So I have ten tracks of instruments and have added a vocal. The vocal has been edited, and in fact it is the second verse that is going first. As I Iay this out in my project window, I have all instrument tracks starting on bar 2 and the vocal picking up just before that.
OK, I can place/align the tracks, but I want to add silence to the start of the vocal track such that it can be dropped at bar 1 and be aligned if I move it to another track. What is the method used to do this?
I cant Bounce it. I CAN import it into the project using an export mixdown operation but there has to be something in the drag department, right? I am stumped.
this kind of early entrance has a very “pretty” name in music… it’s called anacrusis… actually it’s anacrusis when you have a first note that comes before the beginning of a bar, if it’s just a little noise/space that you don’t want to cut off for some reason, then the sound is actually starting in Bar 2 and it wouldn’t be called an anacrusis…
You can do that for easy editing in at least two ways:
you can set the snap point of the audio event to be in any point besides the beginning (which is the default). To do this, open the sample editor and drag the “S” symbol that stays in the beginning of the audio event to the point of the waveform that you want. If you cannot see the “S” on top of the waveform, make sure you’re in the first item of the sample editor’s inspector (left hand menus), I think it’s called “definition”.
Another way would be to make an audio part and resize the start to Bar 1. select the audio event with the arrow tool and use the function “Events to part”. This command is in the Audio menu, or maybe Edit, unfortunately I don’t have Cubase here with me right now.
OK, your suggestions are noted and I thank you for these ideas. I honestly find either idea not as simple as exporting the track and dropping a copy into the project. And being able to drag the part from track to track having it automatically aligned is something I need.
So I learned something here today. Another viable option that I tripped over was to record a beat or two of silence, select it and the vocal piece, and then bounce the piece back into the project, the bounce closing the gap.
Ha! But I really thought there was something simpler. FWIW, I will probably use the export method when it comes up again.
Um… No one of you guys works with the sync-point of the audio-editor, right?
This is the best way to move parts that start a little earlier in my opinion…
So if the part starts at the last sixteenth note of the first bar for example, I’d simply
put the sync-point of it exactly on bar 2. Now it’s easy to move it and copy it
without messing it up…
Just to let u know: It’s that little ‘S’-Flag that is usually set to the start of the event/clip.
Also helpful when the material starts after the first bar. Then I usually set it to the end of
the event/clip if it ends straight to the beginning of a new bar.
Hi, if you want the actual audio event to start at exactly bar one:
enable grid (bar)
choose the selector tool (second item in the toolbar)
select the area from bar one to the end of the verse vocal
in the audio menu select “new audio file from selection” (I’m working with Cubase set to German, so the translation may be a bit different) [my shortcut for this is AltGr+N]
In the context editor select “replace”
That should be it. You created a new audio file were you consolidated all the selected audio to a new file. Everything that has been blank before, is filled with silence in the audio file now. This method is very powerful and fast. It also works over multiple tracks (a file is created for every track). I also use it to export whole projects (select all tracks from bar one to the end → one file for every track and they all allign. These files can be used with every audio application).
Note that there is no plugin processing with this method (as opposed to bouncing).
Having said that, the regular method for a pickup would be the sync point thing as mentioned before. I don’t like to move the sync point manually, so what I do is: select event, enable grid, move the cursor to bar two (in your case) and go to the audio menu (“move sync point to cursor”). Actually I use a shortcut for that.
But what I would actually do: enable grid, select the the vocal part (as in selector tool!), drag it where I want it. Fast, clean, no additional audio generated, perfect timing
(or cut/paste)
Kai - Hi. I now understand what you were trying to say. I think.
The tool you talked about is the Select Range tool. When you engage it and drag it across the entire track, starting from bar 1, you end up with a transparent powder blue window on top of the selected area. Then when you go to the Audio tab and open it, you can click on the ‘Bounce’ feature. This will produce the new track I wanted. Awesome.
This is faster than the method I was using, yes! So thank you!
Yeah, P.S. I cannot find “new audio file from selection”, so I used the Bounce feature. I mean, I think I have to Bounce the track, correct? If you were saying something else please let me know. Right now I think you were saying that Cubase would ask me if I wanted to’make a new audio file?’ as I bounced the track. No?
Yes, it’s called “Bounce Selection” in the audio menu. In the context menu you have to hit “Replace” (otherwise the file is created on the harddisk, but not imported into the Cubase project).
Perhaps I don’t understand the question, but in the edit mode for the track, can’t you just select the range and use “insert silence” from the range editing functions? Or maybe that is a Nuendo only editing tool? Sorry, I am primarily a Nuendo user but use Cubase for certain features when they come out before Nuendo has them. So, if that is not available in Cubase, it is not meant as a jab… just an attempt to help!
Idongo, thank you for this. To be honest, I have not used feature much and typically not for this type of thing. But it works very well. In fact, if you attach/glue the penciled in part to the front or BACK of the part in question, the entire part is then enveloped in a new window that is expandable from either the front or back of the track - until you bounce it of course. So this is very useful. I didn’t know this performed like this, very cool indeed.
And JM, to your suggestion, I think it is just easier to leave the part where it is and do as Idongo suggests because it is very easy indeed. Well, for me anyway. But thank you for the suggestion.
