User manual MACKIE TRACKTION 2

[. . . ] TRACKTION 2 MUSIC PRODUCTION SOFTWARE REFERENCE Revision A 3/16/05 GUIDE TRACKTION 2 MUSIC PRODUCTION SOFTWARE Note: Tracktion originated in the mind of Julian Storer, an English programmer with a love of audio. Stateside Tracktioneers* will notice a distinctly British flavor to the user interface. To help you understand Tracktion better, the manual was written with a British accent (thank you to Adam Starkey). So sit back, imagine yourself overlooking an English moor (or in an English pub if you prefer), and enjoy Tracktion! [. . . ] Use sum + difference mode: Select this option if you want the current meter to display levels in sum + difference mode. This mode shows two levels, one is the shared stereo level, and the other is the difference between the two stereo levels. Reset all overloaded indicators: This option clears the clip warning from all meters. Keyboard shortcut: \. Reference Guide 53 Chapter 4: Timing, snapping, and synchronisation 4. 1 The time-line bar, and the tempo properties The time-line bar (Fig. 4. 1. 1) is made up of two horizontal lanes. Although this may not be visually obvious at first, if you click in the upper-half of the time-line, you will see a large red box outlining the top section. This box shows the current tempo region. By default there will be only one region in a new edit. This default region is shown as the current tempo at the far left of the time-line. The bottom lane shows the time divisions used for grid-snapping, and as a visual reference for building edits. Markers are also shown in the bottom lane. Figure 4. 1. 1 Markers Markers allow you to create bookmarks in your edit so that you can quickly navigate between sections of a song. The markers are numbered 0-9 and correspond to the number keys on your keyboard. To jump to a marker, simply press the corresponding key. The play-head cursor then moves to the marker location. Holding the CTRL key (CMD for Mac users) whilst pressing a number key sets the corresponding marker at the play-head cursor location. Repeating this process removes the marker. If you set a marker that has already been placed, the marker simply moves to the new location. The right-click options Right-clicking on the upper lane shows a pop-up menu (Fig. 4. 1. 2) offering the following options: Insert a tempo change at the cursor position: Select this option to create a new tempo region starting at the location of the play-head cursor. Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + E (CMD + E for Mac users). Delete this tempo change: This option removes the currently selected tempo region. Keyboard shortcut: DELETE or BACKSPACE. Figure 4. 1. 2 Right-clicking on the lower lane shows a pop-up menu that corresponds to the menu available from the "timeline" button in the control section. This menu is discussed later in this chapter. 54 Tracktion 2 The tempo properties When a tempo region is selected, its properties are shown in the properties-panel (Fig. [. . . ] Use this option with caution, since it may allow the result to clip. 10. 4 Exporting MIDI files To export an edit as a MIDI file: · Open the edit by selecting it in the items list. · Click the "open for editing" button in the properties-panel. · With the edit open in the edit page, click the "export" button in the global controls section. · From the displayed pop-up menu, choose the "export MIDI file. . . " option. [. . . ]