A reference for everything needed to take advantage of groups in one place.
Grouping can be used in 4 ways:
- Perform edits across multiple tracks, simultaneously in Multitrack-view.
- Re-arrange track order.
- Control which tracks are audible on playback.
- Gang mixer-view controls, so adjustments to a parameter will be made to all grouped channels.
Uses 1, 2 & 3 are controlled in the multitrack-view. Use 4 is controlled in full-view (and other mixer views).
Rational: I have used SawStudio for decades without a complete understanding of groups. Because groups can be used in multiple ways, the operation and description of groups is scattered throughout the manual. The intention of this post is to make these powerful functions accessible.
There are 3 types of grouping:
- Number-selecting in multitrack-view. Tracks are added to this type of grouping by left-clicking on a track-number (indicated by track number font and background inversion).
Most multitrack edit functions will impact all number-selected tracks. Number-selected tracks will playback, non-selected tracks do not playback. |
Shift-left-clicking on a multitrack-track-number re-arranges number-selected tracks numerically and moves them beyond the track clicked on. |
- Label-selecting in multitrack-view Tracks are added to this type of grouping by alt-left-clicking on a track-label (indicated by track label font and background inversion).
This enables additional tracks to playback that are not included in group-editing functions through number-selection. You can listen to any combination of tracks while group edit functions remain limited to number-selected tracks. (Note that label-selection does not prevent a number-selected track from being edited). |
- Number-selecting channels in mixer-views. Tracks are added to this type of grouping by left-clicking on a channel-number (indicated by channel number font and background inversion).
Parameter adjustments on a grouped mixer-view channel are also applied to all other number-selected channels. |
When you are finished with the group operation, simply [Right-Click] in any track (or channel) number zone to clear number-selected groups, and [Alt-Right-Click] in any track label zone to clear label-selected groups.
Group Menu
Right-clicking on the title-bar of multitrack or any mixer view opens a menu where groups can be defined. Once defined, these groups (which are shared between those views) can be utilized to rapidly activate any of the above grouping types. The operation of the menu is somewhat different depending upon accessing it from the multitrack, or a mixer view.
These following are Multitrack-group-menu actions, taken from the manual.
[Right-Clicking] on the MultiTrack title bar displays the popup Group menu. This menu allows you to save and recall preset track groups. There are 32 group preset assignments and a few special groups for MultiTrack section selections (ie inputs, returns, and outputs). The preset groups are shared between the MultiTrack and the mixer windows.
- [Left-Clicking] on one of the 32 group preset options clears any existing number-selected tracks and number-selects that group of tracks.
- [Alt-Left-Clicking] on one of the 32 group preset options clears any existing label-selected tracks and label-selects that group of tracks.
- [Left-Clicking] on the Select All option number-selects all input, return, and output mixer channels. [Left-Clicking] on the Select All Inputs, Select All Returns, or Select All Outputs option number-selects the corresponding mixer channels.
- [Alt-Left-Clicking] on the Select All option label-selects all input, return, and output mixer channels. [Left-Clicking] on the Select All Inputs, Select All Returns, or Select All Outputs option label-selects the corresponding mixer channels.
- [Shift-Left-Clicking] one of the 32 group preset options will set the group to the current number-selected tracks and prompts for a group name. This will overwrite any previous group entries in that preset.
- [Ctrl-Left-Clicking] one of the 32 group will blend the preset with any currently number-selected tracks.
- [Ctrl-Alt-Left-Clicking] one of the 32 group will blend the preset with any currently label-selected tracks.
The following are Mixer-view-group-menu actions, taken from the manual.
[Right-Clicking] on the Full Mixer View title bar displays the popup Group menu. This menu allows you to save and recall preset channel groups. There are 32 group preset assignments and a few special groups for mixer section selections (ie inputs, returns, and outputs). The preset groups are shared between the MultiTrack and the mixer windows.
- [Left-Clicking] on one of the 32 group preset options clears any existing selected mixer Navigation
- [Left-Clicking] on the Select All option selects all input, return, and output mixer channels.
- [Left-Clicking] on the Select All Inputs, Select All Returns, or Select All Outputs option selects the corresponding mixer channels.
- [Shift-Left-Clicking] one of the 32 group preset options creates a new group and assigns the currently selected channels to that group and prompts for a group name.
- [Ctrl-Left-Clicking] one of the 32 group preset options will blend the preset with any currently selected mixer channels.
Definitions:
- Channel - a path through a series of signal modifiers - analogous to a channel strip on a real mixer.
- Track - a container that can store and access an audio signal - analogous to a track on a real tape recorder.
In SawStudio, on playback, tracks are typically routed into channels having the same number. Because of that close relationship, we often discuss and think about these terms interchangeably. It is important to remember that for clarity, SawStudio, and its documentation, maintains a distinction between 'channel' and 'track'. In Multitrack-view, we work with tracks - and in mixer-views, channels. (The 'group menu' is somewhat of an exception to that distinction.)
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