EDITING PRACTICE

 

Note: This section assumes that you have access to certain audiofiles found on the workstations at Loyola Marymount University. If that's not the case, please substitute some audiofiles of your own.

So far we've taken a quick tour of the Edit Window and the Edit Tools; this page is more of a step-by-step walk-through of how to put the Tools to use.

First, just a reminder of the Tool Icons we'll use:

 

Zoomer

Trimmer

Selector

Grabber

Scrubber

Pencil Tool

Smart Tool

Now open a New Session and name it. (For instance, "J. Smith Practice".)

Create 8 tracks (remember to check Disk Allocation after creating the tracks.)

Check to see that you are in either the "Slip" or "Grid" mode.

Import the following audiofiles from the "TUTORIAL EDIT PRACTICE" folder: JW79/41^FEET SCUFFLE ON DIRT, and GMO13/17p^BODY FALL, DIRT. [The shortcut to bring up the Import Window is Shift-Splat-I.]

Click and drag the "FEET SCUFFLE" effect into track one. Dragging files from the list can be done using either the Selector or the Grabber. [If you've imported both files at once, they may both be highlighted in the Audio Regions List, and both files may start to drag simultaneously. To deselect them, click anywhere outside of the Regions List. Then click and drag the file you want.]

Position the region so that it begins at the start of the session. (The easiest way: just keep dragging it to the left until it won't go any further.)

Now drag the "BODY FALL" into Track 2, so that it is to the right of the spot where your "FEET SCUFFLE" ends.

Let's examine this "BODY FALL" file in more detail. If it isn't Selected (highlighted) at the moment, do so either by double-clicking with the Selector or single-clicking with the Grabber. Now let's get this region to fill the screen by Option-Clicking on the Zoomer. (You can also try using the "click and drag" features of the Zoomer if you'd like.)

Press the Spacebar to play this region. You'll see that this file actually consists of several "Body Fall" sounds. After the region has played, press the Spacebar again to stop playback. Now reposition the Selector near the beginning of the region. We're now ready to edit the sound.

Editing a Region

Suppose we want to use just a piece of this file -- that second body fall, say. There are many ways to create a separate region containing just that bit of sound. We could use the trimmer to trim the unwanted sounds from the beginning and ends of the entire region, leaving just the part we want. Or we could, just by eyeballing the waveform, select portion we want and then press Splat-E to "separate" the region from the sound on either side, then delete the unwanted regions. But for practice, let's try another approach.

With the Selector bar near the start of the region, hold down the Control key while you drag the Selector bar to the right. This allows the Selector to audition sound just like the Scrubber Tool (only the icon doesn't change). Scrub right on past the first body fall and listen closely for the start of the second body fall. (It's easy enough to tell from the waveform display where it occurs.)

Locate the point where the sound begins, rocking slowly back and forth over the sound, so that you are just to the left of the point where the sound begins. (This point is often called the "first mod" or "modulation" of the sound.)

Your display should look a bit like this:

Now, while still holding down the Control Key, press the Shift Key also and continue slowly scrubbing to the right. You'll notice that you are highlighting or selecting as you go. Keep scrubbing until you are past the point where the sound of the second body fall has faded away (or decayed.)

Release the mouse, then release the Shift & Control keys. The area you highlighted will remain highlighted.

You can now go to the Edit Menu and Choose Edit|Trim Region.

The shortcut keystroke for this is Splat-T. (There's a reason I keep mentioning these shortcuts. Although not all of them are easy to remember, there are a number you'll want to get used to using. They can speed up the work enormously, and allow you to concentrate on the flow of sound and ideas rather than a lot of mousing around with menus.)

Once you've started to work out your own style of working (are you the "Trimmer" type or do you tend to "Separate" or "Capture"?) learn the shortcuts that go with the steps you use most.
The "Trim Region" command eliminates the sound on either side of your selection, leaving just your selected body fall in its own region. It should default to a new name that consists of the original file name, with a number like "-04" tacked to the end. The file name, which incorporated a sound effects library DAT Roll and Program number, was pretty unwieldy, so let's rename this region. Use the Grabber to double-click on the remaining region. This should bring up the Name Region Window:

Please name the region "Fave Body Fall."

(You could use anything you like because you are not altering the name of the Disk File itself. You're only giving a name to a piece of the soundfile, not the entire soundfile.)

Now to demonstrate something, I'd like you to select this new region. (Double-click with the Selector, or Single-Click with the Grabber.) The region should now be highlighted. Now either choose Edit|Clear from the menubar or press the "Delete" key on the keyboard.

