Can't Find These Features in Basic - Do They Exist?

[IraSeigel]

In SS Basic, I'm looking for the following features, but I can't find them. Please let me know if the following functions are available in Basic or any version of SS:

I need to be able to index a live recording on-the-fly to indicate the beginning of each song during a concert. The function I'm looking for is analogous to the "Track Advance" button on a CD burner, in which you create a point that you can jump to as on commercial CDs. I stress "on-the-fly" - not after the file has been created.

The other function I am looking for is the ability to pause a recording without ending the file and creating a new one. I want to be able to pause between songs, or when there is a guitar tuning problem or when the band comes offstage before an encore, and then re-engage the recording, all in one continuous file. Can I do this in Basic?

Thanks,
Ira Seigel, recording live with the FIXX

[UpTilDawn]

Pressing the "Q" key while recording will drop a marker that you can refer to after the fact. It also brings up a dialog box in which you can type notes/names... or just simply click Return and move on.

Be aware that if you have multiple apps open, say a software mixer panel like RME's TotalMix, plus SAW... You need to make sure the focus is on Saw in order for the "Q" key to work... In fact, you may have to make sure the focus is on the MT or the Record meters/transport panel and not on an FX plug-in or something as well.

As for pausing the recording, you can go into record ready mode, or simply press stop when you want to break, then hit record again when you are ready to go. Although you will see breaks where new regions are created, the file itself is one continuous thing until you break it up with an operation such as session trim or extract.

My personal observation after recording live multi-tracks in Saw for a number of years is that the separation between songs, dialog, even sections of a single, continuous performance is so visibly obvious in the MT that I rarely take the time to mark locations on the fly anymore. This leaves me free to focus on other tasks at hand, especially when multi-tasking recording and mixing.

danT

[Pedro Itriago]

Well, regarding your first question, you can drop cue location marks on the fly while recording, if memory serves me well, you can create them just by hitting th "q" key.

About the second one, you can "pause" the recording. Start in "Rec-Rdy" mode and when you want to start recording just hit REC or press enter. When you click on stop or press space bar, the program will return to Rec-Rdy. To re-start recording just press REC again. The audio file will continue being appended as long as you don't close the rec window, so what you want to achieve (creating just one single audio file with all the recording regardless of "pauses" in between) will be done this way, no problem.

I think you'll find them all in basic

[IraSeigel]

Wonderful, gents. Thanks very much for your responses. This helps me a lot.

Could the markers function as a "Track Number" or "Track Advance" if the entire file were burned to a CD or MP3 player?

Cheers,
Ira

[Veit Kenner]

Could the markers function as a "Track Number" or "Track Advance" if the entire file were burned to a CD or MP3 player? Hi Ira,

sort of yes, but... :-)

Since you can't burn a CD directly from SAW you have to use the CUE markers to create the track advance markers.

First I recommend to adjust the exact position of the CUE markers. Usually "on the fly" can be a little off.

Then there are several ways to create a CD of a couple of audiofiles for output to a CD burning app or a MP3 Player.

To prepare for CD burning from within SAW you could use CuesheetGenerator by JMS (http://jms-audioware.com/csg.htm) (http://jms-audioware.com/csg.htm%29). To transfer the CUE marker locations to a cuesheet you would jump to your CUE markers, then hit CTRL+INS and this way a cuesheet layout is created that then can be mixed and burned to a CD.

To create multiple audiotracks that start exactly at each CUE marker you can use SAW's native BuildMixToSoundfile command.

First you click on the CUE marker that is the start of the track then you ALT+click ont the CUE marker that is the end of the track. SAW automatically marks the area between these two markers in the MT and you can immediately start a mixdown.

Afterwards you drag the created audiofiles into you favourite CD burning app or into your MP3 encoding program. Or you could use JMS' native and free MP3 (and OGG) encoding plug-in LACE (http://jms-audioware.com/lace.htm) and create MP3 files directly from SAW's timeline.

There are even more ways but I think this already covers the most important.

Best regards,

Veit

[UpTilDawn]

To transfer the CUE marker locations to a cuesheet you would jump to your CUE markers, then hit CTRL+INS and this way a cuesheet layout is created that then can be mixed and burned to a CD.

Veit

Veit, would you explain this in a little more detail, please?
What cuesheet layout is being created?... Is that the JMS cuesheet you are refering to?

I've never used the control track to generate my cuesheets in JMS generator (or hardly anything else for that matter), so I'm really curious what you are doing.

DanT

[UpTilDawn]

First you click on the CUE marker that is the start of the track then you ALT+click ont the CUE marker that is the end of the track. SAW automatically marks the area between these two markers in the MT and you can immediately start a mixdown.
Veit

And how do you Alt/click on a cue marker to mark the area which is the song? You must have awfully great aim, 'cause I can't even get close to clicking on the marker... I must really be missing something here. Would you mind explaining this as well?

Sorry for my ignorance,

DanT

[Veit Kenner]

Veit, would you explain this in a little more detail, please?
What cuesheet layout is being created?... Is that the JMS cuesheet you are refering to?

