Audio Recording and Editing Tips

Audio recording is new to P5 2.0 and though the audio editing is not as comprehensive as compared to SONAR, there are still some basic audio edits and some nifty audio-related features you can do, without first committing the audio to a Groove clip

Basic Audio Editing

Once you record an audio track, you can copy, move, delete, slip edit, split and combine without committing to a groove clip. Either by right mouse clicking on the hightlighted audio clip and selecting from the drop down context menu or left mouse clicking and using normal SONAR™-type move, copy and slip editing techniques.

Comp Audio Recording

Another nice unexpected feature is the ability to comp tracks. First create an Audio track, set the input channel, arm the track, set the volume level and then set a portion of your project, in loop mode, say the first 8 bars. Now when you record your audio track, while in loop mode, and you reach the end loop point, it will continue to record another audio track by automatically creating a new Track Layer beneath the original audio track and muting the first audio track. It will keep creating additional Track Layers and muting the previous tracks, until you stop playback. Very similar to what happens in SONAR™. You can then slip edit your tracks to create the best composite. Not as robust as in SONAR™, but still quite usable.

Hot Keys for Audio Recording

Among the many shortcuts, is the ability to insert a new audio track (Insert key), set the new track for record (use the left/right arrow keys to select the record arm button), and start recording ( R key), without ever stopping playback, simply by using several hot keys. You will see the new audio recording being drawn on the Arrange page, as you record.

Hot Keys for Moving a Clip or Multiple Audio Clips

Another nice editing feature is the ability to select clips or even groups of clips (by Ctrl / Left clicking to select) and move them up/down, left/right by using the coresponding arrow keys. The up/down arrow keys move the clip/clips vertically to adjacent tracks while the left/right arrow keys nudge them horizontally, by the Snap to Grid note value. Or you can press N/ to toggle Snap to Grid on or off and and freely move the clip or group of clips, in any direction. Of course, it is gapless during playback, even when project looping and using delay compensated plugins, like those from the UAD-1.

Creating Groove Clips from Recorded Audio

If you select a recorded audio clip and press Ctrl/L you will automatically create a Groove clip. As a Groove clip, in the audio editor you can then do sliced-based automation of Gain, Pan and Pitch. You can also do slice based parameter automation, of any FX that you have patched into the audio track. You can tweak the groove marker settings and drag and drop the new edited Groove clip back into the Arrange view, onto a new track as a new Groove Clip. Press Ctrl/L again, on the original Groove clip and it reverts back to it's orignal audio wave form.

by Billy Buck

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