sequence.
Figure 39-17: The Mix Mode menu.
What is a mix?
A mix consists of all of the volume, pan and other mix
automation data in all tracks in the sequence, as well as all of
the current effects insert assignments and their settings. The
Mix Mode menu allows you to create, save, and recall any
number of mixes. Each mix can be completely different than
the others. You can also create alternative mixes that are
slightly different from each other by starting with the
Duplicate Mix command. You can even copy and paste data
between mixes by simply switching between them.
How mix mode impacts your sequencing
When Mix Mode is off, mix automation data belongs to the
Track and Take in which it was recorded or inserted. If you
switch takes, the mix automation data switches along with
the take, just like the rest of the data in the take. (For an
explanation of takes, see Takes on page 101.)
When Mix Mode is on, however, mix automation data
belongs to the current mix. If you switch takes, the mix
automation data in the track remains behind as part of the
current mix. If, however, you switch to a different mix, the
current mix automation data goes along with the mix,
temporarily disappearing from all tracks. (You can restore
the data, of course, simply by reselecting the Mix from the
Mix Mode menu.)
Mixes include initial track settings

Each mix includes the following initial track settings,
regardless of whether there is currently any automation data
in the track:
Track volume
Pan
Send levels
Send mute states
Track automation mode
Track play-enable/disable state
By including these track attributes to each saved mixdown,

the Mix Mode menu provides complete independence
among separate mixes, even if they dont have any
automation data in them. For example, you could simply set
initial volume and pan settings for each track, create a mix,
duplicate it, adjust the faders and then switch back and forth
between the two mixes. You can then freely switch between
them, comparing the fader settings, without the need to
insert or render any automation data. In general, you will
find it very easy to create and use multiple mixdowns
because they include initial track settings.
Creating a new or duplicate mix
To create a new, empty mix (with no mix automation data in
any of the tracks), choose New Mix from the Mix Mode
menu (as shown in Figure 39-17 on page 211). Or you can
choose Duplicate Mix to create a new mix based on the
current mix (that is, the current volume and pan in all tracks,
as well as the current effects insert assignments in the Mixing
Board).
Renaming or deleting a mix
To rename or delete a mix, choose it by name from the Mix
Mode menu and then choose either Rename Mix or Delete
Mix from the same menu.
Recalling a mix
To recall a mix, just choose it by name from the Mix Mode
menu Figure 39-17 on page 211.
Copying and pasting data between mixes
You can easily copy and paste data between mixes by
switching between them (as described in Recalling a mix
above). Copy data from the desired tracks in one mix, recall
a different mix, and paste into the same or different tracks in
the second mix.
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MIXING
CHAPTER 40
Mix Automation
OVERVIEW
AudioDesks mixing environment offers complete
automation of effects plug-in parameters, track muting/
unmuting, effects send levels, send mutes/unmutes and
more.
Automated mixing basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Mix automation setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Global automation enable/disable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Automation setup for each track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Automation settings in other windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Reasons to disable automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
The automation modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Recording automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Inserting and editing automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Mute region and clear Mute Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Tempo locked, beat-based automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Snapshot automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Automation preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Removing and restoring plug-ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Automation and system resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
AudioDesk provides continuous break-point automation for

all audio mixing parameters, including volume, pan, and
plug-in parameters. Audio mix automation data can be
inserted, generated, drawn and reshaped. Automation events
calculate a smooth, sample-accurate ramp from one event to
the next. This effect is often referred to as ramp automation
because graphically, audio volume events produce lines that
ramp from one event to the next, as shown below in . Several
volume events can be used together to create volume curves,
as shown by the bottom track.
MIX AUTOMATION SETUP

The Automation Setup window (Setup menu) provides
dynamic control over automation, from a global level to the
most detailed level in specific tracks. The Automation Setup
window stays open so that you can easily access its features as
you work.
AUTOMATED MIXING BASICS

Audio tracks can automate every mix parameter, including:
Volume and pan
Track mute/unmute
Plug-in automation
Plug-in bypass/unbypass
All other mix parameters
Figure 40-2: Automation Setup window (Setup menu).
Figure 40-1: AudioDesks ramp automation features

are depicted as sloping lines connecting volume, pan
and effects events as shown here.
212
GLOBAL AUTOMATION ENABLE/DISABLE
AUTOMATION SETUP FOR EACH TRACK
As you work with automation, there will be times when you

want to temporarily enable automation, and later re-enable
it. Automation features can be enabled and disabled at any
time on several levels:
The Automation Setup window (Figure 40-2) also provides

independent automation settings for each track
(Figure 40-5). You can enable/disable automation recording,
playback, and even individual plug-in parameters. In
addition, you can choose one of the automation recording
modes. For convenience, some of these settings are
duplicated in each tracks channel strip in the Mixing Board,
as well as the track settings section in the Edit window
(Figure 40-6).
Globally (all automation)
Globally by type of automation
Per track
Per individual effect parameters in a track
The global automation settings let you enable or disable

automation altogether, or individually by several types of
automation.
Figure 40-3: The global automation enable/disable settings.
To temporarily disable automation altogether, uncheck the

Enable Automation check box. Doing so disables the
playback or recording of all automation data (including
volume and pan), although the data in each track remains
unchanged (Figure 40-4), ready for reactivation. To reenable automation, check the Global Automation check box.
Enabled
Disabled
Figure 40-4: When you disable automation data, it appears as a dashed line in the
Edit window.
Enabling/disabling globally by data type

Similarly, the Global Automation section (Figure 40-3) has
individual enable/disable check boxes for categories of
automation data, including mute, volume, pan, send mutes,
send levels, and plug-in effects parameters. For example, you
might want to temporarily disable plug-in automation, while
maintaining volume and pan automation.
Figure 40-5: Automation setup for an individual track. In this example, the Gtr
Leads track has three plug-ins assigned to it: Echo, Reverb and PreAmp-1.
The track menu

Use this menu to choose the track for which you wish to
make automation settings. All of the settings below this
menu apply to the track currently chosen in the menu.
Enable automation playback
Check this box to enable automation during playback.
Uncheck it to disable automation during playback. This
option is a great way to temporarily listen to the material in a
track without its automation data, while the rest of the mix is
still fully automated.
Enable automation recording
Check this box to allow the recording of automation data
during playback. This is an important control because when
it is enabled, any changes you make to enabled automation
parameters in the track plug-in settings, panning,
volume, etc. will be recorded. So pay careful attention to
this button and only enable it when youre sure you want to
record your moves.
213
MIX AUTOMATION
Automation record mode

The mode menu lets you choose one of the ways to record
automation data into the track. You can change the mode at
any time from the Automation Setup window, the tracks
channel strip in the Mixing Board or the track settings in the
Edit window. For details, see The automation modes on
page 215.
Automation settings
Enabling automation by data type

Initially, any plug-in parameter can be automated as soon as
you begin using the plug-in.
However, you can be very specific regarding the types of data
you wish to automate for each track, as shown previously in
Figure 40-5. This allows you to automate certain controls,
while leaving others free to be tweaked at will. In the
example shown in Figure 40-5, The Gtr Leads track
currently has three plug-ins assigned to it in the mixing
board (as inserts): Echo, Reverb and PreAmp-1. These plugins appear in the Add menu, along with Volume, Pan, Send
Level, Send Mute, and track Mute. Each plug-in displays a
sub-menu for each one of its automatable parameters. Use
the Add menu to add automatable parameters to the list, and
then use the radio buttons above the list to specify All Except
(whats in the list), or Only (whats in the list). To remove
items from the list, click them to select them and click
Remove. Choosing All enables all plug-in parameters,
regardless of what is currently displayed in the list.
Apply to selected audio tracks button
If youd like to apply the automation types youve specified in
the list to other tracks, select the desired tracks first and then
click the Apply to All selected audio Tracks button. This
operation applies the current track settings to all currently
selected tracks (depending on what type of track is currently
being displayed).
Save as Default for Audio tracks button
If youd like to apply the automation types youve specified in
the list to new tracks automatically when you add them, click
the Save as Default for Audio Tracks button.
AUTOMATION SETTINGS IN OTHER WINDOWS

The Mixing Board displays several track-based automation
settings directly in the channel strip for each track, just above
the pan pot. These settings match the corresponding track
settings in the Automation Setup window, the Edit window,
and the Effects window, as shown in Figure 40-6. If you
change them in one location, theyll change in the others as
well.
This menu is also available

in the Effects window.
Figure 40-6: Each track has its own controls for enabling/disabling automation
recording and playback. These settings are available in a variety of windows,
shown here.
In the Mixing Board, the same Option-click and Commandclick conventions apply to the automation play-enable
buttons as for track play-enables. You can also glide over the
automation play-enable and record-enable buttons to
quickly toggle a series of adjacent tracks.
The Auto menu (automation menu)
As shown in Figure 40-6, the automation menu in the Edit
window contains the same basic automation mode settings
as the Mixing Board and Automation Setup window. In
addition, the Auto menu changes color to further indicate
the current automation record and playback settings as
follows:
Auto menu color
What it means
Clear
Automation playback and recording

are both disabled.
Green
Automation playback is enabled.
Red
Automation playback and recording

are both enabled.
REASONS TO DISABLE AUTOMATION

Why would you ever want to disable automation, either
globally, per track or even on the basis of individual plug-in
parameters? Here are a few common reasons.
One of the main reasons to disable automation, or to enable
only a particular plug-in parameter, is that often you are only
automating one or two controls in a plug-in. You dont want
to worry about accidentally recording changes you make to
other controls that you are not automating. By not activating
them for automation in the first place, this will never happen,
regardless of the tracks record mode setting.
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MIX AUTOMATION
Sometimes, youll want to temporarily experiment with

automatable parameters, such as plug-in controls, without
accidentally recording your moves as you experiment. For
example, you might want to adjust the EQ for a track to get it
just right, but you dont want to record your moves as youre
doing so. You can use the Automation Setup window to
temporarily disable plug-in automation or even just the
EQ control you are adjusting while you experiment.
Heres another case where you might want to temporarily
disable automation: when you need to do A/B comparisons
with and without it. For example, you might want to listen to
a passage without the automation youve programmed for it,
and then listen to it again with automation the re-enabled.
THE AUTOMATION MODES

AudioDesks automation modes provide a number of
different ways to record automation. For example, Overwrite
mode starts recording immediately when playback begins,
overwriting any existing automation in the track. Touch
mode, on the other hand, waits for you to grab a knob or
fader before it begins recording.
Each track in the Mixing Board can be independently
assigned to one of the modes. The automation mode menu
for each track is located just above fader as shown below.
The automation modes are summarized below:

Automation
mode
When it
punches in
When it
punches out
Overwrite
As soon as
playback begins
Never
(When playback stops)*
Touch
As soon as you grab the

fader or knob
As soon as you release the

fader or knob
Latch
As soon as you grab the

fader or knob
Never
(when playback stops)*
Trim Touch
----- Same as Touch ------
Trim Latch
----- Same as Latch ------
Range Touch
-- See The Range modes on page 217--
Range Latch
Range Trim
Touch
Range Trim
Latch
*In Overwrite or Latch modes, there are actually two ways

you can punch out of recording on the fly:
Disable automation recording (using any available
method for disabling it)
OR
Figure 40-7: The automation modes for each track.
Switch to a different automation mode
Playing versus recording

For all of the automation modes, the track can be either playenabled for automation or record-enabled for automation.
Except for Overwrite mode, the behavior of the controls you
modify during playback is the same either way. The only
difference is that automation data is or is not written into the
track. For example, lets say that a track is play-enabled for
automation (but not record-enabled). If you place the track
in Touch mode, and you move its volume fader, the fader will
return to tracking any existing automated volume levels in
the track as soon as you let go of it. On the other hand, if the
track is in Latch mode, the fader will remain where you leave
it until playback stops. The next time playback begins, the
fader will then return to tracking any existing automated
volume levels in the track. Since the track is not recordenabled, no automation data would be written in either case.
Scaling volume data with the Trim modes
Trimming is the process of scaling existing volume or send
level automation data in the track, instead of overwriting it
entirely. This process is explained in further detail later in
The Trim modes on page 217.
215
MIX AUTOMATION
Overwrite, Latch and Touch modes overwrite existing

automation data in the track, while Trim Touch and Trim
Latch scale existing data. Only track volume and send levels
can be trimmed. Other types of automation data are
overwritten according to the mode chosen. Heres a
summary:
Automation
mode
Overwrite
or scale?
Overwrite
Overwrites
Selective overwriting
You can selectively overwrite automation data while
preserving other data by temporarily disabling certain effects
parameters in the track beforehand. The disabled parameters
will not be overwritten, as shown below in Figure 40-9.
Data thats affected

All parameters currently being
automated in the track (except
those that youve temporarily disabled).
Touch
Overwrites
Only the parameter

currently being adjusted.
Latch
Overwrites
Only the parameter

currently being adjusted.
Trim Touch
Scales
existing data
Track volume or a send level

(whichever item is currently being
adjusted).
Trim Latch
Scales
existing data
Track volume or a send level

(whichever item is currently being
adjusted).
Overwrite mode
As shown by the table above, Overwrite mode is special
because it overwrites all of the parameters currently being
automated in the track. In a sense, this a way of wiping over
them all at once with the settings that you choose before you
begin playback.
Before
After
Figure 40-8: Overwrite mode wipes over all currently enabled automation data in
the track. The current data is replaced by data that reflects the current knob, fader
or other control setting for each parameter. So be sure to set every control you are
overwriting to the desired setting before overwriting.
Before
After
Figure 40-9: In this example, volume automation (the dashed line) has been
temporarily disabled. In Overwrite mode, pan data (highlighted) and send level
data (the ramp) are overwritten with the current positions of the pan knob and
send knob.
Switching to Touch mode after overwriting

Overwrite mode is generally used once in one pass, usually at
the start of the mixing stage of your project, or perhaps to
wipe over a section that you want to remix entirely. After
overwriting, you generally want to touch up the mix from
there with the other automation modes (Touch, Latch, etc.)
For your convenience, the Automation Setup window
(Figure 40-2) has a check box option called Overwrite mode
changes to touch after pass. Check this option if youd like
tracks currently in Overwrite mode to automatically switch
back to Touch mode after you do an overwrite record pass, so
that you dont keep overwriting again and again.
Touch and Latch modes
With the Touch, Latch, Trim Touch and Trim Latch modes,
only the parameter you are adjusting is overwritten (or
scaled, in the case of the two trim modes). In addition,
recording only takes place when you adjust the knob, fader or
other control item for the parameter. These modes are the
safest because you wont accidentally overwrite existing
automation data; theyll only record when you deliberately
adjust a control. Just be careful not to record adjustments
during playback that are not meant to be inserted. See
Reasons to disable automation on page 214.
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MIX AUTOMATION
The Trim modes

Trim Touch and Trim Latch modes scale existing volume
data or send level data in the track, rather than overwriting it.
The two trim modes allow you to increase or decrease
volume or send level while maintaining the existing contour
in the track. For example, you might painstakingly program
a detailed, dynamic volume mix for a track, but later decide
that you want to raise the whole thing by 1 dB.
The Range modes

The Range Touch, Range Latch, Range Trim Touch, and Range
Trim Latch modes behave similarly to the regular Touch,
Latch, Trim Touch, and Trim Latch modes, but when
recording automation using the Range modes, moving
controls will change automation data only within a defined
time range. The settings for the data on either side of the
affected time range will be preserved.
Accordingly, when you switch from a non-trim mode to a

trim mode, the scale of the volume fader for the track
changes from the normal scale where zero dB is unity gain to
a relative scale where zero is the current volume level in the
track, whatever it may be at any given moment. The two
scales are shown below in Figure 40-10:
Determining a time range

To specify a time range for the range automation modes, use
one of the following methods, which are listed in order of
their priority:
1 an object or time range selection in the track
2 a time range selection in another track
3 the Memory-Cycle range
Trim
scale
Normal
scale
Figure 40-10: Latch mode displays the usual volume scale, where 0 dB is unity gain.
Trim Latch mode (and Trim Touch) show a relative scale where zero dB is the
current automation level in the track at any given location. The send knobs also go
into trim mode, as shown.
In Figure 40-11 below, the volume curve is being scaled up by

8 dB using Trim Touch mode.
\
Punch-out
Return ramp
Punch-in
Range Latch and Range Touch

With the Range Latch and Range Touch modes, the value of
the automation data within the defined time range will
become constant according to the setting of the control.
Therefore, these modes are useful for adjusting automation
data that is already flat, or for leveling a data curve that you
wish to flatten.
Range Trim Latch and Range Trim Touch
With the Range Trim latch and Range Trim Touch modes,
the current shape of the automation data curve within the
time range (if any) is preserved, and the entire curve is moved
up or down. Therefore, these two trim modes are ideal when
there is already a shape to the automation data within the
time range, and you wish to preserve that shape and simply
raise it or lower it altogether.
Using the range automation modes
All four range automation modes are useful when mixing
groups of tracks, such as background vocals or horn
sections, within a specific time range, where you want to
jump in and change the mix just for that range without
changing it before or after.
These modes provide the following additional benefits:
The range automation modes allow you to use the same
control for modifying the data as you did for entering it. For
example, if you automated a plug-in filter sweep using the
knob in the plug-in window, you can use that same knob to
adjust your original sweep, without having to do by some
other means (such as editing the automation data in the
track).
scaled data
Figure 40-11: Trim Touch and Trim Latch modes scale existing automation data in
the track, maintaining its original contour. The return ramp after punch-out is
automatically inserted by AudioDesk to produce a smooth transition between the
punch-out level and the remaining automation data.
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MIX AUTOMATION
The range automation modes allow you to make changes to

automation data without having to switch edit windows to
display the automation data. Instead, you can continue
viewing the data you are currently viewing, such as
soundbites (or automation data of another type).
or the Pencil Tool to insert and edit automation data. For

complete details, see Working with breakpoint mix
automation on page 143.
Plug-ins currently
assigned to the track.
Return ramps
A return ramp (Figure 40-11) is an automation ramp
automatically inserted by AudioDesk after you punch out
from an automation edit. The return ramp makes a smooth
transition between the level you were at when you punched
out and the level of the any existing automation in the track
just after the point where you punched out.
The default length for return ramps is 500 milliseconds (half
a second). You can change it to any length you prefer in the
Automation Setup window (Figure 40-2 on page 212), and
you can change it at any time.
RECORDING AUTOMATION
Automation data can be recorded in real time during
playback. To do so, enable the automation record button for
the track you wish to record (as shown in Figure 40-6), and
choose the desired mode (Overwrite, Touch, Latch, etc.) You
do not need to put AudioDesk into record mode to record
automation. Just start playback and adjust volume, pan,
plug-in settings, send levels, and mutes as desired during
playback.
The automation data is recorded directly into the track,
replacing existing automation data of the same kind, if any.
Figure 40-13: In this example, automation data is being inserted in the Edit
window.
Viewing automation in the Edit window

To view automation data in the Edit window, choose the
desired type of automation from the Active Layer menu as
shown below in Figure 40-14. When you do, every type of
automation data that currently exists in the track will be
displayed together, superimposed over the audio waveform.
The specific type of data that you chose from the menu will
be activated (its ramps and control points will appear in
bold). When activated, a parameters control points can be
edited, and new points can be added by clicking anywhere on
its line. In addition, some parameters display guides (faint
horizontal lines) that indicate values of interest. For example,
when you activate Volume, youll see a guide at unity gain
(0 dB) and the top of the scale (6.02 dB). And when you
activate pan, youll see guides at pan center and pan hard left/
right. For complete details, see Working with automation
control points on page 219.
Figure 40-12: Automation data can be recorded or inserted directly into each
audio track.
Controlling data density

The Min Time and Value Range mini-menu command in the
Mixing Board window lets you control the density of the
automation data events generated by the Mixing Board
faders and knobs. Higher minimum values produce lower
density, which generally ensures smoother playback
performance. But densities that are too low can cause zipper
noise or stair-stepping. When experimenting with data
density, factors such as playback tempo also come into play.
INSERTING AND EDITING AUTOMATION

All of the various types of automation data (plug-in
automation, mute automation, send levels, etc.) can be
inserted and edited in the Edit window. Use the Insert menus
Figure 40-14: Choose any form of automation data from the Active Layer menu to
display all automation data that currently exists in the track, superimposed over
the waveform. To activate (make bold) a particular data parameter, choose it
from the Active Layer menu or click one of its control points.
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MIX AUTOMATION
The three types of plug-in automation data

Plug-ins have a wide variety of controls that fall into three
general types of data:
Automation type
What it does
Examples
Ramp
Produces a smooth
change between
control points.
Volume
Pan
Send level
Mix gain
Stair-step
Produces sudden changes

among several possible
states.
LFO phase
Mute/unmute
Bypass/unbypass
Single event
Changes the setting of a

parameter that has only a
few settings or nonnumeric settings
LFO waveform type

(sine, sawtooth, etc.)
Note values for beatbased effects.
All three types of automation are displayed together in the

Edit window as shown below in Figure 40-15.
Discrete events
Discrete events are used for any parameter that consists of
two or more non-numeric settings (or just a few numeric
ones). A good example is the waveform for an LFO: it could
be a sine wave, square wave, sawtooth, triangle, etc. Rather
than displaying these values as cryptic dots on a line,
AudioDesk provides single automation events, as shown
previously in Figure 40-15. Here is a summary of what you
can do with single automation events like these:
To do this:
Do this:
Insert an event
Choose it from the insert menu as shown in

Figure 40-13 on page 218 and click at the desired
location.
To delete an event
Click it to select it and press delete.
To change its setting
Press on its menu triangle and choose the desired

setting from the menu as shown in Figure 40-15.
To move an event
Drag it.
Ramps
Single
events
Stair-step
Figure 40-15: The three kinds of automation data: ramps, stair-steps, and single
events. Click on a single event to access a menu of settings.
Sample-accurate ramps
AudioDesks ramp automation produces a smooth change
from one control point to the next. Ramps are calculated
with sample-accurate, 32-bit floating point processing.
Sample-accurate processing ensures that the ramp will be
perfectly smooth, with no zipper noise or other unwanted
artifacts.
Stair steps
Stair-step automation produces a sudden change at each
control point. Stair-step automation is used for plug-in
parameters that by nature dont call for smooth changes but
instead provide discrete changes among several various
states. A good example are the LFO phase controls in Sonic
Modulator, which provide eight phase settings in 45-degree
increments. Stair steps are also used for parameters that
would be too expensive from a DSP bandwidth standpoint
for calculating ramps. A good example of this is LFO rate.
One important thing to realize about discrete parameters is

that they dont display their current value continuously
throughout the track the way that ramps and stair steps do.
To determine the current setting for a discrete parameter,
you need to scroll backwards in the track to find the last
discrete event of the type youre concerned with, and then
look at its setting there.
Units of measurement
In AudioDesks included plug-ins, the numeric value for each
plug-in effect parameter (displayed in the event info bar) is
displayed with the appropriate format (percent,
milliseconds, etc.) for the parameter. This is also true for
most third-party plug-ins. Some third-party plug-ins,
however, may have their own schemes for displaying
parameter values. Check their documentation for details.
Working with automation control points
Heres a summary of techniques for inserting and editing
automation control points in the Edit window, including a
new techniques for selecting and dragging multiple control
points at one time:
To do this:
Do this:
To activate a data type*

(make it bold)
Click one of its control points or choose it

from the Active Layer menu (Figure 40-14).
Note: activating is
necessary for all of the following techniques.
To insert
a control point
Activate the desired data type and

then click anywhere.
To insert a ramp
Activate the desired data type. Then click

anywhere on the line as many times as needed
to create two or more control points, positioning the control points as needed to make
the ramp.
To insert a curve
Activate the desired data type. Select Pencil

Tool and drag.
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MIX AUTOMATION
To remove
a control point
Click it to select it and press delete.
To remove a curve
(multiple control points)
Select the control points (as described below)

and press the delete key.
To select a curve
Activate it and then drag horizontally over its

control points.
To move a curve
Select them as described above and drag one

of the selected control points.
*To activate any types of data other than volume and

pan, you must first insert some data (via the Insert menu or
by recording) in order for the data to appear in the Active
Layer menu (and be available for activation).
MUTE REGION AND CLEAR MUTE AUTOMATION

The Mute Region and Clear Mute Automation commands in
the Audio menu allow you to quickly apply and clear mute
automation on a region by region basis in the Edit window.
Just make a selection, such as an individual soundbite or any
time range selection over any combination of audio tracks,
and then choose one of these two commands from the Audio
menu to mute or unmute the selection.
Before:
an entire section of a mix, regardless of the automation data

currently there. AudioDesk lets you take a snapshot at a
particular point in time or apply it to any time range of your
choice. You also have complete control over which
parameters to include in a snapshot. Snapshot automation
can be applied from the Mixing Board, Edit window or
Effects window. Different default settings can be stored for
taking snapshots from these different windows.
Taking a snapshot
To take a snapshot:
1 Prepare for the snapshot as discussed in the next few
sections.
2 Choose Take Automation Snapshot from the Audio menu,
or press the Snapshot button in the Edit window, Mixing
Board, or Effects window
Doing so opens the Automation Snapshot dialog shown

below in Figure 40-17:
After:
Figure 40-16: Muting a region with the Mute Region command. Note that two
mute automation events are inserted at the beginning of the region to produce the
proper stair-step effect.
TEMPO LOCKED, BEAT-BASED AUTOMATION

Some plug-ins allow you to lock certain parameters, such as
an LFO, to the tempo of your sequence. This allows the effect
to stay in sync with the beat of your music.
For details on tempo-locking effects included with
AudioDesk, see Tempo lock on page 2 in the AudioDesk
Plug-ins Guide. For details on tempo-locking third-party
effects, refer to their documentation.
SNAPSHOT AUTOMATION
An automation snapshot is the process of inserting
automation data for multiple mix parameters in one step at a
particular location or over a specified time range. For
example, you might want to set initial values at the very
beginning the project (e.g. bar 1) for all mix parameters
youll be automating. Or, you might like to reset all values for
Figure 40-17: Taking an automation snapshot.
3 Choose the desired settings and click OK.

