Creating event selections within time selections
You can select specific events within a general time selection. This technique is useful for selecting individual instruments from a
particular section of a song. For example, you may want to copy all percussion events from a song’s bridge and re-use them in the coda.
1.
Click the Time Selection Tool button ( ) or choose Editing Tool from the Edit menu and choose Time Selection from the
submenu. The pointer displays with an adjacent cursor ( ).
2.
Drag the mouse in the track view. The selection area is highlighted on the track view.
3.
Release the mouse button. A selection is created and all events within it are selected.
4.
Hold Ctrl and click any event that extends beyond the time selection. The entire event appears highlighted; however, only the
section of the event contained within the time selection is actually selected.
Tip:
You can select additional events within the time selection by continuing to hold Ctrl while clicking events. In addition, holding Shift
allows you to select the events of multiple adjacent tracks within a selection.
Working with tracks
The following sections explain several basic track functions and features. For more in-depth information on tracks, see Working with
Tracks on page 101.
Reordering tracks
When building an ACID project, you may want to reorder the tracks to place similar instruments in proximity to one another. For
example, placing all drum loops together in the track view makes it easier for you to fine-tune the mix of the song’s overall drum sound.
1.
Drag the track header to a new location in the track list. A heavy black horizontal line appears on the track list to indicate where the
track will be placed.
2.
Release the mouse button. The track is dropped in the new location and the entire track list/track view adjusts accordingly.
Tip:
You can reorder multiple tracks by holding Ctrl or Shift while selecting tracks and dragging the tracks as a group.
Resizing tracks
You can change the height of a track, thereby affecting how many tracks display in the track view. This is especially useful when building
a project with a large number of tracks. In addition, you can decrease the track’s height until only the multipurpose slider, Track FX
button, Mute button, and Solo button are visible.
1.
Drag the bottom edge of a track up or down in the track list. The pointer displays as a vertical stretch icon (
2.
Release the mouse button to establish the track’s new height.
Tip:
You can set the default height for all new tracks by right-clicking the newly resized track in the track list and choosing Set Default
Track Properties from the shortcut menu. For more information, see Setting default track properties on page 252.
Changing track colors
As mentioned previously, tracks are automatically created to accommodate new media files. These tracks are assigned a default color.
However, you can change track colors to organize the tracks in your project. To change the color, right-click the track in the track list,
choose Color from the shortcut menu, and choose the desired color from the submenu.
Renaming tracks
To rename a track, right-click the track name and choose Rename from the shortcut menu, or double-click the track name. Renaming a
track applies to the project only and does not change the file associated with the track.
).
40 | CHAPTER 2