I can imagine your reluctance here, after you've gone to all this trouble to create this masterpiece. Relax. If you look over in the Audio Regions List at the right of the Edit Window, you'll notice that "FAVE BODY FALL" is at the top of the list. (The original, complete soundfiles are shown in boldface. New regions made from them are in a regular font.)

Pro Tools keeps track of all the audiofiles brought into the session and specifically-created regions (You can choose to have every single auto-created region displayed by choosing Display|Display Auto-created regions. But believe me, this often creates more visual clutter than it's worth.)

So now, reach over and drag "FAVE BODY FALL" back into track 2 and let's try placing it accurately on the timeline.

Moving Regions to Sync Locations

The idea is that we want these two sounds to play together believably, as if someone runs briefly on dirt and then falls to the ground. So place "FAVE BODY FALL" so that it begins shortly after the last modulation of the "FEET SCUFFLE." Approximately like this:

This is where we start getting fussy about placement. Listen critically to the result. Decide if you'd like to "nudge" the body fall to come earlier or later. Now here's a handy way to do it that saves some mousing around: check your time scale display unit choice. (Go to the Display Menu; the choices are at the bottom.)

For this example, let's work in Min:Secs. Now over toward the upper right of the Edit Window is the Nudge units button:

Let's use the "100 millisecond" choice.

Next check your Operations Menu and check to see that the option called "Loop Playback" is enabled.

Next, click and drag with the Selector to select an area that includes the Body Fall, plus a bit of blank space before it. Something like this ---------->

Now you're going to be able to repeatedly play the last highlighted portion in context with the footsteps, and you can fine tune the placement of the body fall by using the "+" and "-" keys over in the numerical entry portion of the keyboard. (Tapping on the minus key nudges the region forward by 100msec, tapping the plus key nudges it backwards.)

So now, press the Spacebar and the selection will play repeatedly while you nudge the body fall around until it suits you. When you've got something you like, press the Spacebar again to stop playback.

Now let's try a slightly different approach. First you may want to click on the left Display Scale Arrow to lessen the waveform magnification. Now, with the Grabber, grab the body fall and move it off to the right a ways so that it's considerably later on the timeline than you just placed it.

Press Return to place the Play cursor at the start of the session. For this next step I want you to close your eyes, press the Spacebar to start playback, then press it again at the point where it "feels like" the body fall should happen. This will stop playback and you can re-open your eyes. Go ahead ---

-- The selector insertion bar should be blinking away at the point where you pressed Stop. (If it doesn't seem like it is, make sure that you have "Timeline Insertion Follows Playback" enabled in Setups|Preferences|Operations.)

Don't click in the track display yet. The Grabber tool should still be active (with its button highlighted.) If not, click the Grabber button to make it active, then hold down the Control key before you click on the "Fave Body Fall" with the Grabber. The body fall region should snap to the place where the insertion cursor was blinking.

You can use many variations on this same idea. Suppose you were scrubbing through the "FEET SCUFFLE" region in search of a very accurate spot for the Body Fall. Once you found the right "insertion point" you could Contr-Grab the body fall region to position it precisely.

[Another variation on this technique is particularly useful in cutting to digital picture. The digital picture "jumps to" wherever you place the Selector. So when you've found a critical frame -- where an explosion begins, for instance -- you can quickly sync an explosion sound by Contr-Grabbing the audio region.]

Now let's improve on this "FEET SCUFFLE" effect. You may have noticed a kind of "stumble" occurs about 1 second into the region (two larger "humps" in the waveform are prominent there.) Let's eliminate that stumble and the sound that precedes it. Highlight the undesired portion using the Selector. Something like this:

Make it go away; either by pressing the "Delete" key or by choosing Edit|Clear or Edit|Cut, or by using a shortcut like Splat-B or Splat-X.

Now we're ready to try working with a whole new feature: fades.

Making Fades

Suppose we'd like the remaining footsteps to "fade up", as if someone were running up from a slight distance. There are a couple methods. One is to position the selector on top of the last footstep modulation. As in the view below left:

Next you can make a selection from that point to the exact beginning of the region by pressing a somewhat awkward combo keystroke: Opt-Shift-Tab. (The variation to select from the Selector Bar to the end of the region is Shift-Tab.)

Once the area is selected, to make a "Fade In" press Splat-F. (Or you can go the roundabout route by choosing Edit|Fades|Create Fades.)

A Fades Window will appear.