Preparing for a snapshot
Before you take a snapshot, there are several preparations to
make that determine the following characteristics of the
snapshot:
The time range to be affected
The tracks to be included
The automation data types to be included
Specifying a location or a time range

Even though automation data consists of discrete events
(control points), it is important to realize that they actually
affect your mix over a range of time. For example, if you click
on a volume automation line in an audio track to insert a
volume control point, ramps are created between the new
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MIX AUTOMATION
point and the two points before it and after it. So youve
actually affected the entire time range between all three
points.
Similarly, when working with automation snapshots, you
need to think about the time range that the snapshot will
affect and specify it before inserting the snapshot.
AudioDesk lets you specify a snapshots time range in two
ways:
by positioning the playback wiper (the current counter
location)
by making a time range selection
The options in the Time Range menu (shown below in

Figure 40-18) determine which method to use. AudioDesk
then applies the snapshot by placing automation control
points at the start and end of the time range (to maintain the
existing automation levels beyond the time range).
When applying a snapshot to all time or a selected range, any
existing automation data within the time range is removed.
From Counter to Next/Previous Change (Flat or Ramp)

This option applies the snapshot to the range of time from
the current counter location to the next or previous
automation control point. It does so independently for each
parameter being included in the snapshot. The Flat option
produces a constant parameter value throughout the time
range being affected by the snapshot; the Ramp option
produces an standard automation ramp from the control
point inserted at the wiper location to the next or previous
control point for each automation parameter. Note that the
Ramp option only applies to ramp-style data types, such as
volume and pan. See Morphing between presets on
page 222 for an interesting way to use this option.
From Previous Change to Next Change
Use this option to apply the snapshot to the entire range of
time between two existing snapshots (or any other
arrangement of consecutive automation control points). Just
place the playback wiper (or counter location) anywhere
between them. Use this option to quickly adjust an existing
snapshot by placing the wiper anywhere just to the right of it,
rather than tediously attempting to place the wiper directly at
the location of existing automation data.
If you situate control points at the beginning and end of a
section, this option gives you a way to alter the automation in
the section in one step.
Figure 40-18: Specifying a time range for the snapshot.
All Time
Use All Time if you wish to apply the snapshot to your entire
mix, start to finish. The current counter location or current
selection does not matter for this option.
Selected Range
If you would like to apply the snapshot to a particular range
of time, make a time range selection in any AudioDesk
window before you take the snapshot and then choose the
Selected Range option in the Automation Snapshot dialog
(Figure 40-18).
From Counter to Sequence End/Start
This option applies the snapshot from the current counter
location all the way to the end or start of the sequence. To use
this option, place the playback wiper at the desired location,
or type it into the main counter, before taking the snapshot.
Specifying tracks
The Tracks menu in the Automation Snapshot dialog gives
you several convenient options (Figure 40-19 below) for
choosing which tracks to include in the snapshot. If you wish
to use the Selected Tracks option, select the desired tracks
before taking the snapshot. If you wish to use one of the
window display options, be sure to show and hide tracks as
desired before taking the snapshot. When using the Edit
window and Mixing Board options, all tracks currently
highlighted in the track selector list are included in the
snapshot, even if they are not currently visible in the window
itself.
Figure 40-19: Specifying the tracks to be included in the snapshot.
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MIX AUTOMATION
Specifying data types

The Data Types menu in the Automation Snapshot dialog
gives you several convenient ways (Figure 40-20 below) for
determining which types of automation data to write to each
track with the snapshot operation.
Using snapshots to capture automation and apply it

elsewhere
You can use AudioDesks snapshot feature to capture
automation settings from one part of your mix and apply
them somewhere else. To do so:
1 In the Automation Setup window (Setup menu), enable
all automation types you wish to include in the operation.
2 Position the playback wiper (or main counter) at the
location in the mix you wish to capture. Doing so causes all
automation-enabled knobs, faders and other settings in the
Mixing Board to update to their correct values at that point
in the mix.
Figure 40-20: Specifying the data types to be included in the snapshot.
All Enabled Data Types

This option causes the snapshot to write all of the
automation data types that are currently enabled in the
Automation Setup window (Setup menu). This includes the
global enables and the automation enable/disable settings for
each individual track. Be sure to enable and disable
automation as desired before taking a snapshot using this
option.
Current Data Types in Edit window
This option inserts automation data being displayed in the
Edit window. More specifically, the snapshot only writes
automation data that is currently active (as demonstrated in
Figure 40-14 on page 218) for each included audio track.
Notice that only one data type can be active at a time. This
option is good for quickly inserting snapshots for the data
you are currently viewing in the Edit window. For example, if
you are currently displaying volume automation in all audio
tracks (volume automation is the active data type for all
tracks), use this option to quickly insert a volume-only
snapshot.
3 Back in the Automation Setup window, globally disable all

automation by unchecking the global automation check box.
Doing so freezes all knob and fader settings in the Mixing
Board, so that they will not move when you change the
current playback location.
4 Scroll to the location in the mix at which youd like to
apply the Mixing Boards current automation settings.
5 In the Automation Setup window, check the global
automation check box to re-enable automation globally.
At this point, make absolutely sure that the current

playback location does not change. Otherwise, the current
settings in the Mixing Board will be lost.
6 Take an automation snapshot as usual.
Morphing between presets

The Ramp option in the Automation Snapshot Time Range
menu (Figure 40-18 on page 221) is a great way to morph
from one plug-in preset to another as follows:
1 Position the playback wiper (or main counter).
Data Types Visible in Mixing Board

This option inserts automation data for all automatable
controls currently visible in the Mixing Board window. For
example, if the Inserts section is currently hidden, no insert
level or pan data will be inserted by the snapshot. If you wish
to use this option, be sure to use the Mixing Board window
mini-menu to show/hide each section as desired before
taking the snapshot.
2 Choose a plug-in preset.
Data types for Current Effect in Effects Window

This option inserts automation data for all automatable
parameters of the plug-in currently being shown in the
Effects window. This is a great way to automate plug-in
presets (by inserting them as snapshots). Also see
Morphing between presets on page 222.
6 Take a snapshot of the plug-in parameters using the From

Counter to Previous Change (Ramp) Time Range option.
3 Take a snapshot of the plug-in parameters.

4 Move the playback wiper forward to the next location at
which youd like insert a preset.
5 Choose the next preset.
7 Repeat as desired.
Alternatively, you could start with the final preset in the
series you are inserting and work backwards with the From
Counter to Next Change (Ramp) Time Range option.
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MIX AUTOMATION
Snapshot settings are remembered

You can take a snapshot from within the following windows
(when the window is the front-most, active window):
Edit window
Mixing Board
Effects window
AudioDesk remembers the snapshot settings you last used in

each context. For example, you might only include visible
mix parameters when taking a snapshot in the Edit window,
while including only plug-in parameters when taking a
snapshot from the Effects window. In addition, you might
like to always include all mix parameters when taking a
snapshot from the Mixing Board. You can specify snapshot
settings for each window the first time you take a snapshot
from within the window. AudioDesk then remembers the
settings and will use them the next time you take a snapshot
from the window.
initial setting for that parameter in the Mixing Board. As a

result, you get what you would expect: the initial setting you
had made in the Mixing Board (before automation),
followed by the automation data you recorded or inserted.
Before you begin to automate the mix, you might want to
insert initial values for all mix parameters youll be
automating so that you have a convenient reference point to
start from. This step is not necessary, but it you might find it
helpful to have initial values before you begin automating.
You can always go back and change the initial values at any
time, either by tweaking them individually in the edit
window of your choice or by retaking the snapshot at the
beginning of the sequence.
AUTOMATION PREFERENCES
The Automation Setup window offers several preferences.
To reinforce this concept visually, the Automation Snapshot

window (Figure 40-17 on page 220) opens directly on top of
the window from which it is being invoked.
AudioDesk also stores a generic set of snapshot settings for
all other windows. As a result, if you take a snapshot with the
Take Automation Snapshot command in the Audio menu
when the Edit window, Mixing Board or Effects window is
not the front-most active window, the settings you see in the
Automation Snapshot dialog (Figure 40-17 on page 220) will
be remembered independently from the settings for those
three windows.
A shortcut for taking snapshots
To take a snapshot from within a window with same settings
last used for that window (as explained in the previous
section), make it the active (front-most window), and then
hold down the Command key while clicking the Snapshot
button in the windows title bar, or press Command
Controlsingle quote ( ). Alternatively, you can hold down
the Command key while choosing Take Automation Snapshot
from the Audio menu. Doing so changes the menu command
into Take Automation Snapshot (no dialog).
Making the transition to an automated mix
When you first begin working on an AudioDesk project,
there is no existing automation data in each track until you
record it, insert it by hand or insert it via a snapshot.
Beforehand, your mix simply consists of the current fader,
knob and insert settings in the Mixing Board. If you record
or insert an automation control point for the first time in an
audio track, somewhere in the middle of the sequence,
AudioDesk automatically extends a line from the control
point back to the beginning of the sequence to maintain the
Figure 40-21: Automation preferences
Overwrite mode changes to touch after pass

This automation preference, when checked, causes tracks in
Overwrite mode to automatically change over to Touch
mode after you record a pass in Overwrite mode. This option
helps you to avoid unnecessary or unwanted consecutive
overwriting. For details, see Switching to Touch mode after
overwriting on page 216.
Solo & Play Phrase override mute automation
When this option is checked, soloing a track causes mute
automation in the track to be ignored, allowing you to always
hear the audio in the track. Similarly, if you press Optionspacebar to audition some audio, it will play, even if it is
currently being muted by mute automation data. If instead,
you would like soloing and auditioning to reflect the tracks
current mute automation, uncheck this option.
Auto return ramp length
At the end of an automation record pass, when you punch
out by either releasing the fader or stopping recording
altogether, AudioDesk automatically inserts a return ramp at
the punch-out point. This ramp produces a smooth
transition from the level you were at when you punched out
and the existing data in the track at the punch out point. The
Auto return ramp length preference determines the length of
this ramp. For further details and an example, see Return
ramps on page 218 and Figure 40-11 on page 217.
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MIX AUTOMATION
Minimum time between recorded points

This automation preference determines how frequently
control points will be generated during real-time recording.
Lower settings generate more control points that result in
finer tracking of your moves. Higher settings produce fewer
control points that result in courser tracking of your moves.
Minimum change between recorded points
This automation preference determines how frequently
control points will be generated during real-time recording.
Lower percentages generate more control points that result in
finer tracking of your moves. Higher percentages produce
fewer control points that result in courser tracking of your
moves.
REMOVING AND RESTORING PLUG-INS

If you remove a plug-in from a track entirely, its automation
data remains in the track, and it can still be edited. If you later
restore the plug-in (on any insert), the automation data will
once again automate the plug-in. Orphaned automation data
is displayed in the Track Display menu with italic text, along
with the word missing, as demonstrated earlier in
AUTOMATION AND SYSTEM RESOURCES

Automation adds to overall CPU processing overhead. If
your mix is taxing your computer, you can conserve CPU
overhead by enabling automation only for data types and
plug-in parameters that you need. For example, dont enable
automation for an effect parameter and then insert only one
setting for the parameter in the track. Only enable
automation for parameters that need to change over time.
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MIX AUTOMATION
Part 8
Processing
CHAPTER 41
Effects Window
OVERVIEW
EFFECTS WINDOW QUICK REFERENCE
The Effects window is a like a virtual effects rack for

AudioDesks real-time, non-destructive signal processing
effects. It displays all of the controls for a given effect on a
given insert on a certain track. You can quickly and easily
switch the effect, insert, and track you are viewing in the
Effects window at any time.
Below are the basic controls in the Effects window. The

controls for each specific effect will, of course, vary.
The Effects window settings modify the tracks playback

only. The original data in the track is not changed. As a result,
effects settings can be adjusted or turned off (bypassed) at
any time.
Track
menu
Insert
menu
Effect
menu
The Effects window with no

effect currently being displayed.
Minimenu
Preset
menu
Snapshot
button
Use the menus to

switch the track,
insert, and/or
effect being
displayed.
AudioDesk provides a full complement of effects such as EQ,

compression, delay, reverb and any third-party MAS plugins you have installed in your system.
This chapter provides general information about the Effects
window. For details on using audio effects, see chapter 42,
Audio Effects Processing (page 230), and for complete
details about the wide variety of plug-ins that are included
with AudioDesk, see the AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide
Effects Window Quick Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Opening and Closing the Effects window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Bypassing an effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Saving, loading, and editing presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Editing Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
An effects plug-in
Effect-specific
controls
Figure 41-1: The Effects window.
Window Target menu: This menu is used to change the sequence

that the Effects window is showing. The name of the selected
sequence is displayed.
Track menu: This menu is used to change the track that the Effects
window is showing. The name and track type icon of the
selected track is displayed.
Insert menu: This menu is used to change the insert that the
Effects window is showing. The name of the selected insert is
displayed. When the menu is open, the name of the plug-in is
displayed for any inserts which currently contain a plug-in.
Effect menu: This menu is used to change the plug-in for the
selected insert. The name of the selected plug-in is displayed.
226
Preset menu: This menu is used to save and recall presets.

The name of the currently loaded preset is displayed. If you
have made changes to the plug-in after loading a preset, the
name becomes italicized to indicate that the presets settings
have been altered.
With the standard Close window key binding

(Command-W)
Next/previous preset: These buttons load the next or

previous preset.
Hold Shift and Option while closing an Effect window in any

of those ways to close all open Effect windows.
Automation menu: This menu is used to change the
BYPASSING AN EFFECT
automation play-enable/record-enable state and automation

mode for the track the effect is on.
Bypass: Temporarily disables the plug-in.

Effect-specific controls: Controls for the specific plug-in are
displayed here. These will be different, depending on the
selected plug-in.
Effects window mini-menu
The Effects window mini-menu contains the following
commands:
Run this instance in real-time: Effects on disk tracks are prerendered when the Effects window is closed. When this is
checked (enabled), the plug-in output will not be prerendered. See Real-time versus rendered effects on
page 231.
Default to real-time: When this is checked (enabled), the

currently instantiated plug-in will run in real-time the next
time it is instantiated. Uncheck this item on any instance to
affect future instances.
Clicking its close button
With the Window menu > Close command
An effect can be bypassed by clicking the Bypass button in

the Effect window. As a shortcut, you can bypass an effect
directly in the Mixing Board by option clicking the effect
insert with the finger cursor.
SAVING, LOADING, AND EDITING PRESETS

Presets are found in the Preset menu in the Effects window
when the desired effect is being displayed in the window. For
example, when the Effects window is showing the Reverb
plug-in, youll see Reverb presets in the Preset menu.
The current preset
When you choose a plug-in preset from the Preset menu, the
preset name is displayed in the Preset menu, as shown in
Figure 41-2. It also gets a check mark next to the name when
the menu is open. If no preset has been loaded, None is
displayed.
If you modify the settings, the name of the preset will become
italic to let you know that you are now working with a
modified preset. If you like, you can save the modified preset
as a new preset with the Save Settings Preset menu command.
OPENING AND CLOSING THE EFFECTS WINDOW

Opening the Effects window
There are several ways to open the effects window:
Choose Effects from the Project menu (or press Shift-F)
In the Mixing Board, choose an effect from any insert

menu, or double-click an insert that already has an effect
Figure 41-2: The current preset being used is displayed in the Preset menu. If you
modify the settings of the effect, the preset name becomes italic to indicate that it
is now modified.
You can have many Effects windows open at once, if youd

like.
Choosing a new effect for an insert
To choose an effect for an insert, select the desired effect
from the Mixing Board insert menu. When creating a new
effect, AudioDesk uses the most recent settings for that effect.
For example, if you tweak quantize parameters on one track
until they are just right, adding the quantize effect to another
track will initially apply the same settings.
Closing the Effects window
You can close the Effects window by:
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EFFECTS WINDOW
Where presets are stored

Plug-in factory presets are stored with the plug-in itself, so
they are always available in any AudioDesk project.
/Library/Audio/Presets/Digital Performer/
Use the Show Presets in Finder mini-menu command to go to
the folder where user presets are stored for a plug-in. There,
you can rename, duplicate, delete, etc. your preset files.
Audio Unit presets
Some Audio Unit plug-ins have the ability to save presets as a
standard AU preset file on disk, with the .aupreset extension.
AudioDesk supports these AU preset files. You can save them
and load them in the same way as MAS plug-in presets,
including the ability to drag and drop them to inserts in the
Mixing Board.
Loading plug-in user presets
To load a user preset, choose it from the User Presets submenu in the Presets menu:
Figure 41-3: Effects presets are located in the Effects window Preset menu. The
menu only displays presets for the type of effect currently displayed in the Effects
window. This example shows the eVerb plug-in and eVerb effects presets in the
menu.
User presets are stored in separate folders for each plug-in,

with each preset saved as a separate file. See Saving plug-in
settings as a user preset below.
Saving plug-in settings as a user preset
To save the current plug-in settings as a preset, choose Save
Settings from the Preset menu and type in the desired name.
You can save the settings anywhere you wish on disk, but if
you would like them to appear in the User Presets sub-menu
(Figure 41-5), save them in the plug-ins presets folder. For
example, the Chorus presets shown below in Figure 41-4 are
stored here:
/Library/Audio/Presets/Digital Performer/Chorus
Figure 41-5: The User Presets sub-menu.
Like clippings, user presets can also be dragged and dropped

from the Finder (Figure 41-4) directly to inserts in the
Mixing Board.
Changing a preset
To change an existing preset:
1 Choose the preset.
2 Modify it as desired.
3 Choose Save Settings from the plug-in mini-menu.
4 Save it with the same name. An alert dialog will confirm
that you wish to change the existing preset.
Figure 41-4: Plug-in presets are stored independently as preset documents.
If it is saved in this location, the new preset appears in the

User Presets sub-menu (Figure 41-5).
Accessing user presets in other projects

Because user presets are stored independently from
AudioDesk documents or the AudioDesk application itself,
they automatically appear in projects other than the one in
In general, user presets for plug-ins are stored as preset files

on disk in the following location:
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EFFECTS WINDOW
which you created the preset. You can also drag and drop
them from their folder (Figure 41-4) into any project at any
time.
As soon as you modify a plug-in parameter, the Compare

menu item becomes ungrayed, indicating that the preset has
been modified.
Storing and recalling presets as clippings

You can save and recall presetsand even groups of
presetsas clippings. For details, see Drag & Drop
plug-ins on page 209.
If you now choose Compare, it becomes checked, and the

original preset settings are restored. In addition, your
modified settings are stored by the Compare feature, ready
for recall.
Next/Previous Preset
You can quickly cycle through the available presets by:
If you choose the Compare menu item again, it becomes

unchecked, and your modified preset is restored. You can
then freely switch back and forth between the original preset
(checked) and the modified preset (unchecked).
Click the Next Preset/Previous Preset buttons
Choosing Next Preset/Previous Preset from the Preset

menu
Using the Next Preset/Previous Preset key commands

(Shift-Control-equal and Shift-Control-minus)
Compare Preset menu item

The Compare Preset menu item lets you compare a modified
preset with the original, unmodified preset. You can freely
switch back and forth between them to make a thorough A/B
comparison.
When you first call up a preset from the Effects window
Presets menu (either a factory preset or a user preset you
created), the Compare menu item is grayed to indicate that
the preset is currently unmodified.
Here is a summary of the compare feature:

Compare mini-menu item:
Meaning:
Grayed
Unmodified preset (or no preset)
Active (not grayed)
Modified preset is active.
Checked
Original preset is active.
EDITING EFFECTS
The controls provided for the effect itself depend on the
plug-in. Refer to the documentation included with the plugin for information on how to edit the plug-in. For
information on automation plug-ins, see chapter 40, Mix
Automation (page 212).
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EFFECTS WINDOW
CHAPTER 42
OVERVIEW
REAL-TIME PLUG-IN PROCESSING
An effects plug-in is a piece of peripheral software (developed

by MOTU or another company) that can be used from
within AudioDesk. AudioDesk serves as a host program for
the plug-in, allowing you to apply its processing to your
audio. Depending on the type of plug-in, you can either use
the plug-in as a region operation, selecting individual
soundbites and then choosing the plug-in from the Audio
menu, or you can apply it to an entire track as a real-time
insert for the track in the Mixing Board.
Almost all AudioDesk plug-in effects can be processed in real

time (during playback). They do not require extra hardware
installed inside your computer because their processing is
handled by the computer itself. AudioDesk includes a host of
plug-ins, such as 8-band parametric EQ, reverb, dynamics
(compressor, expander, limiter, gate), flange, chorus and
more. Third-party plug-ins are also available.
For details on the plug-ins included with AudioDesk, see the

AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide.
Real-time plug-in processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Real-time versus rendered effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Dynamic CPU management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
File-based plug-in processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Working with MAS plug-ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Working with Audio Unit plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Using effect presets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Busing, master faders & aux tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Monitoring system performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Copying and pasting effect settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Plug-ins from other companies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Plug-in Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tempo-locked effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Channel configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Side chain inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Making a plug-in effect permanent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
The amount of effects processing you can apply at one time

has no inherent limit in AudioDesk. Instead, it depends on
how fast your Mac is: the faster the computer, the more real
time effects you can use simultaneously.
Using real-time effects plug-ins
Applying real-time audio effects plug-ins to your audio
tracks is straightforward: just choose the desired plug-in
from one of the insert menus for the track in the Mixing
Board as shown in Figure 42-1 on page 230. The Effects
window appears with the settings for the plug-in. If the
Effects window is already open, you can choose the effect
from the menu provided at the top of the window.
Figure 42-1: AudioDesk provides real time effects plug-ins for audio tracks.
All of the features in the Effects window apply to real-time

audio effects, including using the Bypass button to
temporarily remove the effect. See chapter 41, Effects
Window (page 226) for details about using the Effects
window.
230
Automatic latency (delay) compensation