I've never used the control track to generate my cuesheets in JMS generator (or hardly anything else for that matter), so I'm really curious what you are doing.
Hi Dan,

CuesheetGenerator needs to be inserted into your output track or the Final Resolustion Patchpoint. CSG's shortcut to add a CD track marker is to hit CTRL+INS in SAWStudio's MT.

In SAWStudio the CueMarkers are a way to move the MT cursor to certain locations.

The idea is to use the CueMarkers to jump to predefined locations and then use CSG's CTRL+INS to create the CD track markers.

This really is a manual process and no automagic at all. But it works pretty well and fast.

You could as well use region boundaries and TAB to move along the MT and hit CTRL+INS to create those markers. It really depends on your project :-)

Once you've finished adding CD track markers you create a CueSheet and a soundfile via "BuildMixToFxModules". CSG takes care of it all and what you get is a *.cue file and a soundfile that you can open in a CD burning app (like EAC or Nero) and burn to a CD.

The initial process can be as accurate as SAW can be and what you get is a perfect CD.

Hope that helps.

Veit

[Veit Kenner]

And how do you Alt/click on a cue marker to mark the area which is the song? You must have awfully great aim, 'cause I can't even get close to clicking on the marker...
Not at all :-)

You need to make visible "View/Contro Track" which brings up a list of all the CUE markers (or "Q" markers) across your MT. If you first click one and then ALT+Click another one further down the list the appropriate area in the MT get's highlighted.

This can then serve as a marked area for a MixToSoundfile.

Hope that makes it more clear for you.

Veit

[Bob L]

You click on list box entries (as markers) in the Control Track view... set this view into an F-Key or two... click the first marker... alt-click the next... from the listbox.

You can also do this using the Locate markers at the top of the MT... there are L1-4 and the last marker popup menu... click one of the items... alt-click the next... very handy.

Bob L

[UpTilDawn]

Thanks for the clarification guys!
I haven't learned any CSG shortcuts and always use the TAB key and ADD buttun..... 'Bout time I learn at least that one.

I had a feeling that your use of Alt/click had to involve that control track list view. It's a pretty frustrating experience to try to Alt/click the cursor on one of those tiny Control track markers.:eek: :rolleyes:

I've got to remember that Alt/L buttons thing too. I used it once when you pointed it out before Bob, but evidently , quickly forgot it.

DanT

[Bob L]

To jump to a marker entry, simply use the tab key and shift tab to jump in reverse.

But the alt-click feature works from the Control Track View.

You can also use the Control Track View and the Cue entries to enter text notes to a session... simply put multiple cues at the exact same position... and keep typing a list of notes... when you cursor to or past the position... all the cue points will hilite and allow you to drop multi-line notes along the timeline.

Bob L

[Carlos Mills]

Hi All,

And I just learned a new one... this is for CSG:
If you ever need to move two or more indexes by the same offset time, all you need to do is to select an area containing the indexes that need to be offset:
"If a Multitrack area is selected, the Move command (in CSG) moves all entries within the marked area to the new location, (...)"
Handy! :)

[UpTilDawn]

Speaking of CSG, is there a way to start a CSG operation down the timeline from zero? There have been a few times where I wanted to keep a multi-song session in order, yet create a cd burn file starting somewhere other than zero... can't seem to do it.

danT

[Veit Kenner]

And I just learned a new one... this is for CSG:
Carlos,

really great, I didn't know that one :-)

Thanks,

Veit

[Veit Kenner]

Speaking of CSG, is there a way to start a CSG operation down the timeline from zero?
Hi Dan,

I get your idea, I was thinking of it before, too. But I came to the conclusion that this is not possible with CSG because it assumes the current MT is the layout of a CD. And a CD has to start at zero time. The first track marker always sticks there no matter what I try.

One could try fiddling with the CueSheet created but I'm sure this will mess up things even more ;-) I think an "ExtractSession" and use that one as a basis for the CueSheet is the way to go.

Veit

[UpTilDawn]

Right.
The other solution I've used is to delete the songs up to the midway point, move everything else over to start at zero and save an edl just for that CSG write. At least that way, I retain my original wav files and don't have to write two sets.

It would be better if I could make two CSG operations from the one, long session and not have to mess with moving things around. And if CSG couldn't keep track of two track layouts, I could still write two edls, one with the zero starting point and the other, with the starting point at whatever midway mark I needed.

DanT

[Angie]

Yes, Jon wrote it so that everything starts at 0. I believe I read it in the help file.

I often want to move the start marker up just a few seconds. My method is like Dan's. I (K)cut at the point I want my start point, move the file down and adjust the markers as needed. (Thanks for the tip, Carlos!) Since it creates a new file, it would seem that writing the cue sheet to always start at 0 would still make it acurate. My guess is that Jon wrote it to rely on the times reported within SAW. And it would be a major program re-write for him to do it another way. But I don't really know.

[Dave Labrecque]

Hi All,

And I just learned a new one... this is for CSG:
If you ever need to move two or more indexes by the same offset time, all you need to do is to select an area containing the indexes that need to be offset:
"If a Multitrack area is selected, the Move command (in CSG) moves all entries within the marked area to the new location, (...)"
Handy! :)

Wowe! Never knew this! I've needed this kind of thing in the past. Thanks, Carlos!