When I create a fade in this fashion the window will default to the last fade type used; to see representations of the types available you click on the little Fade Shape icon. (Where the mouse arrow is pointing in the above screenshot.)

The fades window originally defaulted to a straight "diagonal" fade. I'd suggest selecting a different fade in shape, one that usually sounds more "natural" to my ears.

Obviously this will vary according to the situation and your taste.

After you've selected a fade in shape, press Ok to make the fade.
The fade is actually a new region, and is designated in the Edit Window by a visual indicator on the waveform display.

We can listen to the result, and if we want to we can modify it. We can, at any time, select an existing fade by double-clicking it with the Selector, or single-clicking with the Grabber. Then, by pressing Splat-F, we can bring up the Fade Window and re-select a different fade shape. (Hint: Double-clicking a fade with the Grabber will jump you to the Fade Window.)

We can modify the length of a fade as well, by "trimming" it with the Trimmer Tool. Below left, we extend the beginning of the fade by extending it with the trimmer. (Below left.) Releasing the trimmer creates the new fade on the right.

I can also "delete" the fade and start from scratch; just highlight the fade and press "Delete" or choose Edit|Clear.

Unlike other region deletions, though, only the "fade in" itself is deleted. The actual sound region will begin at the same point, as if the fade in was never made ---->

There's an easier way to do fades, thanks to the new Smart Tool. If you position the Smart Tool near the beginning or end of a region, and also toward the top of the region, it converts to a "Fade" tool icon. Then you drag and release this fade icon somewhat the same way you'd use the Trimmer. Like this:

Here's another Smart Tool fact you should know: rather than defaulting to the last fade shape used, the Smart Tool defaults to the fade shape preferences that you choose by bring down the menu for Setups|Preferences|Editing.

Clicking on the respective buttons in this preference menu will bring the fades dialog and allow you to set your preferred shape.

If you don't like the default result, you can press Splat-F while the new fade is still highlighted. This will bring up the Fade Window and you can select a new shape.

Making Crossfades

Crossfades are just a special case of using fades. Two sound regions overlap slightly in time; the first one fades out while the other is fading in, creating a smooth transition between the two sounds.

When might you use a crossfade? Suppose we needed to chop about 7 seconds out of the sound of our biplane going away (maybe there was a brief glitch in the original recording -- someone in the background coughed.) We could do that in the "Shuffle" mode and the remaining pieces would snap together. But if we listen to the edit, we'd notice an audible "bump" -- an unnatural discontinuity in the sound. We might be able to smooth that "bump" by using a crossfade.

One method would be to arrange the sounds on two different tracks, with fade ins and outs. Here are the steps:

1. Drag the Selector to mark about 7 seconds for deletion.

2. Then, in the Shuffle Mode, delete using the Delete key, or Splat-X for Cut, or Splat-B for Clear. You should get the results below.

3. Next, highlight the second region by selecting it, then hold down the Contr key while using the Grabber to move the second region down to the lower track. (Using Contr-Grabber constrains the region to the same position on the timeline -- you can move it up and down, but not sideways.)

4. Next you would use the Trimmer to extend the tails of the first region, then extend the heads of the second region so that they overlap.

5. The final step would be to create an overlapping fade out and fade in.

This should result in a fairly smooth sounding transition, so that the 7 second deletion should be unnoticeable.
The above would work, and except for the ease of creating the fades, conceptually it's not much different from an analog track approach. But with non-linear editing, we can alter the concept a bit -- because there's really no particular reason to use two separate tracks to achieve this crossfade. We could do it all on the same track.

Let's back up an look at an alternate approach:

<----- We've just made our 7 second deletion. Next we'll use the selector to highlight an overlapping area.

Next we could simply press Splat-F to bring up our Fades Window to create our crossfade. (Or we could choose Edit|Fades|Create Fades from the menubar to bring up the same window.)
Since we're creating a crossfade instead of a regular fade, the Fades Window will look different. Below you can see how the window appears in its crossfade mode. The "Out" and "In" shapes can be linked, or if you pick "None" as your link choice, you can vary each shape independently.

 

Incidentally, I've found this "Equal Power" link shape tends to make the smoothest transitions . When you're crossfading between essentially identical material (as when sound effects are split from one track to another) the Equal Gain diagonal shape tends to shound better.

There's no hard-and-fast rule here, though. You just have to listen critically to the results.

[The icon buttons on the left side of the Fade Window can be used to preview both the sound of the crossfade and resulting waveforms. I've never had occasion to use those features, but they might be useful for some exceptionally tricky fades.