AudioDesk provides automatic latency compensation for all
real-time audio plug-ins and virtual instruments. For details,
see Automatic plug-in latency (delay) compensation on
page 16.
REAL-TIME VERSUS RENDERED EFFECTS

Effects on disk tracks are pre-rendered when the Effects
window is closed. This provides enhanced performance,
allowing you to use more effects plug-ins with lower CPU
usage. When opening and closing the plug-in window, you
may briefly hear the original, unaffected sound.
The Effects Window mini-menu (see Effects window minimenu on page 227) provides an option to address this
behavior. When the Run this instance in real-time menu item
is checked (enabled), you will not hear this brief sound when
opening and closing the plug-in window. The consequence,
however, is that you will not gain any performance
enhancement when the window is closed as the plug-in
output will not be pre-rendered. Plug-in automation is not
affected by this option.
Figure 42-2: Effects window real-time options
You can choose for a particular plug-in to always default to

running in real-time. In any instance of the plug-in, check
(enable) the Default to real-time mini-menu item. New
instances of this plug-in will instantiate with Run this
instance in realtime enabled. You can always change the realtime status of any instance, regardless of the default
preference.
In some situations, effects always run in real-time. For
example, if an effect is instantiated on an aux track or
instrument track, it always runs in real time. Here are a few
other situations in which effects always run in real time:
all powered plug-ins, such as Universal Audio UAD-1
effects and TC Electronic PowerCore effects
post-fader effects
mono-to-stereo effects
any effects that follow the effects described above in the

signal chain
DYNAMIC CPU MANAGEMENT

All of the included effects plug-ins supplied with AudioDesk
support Dynamic CPU Management. This means that they
automatically and temporarily shut themselves off when they
are not receiving an audio signal. In other words, when the
plug-in would otherwise be generating silence, it disables
itself until it receives more audio from the track on which it is
instantiated. Doing so eliminates the processing demand
that the plug-in imposes on your host computers CPU when
the plug-in would otherwise be generating silence. When the
plug-in needs to process more audio, it re-activates itself so
that it can do its job. This process happens automatically, and
there are no settings or preferences involved.
Heres an example: lets say that youve placed eVerb on a
backup vocals track, but the backup vocals only come in
during the chorus. In this example, the eVerb plug-in would
be idle during the verses, and any other portions of the song
where there are no background vocals. Therefore, Dynamic
CPU Management would temporarily disable eVerb during
these idle periods. During the chorus, eVerb would
automatically reactivate itself in plenty of time to process the
background vocals, and it will continue to process after the
vocals stop, until the reverb tail dies away completely.
Working with the Performance Monitor
The amount of CPU bandwidth that dynamic management
saves you depends on the project, the plug-ins being used,
how frequently and continuously they actually process
audio, and many other circumstantial factors. As a result, the
CPU meter in the Performance window should play a more
dynamic role in how you manage your CPU system
resources. Youll want to keep an eye on it during playback to
monitor portions of your sequences where CPU usage is
highest, as the amount of CPU usage may vary considerably
during the course of a song. Train yourself to monitor CPU
peaks.
Similarly, when you instantiate a new plug-in on a track, you
wont see its initial impact on the CPU meter right away.
Rather, youll see its impact on the meter when you play back
the sequence and actually run audio through the plug-in.
In summary:
Watch the CPU meter for peaks during playback over the
entire duration of the project.
After adding a new plug-in, check CPU usage during
playback, when the plug-in is actually processing audio.
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AUDIO EFFECTS PROCESSING
Other CPU conservation techniques

All of the techniques for conserving CPU bandwidth
discussed elsewhere in this guide (and the Getting Started
booklet) can also help conserve your computers processing
power. Dynamic CPU Management simply enhances the
state of efficiency in your system.
Previewing a file-based plug-in

When applying audio plug-ins from the Audio menu> Audio
Plug-ins sub-menu, you can preview the effect before
applying it permanently:
Supported plug-ins
Dynamic CPU Management is supported by all included
real-time audio plug-ins that ship with AudioDesk, such as
Preamp-1, eVerb, Plate, etc.
Third-party MAS plug-ins can also support Dynamic CPU
Management, but they may need to be modified to do so.
Contact the developer of the third-party plug-in for further
information.
AudioDesk handles Dynamic CPU Management for Audio
Unit effect plug-ins, so most AUs will benefit from this
feature as well. In some cases, the AU plug-in may need to be
modified slightly to support AudioDesks Dynamic CPU
Management.
FILE-BASED PLUG-IN PROCESSING

File-based processing does not occur in real time. Instead, it
is applied similarly to AudioDesks PureDSP time-stretching
and pitch-shifting features: you select soundbites to be
processed (using one of AudioDesks many methods for
selecting soundbites), and then you apply the plug-in by
choosing it from the Audio menu. A window appears for the
plug-in, you make settings, preview the settings (if
previewing is available), and then click OK. When you do, a
new audio file is created on your hard drive that consists of
the original soundbites with the effect applied to them. Like
PureDSP, processing occurs in the background.
All MAS plug-ins can be applied as file-based processing.
Reverse
There is one plug-in that is provided as a file-based plug-in
only (in the Audio menu only): Reverse.
Figure 42-3: When you apply a plug-in as a region operation from the Audio menu
Plug-ins sub-menu, use the controls at the bottom of the window to preview the
effect before applying it.
When you click the Preview button, the currently selected

region loops continuously until you click the Stop button (or
click anywhere outside the effect window). Parameter
adjustments can be heard in real time as you change them. A
preroll and postroll amount can be added to the beginning
and end of the currently selected region for previewing
purposes.
These previewing features can also be used for Audio Units
being applied as region operations.
WORKING WITH MAS PLUG-INS

AudioDesk can host MOTU Audio System (MAS) plug-ins.
The MAS specification is a plug-in standard developed by
MOTU that has been adopted by audio plug-in developers to
optimize their products for use with AudioDesk. You can
install MAS plug-ins on your computer and use them from
within AudioDesk. The plug-in may also be supplied and
installed in other plug-in formats as well for use with other
host applications.
Installing MAS plug-ins
AudioDesk looks for plug-ins in these two locations on your
computers hard drive:
Location
Path
User library directory
/Users/current user/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/MAS
System library directory
/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/MAS
The user library directory refers to the user who is currently

logged in to Mac OS X.
232
Depending on how they were installed, plug-ins for

AudioDesk are placed in one of these two locations. If plugins are installed into the user library directory, they are
installed for the user who is currently logged in to Mac OS X
at the time of installation.
Organizing MAS plug-ins
You can organize the plug-ins across the system and user
library directory locations as you prefer, with the following
rules in mind:
Plug-ins are bound to log-in access. For example, plug-ins
that are placed in a user directory are available only when
that user is logged in. This allows you to maintain different
sets of AudioDesk plug-ins in multi-user environments.
Installing AUs
AudioDesk looks for AU plug-ins in these two locations on
your computers hard drive:
Location
Path
User library directory
/Users/current user/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/
Components
System library directory
/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Components
The user library directory refers to the user who is currently

logged in to Mac OS X.
Never duplicate a plug-in across the system and user

directories (although you could duplicate a plug-in across
multiple user directories, since only one user directory is
active at a time).
You can organize plug-ins into folders, as explained in the

next section.
Plug-in folders
If you have a lot of plug-ins, the plug-in insert menus in the
Mixing Board can get long and unwieldy. You can make
AudioDesks plug-in menus more manageable by organizing
your plug-ins into sub-folders. For example, you could
organize them by category (EQs, dynamics processing,
mastering, reverbs, third party, etc.), or any way you wish.
Just make sure these sub-folders reside in the same MAS
folder as the plug-ins. The sub-folders appear by name in
AudioDesks plug-in menus, with a sub-menu of plug-ins for
each folder.
Only one level of folder hierarchy is supported; in other
words, if you put folders inside folders inside folders, you
wont get corresponding hierarchical sub-menus in
AudioDesk. Plug-ins are categorized only by their containing
folder.
For third party plug-ins that operate using a shell plug-in,
youll see one menu item for the shell and a sub-menu for
each plug-in operating under that shell. Shell plug-ins may
support alternative methods of categorizing their hosted
effects. Consult the documentation for the shell plug-in, or
contact the third party plug-in developer for details.
WORKING WITH AUDIO UNIT PLUG-INS

AudioDesk can host Audio Unit (AU) plug-ins. The AU
specification is a plug-in standard developed by Apple that is
widely adopted by music and audio software developers. You
can install AUs on your computer, and use them from within
AudioDesk or other host applications that support them.
If AU plug-ins are installed into the user library directory,

they are installed for the user who is currently logged in to
Mac OS X at the time of installation.
AUs cannot be organized into sub-folders. However, if you
have more than one AU installed from a particular vender
(i.e. Apple), then all the AUs from that vendor are grouped
together in a sub-menu.
Launching AudioDesk after installing new AUs
The AU specification is continuing to evolve, and AU
developers are modifying and improving their plug-ins on
an on-going basis to conform to the AU specification as it
develops. MOTU has worked closely with Apple and many
AU developers to ensure compatibility and smooth
performance. Always try to stay current with the latest
versions of the AUs you use.
When you first run AudioDesk after installing one or more
new AUs, AudioDesk examines them during the loading
process, checking them for problems. This process may take
a few minutes, depending on the nature and quantity of the
AUs installed in your system. Each plug-in is examined only
once, the first time it is loaded by AudioDesk. On subsequent
launches, AUs that have already been examined will not be
examined again. If a problem is detected with a particular
AU, it will not be loaded for use in AudioDesk to prevent
crashing and other serious problems.
You can choose to skip the examination of a particular plugin, in which case it is not loaded and will not be available for
use in that particular session. Skipped plug-ins can be
examined later, the next time you launch AudioDesk.
If you wish to completely remove an AU so that it will not be
examined or loaded, simply remove it from the Components
folder where it is installed.
If a problem is detected with a particular AU, it will not be
loaded for use in AudioDesk to prevent crashing and other
serious problems. In the event that problems are found, the
233
plug-in will be disabled and will not be loaded by

AudioDesk. Contact the developer for information about
updates for the AU.
Using AUs
Audio Unit effects plug-ins operate in the same manner as
MAS effect plug-ins, as described in this chapter. Just choose
them from the desired effect insert and you are ready to go.
For details about using Audio Unit plug-in presets, see
Audio Unit presets on page 228.
USING EFFECT PRESETS

Many audio effect plug-ins provide factory presets, and you
can also save and recall your own presets. See Saving,
loading, and editing presets on page 227.
BUSING, MASTER FADERS & AUX TRACKS

AudioDesk provides a flexible virtual mixing environment.
You can take advantage of features like the internal audio
buses to apply effects as needed and even conserve your
computers processing power by busing multiple tracks to the
same effect insert. You can also apply effects to aux tracks and
master faders as pre or post fader effects. For details, see
chapter 39, Mixing (page 199) for more ideas about how to
work with real time audio effects within AudioDesks virtual
mixing environment.
Another way to conserve CPU power is to place an effect,

such as reverb, on an aux track and then bus other tracks to
the aux track. By doing so, you avoid having to needlessly
apply the reverb effect multiple times, which uses much more
CPU power than applying the reverb once on the aux track.
COPYING AND PASTING EFFECT SETTINGS

You can copy and paste effect parameters from one insert to
another. Just choose Copy from the Edit menu while a
specific inserts effect is being displayed, switch to a different
insert with another effect, and choose Paste. Even if the
destination plug-in is completely different, any parameters of
the same kind are pasted.
PLUG-INS FROM OTHER COMPANIES

The MOTU Audio System and Audio Unit plug-in
architectures are open systems. Other companies have
developed plug-ins that are compatible with the MOTU
Audio System, as either MAS or AU plug-ins, running in real
time on your Mac with no extra hardware required.
PLUG-IN AUTOMATION
All of AudioDesks plug-ins can be automated in real time.
For complete information, see chapter 40, Mix Automation
(page 212).
MONITORING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Real-time audio effects can require a significant amount of
CPU bandwidth (your computers processing power). The
speed of your computer determines how many effects you
will be able to apply at one time. Use the Performance window
to keep an eye on how much of your CPU bandwidth you are
using up with your plug-ins.
Figure 42-5: Click this Auto (automation) button to access the automation
settings menu for this track.
TEMPO-LOCKED EFFECTS
Some plug-ins allow you to lock certain parameters, such as
an LFO, to the tempo of your sequence. This allows the effect
to stay in sync with the beat of your music.
Figure 42-4: The CPU meter in the Performance window shows you how much of
your Mac processing power is being used by the MOTU Audio System and the realtime effects plug-ins that are currently active. If any of the meters reach yellow, you
should consider reducing the number of plug-ins you are using.
The Performance window can be opened by choosing

Performance from the Studio menu.
Some effects use virtually no bandwidth when bypassed.
Others may require some bandwidth when bypassed, but
generally much less than when they are active.
For details on tempo-locking effects included with

AudioDesk, see Tempo lock on page 2 in the AudioDesk
Plug-ins Guide. For details on tempo-locking third-party
effects, refer to their documentation.
CHANNEL CONFIGURATIONS
AudioDesk allows you to configure your system with a
combination of mono and stereo signal paths. For more
details, see Channel configurations on page 2 in the
AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide.
234
SIDE CHAIN INPUTS

A side chain input allows you to route any audio directly into
the plug-in itself to control a parameter with the side chain
input signal. For MAS plug-ins, the side chain input menu
appears within the plug-in itself.
To use the side chain input, you choose a bus from the menu,
and then route a signal to the bus from any source you want
in AudioDesks mixing environment (a track, a live aux
input, etc.).
Several included plug-ins have side chain inputs, including
the Dynamics, Ring Modulator, and the Multimode Filter;
refer to the AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide for more information.
MAKING A PLUG-IN EFFECT PERMANENT

Figure 42-6: The side chain input in a MAS plug-in (Dynamics).
For AU plug-ins, the menu appears in the Effects window

controls.
All real-time plug-ins that appear in the Mixing Board

window effects inserts also appear in the Audio menu > Plugins sub-menu. To apply them, you can select audio in any
window you prefer.
Figure 42-7: The side chain input in an AU plug-in.
235
CHAPTER 43
OVERVIEW
PERFORMING CONVERSIONS
The Convert Audio File command in the Soundbites window

mini-menu allows you to change the sample rate, sample
format (bit depth), file format, and interleave format of an
audio file or soundbite. You can change:
To open the Audio File Conversion window, select a

soundbite or audio file and choose Convert Audio File from
the Soundbites window mini-menu.
sample rate: any sample rate between 1 kHz and 200 kHz
sample format: 16-bit integer or 24-bit integer
file format: Broadcast WAVE, AIFF, or Sound Designer II
interleave format: interleaved or deinterleaved
Like AudioDesks other constructive DSP processes, these

conversions can occur in the background.
Performing conversions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Converting the sample rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Converting the sample format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Converting the file format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Converting the interleave format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Converting entire audio files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Soundbite replacement options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Automatic Conversions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Figure 43-1: The Audio File Conversion dialog.
Using the check box next to each section, each conversion

operation can be turned on or off to perform any
combination of operations.
CONVERTING THE SAMPLE RATE

To sample rate convert some audio, select one or more
soundbites in the Soundbites window list, and choose
Convert Audio File from the Soundbites window mini-menu.
The Audio File Conversion dialog appears.
Changing the recognized sample rate for an audio file
When checked, the Only change the files recognized sample
rate but do not process the files audio option changes the
sample rate attribute for the audio file, but it does not actually
process or otherwise alter the audio data in the file. Use this
command in situations where the sample rate being reported
by the file (as listed in AudioDesks Soundbites window, or
the info window in other audio applications) erroneously
does not match the actual sample rate of the audio contained
in the file.
236
CONVERTING THE SAMPLE FORMAT
SOUNDBITE REPLACEMENT OPTIONS
The Convert Sample Format section of the Audio File

Conversion window, as shown in Figure 43-1, allows you to
change the sample format of an audio file or soundbite. You
can change to 16 bit integer or 24 bit integer. Like
AudioDesks other file-based constructive DSP processes,
sample format conversion can occur in the background.
In AudioDesk, sample rate and sample format conversion is a

constructive editing process, which means that it always
generates new audio files and preserves the original ones.
Several options are provided to specify what to do with the
old audio, and how to replace existing soundbites.
Dither
AudioDesk incorporates dither when converting to a lower
bit depth rather than truncating the extra bits to ensure
the smoothest possible conversion.
CONVERTING THE FILE FORMAT

In the File Format section of the Audio File Conversion
window, you can convert the file format of your audio files
between Broadcast WAVE, AIFF, and Sound Designer II. You
can convert from any format to any other.
If the Replace soundbites and Convert entire audio file options

are chosen, you may also enable the Move the original file to
the trash option.
AudioDesk can perform certain conversions automatically.
For more information, see Automatic Conversions on
page 86.
Note that if a files sample format is 32-bit floating point,

when converting the file format to Sound Designer II the
resulting files sample format will be converted to 24-bit
integer (32-bit floating point is not supported with Sound
Designer II files).
CONVERTING THE INTERLEAVE FORMAT

Interleaved audio uses one file for all channels, while
deinterleaved uses one file for each channel. In the Interleave
Format section of the Audio File Conversion window, you
can convert the interleave format of your audio files between
interleaved and deinterleaved.
CONVERTING ENTIRE AUDIO FILES

When you choose a soundbite for sample rate or sample
format conversion, you can choose between converting only
the soundbite itself (the portion of the audio file that falls
within the soundbite) or the entire parent audio file. If you
will need to use other parts of a audio file (edge editing the
converted soundbites, for example), you should choose to
convert the whole file.
237
AUDIO FILE CONVERSION
CHAPTER 44
PureDSP Basics
OVERVIEW
This chapter gives you a brief overview of AudioDesks audio
time-scaling and pitch-shifting capabilities. It then discusses
the following important topics that are common to all of
AudioDesks Digital Signal Processing (DSP) tasks:
PureDSP audio processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Selecting audio for processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Constructive editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Audio quality is preserved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Handling lengthy processing tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Soundbite preferences for PureDSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
PureDSP AUDIO PROCESSING

AudioDesks PureDSP capabilities give you the ability to:
Change the pitch of audio without changing its tempo (see
The Pitch Shift command on page 242)
Change the length or tempo of audio without affecting the
pitch (see Graphic time stretching of audio on page 139)
SELECTING AUDIO FOR PROCESSING

Most of the DSP commands allow you to select audio data in
all of the usual ways. as discussed in chapter 31, Selecting
(page 157).
CONSTRUCTIVE EDITING
original soundbite to create the very latest version. The same

is true for pitch-shifting. This allows you to freely timestretch and pitch-shift audio consecutively as many times as
you like without worry about artifacts that may arise due to
multiple time-stretch or pitch-shift operations applied to the
same audio. The results will always be the same as if you
time-stretched or pitch-shifted the original soundbite.
The link between soundbites and their original source
soundbites can be viewed in the Soundbites window. For
details, see Viewing soundbite sources hierarchically with
By Folder view on page 72.
HANDLING LENGTHY PROCESSING TASKS

AudioDesks DSP processing requires a great deal of
computation, and may be applied to audio files containing
millions of samples, so it may take many seconds or even
minutes to complete a single command. However, to prevent
you from staring at progress bars, AudioDesk has several
features that allow you to be as productive as possible during
lengthy processing tasks:
Audio file analysis that is done separately before the actual

processing and saved on disk so that it does not need to be
recalculated every time you invoke a DSP task
All of AudioDesks DSP functions are constructive edits.

AudioDesk never modifies your original audio files. When
you pitch-shift or time-scale an audio selection, AudioDesk
creates new audio files to hold the new audio data. This
means you can always go back to the original if need be; its
always your decision, if you want to delete original source
material.
The following sections further discuss these features.
In order to help you work faster, AudioDesk doesnt waste

your time with dialog boxes asking you where you want to
put the new files, and what you want to call them. Audio files
are automatically created in the same folder as the original,
with a name that indicates which soundbite or audio file it is
based on. If you want to rename or move the file, you can feel
free to do so at your leisure.
When you use one of the commands that initiates

background processing, such as Pitch Shift, AudioDesk
immediately creates new Soundbites for the resulting audio.
As long as the new soundbites are under construction, their
waveforms appear as an empty outline in the Edit window as
shown in Figure 44-1, so you can tell at a glance when they
are finished.
Because audio processing can take time, AudioDesk does all
of its PureDSP processing in the background, allowing you
to continue editing, playing, or even recording while its
working.
AUDIO QUALITY IS PRESERVED

AudioDesk keeps track of where a soundbite came from. For
example, if you time-stretch a soundbite, creating a new
audio file at the new tempo, AudioDesk remembers its
original soundbite. If you then time-stretch the already
stretched soundbite, instead of just stretching the alreadystretched soundbite again, AudioDesk refers back to the
238
Automatic background analysis

By default, AudioDesk will analyze audio only when needed.
However, analysis can be set to automatically analyze any
audio files used by your project that have not been analyzed
yet. This analysis goes on in the background, so it does not
interfere with your work. And by the time you need to pitchshift or time-scale a soundbite, it will probably already be
analyzed, so the processing will take a fraction of the time.
Figure 44-1: Audio that is being processed in the background is drawn with a
hollow waveform.
When processing is complete, the waveform fills in solid to

indicate that it is finished and ready to be played back. You
can do just about any type of editing on a hollow waveform,
such as cut, copy, paste, split, and even edge editing. The only
commands that dont work are ones that require knowledge
of the sample data, such as Merge Soundbites.
Editing audio that is under construction
After the new constructed soundbites appear, the
Background Processing window will open so that you can
see the progress of the transposition. However, you do not
need to wait; you can continue editing, recording, playing
back, or whatever. It is perfectly fine to move, duplicate, split,
trim, or even edge edit these unfinished soundbites.
However, commands such as Bounce to Disk, which need to
know the actual sample data, will not work on these
soundbites until they are done being constructed. This will
be described in more detail in chapter 45, Background
Processing (page 240).
The Background Processing window
The Background Processing window shows the status of
tasks being completed by background processing. You can
see the queue of tasks waiting to be done. For more
information, see chapter 45, Background Processing
(page 240).
In the Background Processing preferences, you have the

option of turning on automatic analysis, which may be
desirable if you do a lot of pitch shift and/or time-stretching.
See Background processing preferences on page 240 for
details.
Analysis Files
For the most part, you dont need to think much about
analysis files. AudioDesk creates them automatically, and
uses them to do DSP functions. They are stored in a folder
called Analysis Files in your project folder.
If you use the same audio file in multiple projects, you should
be aware that AudioDesk knows not to create multiple
analyses for the same audio file.
AudioDesk attempts to delete the analysis file when you
delete a audio file. However, if you delete audio files in the
Finder, rather than with the Delete command in the
Soundbites window, AudioDesk has no way of knowing this.
In this case, you will probably want to delete the analysis file
yourself. Since AudioDesk can always reanalyze a audio file,
there is no harm in throwing out an analysis file, except that
you may need to wait for the audio file to be analyzed again
later.
SOUNDBITE PREFERENCES FOR PureDSP

As shown in Figure 28-13 on page 150, the popup menus in
the Sound File Information window show the Transpose
preference and the Time Compress/Expand preference for
the selected soundbite or soundbites. For complete
information about setting these preferences, see Soundbite
preferences for PureDSP on page 150.
Audio file analysis