"Use Dither" improves the sound quality of low level fades, or fading in and out of silence. Personally, I always leave this option on, although it slows the fade creation process slightly.]
When we press "OK", Pro Tools creates the crossfade. Before we look at the end result, here's an alternate method of selecting the crossfade area that uses the Smart Tool. If you position the Smart Tool at the "join" between the regions and toward the bottom of the regions, it converts into a crossfade tool.

<--------- Dragging the Smart Tool crossfade icon changes the length of the crossfade. (The crossfade length will be indicated in the "Length window" above -- about 5 seconds.)

Releasing the mouse then creates the crossfade. (The "Smart" crossfade defaults to your preferred shape, without bringing up the Fades Window.)

<---------- Regardless of the method used, the resulting crossfade would look something like this, and it all occupies a single track.

You can then listen to the crossfade and tweak it as needed by changing the length with the trimmer, or changing the fade shape by calling up the Fade Window.

 Marking Regions with Sync Points

Now we should have two sounds -- the Feet Scuffle and the Body Fall -- that are playing together fairly well in terms of their relative sync. If we needed to move them for some reason, we'd like to maintain their sync relationship. It's easy to do. With the Grabber, click on one of the regions to select it. Now hold down the shift key before clicking on the second region. Both regions are now selected, and if you can drag both of them at once to any position on the tracks, or even onto different tracks. Please drag them so that the Feet Scuffle begins at about 0:10 on the timeline.

Getting a "sync reference point" is pretty easy when you're dealing with a sound that has a hard initial impact -- like a body fall, a door slam, or a gunshot. By trimming the region so that in begins right at the first strong modulation of the sound, the Start-of-the-Region and our Sync-Reference-Point amount to the same thing. But this isn't always the case.

Let's Import another Audiofile from the "TUTORIAL EDIT PRATICE" folder -- the effect called "PL3/21^BIPLANE BY." Drag it into Track 3. Lop off about the first 15 seconds of the region. (The Trimmer is an easy way to do this, or if you're getting used to using the Smart Tool, position the Smart Tool at the beginning of the region -- but not near the top of the region -- and it converts into the Trimmer.) Just for practice, trim about 20-30 seconds off the tail end of the region as well. Depending on the magnification of your track display, you should end up with something like this:

Suppose we wanted to use the loudest portion -- the "peak"-- of this biplane effect as our reference point. (Ex:If we were cutting to picture, we might be syncing to the part of a shot where the plane comes closest to camera.) There's a fairly easy way to do this. First we need to position our Selector or Playback cursor at the peak.
It's easy enough to guess where this would be just by looking at the display -- it's probably the "tallest" part of the waveform. But instead, let's use our technique of listening to the sound and pressing the spacebar to stop playback at the point that "feels like" the peak. Try it. You should end up with something like this:

<---- The playback cursor is the tall vertical line. Now, press Splat-Comma. This will "stamp" this region with a Sync Point, indicated by a small triangle at the bottom of the region ->

Move this biplane region so that it is well to the right of your other regions. Now play the "FEET SCUFFLE" and "BODY FALL." Listen for the moment where the body fall ends, then wait a beat or two before hitting the Spacebar to stop playback.

Now SHIFT-CONTR-CLICK with the Grabber on the biplane region. It should "snap" to a new location, so that the peak of the plane by comes at the point where you stopped playback by hitting the Spacebar.

NOTE: As of this writing, the official Digidesign Pro Tools manual gives an incorrect keystroke for this procedure. (They say to use Option-Contr-Click, but that won't work.)

Creating a region sync point like the one in our example can be very useful, and can do all kinds of variations on this theme, with any sound. The important thing is that you can create a sync reference point anywhere within a region. You can also change your mind, and re-create a new point. Just re-position the Selector in the region and press Splat-Comma again. The old sync point will move to the new spot. You can also remove an existing sync point by selecting the region, then choosing Edit|Remove Sync Point.)

The relationship of the three regions should now look something like this:

You can refine this further if you'd like by extending the heads of the plane effect, creating fade ins & outs, etc. But that may be enough for now.

At the next opportunity, though, start creating some sessions of your own and just work with some sounds. It's probably better to be comfortable and gain experience working quickly with all the basic tools than it is to have a tentative grasp of a lot of features and menus that you'll seldom need. As always, ask for some help or consult the manuals if there's some feature you need to pursue in more depth.)

Go to Bells, Whistles, and Advanced Features

Or: Go to Table of Contents

 

Copyright ©2000 by Rodger Pardee