Before pitch-shifting or time-stretching a soundbite,
AudioDesk needs to perform a sophisticated analysis of the
audio data. The actual pitch-shifting or time-stretching is
relatively fast, but the analysis can take a while. Therefore,
AudioDesk saves the results of the analysis in an analysis file,
so that any given audio file only needs to be analyzed once.
Analysis files are created automatically, and are kept in a
folder called Analysis Files in the project folder.
239
PUREDSP
BASICS
CHAPTER 45
OVERVIEW
This chapter explains what background processing is, how to
control it with the Background Processing window, and,
finally, how to set it up the way you like and then forget about
it.
Background Processing window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Background processing and Undo/Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Background processing preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
As explained in Handling lengthy processing tasks on
page 238, all of AudioDesks DSP processing is done in the
background. This means that the computer is splitting its
time up between working on the background task,
responding to your commands, and playing or recording.
AudioDesk tries to be as responsive as possible while you are
actively editing, playing or recording, and tries to give as
much time as possible to background tasks when you are not.
BACKGROUND PROCESSING WINDOW

The main purpose of the Background Processing window is
to show you how many tasks are pending, which task is being
processed, and how much work is left to do for that task. You
may also see a list of all pending tasks, and cancel or reorder
the tasks.
Progress
bar
Task priority
Tasks for preemptively analyzing audio files are less
important that those that are working on a command that
you initiated. For this reason, AudioDesk will always work on
these higher-priority commands first. AudioDesk is capable
of interrupting the analysis of a audio file and continuing it
later. So if you use the Pitch-Shift command to transpose a
soundbite while another audio file is being analyzed,
AudioDesk will interrupt the analysis to do your
transposition first.
The task list
You can enlarge the window with the grow box or the zoom
button to see a list of tasks being processed, or waiting to be
processed. There is one line for each task, which gives the
name of the soundbite or audio file to be processed. (Some
tasks only affect one soundbite, but if the selection contains
soundbites that overlap or are neighboring within the audio
file, AudioDesk is able to process them all in a single task.)
Queued tasks
Tasks waiting to be processed are displayed in lavender.
Cancelling tasks
The cancel task buttons (Figure 45-1 on page 240) allow you
to cancel the execution of a background task.
Running stopped tasks
If a task was stopped due to an error, you can click it in the
Background Processing list to select it and choose Run
Stopped Task Again from the mini-menu to restart the task.
BACKGROUND PROCESSING AND UNDO/REDO

Cancel task
button
Figure 45-1: The Background Processing window displays a queue of tasks that are
being processed or analyzed. Tasks are automatically prioritized: preemptive
analysis tasks, for example, are placed at the end of the list, behind higher priority
tasks such as processing youve initiated with editing commands such as pitchshifting.
Background Tasks
There are many types of background processing tasks:
analyzing audio files (for future PureDSP effects processing),
generating new audio files from constructive audio edits
such as sample-rate conversion, copying audio files, and
more.
The Undo/Redo command works as usual with background

processing: if you do something that initiates background
processing, you can undo and redo it as much as you like
until you do something else.
BACKGROUND PROCESSING PREFERENCES

AudioDesks background processing features are fine-tuned
for Mac OS Xs advanced real-time thread priority
management features. Therefore, background processing
tasks never have an impact on AudioDesks overall
performance. You may, however, still wish to fine tune
AudioDesks background processing operation to fit your
exact needs. Therefore, several background processing
preferences have been added.
240
Choose Background Processing Preferences from the

Background Processing window mini-menu. The
Background Processing preferences dialog has the following
options:
Analyze audio files for DSP as soon as possible vs. Wait

until analysis is needed
AudioDesk can be set to preemptively analyze all audio
files for which there are soundbites in the Soundbites
window. This option is off by default. If you intend to do a lot
of pitch shifting and time stretching, you may want to

consider switching to Analyze audio files for DSP as soon as
possible.
Mute Soundbites under construction vs. Play the old,
unprocessed Soundbites
By default, AudioDesk will not play any audio for a soundbite
that is still under construction by Background Processing. In
general, this is preferable, since the old audio is likely in the
wrong key or at the wrong tempo to be played with the rest of
the sequence. However, if you would prefer to hear the old,
unprocessed audio, you can choose the appropriate button.
Open and close Background Processing window
automatically
This preference is off by default. If enabled, AudioDesk will
open the Background Processing window whenever there are
tasks to be done, and close it automatically when there are no
tasks. If you would rather keep the window closed all the
time, or open all the time, you may want to leave this feature
disabled.
241
CHAPTER 46
Transposing Audio
OVERVIEW
The Pitch Shift command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Fine-tuning audio by cents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Selecting audio for pitch-shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Two kinds of pitch-shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Tips for successful pitch shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
THE PITCH SHIFT COMMAND

The Pitch Shift command (in the Edit menu) allows you to
pitch-shift soundbites. Any soundbites or portions of
soundbites selected will be pitch-shifted.
Figure 46-1: The Pitch Shift command in the Edit menu can be used to transpose
audio.
FINE-TUNING AUDIO BY CENTS

The cents text box lets you pitch-shift microtonally. You may
fine-tune the transposition interval by up to 100 cents in
either direction. (A cent is a 100th of a half-step.)
SELECTING AUDIO FOR PITCH-SHIFTING

You may use any of the methods of selection noted in
Selecting audio for processing on page 238, including
selections made in the Soundbites window.
TWO KINDS OF PITCH-SHIFTING

AudioDesk can do two different kinds of pitch shifting.
Before you transpose, you may use the Transpose preference
in the Sound File Information window as shown in
Figure 28-13 on page 150 to choose either PureDSP or
Standard pitch-shifting, depending on the type of sound.
(Or you can choose the Dont Pitch Shift preference for
soundbites that should not be transposed, such as drums.)
Standard pitch shifting
Standard pitch shifting is similar to what most pitch-shifting
hardware and software does (although the sound quality of
our standard pitch shifting is superior to that of many other
products that do this). It changes the pitch of a sound
without changing the length. However, it does this by
changing all the frequencies within the sound. If you shift by
more than a whole step or so, this leads to the well-known

chipmunk or munchkin effect when shifting up, or a
Darth Vader effect when shifting down.
PureDSP pitch shifting
PureDSP pitch shifting uses a proprietary algorithm to
change the pitch of a sound without changing the character
of the sound. It does this by changing the fundamental
frequency and harmonics of the sound, while preserving the
formants or resonances of the sound.
If PureDSP is so much better than Standard pitch shifting,
why do we provide Standard pitch shifting? Because
PureDSP pitch shifting only works on pitched,
monophonic sounds. It works beautifully for vocals and solo
monophonic instruments. But if you try to transpose drums,
or polyphonic guitar or piano for instance, the results are not
musically useful. In this case, Standard pitch shifting will still
munchkinize, but it is more likely to lead to a musically
useful result (for small intervals, in any case).
How to choose between PureDSP and standard pitch
shifting
See Soundbite preferences for PureDSP on page 239 to
learn how to choose between the two types of pitch shifting.
As soon as you OK the Transpose dialog, the selected
soundbites (or pieces of soundbites, for a time-ruler
selection) are replaced with new soundbites, which are
analyzed and processed in the background as described in
Background Processing on page 238.
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PITCH SHIFTING

In general, if you can use PureDSP, you should, but if it
doesnt produce desirable results, try Standard pitch shifting.
If you are going to record audio that you think you might
need to pitch-shift, its a good idea to make sure not to do
anything that will make it harder for PureDSP to do a good
job:
Dont mix down multiple tracks before pitch-shifting.
Record the audio dry. Effects such as echo, reverb, and

distortion do not have a truly monophonic output, even if
the input is monophonic.
Set your record level high enough to get a good signal-tonoise ratio, but not so high that it clips. (Of course, you
should always do this anyway!)
242
Standard pitch shifting works over a range of at least an

octave in either direction, but the munchkinization effect is
clearly audible even at a whole-step or less. AudioDesks
interface doesnt impose any arbitrary limits on how far you
can transpose, but bear in mind that just because we allow
you to try it doesnt mean itll be musically useful. (Thats
what Undo is for.)
PureDSP pitch shifting has a usable range that is
significantly larger than that of Standard pitch shifting, for
sounds for which it is appropriate. Dry solo vocals usually
sound great shifted up by a third, a fifth, or even an octave.
The useful range when shifting down is smaller. Shifting a
voice down an octave often works if doubled with the
original, but may not be good enough to stand on its own.
We recommend that you experiment with AudioDesks pitch
shifting, and push it to (and past) its limits. You should be
able to develop a feeling for what sort of sounds it works best
for, and over how big of a range, and what might be more iffy.
243
TRANSPOSING AUDIO
Part 9
Mastering
CHAPTER 47
Bounce To Disk
OVERVIEW
Bounce to Disk does exactly as its name implies: it bounces
multiple audio tracks down to a single audio file (or set of
audio files). Original tracks are preserved, and new audio
files are created.
Bouncing allows you to play back many more tracks than you
can play simultaneously on your system by mixing them
down to a single track (or stereo track pair). It is especially
useful for creating a final mix of a project for mastering to CD
or exporting to multimedia or internet applications.
Bouncing is also a great way to create a single, contiguous
audio file out of a track composed of many smaller ones. And
since bouncing occurs in the digital realm, no noise or sonic
degradation is introduced. You can bounce as many times as
you like without introducing any artifacts as a result of
bouncing.
Setting outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Previewing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Bounce to Disk settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Bouncing to Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Bouncing to MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
You can also use the Play Selection command in the Edit
menu to preview the bounce command. But if you do, be
aware that the Play Selection command may ignore the
current mute and solo settings of the selected tracks (Solo &
Play Phrase override mute automation on page 223), so only
select the tracks you actually want to play.
BOUNCE TO DISK SETTINGS

Once youve made the preparations already discussed,
selected the tracks you wish to bounce, and chosen the
Bounce to Disk command from the Audio menu, the Bounce
to Disk dialog appears (Figure 47-1 on page 245).
Destination
SETTING OUTPUTS
All of the tracks you wish to combine in the bounce
operation must be assigned to the same output or bus pair.
The Bounce operation will include everything being routed
to the output pair or bus pair you choose, including sends
that are bussed in from tracks assigned to other outputs. So
be sure to assign all the tracks (and sends) you wish to
include in the bounce to the same output pair or bus pair
before bouncing.
PREVIEWING
After making the necessary output settings (if needed),
bouncing to disk is a simple two step process: select any
portion of one or more audio tracks and then choose Bounce
to Disk from the Audio menu. The results of the bounce will
sound exactly the same as what you selected, including
volume/pan automation, mute/solo settings, real time
effects, EQ and any other real time effects that are applied to
the selected tracks. Basically, what you hear when you play
the sequence back is what you will get in the resulting
mixdown.
Figure 47-1: AudioDesks Bounce to Disk feature (in the Audio menu).
File Format
The File Format menu (Figure 47-1) lets you bounce to
variety of file formats or destinations (Figure 47-2).
To use the projects current file format and interleaved
format, choose Project Format.
The Core Audio file formats, which are supplied by Mac OS
X, always create interleaved files.
For details about bouncing to the MP3 format, see
Bouncing to MP3 on page 247.
To preview the results of the bounce, solo the tracks you wish
to include in the bounce and play back the sequence.
245
Supported fixed bit depths include 8, 16 or 24 bit integer. You

can also choose 32 bit Floating Point, if the format youve
chosen (Figure 47-2) supports this resolution. If not, this
menu choice is grayed out.
Choose Project Default to use the current project sample
format. If you choose 8 bits (a sample format not supported
by AudioDesk for playback), the Import option below will
force you to choose the Do not import setting.
Figure 47-2: The Bounce to Disk File Format menu.
Channels
The Channels menu (Figure 47-1) lets you choose the
channel format for the bounced material with four choices
(Figure 47-3):
Figure 47-3: The Bounce to Disk Channels menu.
Mono (no attenuation)

Mono creates a single monophonic audio file. AudioDesk
simply sums the left and right channels of the outputs of the
source tracks, so there is a possibility that the resulting mono
mix might clip, even when the source material does not. If
this is the case, undo the bounce operation, adjust the levels
of the source tracks and bounce again.
Mono (with 3.5 dB attenuation)
When bouncing to mono, this option preserves the level
when bouncing a signal that is panned center. The
attenuation compensates for the 3.5 dB boost you get from
summing the left and right channels of a centered signal with
equal-power panning.
Stereo (two mono files)
The Stereo option (Figure 47-3) creates a stereo file. If an
interleaved format is chosen, Stereo creates an interleaved
stereo file. If a deinterleaved format is chosen, Stereo creates
two mono audio files with the same file name, but with .L or
.R appended to the end of the file names.
Sample Format
The Sample Format menu (Figure 47-1) lets you choose the
bit depth for the bounced audio (Figure 47-4):
Figure 47-4: The Bounce to Disk Sample Format menu.
Supported resolutions
8-bit resolution it typically applied to audio that will be used
in multimedia and internet applications because it
significantly reduces the size of the audio files, halving the
bandwidth required to deliver the sound. When you are
bouncing down to 8-bit audio, you may want to apply
AudioDesks Dynamics/Compressor (or a third-party
dynamics plug-in of your choice) to the mix to counteract
the effect of halving the dynamic range that results from
going to 8 bits.
16-bit resolution is the standard resolution for compact disc
audio.
24-bit audio provides greater resolution and headroom and
is used by many mastering systems.
32-bit floating point audio file resolution is an emerging
standard used for high-end recording, mixing and mastering
applications. AudioDesks mix engine employs 32-bit
floating point precision throughout, as do other advanced
digital audio workstation systems. If you plan to use the
bounced material with AudioDesk or another system that
supports 32-bit floating point processing, this option is a
good way to preserve and carry over the floating point
precision employed by these systems.
Import
The Import menu lets you choose what to do with the audio
file(s) generated by the bounce operation. If you choose Do
not import, the file will be created on the hard drive but it will
not be imported into AudioDesk. Otherwise, you can import
the audio file into the Soundbites window or into the current
sequence as a new audio track. If you have chosen a format
not supported by AudioDesk, you will not be allowed to
choose either of these import options.
Source
The Source menu (Figure 47-1) displays all output and bus
bundles currently defined in the AudioDesk project (see
chapter 20, Audio Bundles). Use the Source menu to
indicate the output or bus bundle that you wish to capture in
the bounce. All tracks that are currently selected and routed
to or bussed to the source bundle you choose will be
included in the bounce operation.
246
BOUNCE TO DISK
File name
In the File Name field (Figure 47-1), type in the desired name
for the resulting audio file(s). If multiple files are generated
(due to a deinterleaved stereo bounce operation),
appropriate file extensions will be appended to the end of
each file name to indicate its channel (.L and .R).
Destination
The destination (Figure 47-1) displays the disk location for
the resulting audio file(s) created by the bounce operation.
Click the Choose button to change it.
Overwrite Existing Files
Normally when you Bounce to Disk, AudioDesk generates a
new file name one that does not conflict with existing files
on your disk. However, if you check the Overwrite Existing
Files option (Figure 47-1), then AudioDesk will overwrite
any file (or set of files for split stereo files) of the same name.
Preparing for MP3 export

AudioDesks MP3 export feature requires the L.A.M.E. MP3
codec, an MP3 encoder developed freely on the internet by
the open source community. The LAME encoder is not
included with (or installed by) AudioDesk. You must obtain
it separately from the web. To prepare for MP3 export, you
must first search for the LAME codec on the internet,
download it and then place it in the Frameworks folder on
your computer, as shown below in Figure 47-6. Try entering
the phrase LAME Framework into Google or other web
search engine. You are looking for the Mac OS X compatible
build of the LAME codec, and it is called a Framework.
If the Import option on page 246 is currently set to Add to

sequence or Add to soundbites window, then the OverWrite
Existing Files option is grayed out.
BOUNCING TO DISK
After youve made the settings discussed above, click OK to
begin the bounce. AudioDesk displays a progress window
that shows the progress of the bounce operation.
Processing occurs faster than real time in most situations and
there is therefore no playback during bouncing. The speed of
the processing, however, not only depends on how fast your
computer is, it also depends on how many tracks you have
selected for bouncing. If what you have selected can be
played by your computer, then processing during bouncing
will probably occur faster than real time. If you have selected
more tracks than you can play at one time, then processing
speed may not necessarily occur faster than real time.
Figure 47-6: The L.A.M.E. codec comes in the form of a folder called LAME.framework. Put it into the Frameworks folder as shown here.
MP3 export options

Once you have installed the LAME.framework as explained
above, you will be allowed to choose the L.A.M.E. audio
export: MP3 format when bouncing to disk or exporting, as
shown in Figure 47-2 and Figure 14-11 on page 76. When
you choose this format, you will see the following MP3
export options:
Figure 47-5: The progress window for the Bounce command.
BOUNCING TO MP3
As shown in the menus in Figure 47-2 on page 246,
AudioDesk can export audio to the MP3 audio file format,
either using the Bounce to Disk command or the Export
Selected Soundbites command in the Soundbites window
mini-menu.
Figure 47-7: The MP3 export options.
If you dont have any specific needs or requirements for your

MP3 file, the default settings in the MP3 export options
window will give you very good results. If you have specific
needs, the export options give you the following choices:
Channels: The choices here are Mono, Stereo or Auto. This

option lets you force the MP3 to be either Mono or Stereo. If
you want the MP3 to automatically match the channel format
247
BOUNCE TO DISK
(mono or stereo) of the source material, use the Auto setting.

Mono files are about half the size of stereo files. Mono is
appropriate if you dont have stereo speakers or if your audio
files are monaural. If youll be listening to your MP3 files
using your stereo system, choose Stereo or Auto.
Encoding mode: This option lets you specify the bit rate
Stereo mode: The two choices here are Normal and Joint
Encoding mode
What it does
Explanation
Stereo. In Normal mode, your MP3 files contain one track for
the right stereo channel and one track for the left. In many
cases, the two channels contain related information. In Joint
Stereo mode, one channel carries the information that is
identical on both channels, and the other channel carries the
unique information. At bit rates of 128 kbps and below, this
can improve the sound quality of your converted audio.
Generally, Joint Stereo mode is the best choice.
Variable Bit Rate

(VBR) Standard
Varies the bit rate as

needed, depending on
the material.
In general, youll get the

best results with this
option (the best sound and
the smallest file).
Variable Bit Rate

(VBR) Fast
Same as above, except

that the encoding process will be faster.
The results will still be

good, but perhaps not
quite as good as the standard VBR above.
Average Bit Rate
The bit rate is still variable, but the encoder

restricts the overall
average bit rate of the
entire file to the specific
value you specify in the
Bit Rate menu.
Use this encoding method

if you need to restrict the
file size or overall bandwidth.
Constant Bit Rate
Forces the same bit rate

throughout the file,
regardless of the material.
This gives you the most

control over the file size
and streaming bandwidth.
(number of bits per second). This is an important setting

because it has a high degree of impact on both the file size
and quality of the sound. The four choices are summarized
below:
Output Sample Rate: The choices here are Auto, and a list of
specific bit rates. The best choice is usually the Auto setting,
which makes the MP3 match the source material sample rate
automatically. The sample rate is the number of times per
second that the music waveforms are captured digitally. The
higher the sample rate, the higher the quality and the larger
the file size. Be sure to choose a sample rate that is no higher
than the rate used to originally store the music, or youll
waste disk space and streaming bandwidth. CD quality, for
example, is 44.1 kHz, so choosing a higher rate when youre
encoding from a CD is unnecessary.
Encode quality: The choices here are High, Standard and

Fast. The High setting produces the best results, and the Fast
setting will encode most quickly. The Standard setting is a
trade-off somewhere in the middle between quality and
speed of encoding.
VBR (variable bit rate) quality: This option appears if youve

chosen one of the two VBR encoding modes above. If so, this
option lets you control the quality of VBR encoding on a
scale from 10 (good) to 100 (best).
Bit Rate: This option appears if youve chosen either the

average or constant bit rate encoding modes above. If so, this
option lets you specify the desired bit rate in kilo bits per
second (kbps). The range is from 16 kbps (lowest quality but
smallest file size) to 320 kbps (best quality but largest file
size). For internet distribution of reasonably high-quality
music, 128-160 kbps are common bit rates.
Filter frequencies below 10 hz: Humans cant hear

frequencies below 10 hertz (cycles per second). But these
inaudible frequencies can unnecessarily increase the file size
and adversely affect quality, so youll get better results when
these frequencies are filtered out.
248
BOUNCE TO DISK
CHAPTER 48
Mastering
OVERVIEW
Mastering is the process of preparing your mix for final
delivery on audio compact disc, in MP3 format, or any other
delivery medium of your choice. This chapter discusses
several topics related to mastering that are specific to
AudioDesk. However, there is much more to know about the
art of mastering and the many engineering techniques
involved. The internet is an excellent resource for further
information. As you learn more about general mastering
principles, keep in mind that AudioDesk provides all of the
tools you need to achieve even the most advanced mastering
objectives.
Master fader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Allocating processing power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Real-time bounce to disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Rendering audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Bounce to disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Delivery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
MASTER FADER
The master fader is the most important element in your mix.
If you are not using a master fader on your mix and are
encountering distortion, chances are, you are overloading
the mix bus. The solution for this is very simple. Create a
master fader and assign its output to the same output as the
rest of your faders. This allows you to pull down the over all
level of your mix to avoid distortion.
Limiter
The next step is to apply a limiter to the master fader to
control the overall average level of your mix. For complete
details, see chapter 6, Dynamics (page 9) in the AudioDesk
Plug-ins Guide. Here is a brief overview of how to get started:
1 Set the master fader at unity gain (0.0 dB).
2 Lower the Limiter ceiling to -0.5dB.
3 Set the release to 0.10ms.
4 Press play in AudioDesk.
5 Gradually bring the threshold down until you see gentle
gain reduction in the area of 2 to 4dB. You may have to use
the input gain to bring the mix into the range of the limiter.
Experiment with the threshold control to bring up the overall

average level of your mix.
ALLOCATING PROCESSING POWER

When using a native audio system such as MOTU Audio
System, you may find it necessary to juggle buffer settings
depending on what you wish to accomplish. When finalizing
a mix and then mastering it, your goal should be to maximize
the amount of processing power available for real time
MOTU Audio System effects. One way to do this is to raise
the buffer setting (Buffer Size on page 14). 1024 is a good
setting at which to mix.
Higher buffer settings free up more processing power for
mixing at the expense of increased input monitoring latency.
This may or may not be an issue for you, depending on how
go about mixing and mastering your project. In many cases,
input monitoring latency only comes into play at the
beginning of a recording project when you are first laying
down tracks. While monitoring live input during recording,
you can reduce the buffer size to eliminate monitoring delay
and afterwards raise it again for increased processing power
during mixing and mastering.
While mastering, however, your mix may include real-time
elements (external effects, for example) that require that you
maintain low buffer settings. In this case, you need to do the
best you can to balance your system resources with the
demands of these real-time elements of your mix.
If your project contains only audio (e.g. no real-time input
from aux tracks from external sources), then you are ready to
bounce your project to disk. If your project contains any
external real-time sources (live inputs, effects processors,
etc.), you have two strategies for finishing your mix:
Real-time bounce to disk
Rendering
These techniques are discussed in the next few sections.
REAL-TIME BOUNCE TO DISK

Lets say you have a fairly complex project with external
sources entering AudioDesk via an aux track. If your mix
sounds good at this point, you can perform a real time
bounce to disk as follows:
At this point, you have accomplished a gentle normalization

of your audio.
249
1 Reassign the outputs of all your audio and aux tracks to an

unused stereo bus. You may have to create one if one does not
exist. It might help to use an audio bundle and give it a name
such as my mix bus.
2 Create a new stereo audio track and set the input of the
audio track to the newly created bus (my mix bus). You may
also set the output of your audio track to your original
monitor outs so you can monitor the progress.
3 One final touch: rename the new audio track final mix.
When AudioDesk writes the new file to disk, the file will
assume the track name.
If you open up the Audio Monitor and hit play in the
transport, you should see level representing your mix on
your mix bus. Now you can rewind to the beginning, and
record the entire mix.
External effects compensation
Externally processed tracks can benefit from latency
compensation using the Shift command. For example, you
may decide to send a drum submix out to a vintage
compressor and feed the result back into AudioDesks mixing
board. If the input buffers are set at 256 samples, for example,
you can used the Shift command (Edit menu) to advance
your drum tracks by 256 samples.
RENDERING AUDIO
Another strategy for finishing your mix is to render all
elements of your mix as audio. While this procedure requires
more disk space, these commodities are quite affordable
these days. One strong advantage of this approach is
complete portability. For example, you may open up the
project in the future and find that you dont have access to the
same outboard processing gear. If this is a concern for you, it
may be a good idea to render these elements. Once all the
elements of your mix are rendered as audio, then you can
perform a normal, non-real time bounce to disk.
Rendering external processors

Recording the output of a signal processor does not require
any latency compensation as discussed earlier because it
does not involve real-time monitoring. This is another
advantage to rendering, as it leaves you with one less thing to
worry about.
If you feed an AudioDesk disk track to an external signal
processor and then feed the processor output back into
AudioDesk as a live input, you can precisely compensate for
the delay. See External effects compensation on page 250.
BOUNCE TO DISK
Now that you have rendered all elements of your mix to audio
tracks, you can now touch up your final mix and bounce to
disk. See chapter 47, Bounce To Disk (page 245) for
complete details. Be sure the Add to soundbites window
option is enabled. Name your mix something memorable,
such as final mix.
DELIVERY
AudioDesk supports a variety of native file formats:
interleaved and deinterleaved Broadcast WAVE, AIFF, and
Sound Designer II files, at 16-bit or 24-bit. When you need to
export your mix out of AudioDesk, open the Soundbites
window, select your final mix file and choose Export Selected
Soundbites from the mini-menu. You can export the mix in
all of AudioDesks supported formats and more.
Create an MP3 file
Use AudioDesks Bounce feature or the Export Selected
Soundbites feature mentioned above to export directly to
MP3 file format.
Burn a CD
You can export interleaved files for use with most audio CD
burning software, such as Roxios Toast or Apples iTunes.
250
MASTERING
Part10
Synchronization
CHAPTER 49
Receive Sync
OVERVIEW
The Receive Sync command (Setup menu) allows you to
slave AudioDesk to a variety of master timing sources.
AudioDesk supports MIDI Timecode, the standard MIDI
synchronization format. With a SMPTE-to-MIDI converter
such as MOTUs MIDI Express XT, AudioDesk can sync to
audio tape, video, or film, ensuring that events in your
sequence happen at exactly the same spot on tape or film
every time. AudioDesk also supports sample-accurate digital
audio synchronization with devices that support the ADAT
and Tascam sample-accurate digital audio synchronization
protocols.
Receive Sync basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Basic types of sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Using Receive Sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Choosing a SMPTE frame format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Choosing a SMPTE start frame. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Sync to port menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Sample-accurate sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
MTC (MIDI Time Code) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Slaving to external sync. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Slaving to VITC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Synchronization hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
RECEIVE SYNC BASICS

AudioDesk can run under its own transport control or slave
to an external sync source, such as SMPTE time code or
ADAT sync (sample address).
Do you need to synchronize?
If you dont have any digital audio devices connected to your
MOTU audio hardware, and you have no plans to
synchronize AudioDesk to SMPTE or MIDI Time Code, you
do not have to be concerned with synchronization. Just leave
the Slave to External Sync command in the Setup menu
unchecked. Doing so disables AudioDesks external synchronization features. Then, go to the Setup menu and choose
Configure Audio System>Configure Hardware Driver and set
the Clock Mode setting to Internal
BASIC TYPES OF SYNC

AudioDesk supports Sample Accurate Sync and SMPTE
Time Code (via MIDI Time Code or an analog input on your
MOTU audio interface). These modes are selected in the
Receive Sync settings window. The mode you use depends on
the equipment to which you are synchronizing.
Sample Accurate
Sample-accurate synchronization is the tightest possible
synchronization between two devices. It offers the strong
advantage of exactly preserving the phase relationship
between digital audio tracks in a multitrack project, even
when they are not transferred at the same time. For example,
if you transfer 8 tracks from the ADAT into AudioDesk,
sample accurate sync ensures that they will maintain their
exact phase relationship to one another, even if you record
them into AudioDesk one at a time.
SMPTE time code
SMPTE time code is an international standard that was
developed for film and video work but has proven to be very
useful in normal audio work as well. This is an absolute time
code, expressing hours, minutes, seconds and divisions of
the second in digital form. Because of its accuracy and widespread acceptance, SMPTE is the most powerful of the time
code formats.
AudioDesk can slave to SMPTE Time Code by either:
slaving directly to an analog SMPTE Time Code signal via
an analog input on your MOTU audio interface
OR
slaving to MIDI Time Code via a special device that can
convert it to MIDI
For the first option, consult your MOTU Audio interface user
guide. For the latter, see MTC (MIDI Time Code) on
page 254.
USING RECEIVE SYNC

The following sections explain the Receive Sync settings
(opened from the Setup menu).
CHOOSING A SMPTE FRAME FORMAT

If you are slaving to any sync type that involves SMPTE time
code, or if the work you are doing in AudioDesk requires that
you reference SMPTE time code, be sure to choose the
correct SMPTE frame format at the top of the Receive Sync
settings window as shown below in Figure 49-1. This setting
is the same setting as the Frame Rate selection in the Setup
menu.
All standard SMPTE frame rates are provided: 23.976, 24, 25,
29.97 drop, 29.97 non-drop, and 30 fps. There are also some
non-standard frame rates available (see below).
252
Figure 49-1: Choosing a SMPTE time code frame format.
Non-standard frame rates

Three non-standard frame rates are available: 30 drop,
Legacy 29.97 drop, and Legacy 29.97 non-drop.
30 drop: Use only when you must accommodate this frame
rate. Youll nearly always want to use one of the more
common frame rates, such as 29.97 drop or 30 non-drop.
Legacy 29.97 drop and Legacy 29.97 non-drop: Use these

only with old projects that open assigned to these frame
rates. For new projects, always use the standard 29.97 drop
and 29.97 non-drop frame rates.
Figure 49-3: Any device that has the Transmits MIDI Time Code properties checked
will appear in the Sync to Port menu in AudioDesks Receive Sync settings window.
SAMPLE-ACCURATE SYNC
]
Use these frame rates only in the cases described above;

otherwise, use one of the standard frame rates.
CHOOSING A SMPTE START FRAME

When slaving AudioDesk to SMPTE Time Code (via MTC or
LTC), you need to specify a SMPTE start time for the
sequence. This is the frame location at which the sequence
begins to play. See Setting the start time on page 49.
SYNC TO PORT MENU

The Sync to Port menu lets you choose the source to from
which AudioDesk will receive MIDI timing information (for
MIDI Time Code).
Figure 49-2: The Sync to Port menu.
Any device in your Audio MIDI Setup configuration that has

the MIDI Time Code attribute checked will appear in this
menu. Choose Any Port to allow AudioDesk to slave to any
timecode that it receives, regardless of its source.
Figure 49-4: Sample-accurate sync settings. Notice that there is no Sync to Port
setting for sample-accurate sync, since AudioDesk directly accesses the audio
hardware for sample address information.
If you are using AudioDesk with a MOTU audio interface

with sample-accurate sync capabilities, AudioDesk can
achieve sample-accurate synchronization with ADATs or any
external recording device that supports sample-accurate
synchronization.
This allows you to transfer digital audio entirely in the
digital domain between AudioDesk and an ADAT (or
similar ADAT-compatible digital audio recorder) via ADAT
optical cables (or other digital audio format) with singlesample accuracy. For example, if you record some audio
from the ADAT into AudioDesk, and then send it back to the
ADAT, it will be placed at exactly the same location to the
very sample from where it originated (assuming you dont
move it while its in AudioDesk). You could transfer audio
back and forth digitally between AudioDesk and the other
device as many times as you like, and the audio will not drift
even one sample earlier or later, no matter how many times it
is transferred between the two devices.
Sample-accurate transfers like this can also be achieved with
Tascam family tape decks (such as the DA-38, DA-88, or
DA-98) via a 2408mk3/PCI-424 system. A MOTU Digital
Timepiece is required.
253
RECEIVE SYNC
Digital audio I/O is required

Sample-accurate digital transfers require a digital audio
interface such as a MOTU 2408mk3, which supports sampleaccurate sync. The MOTU 2408mk3 supports the following
digital audio formats: ADAT optical (8 channels in and out),
Tascam T/DIF (8 channels in and out), and S/PDIF (2
channels in and 4 channels out). Other MOTU audio
interfaces provide a variety of additional digital audio
formats, including AES/EBU and optical S/PDIF.
MOTU PCI-424/FireWire hardware setup
If you have MOTU PCI-424 or FireWire Audio system, refer
to your hardware manual for specific details about how to
connect your system for sample-accurate sync to an ADAT or
Tascam tape deck.
AudioDesk settings
For sample-accurate sync, choose the Sample-accurate sync
setting as shown above in Figure 49-4. No additional sync
settings are required. Notice that the Sync to Port setting
disappears when you choose Sample-accurate sync. This is
because AudioDesk access the sample address information
directly in the hardware (via the hardware driver, e.g. the
PCI-424 driver for the MOTU 2408mk3, or the MOTU
FireWire Audio driver for the MOTU 828mk3 FireWire
audio interface).
Hardware driver settings
Choose Setup menu>Configure Audio System>Configure
Hardware Driver and make the appropriate clock source
setting for the hardware you are using. For the 2408mk3,
choose PCI-424: ADAT from the Clock Source menu as
shown below.
Transport control from AudioDesk via MMC

If you have a MIDI Timepiece AV or other MMC-capable
ADAT synchronizer and would like to control everything
from AudioDesks transport controls via MMC, open the
MMC window and enable MMC. This puts AudioDesk in
Slave to External Sync mode. Make sure your MIDI
Timepiece AV (or other MMC synchronizer) is on-line.
Optical input/output settings
To transfer audio digitally from another device to
AudioDesk, be sure to choose a digital input for the track you
will be recording into. Conversely, when you want to transfer
audio from AudioDesk to the other device, make sure youve
chosen digital output assignment of the track you want to
transfer.
MTC (MIDI TIME CODE)
Figure 49-6: Slaving to MIDI time code. As you can see, there are no extra options
for MIDI timecode sync.
Use the MTC mode when you are slaving AudioDesk to

SMPTE time code via a converter that supports MTC (MIDI
Time Code).
SMPTE time code (an analog audio signal) is fed from a
master source such as a audio tape recorder, video tape
recorder, or SMPTE generator into a SMPTE-to-MIDI
converter such as a MOTU MIDI Express XT, which
translates the SMPTE time code into MIDI timing
information. This MIDI timing information is produced in
the form of MIDI time code (MTC), an industry standard
format.
MTC sync mode is a simple and direct way to slave
AudioDesk to an external source generating SMPTE time
code. AudioDesk is able to lock to the frame times of the
master, insuring precise synchronization between devices. In
addition, AudioDesk remains under its own tempo control,
allowing you to program sophisticated tempo maps while
slaved to time code.
To use MTC sync mode, you must have a SMPTE-to-MIDI
converter that supports MTC, such as a MIDI Express XT
from MOTU.
Figure 49-5: The clock source setting for sample-accurate sync. If you have multiple interfaces, make sure that these two settings match.
254
RECEIVE SYNC
There are no special options to select in the Receive Sync

settings window: when in MTC mode, AudioDesk simply
responds to timing data directly.
framing or frame-advancing the video. To slave to VITC, you

need a VITC synchronizer, such as a MOTU Digital
Timepiece.
Once AudioDesk is locked to the master, there is no need to

use AudioDesks main transport controls unless you wish to
record. AudioDesk will start, stop and locate under control
of the master. Also upon lockup, if Click is enabled,
AudioDesk will click in the meter specified at 1|1|000 or will
default to 4/4.
SYNCHRONIZATION HINTS
You can put AudioDesk into play or record either before or

after you start rolling tape. In either case, AudioDesk will
lock up quickly.
When recording in external sync, the Record button is

turned off every time the master device stops or rewinds.
This is a safety precaution, to prevent accidental erasure of
previously recorded data. To record in external sync, start
the master device, wait for AudioDesk to lock up, and then
press the record button.
SLAVING TO EXTERNAL SYNC

Once you have chosen one of the desired sync modes already
discussed in this chapter, slave AudioDesk to an external
source as follows:
When locking to external SMPTE synchronization, you can

shift parts forward and backward in time to compensate for
the numerous time delays in a complex system (each device
used in a MIDI path introduces at least 2 milliseconds of
delay).
This puts AudioDesk into slave mode, waiting for sync

information from an external device.
Setting a countoff before sequence start while slaved to

tape
If you are working in a studio situation where you need a
countoff before the beginning of the sequence while slaved to
tape, here is how you can set up the AudioDesks countoff
feature:
2 Click on the Play or Record button in the main transport

controls.
1 Choose an option in the Click preferences that will enable

the click during AudioDesks countoff.
The Play button will flash on and off, meaning that

AudioDesk is waiting for sync information to start.
For example, choose the Always Click or Only during countoff

option.
3 To start AudioDesk, start the external device.
2 Set the number of measures you would like for the

Countoff.
1 Select Slave to External Sync from the Setup menu.
When AudioDesk is locked and playing, the Play button will

turn blue. Once locked, AudioDesk will follow, start, stop
and rewind under control of the master.
4 To terminate the lock up with the master, click on the Stop
button.
Clicking on the Stop button will both stop AudioDesk and
remove it from the masters control. This can be done at any
time. To return to normal operation, turn off Slave to
External Sync by reselecting it from the Studio menu.
SLAVING TO VITC
Do so by Option-clicking the Countoff button and typing in

the number of measures.
3 Make sure that the Click is enabled.
The Click item on the Studio menu must be checked.
If you now rewind well before the sequence start time and
roll the tape, AudioDesk, as it counts down, will begin the
countoff at the appropriate number of measures before the
downbeat of the first measure.
VITC (Vertical Interval Time Code) is SMPTE time code that

is recorded directly in the video signal, freeing up both audio
tracks and allowing lockup to be maintained while freeze-
255
RECEIVE SYNC
CHAPTER 50
Transmit Sync
OVERVIEW
The Transmit Sync settings, available from the Setup menu,
allow you to configure AudioDesk as a master time source.
When being used as a master, AudioDesk sends synchronization signals to which other MIDI devices can slave.
AudioDesk can generate three types of MIDI timing and
synchronization data:
Standard MIDI beat clocks
MIDI Time Code (MTC)
Analog SMPTE timecode (LTC)
Keep in mind, too, that the other device doesnt necessarily

have to be hardware: it could be other CoreMIDI-compatible
software running at the same time as AudioDesk.
To slave a device to AudioDesk via MIDI Time Code, choose
Transmit Sync from the Setup menu, and choose it as a
destination for MTC from the menu.
For more information on synchronization, see chapter 49,

Receive Sync (page 252).
You may use AudioDesk as a master of some devices while
AudioDesk itself is slaved to another device. This is especially
useful when slaving AudioDesk to SMPTE time code;
AudioDesk (slaved to the tape) can generate tempos for
other sequencers slaved to AudioDesk.
MIDI Time Code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
MIDI Beat Clocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Analog SMPTE Time Code (LTC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Turn off Transmit Sync when you dont need it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
MIDI TIME CODE

MIDI Time Code (MTC) is the MIDI equivalent of SMPTE
Time Code. It is a steady stream of MIDI events that
expresses time in hours, minutes, seconds and frames. MIDI
Time Code provides the following two basic components of
synchronization:
Time base a common reference for the passage of time
that devices can follow
Address an indication of where playback is at any

moment
Figure 50-1: Transmitting MTC to another device. If you are also running another
CoreMIDI-compatible program that can slave to MTC, it will appear in this menu,
allowing you to transmit MTC to it from AudioDesk.
Choosing multiple MTC destinations

You can choose more than one destination by clicking on the
menu as many times as needed. Choose the destination again
from the menu to turn off MTC transmission (and uncheck
the destination in the menu). You can also send MTC to
other CoreMIDI-compatible applications.
Setting the SMPTE frame rate
Choose the appropriate SMPTE format from the Frame Rate
command in the Setup menu.
Make sure both AudioDesk and the other device are set to the
same SMPTE frame rate.
MIDI Time Code does not provide tempo or beat

information. Devices that slave to MIDI Time Code will
either have no need for tempo and beat information, or they
have their own idea of tempo and meter. (MIDI Beat Clocks,
however, do provide tempo and meter beat information. See
MIDI Beat Clocks on page 257.)
Choosing a SMPTE start time

Choose Set Sequence Start Time from the sequence menu
in the Control Panel to set the sequences SMPTE start frame.
See Setting the start time on page 49 for details. The start
frame is the hour, minute, second, and frame which
AudioDesk (and the other device) consider to be the
beginning of the sequence (on the first downbeat). Other
devices may refer to this as the SMPTE offset.
Transmitting MTC to another device

When you transmit MIDI Time Code from AudioDesk to a
device that can slave to MTC, such as a tape deck of some
kind or a mixing console, AudioDesk serves as the timing
master and the other device follows as the slave.
Transmitting MTC while slaved to external Sync

When AudioDesk is set to Slave to External Sync and is
receiving MTC, incoming MTC is echoed directly, rather
than being regenerated by AudioDesk.
256
MIDI BEAT CLOCKS

When you tell AudioDesk to transmit beat clocks,
AudioDesk becomes a master time source: any MIDI devices
(that can slave to beat clocks) connected to AudioDesk will
follow AudioDesks tempo, and start or stop along with the
program. If the slave devices respond to MIDI Song Position
Pointer data, then they will also follow AudioDesk when the
Counter location is changed or the Rewind button is used.
window. There is less delay between reception and retransmission using this mode than if Generate MIDI beat
clocks is selected.
Use this mode if you wish to slave AudioDesk and another
device to a master that generates MIDI beat clocks. However,
for best results, you should use a MIDI thru box and connect
both AudioDesk and the other slave directly to the master.
Echoing sync through AudioDesk results in a small delay.
Generate MIDI beat clocks
AudioDesk generates MIDI beat clocks in tandem with the
other MIDI information being played back. Use this mode
when AudioDesk is the master. You may also find this mode
useful when slaving AudioDesk to SMPTE using one of the
time lock modes. AudioDesk will generate MIDI beat clocks
according to its tempo map in sync with the SMPTE code, so
you can slave a sequencer, drum machine or device that
doesnt support SMPTE through AudioDesk.
Figure 50-2: Transmitting MIDI beat clocks to other devices. Choose the desired
USB interface from the Transmit beat clocks menu. Choosing a USB interface to
transmit beat clocks to.
Unlike MIDI Time Code, which can be routed to specific

devices on a multi-port interface like the MIDI Express XT,
beat clocks are not channel or port specific, as defined by the
MIDI specification. As a result, they are sent to all devices
connected to the USB interface that you choose in the
Transmit Sync settings window.
You can choose more than one USB interface in the menu by
clicking on the menu as many times as needed. Choose the
port again from the menu to turn off beat clock transmission
(and uncheck the port in the menu). If no USB interface is
selected, AudioDesk will not generate or echo MIDI beat
clocks.
Echo received sync vs. Generate MIDI beat clocks
AudioDesk can transmit beat clock information in two ways:
it can simply pass on (or echo) any beat clock messages it
receives, or it can generate new beat clocks based upon its
own tempo map and controls. These options are described
below:
Echo received sync
This option echoes beat clocks that are received by
AudioDesk from some other source. No processing is
performed. The reception port must be selected in the
Receive Sync settings window, and AudioDesk must be in
External Sync mode for beat clocks to be echoed. Beat clocks
are echoed to the ports selected in the Transmit Sync settings
24 clocks per metronome click/24 clocks per quarter

note
Some MIDI devices expect 24 clock signals per beat (one
click of the devices metronome) instead of the standard 24
clocks per quarter note. This method is very useful when
there are meters which do not use the quarter note as the beat
unit: 3/8, 5/16, etc. In 6/8, for example, there might be a
metronome click every three eighth notes; in 4/1, the
metronome would click once every whole note. If you were
using a less common meter such as 5/32 or 3/16 + 4/16, using
the quarter note as the timing base is not very useful. Instead,
use this option to make the metronome click value the
timing base.
First clock is time 1
When this option is checked, AudioDesk interprets the first
MIDI clock signal it sends as the second timing clock of the
sequence, 1/24th of a beat after the beginning. Recently
manufactured devices expect to receive the first clock signal
(time 0) after the start command for the sequence. Some
earlier devices assume the start command to be the first clock
signal; the first clock signal would thus be 1/24th of a beat
after the beginning. If you are using one of these older
devices, you should check this option.
ANALOG SMPTE TIME CODE (LTC)

MOTU Audio interfaces can generate analog SMPTE time
code (LTC), following the playback location in AudioDesk.
For details, consult your MOTU Audio interface user guide.
TURN OFF TRANSMIT SYNC WHEN YOU DONT NEED

IT
If you are not slaving external devices to AudioDesk, set both
of the Transmit Sync dialog menus to None to improve
performance.
257
TRANSMIT SYNC
CHAPTER 51
OVERVIEW
SETTING UP MMC HARDWARE
MIDI Machine Control (MMC) is a recent and significant

addition to the original MIDI specification. MMC consists of
an extensive set of system exclusive commands that allow
multiple recording devices to be remotely controlled from a
single source. MMC expands AudioDesks ability to serve as
a recording studio at your fingertips by allowing you to
control the transport and recording functions of your
recording hardware entirely from within AudioDesk.
MIDI Machine Control requires two-way MIDI

communication between AudioDesk and the MMC device.
AudioDesk sends control commands (in the form of system
exclusive messages) to the MMC hardware, and the MMC
hardware sends SMPTE time code back to AudioDesk.
This chapter explains how to use AudioDesk with hardware

devices that support the MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
specification, such as:
The Alesis ADAT digital multitrack recorder (with the
BRC or other MMC interface)
The Tascam DA-88 or MX-2424 digital hard disk
recording systems
Any other MMC-compatible device
AudioDesk serves as a computer-based front end for MMC

devices, causing them to play, stop, rewind, and otherwise
follow AudioDesks control panel functions. In addition, you
can record-enable tracks on a MMC device remotely from
within AudioDesk (for MMC devices that support this
capability).
As you begin working with AudioDesk and your MMC

gear, keep the following in mind. AudioDesk provides
features that are supported by most MMC devices. However,
not all MMC devices support every feature explained here. In
addition, there can be slight variations in the way each device
handles MMC that cause it to behave differently than
described. Try to familiarize yourself as much as possible
with the features your device supports via MMC. Also, check
for Read Me files and update booklets that accompany your
AudioDesk manual; they may include further information
about specific devices.
Some MMC devices can generate SMPTE time code in the

form of MIDI Time Code (MTC). Other devices generate
SMPTE time code in the form of longitudinal time code
(LTC), an audio signal that can be converted to MIDI Time
Code by way of a SMPTE-to-MIDI converter such as the
MIDI Express XT. These two hardware setups are shown
below. Other devices generate Sample-accurate time code
(for example the Alesis ADAT). See Sample-accurate
sync on page 253.
Connecting multiple MMC devices
If you have more than one piece of MMC gear, decide which
one will be the time code master. Hook up the master device
as shown in either Figure 51-1 or Figure 51-2 (whichever is
required by the device), and then feed the time code from the
master device to the other MMC devices in your setup.
Doing so establishes one time code source, which keeps all
devices (and AudioDesk) in sync with one another. Connect
the remaining devices to your MIDI interface as shown in
Figure 51-3.
Open-loop versus closed-loop systems
The hardware setups shown in Figure 51-1 and Figure 51-2
support open-loop MMC configurations. AudioDesk does
not currently support closed-loop MMC communication.
Closed-loop communication is not necessary for accurate
synchronization between AudioDesk and MMC hardware.
Setting up MMC hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

Setting up AudioDesk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Setting up a MOTU MTP AV or Digital Timepiece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Activating MMC in AudioDesk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
258
USB cable
IN
OUT
OUT
IN
Micro express USB interface
MIDI cables
MMC Device
Figure 51-1: If the MMC device can generate MIDI Time Code (MTC), the MIDI
connections shown here are all that are necessary. Be sure the MIDI interface
internally routes the MTC to the Mac.

using its SMPTE converter
OUT
USB cable
MIDI cables
IN
MMC Device
SMPTE time code IN
Audio cable
Figure 51-2: If the MMC device generates SMPTE Time Code, connect its time
code output to a SMPTE-to-MIDI converter like the Micro express USB as shown
here, which converts it to MTC. Route the resulting MTC to the computer.
IN
USB cable
Figure 51-3: Connecting multiple MMC devices for

remote MMC control from AudioDesk.
OUT
OUT
OUT
OUT
IN
MMC Master Device
IN
MMC Device
IN
MMC Device
259
MIDI MACHINE CONTROL
SETTING UP AUDIODESK
Setting up AudioDesk for MMC is simple. All you need to do
is create a MMC device in your Audio MIDI Setup configuration.
1 Open the Audio MIDI Setup utility.
If you are currently running AudioDesk, choose Open Audio
MIDI Setup from the Setup menu. Otherwise, double-click
the Audio MIDI Setup icon in the Mac OS Finder. The Audio
MIDI Setup application launches and your current studio
configuration appears.
2 If the MMC device already exists in your Audio MIDI
Setup configuration, double-click it. If not, add it using the
Create Device command in the Configuration menu.
The device properties appear.
connected ADAT- and Tascam-compatible devices. Any

devices that are found are then displayed in AudioDesks
MMC window automatically. This means that you do not
need to create a separate device in Audio MIDI Setup for
each device connected to the Digital Timepiece or MIDI
Timepiece AV. Instead, just make sure that the Digital
Timepiece (or AV) is included in your Audio MIDI Setup.
Then, in AudioDesk, the Digital Timepiece (or AV) appears
as a single panel in the list of MMC devices. The Digital
Timepiece (or AV) panel then displays each connected ADAT
or Tascam device, along with record-enable buttons for each
track.
ACTIVATING MMC IN AUDIODESK

Each MMC device that you have defined in your Audio MIDI
Setup configuration appears in AudioDesks MIDI Machine
Control window, which can be opened from the Studio
menu.
3 If necessary, click the More Properties button.

The MMC master button
4 Make sure that MIDI Machine Control option is

checked, as well as the Receives MIDI Time Code and
Transmits MIDI Time Code properties.
5 Make sure that the SysEx ID setting correctly matches the
setting in the device itself.
6 If you are creating the device for the first time in Audio
MIDI Setup, set the rest of the device information as needed.
On-line
button
7 Click OK.
8 Make sure that both the MIDI IN and MIDI OUT ports of
the MMC device are connected to the MIDI interface.
If not, connect them by dragging a patch cord from the MIDI
interface port to the device icon.
The presence of a MMC device in the MIDI configuration
activates the MMC features in AudioDesk.
SETTING UP A MOTU MTP AV OR DIGITAL TIMEPIECE

The MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV and Digital Timepiece
universal synchronizer have ADAT sync out ports on them.
This allows them to serve as an MMC master of an ADAT
sync chain (a series of ADATs or ADAT-compatible devices
that are chained together via their ADAT sync ports). The
Digital Timepiece provides this feature for Tascam DA-88
sync as well. For details about how to set up the hardware,
consult the MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital Timepiece
manuals.
The MIDI Machine Control window

The area at the top of the window contains several important
MMC-related controls.
The MMC master button
The MMC master button activates all of AudioDesks MMC
features. To activate these MMC features, click the MMC
button. When this button is on, MMC is activated. In
addition, AudioDesk is placed in Slave to External Sync
mode. For more information about external sync mode, see
Setting AudioDesks Receive Sync options on page 262.
If AudioDesk sees a MIDI Timepiece AV or Digital

Timepiece in your Audio MIDI Setup configuration, it now
automatically scans the ADAT and Tascam sync ports for any
260
The Record mode

There are three Record mode options: Safe, Rehearse, and
Record.
The Auto Record Advance option requires the following

preparations in AudioDesk:
1. Memory-Cycle must be enabled.
Safe: no recording can occur in any MMC device
Rehearse: this mode depends on the MMC device.
Usually, it causes the device to act as if it is recording,

punching in, punching out, etc. but no recording actually
occurs.
Make sure that your deck supports rehearse mode

before attempting to use this record feature. If it doesnt,
rehearse mode may actually record.
Record: allows recording on the currently record-enabled

track(s) for any MMC device. To actually record, press the
record button in AudioDesks main Control Panel.
Preroll
When this option is checked, MIDI Machine Control devices
get cued to 5 seconds before the location you specify with
AudioDesks transport functions. Click the preroll value in
the box to change it (1-99 seconds).
Preroll saves you the trouble of figuring out preroll time in
your head. Preroll lets you cue AudioDesk to musically
intuitive locations or hit points while giving the hardware
and AudioDesk enough time to fully synchronize by the time
they reach the cue location you chose.
Auto Record Advance
When the Auto Record Advance button is checked,
AudioDesk will automatically record-enable the next higher
track (or set of tracks for stereo recording) during MemoryCycle recording. As AudioDesk loops the same section over
and over, each pass is recorded on a new track (or set of
tracks), preserving all previous takes. For example, when you
begin cycle-recording, you could record a section on track 1.
The second time around the loop, AudioDesk releases track
1 and record-enables track 2, and the second pass gets
recorded on track 2. The third time around, AudioDesk
record-enables track 3, and the third pass gets recorded
there. AudioDesk will continue to record-enable the next
track until it records on the highest available track.
2. Auto-Record must be enabled.

3. The Record mode setting in the MIDI Machine Control
window must be set to Record mode. (It does not advance in
Safe or Rehearse mode.)
4. AudioDesk must punch-in at some point before cycling
back to the beginning of the Memory-Cycle loop.
Setting up each MMC device
The MIDI Machine Control window provides a list of MMC
devices in your Audio MIDI Setup configuration. Any
connected device that has the MIDI Machine Control option
checked appears in this window. Several settings are
provided for each device.
Device name and icon
The name and icon of the device comes from its name in
your Audio MIDI Setup configuration. You can change the
name using the Audio MIDI Setup utility.
Bringing a MMC device on line
When the On line button is selected, the device is on line,
which means that it will respond to AudioDesks control
panel commands. When a device is off line, AudioDesk wont
drive the device.
Specifying the number of tracks
The Set number of tracks mini-menu command sets the
number of tracks that the MMC device has. Keep in mind
that in some situations, a single device in AudioDesks MIDI
Machine Control window actually represents several
physical devices. For example, an Alesis BRC may be
connected to several ADATs, each with 8 tracks. In this
example, youd want to include the tracks for all of the
ADATs. Be sure to set the number of tracks accordingly.
Make absolutely sure that the consecutive tracks in line

for recording do not have material on them that you wish to
keep.
When this check box is unchecked, the same track (or
tracks) remain record-enabled until you change them
manually by clicking the record-enable buttons in the MIDI
Machine Control window.
Setting a time code track

The time code track option in the Set number of tracks
command lets you specify one of the tracks as a time code
track. The time code track becomes record-protected, and it
cannot be record-enabled by the arrow keys (discussed
261
below) or Auto Record Advance. You can record-enable the

time code track manually by clicking it, but a warning
appears to confirm that you would like to do so.
AudioDesk governs the transport control functions, and the

MMC device serves as the master timing source to keep them
synchronized.
Changing the order of the devices in the window

To change the order of the devices in the window, drag the
panels up or down.
As a result, when you activate MMC control in AudioDesk,

AudioDesk is automatically placed in Slave to external sync
mode, in which AudioDesk slaves to external time code. To
successfully slave AudioDesk to the time code, make sure
that the settings in AudioDesks Receive Sync command in
the Setup menu match the time code being generated by the
MMC master device. For complete information on the
Receive Sync dialog settings, see chapter 49, Receive Sync
(page 252).
Ejecting a tape
The Eject mini-menu command ejects the tape from the
currently selected MIDI Machine Control device in the list.
To select a device, click its name. The device must be on line
and the master MIDI Machine Control button must be active
for this to work.
Keyboard shortcuts for record-enabling tracks
Option-click a track to record-enable it and at the same time
turn off all other record-enabled tracks. Command-click a
track to turn it off and record-enable all others.
User the up and down arrow keys to record-enable the next
or previous track. This works with adjacent pairs as well.
Selecting a MMC device in the MMC window
To select a device, click its name.
Digital Timepiece option
There is a mini-menu command in the MIDI Machine
Control window called DTP Adat force-detect. If your Digital
Timepiece is connected directly to an ADAT-sync
compatible audio interface, such as an 828, 828mkII, PCI324 system or PCI-424 system, make this mini-menu item
checked. If your Digital Timepiece is connected to one or
more ADATs, make it unchecked.
Setting AudioDesks Receive Sync options
While controlling external MMC devices, AudioDesk
actually slaves to time code generated by the MMC hardware
to remain synchronized with the hardware during playback
and recording, as explained in Figure 51-4.
Figure 51-5: Make sure that AudioDesks Receive Sync dialog box settings (Setup
menu) match the time code generated by the master MMC device.
Setting AudioDesks SMPTE start time (offset)

Because MMC control involves SMPTE synchronization, be
sure to set AudioDesks SMPTE start time (SMPTE offset) to
a value that is appropriate for the time code being generated
by the MMC device. To set the start time, click the start time
button in the Tempo panel in the Control Panel slideout
drawer, or select Set Sequence Start from the Sequences
window mini-menu. For more information, see Setting the
start time on page 49.
Using AudioDesks transports to control MMC devices
Once you activate MMC and set up each device as described
in the previous sections, AudioDesk will shuttle the
transport controls on each on-line MMC device in sync with
AudioDesk sends play, stop, rewind, and other

transport commands to the MMC hardware (in
the form of MIDI system exclusive messages).
MMC Device
During playback and recording, the MMC devices sends

MIDI time code back to AudioDesk to keep AudioDesk
in sync with the hardware.
Figure 51-4: When AudioDesk controls the transport functions of MMC hardware, AudioDesk simultaneously slaves to time code from the MMC hardware.
262
AudioDesks own Control Panel. For example, when you

press play, stop, and rewind in AudioDesks main control
panel, each MMC device will do the same.
All of AudioDesks transport control functions are
supported. For example, if you use Memory-Cycle to loop
over a region, the MMC device will follow. Keep in mind,
however, that AudioDesks transport functions are virtually
instantaneous, whereas MMC hardware devices are
mechanical devices that take time to cue. As a result,
AudioDesk will stop and wait at times when the MMC device
is cueing to a new location. The longer the cue time, the
longer the wait will be. Once the MMC device has finished
cueing, AudioDesk will resume at the same time as the MMC
device.
Transport features that are supported include: Play, Stop,
Rewind, Pause, Record and Auto-punch in/out.
Until you actually begin recording, the record-enable button

flashes. When you begin recording, it becomes solid.
Record enable
buttons
4 If you would like to loop a section to record several passes,

click the Memory-Cycle button in the Control Panel and set
the Start and End points in the Edit window.
For information about using Memory-Cycle, see The
Memory-Cycle button on page 51.
Memory
Cycle
Cueing functions include the following:
Typing a time into the Main Counter
Using fast-forward and rewind cueing buttons below the

main transports
Clicking a marker in the Markers window
Double-clicking in any time ruler
Memory bar features such as Auto-Stop, Auto-Rewind,

Memory-Cycle
Dragging the scrolling wiper
All of these functions behave normally, except for the waiting

period mentioned above.
Using AudioDesk to record a track on a MMC device
To record to a track on a MMC device:
1 Make sure that the device you wish to record on is on line
in the MIDI Machine Control window.
If not, click the Off Line button to bring it on line.
2 Choose either Record or Rehearse from the menu in the
MIDI Machine Control window.
5 If you are going to loop a section with Memory-Cycle as

described in the previous step, and you would like to record
each pass on a new track to preserve each take, check the
Auto Record Advance box in the MIDI Machine Control
window.
For details, see Auto Record Advance on page 261. Make
sure that Auto-record and Memory-cycle are enabled. Also,
make sure that the record mode in the MIDI Machine
Control window is set to Record. Auto Record Advances
doesnt work in Rehearse or Safe mode.
6 If you would like to set punch-in and punch-out points,
click AudioDesks Auto-Record button below the main
transports, and set the punch-in and out times in the
Memory bar.
You can even set punch locations while looping a section
with Memory-Cycle. The punch location can be set
independently from the loop points. If you want, you can set
the in and out times on the fly by clicking the In and Out
buttons in the Memory bar during playback. For more
information, see Auto-Record button on page 54.
For details about Rehearse mode, see The Record mode on

page 261.
7 To begin recording, cue AudioDesks counter to a point

that is at least 5 seconds before the punch-in point, or set the
pre-roll time in the MIDI Machine Control window to at
least 5 seconds.
3 Record-enable one or more tracks on the device by

clicking the appropriate track button(s) in the MIDI
Machine Control window.
The amount of pre-roll depends on the device; some may

require longer.
8 Press AudioDesks record button, record at the punch in

location, and press stop to end recording.
Note: some devices do not support remote recordenabling. If so, record-enable the track directly on the device.
263
Part11
Appendices
APPENDIX A
OVERVIEW
Preventing Catastrophe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
General troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Audio troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Technical support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
PREVENTING CATASTROPHE
Keep up-to-date backups of your sequences as you work, so
that you always have copies of the most recent work you have
done. Almost any software problem is survivable as long as you
have kept backups of your work. Refer to Helpful project and
disk hints on page 42 for detailed suggestions about file
management.
Keep plenty of free space on any disk containing sequences
that you are actually working on. This will prevent the Mac
from running out of disk space. Running out of disk space
can result in an unreadable and irretrievable sequence.
GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING
Troubleshooting is always simplest and most effective when
the exact problem can be specified clearly and concisely. If
you are surprised by an error message or by seemingly erratic
behavior in the program, take a moment to jot down the
relevant details: exactly what the error message said
(including any error ID numbers), what actions were done
on-screen just before the problem occurred, what kind of file
you were working with, how you recovered from the
problem, and any unusual conditions applying during the
occurrence of the problem. This may not enable you to solve
the problem at once, but will greatly aid in isolating the
problem should it reoccur.
If the problem you are encountering seems inconsistent, try
to determine what the necessary pattern of actions are that
will cause it to occur. Genuine bugs in application software
like AudioDesk are almost always consistent in their manifestation: the same set of actions under the same conditions
invariably brings about the same results. Determining the
exact cause of a bug often requires experiments that replicate
the problem situation with one factor changed: working with
a new sequence instead of an existing one, trying a different
plug-in, etc.
If the problem is truly inconsistent, then it is likely to be a
hardware problem: improper disk drive alignment, a loose
connection, overlong cables, signal aliasing, etc.
Isolate the problem

One of the best troubleshooting techniques is to try to isolate
the problem. If you can whittle down a complicated setup or
scenario to a much simpler case, chances are youll zero in on
the problem more quickly.
Simplify your setup
One of the most common causes of problems is a conflict
with other software in the system. Run AudioDesk by itself,
with no other plug-ins, and see if the problem you are having
still happens.
Check the Read Me First
Its human nature to blow right past the Read Me First, but
youll probably be glad you took the time. If you experience
problems with AudioDesk, check the Read Me notes that
ship with the current version you are using.
If you cannot open a particular file
First try opening other existing files, or a new file, to be sure
AudioDesk is working at all. If a file is opened and seems
damaged, will not let you save changes, etc., you still may be
able to save some or all of its musical information by using
the Clipboard to copy the tracks and paste them into another
file on another disk.
If AudioDesk will not start up at all, or always brings up an
irregular or damaged file when the AudioDesk icon is opened
from the Finder
Your working copy may be damaged. Reinstall AudioDesk
from the installer CD. Restart the Mac and try opening
another (new or existing) file with your new working copy to
see if you have the same problem. Check also to see if other
applications are working properly.
AUDIO TROUBLESHOOTING
Here are some additional issues related specifically to audio
recording and playback.
If AudioDesk cant find your MOTU interface
If you launch AudioDesk and see a warning box that says that
there is no audio hardware, when actually there is, quit
AudioDesk, shut down your computer, and make sure that
the PCI-424 card is seated properly in its slot. Make sure you
have the correct versions of the drivers.
If you record and get nothing
If you record but dont get anything, the track you are
recording on may be set to the wrong channel. Set it to
another channel and try again.
265
If you dont hear sound

If you dont hear sound, check the following things:
Make sure the volume is turned up on the audio units.
Make sure you have cables connected to the correct plugs

on inputs and outputs for the audio recording hardware
Try setting the volume in the Mixing Board. See

chapter 39, Mixing (page 199) for details.
If you dont hear sound while recording, make sure the

Audio Patch Thru button is on.
If you see an error message after playback or recording

AudioDesk keeps close track of whether or not it had any
trouble processing the audio data during the last record or
playback pass. If conditions prevent AudioDesk from
successfully handling all of the digital audio information, it
presents an error message letting you know how many errors
occurred. These errors can be due to conditions such as
these:
Highly fragmented audio files on the hard disk
A hard disk with an access time that is too slow
Other background software interruptions
Other third party software
You may also get an error message if available RAM is tight.

If you get such an error message, try optimizing the hard disk
with defragmentation software. You can also try adjusting
the buffer size of the MOTU Audio System as described
below.
Adjusting buffer sizes to avoid playback error messages
Sometimes adjusting the size of the MOTU Audio System
disk buffers can help. For details, see Studio configuration
on page 15.
If you experience a crash or other interruption while playing
or recording
When AudioDesk begins recording or playback, it allocates a
large amount of the free space on your audio hard disk to the
current take file(s) in the Audio Monitor. If audio recording
(or playback with at least one track record-enabled) is ever
interrupted at this point due to a power failure or system
error, this free space will remain allocated to the interrupted
takefiles. When this happens, The next time AudioDesk is
launched, it displays the Rescued Takefiles dialog.
This dialog shows partially recorded takefiles and allows you
to recover or delete these files. You can click the takefile to
audition it and determine whether there is useful audio data
in it. In most cases, you should choose to delete the file(s). If
you believe that important audio data exists in the file(s), use
the Recover button to move the file into the Trash. You can
then drag the file out of the Trash (double-click the Trash can
to open it) and then use a waveform editor to extract the
important audio data from the file. You should choose to
either recover or delete these file(s). Otherwise, they will
needlessly take up hard disk space.
Before auditioning soundbites in this window, turn

down the volume of your sound system or headphones, as
the results can sometimes be random noise at full volume (0
dB).
If you suddenly have very little hard disk space free
See the previous section regarding the rescue of takefiles after
a crash or other interruption during playback and recording.
If the screen redisplay gets jerky
During playback, AudioDesk does its best to update items on
the Mac screen, such as the Counter and scrolling windows.
However, audio recording, playback and effects processing
can place a high demand on the computing power of the
machine, and AudioDesk makes playback a higher priority
than refreshing the screen display. Therefore, you may find at
times that the counter will stop and start during playback or
recording. This effect is minimized on faster computers.
If you run out of disk space
If you run out of hard disk space, compact existing audio files
and delete unused audio files. For details, see Compacting
audio files on page 82.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
We are happy to provide customer support to our registered
users. If you havent already done so, please take a moment to
register online by choosing Register AudioDesk from the
Help menu, or visiting www.motu.com/register. Then youll
be properly registered for technical support.
Registered users who are unable, with their dealers help, to
solve problems they are encountering with AudioDesk may
contact our technical support department in one of the
following ways:
Phone: (617) 576-3066
Online: www.motu.com/support
Web site (for information, tech support database and

downloads): www.motu.com
Technical support is staffed Monday through Friday 9 AM to

6 PM, Eastern Time.
266
APPENDIX A: TROUBLESHOOTING AND SUPPORT
If you decide to contact technical support, please have your

AudioDesk manual at hand, and be prepared to provide the
following information to help us solve your problem as
quickly as possible:
The serial number of the program. This is printed on the
jacket that holds the installation disc. Be sure to retain this
jacket for your reference. You must be able to supply this
number to receive technical support.
The version of AudioDesk you are working with. This is
displayed briefly in the start-up screen when AudioDesk is
started; it is also available through the About AudioDesk
command on the AudioDesk menu from within AudioDesk.
A brief explanation of the problem, including the exact

sequence of actions that cause it, and the contents of any
error messages that appear on the screen. It is often very
helpful to have brief written notes to refer to.
Were not able to solve every problem immediately, but a

quick call to us may yield a suggestion for a problem that you
might otherwise spend hours trying to track down.
Our technical support telephone line is dedicated to helping
registered users solve their problems quickly. In the past,
many people have also taken the time to write to us with their
comments, criticism and suggestions for improved versions
of our software. We thank them; many of those ideas have
been addressed in this version of AudioDesk. If you have
features or ideas you would like to see implemented in our
music software, wed like to hear from you. Please write to the
AudioDesk Development Team, MOTU Inc., 1280
Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138.
The pages in the manual that refer to the parts of the

program that you are having trouble with.
The version of the system software (in the About This Mac
Although we do not announce release dates and features of

new versions of our software in advance, we will notify all
registered users immediately by mail as soon as new releases
become available. If you move or otherwise change your
mailing address, please send us a note with your change of
address so that we can keep you informed of future upgrades
and releases.
command in the Apple menu).
267
APPENDIX A: TROUBLESHOOTING AND SUPPORT
APPENDIX B
OVERVIEW
This chapter provides answers to frequently asked questions,
organized by topic.
Installing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Setting up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Recording and playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Mixing and Finishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
INSTALLING
I enter my name and keycode, but the OK button doesnt
become active.
The meter is set at 4/4 by default. To switch to other meters,

use Project menu > Change Sequence Meter.
How do I hear a click or countoff?

To configure a metronome click:
1 Choose Click preferences from the Studio menu, or
Option-click the Click button in the Control Panel.
2 Choose the type of click you want to hear: MIDI click or
audio click. You can enable one or the other, or both.
For a MIDI click, choose a MIDI device, channel, and note;
for an audio click, choose the audio output and click file
(mono AIFF, WAVE, or SDII).
Make sure you are entering the keycode, not the serial
number. Your keycode is found on the jacket containing the
installer disc. The keycode looks something like ABCDEFGHIJ-KLMNO, and it must be entered exactly as it appears,
using capital letters with dashes included.
3 To audition the click to hear what it will sound like, check

the Audition click option in the lower left; it will audition at
the current tempo.
I enter my name and keycode, but when I click OK, the

screen comes back again.
4 Close the Preferences window, then enable the Click

button in the Control Panel.
You must be logged in under a user account with admin

privileges to authorize AudioDesk. Also make sure the
AudioDesk disc is in the disc drive, as this is a required part
of the authorization process.
SETTING UP
How do I configure my audio inputs and outputs?
To configure a Countoff:
1 Open the Preferences and choose Countoff from the list on
the left, or Option-click the Countoff button in the Control
Panel.
Use the Bundles window (Studio menu). See and chapter 20,
Audio Bundles (page 94).
2 First, set the number of measures and beats for your

countoff; the default is 2 measures.
How do I change the input and/or output on multiple tracks

simultaneously?
3 Next, choose whether you want to have a Countoff all of

the time, or only when recording.
Select the desired tracks, then choose Studio > Audio

Assignments (or press Option-A). If you dont see the inputs
or outputs available that you wish to use, go to the Audio
Bundles window and create bundles for them.
4 Audition the Countoff in the same way as the Click: enable

the Audition Countoff box in the lower left.
See Making audio assignments for multiple tracks on

page 100.
How do I change the tempo or meter of my project?

The tempo can be set using the slider or the tempo text field
in the Tempo Control section of the Control Panel (beneath
the counters).
5 Close the Preferences window, then enable the Countoff

button in the Control Panel.
How do I view or change key commands?

Open the Commands window from the Setup menu (or
press Shift-L). You can scroll the list to find the command
you are looking for, or you can search using the text box at
the top. To enter a new key command, click in the Mac Key 1
column, and press the desired key combination.
You can save or load sets of key bindings via the mini-menus
Export and Import commands.
268
To Print the key commands, open the Commands window

and choose Print from the File menu. Note that you can
collapse any section by clicking its disclosure triangle
(holding option while clicking a disclosure triangle collapses
or expands all sections at once).
For more information, see Commands on page 91.
RECORDING AND PLAYBACK

Audio input is not recording.
Make sure the input meters on your audio interface are
lighting up when you send input. If theyre not, check that
you have audio cables connected properly.
Try a different cable or microphone. For condenser

microphones, make sure that you have phantom power
enabled.
Try using a different input on your interface. If you have

one, try a different interface.
Check that the audio interface is properly configured. For
example, if you can enable or disable inputs on the interface,
make sure that the input you want to use is enabled.
Make sure that the outputs your tracks are assigned to are
the inputs you are recording from. For example, if your
microphone is connected to Mic/Guitar 1 on an 828mk3,
make sure your audio track is assigned to Mic/Guitar 1.
Are your input assignments in italics? Make sure that your
audio interface is being seen in the Setup > Configure Audio
System > Configure Hardware Driver window, and that it is
the selected driver. If it is being seen, open Studio > Audio
Bundles and make sure that the bundles you have are
assigned the inputs you want.
Is the track record-enabled?
Is the track enabled? Make sure the track is enabled (the

Enable item is accessible under the Track Settings menu in
the Edit window, and from the track pop-up menu available
at the bottom of the channel strip in the Mixing Board).
I press play and I do not hear anything.

Make sure that the outputs your tracks are assigned to are
the outputs you are monitoring from. For example, if you are
monitoring from an 828mk3s Main Outs, make sure your
tracks are assigned to Main Out 1-2.
Are your output assignments in italics? Make sure that

your audio interface is being seen in the Setup > Configure
Audio System > Configure Hardware Driver window, and that
it is the selected driver. If it is being seen, open Studio > Audio
Bundles and make sure that the bundles you have are
assigned the outputs you want.
Are the tracks are muted in the Mixing Board?
Is Solo Mode engaged?
Are the tracks enabled? Make sure the tracks are enabled
(the Enable item is also accessible under the Track Settings
menu in the Edit window, and from the track pop-up menu
available at the bottom of the channel strip in the Mixing
Board).
Is the Master Fader and main outs of your audio interface
or mixer turned up?
Speakers on? Volume turned up on your speakers and/or
amplifier?
Everything plugged in the way it should be? Try different
cables, headphones, or speakers.
Try bypassing plug-ins to see if an effect is altering your
audio in a way that it cannot be heard.
EDITING
Why is my track name underlined in the Edit window?
When a track name is underlined, it indicates that the track is
frame-locked. For more information, refer to Lock on
page 102.
Why do my crossfades have a blue or red outline?

Fades and crossfades are normally the same color as the
soundbites underneath, as are the fade outlines. Two special
colors are used to indicate problems:
Blue fade outlines mean that there is not enough audio to
compute the fade
Red fade outlines mean that the faded audio is clipping.
For more information, see Fades that cannot be fully

computed and Clipping when crossfades are calculated in
chapter 34, Fades and Crossfades (page 175).
MIXING AND FINISHING

Why are the meters in the Mixing Board labeled as +/-48
dB?
When an audio tracks meter scale is labeled as +/-48 dB
instead of -48 to +6 dB, the track is in Trim Touch or Trim
Latch automation mode. For more information, refer to The
Trim modes on page 217.
How do I mixdown my project to a stereo file?

Use the Bounce to Disk command. See Bouncing to Disk
on page 34 for a quick introduction, and see chapter 47,
Bounce To Disk (page 245) for in-depth detail.
How do I export as an MP3?

To enabled MP3 export, you need to have the
LAME.framework installed on your system. The
LAME.framework is not included with AudioDesk. It is open
source software that can be downloaded free of charge. Try
269
APPENDIX B: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
searching Google or VersionTracker.com for LAME

Framework to download it. Follow the instructions that are
included with it to install. The LAME.framework should be
placed in /Library/Frameworks.
To take a finished mix done in AudioDesk and convert it to
an MP3, follow these steps:
1 Prepare the project as if you were bouncing down to any
other format, such as WAVE, AIFF, etc. See How do I
mixdown my project to a stereo file?
2 Select LAME Audio Export: MP3 as the File Format. Give
the file a name, and choose the location where youd like the
file to be saved. When you press OK, youll see a second
dialog with some options for the MP3 you are creating. If you
dont have any preference for these settings, just use the
default settings. Press OK in this dialog, and the file will
begin bouncing.
PLUG-INS
How do I use MAS and Audio Unit (AU) plug-ins?
See chapter 42, Audio Effects Processing (page 230).
How do I force AudioDesk to rescan my Audio Unit plugins?

AudioDesk keeps track of its scanned Audio Unit plug-ins in
a file named Audio Unit Info Cache located in the
AudioDesk preferences folder (~/Library/Preferences/
AudioDesk). To force AudioDesk to rescan all AUs, move the
Audio Unit Info Cache file out of that folder, e.g. to the
desktop or the Trash.
How do I use VST plug-ins?

VST plug-ins are not natively supported in AudioDesk, but
you can use them through a VST wrapper. Audio Ease
(www.audioease.com) and FXPansion
(www.fxpansion.com) both provide VST wrappers that can
be used in AudioDesk.
3 Once the bounce is complete, you can open this file in

your MP3 player software of choice, such as iTunes.
You can also export any soundbite in the Soundbites List as
an MP3. Select the desired soundbite(s) and choose Export
Selected Soundbites from the mini-menu. Choose LAME
Audio Export: MP3 from the File Format menu.
How do I back-up a AudioDesk project?

To backup the data for your entire AudioDesk project, use
the File > Save A Copy As command. Make sure to check the
Duplicate audio option. This will take all of the audio files
that your project is using and make a copy of them into the
new projects Audio Files folder.
Make sure that your AudioDesk project is always saved to a
Mac formatted drive (HFS+ format, which is also called Mac
OS Extended). If your AudioDesk project is copied to a PC or
UNIX formatted drive, the files could become corrupted.
AudioDesk supports using WAVE, AIFF, and SDII files. For
the most broadly compatible back-ups, using WAVE files is
recommended.
270
APPENDIX B: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
APPENDIX C
OVERVIEW
There are a variety of resources available to help you get the
most out of AudioDesk.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Refer to the previous chapter starting on page 268 for
frequently asked questions (FAQs).
USING THE AUDIODESK USER GUIDE

There are a number of ways to quickly locate the information
youre looking for in the AudioDesk USer Guide.
If you want information on
look in the
A broad topic (ex: Editing, Mix Automation,

the Edit window)
A specific topic (ex: Editing during playback,

Tempo-locked, beat-based automation, Scrubbing in the Edit window)
Contents
A specific command, window, dialog, tool, etc. (ex:

Pitch Shift, Pencil tool, Edge Edit Copy)
Index
to the Edit window, Mixing Board, and Audio Bundles help

pages. However, all pages are also linked to from the table of
contents, so there are no hidden or buried help pages.
The Help menu also has a second item that updates to the
window you are current viewing. To jump right to the help
pages for the current window, choose Help menu > window
name.
Searching Help
When the Help Viewer is open, there is a search box in the
upper right corner. Type in some text and press enter and
you will be provided a list of relevant Help pages.
HELP FILES
AudioDesk has easy to access Help files built right into the
application. The Help files dont replace the manuals
exhaustive information, but they can provide a quick
answers to some questions.
To launch the Help Viewer, choose Help menu > AudioDesk
Help. You will see the AudioDesk Help table of contents. Click
a topic to view its help page.
You can also search the Help files without first launching the
Help Viewer. Open the Help menu and type in the Search
field; the top five results will be displayed in the Help menu.
If you want to see more than just the top five results, choose
the Show all results item at the bottom and the Help Viewer
will open showing all results.
In addition to returning results from AudioDesks Help files,
you will also see menu items that match the search term. This
helps to quickly locate a menu command.
To clear the search, click the x at the right edge of the search
field, or highlight the existing text and type something new.
Each help page contains a link back to the table of contents,

and throughout the text there may also be links to other help
pages. For example, the Audio Tracks help text contains links
Tip: To quickly bring up the Help Search field, press

Command-Shift-?.
271
Help Tags
AudioDesk provides tool tip help tags to help you identify
the names of buttons, controls, and other window elements.
Place your mouse cursor above an item for a few seconds and
the help tag will appear. Some items also have extended
descriptions that can be accessed by holding the Command
key while viewing the help tag. To turn off help tags, uncheck
Help menu > Show Help Tags.
manual handy. The answers to many common questions can

be found in the tech notes, so try searching the tech notes
before contacting tech support.
MOTU.COM
Tech Support
If you have a question or problem that isnt answered or
resolved with the above resources, registered users should
contact technical support. If you havent already done so, you
should register your copy of AudioDesk online at
www.motu.com/register. For more information on
contacting tech support, please see Technical support on
page 266.
Our web site is continually updated with new resources and

downloads to complement AudioDesk and other MOTU
products. RSS feeds are provided to help you keep up-to-date
with new content; a list of RSS feeds can be found at
www.motu.com/rss-feeds.
Tech Notes
Tech Notes are short pieces of technical information, usually
in the form of a question, such as Do I need an external
FireWire drive to record audio with a laptop? and so on. Tech
notes sometimes cover late-breaking information not found
in the manual, so if you have a question you may want to
search the tech notes for an answer even if you have your
Downloads
Keep up-to-date with the latest software updates for
AudioDesk with our downloads section. Please note that
AudioDesk downloads are only available for registered users.
Other resources
Links to additional resources, such as books, tutorial DVDs
and links to user-run mailing lists and message boards, can
be found at motu.com.
272
APPENDIX C: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Index
16-bit 88, 118, 246
24-bit 88, 118, 246
32-bit 246
8-bit 246
A
AAF interchange 5963
exporting 41, 6063
importing 38, 5960
About AudioDesk
Version number 267
Acid files
importing 75, 76
ADAT 258
Add
Edit window 130
Markers window 182, 183
Add Sequence 186, 187
Add Similar Tracks 130
Add Track 98, 115, 130
Adding measures 164165
Advanced Authoring Format (see AAF interchange)
AIFF 88
exporting 76
importing 75
Alesis ADAT 258
Always click option 111
Analysis Files Folder 38
Any Port 253
Apple Loops 75
Ask when upgrading commands 92
AU (see Audio Units)
Audible Mode 155, 156
Scrubbing Movies with 195
Soundbites window 76
speaker icon 156
Audio
(see also Soundbites)
click 110
converting on import 80
Effects 230235
exporting 69
exporting MP3, SDII, etc. 76
importing 73
input/output timing 17
interleaved 19
Monitor 119122
Patch Thru 113, 122
region (see Soundbites)
troubleshooting 265266
Audio Assignments command 100
Audio bundles 94
Audio Bundles window 94
Audio data
amount of recording time 20
how it is recorded 19, 115
selecting 141
Audio file defaults 88
Audio File locations 88
Audio files
Audio Monitor 119
compacting 79
creation of 19, 115
defined 21
deleting 79, 81
editing basics 154
exporting 69, 76
folder 81
hard disk requirements 21
how recorded 19, 115
importing 74
managing 8183
moving 81
record file (takefile) 119
region editing 154
renaming 81
scrubbing 141
size on disk 20
stereo 73
stereo file size 21
Audio menu 169174
Audio Plug-ins sub-menu 171
Bounce to Disk 171, 245248
Clear Mute Automation 174
Clear Sync Point 172
Delete Fades 171
Dither 170
Duplicate 172
Edit in Waveform Editor 80, 174
editing on audio 154
Fade 171, 175
Layering sub-menu 138
Merge Soundbites 171
Mute Region 174
Reload 172174
Replace 174
Sample Rate Conversion 236
Set Sync Point 172
Split 165
Strip Silence 170171
Take Automation Snapshot 174
Time Stamps sub-menu 171
Trim 166
Audio MIDI Setup 10
Device properties 260
Audio Monitor
available record time (rec time) 119
Base file names on input names 120
Base file names on track names 119, 120
checking hard disk space 112
clip indicator 121
Custom take names 120
mini-menu 119
naming takefiles 120
Patch Thru 113
Scroll to Record Enabled Inputs 120
setting up for recording 112
Take Folder 119
Takefiles 119
Audio Monitor window 120
Audio Performance window 17, 234
Audio Plug-ins sub-menu 171
Audio System Clock 13
Audio track
bouncing 100
channel assignment 111
creating 98
defined 22
enable/disable 99
explained 97
max you can hear at once 100
muting & unmuting 107
naming 99
playback 97105
record channel 112
record-enabling 112
settings 128
Audio Units 233
presets 228
scanning 9
AudioDesk
as master sync device 256257
exporting projects to 41
importing projects from 38
opening files 38
user interface 2327
version number 267
AudioDesk files
opening 38
Audition Click option 111
Auditioning 155
importing audio 74
Auto (patch thru) 113
Auto Record (see Auto-Record) 54
Auto Record Advance option 261
Auto Resize command 201

Auto Rewind button 46
Auto/Manual end time 186, 189, 190
Auto-add sequence commands 91
Auto-locating 27
Automated mixing 206, 212
Automatic Conversions 70, 80
Automatic Plug-in Latency Compensation 16, 231
Automation 128
volume and pan data 128
Automation Setup window 212, 223
AutoPan (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Auto-Record 47, 54, 56
Bar 56
button 45
loading remembered times 159
Auto-Rewind button 45, 46, 51, 56
Auto-Scroll 107108
Auto-Stop button 45, 51, 56
Aux tracks 9798, 208
applying effects to 234
Available rec time 119
Average Bit Rate 248
Avid Xpress
exporting to 59
B
crossfades 179
Backup copies of files 39, 265
Base file names on input names 120
Base file names on track names 119, 120
Beat clocks (see MIDI beat clocks)
Beat value 57
counter 50
meters 57
BIAS Peak (waveform editor) 174
Bit depth 20, 62, 71, 79, 88, 170, 237, 246
Blend (patch thru) 113
Bounce to Disk 171, 245248
in real time 249
MP3 format 247
track bouncing with 100
bpm 56
Bring All To Front command (Windows menu) 24
Broadcast WAVE 75, 88
Organization Code 88
Unique Source Identifier 88
Bundles 94
Bus
defined 207
Buses
applying audio effects to 234
setting number of 16
viewing level in Audio Monitor 120
C
Calibrating audio input/output 17
CD
burning 250
CD audio
importing 75
Chaining
Sequences 186, 189190
sequences and songs 186, 189190
Change Continuous Data 167
Change Meter
denominator 57
numerator 57
Change Sequence Meter 57
Channel 129
audio 97105
Audio Monitor 119
takefile 119
Chase Graphical Edits 196
Chase Numeric Edits 196
Choose Waveform Editor 174
Chorus (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
273
INDEX
Clear all clipping indicators 121, 206

Clear Loops 167
Clear Mute Automation 138, 220
Clear Mute Automation command 174
Clear Sync Point 172
Click 5657, 109111
accented 109, 111
beat value 57
button 45
value 109
volume 111
Click preferences
Accented click 111
Audio click 110
Audition Click 111
gate 111
MIDI click 111
pitch 111
velocity 111
Click value 109
Clipboard 167168
Show/Hide Clipboard 167168
Clipping
avoiding 121
indicator in Audio Monitor 121
indicators in Mixing Board 206
Clippings 191193
plug-in presets 229
Cloning 135
Close 41
Close All Effect Windows command 25, 227
Close All Windows command 24
Close box 23
Close Cell 65
Close command (Windows menu) 24
Closed-loop (MIDI Machine Control) 258
Column setup
Commands window 91
Comments
Edit Window 104
Sequences window 186, 189
Compact 70, 79, 8283
Compact disc
importing audio 75
Compact Project 83
Compare 229
Composite tracks 100
Configure Audio System
Configure Hardware Driver 13
Configure Studio Settings 15
Input Monitoring Mode 114
Work Priority 14
Configure Studio Settings
Automatic plug-in latency (delay) compensation 16
Max Work Percent 16
Pre-fill buffers for quick start option 17
Prime Seconds 16
Stereo buses 16
Work Quanta 16
Configure Studio Size command 15
Consolidated Window 6468
Close Cell 65
Open/Close Left/Right Sidebar 65
Pop Out of/Into Consolidated Window 65
Set Focus to Next/Previous Cell 65
Constant Bit Rate 248
Contextual menu 25
Continuous data
Change Continuous Data 167
Continuous Scroll 108
Control Panel 4450
Audible mode button 45
Auto Scroll button 45
Auto-Record 47, 54, 56
Auto-Rewind 45, 51, 56
Auto-Stop button 45, 51, 56

Countoff 45, 55
Current Beat 45
Current Meter 45
Current Tempo 45
Frame rate 45
keypad controls 58
Link Playback to Memory button 45
Link Selection to Memory 45
Main Counter Display 45
Marker menu 45
Memory Bar 45, 5051, 56
Memory-Cycle 51
Overdub 55, 117
Pause button 46
Play button 46
Pre/Post Roll 45
Record button 4647, 54
Remote Controls for 58
Rewind button 46
Sample Format 45
Sample Rate 45
Set Countoff 55
Solo Mode button 45
Stop button 46, 47
Sub Counter Display 45
Tempo Slider 45
Wait button 45
Control points 143
deleting 144
dragging 144
Convert Audio File command 70, 236
Convert Audio Files dialog 74
Copy 161
text between AudioDesk and other programs
168
Copy Movie Audio to Sequence 196
Copy selection to new sequence 187
Copy to Clipping Window 162
plug-in effects 210
Copy to New Sequence 187
Edit window 130
CoreAudio
defined 12
CoreMIDI
Audio MIDI Setup 10
benefits 10
Counter 45, 4750
display 48
editing 27
formats 4748
frame time 28, 49
Looping 123
measure time 27, 49
real time 27, 49
Round on Entry 48
screen update 50
Set Sequence Start 49
Countoff 55
indefinite 55
length 111
n measures 111
only when recording 111
options 111
While slaved to tape 255
Create fixed-length fades option 179
Create new crossfades option 179
Create new fade-ins/outs options 179
Create New Folder 70
Crossfades 175, 212
Cue Mix 114
Cue sheet 182, 185
Cueing 188
sequences 186, 188, 189190
using the counter 48
Cursor Information 147148
Custom take names 120
Customer support 8, 266
Customizing
New file 4142
Cycle (see Memory-Cycle)
Cycle-recording 51, 117
D
DC Notch (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Default Author 88
Default Copyright 88
Default File Format 88
Default to real-time 231
Deinterleaved 19
Delay (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Delay compensation 16, 231
Delete
Edit window 131
Markers window 183
Soundbites window 70, 78
Delete Board Layout command 201
Delete Fades command 171
Delete if before start of sequence option 185
Delete Mix command 211
Delete Tracks 131
Denominator 57
Deselect All 168
Digital video (see Movie Window)
Direct hardware playthrough option 114
Direct line outs 96
Disks
keeping enough free space 265
master disk 8
Distortion (See Clipping)
Dither command 170
Do not import option 246
Dragging & dropping soundbites 79, 136
Drop frame
29.97 252
DTP Adat force-detect 262
Duplicate
Audio menu 172
Track Layout 186, 187
Duplicate Mix command 211
Duplicate Take 101
Duplicate Tracks 131
Duration
soundbites 71
DV video playback offset 197
Dynamic CPU Management 231
Dynamics
audio 212
Dynamics (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
E
EBU 88
Echo
synchronization 257
Echo (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Edge Edit Copy 129, 138
Edit Bar
looping 124
Edit commands
Clipboard 167168
Edit window 140
Markers 184
selecting region 140
Edit in Waveform Editor 80, 174
Edit menu 154155, 160168
Change Automation Data 167
Clear Loops 167
Copy 161
Copy to Clipping window 162
Cut 161
Deselect All 168
Erase 163
Heal Separation 165
Merge 163
Merge Multiple 163
274
INDEX
Merge Repeat 163

Merge Repeat Together 164
Merge Together 164
Paste 162
Paste Multiple 162
Paste Repeat 162
Paste Repeat Multiple 162
Pitch Shift 167
Play Selection 107, 156, 157, 245
Redo Next Action 160
Repeat 163
versus looping 123, 163
Select All 168
Select All in Range 168
Set Loop 167
Shift 164165
Snip 164
Splice 164
Splice Multiple 164
Split at Counter 165
Trim 166
Trim Start/Trim End 166
Undo History 154, 160
Undo Previous Action 160
Undo/Redo 160
Edit resolution 128, 140, 146147
Edit window 126145
adding audio track 98
adding tracks 130
comments 104
Copy to New Sequence 130
creating a new sequence 129
deleting 131
editing 140
enable/disable track 99
Go to 129
Go to Counter 129
Information bar 131
loops 143
Marker strip 132
Master faders 98
mini-menu 128
mix automation data 143
moving soundbites vertically 136
moving tracks 130
opening a new edit window 129130, 186
Play-Enable button 100101, 107
quick reference 127
Record-Enable button 100
replacing a soundbite 136
selecting 130, 158
selecting a region 148149
Set Rulers 131
Shift key 140
soloing 107
switching sequences 129
Takes 101
Time ruler 131
track settings 128
viewing initial track settings 206
Editing
audio 21
Counter 27, 45
during playback 42, 46, 106, 154
Markers 183, 184
selecting data for editing 157
Sequences 187188, 188189
sequences 187
tracks 158
Effects
Default to real-time 231
Next/Previous Preset 229
Run this instance in Real-time 231
side chain input 235
Effects window 226, 230
applying effects 209
closing 227
compare presets 229

copying & pasting parameters 209
opening 227
plug-ins 230
Presets menu 227
quick reference 226
User Presets 228
Eject command 262
Enable Mouse Wheel for Sliders and Knobs 201
Encode quality 248
Encoding mode 248
End time
Auto/Manual 189, 190
Sequences window 186, 188, 189
sequences window 186
Equal Gain fade 178
Equal power fade 178
Erase 163
Error messages 4243, 265
audio playback/recording 266
Errors
disk 4243
file 4243, 265
system 265, 267
Event Information 148
eVerb (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Export key bindings 92
Export Selected Soundbites 69, 76, 250
Exporting
MP3 files 76, 247
project 40
F
Factory presets (plug-ins) 228
Edit window 129

Go to Counter
Edit window 129
Go To Marker 184
H
Hard disk
access time 118, 266
checking available space 112
compacting audio files 8283
deleting audio files 8182
fragmentation 118, 266
managing audio files 8183
optimizing 12
recommendations 21
recording explained 19
requirements 21
running out of space 266
size of files on disk 20
spreading audio over several drives 81
Hardware
requirements 10
setup 10
Heal Separation 165
Help 271272
searching 271
Help menu
AudioDesk Help 271
Show Help Tags 272
window-specific 271
Hide Clipboard 167168
Hit points 185
Host Buffer Multiplier 14
II-Beam tool 152
Fade command 171, 175

Fades folder 38
FAQs 268
File Format 88
File format conversion 236
File menu
Close 41
Compact Project 83
Import Audio 69
Load 42, 187
New 4142
Page Setup 84
Print 84
Quit 42
Revert to Saved 41
Save 39
Save A Copy As 39
Save As 39
Save As New Template 4142
Files 4243
errors 4243, 265
loading
sequences 42, 187
opening new file 38
Revert to Saved 41
Save As 39
Film/video
hit points 185
Markers 182185
synchronization 252
Filter frequencies below 10 hz 248
FireWire
video playback 196
video playback offset 197
Flanger (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Frame click metronome values 57
Frame Rate 252
Frame time 28, 47, 49
Ignore new commands 92

Import Audio command 69
Import key bindings 92
Import option 246
Importing
8-bit audio 75
Acid files 75, 76
AIFF files 75
Apple Loops 75
audio 7376
audio (Soundbites) 69, 73
audio file 74
CD audio 75
compact disc audio 75
mp3 files 75
REX files 75
Sound Designer II files 75
WAVE files 75
Information bar
Edit grid 146
Edit resolution 140
Information windows 146151
Input monitoring 98, 113, 134
Input Monitoring Mode 114
Input Only (patch thru) 113
Inputs (IN) 119
Inserting measures 164165
Inserts 203
choosing an effect 227
Inspectors (see Information windows)
Interface 10
Interleave format conversion 236
Interleaved Format 19, 88
Invert Phase (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
G
Gate
keycode 9, 268
Keypad 48
Keypad controls 58
Click preferences 111
K
Keyboard commands 26
Go to
275
INDEX
L
L.A.M.E. MP3 codec 247
LAME MP3 codec 247
Latch mode 215
Latency compensation 16, 231
Layering soundbites 171
Length in Time 150
Level meters 119
adjusting range 121
setting input level 122
Level Range mini-menu command 206
Link Memory to Selection 53
Link Playback to Memory 52
Live performance
cueing Sequences 188, 189190
Load 187
sequences 42
soundbites 74
Load Board Layout command 201
Locate menu 45
Lock 182, 184
Lock Layout to Track Order command 201
Locking
Markers 182, 184
Logic Pro
exporting to 59
Loop recording (see Cycle-recording)
Loop tool 153
Loops 123124
changing end points graphically 144
compared to Memory-cycle 123
conflicting 123124
deleting graphically 144
duplicating 144
editing during playback 124
end time 123
graphic editing of 143
inserting 124
inserting during playback 124
inserting graphically 144
nested 123
recording (see Cycle-recording)
repetitions 123
start time 123
versus Repeat 163
LTC 257
M
Mac
keyboard equivalents 58
multi-processor support 207
requirements 8
user interface 2326
Mac Keyboard Controls 56
Magnifying glass tool (see Zoom tool)
Manual end time 186, 189, 190
Marker menu 45
Marker strip
Edit window 132
Markers 182185
Add 182, 183
changing location 183, 184
Deleting 183
Edit window 184
Graphic Editing window 184
locating with 183184
Lock 182, 184
mini-menu 182183
naming 182, 183
opening Markers window 183
position indicator 182, 183184
printing 84
selecting 184
setting Counter location 183184
Shift locked markers 182, 184
time display 182
Unlock 182, 184
MAS plug-ins 232

Master faders 98, 208
applying effects to 234
Mastering 249
Max Work Percent 16
Measure time 27, 47
Edit window 131
Memory Bar 45, 5051, 56
loading Remembered Times 159
Memory-cycle 51
compared to loops 123
repeat barlines 51
selecting the region 52
setting end points 51, 54
Merge 163
Merge Multiple 163
Merge new commands 92
Merge new commands and save the old ones 92
Merge Repeat 163
Merge Repeat Multiple 164
Merge Repeat Together 164
Merge Soundbites 171
Merge Together 164
Meter
display 57
MIDI
beat clocks (see MIDI beat clocks)
click 110
hardware
requirements 10
setup 10
interface 10
Song Select 186, 188
Time Code (see MIDI Time Code)
MIDI beat clocks 257
start/stop clocks 257
transmitting 257
MIDI click 111
MIDI Express XT
SMPTE sync with 254
MIDI Machine Control 258263
Auto Record Advance option 261
MIDI Time Code 252
transmitting from AudioDesk 256
MIDI Time Piece AV
SMPTE sync with 254
Min Time and Value Change command 201
Min Time and Value Range command 218
Mini-menu
Audio Monitor 119, 121
Markers 182183
Mixing Board window 200
Movie Window 195
Sequences window 186187
Mix automation 212
taking a snapshot 220
Mix Mode
pop-up menu 199
Mix mode 211
Mixdowns (see Mix mode)
Mixing 199211
Mixing Board
audio plug-ins 230
Master faders 98
Mixing Board window 199211
auto(mation) buttons 205
automated mixing 206
inserts 203
mute buttons 204
opening 201
quick reference 200
renaming board layouts 202
re-ordering tracks 201
saving custom layouts 202
showing/hiding sections 200, 201
showing/hiding tracks 201
solo buttons 204
switching board layouts 202

switching sequences 202
track strip described 202
volume faders 205
MMC (see MIDI Machine Control)
Monitor record-enabled tracks through effects option 115
Monitoring
button 98, 134
problems 208
Mono (no attenuation) 246
Mono (with 3.5 dB attenuation) 246
Mono Sum 204
MOTU Audio System 1218
Audio Performance window 234
defined 22
importing audio 73
improving performance 12
input monitoring 113
input/output timing 17
Mouse techniques 140
mouse wheel 201
Move handle
Movie Window 194197
controls 195
copying movie audio to the sequence 196
FireWire video playback 196
improving performance 196
mini-menu 195
multiple 194
opening & closing 194
Use Same Movie for All Sequences 194
Video output 196
Video output playback offset 197
Movies Color Table 196
MP3 250
bounce to disk 247
file export 76
importing 75
MS Decoder (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
MTC (see MIDI Time Code)
Multimode Filter (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Multi-processor support 207
Multirecord is always on for audio tracks 89
Mute Region 138, 174, 220
Muting
audio tracks 107
mute buttons in mixing board 204
MXF 59
N
Naming
Files 39
Markers 182, 183
sequences 186
Tracks 99
New 4142
New Mix command 211
New Take 101
Next/Previous Preset 229
No accent option 111
Non-destructive editing 21, 135
defined 20
explained 155
Non-interleaved (see Deinterleaved)
Nudging 147
Numerator 57
Numeric Base 184
Numericals 26
O
Offset (see Set Sequence Start)
OMF interchange 5963
exporting 41, 6063
import via drag & drop 39
importing 38, 5960
OMFI (see OMF interchange)
276
INDEX
On any MIDI activity option 89

Only during countoff option 111
Only when recording option 111
Open Media Framework Interchange (see OMF interchange)
Open Sequences 186, 188
Open-loop (MIDI Machine Control) 258
Original time 71
Original Time Stamp 150, 171
Overdub 55, 117
button 45
Overwrite Existing Files option 247
Overwrite mode 215
P
Page Setup 84
Panning
curve, removing 144
curves, reshaping 143
cut, copy, paste 144
deleting and event (point) 144
disabling automation temporarily 144
graphic editing of 128, 143
ParaEQ (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Parts per quarter note 27
Paste 162
Paste Multiple 162
Paste Repeat 162
Paste Repeat Multiple 162
Patch Thru
Audio (Audio Monitor) 113
Patterns (see Memory-cycle)
Pause button 46
Peak (see BIAS Peak)
Pencil tool 153
Performance (see Audio Performance window)
Phaser (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
phrases
playing 156
Pick-up measure(s) 50
Pitch
Pitch Shift 167
Plate (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Play button 46
Play Selection 107, 156, 157, 245
Playback 100, 106108
audio 97105
channels 106
features active during 46, 106
locating with mouse 131
sequence 188
Playback Dashes 48
Play-Enable button 100101, 106, 106, 107
Play-enabling sequences 186
Playlists
building in Edit window 136
defined 22
Plug-ins 230
Audio Units
delay compensation 16, 231
effects presets 227
latency compensation 16, 231
MAS 232
scanning Audio Units
Pointer Coordinates 127, 147148
Pointer tool 152
Post-fader sends 204
Postroll 53
file-based plug-in previewing 232
Link Playback to Memory option 149
PreAmp-1 (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Pre-fader sends 204
Preferences 86
Audio file defaults 88
Click 110
Default File Format 88
Project File Format 88
Startup options 42
Tool palette 87
transport 89
Preferences command 86
Pre-fill buffers for quick start option 17
Preroll 53
file-based plug-in previewing 232
Link Playback to Memory option 149
Preroll option 261
Preserve current frame time option 185
Preserve length of time from start of sequence option 185
Preserve realtime performance option 165
Presets
effects 227
Prime Seconds 16
Printing 84
list windows 84
Pro Tools
exporting projects to 59
importing AAF file 38
importing OMF file 38, 39
importing projects into 63
sync points 142
Time stamps 172
Processor Performance setting 12
Project 37
creating a new AudioDesk project 38
exporting 40
opening 38
saving 39
Project File Format 88
Project folder 37
defined 21
Project menu
Add Similar Tracks 130
Add Track 98, 115, 130
Change Sequence Meter 57
Clippings 191
Delete Tracks 131
Duplicate Tracks 131
Edit window 126
Effects 226
Markers 182
Mixing Board 199
Movie 194
Sequences 186
Soundbites 6980
Punch-in (see Auto-Record)
Q
Quan Jr. (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Question mark icon (on move handle) 71
QuickTime video
FireWire output 196
QuickTime video (see Movie Window)
Quitting AudioDesk 42
R
RAM
freeing up RAM for AudioDesk 12
increasing available RAM 16
Random Access
defined 19
Range Latch mode 215, 217
Range Touch mode 215, 217
Range Trim Latch mode 215
Range Trim Touch mode 215
Real time 27, 47
editing 42, 46, 106, 154
Receive Sync 252255
Record time (Audio Monitor) 119
Recording 4647, 54, 56, 109118
audio 111118
Auto-Record 45, 47, 54, 56

Bar 47, 54, 56
button 47, 54, 56
in a sequence 188
in external sync 118
record channel 112
Record-Enable button 100
Sequences 188
stereo 115
time available 119
Undoing 47
Recover Takefiles dialog 266
Recycle
importing files 75
Red outline (soundbites) 135
Redo Next Action 160
Redo/Undo 160
Edit window 140
Region
audio (see Soundbites)
defined 21
Region selection
Edit window 131
using Markers 184
with the edit window 158
Registration 267
Rehearse mode 261
Reload 80, 172, 172174
Remember Times 159, 184
Remote Controls
cueing with 188
Enter Counter options 149
Play-enabling sequences 190
Play-enabling with 188
printing 84
Remove from list 70, 7879, 83
Rename Mix command 211
Rename Take 101
Repeat 163
versus looping 123, 163
Repeat barlines 51
Replace 80, 174
Resolution (see Sample Format)
Retain Clip 113, 121
Reveal In Finder 135, 174
Reverb (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Reverse (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Revert to Saved 41
Rewinding 46, 51, 56
Markers 182, 183184
REX files
importing 75
Right-click menu (see Contextual menu)
Ring Modulator (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Round on Entry 48
Run Stopped Task Again 240
Run this instance in real-time 231
S
Safe option in MMC window 261
Sample Format 45, 61, 70, 79, 88, 118
Bounce to Disk option 246
conversion 237
Sample format conversion 236
Sample rate 13, 20
column in Soundbites window 71
converting 74
Sample rate conversion 236
Sample-accurate editing 155
Save 39
Save a Copy As 39
Save As 39
Save Board Layout command 201
Save Settings command 227
Screen updating 50, 266
Scroll to Record Enabled Inputs 120, 122
scroll wheel 201
277
INDEX
Scrolling (see Auto-Scroll)

Scrub tool 153
Scrubbing 141
with Movie window slider 195
SD2 (see Sound Designer II)
SDII (see Sound Designer II)
Seamless chaining 190
Seamless sequence chaining 189190
Search 73
Select All 168
Select All in Range 168
Select unused soundbites 70
Selecting 157
Markers 184
sequences 187
Tracks 130, 158
Selecting a region
Edit window 158
Markers 184
Selection Bar 184
Selection Information 148149
Sends
assigning 203
configuring number of 204
level 204
mono sum 204
muting 204
panning 204
pre/post fader 204
Send From Channel 204
Sequence
Control Buttons 186, 189190
Controls 186, 189190
creating a new sequence 129
deleting 130
duplicating 130
loading 42, 187
naming 186, 189
play-enabling 186, 186, 188, 189190
renaming 130
skipping 189190, 190
Sequence controls 189190
Sequences window 186190
adding sequences 186, 187
Auto/Manual end time 186, 189, 190
comments 186, 189
Copy to new sequence 187
copying 187
current playback sequence 186, 188
Delete 187, 188
Duplicate Track Layout 186, 187
End time 186, 188, 189
loading sequences 42, 187
mini-menu 186187
naming 186, 189
Open Sequences 186, 188
opening 186, 187, 188
opening a new edit window 188
play-enabling 186, 186, 188, 189190
printing 84
rearranging Sequences 188189
selecting 187
sequence control buttons 186, 189190
song select message 186, 188
type icon 186, 188189
serial number 8, 267, 268
Session (see project)
Set Countoff 55
Set Display 50
Set Loop 167
Set Movie Start Time 195
Set Nudge Amount 147
Set Number of Effect Inserts 201
Set Number of Sends 201
Set number of tracks command 261
Set Rulers 131

preserving locked markers 184
sequences window 187
Set Sync Point 172
Setup menu
Audio System Clock 13
Auto Scroll 107
Automation Setup 212, 223
Choose Waveform Editor 174
Commands 91
Configure Audio System 114
Configure Studio Settings 15
Frame Rate sub-menu 252
Preferences 42, 86
Receive Sync 252255
Slave to External Sync 255
Time Display 28
Transmit Sync 256257
Shift 164165
Shift locked markers 182, 184
Shortcut commands 26
Show
Active Layer Only 129
edit grid lines options 87
marker grid lines 87
Show Clipboard 167
Show marker grid lines 132
Show Presets in Finder 228
Show Times 129
Side chain input 235
Skip buttons 45, 189190, 190
Skip Master Fader tracks 100
in the Control Panel 45
SMPTE 28, 252
29.97 drop & non-drop 252
bit offset 49
bits per frame 49
converters 252
Drop frame 252
Frame Rate 252
frame time display 28, 50, 131
offset 49, 50
start time 262
time code 257
Snap Information 146147
Snap to Grid 146
Snapshot automation 220
Snapshot button 200
to set initial levels with 206
Snip 164
Solo & Play Phrase override mute automation 223
Solo button
exemption 104, 206
in Mixing Board 204
Solo exemption 104, 206
Soloing tracks 107
exemption 104, 206
Song Select 186, 188
Sort by file name 76
Sort by name
Soundbites 76
Sort by size 76
Sound Designer II 88
exporting interleaved 69, 76
importing 75
Sound effects
stutter 137
Sound file (see Audio file)
Sound File Information 149151
Soundbites 6980
"throwing" 137
X icon 77
applying Region operations 154
Automatic Conversions 80
compacting 79
converting ones that cant play 74
copying while dragging 137
creating 73
defined 21
definition 21
deleting 78
dragging and dropping 79
dragging and dropping in Edit window 136
Duplicating 172
duplicating end to end 137
edge editing 138
Edit window 128
editing basics 154
exporting 69, 76
extending a selection 159
icon for lost soundbites 77
in audio tracks 154
inserting in Edit window 136
layering 171
loading 74
looping 53
managing 7679
moving 136
moving multiple 137
moving vertically in Edit window 136
name 71
naming 77
playback 97105
playing with Audible mode 76
question mark icon 77
red outline 135
region editing 154
Reloading 172174
removing from list 7879
renaming in Edit window 136
Replacing 174
replacing in Edit window 136
scrubbing 141
selecting 141
selecting regions of 154
selecting unused 77
snapping to grid while moving 137
snapping to next/previous 137
Sort by file name 76
Sort by name 76
Sort by size 76
stutter effect 137
that cant be played 77
time stamping 171
trimming 138
Soundbites window
Audible Mode 76
renaming audio files 81
Speaker button 155
Speaker icon (See Audible Mode)
Splice 164
Splice Multiple 164
Split 165
Split At Counter 165
Split stereo
Standard beat clocks (see MIDI beat clocks)
Startup options 42
Stereo
creating a stereo track 98
recording 115
soundbites 73
Stereo audio files
converting 74
size on disk 21
Stereo buses setting (Studio Configuration dialog)
16
Stop button 46, 51
Strip Silence 170171
Studio Configuration dialog 15
Studio menu
Audio Assignments 100
Audio Bundles 94
278
INDEX
Audio Monitor 119122

Audio Patch Thru 113
Audio Performance 17
Background Processing 240
Clear all clipping indicators 121, 206
Click 109
value 109
volume 111
Click Options 110
Control Panel 44
Cursor Information 147148
Event Information 148
Selection Information 148149
Snap Information 146147
Sound File Information 149151
Tools 152
Track Selector 149
Sync points 142, 172
Sync to Port menu 253
Synchronization
MIDI beat clocks
start/ stop clocks 257
transmitting 257
recording in external sync 118
SMPTE 28, 252
VITC 255
System
troubleshooting 265
System errors 265, 267
System Requirements 8
T
Tab bar 24
expand/collapse button 24
Take Automation Snapshot (no dialog) 223
Take Automation Snapshot command 174
Take Folder 119
Takefiles
Audio Monitor 119
changing location before recording 120
checking current location 113, 120
definition 119
folder 119
naming 120
relocating 119
removing unwanted 79
renaming 81, 119, 120
selecting in Audio Monitor 119
Takes 101
Duplicate Take command 101
New Take command 101
Rename Take command 101
while cycle recording 51
Technical support 266
Template files 4142
Tempo 5657
resolution 57
Text
copy between AudioDesk and other programs 168
Ticks 2728
Time
display 48
Edit window 131
formats 4748
frame time 28, 49
measure|beat|tick time 27, 47
real time 27
specification 2728
Time Display menu 28
Time ruler 128
Edit window 131
locating playback 131
Time stamps 142, 171
Original Time Stamp 171
User Time Stamp 171
Timecode bits 49
Timecode track option 261
Timing resolution
beats per minute 57
frames 49
ticks 27
Tool palette 127, 152, 157, 158
Edit window 128, 143
Studio menu 152
Tool palette preferences 87
Tools
I-beam tool 152
Loop tool 153
palette 152
Pencil tool 153
Pointer tool 152
Scrub tool 153
Zoom tool 153
Touch mode 215
Track Selector 127, 130, 149
Tracks (see Audio tracks)
Transmit Sync 256257
echoing sync 257
generate sync 257
generating MIDI beat clocks 257
generating MIDI Time Code 256
Transport
preferences 89
Tremolo (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Trim 166
Trim Latch mode 215
Trim plug-in (see AudioDesk Plug-ins Guide)
Trim Start/Trim End 166
Trim Touch mode 215
Trimming soundbites 138
Troubleshooting 265267, 268270
Audio 265266
disk errors 4243, 265
error messages 4243, 265, 267
file errors 4243, 265
input monitoring delays 114
monitoring problems 208
system errors 265, 267
Type icon 186, 188189
Type of click 110
U
Undo History 154, 160
Undo Previous Action 160
Undo/Redo 160, 161
Edit window 140
Record 47
Unique Source Identifier 88
Unlock 182, 184
Unlocking markers 182, 184
Unmuting
audio tracks 107
Update existing fades option 179, 180
Upgrading command bindings 92
Urei metronome click 110
USB
MIDI hardware (installing) 10
Use Narrow view 200
Use Same Movie for All Sequences 194
User Interface 23106
User Presets 228
User time 71
User Time Stamp 150, 171
Video
FireWire video playback 196
Video (see Movie Window)
Video Output command 196
Video Output playback offset 197
View by menu (Soundbites window) 71
VITC 255
Volume
Click 111
curve, removing 144
curves, reshaping 143
cut, copy, paste 144
deleting an event (point) 144
disabling automation temporarily 144
faders 205
graphic editing of 128, 143
VU meter 119
W
Wait button 45
indefinite countoff 55
preferences 89
WAVE files
importing 75
Wave64 88
Waveforms
explained 135
When a note
is played 89
or controller is played 89
Window menu 24
Window target 24
Window title 23
Windows 2324
Windows menu
Bring All To Front 24
Close 24
Close All Effect Windows 25, 227
Close All Windows 24
Close Cell 65
Wiper
zooming 108
Work Priority 14
Work Quanta 16
X
X icon (on soundbite move handle) 71
XMPT (solo exemption) 104, 206
Z
Zoom 133
Zoom in/out 133
Zoom to selection 133
Zoom (mini-menu item) 128
Zoom box 24
Zoom buttons 24
Zoom tool 153
Zooming 132, 143
Edit window 128, 132134
playback wiper 108
shortcuts 153
V
Variable Bit Rate (VBR) Fast 248
Variable Bit Rate (VBR) Standard 248
VBR (variable bit rate) quality 248
Velocities
Version numbers
AudioDesk 267
Vertical Interval time code (see VITC)
279
INDEX
280
INDEX

AudioDesk User Guide PDF

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AudioDesk 3

1280 Massachusetts Avenue

About the Mark of the Unicorn License Agreement

TO PERSONS WHO PURCHASE OR USE THIS PRODUCT:

Reminder of the terms of your license

This summary is not your license agreement, just a reminder of its

In order to be eligible to obtain updates of the program, you must

Copyright 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003,

Part 2: The AudioDesk Project

The AudioDesk Project

Part 3: Customizing Your Workspace

Part 4: Playing and Recording

Part 10: Synchronization

Part 11: Appendices

Troubleshooting and Support

MOTU Audio System (MAS)

Hard Disk Recording Concepts

User Interface Basics

Tutorial 1: Recording Audio

Tutorial 2: Mixing and Finishing

Important! Register your software

Part 2: The AudioDesk Project

The AudioDesk Project

Components of an AudioDesk Project

The Consolidated Window

Audio File Management

Working with multiple drives

Part 3: Customizing Your Workspace

Part 4: Playing and Recording

Fades and Crossfades

Audio Effects Processing

235 Making a plug-in effect permanent

Audio File Conversion

Part 10: Synchronization

MIDI Machine Control

Part 11: Appendices

Troubleshooting and Support

Frequently Asked Questions

IMPORTANT! REGISTER YOUR SOFTWARE

Choose Register AudioDesk from the Help

If you purchased an upgrade

You are already registered and no further

MINIMUM COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS

512 MB RAM or more

Mac OS X version 10.5 or 10.6; v10.5.8 or later is required

A display with 1024 x 768 resolution or higher

A display with 1280 x 1024 resolution or higher

HOW TO CHECK YOUR COMPUTER SPECIFICATIONS

RUNNING THE AUDIODESK INSTALLER

SETTING UP MIDI HARDWARE

1 Insert the AudioDesk Installer disc.

AudioDesk supports MIDI input and output for time code

2 Double-click the Install AudioDesk icon. You will need to

To set up AudioDesk for use with MIDI hardware devices

After a successful installation, you are ready to launch

EXAMINING AUDIO UNITS PLUG-INS

If you have questions, please review this manual carefully

Web-based tech support: www.motu.com/support

When you first run AudioDesk, it examines any AUs

CONNECTING MIDI GEAR VIA A MIDI INTERFACE

Describe and configure the MIDI devices connected to

The MIDI devices in Audio MIDI Setup appear in